1 . While most teenagers are simply hoping to get their driver’s license, 17-year-old Mack Rutherford has had far higher goals. The ambitious teen sought to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world. After five months and a day, Rutherford successfully achieved the incredible feat.
In March 2022, 16-year-old Rutherford took off on his adventure. He flew a Shark, a high-performance ultralight (超轻型的) aircraft. His journey around the world tested him in the skies through monsoons (季风) and extreme temperatures. Rutherford’s longest flight on this journey was from Japan to the U. S., which took him 10 hours over water. The highest altitude he had to face was 12, 500 feet over Mexico. He flew across four continents, 30 countries.
After everything, Rutherford landed safely in Sofia on August 24. He arrived home to discover he’d broken two Guinness world records: he is the youngest person ever to fly around the world solo, and also the youngest person to do it in an ultralight aircraft. But he surprised the world by becoming the youngest pilot ever at age 15, when he received his microlight pilot’s license.
This incredible achievement at such a young age is certainly worth celebrating and his family might be the perfect people to fully appreciate it. Rutherford’s father is a professional pilot. This sparked an interest in aviation (飞行) for the young Rutherford since he was 11. And Rutherford’s sister, Zara Rutherford, recently completed a similar solo journey and holds her own world record as the youngest female pilot to complete a solo flight around the world.
“I’m very happy to complete my five-month journey around the world,” Rutherford said. “It took a bit longer than it was supposed to, but everything is fine. I’m trying to show that young people can do something special and make a difference; just follow their dreams and they’ll eventually come true.”
1. Which word can best describe Rutherford’s flying journey?| A．Smooth. | B．Tough. | C．Tiresome. | D．Thrilling. |
| A．His ambition different from his peers. | B．His accomplishment of a solo journey. |
| C．His high-performance ultralight aircraft. | D．His microlight pilot’s license at age of 15. |
| A．Through his father’s influence. | B．From Zara Rutherford’s support. |
| C．By imitating most teenagers’ dreams. | D．Out of his talent for solo flights. |
| A．Learn to fly as early as possible. | B．Take heart to achieve their dreams. |
| C．Do special things to change the world. | D．Travel the world to enrich their experience. |
2 . When she first looked for her wedding dress, Gwendolyn Stuglis had a budget or $1,000. After trying on several dresses, she was
As most brides do, she hung her wedding dress in her closet when the
Stulgis was moved by Ashley’s
| A．shown | B．donated | C．awarded | D．reminded |
| A．lights | B．tears | C．fears | D．troubles |
| A．price | B．drawback | C．catch | D．decision |
| A．accepted | B．offered | C．purchased | D．abandoned |
| A．seriously | B．fortunately | C．doubtfully | D．completely |
| A．expectation | B．dignity | C．admiration | D．pride |
| A．reception | B．trade | C．ceremony | D．bargain |
| A．stored | B．wasted | C．ignored | D．treasured |
| A．charming | B．suitable | C．selfless | D．kind |
| A．requests | B．levels | C．plans | D．solutions |
| A．passed onto | B．helped out | C．devoted to | D．handed over to |
| A．gathered | B．happened | C．flooded | D．swelled |
| A．account | B．application | C．comment | D．post |
| A．busy | B．confident | C．outgoing | D．hesitant |
| A．describing | B．treating | C．impressing | D．directing |
| A．response | B．dream | C．reaction | D．message |
| A．secretly | B．excitedly | C．desperately | D．eagerly |
| A．sheltered | B．promoted | C．started | D．collected |
| A．giving | B．surprising | C．refreshing | D．moving |
| A．design | B．achieve | C．update | D．copy |
China’s cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-5, is ready for
So far, the site
Zhong Wen’ an, chief engineer at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, said they had completed the most extensive rehearsal before launch,
The country will carry out three more missions -the launch of the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship, as well as bringing theShenzhou-14 crew back to Earth -before it
4 . Broadcom MASTERS awards $100, 000 in prizes, inspiring and rewarding the Nation’s next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators. The competition took place in Washington, D. C.. It’s aimed to test participants’ 21st Century skills of critical thinking, communication, creativity and cooperation in each of the STEM areas.
