1 . Tips for you to overcome comparison

Identify your triggers (诱因) and avoid them. To stop comparing yourself to others, pay attention to the people or events that cause your behavior. Do you feel discontent with your life after looking at luxury goods?     1     Write down your comparative thoughts as soon as they happen so you can limit your exposure to these situations or avoid them altogether.

    2     When you minimize your abilities, it becomes easier to compare yourself to others. To avoid this negative behavior, make a list of your strengths and talents. By acknowledging your best qualities, you can learn to love yourself.

Keep a gratitude journal. To start journaling, reflect on the little things that bring you joy and write down why you’re grateful for them. Keeping a gratitude journal can increase your chances of overcoming comparison, but you may forget about it if you have a busy schedule.     3    

Work on improving your abilities. Instead of focusing on your “weaknesses”, reflect on the areas you can improve.     4     Besides, don’t be afraid to ask other people for help along the way. By prioritizing yourself, you can boost your self-confidence and find your place and value.

Appreciate others instead of envying them.     5     If you have friends who are highly achieving people, you might consider that their networks are full of people who might be able to help you become more successful in your life. Instead of envying their success, be supportive and use their success to your advantage.

A．Write down your positive qualities.

B．Do you set goals to achieve your dream?

C．Consider the advantage that others can bring you.

D．Recognize everyone’s circumstances are entirely unique.

E．Take classes or workshops to develop your skills and techniques.

F．Is there someone who constantly makes you feel bad about yourself?

G．Set a reminder to write at least once a week so you can actively express appreciation.

2 . Back in April, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, made a dramatic attempt at a hostile takeover of Twitter, for a cool $44 billion. That’s a lot of money, even for a billionaire tycoon (巨头), and the takeover attempt quickly slid into court battles. But whoever wins (we’re not going to know for some time), I think the most interesting part of the story is the more fundamental question: why would Musk even want to buy Twitter in the first place?

If you look at the size of Twitter, its appeal isn’t obvious. The company makes a relatively small profit each year, and in terms of the number of users, Twitter is a relative minnow among social media networks. It has around 436 million users every month, which isn’t nothing—but is also a long way behind the likes of Facebook (near three billion), Instagram (two billion), and TikTok (one billion). So why does Musk want to spend a considerable slice of his own enormous fortune on a social network that not many people, in the grand scheme of things, actually use?

The answer might be what makes Twitter so interesting: what it lacks in revenue, size or growth potential, it makes up for in a much harder to define way. It carries absolutely enormous cultural power, and has an unrivalled ability to shape the news we read, the content we consume and the culture we live in.

1. What’s the author’s initial reaction to Musk’s takeover of Twitter?

A．Approving.

B．Confused.

C．Indifferent.

D．Objective.

2. How does the author develop Paragraph 2?

A．By giving reasons.

B．By answering questions.

C．By making comparisons.

D．By showing processes.

3. What can be inferred from the last sentence of Paragraph 3?

A．Compared with other social media, Twitter has its own value.

B．Twitter is as interesting and attractive as other social media.

C．Twitter will be even more successful than other social media.

D．Twitter’s profit will be much easier to measure in the future.

4. Why does the author write this passage?

A．To provide some background information about Musk.

B．To explore the motivation for Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

C．To inform people of Musk’s sudden takeover of Twitter.

D．To express his concern about the coming court battles.

3 . 从这个意义上说，明日之家已经是今日之家。(汉译英)

4 . During the 20th century, an estimated 3 million great whales were hunted to provide humans with oil, meat and rose fertiliser. Roger Payne, a biologist and environmentalist, spurred (推动) a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing.

This discovery was made in 1967 during his research trip to Bermuda (百慕大) when a navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented. Payne identified the tones as songs whales sing to one another and he was conscious from the start that whale song was to get the public interested in protecting an animal previously considered little more than a resource, curiosity or nuisance.

Payne saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. In 1970, Payne released the album Songs of the Humpback Whale. The record, a surprise hit, fueled a global movement to end the practice of commercial whale hunting and save the whales from extinction. It remains the bestselling environmental album in history.

