1 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, and almost six months before it enters its peak (高峰), weathermen are already predicting (预测) that it could be particularly active.

Officially, hurricane season begins from June 1 and runs through November. One reason is that sea surface temperatures in the tropical (热带的) Atlantic are already at record highs.

Meanwhile, another significant potential factor in this year’s hurricane season is taking shape thousands of miles away in the Pacific. Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean warm and cool in turn as a result of a repeating climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes less likely to form but La Niña does.

During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño period. However, by the time the 2024 season starts, it will have changed into a “neutral(中立)” period, but that by the peak months, it is likely to have changed fully into a La Niña.

“How quickly that change occurs can affect everything as well,” says DaSilva, a lead hurricane weatherman. “There’s a lag time. So, while we expect the change to occur in mid-summer, it may not be until late summer or fall where we really see those effects across the Atlantic basin.” As a result, he says, this year’s hurricane season could remain particularly active deep into November.

Of course, no report can predict when individual storms will come or the paths they will take, but DaSilva warns that those who live in areas likely to suffer hurricanes, especially around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, should prepare. “If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly strengthen, potentially close to land,” he also warns. “And that’s why people need to be careful and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”

1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?

A．To give advice.	B．To explain the season.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To inform a weather report.

2. What is a reason for this year’s hurricane season?

A．The hurricane season has entered its peak.

B．A repeating climate has changed weather in summer.

C．The sea surface temperatures are the highest of all time.

D．El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes more likely to form.

3. What do the underlined words “a lag time” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．A time delay.	B．A time in a zone.
C．A time waste.	D．A time in advance.

4. What does DaSilva agree with about this year’s hurricane season?

A．It can be exactly predicted ahead of time.

B．People needn’t worry about hurricane season.

C．It may be eventually controlled by weathermen.

D．People can’t be more careful about hurricane season.

2 . Gaining real-world work experience through volunteering is a great way for students to build skills, increase employability and enjoy a range of other benefits.

Become a leader

Regular volunteers, regardless of their age, are often trusted with important roles, giving students a chance to develop their confidence and communication skills, while being treated like a valued member of a team.     1     However, a trusting and supportive manager will encourage students to speak up when they think something could be improved.

Students volunteering stand out from the crowd

Students volunteering gain valuable experience that they can add to their CV (简历). Employers will look very favorably on students’ volunteer work experience. Volunteering gives students the opportunity to put what they learn in the classroom into practice.     2     They’ll be one step ahead when it comes to entering the workplace, already equipped with some of the key skills needed for the role.

Improve mental and physical health

Perhaps the biggest benefit that students can gain from volunteering is the positive boost to mental and physical health. A recent study found that 77% of volunteers benefited from improved mental health after volunteering.     3     And it makes sense, with many volunteer roles involving physical activities such as walking, manning drink stations at sporting events, playing with children at camps and more.

Work in a team

    4     It’s a great way to gain experience working in a team. Many workplaces are shifting toward cross-function al collaborative teams, so being able to give concrete examples of working in a team to future employers will be a big plus.

Students volunteering can test out a career

Often students choose to study a degree without really knowing what the career involves. Perhaps it’s what their parents do, or they think it sounds interesting, or it was simply a subject they were good at during school. But without gaining real-world experience in the career, it might end up being a big waste of time and money.     5    

A．Volunteering is cooperative in nature.

B．Taking the initiative (采取主动) is a hard skill to train.

C．This is especially useful in highly practical fields.

D．Volunteering is a course to show your compassion.

E．And over half improved their physical health too.

F．Volunteering can help determine whether it is suitable.

G．This is vital for everyone to take advantage of in reality.

3 . Inspired by the medical bay of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek (星际迷航), a research team from the University of Waterloo uses radar technology to monitor people’s health while at the wheel, turning an ordinary car or truck into a mobile medical center.

Dr. George Shaker, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, is working with a team of graduate students to combine radar with evolving vehicle technology to make health checks easier. The idea is to use the time people spend in their cars to gather data on their health for accurate analysis and preventative treatment — without the need for any type of wearable.

