1 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Taylor Swift is ending her year with another honor. The pop superstar     1     (name) Time magazine’s 2023 “Person of the Year,”     2     (beat) out Barbie and King Charles III. “While her popularity     3     (grow) across the decades, this is the first year     4     Swift, 33, achieved a kind of nuclear fusion (核聚变): shooting art and commerce together     5     (release) an energy of historic force,” the magazine said. Time said Swift was selected     6     she found a way to give people around the world hope in some seriously dark times. “No one else     7     the planet today can move so many people so well,” Time said in its profile, “    8     giving too much credit to     9     star ignores her skill and her power.” The magazine also interviewed Swift, with the artist revealing that “this is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most     10     (creative) fulfilled and free I’ve ever been.”

2 . Saodat Sadikova is an English teacher in Jizzakh, Uzbekistan. As a young girl, she dreamed of becoming a flight attendant (空乘人员) and traveling the world, so she learned at least three languages. Although she was not able to become a flight attendant, Sadikova could speak Uzbek, Russian, English and Turkish. Sadikova has never traveled abroad but reports feeling connected to people around the world.

American Trina Bright worked in education for nearly 25 years and she traveled to many countries, including China and South Africa. Bright used stories from her travels to help her students in the U. S. understand their place in the world and see value in their own cultures. But Bright, unlike Sadikova, does not report feeling connected to people around the world.

Bright is not alone. Pew Research Center recently asked people in 24 countries a series of questions about how connected they feel to the world to see how travel experience relates to feelings of connectedness.

The study found that respondents (调查对象) who had traveled to at least one other country feel more connected to people around the world. 99 percent of respondents in the Netherlands reported having visited at least one other country and 77 percent of respondents from the Netherlands said they feel at least somewhat close to people all over the world. But international travel does not always mean a person feels a closeness to people around the world. 99 percent of Swedish respondents said they had visited at least one other country. Yet a much smaller number of Swedish respondents—47 percent—report feeling close to people all over the world.

Sadikova said she felt connected to the world because of media, which makes it quite easy to get to know events and news.

1. Why did Saodat Sadikova learn several languages?

A．To move abroad.	B．To broaden her view.
C．To connect to the world.	D．To achieve her flying dream.

2. What benefit did Trina Bright get from her travels?

A．She improved her education.	B．She applied them to her teaching.
C．She understood the value of culture.	D．She could speak a foreign language.

3. What did the research focus on?

A．How people get to know the world.	B．How people feel connected to the world.
C．Why people enjoy international travel.	D．Why travel influences the connection of people.

4. What can we learn from paragraph 4?

A．The aim of the research.	B．The process of the research.
C．The result of the research.	D．The method of the research.

3 . An international team of researchers, led by Dr Christine Batchelor of Newcastle University, UK, used clear pictures of the seafloor to show just how quickly a former ice cover retreated (退去) at the end of the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago.

The team mapped more than 7,600 small-scale landforms across the seafloor. The ridges (山脊) are less than 2.5m high and are spaced between about 25 and 300 metres apart. These landforms are understood to have formed when the ice cover’s retreating edge moved up and down with the tides (潮汐), pushing seafloor into a ridge every low tide. Given that two ridges would have been produced each day, the researchers were able to work out how quickly the ice cover retreated. Their results, reported in the journal Nature, show the former ice cover rapidly retreats at a speed of 50 to 600 metres per day.

The seafloor landforms also give light into the way in which such rapid retreat can happen. Dr Batchelor and co-workers noted that the former ice cover had retreated fastest across the flattest parts of its bed.

“An ice can go away from the seafloor and retreat quickly when it becomes buoyant (有浮力的),” explained co-author Dr Frazer Christie. “This retreat only happens across relatively flat beds, where less melting (融化) is required to thin the overlying ice to the point where it starts to float (漂浮).”

The researchers believe that the quick retreat could soon be observed in parts of Antarctica. This includes at West Antarctica’s vast Thwaites Glacier. The authors of this new study suggest that it could go through quick retreat because it has recently retreated close to a flat area of its bed.

“Our findings suggest that present-day rates of melting are enough to cause quick short retreat across flat-bedded areas of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, including at Thwaites,” said Dr Batchelor. “Satellites (卫星) may well know this ice-cover retreat in the near future, especially if we continue our climate warming.”

1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?

A．To provide some advice for the readers.

B．To add some background information.

C．To make the story interesting.

D．To bring in the topic.

2. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Where the ice cover’s retreating lies.

