1 . Have you ever wanted to be healthier? Get a pet! That is what the experts are saying. There are many advantages to owning a pet, no matter whether it is a cat, dog, or horse.

Some new parents are often in a rush to get rid of their pets when a baby is expected. Yet, studies have shown that having a pet at home actually reduces a child’s likelihood of developing certain kinds of diseases. In one study, a researcher studied 300 new-born babies and tested them again a year later. He found that if they had a dog at home the children had up to 33% fewer allergies (过敏症). In addition, the children had stronger immune systems (免疫系统) when compared to the babies of homes with no pets.

In another study, researchers tested nearly 4,500 people. They found that cat owners who spent time stroking (抚摸) their cats suffered 40% fewer heart attacks than those who did not own a cat. Some other studies also found that pet owners suffered less serious from depression (沮丧) than non-pet owners.

Horses have long been used in treatments for disabled people, both physically and mentally. Not only does the movement of the horse help people with physical problems, but the calming influence of the animals has a positive effect on them, too. Amazing changes have been noted in disabled people who are lucky enough to receive these treatments.

From cats to horses, having a pet can really have positive effects on our health.

1. What does the underlined word in the second paragraph probably mean?

A．Degree.

B．Possibility.

C．Opportunity.

D．Decision.

2. From the second and third paragraphs, we can infer that ______.

A．having a pet at home makes a baby weak

B．the children in home without a dog may have strong immune system

C．non-pet owners may easily suffer from depression than pet owners

D．keeping a pet cat is better than keeping a pet dog

3. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

A．How to raise a horse.	B．The way of keeping healthy.
C．How horses benefit disabled people.	D．How to treat disabled people.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．New parents sometimes refuse to have a pet when they have a baby.

B．If you want to keep healthy, do nothing but keep a pet.

C．Cat owners suffer more heart attacks than others.

D．Horses can cure the problems of disabled people.

2 . Imagine if your clothes could pick up the sounds of everything going on around you. Scientists have created a fibre (纤维) which can pick up sounds and could be used as a hearing aid, to monitor heartbeats or even in spacecraft.

The new fibre works like a microphone. It picks up sounds and turns them into vibrations (震动) and then electrical signals, in a similar way to how ears work. When woven (编织) into a shirt, the researchers say the fibre can even detect a wearer’s heartbeat. The fibre can hear sounds as low as those in a quiet library to louder sounds like heavy road traffic. It can even accurately tell the direction of sudden sounds like handclaps.

The fibre was created by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and researchers at Rhode Island School of Design. “Wearing a piece of clothing that can hear, you might talk through it to answer phone calls and communicate with others,” said lead author Yet Wan, who created the technology at MIT.

Once they had created the fibre, the team wove it into a more traditional piece of clothing which was much more flexible. When it was woven into the back of a shirt it was able to pick up the sound of people clapping, even picking up the direction the clapping was coming from. When woven into the shirt’s inner lining (内衬) it could pick up the person’s heartbeat, which the researchers think could be used in a pregnant woman’s clothes to monitor a baby’s heartbeat.

As well as wearable hearing aids, and clothes that track your heartbeat, the team says there are possibilities beyond clothing. “It can be integrated with spacecraft skin to listen to space dust, or embedded into (嵌入) buildings to detect cracks or strains,” Yet suggests. “It can even be woven into a smart net to monitor fish in the ocean.”

1. What is the scientists’ new invention?

A．A lightweight fibre.	B．A new spacecraft skin.
C．A fibre that can hear.	D．A microphone that can talk.

2. What can we learn about the new material?

A．It is easily distracted by loud sounds.

B．It can even pick up faint sounds.

C．It works more accurately than human ears.

D．It fails to recognise the direction of sounds.

3. What did the team do after creating the new material?

A．They wove it into babies’ clothes.	B．They turned it into a fishnet.
C．They put it into mass production.	D．They tested its performance.

4. What do Yet’s words in the last paragraph suggest?

A．The fibre has a wide range of applications.	B．The fibre can bring in a big profit.
C．The fibre needs to be improved.	D．The fibre is less flexible than traditional clothes.

3 . One of the best parts of travel is always the food. Or, more specifically, the junk food. It’s a delight people are unlikely to get to experience during the pandemic. But in one corner of the Internet, hungry people are keeping the joy of international snacks alive.

On r/SnackExchange, users trade the delights of their homeland by mail. First, you find someone on the board to swap (交换) with. You and your partner then post each other a box full of local finest processed foods, eventually uploading photos of your haul (收获) on the board for others to see.