The radar, smaller than a USB thumb drive, is placed into the vehicle cabin and sends out signals that detect human vibrations (颤动), which are then sent back to the radar. The built-in AI system collects and analyzes the data to build a medical picture and identify any potential conditions. At the end of the driver’s journey, the system sends the report directly to their cell phone for review.

For Shaker and his team, the challenge was evolving the tech to identify changes in breathing patterns or heart rhythms that signify potential health issues related to cardiovascular conditions as well as respiratory system conditions.

“We focused on enhancing data collection for exact information related to people’s respiratory and cardiovascular systems and teaching the AI how to make medical interpretations from this data. Another important consideration was personal privacy and security — no data is stored on the cloud; it is sent to the monitored person’s cellphone only,” said Ali Ghara, the lead Ph. D. student on the project.

The research team is building on this work to expand the radar technology’s capabilities to monitor all vehicle occupants’ overall health and well-being, run diagnostics and generate quality medical reports that flag any issues that need attention, as well as assist with emergency communication in the event of an accident.

1. What can we learn about the radar technology?

A．It provides more precise health data than wearables.

B．It creates medical pictures to reveal healthy secrets.

C．It sends the health report to the driver’s phone for review.

D．It combines with vehicle technology to assess the driver’s health.

2. What can be inferred from Ali Ghara’s words in paragraph 5?

A．The AI needs training to collect health data.	B．AI’s interpretation of medical data is accurate.
C．Cellphones monitor personal privacy and security.	D．The team is improving data collection and analysis.

3. What does the follow-up study aim to do?

A．Ensure the privacy of medical reports.	B．Warn the drivers of potential accidents.
C．Enhance health monitoring for all passengers.	D．Apply the radar technology across vehicles.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Ph. D. Students Build USS Enterprise on Wheels	B．Drivers Beware: Radar Spying on Your Heartbeats
C．Healthy Driving: Radar Monitors Health in Vehicles	D．Radars May Know Your Conditions Before You Do

4 . Zong Qinghou, a soft drinks giant from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, died of an illness at the age of 79. There has been much mourning at his passing on Feb. 25, 2024 as he was well-known as the founder of a company, headquartered in his hometown in the late 1980s, which later developed into the Wahaha Group, a major soft drinks company.

He is known to the public for three things — his rags-to-riches rise, his long-term frugal (节俭的) lifestyle, and his devotion to promoting China’s national industries. Forbes ranked him, with a wealth of about $5.9 billion, No.53 among Chinese billionaires last year.

Yet besides, it is also worthwhile to think over the question about whether his success in business can be imitated today and what lessons policymakers can learn from his self-made business success as they try to enrich the soil for setting up business.

Before winning a contract (合同) to work as a salesperson of a small school-run factory selling writing materials, iced treats and soft drinks in Hangzhou in 1987, Zong worked as a traveling salesman for nearly a decade after working for 15 years on various posts in local farming communities with Grade-9 education.

His sharp business sense, which he owed to poverty instead of the genes (基因) of the Zhejiang business community, enabled him to recognize business opportunities at a time when the country had just carried out the change from a planned economy to a socialist market one.

The broad space he enjoyed as a sales representative of the factory enabled him to continuously sharpen his sales strategies and enlarge his network of business partners. That not only helped him gather the start-up funds he later used to contract the whole factory, but also influenced his later management style, which he summed up as always trying to make things simpler.

As he told the media, it is the spirit of adventure of his generation and their down-to-earth work style that deserve attention, not his lifestyle, which was a personal choice.

1. Which aspect of Zong Qinghou does Paragraph 2 focus on?

A．His habits.	B．His interest.
C．His lifestyle.	D．His achievements.

2. Why is Zong Qinghou’s early experience mentioned in Paragraph 4?

A．To tell how he won contracts.	B．To tell how different his life was.
C．To show the ways to run a business.	D．To show its influence on his business.

3. What made Zong Qinghou find the chance to start his business?

A．His sharp sense in business.	B．His broad space and freedom.
C．His long-term simple lifestyle.	D．His business community’s genes.

4. Which of the following best describes Zong Qinghou?

A．Modest.

B．Determined.

C．Knowledgeable.

D．Humorous.

