1 . Since the first day of preschool, I was always the type to invest more time in my physical war than social activities, the type that _________ the girls who could get up in front of the class and _________ give a presentation. Anything in the area of being vocally confident was never my _________. But now I’m different. Such a change _________ my summer job.

My entire existence has been defined by the summers I’ve spent in Avalon, New Jersey. Then, in my 14th summer, I got a job, which made a _________ to me.

At first it frightened me:The idea of having to _________ my freedom. Not only was the loss of freedom saddening me, but the _________ in me came out to play when I realized that I was going to launch myself into a completely _________ environment.

The place was Brian’s Waffle House. At the beginning I was very nervous, _________ I gradually pushed myself much more and boosted my confidence. I’ve made so many great friends that I’ll __________ contact with even when the Waffle House is long gone. The time in the Brian’s Waffle House is not dull. And every customer is a valuable part of the __________.

My summer job has helped guide me in my own personal growth. Now I __________ to sing in front of a large group of people. And I never miss a __________ to allow my fashionable style to shine. If I hadn’t walked into the shop, I wouldn’t have __________ the social skills I have now. I will be __________ for the lessons and values I have learned forever.

1.

A．ignored

B．convinced

C．envied

D．consulted

2.

A．confidently

B．definitely

C．fortunately

D．secretly

3.

A．expectation

B．strength

C．excuse

D．ambition

4.

A．emerged from

B．departed from

C．suffered from

D．recovered from

5.

A．introduction

B．contribution

C．discovery

D．difference

6.

A．excite

B．possess

C．abandon

D．threaten

7.

A．shyness

B．delight

C．curiosity

D．pressure

8.

A．secure

B．strange

C．formal

D．natural

9.

A．as

B．or

C．but

D．so

10.

A．restore

B．lose

C．establish

D．maintain

11.

A．memory

B．experience

C．incident

D．journey

12.

A．dare

B．fail

C．promise

D．demand

13.

A．goal

B．plan

C．choice

D．chance

14.

A．assessed

B．acquired

C．exercised

D．applied

15.

A．ready

B．eager

C．grateful

D．suitable

2 . What’s better: private school vs public school? Choosing which school to send your children to can be a very hard decision to make.     1    

Ask about testing scores. Students at private schools tend to outscore public school students on standardized tests, which can affect your child’s ability to get into college.     2     Researchers have used the same data to come to conflicting conclusions. Other factors like socioeconomic status, can influence student’s scores, regardless of where they are educated.

    3     In general, public schools tend to have larger class sizes than private schools. If you need a school that can give more attention to individual students, you might consider a private school or a smaller public school.

Tour the school. Before you even begin to choose between a public or private one, you’ll need to schedule a tour of the school you’re interested in. Do the students look happy and engaged? Are the learning spaces bright and clean?     4     Taking your children along gives the them chance to see the school and decide if it feels like a comfortable environment to them.

Don’t put too much stock in online ratings.     5     But they could also have fantastic teachers and principals. Talking to others help you figure out if this is true. Therefore, don’t write a school off just because its ratings are a little low.

In a word, knowing what matters to you in terms of the differences between public and private education can make your decision a little easier.

A．The final decision is yours.

B．Take into account class size.

C．Some practical actions can help a lot.

D．However, there is some debate about this.

E．You can learn a lot about these when you visit.

F．Same schools might have unfavorable comments.

G．Decide how important private schools are to your child.

3 . A school’s “peace room” aims to end fighting in the halls

By the time Marquita Riley, 16, and Aaliyah Hudson, 17, ended up in their school’s “peace room,” rumors（传闻） had floated through the halls that the two girls were going to fight.

The peace room at Manley is a part of the school’s restorative justice initiative, a growing social movement that, among other things, focuses on healing and teaching how to solve conflicts. The philosophy aims to bring together victims and offenders to cooperatively work through their problems.

The concept is increasingly being used in schools, community centers and churches in Chicago as a way to teach young people how to analyze their anger. They learn to confront tension before it turns violent. It is also being used as an alternative to punitive（处罚的）measures, like suspensions and arrests, which can lead to more trouble for hurting communities.