First created in 2010, r/SnackExchange’s membership now totals 102,000. Most come to experience snacks they can’t find at home.

For the users who take part in snack exchanges, it’s a way to learn more about the world. For Meghan Quallick, a snack swapper from California, part of the motivation for swapping with an Australian was to get her hands on a specific item: Cadbury Black Forest bars. A colleague of hers had eaten the chocolate bars on a trip to Australia in years past and fallen in love with them, but was then unable to source them at home. Quallick’s snack partner included 10 bars of the chocolate in her package. “To get some and bring them to her was pretty exciting,” Quallick said. “My colleague had tears in her eyes.”

Snack exchanges do come with obvious financial disadvantages. Part of the process is to agree on a budget before you swap — on average that’s around the US$40-50 mark. But you should be prepared to spend twice as much on shipping as the actual snacks. Occasionally swappers get scammed (欺骗) by partners who don’t deliver on their end of the deal.

Often, the snack exchanges are about more than just the food. Heather Clarke, a snack swapper from Melbourne says, “They’re often cultural exchanges as well. You get people going, ‘Can you tell me what this is?’” Often, users enclose (随信附上) instructions on how to best consume the snacks. Going the extra mile is in the spirit of the community.

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The history of snack exchanges.	B．How users exchange snacks on r/ SnackExchange.
C．Why people love to exchange snacks.	D．The influence the pandemic has on snack exchanges.

2. Why did Quallick’s colleague cry?

A．She got what she desired to eat from Quallick.	B．She failed to find a swapper online.
C．She found the snack she ate before online.	D．She quarreled with Quallick.

3. What is a disadvantage of snack exchanges?

A．Swappers easily get scammed.

B．Swappers seldom find exactly what they want.

C．Swappers may spend more time than usual shopping.

D．Swappers have to spend more on shipping.

4. What does Clarke say about snack exchanges?

A．They should be improved.	B．They are lacking in community spirit.
C．They promote cultural exchanges.	D．They should have detailed guides from swappers.

4 . Before traveling to Lake Tahoe, make sure your plans are in order. Complete vacation packages of the area are now offered online.

Package 1. Get Outdoors in Lake Tahoe Package Get outdoors and explore! With this fun vacation package, you can stay in the Lake Tahoe area for three nights and have a few adventures along the way. This package also features Lake Tahoe Sport Fishing, allowing guests to get out and fish! Click here to book	Package 2. Lake Tahoe Family Vacation Package If your next trip happens to be in the Lake Tahoe area, then consider booking this one. It is great because it can offer you four full nights at the hotel of your selection and an amazing sightseeing tour through the Emerald Bay. You also can enjoy Lake Tahoe Hot Air Balloons tours and the Wild West Tour. Click here to book
Package 3. Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package This is perfect for people who want to have a romantic time. It includes a two-night stay at the hotel of your choice and one of the finest activities in all of Lake Tahoe — the Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Sunset Boat Tour on the Bleu Wave. During this romantic sail, you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Lake Tahoe. Click here to book	Package 4. Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package The Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package is great for people of all ages, so this is a great choice for families. This package includes a two-night stay at the hotel you choose. It also includes a trip which takes place on the Bleu Wave by boat. Click here to book

1. Which package offers the longest visit to Lake Tahoe?

A．Package 1.

B．Package 2.

C．Package 3.

D．Package 4.

2. What is the similarity between the last two packages?

A．Their boat tour.	B．The hotel for staying.
C．The places for traveling.	D．Their target customers.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．A guidebook.

B．A travel report.

C．A local newspaper.

D．A website.

5 . Researchers examined 120 babies aged 6 to 14 months as they watched a children’s opera performed at a concert hall (61 babies watched in person, the other 59 watched a recorded form). They carefully set the recording so the performers were at the same size, distance and volume as the live form. The babies’ responses were tracked through heart monitors and tablets, and afterward research assistants searched through the footage (镜头) to note when babies were looking at the stage and when they looked away.

The live performance kept their attention for 72% of the 12-minute show and also had them continually watching for longer periods of time. The findings suggest that even babies feel the impact of being at a live show, through both musicians’ interactions with an audience and the social experience of being in a crowd. “Their heart rates were speeding up and slowing down in a similar fashion to other babies watching the show. Those babies were dealing with all these distractions (使人分心的事) in the concert hall, but still had these interests in the performance,” says Laura Cirelli, an assistant professor. In comparison, the recording held the babies’ attention for just half of the 12-minute show.

