1 . When she first encountered it, it seemed more like a Western-style dragon than a Chinese one, a(n) ________ to run away from rather than a friend to be embraced. That dragon was the Chinese language, and the person staring into its ________ eyes was a young Uzbek woman, Dilsora. It was 2005 and Dilsora was studying in Tashkent. Her ________ was journalism and Chinese, a language stream her teacher had strongly ________ to her.

Before heading off to college, Dilsora caught an interview on TV ________ an Uzbek student who had studied in China. “At the time I couldn’t figure out how one could ________ such a difficult language. Little did I know that this language would be my future major in college.” she recalled. “Then, when I started studying it I found it ________ difficult, ________ of considering throwing it away and studying another language.”

However, as with many a dragon story, there is a ________ in the tail, and Dilsora’s despair ________ noble principles. As time passed by, Dilsora’s sense of devotion has paid off for her in astonishing ways. Since then Dilsora has ________ master’s and doctoral degrees at Chinese University and is now a teacher at Minzu University of China in Beijing, teaching Uzbek to Chinese students. ________, Dilsora has answered another high calling: ________ Chinese works into Uzbek, including books the Chinese president has written. The Uzbek edition of Xi’s book on poverty ________, Up and Out of Poverty, published last year, was translated by Dilsora. This book reflects Xi’s ________ for the people and the lofty (崇高的) pursuits of the Communist Party of China, she said.

1.

A．pet

B．spirit

C．angel

D．beast

2.

A．inspiring

B．threatening

C．comfortable

D．delightful

3.

A．choice

B．major

C．degree

D．preference

4.

A．required

B．ordered

C．recommended

D．requested

5.

A．starring

B．organizing

C．filming

D．featuring

6.

A．attach

B．know

C．tackle

D．benefit

7.

A．extremely

B．slightly

C．hardly

D．randomly

8.

A．at no time

B．by no means

C．to the point

D．in the way

9.

A．sense

B．spotlight

C．change

D．twist

10.

A．gave way to

B．held on to

C．got down to

D．lived up to

11.

A．obtained

B．applied

C．declined

D．failed

12.

A．Therefore

B．Furthermore

C．Otherwise

D．However

13.

A．transporting

B．referring

C．transplanting

D．translating

14.

A．recognition

B．destruction

C．relief

D．shelter

15.

A．affection

B．effect

C．thought

D．comment

2 . In the beginning, there was nothing. The vastness of an unborn galaxy was marked by the absence of sound, light and substance. Empty music stood on an empty stage. Then the universe began to form when colors and shapes began to dance across what we would soon come to call the sky, the stars and the planets. Sounds of an orchestra began to play, colorful and clean.

Gustay Holst’s “The Planets, Op. 32”, to put simply, is a magical piece of music. Written between 1914 and 1916, the suite has built a strong legacy. As explained by conductor Peter Bay, Holst found inspiration from a topic that has twisted the human mind for centuries. It cannot be argued how deeply our understanding of the planets has shaped our aesthetics and culture — and Holst takes full creative liberty with this insight.

Each movement proved spectacular. “Clouds” combines a solemn tone with that of peaceful permanence, while “Festivals” follows with blooming joy and loud confidence. “Sirens” features the chorus, with their fascinating calls over the ebb and flow (起伏) of the orchestra itself. Different sections make for an impressive playing and listening experience.

The main event of the evening, to no surprise, proved an excellent journey across the planets that we find so familiar, bringing each to life with persistence and passion. In a world so focused on the digital, it is often easy to forget the power of live performance, particularly that of orchestral music. Yet, the richness and energy that flowed throughout the hall again proved the power of this art form and how fascinating collective sound can be.

1. What does the author describe at the beginning of the text?

A．The setting of the stage.	B．The origin of the galaxy.
C．The formation of the universe.	D．The technique of the orchestra.

2. How does the author develop the writing in paragraph 3?

A．By listing examples.	B．By analyzing models.
C．By comparing theories.	D．By presenting arguments.

3. Why does the author mention the digital in the last paragraph?

A．To praise its integration with music.	B．To reveal the appeal of the live show.
C．To show the importance of technology.	D．To emphasize its harm to concentration.

4. What can be the suitable title for the text?

A．A Musical Journey across the Galaxy.	B．A Magical Exploration of the Universe.
C．A Powerful Piece of Music on the Planets.	D．A Creative Musician with Space Inspiration.

