1 . What a day! I started my new school this morning and had the best time. I made lots of new friends and really liked my teachers. I was nervous the night before, but I had no reason to be. Everyone was so friendly and polite. They made me feel at ease. It was like I’d been at the school for a hundred years!

The day started very early at 7:00 am. I had my breakfast downstairs with my mom. She could tell that I was very nervous. Mom kept asking me what was wrong. She told me I had nothing to worry about and that everyone was going to love me. If they didn’t love me, mom said to have a good talk with them. I couldn’t stop laughing.

My mom dropped me off at the school gate about five minutes before the bell rang. A little blonde girl got dropped off at the same time and started waving (招手) at me. She ran over and told me her name was Abigail. She was very nice and we became close straight away. We spent all morning together and began to talk to another girl called Stacey. The three of us sat together in class all day and we even made our way home together! It went so quickly. Our teacher told us that tomorrow we would really start learning and developing new skills.

I cannot wait until tomorrow and feel as though I am really going to enjoy my time at my new school. I only hope that my new friends feel the same way, too.

1. How did the author feel the night before her new school?

A．Tired.

B．Excited.

C．Happy.

D．Worried.

2. What did the author think of her mother’s advice?

A．Clear.

B．Funny.

C．Reasonable.

D．Excellent.

3. What happened on the author’s first day of school?

A．She met many nice people.	B．She had a hurried breakfast.
C．She learned some new skills.	D．She arrived at school very early.

4. What can we infer about Abigail?

A．She disliked Stacey.	B．She was shy and quiet.
C．She got on well with the author.	D．She was an old friend of the author.

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1. Which address should you contact if you want to be a support worker?

A．info@ wowee. com.	B．jobs@ coffeebeans. co. uk.
C．info@ top-model-agency. uk.	D．careers@ golden-care. com.

2. A writer working for Wowee Magazine can _________.

A．get a free uniform	B．bring a parent
C．receive free tickets to events	D．choose working hours

3. What can we learn about the jobs from the job postings?

A．The chance to be a model is only for adults.

B．There is no need to be trained as a support worker.

C．Employees at Coffee Beans have few management chances.

D．Applicants to Wowee Magazine are supposed to be sociable and enthusiastic.

3 . It’s been nearly two decades since the traditional clothing style Hanfu first started to reemerge in China. Since then it has gone from a small cultural movement celebrating an ancient fashion to a trend that is booming on social media, having been adopted by China’s Generation Z as a means of connecting with their past. Instead of following other cultures blindly, Generation Z now have different opinions about what trend is by promoting local culture while having an objective view of exotic cultural products.

The new tastes of Generation Z—young people born after 1995—are well represented on Bilibili. In the recent New Year’s Eve gala presented by Bilibili, it attracted more than 100 million views within 48 hours with a colourful set of programmes ranging from Peking Opera to classical Chinese cartoons. The same is also true of movie industry. Last year, for the first time, the top 10 most viewed films in China were all domestic films, while the ticket sales for imported films have dropped to only 16.28 percent.

”Generation Z grew up with the rapid development of China and under good economic conditions. With the development of the Chinese Internet industry, they have more access to diverse international information and culture, which bring them a much broader vision and makes them more open and confident in analyzing foreign culture. Apart from taking pride in China’s rapid development, this generation also pursues individuality and values devotion to the country,“ Professor Zhang Yiwu said.

He also noted that the popular rock and punk culture pursued by the 70s and 80s generation is more of a challenge against real life and local culture. Some people who were born in the 1970s and 1980s did not grow up in the Internet age—they experienced the transformation of China going from poor to rich first-hand. This kind of longing and admiration of the West came from a lack of confidence.

However, Generation Z now have the confidence to look at Western culture with equal status. This kind of cultural confidence will result in China being more active and creative in its development on the international stage in the future.

1. What does the underlined word ”exotic“ in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Foreign.

B．Fashionable.

C．Traditional.

D．Elegant.

2. Why is Bilibili mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．To confirm the rise of new media.

B．To promote Chinese Internet industry.

C．To highlight the popularity of domestic art.

D．To show the popularity of New Year’s Eve gala.

3. What do we know about Generation Z from the passage?

A．They have a stronger cultural identity.

B．They are longing for cultural diversity.

C．They have made China develop rapidly.

D．They are more fond of foreign culture.

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Confident China, Better Future

B．China’s Progress Results in Cultural Confidence

C．China’s New Generation Redefine Local Culture as Trendy

D．Hanfu Style, Connector of Ancient Fashion and Modern Trend

5 . By now, we are all aware that social media has had a tremendous influence on our culture, in business, on the world-at-large. Social media websites revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the Web. However, aside from seeing your friend’s new baby on Facebook, or reading about Justin Bieber’s latest conflict with the law on Twitter, what are some of the real influences?

