1 . Confidence plays a very important role in people’s life. It gives people light when they are in dark and encouragement when they are discouraged. It is the first step on the road to success. People who look confident seem to grab more rewarding careers, maintain better relationships, and may make miracles in the face of insurmountable (不可逾越的) difficulties.

So what is the secret of confidence? In fact, there is no secret. Self-confidence is a skill and habit that everyone can learn to develop.     1    

You can try these simple tips for practicing and increasing our confidence levels: First, dare to fail. Anybody who’s out there genuinely striving is going to fail repeatedly.     2    Only when we face up to our difficulties can we build up our confidence and give ourselves a chance of success.

    3     You don’t have to be beautiful to be confident. Make the most of your own unique strengths and pay less attention to your weaknesses so that you know you’re giving out your best image.

Third, listen to yourself; do not look down on yourself. You are the only person who knows what is right for yourself.     4    

Last, build a confidence vocabulary. Stop putting yourself down, and quit constantly mentioning your tiny flaws. Learn to highlight your positive qualities and the world will learn to see and appreciate them too.

Confidence is a plant that grows slowly.     5     Only when we have enough confidence in ourselves can we take the first step on the road to success.

A．It is built, not inborn.

B．Second, dress your success.

C．If you are not failing, you are not trying.

D．Second, neglect your drawbacks completely.

E．Don’t put others’ opinion above your own inner voice.

F．It encourages us to go to great lengths to achieve our goals.

G．We should build confidence through constant and patient effort.

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is Nadine Hamdy in charge of?

A．Mapping out marketing strategies.

B．Teaching dogs to swim.

C．Giving a show to pet owners.

2. What do we know about Adam Kilani?

A．He has a three-year-old pet dog.

B．He is from Matrouh Governorate.

C．He found pleasure in learning pet care.

3. What did Lina Kamal attach importance to?

A．The benefits of hosting various events in tourist resorts.

B．The promotion of the culture of pet ownership.

C．The protection of homeless animals.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What makes the woman different today?

A．The lipstick.

B．The glasses.

C．The haircut.

2. Who will go to Hawaii next month?

A．Emily.

B．Emma.

C．Alex.

3. What did the man plan to do tonight?

A．Do some shopping.

B．Take exercise.

C．Eat out.

4. How will the woman go home?

A．By car.

B．By bus.

C．By subway.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why is Shakespeare-style writing mentioned in the conversation?

A．To show the difference between AI and the human brain.

B．To state writers’ worry caused by ChatGPT.

C．To indicate the charm of ChatGPT.

2. What is Bard?

A．A game.

B．A chatbot.

C．A tech company.

3. What is Satya Nadella’s attitude towards ChatGPT?

A．Ambiguous.

B．Approving.

C．Critical.

4. What does the man suggest doing in the era of AI?

A．Being adaptive and using AI fully.

B．Developing one’s own creativity.

C．Avoiding heavy reliance on AI.

5 . Filming in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest

The Kamas Ranger District handles film permits for the Kamas district of the Wasatch- Cache National Forest.

To ensure that permits are issued in time for filming, the Forest Service requests that application form be handed in three to four weeks prior to filming.

The fee structure for filming in the National Forest is as follows:

Filming Special Use Fee

1 to 10 people-$150 per day

11 to 30 people-$200 per day

31 to 60 people-$500 per day

Over 61 people-$600 per day

Film Monitoring Fee

1 day filming-FREE

Extra days-$200 per day

Additional Fees

Additional fees will be charged in the following situations:

Large production (greater than 100 people), multiple site filming that may require additional film monitoring to protect natural resources and a performance agreement in the form of a deposited check.

Upon approval, a Special Use Permit will be issued with a bill for collection. Checks should be made payable to “USDA Forest Service, ” and payment must be received before filming.

Note

Some areas of the forest are especially sensitive to impacts from vehicles, domestic animals, and people. These areas include wetlands, streams, lake shorelines, and most meadow areas. Filming requests in these sensitive areas will require special surveys to determine possible environmental impacts. The request may be denied.

1. What is one expected to do for filming?

A．Issue the permit weeks before filming.	B．Submit the application form in advance.
C．Give top priority to time arrangement.	D．Outline the fee structure in the forest.

2. How much will a week’s film monitoring be charged?

A．$1200.

B．$200.

C．$1400.

D．$600.

3. Which of the following will be charged additional fees?

A．Paying the bill in cash.	B．Entry into the sensitive areas.
C．Production with over 61 people.	D．Filming in different sites.

6 . In early October, Travis Gienger transported an enormous pumpkin (南瓜) from his home in Minnesota to the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California. His pumpkin set the record for the biggest one ever grown in North America. How do competitive growers get their pumpkins to grow to massive sizes?     1    

Gienger, who teaches horticulture (园艺学) at Anoka Technical College, begins growing his pumpkins in mid-April, starting with seeds that he grows indoors for the first few weeks, when Minnesota’s soil is too frosty.     2     They can absorb sunlight, nutrients from the soil, and water there. “At their peak, you’re watering them with at least 600 liters a day, ” he says.