3 . For eight years, Sophie created realistic-looking limbs (肢) for those who wanted to fit in. But she longed to work on more odd designs that would stand out. Then she met Pollyanna Hope, a young amputee (被截肢者).

“She wanted something a little different on her leg: pictures of a cartoon she loved, Peppa Pig,” said Sophie, who is now based in London. So she designed a unique leg covered in tattoo-like images of Peppa and other pigs riding a bicycle and eating ice cream. Working with Hope made Sophie realize there was a potential market for limbs.

Since then, Sophie founded the Alternative Limb Project (ALP) to make artistic limbs. Her work includes an arm wrapped in sculpted snakes and a leg that looks like porcelain (瓷器) covered in a painted flowery vine. She makes about six limbs per year, always including clients’ ideas so that they receive a personal piece they can celebrate rather than hide.

Of course, a fancy-looking limb won't suit everyone. For Sophie, the basis is that each limb must satisfy a combination of comfort, beauty and functionality, and pushing too hard in one direction can weaken other areas. But for amputees who appreciate novelty, Sophie has some amazing ideas.

“I’d really like to make a candy-dispenser leg with colorful candies inside it” she says. “Or a cuckoo-clock leg with a wooden bird that pops out every hour.” Her goal is to fashion a striking limb.

“It’ll transform the limbs from an elephant in the room into a conversation piece.”

1. Why did Pollyanna Hope come to Sophie?

A．She hoped to have a tailored limb.

B．She intended to design a cartoon figure.

C．She longed to expand the market for limbs.

D．She expected to sell Sophie some odd ideas.

2. According to paragraph 3, ALP aims to ______.

A．boost users’ confidence	B．sharpen users’ creativity
C．improve Sophie’s sculpture skills	D．extend Sophie’s art business

3. What is the basis for Sophie's works?

A．The novelty of the pattern tops the list.	B．The balance of multi-needs comes first.
C．Fashion is the best policy.	D．Functionality is the key.

4. What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A．Sophie resolves to lead the fashion of limbs.

B．Sophie plans to further transform artistic limbs.

C．Amputees will feel at ease to talk about limbs.

D．Amputees will have easy access to artistic limbs.

4 . “Palace, Mountain, Moon?” has been selected by NASA as the Astronomical Picture of the Day for December 25, 2023.

The photo was taken by Valerio, a young photographer of Turin, Italy. It was shot on the evening of December 15, 2023. While he knew about NASA’s competition, he hadn’t considered participating until receiving much encouragement from his social media followers. Soon after, he received the message, “Your image has been chosen as the astronomical photo of the day.” It was incredible!

In a photo like this, nothing is left to luck. The concept came to him back in 2017. Walking on the hills north of Turin, he found several spots perfect for including both the Basilica of Superga Palace and Mountain Monviso. After numerous visits over several months, he identified four spots where Superga and Monviso line up just right.

After pinpointing these locations, he experimented with shooting them at different times. “I knew I needed something special to perfect the photo. The Sun was a no-go, so I turned to the Moon. Its various phases and position s reach an azimuth angle (方位角) of 230 degrees,” Valerio said. With this in mind, he researched the Moon’s phases, marked potential dates on the calendar, and planned the exact moments when the moon could join the queue.

It was very successful, especially because the Moon was in a waxing phase. This meant that in the photo, not only was its crescent (新月) lit up, but so was the left part, its shadowed side. That part is lit by reflected light, also known as Da Vinci’s glow, named after him because he was the one who theorized about why the Moon’s shadowed side is brightened. During the early days of the waxing Moon phases, the shadowed part is visible because the Sun’s light reflects off the Earth and hits the Moon’s shadowed side, giving it a greyish, silvery color. This allowed the light to outline Monviso on the left as well.

1. Why did Valerio send the photo to NASA?

A．He took an interest in astronomical advances.

B．He expected to create an impact on social media.

C．He received broad support from enthusiastic fans.

D．He wished to make his hometown a tourist hot spot.

2. In Valerio’s photo, the three objects ______.

A．shine light on each other	B．stand in a straight line
C．fit each other in size	D．vary from usual in color

3. What did Valerio do to prepare for the perfect photo?

A．Studying how the Moon phase changes.	B．Calculating the Superga-Monviso distance.
C．Analyzing when to adjust the camera angle.	D．Measuring the height of the observation point.

4. What was lit up by the Da Vinci’s glow?

A．The outline of the crescent.	B．The outline of Superga.
C．The dark side of the Moon.	D．The shadowed side of the Earth.

