1 . The Maryland Center for History and Culture(MCHC) is currently hosting “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited”. The exhibition spotlights Henson’s unique contributions to children’s education, including his creation of the Muppets (布偶).

Born in 1936 in Mississippi, Henson grew up in Maryland. His creative talents were evident when he was a student at high school. He loved cartooning and creating sets for school theater productions. While a freshman at university, Henson made puppets for a local TV station. The station’s producers were so impressed that they asked him to produce his own puppet show. Called Sam and Friends, the program started in 1955. Viewers loved Henson’s playful characters, including an early version of Kermit the Frog.

While at university, Henson majored in home economics. At the time, it was the only major that offered classes in sewing and textiles (纺织品).Henson not only honed his creative skills at university, but he was also good at marketing and business. “He was an entrepreneur who happened to get into puppetry, ” said Deborah Wood, MCHC’s learning manager.

In 1959, Henson married Jane Nebel, whom be had met at university. The couple established Muppets Inc. which later became the Jim Henson Company. It was there that Focus Bert, Ernie, Miss Piggy, and other Muppets were created for Sesame Street, a popular children’s television program.Generations of children around the world have grown up watching and laming from the Muppets.

Henson, who died in 1990, created not just the Muppets, but also films, TV commercials, variety shows, and more. The exhibition shows every aspect of his career. This includes some lesser-known works, including The Cube, a short experimental film that was nominated (提名) for an Academy Award.

Visitors also get a chance to appreciate Henson’s creative process and inventiveness through hands-on displays. They can even make their own Muppets. “For me, I think the really powerful message of this exhibition is the fact that it covers Henson’s whole life and his whole career, ” said Chloe Green, public programs manager at the MCHC.

1. What’s paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．An interesting exhibition about Henson.	B．Viewers’attitude to Henson’s works.
C．Henson’s exceptional talents in creation.	D．Characters in Henson’s famous works.

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

A．Changed.

B．Improved.

C．Found.

D．Shared.

3. What can be learned about Sesame Street?

A．It was first played in 1955.	B．It was a popular radio program.
C．It was targeted at children.	D．It was an early version of Kermit the Frog.

4. What’s the attitude of Chloe Green to the exhibition?

A．Favorable.

B．Opposed.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.

2 . When 62-year-old fisherman Kpana Charlie finished the day’s catch, he liked to settle into a wooden chair, thinking about his childhood. Back then, his life on Sierra Leone’s Nyangai Island seemed excellent. He spent endless hours playing with his friends on the island’s white beaches. Whenever he wanted to avoid having to do his housework, he could simply disappear into the forest that covered much of the island. He remembers as recently as ten years ago, it still measured some 2, 300 feet from end to end.

Today, Nyangai is disappearing before his very eyes, covered by the endless sea. The forests are gone. And the land on which Charlie’s family home once stood, has long since disappeared beneath the waves.

In fact, the local government has responded to the sharp increase of sea level by building a concrete (混凝土制的) seawall along the length of the town. But in the many smaller coastal towns and villages in the area, there simply aren’t the resources. Then, the government made a project to protect some of the settlements by planting trees, but this has had limited success. With the population relying on woods for building and smoking-fish, few trees lived longer than the project, which ended in 2021.

Sierra Leone has been identified as one of the world’s most weak countries to the effects of climate change, despite having little influence on global CO₂ emissions (排放). “Weak countries should be getting some support from wealthy nations to strengthen their climate defenses (防御),” says Gabriel Kpaka, the head of the country’s Meteorological Agency. “But we’re not really seeing that.”

With global sea level expected to rise by anywhere between 1 and 3 feet by the end of the century, along with an increase in extreme weather events, the experience of this West African island offers an understanding of the possible future of countless other low-lying areas around the world.

1. Why does the author tell Charlie’s story in paragraph 1?

A．To describe his wonderful life at present.	B．To offer-readers-background information
C．To call on local people to protect the seen	D．To attract more visitors to Nyangai Island.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The reasons for the changes on the island.	B．The rich natural species in coastal areas.
C．The measures taken to deal with rising sea level.	D．The way to build a concrete seawall on the island.

3. What can be done to help Nyangai Island according to Kpaka?

A．Local government should build a stronger seawall.

B．Local people on the island limit their CO2 emissions.