The idea is that “when harm happens or someone misbehaves, there needs to be a process of restoration in order for the community to move forward,” said Ilana Zafran of Umoja Student Development. Umoja runs restorative justice programs in Chicago schools.

The concept forces all sides in a disagreement to communicate and understand one another instead of resorting to violence. There may still be punishment for wrongdoing, but restorative justice emphasizes identifying hurt and thinking of ways to fix it.

“A lot of our kids don’t want to be involved in fights. They don’t want to be suspended or away from school,” Jackson said. “We had to create an environment of peace. High school has to be a pleasurable experience for our kids. If they come here and feel the same anxiety they feel in the streets, how can we expect them to stay?”

Among the people there were Marquita and Aaliyah, the two girls rumored to be gearing up for a major fight. After another 20 minutes of discussion, they agreed they had simply misunderstood each other. The girls decided they would not fight, and promised they would talk it over if they found themselves facing tension again.

1. What is Manloy’s peace room aimed at?

A．Preventing rumors from spreading.	B．Developing students’ team spirit.
C．Helping students restore relations.	D．Warning students to behave well.

2. What may result from lack of restorative justice in communities?

A．Alternatives to punishment.	B．Violent tension.
C．Processes of restoration.	D．Controlled anger.

3. Which can replace the underlined phrase in Paragraph 5?

A．Falling back on.	B．Putting up with.
C．Looking back to.	D．Making up for.

4. Why does the author give an example of Marquita and Aaliyah?

A．To prove effectiveness of peace room.	B．To show the harm of campus violence.
C．To explain the reason for suspension.	D．To introduce kids’ school experiences.

4 . Eyes are said to be the window to the soul — but researchers at Google see them as indicators of a person’s health. A study suggests that Google’s computers can predict whether someone is at risk of a heart attack by analyzing a photograph of their retina (视网膜).

The research relied on a convolutional neural network, a type of deep-learning algorithm (算法) that is transforming how biologists analyse images. Google’s approach is part of a wave of new deep-learning applications that are making image processing easier and could even identify overlooked biological phenomena.

The approach took off in the tech sector around 2012, but scientists struggled to apply the networks to biology, in part because of cultural differences between fields. “Take a group of smart biologists and put them in a room of smart computer scientists and they will talk two different languages to each other, and have different mindsets,” says Daphne Koller, chief computing officer at Calico.

However, through years of study, some scientists have seen a shift that has never happened before in how well machine learning can accomplish biological tasks that have to do with imaging. Others are most excited by the idea that analysing images with convolutional neural networks could unknowingly reveal unnoticeable biological phenomena, encouraging biologists to ask questions they might not have considered before.

Such discoveries could help to advance disease research. If deep learning can reveal markers of cancer in an individual cell, it could help to bring about new assumptions about how cancer spreads.

Other machine-learning experts in biology have set their sights on new frontiers, now that convolutional neural networks are taking flight for image processing. “Imaging is important, but so is chemistry and molecular (分子) data,” says Alex Wolf, a computational biologist. Wolf hopes to improve neural networks so that they can analyse gene expression. “I think there will be a very big breakthrough in the next few years,” he says.

1. What do we know about a convolutional neural network?

A．It can predict diseases.	B．It is a learning machine.
C．It can transform images.	D．It is an image processor.

2. What can we infer from Daphne Koller’s words?

A．Barriers exist in certain fields.	B．Scientists have different research aims.
C．Characters prevent scientific cooperation.	D．Technical limitation is the biggest challenge.

3. With further study of convolutional neural networks, ______.

A．many biological questions get answered

B．it drives biologists to explore the field widely

C．image analysis can go on without being noticed

D．many deep-learning applications have been improved

4. What is implied in the last paragraph?

A．Neural networks are promising.	B．It is convenient to process images.
C．It is necessary to work on new frontiers.	D．Analyzing gene expression is imperfect.

5 . Earlier that evening, my mother called, telling me that my brother died in a car crash. I stumbled (跌跌撞撞地走) around the house _________ what to put into the suitcases. My husband, Larry, and I had been packing for moving to New Mexico. The house was in (a) total _________.

