1 . When the people first came round, they were all sitting around drinking tea nervously and occasionally glancing at the cupboards. I didn’t like the atmosphere. I was beginning to wonder why I had asked these people round to go through my stuff and take what they wanted. This is what happens when you open your home to your family and friends, telling them they can help themselves to everything within it.

Last month, I moved abroad to study for two years, taking just a single suitcase with me. I couldn’t afford to keep my flat, so when it came to my possessions, I decided to offer them up for a long-term loan. It’s not recycling, or even freecycling: I’m calling it “share cycling”. It was my beloved tent that formed the premise (前提) of it. I made the decision as I thought about the pointlessness of putting stuff into storage for two years. Instead, I imagined someone I loved putting my tent onto their back and setting off into the countryside in the summer sunshine. I was moving to the other side of the world, but this made it feel as though I would still be with my friends. To get rid of it all, I had an open house, inviting everyone I knew to take my property.

Now I am sitting in a flat on the other side of the world as rain is pouring down outside, forcing the street sellers to shelter under doorways and umbrellas. I feel very far from my home and my stuff. That list made of the things I want back? I’m not sure how much I’ll need them. I don’t miss any of my belongings. Instead, my mind now is filled with thoughts of my family and friends.

My “sharecycling” plan ties me to them. A friend took my tent to a music festival. And my favourite picture ended up on the wall of my best friend’s flat back home. It’s like I’ve pressed “pause” on my city life rather than “stop”, making the move easier.

1. What’s the author’s feeling in paragraph 1?

A．Embarrassed.

B．Uncomfortable.

C．Passionate.

D．Insecure.

2. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The idea of “sharecycling”.	B．The experience of moving abroad.
C．The idea of putting stuff into storage.	D．The experience of living in the countryside.

3. What is the author doing now?

A．Seeking a more affordable flat.	B．Protecting street sellers from the rain.
C．Making a list of things she wants back.	D．Missing her family and friends far from home.

4. What’s the main idea of this text?

A．Moving on isn’t always a good option.

B．I got rid of nearly everything I owned.

C．Don’t stuff your house with useless things.

D．Giving away my belongings made my move easier.

2 . Workers at the National Galleries of Scotland recently experienced quite a surprise after they X-rayed a painting by Vincent van Gogh. Hidden on the back of the painting Head of a Peasant Woman, which Van Gogh completed in 1885, was a self-portrait (自画像) of the Dutch painter. No one had ever found it.

The hidden self-portrait had been covered by glue and cardboard that had been attached to the back of the painting. “It was absolutely exciting,” Lesley Stevenson, the museum’s worker, said about the discovery. “We weren’t expecting much of the little painting when we performed the scans,” she said. But museum experts quickly changed their expectations when they looked at the X-rays. “We didn’t see much of the peasant woman, but we saw the lead white that Van Gogh used for his face showing up after the X-ray went through the cardboard,” she added.

Van Gogh painted Head of a Peasant Woman as part of a series of works focused on the working-class residents of Nuenen, a small farming community in the southern part of the Netherlands where he lived briefly in the 1880s. The woman in the painting is Gordina de Groot, a farm worker. She wears a white headpiece. In a letter that Van Gogh penned about the series in 1885 to Anton Kerssemakers, a friend, he described his excitement at his working-class subjects. “I’m working with great pleasure these days, for I would rather paint people than paint anything else,” he wrote.

Van Gogh also loved creating self-portraits, producing about 20 paintings of himself by the end of his life while he was living in Paris. Recreating his own image was a cheap way for him to practice portraiture as he didn’t have to spend money hiring models, according to a report.

Art historians at the National Galleries hope that the hidden self-portrait may help us understand the life of the artist. The museum is currently considering how to best remove the unwanted protective materials without harming the painting.

1. What can be learned about the self-portrait on the back of the painting?

A．It isn’t in very good condition.	B．It describes a well-known woman.
C．It wasn’t known to exist for a long time.	D．It was sold to another artist by Van Gogh.

