1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Beethov-hen’s first symphony

On a grey Friday morning at a Hawke’s Bay farm, members of New Zealand’s symphony orchestra dressed in black to perform their latest composition in front of a large crowd.

The music contained many marks of traditional classical music, but as it began, the instruments started to make loud, rough sounds more commonly     1     (hear) in chicken coops than in an auditorium.

However, no feathers were angered by this departure from tradition,     2     the audience that gathered to listen to the concert last week was, in fact, a couple of thousand chickens.

The piece of music – Chook Symphony No.1 –     3     (create) specifically for the birds out of an unlikely partnership between the orchestra and an organic free-range chicken farm which wanted a piece of chicken-friendly music to enrich its flocks’ lives.

“We’ve been playing classical music for the chickens for some years now because     4     is well researched that the music can calm the chickens down,” says Ben Bostock, one of the two brothers who     5     (own) the Bostock Brothers farm.

Research has shown animals can respond positively to classical music, and chickens are particularly responsive to baroque (巴洛克风格), according to some studies.

The composer, Hamish Oliver,     6     used the baroque tradition as a starting point and drew inspiration from composers such as Corelli, Bach, and Schnittke, wanted the piece to be playful by including sounds from a chicken’s world. “The trumpet imitates the chicken… the woodwind instruments are the cluckiest, especially if you take the reeds off.”

The early stages of composition were spent     7     (test) out which instruments and sounds the chickens responded to best.

“They didn’t like any big banging,” Bostock said, adding that when the birds respond positively to the music, they tend     8     (wander) farther among the trees. Bostock now hopes chicken farmers around the world will use the piece of music to calm their own birds.

For Oliver, having input from the farmers about     9     the chickens were responding to particular sounds and instruments was a highlight of the project.

The symphony has searched exhaustively     10     any other examples of orchestras making music specifically for chickens and believes this to be a world-first, says Peter Biggs, the orchestra’s chief executive.

2 . From Marie Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion (鬼屋) to horror-themed escape rooms, haunted house attractions have terrified and delighted audiences around the world for more than 200 years.

These attractions turn out to be good places to study fear. They help scientists understand the body’s response to fright and how we perceive some situations as enjoyably thrilling and others as truly terrible. One surprising finding: having friends close at hand in a haunted house might make you more jumpy, not less so.

Psychologist and study co-author Sarah Tashjian, who is now at the University of Melbourne, and her team conducted their research with 156 adults, who each wore a wireless wrist sensor during their visit. The sensor measured skin responses linked to the body’s reactions to stress and other situations. When the sensor picked up, for example, greater skin conductance — that is, the degree to which the skin can transmit an electric current — that was a sign that the body was more aroused and ready for fight or flight. In addition to this measure, people reported their expected fear (on a scale of 1 to 10) before entering the haunted house and their experienced fear (on the same scale) after completing the haunt.

The scientists found that people who reported greater fear also showed heightened skin responses. Being with friends, Tashjian and her colleagues further found, increased physiological arousal during the experience, which was linked to stronger feelings of fright. In fact, the fear response was actually weaker when people went through the house in the presence of strangers.

Other investigators have used haunted houses to understand how fear and enjoyment can coexist. In a 2020 study led by Marc Malmdorf Andersen, a member of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark, scientists joined forces with Dystopia Haunted House. The Danish attraction includes such terrifying experiences as being chased by “Mr. Piggy”, a large, chain-saw-wielding man wearing a bloody butcher’s apron and pig mask. People between the ages of 12 and 57 were video recorded at peak moments during the attraction, wore heart-rate monitors throughout and reported on their experience. People’s fright was tied to large-scale heart-rate fluctuations; their enjoyment was linked to small-scale ones. The results suggest that fear and enjoyment can happen together when physiological arousal is balanced “just right”.

1. Studying haunted house attractions helps scientists to learn about ________.

A．the psychological effects of fear on individuals

B．the history of horror-themed entertainment

C．the body’s response to material rewards

D．the impact of technology on people’s enjoyment

2. How did Sarah Tashjian and her team conduct their research on haunted house experiences?

A．By surveying participants.	B．By analyzing historical records.
C．By employing wireless wrist sensors.	D．By using virtual reality simulations.

3. What did Tashjian and her colleagues discover in their study?

A．Being with friends elevated level of physiological arousal.

B．The fear reaction was stronger in the company of strangers.

C．Psychological effect was unrelated to intensified feelings of fright.

D．Those reporting lightened fear showed increased skin responses.

4. It can be concluded from the 2020 study led by Marc Malmdorf Andersen that ________.

A．fear and enjoyment can not happen at the same time

B．large-scale heart-rate fluctuations were linked to enjoyment

C．the age of the participants was not related to the study’s findings

D．fear and enjoyment can coexist under certain conditions

4 .

A．She expects the man to help Brian move to a new house.

B．She expects the man to take mum to Brain’s new house.

C．She expects the man to celebrate mum’s birthday together.

D．She expects the man to make a phone call to Mum.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。1.

A．By trading physical items.	B．By exchanging artistic creativity.
C．By hosting art exhibitions.	D．By making artistic advertisements.

2.

A．Painting and writing.	B．Graphic design and photography.
C．Music and album cover design.	D．Video editing and project management.

3.

A．Members can benefit without efforts.

B．Members can make money by providing artistic services.

C．Members can get copyrights of other artistic offerings.

D．Members can have access to the creative exchange list.

4.

A．Competitive individualism.	B．Artistic cooperation and inspiration.
C．Individual fame in the art field.	D．Material collaboration and exchange.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is one suggestion for reducing waste during Christmas gift-giving, according to the passage?

A．Canceling all the gifts.	B．Applying a “one-gift” rule.
C．Giving children less time to play.	D．Encouraging buying second-hand gifts.

2. What is one alternative to material gifts, according to clinical psychologist Linda Blair?

A．Buying a rare and expensive souvenir.	B．Buying a hand-made craft product.
C．Giving something that won’t cost money.	D．Giving an experience of something new.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The waste caused by Christmas gifts.

B．The importance of buying gifts for children.

C．The creative ideas of giving gifts to avoid waste.

D．The negative effects of receiving too many gifts.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Its regular driving practices and poor vehicles.

B．Its lack of green spaces and air cleaners.

C．Its excessive water pollution and rubbish.

D．Its high air pollution and crowded roads.

2.

A．Establishing a high interest loan scheme.

B．Removing outdated black and white taxis.

C．Encouraging customers to create new ideas.

D．Making advertisements on old vehicles.

3.

A．Because customers are more friendly and richer.

B．Because all new cabs provide air-conditioning.

C．Because all new cabs are equipped with meters.

D．Because car manufacturers can earn extra money.

8 .

A．The fantastic and high-quality camera.

B．The need for better internet connectivity.

C．Their favorite photography techniques.

D．The pros and cons of a new smartphone. Section

9 .

A．She has already been to the café.

B．She is not interested in going to the café.

C．She knows about the café but hasn’t visited it.

D．She wants to go to the café right away.

10 .

A．They told a lot of stories during the meeting.

B．There is no need for them to argue so fiercely in public.

C．Both perspectives should be considered before judging.

D．They should have resolved their issues in private.