2 . Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying “curiosity killed the cat.” It’s a phrase that’s often used to _________

People — especially children — not to ask too many questions. Yet it’s widely agreed that _________ actually makes learning more enjoyable and effective. _________, research has shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence in _________ how well students do in school.

Curiosity also _________ us to embrace unfamiliar circumstances, brings excitement into our lives, and opens up new possibilities. Being curious requires us to be both humble enough to know we don't have all the answers, and confident enough to _________ it. Asking the questions that help us _________ the gap between what we already know and what we'd like to know can lead us to make unexpected discoveries.

In science, basic curiosity-driven research — conducted without pressure to produce immediate practical results — can have _________ and incredibly important benefits. _________, one day in 1831, Michael Faraday was playing around with a coil (线圈) and a magnet (磁铁)__________ he suddenly saw how he could generate an electrical current. At first, it wasn't clear what use this would have, but it actually made __________ available for use in technology, and so changed the world.

Unsurprisingly, there are chemical and evolutionary theories to __________ why humans are such curious creatures. When we become curious, our brains __________ a chemical called dopamine (多巴胺), which makes the process of learning more pleasurable and improves memory. It is still not known why learning gives us such __________, but one theory is that we may have developed a basic need to fight uncertainty — the more we understand about the world around us, the more likely we are to __________ its many dangers!

1.

A．warn

B．scold

C．beg

D．order

2.

A．creativity

B．intelligence

C．curiosity

D．imagination

3.

A．As a result

B．In turn

C．In addition

D．In fact

4.

A．checking

B．determining

C．discovering

D．describing

5.

A．allows

B．requires

C．convinces

D．reminds

6.

A．know

B．deny

C．admit

D．report

7.

A．cover

B．bridge

C．widen

D．identify

8.

A．unfamiliar

B．unnecessary

C．unexpected

D．uncertain

9.

A．For example

B．In return

C．For one thing

D．On the other hand

10.

A．then

B．as

C．while

D．when

11.

A．coil

B．electricity

C．magnet

D．energy

12.

A．prove

B．indicate

C．explain

D．understand

13.

A．release

B．reduce

C．reproduce

D．refresh

14.

A．comfort

B．pleasure

C．excitement

D．thrill

15.

A．cause

B．ignore

C．face

D．survive

3 . 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。

Originally constructed around 256 BCE by the State of Qin     1     an irrigation and flood control system, Dujiangyan is a remarkable example of ancient engineering skill and is still     2     use today.

During the Warring States period, people who lived along the banks of the Min River     3     (trouble) by annual flooding. Qin governor and irrigation engineer Li Bing investigated the problem thoroughly. He led a team     4     (construct) a levee(堤坝) to redirect a part of the river’s flow. Then they cut     5     channel through Mount Yulei to let the water flow through it. After the system was finished , no more floods     6     (occur). What’s more, it made Sichuan one of the most productive agricultural     7     (region) in China because the redirected water from the Min River could be used for irrigation. If you visit Dujiangyan, you will see an     8    (usual) construction that looks like a fish’s mouth. This famous attraction, Yuzui, together with two other important parts, namely, Feishayan and Baopingkou, was     9     (scientific) designed to control the water flow throughout the year.

    10     (recognize) as a UNESCO heritage site, Dujiangyan has irrigated farms while preventing floods for over 2,000 years.

4 . 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。

On April 23, 1912, the luxury steamship Titanic hit an iceberg, and the “unsinkable” ship     1     (sink) in the Atlantic Ocean. The world was     2     great shock. But few know that there were six Chinese among the 705 survivors. Now, people can learn about their history through a documentary called The Six: The Untold Story of RMS Titanic’s Chinese Passengers, which     3    （release）on April 16, 2021.

“The historical materials keep records of who they are, where they come from, the families of the survivors except the six” Arthur Jones,     4     documentary’s director, told China Newsweek magazine. It was in 2015     5     Jones heard the six people’s story from his friend Steven Schwankert for the first time. They then decided to cooperate to reveal the buried history. Among the limited records, they came upon the Titanic’s passenger list,     6     had eight Chinese names on it.     7     (collect) more information, the production team spent five years     8     (travel) 20 cities in different countries as well as reading 100 documented works.

Rumor (谣言) has it that these Chinese survivors dressed as women to fight for     9     (spot) on lifeboats, but they found it untrue. Jones hopes the movie will reach a wide     10     (globe) audience, and perhaps even more people who secretly suspect they have a connection with the Titanic story.

5 . 阅读下面材料，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。

A MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE

The twins were filled with excitement as they thought of the surprise they were planning for Mother’s Day. How pleased and proud Mother would be when they brought her breakfast in bed. They planned to make French toast and chicken porridge. They had watched their mother in the kitchen. There was nothing to it. Jenna and Jeff knew exactly what to do.

The big day came at last. The alarm rang at 6 a.m. The pair went down the stairs quietly to the kitchen. They decided to boil the porridge first. They put some rice into a pot of water and left it to boil while they made the French toast. Jeff broke two eggs into a plate and added in some milk. Jenna found the bread and put two slices into the egg mixture. Next, Jeff turned on the second stove burner to heat up the frying pan. Everything was going smoothly until Jeff started frying the bread. The pan was too hot and the bread turned black within seconds. Jenna threw the burnt piece into the   sink and put in the other slice of bread. This time, she turned down the fire so it cooked nicely.

Then Jeff noticed steam shooting out of the pot and the lid starting to shake. The next minute, the porridge boiled over and put out the fire. Jenna panicked. Thankfully, Jeff stayed calm and turned off the gas quickly. But the stove was a mess now. Jenna told Jeff to clean it up so they could continue to cook the rest of the porridge. But Jeff’s hand touched the hot burner and he gave a cry of pain. Jenna made him put his hand in cold water. Then she caught the smell of burning. Oh dear! The piece of bread in the pan had turned black as well.

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。

As the twins looked around them in disappointment, their father appeared.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The twins carried the breakfast upstairs and woke their mother up.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 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。

Famous British physicist Stephen Hawking,     1     mental genius (智力天才) and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76 on March 14^th, 2018.

Propelled (推动) to superstar by his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, which became     2    unlikely worldwide bestseller, Hawking devoted    3    (he) to unlocking the secrets of the Universe.

Hawking refused to accept the predictions that he would only live for a few years after developing a form of motor neurone disease (运动神经元病) in his early     4    (twenty). The illness gradually robbed him of mobility (移动的能力)    5    (leave) him confined to a wheelchair, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his voice synthesizer (合成器). It was with these difficulties     6     he revised the draft of A Brief History of Time which was published in 1988.

    7     (translate) into thirty languages, the book has sold over ten million copies worldwide and lives on as a science book that continues to captivate (迷住) and inspire new readers each year.

When I came into contact with the book, I did not know much about the time and space. Was there a     8     (begin) of time? Could time run backwards? …These questions may be with all of us during our childhood.     9    (lucky), Stephen Hawking shows us the time and the space, the God and a mystery. The book, A Brief History of Time, is available in paperback and I     10     (strong) recommend it. For me, books like A Brief History of Time are more captivating (迷人的) than any novel.