I tried to hold my tears. I _________ picked things up and put them down. I couldn't _________. What I'd heard on the phone echoed (回荡) through my head.

Larry phoned a few friends. _________, someone asked to speak to me. “If there is anything I can do, let me know.” “Thank you,” I replied. I didn't know what to _________.

The doorbell rang and I rose slowly for the door. It was Donna.

“I've come to clean your shoes,” she said. _________, I asked her to repeat. “When my father died, it took me _________ to get the shoes cleaned and shined for my father's _________,” she said. I hadn't even thought about shoes.

Shoes were gathered. Donna __________ herself on the floor and got to work. The love in the act __________ my tears. Watching her __________ on one task helped me pull my __________into order. Laundry first, I told myself. One by one, the jobs fell into place.

Now whenever I hear of an acquaintance's loss of a loved one, I think of one __________ task that suits that person's __________. If the person asks, “How did you know I needed that?” I'd reply, “Because someone did that.”

1.

A．forgetting

B．imagining

C．wondering

D．searching

2.

A．damage

B．failure

C．despair

D．mess

3.

A．aimlessly

B．helplessly

C．quickly

D．decisively

4.

A．hurry

B．decide

C．focus

D．move

5.

A．Constantly

B．Fortunately

C．Suddenly

D．Surprisingly

6.

A．call for

B．ask for

C．talk about

D．get across

7.

A．Touched

B．Shocked

C．Confused

D．Amused

8.

A．minutes

B．hours

C．weeks

D．decades

9.

A．satisfaction

B．funeral

C．smiles

D．wishes

10.

A．laid

B．stood

C．rested

D．settled

11.

A．released

B．held

C．stopped

D．caused

12.

A．keeping

B．concentrating

C．insisting

D．depending

13.

A．thoughts

B．rooms

C．sadness

D．luggage

14.

A．specific

B．normal

C．challenging

D．perfect

15.

A．idea

B．personality

C．identity

D．need

6 . A few weeks ago, I received a package containing a small batch (一批) of seeds from my friend. When I asked her what it would grow_________ , a flicker of a smile crossed her face. “Just plant them and be patient. You'll see for yourself_________”she said.

I sowed the seeds in a beautiful flowerpot. In the first few days, I was excited to search for the slightest_________ of germination (发芽). But nothing happened. With_________ homework, I began to feel frustrated and a little bit disappointed. How much I_________a splash of color in my fast-paced life!

I watered the plant carefully. I placed the plant in the sunlight and rotated (旋转) it for a_________ illumination (光照). On the fourth day, to my great surprise a few light green sprouts (芽) _________.

Bending down and carefully studying the seedlings, I could almost_________them growing. More days passed, the flowerpot soon became_________with coriander (香菜) plants.

Now they are taller than the edge of the pot,__________shaking their verdant (青翠的) leaves in the gentle__________of the wind, as if they are merrily singing a song of __________ and freedom.

I am certain that after a few more days, my coriander plants will be ready for__________. Thanks to my friend and my patience, these plants have played a crucial part in__________my everyday life. They may not be a main food on our table, but sprinkling some will surely add a__________of flavor to our dishes to spice up (为…调味) our busy days.

1.

A．into

B．for

C．up

D．out

2.

A．gradually

B．incredibly

C．ultimately

D．intently

3.

A．samples

B．signs

C．routes

D．proofs

4.

A．apparent

B．distinct

C．conventional

D．massive

5.

A．allowed for

B．longed for

C．provided for

D．went for

6.

A．intense

B．violent

C．balanced

D．exceptional

7.

A．emerged

B．hatched

C．reserved

D．sank

8.

A．pray

B．assess

C．forecast

D．hear

9.

A．conflicted

B．facilitated

C．crowded

D．surrounded

10.

A．subsequently

B．constantly

C．extensively

D．merely

11.

A．howl

B．scream

C．thunder

D．whisper

12.

A．initiative

B．leisure

C．harmony

D．luxury

13.

A．possession

B．consumption

C．exposure

D．harvest

14.

A．breaking into

B．relating to

C．brightening up

D．wearing down

15.