Social networks offer the opportunity for people to re-connect with their old friends and acquaintances, make new friends, share ideas and pictures, and many other activities. Users can keep pace with the latest global and local developments, and participate in campaigns and activities of their choices. Professionals use social media sites like LinkedIn to enhance their career and business development. Students can work together with their peers to improve their academic and communication skills.

Unfortunately, there are a few downsides too to social networking. If you are not careful, immoral people can target you for cyber bullying and disturbance on social sites. School children, young girls, and women can fall victim to online attacks which can create tension and suffering. If you are a victim of cyber bullying, do not take it lying down, but try to take appropriate legal action against the attacker.

Many companies have blocked social networks as addicted employees can distract themselves on such sites, instead of focusing on work. In fact, studies show that British companies have lost billions of dollars per year in productivity because of social media addiction among employees.

Also, what you carelessly post on the Internet can come back to trouble you. Revealing (泄露) personal information on social sites can make users vulnerable (易受伤害的) to crimes like identity theft, stalking, etc. Many companies perform a background check on the Internet before hiring an employee. If a potential employee has posted something embarrassing on social media, it can greatly affect their chances of getting the job. The same holds true for our relationships too, as our loved ones and friends may get to know if we post something undesirable on social networks.

Social media has its advantages and drawbacks as each coin has two sides. It is up to each user to use social sites wisely to enhance their professional and social life, and exercise caution to ensure they do not fall victim to online dangers.

1. Paragraph 2 mainly shows that social networks ________.

A．help students finish their homework	B．offer professionals good chances
C．benefit users in various ways	D．guide users to make right choices

2. Faced with problems caused by social media, some companies ________.

A．forbid the use of social networks during work time

B．avoid posting embarrassing information

C．refuse to hire potential addicted employees

D．take legal action against the attackers

3. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．share experiences in using social media	B．remind people to wisely use social media
C．provide some advice on social problems	D．raise public awareness of social problems

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?

A．	B．
C．	D．

6 . When I was a child, I began learning to play the piano, which was my favourite musical _____, but I was forced to give up when I started my middle school so that I could concentrate more on my studies.

It’s one of my biggest _____ to stop practising the piano when I recall sadly today. During the following years, I kept telling my piano teacher that I would _____. However, I didn’t keep my promise because I was occupied with my study. _____ I lost touch with my teacher. Some years later, my teacher died. I was very sad because I lost such a good teacher. She was a very warm and gentle person. It hurts me to think she may have been _____ that I never returned. I haven’t taken lessons since then but to be honest, I _____ to. Sitting at the piano, I couldn’t help recalling many memories — times of my practising at home and playing before my teacher and one time my teacher _____ me after I played entire pieces of music wrong in front of her colleagues. I was so _____ that I could hardly say anything. But her _____ helped ease my shame. These memories, ______, good or bad, never caused my courage for playing the piano again.

This thought then led me to think that ______ is like music, and that we all try to play different ______ in the instrument of our life. Sometimes the pitch (音准) ______ when we play it well, but sometimes we are out of tune. However, we all continue to create our own ______ style of music. No matter what style our music is, it is important that we sing the songs of joy, quietness and love. Though I may never make it back to piano lessons, it doesn’t ______ that I’ve stopped making music.

1.

A．room

B．performance

C．instrument

D．stage

2.

A．successes

B．decisions

C．regrets

D．hobbies

3.

A．perform

B．graduate

C．leave

D．return

4.

A．Actually

B．Constantly

C．Gradually

D．Suddenly

5.

A．disappointed

B．glad

C．astonished

D．amazed

6.

A．liked

B．wanted

C．needed

D．decided

7.

A．instructed

B．hurt

C．punished

D．respected

8.

A．frightened

B．moved

C．excited

D．embarrassed

9.

A．happiness

B．comfort

C．satisfaction

D．sigh

10.

A．instead

B．meanwhile

C．therefore

D．however

11.

A．life

B．learning

C．attitude

D．enjoyment

12.

A．cards

B．roles

C．sports

D．games

13.

A．hard

B．surprising

C．wonderful

D．complex

14.

A．unique

B．boring

C．common

D．similar

15.

A．matter

B．mean

C．report

D．appear

8 . We often find ourselves struggling to control our thoughts, but why is it so hard to stop our minds wandering? Research found our thoughts are less focused and under less control than we realize. In a 1996 study, participants reported more than 4,000 thoughts daily, each lasting no more than five seconds. In a 1987 study, people regarded 22% of their thoughts as strange, unacceptable or wrong. Then, is it possible to avoid unwanted thoughts, whether it’s an upcoming exam or an unpleasant conversation? The answer is: maybe.

In a 2022 study, the researchers showed paid volunteers a series of slides displaying different nouns. Each noun was repeated on five different slides. As they viewed the slides, the participants wrote down a word they associated with each given noun — for example, “road” in response to “car.” Only the experimental group were told they wouldn’t get paid for repeated words. With this method, the researchers sought to create a situation when someone experiences unwanted thoughts.

