1 . Why experiencing a new culture is good for you

Dealing with culture shock

In general terms, culture shock is a response to your new surroundings when abroad that can leave you confused, anxious and feeling lonely.    1    Culture shock can be seen as a problem but also as an opportunity. It’s only by learning to accept your new surroundings and culture that you can hope to understand and appreciate it.

Learning to adapt

People often say that travel is a great way to develop new skills, since you’re constantly being put in new and unpredictable situations.    2    It is after all, just another form of problem-solving. Certainly, being able to think on your feet is a quality that many employers desire in employees.

Language skills

Perhaps the most obvious lesson learned with travel is the importance of language. Even just learning the basics of the local language can make getting about and making new friends easier. Trying to overcome language barriers also teaches you about the importance of non-verbal communication. Since you can’t rely on what is being said, you learn to understand people’s tones and body language.    3    

Classes and courses

Besides the incidental (附带的) skills you develop along the way while travelling, many travellers use the occasion to actively learn a new skill through classes.    4    All of these new skills learned can then be brought home with you to promote your lifestyle.

Meeting new people

Meeting people and making friends while overseas is both a necessity and one of the most enjoyable aspects of the experience.    5    

A．You can come up with more creative solutions.

B．This could mean taking language or cooking classes.

C．Do a little research to avoid making any signs of disrespect.

D．Travelling to new cultures is a great way to expand your social circle.

E．Even just learning to deal with unpredictable things is a skill in itself.

F．It includes how upsettingly different the simplest things can be in a new culture.

G．This makes you a better communicator even when you’re speaking your native tongue.

2 . “So long as there’s something to i________ (鉴定，识别), we will give people their money back,” said a spokeswoman for the Bank. (根据中英文提示单词拼写)

3 . We like to think words are what matters. But in communicating with other people, what we do is at least as important as what we actually say. American professor Albert Mehrabian is one of the leading researchers on this topic. His study shows that within the first four minutes of meeting a stranger, our facial expressions make up 55 percent of the impression we make. In comparison, only seven percent of that impression comes from our actual words, with the rest of the information coming from the tone (语气) of voice.

We may also like to think body language cannot be read like a book. It has no systematic grammar like that of a spoken / written language. And it seems less formal and exact. But scientists have found body language does have its own rules and can be exactly examined like a book written in your native tongue. For example, researchers Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen have identified about 3,000 different expressions and their meanings. They created the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), a tool for collecting meaning from expressions.

But it’s also easy to misunderstand body language. The rules may fit most people but not everyone. Communication expert Carol Kinsey Goman once gave a report at a company in New York. The CEO sat at the table with his arms closely crossed, without smiling or nodding encouragement. In the end, he simply said “thank you” without making eye contact and left the room. Goman was shocked when the man’s secretary told her that he’d been favorably impressed by her. If the CEO hadn’t liked what he’d heard, the secretary explained to Goman, ”he would have gotten up right in the middle of your report and walked out“.

You can train yourself to control your body language, and even use it to make your communication more effective. Communication expert Theresa Zagnoli, suggests a simple but useful approach. The technique (方法), called mirroring, involves studying the facial expressions, body movements, and the tone of voice used by the person to whom you’re talking, and then using them too. But make sure it’s done in a relaxed and normal way, Zagnoli says.

1. How much of the impression comes from our tone according to Albert’s research?

A．7%.

B．15%.

C．38%.

D．55%.

2. What does the example in Paragraph 2 show?

A．Body language can be systematically studied.

B．It is hard to understand human body language.

C．The grammar of body language is very difficult.

D．Expressions have thousands of different meanings.

3. What did the CEO’s body language mean in Goman’s eyes?

A．He had a lot of work to do at the time.	B．He showed little interest in her report.
C．He was a little surprised at her report.	D．He wanted to give her a good impression.

4. What does Zagnoli advise you to do when talking?

A．Use more body language secretly.	B．Copy others’ body language naturally.
C．Compare your body language with others’.	D．Improve your body language by learning experts’.

4 . In our human-centric view, the ability to shoot ink or change colors may seem odd, but you know what’s really odd? Menopause (更年期). You can count species other than humans known to experience and outlive menopause on one hand. Only Oracs (虎鲸) and some whale populations have females that live long past their reproductive years to become grandmothers. But a new, landmark study confirms that at least one population of chimpanzees can now be added to the list.