5 . Random acts of kindness can affect people’s well-being significantly more than expected, according to an August study co-authored by a University of Texas researcher. Based on experiments ranging from giving someone a cup of hot chocolate to delivering cupcakes in the park, the recently published study found that random acts of kindness affected both the giver and receiver significantly more than anticipated. The researchers conducted a total of eight experiments involving students to assess the effects of the acts.

Amit Kumar, the study’s co-author and an assistant marketing and psychology professor at UT, said that although researchers know kindness significantly improves a person’s well-being, people underestimate the effect it will have on the receiver. “One of the interesting questions becomes why people often don’t act in ways that are likely to make them feel better,” said Kumar. “What we were interested in studying here was this belief that these seemingly small pro-social acts can actually make a significant difference in people’s lives.”

Kumar said because people underestimate the positive effects of these acts, more often than not, people don’t perform them.

One of the experiments included UT students engaging in an exercise in which they performed different acts of kindness for others, such as baking cookies or offering a peer a ride home, and then filled out a questionnaire afterward. At the same time, the recipients were contacted and asked how they felt. The researchers found that in all of the experiments, both the recipients and performers ended up in better moods than normal after the act.

Co-author Nicholas Epley said the research is part of a broader research program of people avoiding human connection and not reaching out to others despite its positive impact.

“People do act in line with their expectations, but those expectations can be off,” Kumar said. “If you’re underestimating the positive impact that you’re having on other people, that can prevent you from being kinder more often in daily life,” Kumar remarked. He hopes this research helps people become more aware of their impact on others and be kind when they have the opportunity.

1. What did the recently published study find about random acts of kindness?

A．They affect the giver more than the receiver.

B．They affect the receiver more than the giver.

C．They are good for interpersonal relationships.

D．They can greatly affect people’s happiness.

2. What does the underlined word “pro-social” mean?

A．Negative.

B．Kind.

C．Dangerous.

D．Active.

3. According to Nicholas Epley, what does the broader program research?

A．People escaping human contact.	B．People showing random kindness.
C．The positive impact of kindness.	D．The importance of human connection.

4. What’s important if you want to show more kindness in daily life?

A．Realizing the power of your kindness.

B．Acting in line with expectations.

C．Having a good opportunity.

D．Reaching out to others.

6 . What if our bodies had a new way — other than our eardrums — to hear the world around us? That’s what neuroscientist David Eagleman wondered five years ago. Then he looked at the body for answers and saw a huge sound jack (插孔). “We have this huge input channel called our skin,” he says, “and we aren’t using it.”

So Eagleman, along with Scott Novich, his student at Baylor College of Medicine, created the Versatile Extra-Sensory Transducer, or VEST. The VEST is worn like it sounds. Through 32 tiny motors, it translates sound waves into vibrations (振动) on your back.

First, a computer or smartphone picks up sounds from your surroundings and breaks down the sound sample into a set of specific frequencies. Each frequency band in the set sets off one of 32 motors in the VEST. With time and practice, your brain learns to unconsciously interpret the series of vibrations as sound — and individual sounds as words in a language.

“There is no theoretical reason why this can’t be almost as good as the ears,” says Eagleman. So far, he has trained deaf people to recognize single words through the VEST. He hopes to eventually help them understand sentences, and then full conversations. Just like with language, Eagleman discovered, children — whose brains are more shapable — learned to interpret the VEST more easily than adults did.

Eagleman says his device could one day be deployed in dozens of professions to better understand complex environments. A pilot could interpret a plane’s condition through the VEST’s vibrations. An astronaut could literally feel the health of the International Space Station. Eagleman and Novich’s startup, Neo Sensory, plans to develop the VEST for all kinds of uses, so someday we all can experience this sixth sense. “The possibilities are endless for the kind of information we could be streaming in,” says Eagleman.

1. What is the VEST?

A．A huge input channel on the body.	B．A computer-smartphone connector.
C．A processing program with tiny motors.	D．A wearable sound-vibration transformer.

2. What is the working procedure of the VEST?
①motors to be activated                    ②sounds to be decomposed                    ③words to be interpreted

A．①②③

B．②③①

C．①③②

D．②①③

3. What does the underlined word “deployed” in paragraph 5. probably mean?

A．Assessed.

B．Employed.

C．Detected.

D．Invented.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Listen with Your Skin	B．Hear Your Sixth Sense
C．To Listen or Not	D．Here to Hear.