When the experimental group saw each noun for a second time, they took longer than the control group to come up with a new association, suggesting their first response popped into their mind before they replaced it. However, they got quicker each time they viewed the same slide, indicating that their association between the given word and their first response — the thought they were trying to avoid — was weakening.

“We didn’t find evidence that people can entirely avoid unwanted thoughts,” said research leader Isaac Fradkin. “But the results suggest that practice can help people get better.”

Not everyone agrees that a slideshow of random words can tell how people stop emotional thoughts. Other research suggests that avoiding thoughts can backfire. When we do it, we’re sending our brains a message. This effort labels them as something to be feared, making them more powerful.

In the end, it might make more sense to take a mindful approach. “We can allow these thoughts to just be in our minds, not holding onto them too tightly and not trying to fight them,” said Fradkin.

1. What can we learn about our thoughts from paragraph 1?

A．Most of our thoughts are valueless.

B．We tend to focus more on negative thoughts.

C．Our thoughts can occur and disappear easily.

D．We can’t keep our thoughts for over five seconds.

2. Why were the experimental group told not to repeat the related words?

A．To collect more associations.

B．To make the task more challenging.

C．To create a competitive atmosphere.

D．To set up a desired experimental environment.

3. What does the underlined word “backfire” mean in paragraph 5?

A．Have an opposite effect.	B．Take back the wrong message.
C．Reveal hidden problems.	D．Cause a mental breakdown.

4. What does Fradkin advise us to do with unwanted thoughts?

A．Drive them away.	B．Try to understand them.
C．Leave them alone.	D．Learn to control them.

9 . China has been the birthplace of many of the world’s greatest inventions. It was, for example, the first country to produce paper money. Before the invention of paper money and coin, people used many different kinds of things for buying and selling.     1     This exchange of goods and services for other goods and services is called bartering (以货换货).

    2     In 1200 BC, people in China began to use shells as money. Usually the shells used as money were very small. This made it easier for people to carry money over long distances, and allowed trade to develop between different parts of the country.

In the years which followed this invention, many other countries around the world began to do the same.     3     The next development was in 1000 BC, when China started making bronze and copper shells. It wasn’t long before the Chinese made round coins out of metal.     4     By 500 BC, metal coins had begun to appear in countries like Persia and Greece, and later in the Roman Empire.

About 1,000 years later, leather was used as money in China, and in 806 AD, the first banknotes were produced by the Chinese people.     5    

A．As time went by, trade between countries increased.

B．People also began collecting foreign coins as souvenirs.

C．They also used tiny shells as money for buying and selling.

D．It was still many years before paper currency appeared in Europe.

E．However, as the economy developed, such exchanges became impractical.

F．During that time, for example, buying a chicken might cost several potatoes.

G．The very first coins often had holes in them so that people could string them together.

10 . “You should get a cat, ”my therapist(治疗专家)said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself. . I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a feline (猫科的)friend into my life. This seemed like too easy a fix for the fact that I couldn’t leave the house without bursting into tears.

When my partner and I found Cinnamon, her adoption profile made her out as the perfect kitten. We filled out the paperwork and prepared for her arrival.

When she came home, it became increasingly obvious that Cinnamon didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. She was the worst cat I’ve ever owned. I was beginning to doubt my therapist’s advice.

After visiting our vet, she concluded that Cinnamon just wanted our attention. She fought tooth and nail to get a bite of our meals. She’d fearlessly lick sharp knives when left unattended for a split second. Cinnamon stole my heart with her bravery and kept me busier than I’d ever expected.

We decided to start taking her for walks. I could barely leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Cinnamon. Cinnamon showed me what bravery looked like. She didn’t stop to consider every possible outcome of a situation; she simply went for it. If there was a dog at a park, she would run toward it. She jumped without knowing where she would land. She loved adventure. I found myself mirroring her behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Cinnamon unfortunately passed away after a medical accident. I’m no stranger to sadness or grief, but losing my pet so suddenly was the most confusing emotional experience I’ve had to date. She no longer wakes me up at 5 am begging for breakfast, but she’s still the reason I get up every morning.

Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably short. It would be a shame to live life being anything less than brave and adventurous.

1. Why did the author’s therapist recommend that she get a cat?

A．To learn how to interact with animals.	B．To help the author fill up her spare time;
C．To solve the author’s fear of going out.	D．To distract the author’s attention from her pain.

2. How did the author feel at first after Cinnamon came home?

A．Thrilled.

B．Amazed.

C．Pleased.

D．Disappointed.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Walking Cinnamon outdoors became an adventure for the author.

B．The author was positively affected by Cinnamon’s courageous behavior.

C．Cinnamon loved going outside and took consequences into consideration.

D．The author decided to take Cinnamon outside as she was too troublesome to stay in.

4. What did the author want to convey in this text?

A．Life is short and unpredictable.	B．The loss of a pet can be painful.
C．We should have the courage to take risks.	D．Animal-assisted therapy is the best cure for mental illness.