Elizabeth Shen, 14, Cary, N. C., demonstrated both vision and promise as an innovator, in the spirit of radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi. Elizabeth drew inspiration from the way many flowers grow to design a system for better managing the wear on a computer’s memory. Over time, many heavily used cells within computers become damaged, and the memory must be replaced. Elizabeth’s system reduces the average number of times cells were accessed, compared to other options.
Rory Hu, 12, San Jose, Calif., demonstrated excellence in science, technology, engineering or math, along with the leadership and technical skills necessary in the 21st Century STEM workforce and built a better community for tomorrow. Rory’s research on honeybees suggests that feeding bees tea polyphenols (茶多酚) and caffeine could boost their ability to learn and remember.
Mina Fedor, 14, Berkeley, Calif., used electroencephalography (脑电图学), or EEG, to measure a certain type of brain activity as people did active and passive learning tasks. Mina’s research, which found that the brain doesn’t substantially differentiate between the two different kinds of learning, could impact the way educators teach.
Jeanelle Dao, 13, San Jose, Calif., created a promising solution to a real-world problem. She invented a foot-controlled welcome mat that wirelessly automatically unlocks a door when the user puts his/her feet on the correct code. The device could help people with arthritis (关节炎) and other hand problems become more self-sufficient.
1. What advantage does Elizabeth Shen’s system have?| A．Updating computers’ memory in time. | B．Changing the way many flowers grow. |
| C．Passing on Guglielmo Marconi’s spirit. | D．Extending the using life of the computer. |
| A．Elizabeth Shen. | B．Rory Hu. | C．Mina Fedor. | D．Elizabeth Shen. |
| A．It helps treat people with arthritis. | B．It requires users to press codes by hand. |
| C．It makes it convenient to open the door. | D．It was intended for ones with hand problems. |
5 . For many years, humans have looked up at the collection of stars and planets shining in the night sky that make up the Galaxy (银河系). However, the Galaxy is now being observed for the first time in a new way. They have produced an image of the Galaxy not based on light. Instead, the image is based on neutrinos (中微子).
Scientists discovered the high-energy neutrinos in ice deep be low Antarctica’s surface over a period of 10 years at the Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory, a research station at the South Pole. They then tracked their source back to locations in the Galaxy. It is the first time these small pieces of matter have been observed arising from the Galaxy. This observation of the Galaxy is different from what can be seen with our own eyes, or even instruments that measure other electronic (电磁能的) sources. The image does not contain stars or planets or other things observable because of their light. Rather they are observable because of the neutrinos originating in the Galaxy.
“This observation is groundbreaking. It established the Galaxy as a neutrino source. Every future work will refer to this observation,” said Taboada, the spokesperson for the Ice Cube research.
Neutrinos are electrically neutral created in nuclear processes. They are not affected by even the strongest magnetic field and rarely interact with matter. As neutrinos travel through space, they pass clear through everything: matter like stars, planets, and even people, just as light goes without stopping through glass. Neutrinos are elementary units, meaning they are not made up of anything smaller.
Many parts of the universe are impossible to observe using light alone. The ability to use neutrinos in astronomy makes for a more complete examination. The direction from which neutrinos arrive points directly to their original source, so the researchers used machine learning to help determine which neutrinos originated in the Galaxy and which originated elsewhere. But how the neutrinos originated is up for debate. This is now the key question.
1. How were neutrinos found?| A．By observing the Galaxy. | B．By examining nuclear processes. |
| C．By studying ice at the South Pole. | D．By measuring electromagnetic sources. |
| A．Pioneering. | B．Changeable. | C．Predictable. | D．Confusing. |
| A．They can’t be further divided. |
| B．It’s clear how they originated now. |
| C．They will be disturbed by magnetic field. |
| D．The Galaxy is the final source of neutrinos, |
| A．The Origin of Neutrinos | B．The Image of the Galaxy |
| C．A Secret beneath the South Pole | D．A New Way to Look at the Galaxy |
During the summer before Patty entered fifth grade, she decided to try a new sport. Swim training was nearly over and Patty was the fastest swimmer in her age group. She had always been the best. The neighborhood was offering a one-week tennis training course. Patty and her friend Darla got permission from their parents to join.