7 . My family and I had set out on a day trip from Shillong to Cherrapunji, a town known for being one of the wettest places on Earth. However, after we had been stuck in traffic for more than four hours, one of my sisters proposed going back to the city as a last attempt to save whatever remained of the day. A quick online search revealed other must-visit spots around Shillong. Most were familiar, but one caught our attention—Nartiang with its mysterious monoliths (独石碑). The photo showed tall stones piled together in a strange formation, appealing to us to explore further despite the lack of details provided.

That is how I found myself standing in the shadow of the huge monoliths of Nartiang, which is home to the thickest and largest collection in the region. Curious to uncover their history, I approached Maryo Symblai, a village elder I met later that day, who told me the story of the monoliths that has been orally passed down over generations. She said, “Back in the day, Nartiang didn’t have a bazaar (集市) and the nearest one was at Raliang. On one such bazaar, a giant named Mar Phalyngki was caught in heavy rain on his way back. He requested to borrow an umbrella from the Raliang chief’s youngest daughter, but she wanted to test his legendary strength instead. ‘Why don’t you go lift that huge stone in the bazaar and use it as an umbrella?’ she said dismissively. Emboldened by her challenge, he just did that, but before reaching Nartiang, he placed it in a forest when the rain had stopped.”

“There is a certain overlap of ancient story and memory in the case of the Nartiang monoliths. The locals’ account of how the place came to be is based on ancient stories or folk customs. But they also remember it because it served their ancestors as a weekly marketplace, a memorial, and a place for political gatherings. That is how oral history works. It mixes fact and fiction into collective memory”, said Dr Reeju Ray, a local writer.

Today, even though the traditional customs and more confirmed historical accounts offer some insight into the site, the mystery(奥秘)of the stone giants lasts.

1. Why did the author and his family come to visit the monoliths of Nartiang?

A．It was in their original trip plan.

B．They had to choose it as an alternative.

C．It was the only remaining place to visit.

D．An elder village r gave them the suggestion.

2. Which does the underlined word “Emboldened” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Threatened.

B．Moved.

C．Stimulated.

D．Frightened.

3. Why are Dr. Reeju Ray’s words mentioned?

A．To info rm what the monoliths served as.

B．To illustrate how the mysterious story came into being.

C．To introduce the feature of Nartiang monoliths.

D．To deny the overlap of ancient story and memory.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A Trip to the Monoliths.	B．The Mystery of Shillong.
C．The Formation of the Monoliths.	D．A Disappointing Travel Experience.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Wearing Hanfu and sitting in front of a Chinese zither (筝), Peng Jingxuan, a young Chinese student, moves her fingers gently along the strings on a street in Paris, France.

Peng has shared more than 200     1     (origin) videos online, with the most popular one featuring the theme song of the movie A Chinese Ghost Story viewed over 16.61 million times. “I love how she’s representing her culture in a     2     (set) where people are not familiar with it. You can tell she’s proud of her background and her music,” one of her fans commented.

Chinese zither (筝), or guzheng, is an ancient musical instrument with 21-26 strings and a length of 1.63 meters. Peng     3     (fall) in love with it when young and has been practicing it for years. Hardly finding Chinese instruments     4     (play) on the streets in Paris, she took along her guzheng     5     began her street performances to sharpen her skills. The more she performed, the more she felt a greater sense of responsibility     6     (spread) Chinese music and culture.

Considering her audience’s     7     (unfamiliar) with Chinese songs, Peng made adaptations, for     8     she received positive responses. She also performed Western pop songs that local people could relate     9    , entertaining them with beautiful melodies in a     10     (refresh) style.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．House decorating skills.

B．House selecting secrets.

C．Home improvements plans.

2. Why probably does the speaker prefer some new fixtures?

A．The old ones don’t match the carpet.

B．The old ones are broken.

C．The old ones are somewhat dark.

3. What is the last job?

A．Building a deck.

B．Changing the roof.

C．Designing a yard.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is a cool logo usually on?

A．A polo shirt.

B．A cool T-shirt.

C．Casual cargo pants.

2. What do girls wear at dance clubs?

A．Short shirts and jeans.

B．Short shirts and cargo pants.

C．Cargo pants and high heels.

3. What jewelry does the woman always wear?

A．A ring.

B．A necklace.

C．Earrings.

4. How does the woman feel about the clubs?

A．She likes them.

B．She thinks them noisy.

C．She thinks them troublesome.