A．touch

B．bunch

C．host

D．lot

7 . Flower-drum dancing is a traditional Chinese folk performance. It is popular across the county especially in places such as Fengyang in Anhui, Guangshan in Henan, and Haian in Jiangsu.

The Haian flower-drum dance dates back to more than 400 years ago. It became popular in the areas of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The art form was used to show the peaceful lives of local fisherwomen. It is still popular with local people, known for its lively movements and gentle music. In 2007, the Haian flower-drum dance was included in the list of art forms that make up Jiangsu's provincial intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage.

Yang Peijie, 71, is an inheritor (传承) of the Haian flower-drum dance. He has been performing the dance for more than 50 years. "It has become a part of my life," he said.

In the 1960s, Yang joined an art troupe (艺术团) and started to learn the dance from older artists. At that time, people could only learn it in this way. There were no textbooks. Worrying the art may become lost, Yang spent five years studying the history of the dance and recorded its movements in detail. He visited almost all the local artists and wrote a book about the subject in the 1980s.

According to Yang, the dance movements are easy to learn and understand as they come from   everyday life. "For example, there is a movement called fengbailiu (风摆柳)，it means you twist (扭动) your body like the wind blowing the willow trees (柳树). ’’

Nowadays, Yang focuses on promoting the dance among all age groups, especially the young. He set up a team to work on this. The team members visit about eight schools each year to teach students. It has been added to break-time exercises in many local schools. "To make it easier for kids to learn, we break down difficult movements into several simple ones," Yang said. They also go to communities and parks to teach older people. "It's my responsibility to pass down the art. I don't want to see it get lost in my lifetime," Yang said.

1. What do we know about the Haian flower-drum dance?

A．It was linked to the lives of local fishermen.

B．It is famous for its light movements and music.

C．It was included in the intangible cultural heritage list in 2007.

D．It originated in the areas of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty.

2. What did Yang do to keep the art alive?

A．He put down what is relevant to it in the 1980s.

B．He consulted the local government about its history.

C．He wrote down the local artists' dance moves in detail.

D．He joined an art troupe to learn the dance from older artists.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Yang's love for flower-drum dance.

B．The ways Yang teaches flower-drum dance.

C．Difficulties in promoting flower-drum dance.

D．Yang's attempts to popularize flower-drum dance.

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title of this passage?

A．Promoting a fork art	B．Keeping the drum beat
C．Continuing to perform a dance	D．Learning to twist your body

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。续写的词数应为150左右。

Strange Footprints in the Snow

Jonathan woke up and looked around. For a moment, he wasn’t sure where he was. Then he remembered. He and his sister, Julie, were visiting Aunt Gwen. They had spent yesterday helping Aunt Gwen clean her basement. Today they would have time to play.

He looked out the window. Fresh snow covered the ground. He could hardly wait to go outside. Jonathan dressed and hurried downstairs to the kitchen.

“Hi, sleepyhead,” said Aunt Gwen. “Julie has already eaten her oatmeal. She’s outside.”

“That’s where I’m going as soon as I finish breakfast,” Jonathan said.

A short time later, he zipped up his coat, put on his boots, and walked out the front door. The sun made the snow sparkle. He looked around. He didn’t see his sister, but he saw something else. Strange footprints in the snow tracked across Aunt Gwen’s yard.

“They’re way too big to be Julie’s. They look like they belong to a dinosaur,” Jonathan said. Then he added, “But that’s silly. Dinosaurs are not around anymore.”

He looked closer: The footprints were the shape of a very large oval (椭圆) with a stem. “Maybe they belong to an elephant or a hippo that escaped from the zoo,” he thought. He held his breath and listened. He didn’t hear anything.

He remembered a book he’d seen earlier on Aunt Gwen’s shelf. It was a book about animal tracks. He dashed inside to get it. The book had pictures of animals and the tracks they made. He turned the pages one by one, but none of the photos looked like the footprints in Aunt Gwen’s yard.

He stared at those footprints again. An animal that made such big tracks would have to be heavy. Its tracks should sink far down into the snow. Yet these footprints seemed to skim across the top.

How can that be? He wondered.