2. What do Stevenson’s words mainly show about the discovery?

A．It was a wonderful surprise.	B．It failed to meet her expectations.
C．It was the result of her great efforts.	D．It deepened her understanding of Van Gogh’s life.

3. What did Van Gogh tell his friend in the letter?

A．He was encouraged to try different subjects.

B．He was glad to find his love for figure paintings.

C．He was attracted by the lifestyle of people in Nuenen.

D．He wanted to improve the living conditions of the farmers.

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

A．X-rays can do harm to artworks

B．Van Gogh sent a secret message to his friend

C．Modern technology has a great influence on art

D．Van Gogh’s hidden self-portrait draws public attention

3 . American researchers say they have developed a method to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the sea. The researchers say the process can be an additional way to help reduce CO₂ from the environment to fight the effects of climate change.

Plants and currents in the ocean absorb large amounts of CO₂ from the atmosphere. The sea is estimated to have drawn in about 30 percent of carbon emissions since the Industrial Revolution. But carbon emissions also make oceans more acidic (酸性的). It can hurt coral reefs, which are sensitive to ocean acidity. Reef damage then do damage to the growth of many kinds of sea life.

Gaurav Sant, director of UCLA’s Institute for Carbon Management, said the technology is meant to use the ocean’s natural abilities to reduce carbon levels in the sea. The process sends an electrical charge through seawater flowing through tanks on a large boat. That sets off a series of chemical reactions that turn the carbon emissions into a solid mineral that includes calcium carbonate (碳酸钙). The seawater then returned to the ocean and can pull more carbon dioxide out of the air. The calcium carbonate settles to the sea floor.

The process has already been demonstrated in California. Researchers are working on plans to launch another project in Singapore. The two projects are expected to be fully operational by 2025. Researchers say they are expected to remove thousands of tons of CO₂ per year. If successful, the plan is to build additional centers to remove millions of tons of carbon each year.

But experts say even if that amount of carbon can be removed, that is still thousands of times less than what will be needed to effectively reduce climate change. Margaret Leinen, director of an ocean research center, said, “While the process will likely be effective, I question how much effect it will have on climate change over a long period.” Sant said the success of such technology will greatly rely on “how fast you can build the centers”.

1. What can we learn about carbon emissions from the text?

A．Most of them are taken in by the oceans.

B．They can harm many kinds of sea life indirectly.

C．Removal of them poses a serious threat to coral reefs.

D．They will decrease ocean acidity when absorbed by seawater.

2. What does the author mainly intend to tell us in paragraph 3?

A．How a series of reactions form.

B．How an electrical charge is sent.

C．How the carbon emissions turned into a solid material.

D．How the ocean reduces carbon levels with its own natural abilities.

3. What is Margaret Leinen’s attitude to the process of removing CO₂ from the sea?

A．Opposed.

B．Concerned.

C．Approving.

D．Disbelieving.

4. What would the author most probably talk about next?

A．The approaches to protecting coral reefs.

B．The construction of industrial-sized centers.

C．The process of reducing CO2 from the environment.

D．The techniques to remove calcium carbonate from the sea floor.

4 . We all have habits we’d like to break, whether it’s biting your fingernails, or eating late at night. But why are these habits so hard to break?

Our brain seeks to minimize effort and space, and this kind of automatic brain behavior is referred to as “chunking”. Chunking aids in creating a new habit pattern in cells of the brain. It’s like a task you do every day that you no longer really have to think about.

This process is a three-step loop. Step 1 is the cue. Step 2 is the routine. And Step 3 is the reward. The cue and reward eventually intertwine (交织), creating anticipation and cravings (渴望), another essential part of habits. Because we go into an automatic mode during routines, our brains stop fully participating in decision-making. Our habits will automatically unfold every time there is a cue.

So, how to break the habits, like biting your nails? Psychologists suggest that first you think about when you bite your nails. Are you nervous or bored? In the case of boredom, nail-biting offers a “physical stimulation”. So next, mark down every time you feel bored and have the compulsion to bite your nails. But then you want to make a “competing response”. Whenever you feel the desire to bite, you immediately put your hands in your pockets. Next, find a substitute (替代品) that provides a quick physical stimulation, like knocking your fingers slightly on the desk. This allows for one habit to be replaced by another with a similar reward but also uses the same cue.

