1 . Over the past years, Zhenyu has attempted to pass continuous exams. When the results of the latest postgraduate entrance exam were released on Feb 26, _________, Zhen felt a sense of relief and ease, as if he had seen it coming.

During his time at school, his teachers believed he had _________ and was suited for further academic pursuits (追求). “It was a _________ of pure creativity. I could receive all kinds of _________ from teachers and classmates to complete my film projects,” Zhen said. “How wonderful it would be if I could continue this as a postgraduate!”

With these _________ in mind, Zhen decided to take the postgraduate entrance exam. For him, the English and political theory exams _________ challenges, leading to his first failure. He _________ again the following year. Despite his efforts, he failed again. Determined to become a postgraduate, he kept _________ the exam and preparing for it, to the extent that it eventually became a daily routine and habit.

_________ preparing for the exams over the past years, Zhen tried different jobs to support himself. He was __________ to find that almost all of his young colleagues were also taking various exams. “It seemed that if you didn’t take some kind of exam, you would become an outsider, __________ from society, and lacking common ground with your peers,” Zhen said. “But in fact, I only __________ life after passing the exam and never really thought over what my life would be like after finishing my postgraduate studies, or if I could even enter one.”

After so many __________ , he is no longer afraid of failing. It took Zhen many years to realize that the postgraduate entrance exam is not the only choice in life. “If someone were to ask me about my __________ for the future, I’d say I aim to __________ life with a sense of freedom.” So now he can face up to the result.

1.

A．meanwhile

B．surprisingly

C．cautiously

D．likewise

2.

A．curiosity

B．opportunity

C．potential

D．passion

3.

A．time

B．collection

C．waste

D．record

4.

A．support

B．duty

C．prejudice

D．preference

5.

A．empathy

B．challenges

C．expectations

D．sympathy

6.

A．faced

B．obtained

C．met

D．posed

7.

A．competed

B．denied

C．dropped

D．registered

8.

A．passing

B．missing

C．retaking

D．rewriting

9.

A．After

B．While

C．Whereas

D．As

10.

A．happy

B．sad

C．disappointed

D．surprised

11.

A．kept

B．disconnected

C．strengthened

D．discouraged

12.

A．dreamed of

B．built up

C．weighed up

D．wrestled with

13.

A．interventions

B．changes

C．virtues

D．letdowns

14.

A．concern

B．ambitions

C．career

D．experiences

15.

A．divide

B．reserve

C．embrace

D．tolerate

2 . Space X has launched the third test flight of its Starship spacecraft, the largest and most powerful rocket, ever built, which aims to carry astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to Mars. The 120-metre system, which weights about 5,000 tonnes when fully fuelled, took off from Space X’s spaceport, named Starbase, on the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Chica, Texas. It entered space several minutes later and the six Raptor engines powered it to its expected orbit.

Two previous attempts ended in the explosion of both the spacecraft’s 33-engine booster, nicknamed Super Heavy, and the cruise vessel, which is designed to eventually carry up to 100 astronauts. Stacked together, they stand at 10 metres taller than the Saturn V rocket that sent humans to the moon in 1969.

Space X is much more tolerant of risk than Nasa and has a flight-testing strategy that aims to frequently push its spacecraft prototypes to the limit, and, beyond. Its first Starship launch attempt lasted four minutes and, the second lasted eight, with the latter reaching space. The company says frequent flight testing will provide valuable data that will help it design and, develop a more robust rocket.

“Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test,” Space X said in a statement before the third launch attempt, in an apparent attempt to manage expectations in case the system exploded. “They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.”

The third flight aimed to conduct the first ever re-light of Space X’s signature Raptor engine while in space, open a payload door, and make a controlled re-entry of Starship in the Indian Ocean. Both the upper and lower segments of Starship are designed to eventually power themselves safely back to Earth for a soft landing so that they can be reused, which will be significantly cheaper than building entirely new parts for each mission.