B．Why the ice cover’s retreating is formed.

C．What the result of ice cover’s retreating is.

D．How the speed of ice cover’s retreating is worked out.

3. Why is Thwaites Glacier mentioned in the text?

A．To give an example of quick retreat.

B．To tell where it is located.

C．To compare different types of retreat.

D．To explain why it is important.

4. What is Dr Batchelor’s attitude to the ice cover’s retreating?

A．Unclear.	B．Anxious.
C．Positive.	D．Doubtful.

4 . China.org.cn here provides a list of some popular Chinese destinations for winter tourism in 2023 and explores how they plan to make the most of the legacy (遗产) of the Winter Games.

Shenyang started a Winter Olympics-themed travelling season from December 2021 to March 2022 and introduced 86 activities covering folk music, a traditional Chinese ice game festival, an ice sculpture exhibition (冰雕展), and ice and snow festivals.

Zhangjiakou in Hebei was the co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and hosted most of the skiing and biathlon events. The city has built nine ski facilities (设施), with over 164 kilometres of ski runs. So far, Zhangjiakou’s winter sports activities have attracted over 6 million players.

Known for its long winter season that can last up to eight months a year, Altay Prefecture in Xinjiang attracts skiers worldwide with its huge area of natural powder snow. The data shows that the ski places of Altay Prefecture received 2.45 million visits in the 2021-2022 winter season, with tourism revenue (收入) reaching 1.63 billion yuan, up 25.3% and 23.4% year on year. During the Spring Festival holiday last year, the place saw more than 6,000 skiers on a daily basis, 60% of which came from outside Xinjiang.

Snow and ice sports and winter tourism activities have been heating up in Xinjiang since Beijing 2022. The growth index (指数) of Urumqi’s winter tourism listed first in China in early 2022, according to the online tourism platform TravelGo. Xinjiang has unique ice and snow tourism resources with a snow season for nearly five months.

1. Which place hosted the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics?

A．Shenyang.

B．Urumqi.

C．Zhangjiakou.

D．Altay Prefecture.

2. What is special about Altay Prefecture in Xinjiang?

A．It is famous for its long winter.

B．It has activities with games and music.

C．It mostly attracts visitors from Xinjiang.

D．It is the top in the tourism growth in 2022.

3. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．A textbook.

B．A web page.

C．A newspaper.

D．A travel brochure.

5 . As I walked to the market, I saw an old and dirty man sitting in front of a shop. It was ________ that he was a beggar looking for help. I made a ________ that on my way back I would give him whatever ________ I had. A few feet away was a drunk-looking man ________ on the pavement and no one who passed by ________ , including me.

When I returned to see the ________ old man was still there, I felt a sense of ________ to offer some help. I took out all the change to hand it over to him. He hardly looked into my eyes but ________ his head as though saying that he did not need it. I ________ and pushed it into his hand.

As I was ________ of my great act of charity, the man walked up to the drunk man and asked him something.________ , I couldn’t hear what he said. I only noticed him walk to the tea shop and buy some food with the ________ money I gave. Then, he went back to the man, helped him to sit and eat the food. He ________ I was still there, so he explained that man had not eaten for two days and had no ________ to sit up. And that was why he collapsed (昏倒) on the pavement.

Suddenly I felt so small and admired the ________ of the old man who had so little compared to me.

1.

A．likely

B．necessary

C．alarming

D．unusual

2.

A．request

B．decision

C．protest

D．proposal

3.

A．change

B．food

C．water

D．clothes

4.

A．driving

B．volunteering

C．eating

D．lying

5.

A．gave up

B．turned to

C．referred to

D．reached out

6.

A．poor

B．curious

C．positive

D．frightened

7.

A．shock

B．duty

C．pain

D．concern

8.

A．raised

B．nodded

C．lowered

D．shook

9.

A．begged

B．insisted

C．demanded

D．questioned

10.

A．aware

B．confident

C．proud

D．sure

11.

A．Actually

B．Importantly

C．Immediately

D．Strangely

12.

A．extra

B．much

C．same

D．digital

13.

A．reminded

B．observed

C．pretended

D．imagined

14.

A．limit

B．pressure

C．strength

D．determination

15.

A．wisdom

B．creativity

C．selflessness

D．profession

6 . New York Times best-selling author Susan Casey travelled globally, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet. She takes us on an interesting journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom. Throughout this journey, she learned how important the deep is to the future of the planet, and how necessary it is that we understand and protect it. The Underworld is Susan Casey’s most beautiful and thrilling book, a wonderful show of the natural world.