So when you are ready to take on a bad habit, just remember, figure out what your body is actually craving, use the same cue and the reward that serves the correct purpose, and be patient to help build that new habit.

1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Why skills are hard to master.

B．Why habits are difficult to break.

C．How the brain minimizes effort and space.

D．How cells help form chunking in our brain.

2. Why the habit of biting nails is mentioned?

A．To prove it is a bad habit.

B．To show how a habit is formed.

C．To state psychologists’ opinion.

D．To explain how to give up a habit.

3. What does the underlined “compulsion” mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Opportunity.

B．Ambition.

C．Desire.

D．Responsibility.

4. What is the trick of quitting a bad habit?

A．Finding a substitute stimulation.

B．Making full use of the brain.

C．Figuring out the reward.

D．Serving the correct purpose.

5 . A self-taught painter in Chongqing, who spent four years creating 100 illustrations of 100 cities in China, has attracted a lot of attention online.

Pu Zhen, who was born in Chongqing in 1993, ________ in animation design at college. He started teaching himself painting nine years ago. “The most difficult part is to ________ my own painting style through ________ practice,” he said.

In 2018, ________ by an old notebook he had filled with the names of Chinese cities, he ________ the idea of doing a unique illustration for each. “I just ________ my inspiration in creating the city series. Each illustration ________ a city’s typical features,” he said.

The creative ________ of the main elements of each city are ________. Some are mountains, rivers, and iconic (标志性的) buildings, and some are cultural legends. However, they all have the moon as a common image.

“The biggest ________ is myself,” said Pu, adding that during the time-consuming ________, he had to overcome loneliness and inner conflicts. “But I do feel ________ that my works are acknowledged by many fans online. Traditional Chinese city ________ are always worth passing on.”

Not only are Pu’s paintings well ________ online, but the netizens are eager to appreciate more. ________, everyone wants to see their hometowns painted by Pu Zhen. In the future, Pu plans to travel around the country and create illustrations for more cities.

1.

A．applied

B．majored

C．worked

D．researched

2.

A．figure out

B．go over

C．make up

D．turn down

3.

A．casual

B．constant

C．formal

D．random

4.

A．moved

B．encouraged

C．taught

D．inspired

5.

A．put up with

B．came up with

C．took care of

D．made use of

6.

A．invented

B．followed

C．imagined

D．discovered

7.

A．determines

B．suggests

C．reflects

D．impresses

8.

A．sources

B．stories

C．messages

D．materials

9.

A．stable

B．similar

C．obvious

D．different

10.

A．challenge

B．honor

C．improvement

D．victory

11.

A．course

B．process

C．moment

D．stage

12.

A．surprised

B．confused

C．delighted

D．touched

13.

A．cultures

B．policies

C．systems

D．values

14.

A．judged

B．studied

C．attended

D．received

15.

A．Undoubtedly

B．Eventually

C．Hopefully

D．Generally

6 . 根据句意从方框中选出合适的短语,并用其适当的形式完成句子。

integrate into                  acknowledge...as…                  commit...to...               differ from subscribe to                    place emphasis on                    convince...of...             set aside

1. Yuan Longping, though________ a significant figure in agricultural science, still considered himself as an ordinary farmer.
2. Education of information technology is necessary for individuals________ society, and meanwhile it is an unavoidable trend of social development.
3. in order to raise her children's awareness of environmental protection, she discussed pollution with them. ________how nice a clean street, lawn（草坪）, or park looks.
4. With no extra money________ John has no option but to work to pay for the medical charges.
5. ________each other in character, the twins are not so difficult to be recognized.
6. ________the accuracy of the data, the researchers stuck to their opinion.
7. My main reason for________ New Scientist is to keep track of advances in science.
8. ________improving girls' education in the poverty-stricken areas has made Zhang Guimei a respectable role model of our time.