The impact of the whale song discovery on the early environmental movement was immense. Many antiwar protesters of the day took on saving animals and the environment as a new cause. The humpback whale became the icon of a new environmental awareness. And the whales entered pop culture, no longer the fearsome beasts. In 1977, the whale calls were loaded on to the Voyager probes and sent into outer space.

Payne, graduating from Harvard University and Cornell University with a doctor’s degree, authored or co authored dozens of scientific papers, gave hundreds of lectures, made countless television programmes and films, and led 100 oceanic expeditions. Payne had started an ambitious new project: CETI, a combination of scientists using new technology to interpret what whales might be “saying”.

1. What caused the decline of the whale population in the 20^th century?

A．Habitat loss.	B．The climate change.
C．Uncontrolled hunting.	D．The ocean pollution.

2. What was the purpose of releasing the album of whale songs?

A．To boost interest in protecting whales.	B．To satisfy people’s curiosity about sea.
C．To achieve great commercial success.	D．To earn a reputation as a researcher.

3. Which of the following can best describe Roger Payne?

A．Considerate.	B．Accomplished.
C．Courageous.	D．Patient.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The conservation of ocean environment.

B．Efforts to awake public ocean awareness.

C．A high-tech way to document whale tones.

D．A whale protection campaign by a biologist.

5 . 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。

From robots delivering coffee to office chairs rearranging themselves after a meeting, a smart city project in China aims to put artificial intelligence     1     charge.

Last month, Danish architecture firm BIG and Chinese tech company Terminus     2    (discuss) plans to build an AI-run campus-style development in     3     southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing during an online global tech conference.

The project     4    (name) Cloud Valley, plans to use sensors and wifi-connected devices to gather data on everything from weather and pollution to people’s eating habits to meet residents’ needs     5    (automatic), said Terminus.

Cities around the world are racing to embrace (欣然接受) technology to improve urban life by     6    (collect) data to address problems like traffic jams (交通堵塞) and crime.

More than 500 smart cities are being built across China     7    (promote) growth in a global economic downturn.

The city, which includes offices, homes, public spaces and self-driving cars     8     move around under the watchful eye of AI, is due for completion in about three years, according to Terminus.

Yet, like other smart cities, its tech-driven approach has raised privacy concerns.

“Isn’t all of this a little     9    (frighten)?” asked a conference-goer. Another attendee said smart cities risked becoming a threat to human rights if     10    (company) and governments didn’t take steps to limit surveillance (监视) and ensure inclusivity.

6 . A charming three-story home sits at the corner of 10th and Center streets on the Georgia Instiute of Technology (Georgin Tech) campus in Atlanta. From the outside, it appears just like any other home, but inside, Georgia Tech researchers are testing and developing advanced devices to determine which can make the home safer and smarter — for older adults.

The house is actually a living lab, called the Aware Home, and research conducted there has revealed (显示) many top home­related concerns among older adults — unattended cooking, water left running, TVs left on... and doors left unlocked.

Now, some in ­home technologies are in development — or on the market — to address those concerns.

One new device called Inirv React connects your stove (炉具) to a sensor in your home and a smartphone app. The sensor will automatically turn the stove off if it no longer detects movement around the appliance after a certain period of time. You can also turn the stove off using your smartphone.

Devices of the future are expected to collect and use date to become smarter, according to Elizabeth Mynatt, a professor at Georgia Tech. “They will learn more about your habits, your likes, your dislikes, your routines, when you’re most likely to forget to take your medicine, what are the aspects (方面) of your health that need the most attention,” she said.

With any technology, “most people ask that question ‘How invasive (侵扰的) is it?’. But what we hear from older adults is that they value the security and the safety that the technology provides for them,” Mynatt said.

75-­year-old Albert Bolet of Atlanta thinks most older adults are typically ready to bring technology into their homes. “People have the misguided impression that seniors are opposed to technology.” said Bolet. “We do understand wireless technology, and we understand how these things will make things easier. Being independent is most important in the mind of anybody that gets to be our age or older.”

1. What is the Aware Home?

A．A smart house.	B．A research lab.
C．A nursing home.	D．A science museum.

2. What will Inirv React do when it senses no movement around a stove for long?

A．Turn the stove off directly.

B．Give out a warning sound.

C．Activate a sensor in the house.

D．Send a message to a connected phone.