Event location: The lecture and book signing (签名) will be held at the Linda Hall Library,5109 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri.

Event time: Thursday, January 14th,7:00 pm-8:00 pm

Book signing: Hard copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Rainy Day Books. A book signing will immediately follow the lecture.

Admission package (admits one)

Click to order tickets through the Kauffman Center. Admission is $40.00 plus Kauffman ticket fee and includes one hardcover of the book and one admission ticket. Reserved seating.

Please note: Attendees (参与者) will receive their books as they arrive at this event. Your electronic ticket will be needed for event entry and to receive your hardcover of the book as you arrive.

Disclaimer (免责声明): All Rainy Day Books Author Event sales are final and non-refundable.

1. What is the topic of Susan Casey’s book?

A．A show of the heights of the earth.	B．Some discoveries made by explorers.
C．Some measures to protect the ocean.	D．Journey s to the depths of the ocean.

2. What kind of event is it?

A．A lecture and book signing.	B．A discussion between readers.
C．A sales meeting of a new book.	D．A party of celebrating the success.

3. What should attendees do with their electronic tickets?

A．Return them to the Kauffman Center.	B．Get a discount of the book with them.
C．Get hardcovers of the book with them.	D．Exchange them with other book lovers.

7 . 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。

Zu Ti of the Jin Dynasty was a man who had with great ambition. When he was young, he had a good friend     1     (name) Liu Kun. They had such a deep friendship     2     they stayed together every day and got up at the same time every morning.

One day, when they were sleeping. Zu Ti heard the rooster crowing (鸡鸣) . He woke up Liu Kun and said, “How about     3     (get) up to play swords (剑) as soon as we heard the rooster crowing from now on?” Liu Kun was still     4     (sleep) . But he agreed with him     5     (joyful) . From then on, they got up and played swords once the rooster began crowing. They kept their word and never gave up no matter     6     cold in winter or hot in summer. Hard work     7     (pay) off. After a long period of hard study and training, they finally became the all-rounder. And they both did excellent jobs to their country.

The idiom “to rise with the rooster” teaches us that with ambition and hard work,     8     (succeed) is possible. When we can discover our shortcomings     9     time, it is not too late to try. But if you are not willing     10     (work) hard, you will not be able to achieve a career after all.

8 . Addiction is a condition in which a person has a habit they can’t stop, even though it harms them or causes problems in their life. Most professionals consider addiction a disease.

People can develop addictions to substances, such as alcohol. Some medicines can lead to addiction as well. A class of painkillers called opioids is one of that kind. But people can also become addicted to behaviors. Playing video games and shopping can become addictions if they interfere with (妨碍) other parts of a person’s life.

The reason why people form addictions has to do with how our brains feel pleasure. One way our brain makes us feel good is by releasing “feel good” chemicals. This can happen in response to an enjoyable action or activity. Think exercising and eating chocolate. But some actions can overload this “feel good” system. Over time, this trains the brain to depend on the substance or behavior for pleasure over other things. Taking in the substance or performing the behavior again strengthens the brain’s link between that thing and feeling good. This cycle is what leads a person to develop an addiction.

People can overcome addiction. Their brain can change to look like that of a non-addicted brain. But it takes a lot of work. For the brain to change like this, the person usually must quit the substance or behavior altogether. They must give their body and mind time to adjust to a life without the addiction.

Overcoming cravings (渴望) is very hard early on. That’s why many people recover best when in a new setting that’s free of familiar things that cause cravings. Some treatments can help guide those recovering from addiction by providing support when it feels tough to give up a behavior. Medications prescribed (开处方) by a doctor can help, too. Family and friends can also help by providing support and encouragement.

1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning the painkillers in paragraph 2?

A．To clarify a concept.	B．To draw a conclusion.
C．To provide an example.	D．To make a comparison.

2. What is a cause of addiction?

A．People do too little exercise.

B．People pay little attention to their behavior.

C．The brain lets out improper chemicals for wrong purposes.

D．The brain depends too much on particular things for pleasure.

3. What does the author suggest people do?

A．Stay away from addicts.	B．Turn to professional assistance.
C．Find comfort from familiar things.	D．Quit the substances and behavior little by little.

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

A．What We’ve Been Doing to Our Brain	B．How Addiction Affects Our Life and Work
C．The Way We Feel Good Affects Our Brain	D．Things You Nee d to Know About Addiction

9 . China has seen a boom in glamping, a combination of “glamorous (迷人的)” and “camping”, since 2020.