5 . Four places to explore in northern Canada

Welcome to Canada, the land of openness. Discover True North itineraries and undeniably Canadian experiences with a coast-to-coast collection of travel packages. All you need to bring is an open mind. And maybe a light jacket. If you want to get more detailed information, please click www.travelcanada.com

Nights Under Lights
From USD $4,995 per person
6 days/5 nights

Our Nights Under Lights multi-day tours will give you some of the best chances in the world to see and photograph the beautiful northern lights. Spend days adventuring with dog sledding tours, snow-walking, visiting local historic sites and museums and spend the evenings at our award-winning location for cultural presentations, aurora viewing and photography.

Subarctic Wonders: Exploring Churchill’s Northern Lights
From USD $3,795 per person
5 days /4 nights   

Immerse yourself in the enchanting beauty of the aurora and embark on an authentic northern lights adventure. Each evening, we journey to tranquil hideaways, far from the city lights, where the sky unfolds its awe-inspiring display. Experience the wonder of the Northern Lights in Churchill, expertly guided by our team, as you dig into the vibrant northern culture and witness nature’s breathtaking light show.

Belugas, Bears & Summer Wildlife of Churchill
From USD $7,895 per person   
7 days /6 nights

Few of nature’s marvels match the intense aliveness of an Arctic summer. More than 3.000 of these adorable white whales gather at the mouth of the Churchill River, and our motorized rafts and kayaks put us at eye level with these often-curious aquatic lives. On the surrounding land, we frequently spot polar bears wandering or napping on the banks, their creamy coats contrasting with the rocky shoreline and dark forest.

Canada’s Premier Polar Bear Adventure
From USD $7,495 per person
8 days/7 nights

When you’re standing on the outdoor platform of our Polar Rover, the chill Arctic air feels refreshing. But not as much as the sight of the huge polar bear strolling towards us. Sometimes they are shadows on the horizon, slowly moving on the vast expanse of icy land, in search of seals for meals. Join us for one of nature’s most wondrous wildlife encounters—no one does it better than Natural Habitat!

1. In which tour will you spend the most money each day?

A．Nights Under Lights.

B．Subarctic Wonders: Exploring Churchill’s Northern Lights.

C．Belugas, Bears & Summer Wildlife of Churchill.

D．Canada’s Premier Polar Bear Adventure.

2. If you go to Churchill, what activity can you join in according to the text?

A．Sled with dogs.	B．Enjoy the Northern Lights.
C．Hike on the ice.	D．Visit museums.

3. Where can you probably find this text?

A．A geographic magazine.	B．A newspaper.
C．A travel brochure.	D．A website.

6 . “Can we look at the school supplies while we’re here?” my daughter, Julia, asked during a trip to the store. My favorite school-supply item is the daily planner because I struggle with organization. I always dream that the perfect planner will somehow cure me of my delay and turn my life into a paradise (乐园) of order and productivity.

The list of habits I wanted to develop was long. Exercising regularly. Drinking more water. Clearing a junk drawer or closet each week. Reading more books and watching less TV. Delaying less on work deadlines. Spending more time with each of my kids and reaching out to family and friends more often. Making special meals, and doing other things to make my loved ones feel loved.

Over the next few days, I was able to check off several items on my habit tracker. I was pleased with the progress, but I hadn’t done much with the habits intended to improve my relationships with others. I tried to put more focus on those habits.

One morning, I opened my planner and realized that it was Julia’s. The first task was “Write in my gratitude journal.” The second one was “Do something nice for someone else.” Julia was a busy college student. How did she find time to keep a journal and do random acts of kindness? When I asked her about it, she said, “Those two habits go together. Writing in my gratitude journal makes me want to do nice things for other people.”

“What a wonderful thing to do!” I said, “I love that your gratitude fuels your acts of kindness.” I took a plain notebook and wrote, “I’m thankful for...” I prepared my husband’s favorite dinner, sent an encouraging text to a friend, and baked another batch of cookies for Julia to share with her friends.

1. Why does the author like the planner most?

A．She often used it while being a teacher.

B．She wants to keep her life organized.

C．She is a person of doing things in order.

D．She tends to focus on working effectively.

2. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?

A．The various arrangements the author had a day.

B．The constant changes the author made in life.