7 . Chinese mainland, ________ is indicated in the chart, has risen to 11th place on the 2022 Global Innovation Rating. (用适当的词填空)

8 . Exercise will improve your a______ for food because exercise consumes much energy and make you feel hungry. （根据首字母单词拼写）

9 . The doorbell rang one mid-December evening. I frequently had unexpected visitors in those early days after my husband’s ________. But when my 6-year-old son opened the door, nobody was there. ________, on the doormat was a box, tied with a silver ________ and a note that said “On the First Day of Christmas...” A mystery.

Sam had died that fall, ________ me the single parent of our two boys, 6 and 8. My sons and I had already ________ to deal with Halloween, and Thanksgiving without Daddy. Still, I was afraid of Christmas. How could December have ________ without my husband?

The next night, the doorbell rang again. Another ________ came, decorated with the same silver ribbon (带子) and ________ the same card reading “On the Second Day of Christmas...”

For the next couple of nights, my boys waited near the front door to see who was leaving the gifts, but the bearer would always choose the moment they left to ________.

I didn’t know who the secret Santa was. But there was one thing I did know. In those dark days of ________, somebody was shining a light our way with a simple but ________ message: “You are loved.” It was such a strange feeling, to be left in darkness on the one hand and drawn so firmly toward ________ on the other. I believe hope will make a(n) ________.

After 11 days of offerings, we weren’t sure what to ________ when we approached home on that 12th night. I trusted there would be ________.

1.

A．promotion

B．death

C．retirement

D．operation

2.

A．Otherwise

B．Besides

C．Instead

D．Therefore

3.

A．rope

B．paper

C．flower

D．ribbon

4.

A．leaving

B．finding

C．naming

D．considering

5.

A．agreed

B．planned

C．managed

D．promised

6.

A．arrived

B．returned

C．ended

D．escaped

7.

A．book

B．toy

C．box

D．pet

8.

A．designing

B．including

C．showing

D．making

9.

A．get through

B．set off

C．move on

D．turn up

10.

A．regret

B．sadness

C．anger

D．disappointment

11.

A．annoying

B．funny

C．urgent

D．powerful

12.

A．dream

B．light

C．future

D．home

13.

A．difference

B．effort

C．comparison

D．contribution

14.

A．support

B．offer

C．expect

D．appreciate

15.

A．something

B．nothing

C．anything

D．everything

10 . I was heading home after giving my colleague a lift. I took a _______ as the snowstorm was approaching.

Then the snow started and was coming down _______. Within minutes I was in a whiteout.The windows were _______ and getting covered with snow, so I slowed down and rolled down my driver's side window, thinking I could better _______ the road edge and keep to a straight line. But really, I had no _______ where I was. I stopped and kept the car running to stay_______. I called 911.The operator told me to wait things out for the night.

The call left me in _______. Breathe, I told myself. An idea occurred to me. I _______ my location online and explained what I was _______, wishing for anyone to come to my rescue. Soon enough, people started chiming in on my post. I got a ________ from someone who was going to put me in touch with people nearby. I had never been more ________.

Then I saw a big ________ in the dark. He had walked about 500 metres to get me, ________ the wind and snow each step of the way. “You’ll be OK. Follow me.” He turned around and started to trudge through the snow, sure of the ________. I drove slowly behind him. When we reached his house,I burst into tears of ________.

1.

A．shortcut

B．turn

C．look

D．risk

2.

A．soon

B．fast

C．lightly

D．suddenly

3.

A．locked

B．closed

C．frozen

D．broken

4.

A．follow

B．cover

C．mark

D．remember

5.

A．plan

B．clue

C．doubt

D．problem

6.

A．awake

B．calm

C．warm

D．still

7.

A．confusion

B．trouble

C．embarrassment

D．panic

8.

A．confirmed

B．found

C．posted

D．checked

9.

A．looking at

B．going through

C．searching for

D．carrying out

10.

A．tip

B．comment

C．like

D．message

11.

A．inspired

B．relieved

C．convinced

D．amazed

12.

A．policeman

B．creature

C．shadow

D．figure

13.

A．fighting

B．avoiding

C．checking

D．reporting

14.

A．goal

B．danger

C．depth

D．direction

15.

A．hope

B．love

C．gratitude

D．pride