1 . Global warming is not only bringing rising sea levels and extreme weather events but also causing a growing wave of climate anxiety around the world. An international study found nearly six in ten people were very worried about climate change, while the young appeared to be particularly badly influenced.     1     Here are some effective ways to help deal with your feelings.

    2     Not all information on the Internet is true, and you could be receiving misinformation. Even if you stick to trusted sources, too much information may only worsen your feelings. Try to set a time limit for checking climate related content to avoid making your anxiety worse.

It is important to be aware of your own limitations. You alone can’t stop or undo climate change, so you needn’t place the responsibility on yourself.     3     Joining a group of like-minded people to make a difference is a good way to get started and help you feel better.

Talk therapy (谈话疗法) provides you with a chance to discuss your anxiety about climate issues. A good therapist will address your negative emotions and thoughts about the environment in your conversations.     4    

Positive changes have taken place at personal, community, and worldwide levels. And there is no reason to believe that they won’t continue, especially with your help. You can discover means to influence others with your own positive attitude.     5     Take on whatever role you feel comfortable with and remember to focus on your mental health on whatever path you choose.

A．However, you can always find ways to contribute positively.

B．Staying in natural green spaces has been shown to reduce stress.

C．For example, organize related activities to educate people around you.

D．Reduce your time spent online, especially on sources that are not trustworthy.

E．The UN has made a list of blogs and other news resources about climate issues.

F．Such a professional will recognize your feelings and work with you to manage them.

G．So consider taking care of your mental well-being if you are struggling with the issue.

2 . Natural gas, long seen as a cleaner replacement to coal and an important tool in the fight to slow global warming, can be just as harmful to the climate, a new study has concluded, unless companies can cut the leaks (泄露), since it takes as little as 0.2 percent of gas to leak to make natural gas as big a driver of climate change as coal.

The study, which involved researchers from Harvard and Duke Universities and NASA, pokes holes in the idea that natural gas is suitable energy resources to a future powered entirely by renewables, like solar and wind. “Even if gas leaks little, it’s as bad as coal,” said Deborah, the lead researcher. “It can’t be considered a good bridge, or replacement.”

When power companies generate electricity by burning natural gas instead of coal, they produce only half the amount of planet-warming CO₂. But natural gas is made up mostly of me thane (甲烷), which is, in the short term, a far more powerful planet-warming gas than CO₂, when it escapes unburned into the atmosphere. And there’s increasing evidence that methane is leaking from gas systems in far larger quantities than previously thought.

There are other balances to consider. The CO₂ produced by coal-burning power plants lasts far longer in the atmosphere than methane, whose climate effects disappear after a few decades. So focusing on methane leaks from gas systems as a way to control carbon emissions (碳排放) means the world might reduce some short-term warming, but still face a dangerous rise in average temperatures many decades into the future. That said, with the consequences of climate change already spreading around the world, controlling methane would be a way that works faster to slow warming.

“I do hope the world pays attention to this, as I fear too many remain too concentrated on simply reducing coal use, even if it results in more gas consumption,” Deborah said. “What the world requires is to move to a 100 percent renewable energy future as soon as possible.”

1. How can natural gas contribute to global warming?

A．Its huge amount of CO₂ while burning.	B．Its taking in extra heat from the atmosphere.
C．Its leaking methane warming the planet.	D．Its combination with methane to produce CO₂.

2. What can be achieved by solving the problem of methane leaks?

A．Avoid the threats of climate change.	B．Cancel out the impacts of global warming.
C．Slow down warming more immediately.	D．Balance carbon emissions with coal burning.

3. What is Deborah’s concern about the future of energy sources?

A．Lack of attention to reducing gas use.	B．Unbalanced mix of coal and renewables.
C．Shortage of renewable energy sources.	D．Difficulty in promoting renewable energy.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Is Natural Gas Better for the Climate?	B．How Can Carbon Emission be Controlled?
C．Is Natural Gas Taking the Place of Coal?	D．How Can Methane Speed up Global Warming?

3 . People may see different shapes and scenes in the sky when they look up at the clouds. But you need to be ________ enough to turn clouds into art.

Chris Judge, an illustrator from Dublin, Ireland, sees ________ and numbers when he looks at clouds, and he turns them into doodle (涂鸦) art. He ________ illustrating photos of clouds early in the year and posting these ________ online.

It all began in 2020 when Judge was in his garden. He started taking ________ of the clouds and began ________ doodles to illustrate the art he imagined. They ________ various things from sleeping bears to toothy smiling crocodiles (鳄鱼).

Judge then posted his art on social media and the response was ________ positive. Most followers admired his ability to present nature in a (n)________ way. Since then, he has ________ his cloud art every day.

The cloud art is more than ________ expression for Judge. It also brought him ________ in a very stormy time in his life. “My daughter fell ill at that time. Spending some time ________ something relaxing kind of helped me,” he said.