On Saturday morning, Darla’s mom took the girls to a store and bought them each a good, used tennis racket. “If you girls stick to tennis, then we’ll talk about a new racket. These will do for now.” The girls were excited about their new purchases. On Monday morning, at 7:00 a.m., Patty’s mom woke her up. “It’s time for tennis!” Patty covered her face. “Mom, it’s too early!” She made great effort to get out of bed and down to the breakfast table. Patty finished breakfast and ran to Darla’s house, then they walked to the court.
Mrs. Cane, the tennis coach, lined everyone up and started with the basics. After that, Mrs. Cane tirelessly taught them to practice their forehand and backhand. By the end of the week, Patty had made impressive progress. Mrs. Cane commented that Patty had lots of potential. Darla, on the other hand, was struggling. The other teenagers were having a tough time of it, too. Patty was the only one who seemed to get somewhere.
Since then, Darla had always been out in the August heat, practicing her serves or hitting the ball. Patty wasn’t really interested. She felt she was such a “natural” for tennis that she really didn’t need to practice. By the end of the summer, Darla began to get the hang of it. She joined a neighborhood junior tennis team. There would be matches every Thursday. Patty wanted to join as well, but she didn’t want to miss her favorite TV show. She told herself that she would join it when she got some free time. If Darla had fun, she would join the team in the spring.
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 week before school started, Mrs. Cane held another training course.
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Patty couldn’t stop thinking of her poor performance on the way home.
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Living in the shadow of my two elder sisters at college who already had their lives planned out since they were little, I was always undecided about everything. As a teenager, I was fickle (反复无常的). I would like one thing for a week and then hate it the next. But I was constantly searching for the beginning of the rainbow. Changing my dream from a vet to an astronaut, I thought there were various options available to me. However, my parents would shake their heads and repeatedly asked me such questions as, “Why can’t you be more like your sisters? What are you going to do with your life? Aren’t you interested in anything at all?” After a couple of shrugs (耸肩), my parents usually stopped talking. I was not sure if they gave up or anticipated my dull reactions. I often responded, “I couldn’t answer all of your questions now.”
Actually, my parents just had high expectations that never seemed to be fulfilled. Plus, like other parents, they just wanted to give the best to me and expected me to achieve success. The arguments with my parents seemed childish. One day, my mother made her thoughts clear, “Your grades aren’t high enough. No schools are going to want you, dear. We didn’t pay so much money for nothing.” Hesitating for a while, I said, “No matter what you say, I believe I will enter a good college.” Still, I let my emotions control myself.
Certainly, I had never planned not to go to college. After another debate with my mom, I decided to make a change. No longer would I sit back and let my parents mistake me for a bad boy. It was time to take action.
I knew it was a crucial year at high school. Releasing my feelings, I began to collect all the knowledge I had learned and review it with all my heart. I didn’t argue with my parents any more, but instead turned to my sisters for help and tried my best to study. Finally, I took the national college entrance examination with ease and confidence.
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。
A few days later, I received a call from my school, saying my college acceptance letter had arrived.
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My parents excitedly said behind me, “Well, open the envelop!”
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Molly and her husband Rex ran a used bookstore in a small town. People, mostly kids, came here to read books, sell books and buy books. The morning had been full of rain, and passers-by were walking with narrow eyes under umbrellas. Molly rested both her hands on the counter and leaned（倾斜）forward to watch the world outside in the rain while Rex was busy sorting out books on the bookshelves. Rick, who sat on the floor burying himself in reading a hardback illustrated book, was the only customer in such a rainy day. Rick was a regular customer to the bookstore and he never sold a book or bought a book. He just read books.
“Can you keep this book for me?” Molly heard a shy voice and looked down to find it was little Rick that stood before the counter, holding the illustrated book and asked.
“Sure!” Molly nodded encouragingly. But the uncertainty remained on Rick’s face. “I’ll be back really soon. Promise. Tomorrow if I can.” Molly nodded to him as seriously as she was treating an adult. Molly wanted to ask him if there was anything difficult, but she kept silent. Anyway, she put the illustrated book in a drawer in case anyone else would take it. Most of the secondhand books in her store were unique. If it was sold, she would fail to keep her promise.
Rick didn’t return the following day, or the day after that. Molly was somehow disappointed. Rex suggested placing the illustrated book on the bookshelf so that others could read it or take it. In Rex’s opinion, children made promises all the time and they promised all kinds of things. When they came to a store and was attracted by something, they promised to come back and they asked the shopkeeper not to let anyone else take the things they wanted away. It happened all the time.