Elon Musk, Space X’s billionaire founder, hopes Starship will be the first step on a human journey further into space that ever before. To do this, Musk intends to begin the colonization of Mars so that humanity can survive a planet-destroying event on Earth. Several other Starship systems are already in production for future tests. The company has announced longer term plans to use the spacecraft as a shuttle for commercial travel on Earth, promising trips from London to Tokyo in less than an hour.

1. What set the third test flight apart from the other two?

A．Being the first to make a controlled re-entry of Starship.

B．Being significantly cheaper than the other launches.

C．Being the first ever to enter the expected orbit.

D．Being the first starship spacecraft to enter the space.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．Space X’s first Starship launch attempt lasts eight minutes.

B．Both Space X and Nasa have a flight-testing strategy.

C．Space X’s first Starship travels farther than the second.

D．Space X will make the best of the frequent flight-testing data.

3. Which of the following is not the reason why Space X take a flight-testing strategy?

A．To manage expectations in case the system exploded.

B．To maximize learning in a flight environment.

C．To push its spacecraft prototypes to the limit, and beyond.

D．To protect the earth from being destroyed by disasters.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Space X will make Starship power itself back to Earth safely.

B．Space X will adjust the starship system and commercial travel.

C．Space X has launched the third test flight of its Starship spacecraft.

D．Elon Musk aims to carry astronauts to the moon and then to Mars.

3 . I didn’t quite know what I was looking for when I flew to Mongolia for a term abroad. I just needed something different, far from the late-night libraries of my college town. Most different, I hoped, would be my rural homestay: two weeks in central Mongolia with a family of nomadic(游牧的) herders.

I was studying Mongolian at the time, but still, there was so much I couldn’t say or understand. As we walked in the snow behind the goats, my host mom would ask me if I was cold, then giggle (咯咯地笑) and copy a big shiver to make sure I understood. In the evenings, she showed me how to make dumplings with her fingers. My host siblings would talk with me, speaking too fast for me to understand, as we explored the rocks around our tent; I’d listen and nod.

This verbal(言语的) barrier was strangely freeing. In the crowded dining hall at home, meeting new people made me anxious. I’d stay quiet, measuring out my words, struggling for something to say that wouldn’t expose me as unfunny or boring. In Mongolia, I couldn’t perfect my words. I could only smile, and try out one of the phrases I’d mastered: “May I help?” “Where is the dog?” “Are you tired?” My host family laughed at my pronunciation, at the way I threw up my hands and eyebrows in a frequent gesture of confusion. But in their laughter, I felt safe, unembarrassed.

With my Mongolian family on the grassland, I found a feeling of ease I’d never felt before. We were so different, they and I, and not just in language. Their skin was hardened and darkened by sun; I’d been hidden under hats and sunscreen since birth. My host siblings(兄弟姐妹) grew up drawing water from frozen streams and jogging behind herds of sheep; I spent summers at tennis camp.

For me, these gaps made all the difference. Without shared social measures, I wasted no time wondering how I was measuring up. Only real things—kindness, helpfulness—mattered.

1. Why did the author go to Mongolia for a term abroad?

A．She dreamed of living a nomadic life.	B．She was tired of studying late at night.
C．She had to study Mongolians’ normal life.	D．She was collecting information for libraries.

2. What does the underlined word “shiver” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Hug.

B．Smile.

C．Attack.

D．Shake.

3. How did the author behave at the dining hall in her home country?

A．She felt at ease in the crowd.	B．She usually weighed her words.
C．She asked a lot of funny questions.	D．She often made others laugh with jokes.

4. What did the author learn from her life in Mongolia?

A．You are judged wherever you go.	B．Nature makes humans feel insignificant.
C．Appearance reflects one’s standard of life.	D．Being kind is the common social standard.

4 . Arriving at the stadium, we checked our gear. My teammates and I were all dressed in Wonder Woman costumes. _________ the crowd and waving to them, I was moved when reading the “in memory of” T-shirts with _________ of family members. For a split second, I imagined my kids and husband wearing T-shirts decorated with my face.

Three thousand walkers _________ us, each affected by cancer. Our name tags hung from two kinds of _________ lanyards (挂带). Those of us with pink lanyards were survivors. The _________ walkers wore blue ones. We were here to make a(n) _________. Families, friends, colleagues and even strangers sponsored Team Wonder Women. All of our donations would benefit The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. We were here to _________ and to celebrate life after cancer.