“Now, I am trying new projects all the time to keep my creative juices flowing and ________ people. I think it’s the ________ of humor, nature, and the universality of clouds that interests people,” said the illustrator.

1.

A．courageous

B．experienced

C．confident

D．imaginative

2.

A．toys

B．crowds

C．animals

D．mountains

3.

A．left behind

B．returned to

C．benefited from

D．set about

4.

A．creations

B．articles

C．videos

D．advertisements

5.

A．pictures

B．notes

C．control

D．hold

6.

A．checking

B．adding

C．cleaning

D．viewing

7.

A．improved

B．discussed

C．included

D．aided

8.

A．unexpectedly

B．hardly

C．partly

D．mistakenly

9.

A．useful

B．fantastic

C．important

D．common

10.

A．spared

B．mentioned

C．shared

D．sold

11.

A．facial

B．artistic

C．classic

D．realistic

12.

A．power

B．victory

C．regret

D．stress

13.

A．reading about

B．finding out

C．fixing up

D．focusing on

14.

A．gather

B．impress

C．change

D．charge

15.

A．decoration

B．design

C．mix

D．mess

4 . It was February 24, 2017, and my husband, David, and I were both at work. It was a day like any other. Our 15-year-old son, Justin, his sister and his friend Mike were playing with a ball in our backyard. Completely a common day!

What happened next was exactly a storm. Justin suddenly suffered cardiac arrest (心脏停搏) caused by a hit to the chest, and his heart just stopped. No pulse, no heartbeat. There are only about 10 to 20 cases a year. And it was almost always deadly until recently, when CPR (心肺复苏) has worked in up to one-third of cases.

Thankfully, the other children acted immediately instead of freezing in fear. Mike called 911 while my daughter called my husband. That second call proved vitally important, as my husband was able to get in touch with a neighbor who ran over and started CPR. And later, the doctors arrived and quickly shocked Justin’s heartbeat rhythm (节奏) back to normal.

Since then, I’ve found myself changed as a parent. There is more worry now. This unexpected incident has made me realize that anything can happen to my children. So, we’re doing what we can to be prepared. Earlier this year, Justin took part in a community education event with our fire department teaching Hands-Only CPR to the public. At least 100 participants showed up, and Justin shared his story to show why CPR is so important. At a local university where I work as a nurse lecturer, I’ve volunteered to join the CPR and AED first aid training for incoming freshmen.

David and I feel very fortunate to still have our son with us. If the kids hadn’t known to call 911, he wouldn’t be here. If our neighbor hadn’t known CPR, Justin wouldn’t be here. I think everyone should take the time to learn CPR. You could save a life — maybe the life of someone you love. Cardiac arrest often comes without warning. Everything will be normal right up until the point it isn’t. You have to know what to do.

1. Why does the author say the incident was a storm?

A．Her son played dangerous sports.	B．Her son had a close encounter with death.
C．Her children made a real mess when playing.	D．Her neighbor complained of the children's noise.

2. How did the author feel about the other children’s responses?

A．Curious.

B．Grateful.

C．Surprised.

D．Puzzled.

3. What did the author and Justin do after the incident?

A．They worked as medical workers.	B．They shared their stories on speaking tours.
C．They trained others in first aid skills.	D．They introduced first aid courses to schools.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly highlight?

A．The theory behind CPR.	B．The ways of ensuring child safety.
C．The causes of cardiac arrest.	D．The importance of learning first aid.

5 . A speech in a play by Shakespeare can be as short as a word or as long as several hundred. But what is the most common length?

Staying away from Shakespeare himself for a moment, we can take Ben Jonson’s play Volpone (1606) and count the number of speeches and their lengths. The most common length is four words. The next most common length is five words. Of the other 16 Jonson’s plays, 12 also have a speech length mode (模式) of four. It was not just Jonson; it was everybody. After 1602, four-word speeches were the most common kind across all the early modern plays that survived.

The London theatre industry took off in the late 1580s and early 1590s and we see a concentration of speech length modes of nine or ten. After 1602, the mode of four predominated. If we look just at Shakespeare’s plays, we find him doing what everyone else did: changing from favoring nine-word speeches to favouring four-word speeches around 1597-1602 and never going back.

Our suggestion is that the playwrights (剧作家) learned progressively from one another how to represent more closely the speech lengths of everyday exchanges and found that audiences responded well to these. They started to focus less on strict writing rules and more on the liveliness of everyday speech.

Another way to think of this is offered by the Russian literary scholar Boris Yarkho. He put forward an “index (指数) of liveliness” — the ratio of the number of speeches to the total number of lines in a play. He researched the works of the 17th-century French playwright Pierre Corneille and found that his comedies have a higher index because of their shorter speeches. The move from a mode of nine words to a mode of four represents the shortened average speech, and thus a move to livelier drama in Yarkho’s terms.

Nevertheless, we have no record of any dramatist or playgoer reflecting on the shortening of average speech lengths; our only knowledge of it comes from counting the words in the plays for ourselves.