Depending on the variety, pumpkin plants can grow up to a dozen fruits on a single vine (藤曼) . But to maximize size, growers remove all but one or two of these pumpkins in order to decrease each individual fruit’s competition for resources.     3    

But what exactly happens inside a pumpkin as it grows? Two factors drive natural growth: cell division and cell expansion. Cell division accounts for most of the growth at the beginning of a fruit’s life. This period lasts for about 20 days in pumpkin plants.     4     Pumpkin cells will expand until around 50 or 60 days after pollination (授粉).

    5     Some varieties of pumpkins have been bred specifically to maximize their size. Still, there is genetic variation even among pumpkins of the same variety. This has led to competition for the best seeds. Following each harvest, many growers auction off (拍卖掉) the seeds from their biggest pumpkins, which will then be used for the following year’s plantings.

A．Biology has the answers.

B．Genetics also influences pumpkin growth.

C．The following tips will give you a head start.

D．Once it warms up, the plants are transferred outside.

E．When it stops, cell expansion will then come into play.

F．Growers extend the growth period for as long as possible.

G．Growers also remove the weeds in the area for the same reason.

7 . I was 18 when I first went to sea as a tourist. As a teenager who always looked for novelty and a real adventure, I joined the Merchant Navy immediately after school. I got a round-the-world journey as my first trip we went to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and sailed down the Panama Canal. Over the next 15 years, I enjoyed a joyful life as a steward, working long hours but playing hard during my time of. Then on the evening of my 33rd birthday in November 1983, we stopped in Trinidad and a group of us went to the land to celebrate. But when I opened my eyes at noon the next day, I knew I was suffering from more than just the typical effects of being drunk and staying up all night-I found I could see nothing.

As I was helped off the ship, I tried to calm down, assuming the situation was temporary. Later, I flew back to the UK and was examined by a specialist. He told me I had a rare serious medical condition,which could make me blind for the rest of my life. I couldn’t process what I’d heard at first; it just didn’t seem to make sense.

In the following months, I felt my life was over. I had lost not only my sight but also my independence-I was trapped in my house with no income. At first, I found it difficult to make my way from one room to another, and the thought of going outside filled me with anxiety.

The turning point came when I went on a camping holiday wit other visually impaired people-it made such a difference to be able to talk to people who understood my situation. Later, I started a two-year course at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, learning new skills. Halfway through the course, I got my first guide dog, Otis, which changed everything. I had a friend who always stayed with me-it was as if all the difficulties had disappeared and the sense of regained freedom was exciting.

Shortly after that, I started working again, and have since enjoyed a rewarding career with organizations that help visually impaired people.

1. What kind of life did the author live before his 33rd birthday?

A．Hard but rewarding.	B．Regular and boring.
C．Lonely but peaceful.	D．Adventurous and happy.

2. How did the author probably feel after learning about his condition from the UK specialist?

A．Shocked.	B．Relaxed.
C．Regretful.	D．Disappointed.

3. What changed the author’s attitude towards his life with blindness?

A．The company of a guide dog.

B．A course in special education.

C．A talk with others having similar struggles.

D．A rewarding job helping other blind people.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Knowledge has no limit

B．Losing sight doesn’t end my life

C．Regained freedom is more valuable

D．Guide dogs help rebuild my confidence

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

After a long drive and precious little sleep, Todd left his Wisconsin motel around 5:30 a.m. to make it to a funeral near Green Bay. Not long after, he started to hear a grinding sound coming from his front tire, and it kept getting louder. He finally pulled into Lauritzens BP & Sports shop in Wild Rose,Wisconsin, hoping to find help. It was only 7 a.m., and he still had 75 miles to go.

As luck would have it, Todd found Glenn Geib putting oil on the shelves. The mechanic checked out the car and gave Todd some bad news: The wheel bearing was failing and needed to be repaired right away. Fixing it would take a few hours. Geib then looked Todd up and down and asked why he was so dressed up. Todd explained that he was going to the funeral of his boss’s wife.

Geib checked the only one rental car agency in town, but it was sold out. The next closest rental agency was 40 miles away. “I must have looked pretty stressed out at this time,” Todd wrote later on Facebook. Geib noticed, and he was determined to help.

With a population of 699, close-knit Wild Rose has a reputation in central Wisconsin for kindness. Seniors gather at the Wild Rose Community Center for free midday meals. The local Lions Club chapter collects used eyeglasses for folks who can’t afford them, part of the Lions Recycle for Sight program.

But kindness in Wild Rose doesn’t come just from organizations. Kent Barnard, the town library director, remembers a high school kid who walked into Patterson Memorial Library needing gas money. Barnard happily gave it to him, and the guy went on his way. A couple years later, that man came back. “You gave me $10 for gas when I was in high school,” he said, and Barnard was repaid.

“People are not well-off, but they’re taking care of each other,” says Jerry Apps, a local author who lets the library sell his books and DVDs and keep some of the proceeds to fund its programs.

注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

So, faced with a stranger in need at the service station, Glenn Geib did what came naturally.

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Todd jumped into the car and made it to the funeral.

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9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What will the woman do tomorrow?

A．Repair her laptop.

B．Prepare a report.

C．Have an interview.

2. What is the topic of the woman’s presentation?

A．A development plan.

B．A technology research.

C．A researching subject.

3. What might the woman worry about?

A．Her laptop might not work.

B．She might feel too nervous.

C．She isn’t sure of what to say.

10 . — I’m sorry, I thought the remark would amuse you.— It ________.

A．wouldn’t

B．won’t

C．doesn’t

D．hadn’t