C．Countries in low-lying areas work together for their rights.

D．Rich countries should offer support about climate defenses.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the future of other low-lying areas?

A．Concerned.

B．Doubtful.

C．Uncertain.

D．Positive.

3 . The first settlers to come over to America needed to become good farmers in order to survive. The agricultural industry was grown greatly and now the agricultural job market can be very rewarding(值得的). Many of the new agricultural jobs these days deal with the new types of technology that are needed to produce the crops that America needs.

The days of a family working their land by hand and producing a small amount of crops are over. Now many large plantations(种植场)are to harvest a larger amount of crops in a shorter period of time. If you would like to get one of these new types of jobs in the agricultural industry, then you will need to make sure that you stay on top of the new technologies.

Many of these new jobs in the agricultural field have included these new technologies. Two of the new technologies that have brought many new jobs in the agricultural industry are Global Positioning System(GPS) and biotechnology(生物科技). The GPS really has the ability for farmers to seed(播种) and get in their crops in the best possible way.

The biotechnology field has really allowed better and safer fertilizers to be used on crops. Biotechnology has also helped farmers to better understand what helps to make their crops better. Both of these new technologies are very interesting and offer many new opportunities. The agricultural industry still needs quite a bit of hard work to bring in a good crop, but now many people can take advantage of these improvements to make the industry a much better experience.

1. From Paragraph 1, we know that ______.

A．people came to live in America a long time ago

B．people have to be farmers in order to survive

C．technology is important for the agricultural industry

D．American people are in great need of crops

2. If you want to get an agricultural job, you. should ______.

A．learn about the newest technologies	B．go to the agricultural job market
C．stay in the industry all the time	D．have a lot of experience

3. According to the last two paragraphs, new technologies ______.

A．have encouraged farmers to make more money

B．have created a number of new jobs

C．have forced farmers to spend a lot

D．have developed quickly in the past years

4. What's the main idea of the passage?

A．New technologies have brought many new jobs to Americans.

B．Farmers should try to stay on top of the new technologies.

C．The agricultural industry in America could support more people.

D．New technologies are widely used in new agricultural jobs.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does Bill look troubled?

A．He is short of money.

B．He has made a big mistake.

C．He is facing a tough choice.

2. What is Bill now?

A．A college student.

B．An army officer.

C．A computer engineer.

3. What does the woman seem to suggest Bill do?

A．Learn to repair cars.

B．Decline (婉言谢绝) the job offer.

C．Ask his uncle for advice.

5 . At 20 years old, I was a confident and handsome student at the University of California at Berkey.

But that year, I ________ a bump (肿块) in my right nostril (鼻孔), and when it didn’t go away, I made an ________ with a doctor. It turned out to be a tumor (肿瘤). Then I underwent surgery. Fortunately, the procedure was ________, and I returned to classes soon.

But six months later, a new bump appeared. Numerous ________ confirmed it had reproduced a horrible, life—threatening tumor. I was advised to have another operation and ________ that I might lose part of my nose. I was too young to think about death then, but the thought of disfigurement (毁容) made me feel ________.

I awoke from the surgery with a scarred, disfigured face. As I re-entered the real world, I noticed adults ________ and children pointing—and sometimes laughing—at me. The occasional and ________ negative reactions from my friends also hurt me. My self-respect sank increasingly lower, and I constantly asked others, “Do my looks ________ you?”

Five years and 20 reconstructive surgeries later, I ________ a man receiving treatment. After hearing my question, he criticized me. My problem, he ________ me, was not my physical appearance, but my emotional insecurity. His ________ helped me realize my mental scars were far more disfiguring than my physical ones.

I began examining myself from the inside out. Later, I volunteered at a cancer support organization to offer inspiration and hope to those ________ cancer

Now, I am ________ for who I am—a much stronger person than before. To you, I offer this message: Avoid making judgements about people at ________.

1.

A．took charge of

B．took care of

C．took control of

D．took notice of

2.

A．appointment

B．arrangement

C．commitment

D．placement

3.

A．severe

B．minor

C．apparent

D．complicated

4.

A．novelists

B．specialists

C．impressionists

D．journalists

5.

A．advocated

B．predicted

C．warned

D．witnessed

6.

A．desperate

B．enthusiastic

C．delicate

D．optimistic

7.

A．smiling

B．glaring

C．glancing

D．staring

8.