C．The good habits the author wanted to develop.

D．The different things the author delayed doing.

3. What habits did the author want to put more focus on after the progress?

A．Doing more exercise every day.	B．Completing her tasks in time.
C．Keeping a balanced diet for her health.	D．Building more close bonds with others.

4. What did the author learn from Julia?

A．Gratitude can fuel kindness.	B．Love is endless in a family.
C．Blessing comes from nowhere.	D．Generosity is actually a virtue.

7 . 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。

A few years ago when I was looking for a small dog to add to our family, I contacted the local SPCA(Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and got the name of a woman who was fostering(领养，代养) some rescued Maltese dogs for them. I called the woman, and my husband and I drove to her home. As I looked around, I noticed a cute Maltese named Casper. My husband and I decided we would like to adopt him.

The foster mom asked us if there were any way we would open our hearts to Casper’s friend, Kato, as well. She told us that the two boys, who had only each other for comfort, had recently been rescued from a puppy farm, where they had spent the first seven years of their lives. When the local SPCA shut down the puppy farm and seized all the dogs, Kato and Casper had been put in her foster home.

She told us that when she first picked them up, their fur was in such terrible shape that they hardly looked like Maltese dogs. They were brown, whose fur was wet and dirty, and their paws were swollen. For seven years, they were locked in a dark doghouse and the only human contact these boys had was when they were thrown their food.

Hearing all this, I turned and looked down at the little Maltese named Kato. But he’s so ugly, I thought. And he isn’t even friendly. He barked angrily when we looked at him. When I reached for him, he pushed himself against the back wall of his doghouse, whispering. Still, I felt a tig at my heart and agreed to take Kato also. As we drove home, my husband and I worried that maybe we’d taken on too much. We’d never had dogs that had been so abused(虐待) for such a longtime.

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。

The first day at our home was very difficult for the two dogs.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Though difficult, I did everything I could think of to help these dogs.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Bad judgments are meant to feed our own personal ego (自我意识) and put others down, which is not the healthiest thing to do. Here are five reasons why you should stop it now.

You start finding faults in everyone. Judging quickly moves on to more private areas of your life.     1     You fail to appreciate them and start getting dissatisfied with them. You become critical of even those who matter to you.

Judging becomes a habit. If you judge people, sooner or later, it becomes a habit, and you start judging everyone around you for the tiniest of things.     2     And you might dismiss even the best of people through these microscopic judgments.

People begin to distrust you. If you pass judgments about other people in front of your audience, you will lose their trust. As they will begin to feel that if you can judge others in front of them, you can talk about them behind their back.     3    

Judgment is a sign of unhappiness. If you are 100% happy with who you are, you are a lot less likely to feel the need to judge others. If you are self-assured, you will not feel the need to cast a downward glance at others.     4     Either way, it is a negative attitude.

    5     If you’re judging others, you’re probably judging yourself pretty harshly as well. You often tend to think that if you are judging people by what they wear, someone might in turn judge you, which, as a consequence, makes you extremely concerned with your appearance.

A．You are viewed positively by people.

B．You start taking yourself too seriously.

C．Hence, seeing others positively shows we are positive people.

D．You judge their clothing, actions, success, values, and everything.

E．Likewise, you also judge because you feel you are better than others.

F．You start judging your close ones; friends, family members, partner, etc.

G．And no one wants to make friends with someone often talking unkindly about others.

9 . Although-London’s red telephone boxes may not get as much use these days, they are one of the city’s most recognizable features-but some could soon have a new purpose.

Recently, a developer wants to turn two run-down telephone boxes on Coventry Street in London’s West End into vending machines(自动售货机) that will operate 24/7. These telephone boxes will be filled with snacks for sale.

Application for this interesting redevelopment has been submitted by Nuriyeh Popalzi as part of the Young Entrepreneur Support Scheme (VESS), with plans currently in the consulting stage. If successful, this would mean the boxes on Coventry Street, which have sadly been subject to disrepair, get a fresh red lick(一点) of paint and have their doors removed to create the machines.

