1 . In a bustling city in Arizona stood a high school where most of the students live in poverty. Among them were four sons of Mexican immigrants, Juan, Oscar, Luis, and Alfredo. These boys, coming from ________ backgrounds, often found themselves overlooked and underestimated. Bonded by fate and friendship, they shared a common passion for ________. Two science teachers there decided to enter their high school into a complicated ________ robotics competition sponsored by the NASA and the Naval Research. Excited for the news, these four boys signed up for the competition.

With enthusiasm and energy, they started calling mechanical engineers for design help. They were ________ that these kinds of robots require glass syntactic flotation foam, a type of floating material used in various marine applications.________ money, all they could afford was some PVC pipes and duct tape (强力胶布).________, they searched the city for various spare parts, gathering whatever they could to bring their vision to life. With the teachers’ guidance and encouragement, they ________ together a robot with no more than metal and wires.

As they worked on their robot, the boys also faced personal challenges. Juan struggled with the weight of family responsibilities; Oscar ________ a deep-seated fear of failure; Luis’s heart ached from the constant peers’ mockery (嘲笑) for his ________ accent, and Alfredo longed for acceptance and belonging.________ these obstacles, they persevered, leaning on each other for support and inspiration.

After a few test runs of their robot, they piled into a second-hand van to head to the competition. Upon entering the main pool area, they noticed the college teams wearing matching outfits, with robots sponsored by big companies. Feeling a bit nervous, the boys put the robot in the water for a test run.________, the PVC didn’t hold up, causing the robot to leak and sink.

However, instead of letting this ________ ruin their spirits, the boys put their heads together and came up with a brilliant solution. 12 hours later, armed with 8 super-absorbent pads to plug the leak, the robot was ________ into the pool again. This time, their robot performed admirably. Gliding gracefully through the waters, it navigated the course with precision and speed,________ the judges and audience alike. This underwater robot, a symbol of their determination and ________, conquered the waters, defeated engineering powerhouse MIT and ranked first in the country. This was not just a win for those four but a victory for every underdog with a dream.

1.

A．academic

B．relevant

C．humble

D．professional

2.

A．space

B．mechanics

C．research

D．ocean

3.

A．giant

B．industrial

C．underwater

D．local

4.

A．advised

B．forced

C．challenged

D．consulted

5.

A．Reliant on

B．Available to

C．Short of

D．Desperate for

6.

A．Therefore

B．Otherwise

C．Moreover

D．However

7.

A．tied

B．pieced

C．added

D．wrapped

8.

A．conquered

B．created

C．expressed

D．battled

9.

A．perfect

B．strange

C．slight

D．elegant

10.

A．With

B．Given

C．Despite

D．Besides

11.

A．Unfortunately

B．Basically

C．Actually

D．Consequently

12.

A．disagreement

B．failure

C．conflict

D．progress

13.

A．scaled

B．lowered

C．inserted

D．fed

14.

A．boring

B．confusing

C．wowing

D．motivating

15.

A．bravery

B．generosity

C．confidence

D．perseverance

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage 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 fit s each blank.

The History of Snacks

Hamburgers, sandwiches and pizza are some of the worlds’ favourite snacks, but have you ever wondered     1     first ate them? Read on to find out more.

The hamburger

The hamburger started life as small pieces of raw beef     2    (eat) by the Tartars, a tribe who invaded Europe in the Middle Ages.     3     they ate it, they used to put the meat on their horse under the saddle (马鞍) they were sitting on in order to make it soft. When the Tartar s arrived in Hamburg, the people mixed the beef with local spices, fried it and called it the Hamburg Steak. Germans who came to the USA took this recipe with them and it became known     4     a hamburger there.

The sandwich

People say that it was John Montague, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich,     5    invented the sandwich. Montague enjoyed playing cards in his favourite restaurant, the Beef Steak Club in London. He could     6    (find) there most days and some of his games lasted for hours. One day, instead of stopping     7    (eat) lunch, Montague asked a servant to bring him some meat between two slices of bread to prevent the cards from getting dirty. When the other players saw this, they began to order’ the same as Sandwich’, and so the sandwich got its name.

Pizza Margherita

In 1889, Queen Margherita of Italy invited chef Rafaelle Esposito from his pizzaria to visit the royal palace and     8    (bake) a selection of pizzas for her.     9    (want) to impress the queen, Rafaelle made a very special pizza. It was large and topped with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh herbs to represent the Italian flag,       10     is red, white and green. The Queen was delighted with this design and the pizza became one of her favourite foods. When people heard about this, they all wanted to try it and so the pizza Margherita was born.

3 . 科学家们相信虽然这一新发现目前还没有实际应用的希望，但在不远的将来它能解决各种各样的问题。(convince)(汉译英)
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4 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Complaining: The Happiness Killer

In 15th-century Germany, there was an expression: Greiner, Zanner, which can be translated as “a chronic (长期的) complainer.” Are you a bit of a Greiner, Zanner? If so, you’re not alone. Survey data show that customers today are more than twice as likely to complain about a product or service as they were in 1976. A U. K.-based survey also observed a rise in job dissatisfaction over a two-year period before autumn 2022.

Complaints can be grouped into different categories. As is reported, 45 percent of complaints concern the behavior of others. For instance, parents repeatedly criticize their children for small issues like messy bedrooms or dirty clothes. Another 29 percent focus on personal discomfort. A common complaint in this category might be about feeling too hot in a room without air conditioner. The remaining 26 percent involve unpleasant obligations like unnecessary work meetings people are forced to attend.