Jonathan noticed something else. The tracks never left Aunt Gwen’s yard. Instead, they turned and went around the house. “Maybe the animal is still here,” he whispered.

Paragraph 1:

Quietly, he began following the footprints.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

That was when he saw her—his sister, Julie.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Your alarm goes off on the first day of January. You force yourself out of bed and steadily walk toward the bathroom, where you catch sight of a pale-faced, sleepy-eyed “monster” in the mirror.     1    . However, after a moment, you think. “Wait, it’s okay because today is New Year’s Day, time to get back in shape!”

For many people, the start of a new year signals the end of a period of overindulgence (放纵). During December, it is often justified by the planning of New Year’s resolutions to turn oneself into a fit and healthy human being. However, the fact is that approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned before February.    2     While we may have good intentions when making resolutions, we are not actually making ourselves any more disciplined. Change involves, a degree of stress, and someone not mentally equipped to handle that stress will struggle to change.

    3     One idea is to think small rather than big. Many people’s plans involve extreme measures, while in reality, change is likely easier in smaller steps, which allows for greater success.     4     30 minutes of TV time for two hours at the gym can be rewarding in motivating someone to work out every day.

Finally, set concrete goals.     5     For example, “I’m going to go running every day to train for a half-marathon in April” would be far more powerful than “I’m going to get in better shape this year”. Most importantly, remember that despite their names, New Year’s resolutions should be for life. Change takes time and effort, but with suitable strategies, there is no reason why you cannot stick to your resolutions permanently… or at least until June.

A．You seem to be over the moon.

B．Almost instantly, you step back in horror.

C．So, how can you make yourself more disciplined?

D．Instead of making a vague resolution, make a specific one.

E．Another helpful strategy is to design a personal reward system.

F．Given this situation, why should we still put ourselves under great stress?

G．Regarding why this happens, the answer is likely related to self-discipline.

10 . In a weightless, microgravity environment like space, how can someone with sight or mobility problems navigate in the space station? As scientists continue to push the boundaries of spaceflight and the possibility of human life on other planets, how can we build space infrastructure (基础设施) friendly to all humans？

The Mission AstroAccess project aims to answer these questions, starting with a historic parabolic (抛物线的) flight that took off from Long Bench on Oct. 17, 2021. A group of 12 disabled scientists, students, athletes and artists launched into a zero-gravity environment as a first step. To get a better idea of what is needed for more inclusive (包容的) space travel, AstroAccess plans to conduct a series of follow-on parabolic flights after the first launch. On these flights, a plane flies up to an altitude of around 32, 000 feet and then begins a descent at about 4 miles per second. This quick descent creates a microgravity, weightless effect lasting roughly 30 seconds. Afterwards, the plane climbs back up to a stable altitude, and repeats the process again.

The 12 AstroAccess Ambassadors selected for this first microgravity flight included four blind or low-vision Ambassadors; two deaf or hard-of-hearing Ambassadors；and six with mobility disabilities, all carrying out various tasks in the weightless environment. One of the challenges was seeing whether all members could perform basic safety and operational tasks. The crew also tested whether sound beacons (声信标) could be used for blind members to direst themselves, They are also investigating how American Sign Language will be impacted by microgravity.

“My whole career goal is to make the average person able to go to cuter space, where you don’t have to be a crazy trained astronaut with perfect physical abilities and health to visit cuter space,” said Brenda Williamson, head of the AstroAccess logistics committee. “I grew up on Star Trek, so the idea of exploration is really important.”

1. Why is the Mission AstroAccess project carried out？

A．To expose the disabled to zero gravity.

B．To train a group of disabled astronauts.

C．To involve all humans in spaceflight.

D．To build mobile space infrastructure.

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

A．Going down.

B．Going up.

C．Taking off.

D．Touching down.

3. What do we know about the 12 selected Ambassadors？

A．They all have mobility problems.

B．They communicate by sign language.

C．They do scientific research in the lab.

D．They perform tasks in weightlessness.

4. What does Brenda Williamson think of the project？

A．Meaningful.	B．Successful.
C．Unrealistic.	D．Challenging.