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。
But Molly insisted that they should wait and keep the book.
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Rick pushed the door open and rushed to the counter holding his money box.
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9 . Earth’s oceans are changing color and climate breakdown is probably to blame, according to a research. The deep blue sea is actually becoming steadily greener over time, according to the study, with areas in the low latitudes(纬度)near the equator especially affected.
“The reason why we care about this is not that we care about the color, but that the color is a reflection of the changes in the state of the ecosystem,” said BB Cael, a scientist and author of the study published in Nature.
The previous research focused on changes in the greenness of the ocean to learn about trends in the changing climate. But Cael’s team pored over 20 years of observations by NASA’s Modis-Aqua satellite, a comprehensive database, and looked for patterns of change in the ocean’s color through a fuller color spectrum(色谱)including red and blue.
The changes have been detected in over 56% of the world’s oceans. In most areas there’s a clear “greening effect”, Cael said, but he added that there are also places where red or blue colorings are rising or falling. “These are not massive ecosystem-destroying changes. They may be mild,” said Cael. “But this gives us an additional piece of evidence that human activity is likely affecting large parts of the global biosphere(生物圈)in a way that we haven’t been able to understand. ”
Although this discovery firmly documents another consequence of a changing climate, what is not yet clear is how strong these changes are and what is happening inside the ocean to cause them, according to Michael J Behrenfeld, a researcher of ocean productivity, who was not involved in the research.
NASA will be launching an advanced satellite mission in January 2024 called Pace which will also measure hundreds of colors in the ocean instead of a handful, progressing studies like these further. “Making more meaningful inferences about what the changes actually are is definitely a big next step,” said Cael.
1. Why should attention be drawn to the changing color of oceans?| A．It reflects ecosystem changes. |
| B．It causes climate breakdown. |
| C．Human activities are affected. |
| D．Low latitude areas are influenced. |
| A．Copied. | B．Covered. | C．Studied. | D．Borrowed. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Dismissive. | C．Objective. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Pace’s function. |
| B．Cael’s suggestions. |
| C．Meaningful inferences. |
| D．NASA’s further research plans. |
10 . The Mogao Grottoes were a center of Buddhist life and some of the world’s great cultures for hundreds of years. However, by the late Qing Dynasty they had been abandoned and nearly forgotten and many of the caves had become damaged by the elements. Around 1900, with the discovery of a library of thousands of ancient documents, the caves received new interest from Chinese and foreign researchers. Unfortunately, this resulted in tens of thousands of items from the caves being taken to foreign museums
In the 1940s, many researchers and artists visited the area to study traditional Chinese art. Copies of some of the artwork painted by respected artists such as Zhang Daqian and GuanShanyue helped people all over the country learn about Dunhuang. These artists were also inspired by the artwork they saw in the caves and it began to influence their painting styles. Others staved in the desert for much longer, Chang Shuhong stayed for the rest of his life — struggling to record the cultural treasures and protect them from the weather. As a result of their efforts the Dunhuang Academy was formed to protect and study the Mogao Grottoes.
In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the caves are open to the public, access is now limited in order to protect the artwork. However, the caves can be seen online in digital form so that people around the world can study and enjoy them.
Despite its remoteness, the Mogao Grottoes continue to draw visitors. And just as the sand and desert have survived largely unchanged through the centuries, this small art gallery in the desert has also survived largely unchanged providing an amazing look at a world long ago past.
1. When did the Mogao Grottoes regain the world’s attention?| A．Hundreds of years ago. |
| B．In the late Qing Dynasty. |
| C．In the late eighties of the 20th century. |
| D．Around the beginning of the 20th century. |
| A．To learn about their works. |
| B．To show how hard they worked. |
| C．To compare their different styles. |
| D．To appreciate their contributions. |
| A．they can do researches online |
| B．they can enjoy the digital versions |
| C．they can watch copies in art galleries |
| D．they can study them in foreign museums |
| A．The Mogao Grottoes — Center of Buddhist Life |
| B．The Mogao Grottoes — Art Gallery in the Desert |
| C．Respected artists — Protectors of the Mogao Grottoes |
| D．An Amazing Tourist Attraction — The Mogao Grottoes |