The problem with all of these complaints is that it can feel helpful — but it typically isn’t . Although complaining might offer temporary relief, it’s bad for your happiness in the long run. Researchers who measured people’s mood before and after they complained found that those complainers’ mood was significantly worsening. Besides, complaining can also lower the happiness of the people around you. In some relationships, the negative effect can pass like a virus to those exposed. In other words, when people see others’ complaints expressing anger, disgust and sadness, they can, in turn, feel similar emotions.

As the 20th-century Bulgarian philosopher Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev observed, “Complaining is like the winter frost which, when it falls, destroys all the labors of the gardeners.”

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5 . 面对网络时代的冲击，实体商店必须寻求创新之道，才能在激烈的竞争中生存，否则将不可避免地退出历史舞台。(survive) (汉译英)
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6 . 对于有选择困难症的人来说，决定午餐吃什么都会困扰他们，更别提做一个重大的人生抉择了。(bother) (汉译英)
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7 . 你能告诉我怎样架设这个梯子，才能使其既稳定又安全吗？(so that) (汉译英)
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8 . 我们都乐于和真诚的人分享生活中的点点滴滴。(pleased) (汉译英)
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9 . Rain Collection

What do you like to do on a rainy day —sit inside and listen to the pitter-patter on the roof or splash outside and feel the cold drops on your face? Whatever you choose, rain is vitally essential in the nature.

    1     It fills rivers and lakes, slowly sinks into the earth, nourishes our plants, and keeps the land alive and beautiful. In the past, people obtained their water from rain, wells, or nearby rivers. Now, many of us live in places where water is piped in, sometimes from far away. Removing so much water from nature and sending it to great distances harm the living things that also need that water.

As climate change heats up the planet and causes extreme weather, more places face water shortages.     2     . One easy place to look for more water is the sky!

Humans have collected rain since ancient times.     3    . They are tapping into this clean and rich source of water provided by nature. By harvesting the rain we can reduce the amount of water we take from rivers and out of the ground.

Even in dry climates, there is a lot of potential rainwater that can be effectively harvested and utilized. This rich yet often overlooked resource has the potential to significantly contribute to water conservation efforts, especially in regions facing water shortages. Just one inch of rain falling on a medium-sized house produces over 600 gallons of water.    4    .

Nowadays, rainwater is still used as a primary supply in many places in the world, like Vietnam and Hawaii. In places with piped-in water, rainwater is not commonly used, but this is changing. Rainwater harvesting is getting more popular since it’s easy to do and helps create water security.

A．Large roofs can, hence, collect greater amount of water.

B．Rainwater can also be used for fountains and ponds.

C．We all deeply depend on the nourishment of rain.

D．To secure future water supply, we need new sources.

E．Now, many people are returning to this practice.

F．Rainwater is clean but it gets dirty from the roof.

10 .

With its bright colors, easy-to-learn rules and familiar music, the video game Tetris has endured as a pop culture symbol over the past 40 years. Many people, like me, have been playing the game for decades, and it has been updated to adapt to new technologies like game systems, phones and tablets.

However, Tetris is much more than winning. The game, in which players must control blocks of different shapes as they slide down a screen, is based on a fundamental element of geometry, called dynamic spatial reasoning (动态空间推理). It is taught by mathematics educators and used by architects, engineers, animators, and many others. Players employ these geometric skills to progress in Tetris, so playing it both tests and improves a player’s dynamic spatial reasoning.

Spatial reasoning is the ability to visualize geometric figures and how they will move in space. So, dynamic spatial reasoning is the ability to visualize actively moving figures. The Tetris player must quickly decide where the falling game piece will best fit and then move it there. This movement involves both translation — moving a shape right and left, and rotation — turning its shape by 90 degrees at a time.

Spatial visualization is a key element of a mathematics discipline called transformation al geometry, which is usually first taught in middle school. In a typical transformational geometry exercise, students might be asked to represent a figure by its x and y coordinates (坐标) on a coordinate graph and then identify the transformations, such as translation and rotations, necessary to move it from one position to another while keeping the piece the same shape and size.

While it may seem simple, transformation al geometry is the foundation for several advanced topics in mathematics. Architects and engineers both use transformations to draw up blueprints, which represent the real world in scale drawings. Animators use concepts of transformations as well. While animators today use computer programs that automatically move figures around, they are all based on this kind of transformation.

1. Which is NOT a key reason for Tetris’s lasting popularity?

A．Its pleasure of winning the game.	B．Its bright colors and catchy music.
C．Its link to complex math and geometry.	D．Its simple rules and tech adaptability.

2. According to the passage, what fundamental skill does playing Tetris help improve?

A．Logical reasoning.	B．Mathematical calculation.
C．Memory maintaining.	D．Spatial visualization.

3. Move the sample block on the right using both translation and rotation. Which image below can we get?

A．(a)

B．(b)

C．(c)

D．(d)

4. Which of the following statements does the author most probably agree with?

A．Tetris is a particularly useful tool for animation and architecture designs.

B．Spatial visualization is based on the constant change of a figure’s position.

C．Transformation algeometry behind Tetris can be applied to various fields.

D．Spatial reasoning is too difficult for middle school students to master.