All were _________ 30 kilometers in one day. Exiting the _________, we spilt out onto the streets of Toronto. We were __________ by community stands and kids handing out treats and water. We heard __________, “Go Super Girls! Great costumes!” We felt like __________ knowing we were helping women avoid chemo (化疗) or invasive surgery.

There were bug bites, sore joints, and tired feet, but the team __________ going. Aiming to raise money for cancer research, we were reminded that these minor __________ things were insignificant.

Suddenly, I heard the honking of a distant car. Someone yelled that the __________ was near. We were close to the stadium! I walked across the finish line with my friends. I admired them all.

1.

A．Joining

B．Spotting

C．Scanning

D．Approaching

2.

A．descriptions

B．pictures

C．gestures

D．intentions

3.

A．surrounded

B．tracked

C．embraced

D．monitored

4.

A．relevant

B．narrow

C．magic

D．colored

5.

A．winning

B．progressing

C．remaining

D．promising

6.

A．decision

B．difference

C．appointment

D．hit

7.

A．give back

B．tear down

C．hang around

D．work out

8.

A．walking

B．running

C．cycling

D．driving

9.

A．square

B．playground

C．stadium

D．canteen

10.

A．rewarded

B．entertained

C．motivated

D．received

11.

A．cheers

B．complaints

C．inquiries

D．concerns

12.

A．lawyers

B．soldiers

C．heroes

D．doctors

13.

A．started

B．kept

C．opposed

D．favored

14.

A．unavailable

B．unreliable

C．unavoidable

D．unpleasant

15.

A．assistance

B．end

C．institute

D．night

5 . An applicant for a job may be evaluated based on several c__________, including their education, experience, and references. (根据首字母单词拼写)

6 . 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。

Chinese scientists recreated the face of 6th Century monarch Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou using DNA     1     (remove) from his remains.     2     study suggests his death at the age of 36 might be linked to a stroke. It also casts light     3     the origin and migration patterns of a nomadic empire that once ruled parts of north eastern Asia.

Emperor Wu was a ruler of the Northern Zhou dynasty in ancient China, who was     4     (ethnic) Xianbei, an ancient nomadic group that lived in     5     is Mongolia today and northern and north eastern China.

Archaeologists discovered Emperor Wu’s tomb in north western China in 1996. They found his bones, a nearly complete skull     6     (include). With recent advances in ancient DNA research, study co-author Dr Shaoqing Wen of Fudan University in Shanghai, and his team were able to recover more than one million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (单核苷酸多态性) (SNPs) on his DNA, some of     7     contained information about the colour of Emperor Wu’s skin and hair.

The research team said Emperor Wu died at the age of 36, and his son also died at a young age with no clear reason. Some archaeologists say Emperor Wu died of illness,     8     others argue he was poisoned by his rivals. By analyzing Emperor Wu’s DNA, the research team found that the emperor was at an increased risk for stroke, which might     9     (contribute) to his death.

The finding is in     10     (correspond) with historical records that described the Emperor as having aphasia (失语症), drooping eyelids, , and an abnormal gait (步态) — potential symptoms of a stroke. Next, the research team plans to study the people who lived in ancient Chang’an city in north western China by studying their ancient DNA.

7 . Recently, I sat in a lecture hall with a couple of hundred final-year undergraduate students.     1     When I was about to graduate, the future seemed unclear. I didn’t have a place on a company graduate programme like many of my classmates. Decades on, I realized that what seemed like obvious career ladders weren’t so simple.

In the UK at least, the job market for today’s graduates seems good. The annual report by the Institute of Student Employers found that graduate recruitment could increase by 5% in 2023-24. Companies struggled to recruit in areas such as digital, engineering and finance.     2     — with an average of 86 applications for every opening.

    3     The Chartered Institution of Personnel and Development’s good work survey found that only 35% of people said their job offered good opportunities for career advancement.