3. What will future smart home devices be like according to Mynatt?

A．They will provide medical advice.

B．They will be more like caregivers.

C．They will become more personalized.

D．They will replace caregivers in most case.

4. What did Atbert Bolet say about most seniors?

A．They are willing to use smart home devices.

B．They find it hard to keep up with new technology.

C．They prefer a simple life without technology.

D．They are becoming more dependent on the Internet.

7 . 某英文杂志社举办以“A Hero in My Heart”为主题的征文活动。你被学校推荐参加该项活动，请你根据以下内容要求，写一篇征文。
内容包括：
1.你心目中的英雄。       
2.你的理由       
3.对你的影响。
要求：
1.必须包括内容提示中的所有信息，可适当发挥。
2.词数100词左右，文章标题已给出，不计入总词数。

A Hero in My Heart

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8 . 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。

Chinese silk is well known all over the world. It is considered as     1     symbol of the origin of civilization. According to legend, a teenage girl in China,     2     saw metamorphosis (蜕变) of a special kind of caterpillars (毛毛虫), did something even more     3     (amaze) — she invented silk! She is Ancest or Lei.

One day, she noticed quite a few caterpillars taking small     4     (bite) of the leaves. A few of them had formed translucent cocoons (半透明的茧) around     5     (they). One by one the cocoons grew thicker so Lei couldn’t see through them. They were like eggshells, but smaller and even     6     (strong). She kept wondering     7     was going on inside. Lei started to open them and they turned into bundles of threads. Lei knew that the threads in spider (蜘蛛) webs were strong, but she wondered if the threads from these cocoons were strong enough     8     (make) into cloth. After testing, her doubt was removed.

Later, Lei concentrated     9     figuring out how to make cloth from the cocoon threads. Eventually, Lei invented silk, and the caterpillars     10     (call) silkworms since then.

9 . 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。

Tovel was a middle school student. He didn’t concentrate in class, so he couldn’t do well in any subject. He was also a weak basketball player, leaving no impression on others. But he loved attention. Knowing that classmates would listen if he had news to share, he went around the class making u stories about other students.

“Tom’s parents are too busy to take care of him, so he doesn’t like the weekends,” Tovel whispered. The students around Toval listened carefully and sighed.

“He has to cook by himself at weekends. And sometimes, he steals vegetables from his neighbor’s garden!” said Tovel. The classmates shook their heads, for they all knew that middle school students must not steal things from others.

“And he even cheated in some weekly exams, expecting good grades and the teachers’ praise,” added Tovel. “No. He couldn’t do that! He was cheating himself and ruining his future,” cried the classmates. They all showed sympathy for Tom, and hoped that he could be honest.

For quite a few days, the classmates were all talking about Tom and his fake news. Some students even chatted with him, showing their sympathy and expressing their expectation, which made Tom annoyed and confused.

Knowing that the stories about Tom had spread quickly and made Tom in trouble, Tovel felt bad about what he had done. Tovel wanted to change the situation and beg Tom’s forgiveness, but he didn’t know what to do. “I am willing to do everything if all will be well again," he thought.

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 next morning, Tovel went to the teachers’ office.
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After hearing this, Tovel felt a little confused.
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10 . 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。

Once considered as one of the best and strictest referees (裁判) in the NBA, Javie is now working at a church in America.

Despite coming from a diligent family, sports were in Javie’s blood too. It was sports that really inspired him as a young boy. His father had a career as a football back referee for the football league,     1     his grandfather was an umpire (裁判员) for the baseball league.

In Javie’s     2     (young) days, a famous basketball team had picked him as a possible basketball player, but that was destroyed by an arm     3     (injure). He started as a baseball umpire and then shifted to a basketball referee,     4     (become) an NBA referee in 1986,     5     he quickly developed a bad reputation for his bad temper. In one game, Javie even drove out one of the     6     (announcer), and in another threw out a team mascot (吉祥物).

As his years in the NBA     7     (go) by, Javie developed a good reputation not only as one of     8     most feared referees but also a     9     (respect) one. In 2000, he began suffering     10     an arthritic (关节炎的) knee. So during the season, he was barely working. Surgery could only postpone the terrible situation. As a result, Javie had to change his job as a member of church staff in America.