1. What happened in English plays around the 1600s?

A．Their storylines were about famous writers.	B．They were influenced by a poetic writing style.
C．They featured different storytelling techniques.	D．Their speeches were generally shorter in length.

2. What does the underlined word “predominated” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Remained unique.	B．Took the leading position.
C．Disappeared slowly.	D．Played an educational role.

3. Why did playwrights change their writing styles according to paragraph 4?

A．To challenge traditional writing rules.	B．To stand out by applying their unique style.
C．To avoid being affected by social values.	D．To create realistic and acceptable speeches.

4. Which of the following is Yarkho’s opinion on the change in plays?

A．It saved actors the trouble of memorizing their lines.

B．It reflected people's preference for serious dialogues.

C．It helped present dramas in an active and pleasant way.

D．It made the characters express their feelings effectively.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does Bruce ask for another copy of paper?

A．The delivery was delayed.

B．His newspaper was damaged.

C．He couldn’t find the newspaper.

2. Where does Bruce want his newspaper to be put?

A．In his yard.

B．In his mailbox.

C．In his hallway.

3. What will the woman do next?

A．Visit Bruce’s place.

B．Send an apology letter.

C．Call the delivery person.

7 . 阅读下面短文，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。

My bike raced through the quiet streets of my hometown as I mentally went through my arrangements for the day. There were a few tasks I needed to finish: borrowing a book, getting a haircut, and most importantly, visiting my beloved former middle school teacher, Mrs. Miles, before the day was over. It happened to be Teachers’ Day, and I wanted to show my appreciation by giving her a meaningful gift. However, I was still unsure about what to present to her.

As I turned onto a busy street lined with houses, it seemed that on the front lawn (草坪) of the gray house in the middle of the block was an old man who appeared to slump (倒下) in a breathtaking garden. Shocked, I stopped my bike, running towards him and shouting, “Sir, are you okay? Is everything all right?” I got close enough to notice his stooping (佝偻的) figure was actually alive and was pushing something into the dirt.

“I’m fine, sweetheart,” he laughed. “Just a lonely old man taking care of his garden.” He looked very weak and already had a stoop. I was concerned about his bending over so much to do gardening. “I’ve been out here for weeks at a time every spring for about the past ten years, and no one has ever stopped,” he said, “Don’t you have anyone to help you?” I asked, immediately regretting the question as a look of sadness passed over his face.

“It’s just me and my flowers,” he said, “My grandchildren used to play here every summer. My wife would bring out lemonade (柠檬水), and we would all sit together, enjoying the beauty of the flowers. But then, within a year, my son moved away with the grandchildren, and my wife passed away.” My heart went out to him as I got a sense of what the garden meant to him. “I can push my to-do list off by an hour,” I thought. With a smile, I asked, “Can you ask your flowers if they wouldn’t mind my joining you guys for a while?”

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。

Amused, he introduced himself as Mr. Jenkins and accepted my offer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I got up to leave, he added, “Hold on. I’ll give you some flowers”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What causes the woman to have trouble making friends?

A．Lack of social skills.

B．Difference in interests.

C．Unpopularity with other kids.

2. What do we know about the girl’s family?

A．They enjoy a quiet life.

B．They prefer a social lifestyle.

C．They have a strict daily routine.

3. How does the woman feel about her lifestyle?

A．Comfortable.

B．Upset.

C．Lonely.

4. What kind of friends does the girl want?

A．Those who are easy-going.

B．Those who are hard-working.

C．Those who share similar hobbies.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The erhu, a famous Chinese musical instrument, has a history     1     (date) back over a thousand years. It is a two-stringed instrument played with a bow (弓), and its unique sound attracts listeners around the world.

The erhu has a slim wooden body whose strings are     2     (traditional) made from silk. The sound it produces is so beautiful     3     it is often compared to the human voice. The instrument is played on the player’s knee and using the bow to create different tunes (曲调).

The erhu can convey     4     wide range of emotions, from joy and happiness     5     sadness and longing. Usually, its pleasant tunes     6     (use) in traditional Chinese music. Modern music and sometimes even cross-cultural performances feature erhu tunes.

Over the years, the erhu has gained     7     (popular) globally, becoming an essential part of many concerts. Many musicians have devoted     8     (they) to exploring and experimenting with different styles, combining traditional Chinese music with modern elements.

Whether     9     (play) as a single instrument or in a group performance, the erhu’s charming tunes have the power     10     (transport) listeners to another time and place. Its timeless appeal continues to make it China’s symbolic musical instrument.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What do we learn about the speaker’s mother?

A．She made a lot of records.

B．She had a varied taste in music.

C．She once worked in the field of music.

2. What kind of music does the speaker hate?

A．Classical music.

B．Country music.

C．Dance music.

3. Who has the biggest influence on the speaker in music?

A．Her mom.

B．Her sister.

C．Her schoolmate.