Camping, in earlier years, was mostly for those exploring the rough outdoors. The equipment they used was more for survival than for enjoyment. The image of camping thus was a pretty tough one.

Urban explorers, in recent years, have turned their sights to camping as they grew tired of hotel-stay travel style. The views of tents in a grassland or by a river soon attracted growing public interest in camping. Facilities that allow people to get close to nature while still able to enjoy the comforts of modern luxury have given wings to glamping.

There are many glamping grounds where facilities are ready to use. People just need to buy a ticket to get in and don’t have to buy any further equipment. It is suitable for new campers who want to get some experience of spending time outdoors.

Zhang Zheming, a photographer in Beijing, got his first taste of glamping in June2019 at a campground in suburban Beijing. It was a very spacious site and campers needed to bring their own kits (装备).

Zhang and his wife brought their 4-year-old son with them. As they didn’t have any experience in picking the right equipment, they didn’t prepare the canopy (遮阳篷), a camping must to protect oneself from strong sunlight. But this didn’t affect their first experience.

“In the past, my wife and I only chose to stay at hotels while traveling,” he said. “We are very happy to have discovered glamping and it is also a new way of socializing. My son used to be a shy boy, but now he gets along quite well with other people.”

Zhang is also surprised to see how popular glamping has become. The first time he went there in 2019, only 500 people joined in. But when he went there for the second time in 2020, he saw over 5,000 people.

1. What can we infer about glamping?

A．It’s tough and adventurous.	B．It’s comfortable and attractive.
C．It’s a kind of field survival training.	D．It has changed the hotel-stay travel style.

2. What should one do to go glamping for the first time?

A．Get some camping experience.	B．Buy some necessary equipment.
C．Buy a ticket to the glamping ground.	D．Get some knowledge of nature exploration.

3. What problem did the Zhangs meet on the first glamping trip?

A．They forgot to bring their own food.	B．They were exposed to strong sunlight.
C．They failed to take good care of their kid.	D．They had to stay for a long time in the hotel.

4. How does Zhang’s son benefit from the glamping?

A．He has learned to take photos.	B．He has improved his camping skills.
C．He has made friends with a shy boy.	D．He has become more outgoing and active.

10 . Alonzo Carter, also known as Zo, is currently a football coach for the San Jose State Spartans in California. He’s trained countless student athletes, which often means his previous job in the hip-hop industry goes unnoticed. But not always!

Back in 1989, he and a few of his college friends auditioned (试演) for a music video. The song? MC Hammer’s still-unknown classic, Let’s Get It Started. They were hired on the spot and soon went on tours with him! As the summer came to an end, Zo assumed he’d return to college to finish his degree and reclaim his spot on the football team, but MC Hammer gained great popularity and started taking over the airwaves. Zo had a huge decision to make and ultimately joined MC Hammer as a permanent (长期的) backup dancer! But Zo couldn’t shake his passion for football. He eventually left the group to return to his high school in Oakland, California, where he began coaching track and football.

Decades later, Zo is one of the most well-known and respected college football coaches and doesn’t call much attention to his hip-hop beginnings. But at a training practice in 2017, a familiar song started playing over the PA system (广播系统). It happened that the head coach Brent Brennan had caught wind of Zo’s past and wanted him to show off his moves.

Without missing a beat, Zo dived in and started doing the Hammer Dance he had helped create all those years before. The moves came to him as easily as they had done back in the day, and his players obviously couldn’t get enough of his impressive talent.

Zo is a good reminder of how surprising career paths can be. Just think what would have happened if he hadn’t gone to that audition! The Hammer Dance wouldn’t exist as we know it, which would be a real tragedy (悲剧).

1. What does Zo do now?

A．He coaches a college football team.	B．He serves as head of backup dancer.
C．He competes in track and field events.	D．He teaches high school students hip-hop.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 2?

A．MC Hammer didn’t become famous until 1989.

B．Zo and his friends didn’t perform well in the audition.

C．Zo and his friends didn’t know much about Let’s Get It Started.

D．MC Hammer wasn’t in favor of Zo’s decision to finish his degree.

3. What does the underlined part “had caught wind of” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Had looked into.

B．Had reflected on.

C．Had talked about.

D．Had heard of.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards Zo’s career as a dancer?

A．He thinks little of it.	B．He is doubtful about it.
C．He is very proud of it.	D．He thinks it a best choice.