“If there’s something happening that we collectively are engaging (参与) in, we’re also connecting with each other. It speaks to the shared experience,” says Cirelli. “It’s well established that socialization (社会化) is important during early childhood development — a baby’s brain is laying the groundwork for future life skills and abilities as it grows. Music can play a powerful part in making those important bonds. Babies are more likely to socialize with someone after hearing them sing a familiar song or dancing to music with them.”

The study, which was co-authored by Haley Kragness, now an assistant professor at Bucknell University, will also feed into some of Cirelli’s other work. “If a baby is frequently brought to these kinds of events, will that provide the foundation (基础) for their engaging in music and the community later in childhood?” Cirelli says. “It speaks to why we are inborn to consume music and attend live shows in the first place.”

1. How did the researchers make the experiment convincing?

A．By airing two different performances.

B．By tracking babies’ activity with caution.

C．By asking a smaller group to see the live show.

D．By making the recording similar in every detail to the live form.

2. What can we learn about babies enjoying the live show?

A．They watched the show more carefully.	B．They had faster heart rates.
C．They formed bonds with musicians.	D．They enjoyed it without distractions.

3. What might be Cirelli’s attitude to babies’ watching live performances?

A．Concerned.

B．Uninterested.

C．Supportive.

D．Indifferent.

4. What will Cirelli’s further study focus on?

A．The reasons for our attending live shows.

B．The benefits of socialization for babies.

C．Live performances’ other influences on babies.

D．Babies’ growth after seeing recorded shows.

6 . As a high school student, you’re likely used to learning through reading textbooks.     1     This lies at the heart of “experiential appreciation,” a philosophy that encourages you to engage directly with the world around you. It’s about learning from real-life experiences, and discovering a more profound and engaging way to learn.

To practice experiential appreciation, you can start by getting involved in hands-on activities related to your subjects. They will provide a firsthand understanding of the concepts you’re studying, making learning active and meaningful. So, try joining a sports team, picking up a paintbrush, or taking part in a local charity event.     2    

As you dive deeper, immerse (沉浸) yourself fully in the surroundings and activities. When you’re in nature, don’t just look around.     3     Touching the leaves, feeling the wind and listening to the birds can enrich your learning and make each moment more memorable.

    4     After trying something new, ask yourself what you learned and how it made you feel. Write in a journal or discuss it with friends. This self-discovery turns experiences into life lessons and offers a deeper understanding of the world.

Experiential appreciation transforms learning from a task to be completed into a journey to be treasured.     5     So, explore the world around you, let every experience shape you, and discover the endless possibilities that await. This is the core of true learning, where every moment is a step towards a richer, more enlightened life.

A．It extends learning beyond textbooks.

B．These activities bring learning to life.

C．Mind the impact of your actions on the environment.

D．Instead, activate your senses for a stronger tie with it.

E．Take your experiences further by reflecting on them.

F．Textbooks offer a systematic introduction to essential concepts and principles.

G．Now consider expanding your learning from just reading to actively participating.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know about the players in the Village Super League?

A．They all come from the same ethnic group.

B．They play soccer in the evening.

C．They are professional.

2. What do the cheerleaders do before a match starts?

A．Play some instruments.

B．Give dance performances.

C．Sing some folk songs.

3. What is the speaker willing to do?

A．Write some emails.

B．Offer visitors best positions.

C．Invite some friends to a festival.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What animals are the speakers looking at in the beginning?

A．Some rabbits.

B．Some sparrows.

C．Some squirrels.

2. How far have the speakers walked?

A．Around 1,000 meters.

B．Around 700 meters.

C．Around 600 meters.

3. What does the man regret doing?

A．Carrying lots of things.

B．Climbing the mountain.

C．Eating too much.

4. What does the woman ask the man to give her?

A．Some chocolates.

B．A water bottle.

C．A rubbish bag.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Which school opened the door for Uldus to study photography?

A．The North-West Academy of Public Administration.

B．Central Saint Martins.

C．London College of Fashion.

2. What is the subject of most of Uldus’ photographs?

A．Escapism.

B．Heroism.

C．Individualism.

3. What kind of people does Uldus enjoy working with?

A．Those who live a colorful life.

B．Those who are very creative.

C．Those who lead a tough life.

4. What is Uldus’ attitude towards digital technology?

A．Ambiguous.

B．Disapproval.

C．Supportive.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．TV programs.

B．Sports competitions.

C．Entertainment activities.

2. What time is it now?

A．8:20 am.

B．8:40 am.

C．9:00 am.

3. How is the weather today?

A．Cloudy.

B．Rainy.

C．Sunny.

4. What do we know about the movie?

A．It is free of charge.

B．It will start at 9:00 pm.

C．It will be showed in the Ship’s Gym.