In her application, Nuriyeh Popalzi said, “Both telephone boxes are out of service and kept in poor condition of maintenance, creating an unpleasant site in one of the most historic and touristic parts of London, “she added. “These red telephone boxes are considered a key part of London not only for the Londoners but also for the tourists from all over the world. For decades, these red telephone boxes have been a symbol of London and in fact a symbol for the whole of Great Britain. ”

Popalzi believes the transformed boxes will have a positive effect on the community, much like other telephone boxes that have been turned into libraries. All profits made by the machines will go to charity, meaning happiness can be spread in multiple ways.

Before long some Londoners’ next afternoon pick-me-up could come from one of London’s iconic red boxes. However, there should be a speed dial(快速拨号) option-we know Londoners are always in a rush, after all.

1. What may be the future use of the two red telephone boxes?

A．To sell snacks.	B．To raise money.
C．To store snacks.	D．To serve as libraries.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．The two telephone boxes will be taken down soon.

B．The two telephone boxes’ color will be changed.

C．Popalzi’s idea has drawn many Londoners’ attention.

D．Popalzi’s idea hasn’t been put into effect currently.

3. How will the two transformed boxes have a positive effect?

A．They will offer a great discount.	B．They will make a difference to charity.
C．They will provide the delivery service.	D．They will help attract more tourists.

4. Where does the text probably come from?

A．A book review.	B．A science report.
C．A newspaper.	D．A travel brochure.

10 . If you can’t trust an expert to make a good prediction, who can you trust?

Try a crowd. Under the right conditions, crowds can make better predictions than the individuals in them-a crowd can even beat a single expert.

More than a hundred years ago, the scientist Francis Galton visited an English country Faithere, he came across a contest to guess the weight of an ox. Interested in mathematics, Galton gathered 800 guesses and dealt with the numbers. To his surprise, Galton found that the crowd’s guess (the average) was just 1 pound different from the ox’s real weight. Did Galton happen to collect a lot lucky guesses?

David Kestenbaumand Jacob Goldstein, a pair of reporters, wanted to find out. One steamy summer day in 2015, they visited the “Burlington County Farm Fair” in New Jersey. There, Penelope, a black and white cow, shining with good health, greeted them. She was as tall as Goldstein’s shoulder. The reporters led the cow onto a large, flat truck scale (秤). A curious crowd had gathered, but Kestenbaum and Goldstein carefully guarded the scale’s digital display (数字显示), It flashed 1, 355 pounds.

Later, far from the sweet smell of warm hay, the reporters uploaded a photo of Penelope to the Planet Money website. They invited people to guess her weight, and more than 17, 000 people did. The crowd’s guess was 1, 287 pounds. That was just 5 percent less than Penelope’s true weight. Impressive!

Among the crowd, some called themselves cow experts, while others probably couldn’t tell a cot from an ox. When Goldstein and Kestenbaum calculated the guesses only from the experts, the result wasn’t any better. In fact, it was even worse:83 pounds off for the experts compared to 68 pounds for the whole crowd.

Crowds aren’t just lucky. Lots of people with different bits of information and ideas can make crowds collectively smart. A crowd will always make a prediction at least as good as the typical person in it. Often a crowd will do better. If people in a crowd have reasonably good information, they can make excellent predictions. Some businesses, financial markets, and Internet searches rely on this phenomenon (现象).

If you want to predict who’s going to win the big game on Saturday or when school buses will fly, ask a crowd of reasonably knowledgeable people instead of a single expert. Just make sure the crowd has people who know different things and have different ways of thinking. Without a diverse crowd, predictions can go badly.

1. Why is the example of Francis Galton mentioned in the passage?

A．To explain why crowds can’t make an accurate prediction.

B．To state Francis Galton happened to collect many lucky guesses.

C．To show how to predict an ox’s weight.

D．To prove crowds can make a better prediction.

2. How did the reporters prove the advantage of prediction made by crowds over experts?

A．By conducting a series of research.	B．By explaining the theories involved.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By doing experiments.

3. Who may give a better prediction according to the passage?

A．An expert who has a different way of thinking from others.

B．A crowd of people with different backgrounds and knowledge.

C．A single expert who is knowledgeable.

D．A crowd of experts who have the same way of thinking.

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．Two heads are better than one.

B．You never know what you can do till you try.

C．Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.

D．Seek the truth from facts.