There are a few reasons why people find it difficult to advance on the career ladder. One of them many people struggle is that career ladders are becoming smaller. As large organizations have slimmed down, so have the internal paths for promotion.     4     As work gets outsourced to gig workers, there are few opportunities for developing new skills and stepping up.

Another issue is that increasing numbers of people just aren’t interested in climbing the ladder. The recent iteration of the world values survey found millennials and generation Z placed less value on work than they used to. A decade ago, 41% of millennials thought work should come first while that number is 14% today.     5    

A．Despite this strong demand, each position was hotly contested.

B．Looking around, I thought about my own uncertainty at their age.

C．It seems many of us no longer see ourselves defined by our work.

D．Career setbacks such as unsuccessfully applying for a promotion are often painful.

E．Once today’s generation of graduates find a job, only some will find opportunities to advance.

F．This means careers have been replaced with jobs, and jobs have increasingly been replaced with tasks.

G．Like the students sitting in that lecture hall, many of us only see a small portion of the paths for carcer development life might offer.

8 . Recently, after I gave a virtual presentation on my book Indistractable, a listener wrote something in the Zoom chat that drove me crazy, “This is great but wouldn’t work for me. I’m a Gemini (双子星座的人).”

Ironically, the Zoom listener is right. If she thinks she’s incapable, she’ll prove it correct — whether it has anything to do with the stars and moon or not. Her inflexible self-identification denies her the chance to improve her life. It’s incredibly self-limiting.

That’s why we should stop defining ourselves as fixed identities and nouns, and instead start describing ourselves using verbs.

Words are powerful. Linguistic research shows that language shapes people and culture; it can also give us insight into ourselves and our behavior. In a well-known study, researchers Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobsen had all students in the same elementary school take a standard IQ test. Then they randomly selected a group of students, regardless of their test results, and told teachers the group would show “dramatic intellectual growth”. Eight months later, those students scored significantly higher on an IQ test. The study concluded that teachers’ positive perception of students correlated to those students’ high performance on intellectual and academic tests. The labels the children received became a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy (预言).

That’s because language shapes expectations, which shape our reality. If we have experiences that lead us to label ourselves with specific nouns during our life, then we are likely to stick with those labels and the behaviors that go with them.

Using verbs to identify ourselves is an effective method for releasing “trapped priors”—a term in psychology for a perception of reality that’s affected or trapped by past experiences. Verbs are action words well suited to describing short-lived behaviors that can and do change. They don’t lay claim to our entire identity, but they acknowledge that we are people first and foremost, not whatever a singular noun may say we are. So, instead of saying, “I am a procrastinator (拖拉者)”, you should say, “I am a person who often procrastinates.”

By focusing on our behaviors, not fixed characteristics, we can release harmful perceptions of ourselves that hold us back from trying methods that might improve our lives — like those that can help us achieve the critical skill of being indistractable.

1. What does the author want to show through the example of the Zoom listener?

A．The concept of flexible self-identification.

B．His confusion about the way to self-identify.

C．His understanding of proper self-identification.

D．The negative effects of using nouns to define oneself.

2. What does the well-known study imply?

A．Self-fulfilling prophecies change over time.

B．Encouragement promotes students’ improvement.

C．Language usage will have an impact on teaching.

D．IQ has little to do with students’ academic performance.

3. How are teachers expected to evaluate students?

A．By highlighting their behaviors.

B．By focusing on their advantages.

C．By analyzing their typical characteristics.

D．By assessing their academic performance.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．Nouns are more powerful than verbs

B．Your words can determine your future

C．How we define ourselves really counts

D．Our option of words reflects our identity

9 . On a fresh May morning, with my guitar in tow, I ventured down the road to a busy restaurant. I was about to _______ the fear that had held me hostage for 35 years.

As I reflect upon my childhood, I’m _______ of a kind, sensitive kid with long-term struggles. But there was one bright spot in my life: I loved singing and playing the guitar. It was my grandmother, Peg, who _______ a flame within me, kindling an unyielding love for _______ in me. But then, in the blink of an eye that joy was _______.