A．unusually

B．unintentionally.

C．unconventionally

D．unselfishly

9.

A．bother

B．impress

C．annoy

D．restrict

10.

A．greeted

B．persuaded

C．encountered

D．grasped

11.

A．abused

B．defended

C．informed

D．motivated

12.

A．relief

B．security

C．defence

D．honesty

13.

A．going about

B．relating to

C．wrestling with

D．breaking with

14.

A．greedy

B．grateful

C．suitable

D．tolerant

15.

A．mental vitality

B．physical fitness

C．social acceptance

D．face value

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where did George park his car?

A．On a narrow street.

B．At a parking lot.

C．At a square.

2. What was the time when he got out of his car?

A．At 5:00 pm.

B．At 4:40 pm.

C．At 4:20 pm.

3. Where did George put his keys?

A．In his pocket.

B．In his car.

C．On the bench.

4. Why was George unable to see his car at first?

A．Someone stole it.

B．It was behind another car.

C．He went to a wrong place.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did the woman do with the thief?

A．She did as he asked.

B．She fought with him.

C．She pretended not to see him.

2. What did the thief steal?

A．A necklace.

B．Some money.

C．Nothing.

3. What does the man advise the woman to do?

A．Keep a dog.

B．Call the police.

C．Fit a home alarm system.

4. What does the man say about the woman?

A．She is puzzled.

B．She is brave.

C．She is frightened.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the woman do the present job?

A．She lives near her workplace.

B．Her company pays very well.

C．She can learn some skills.

2. Which strange job does the woman prefer?

A．A hotel test sleeper.

B．An ice cream taster.

C．A dog food taster.

3. How many strange jobs does the man mention?

A．Four.

B．Five.

C．Six.

9 . When Belquer first joined a team to make a better live music experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, he was struck by how they had developed workarounds to enjoy concerts. “What they were doing at the time was holding balloons to feel the vibrations (震动) through their fingers,” Belquer said. He thought the team could make something to help hard-of- hearing people enjoy live music even more with the technology now available.

Belquer, who is also a musician and theater artist, is now the “Chief Vibrational Officer” of Music: Not Impossible, which uses new technology to address social issues like poverty and disability access. His team started by tying vibrating different cell phone motors to bodies, but that didn’t quite work. The vibrations were all the same. Eventually, they worked with engineers to develop a light haptic (触觉的) suit with a total of 24 vibrating plates. There are 20 of them tied to a vest that fits tightly around the body like a hiking backpack, plus one that ties to each wrist and ankle. When you wear the suit, it’s surprising how it feels.

The vibrations are mixed by a haptic DJ who controls the location, frequency and intensity of feeling across the suits, just as a music DJ mixes sounds in an artful way. “What we’re doing is selecting and mixing what we want and send it to different parts of the body,” said the DJ. The haptic suits were just one component of the event. There were American Sign Language interpreters; the music was captioned on a screen on the stage.

The suits are the star attraction. Lily Lipman, who has auditory processing disorder, lit up when asked about her experience. “It’s cool, because I’m never quite sure if I’m hearing what other people are hearing, so it’s amazing to get the music in my body.”

1. What surprised Belquer about people with hearing problems?

A．The way they enjoyed music.

B．The attitude they held to life.

C．The love they had for balloons.

D．The frequency they vibrated fingers.

2. Why did the team’s initial attempt fail?

A．The motors were the same.

B．The vibrations lacked variety.

C．The motors hardly worked.

D．The vibrations were irregular.

3. What did the DJ do?

A．He interpreted the sign language.

B．He captioned the music on stage.

C．He selected suits for the attendees.

D．He helped people feel the music.

4. What does Lily Lipman think of the suit?

A．Comforting.

B．Challenging.

C．Satisfying.

D．Encouraging.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the woman decide to become a professional poet?

A．Because she met a famous poet

B．Because she did a poetry course

C．Because she won a poetry prize.

2. What is the woman’s new book about?

A．Environment protection.

B．Personal relationships.

C．Climate change.

3. What does the woman say about poetry written a long time ago?

A．It’s well written.

B．It’s difficult to understand.

C．It’s as good as modern poetry.

4. What would the woman like to do in the future?

A．Organize a poetry festival.

B．Take a break from writing poetry.

C．Turn some of her poetry into songs