I was 10 years old and our entire fourth grade was in _______ for our annual choir concert. The substitute choir teacher had _______ me with a solo in the concert’s finale (终曲): “76 Trombones” from The Music Man. But each time my solo _______ , terror kept a firm hold of my voice. The teacher rushed to me, “You’re wasting all of our time. Let someone else sing.” Since then I hadn’t sung in _______ again for 35 years.

The broad road in front of the busy restaurant was filled with people. I pulled out my guitar. As I ________ the first chord, I heard a voice in my head: “You are going to ________ yourself like never before.” But I gathered the courage, and ________ a cascade (瀑布) of songs that had built up inside of me for 35 years. ________ my voice wasn’t beautiful, my passion and excitement won over the crowd. Afterward, I felt a wave of pride, ________, and happiness coursing through my veins (静脉). Eventually, I ________ myself from the clutches of fear and reclaimed the stolen joy.

1.

A．gather up

B．deal with

C．bring about

D．keep off

2.

A．accused

B．comprised

C．informed

D．reminded

3.

A．lighted

B．ignored

C．sustained

D．held

4.

A．life

B．music

C．reading

D．sport

5.

A．discovered

B．adjusted

C．stolen

D．expressed

6.

A．preparation

B．support

C．store

D．exchange

7.

A．provided

B．identified

C．equipped

D．entrusted

8.

A．developed

B．paused

C．approached

D．evolved

9.

A．vain

B．total

C．turn

D．public

10.

A．composed

B．struck

C．heard

D．transferred

11.

A．embarrass

B．enjoy

C．improve

D．enlighten

12.

A．spread

B．released

C．followed

D．recalled

13.

A．If

B．As

C．Because

D．Although

14.

A．gratitude

B．honour

C．fulfillment

D．depression

15.

A．liberated

B．prevented

C．protected

D．discouraged

10 . China’s tourism market showed a better-than-expected performance over the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which started on Feb. 10.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed that traveler numbers as well as tourism-related income during the holiday reached record highs, thanks to people’s ever-stronger desire to travel, enough market supplies and good tourism policies.

The ministry said on Sunday that the domestic tourism market saw 474 million trips during the holiday, up 34.3 percent year-on-year. The number marked a 19 percent increase compared with the same holiday period in 2019. Domestic tourism-related income reached 632.69 billion yuan ($87.95 billion) during the holiday, a striking increase of 47.3 percent year-on-year and 7.7 percent growth from the same holiday period in 2019.

Xiao Peng, a researcher with travel portal (旅游网), Qunar, said that the longer holiday this year — it usually lasts seven days in other years — made tourism-focused trips a more popular choice among the Chinese.

Southern destinations with warmer climate or tropical views, such as Kunming, Yunnan province, and Sanya, Hainan province, remained top choices for tourists, according to travel agencies. Return-flight tickets in economy class departing Sanya were sold out early, leaving only tickets in business or first class.

Tuniu, another travel portal, said that destinations and museums with a rich cultural atmosphere or those highlighting cultural elements of the dragon were favored by travelers marking the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.

In addition, some northern destinations with snow and ice views also proved popular during the holiday. Among them, Harbin Ice-Snow World in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang received 329,000 visits from Feb 10 to Wednesday — the first five days of the holiday — with the traveler number marking a surge of 115 percent from the previous year, according to Harbin’s culture and tourism bureau.

Besides the prosperous domestic tourism, the home and abroad tourism market also delivered a surprisingly good performance during the holiday.

1. How is Paragraph 3 organized?

A．By listing data.	B．By giving examples.
C．By quoting sayings.	D．By analyzing the reasons.

2. What can we learn about the longer holiday from Xiao Peng?

A．It brought a rich cultural atmosphere.

B．It made warmer destinations top choices.

C．It attracted people to northern destinations.

D．It made tourism-focused trips more well-received.

3. What might the author write about following the last paragraph?

A．The travel to-and-from overseas.	B．Good tourism policies overseas.
C．Destinations with warmer climate.	D．Domestic tourism-related income.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A history textbook.	B．A popular website.
C．A detective novel.	D．An academic article.