The discovery comes as the result of 21 years’ worth of observing the Ngogo community of wild chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Studying urine from 66 Ngogo females, aged 14 to 67, showed that their hormone levels changed after approaching 50, confirming they were in menopause. Interestingly, 50 is also the age when many people begin to experience menopause. “It’s really cool to finally have that piece of the puzzle come into place,” says Catherine Hobaiter, a primatologist who was not part of the new study.

But Catherine points out that the Ngogo community lives in a chimp paradise: the resource-rich, well-protected Kibale National Park that also lacks leopards, their main predator. And because the Noggo community is found in the heart of the park, its only neighbors are other chimps — not humans who can expose chimpanzees to viruses that have devastated other communities. “The Ngogo population may be an outlier (局外人) when it comes to the rest of the species,” she cautions.

And there is a question concerning “the grandmother effect”, according to which a grandmother has a decidedly beneficial effect on her children and grandchildren. Chimpanzees do not form long-term pair-bonds and females leave in search of new communities when they reach maturity, which means grandmother chimpanzees likely don’t know who their grandchildren are in the same way humans or even orcas do. What they do after the menopause remains a question of interest. “And that’s all future work to be done.” said Catherine.

1. What can be learned about menopause?

A．It is rare among animals.	B．It is unique to human beings.
C．It just occurs at the age of 50.	D．It is experienced only by females.

2. What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Scientist have found the solution to menopause.

B．What happens to the 66 Ngogo females remains a puzzle.

C．There is a puzzle whether chimpanzee females experience menopause.

D．The latest discovery casts new light on the puzzle of animal menopause.

3. Why does Catherine mention the living situation of the Ngogo community?

A．To stress the importance of protecting chimpanzees from viruses.

B．To remind researchers of the potential limitation of the new study.

C．To prove that Ngogo chimpanzees are perfect subjects of the study.

D．To argue that the discovery of the new study is completely groundless.

4. How is the last paragraph developed?

A．By offering a definition.	B．By drawing a conclusion.
C．By presenting relevant facts.	D．By giving examples and opinions.

5 . Mia, 12, is now on a year-long trip with her parents and three younger brothers. Far from their home in Quebec, Canada, the family rode horses in Mongolia, kayaked in Cambodia, camped in Namibia and flew in a hot air balloon in Turkey, looking to collect as many once-in-a-lifetime memories as they could.

The memories really matter because unless science makes a breakthrough soon, three of the children will become blind, likely in adulthood. They have been diagnosed with a disease that has no effective treatment and no specific timeline as it gradually robs them of their sight.

The diagnoses came in 2015. Despite the grief, the parents were surprised to find Mia, then 7, was calm about it. She announced that she would need to start keeping her bedroom especially neat, with everything in its place. “In the future, I’ll need to know where things are,” Mia said.

“She’s finding solutions on her own,” the parents told each other. “We need to follow her lead.” And so the idea of a yearlong trip was born, one that would show the kids the world, in person and at close range – while the kids could still see it. For the next two years, the parents saved money and researched places to visit. “How we adults see the world and how kids see the world are so different.” says the mother, Edith. “It would have to be less about temples and museums and more about whatever caught their eyes.”

By the time the trip began to wind down in early 2023, the family had traveled 52,000 miles and visited 18 countries. Mia grew taller and when entering adolescence, needed more independence. Her brothers became more confident and outgoing. The kids were very aware that they had learned a lot. “There’s a lot of suffering, a lot of poverty, but lots of good and interesting things too. We should be positive.” said Mia.

1. What’s the probable function of the first paragraph?

A．To lead in the story behind.

B．To arouse the readers’ interest.

C．To provide background information.

D．To inform readers of a wonderful trip.

2. What can be inferred about the parents from paragraph 3 and 4?

A．They are optimistic about the children’s disease.

B．They are surprised at their daughter’s creative ideas.

C．They are proud of their daughter’s courage to face difficulties.

D．They are open-minded enough to respect their children’s decision.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The details about the year-long journey.

B．The keen anticipation of Mia about the future.

C．The changes of the kids physically and mentally.

D．The impression Mia had of what she had experienced.

4. Which is the best title of the story?

A．Seeing is believing.

B．Making the most of the vision.

C．Man who travels far knows more.

D．The eyes are the window to the soul.

6 . Immersive Disney Animation Singapore

Since its world debut in Toronto in December 2022, Immersive Disney Animation has already drawn audiences across 13 North American cities and made an intercontinental splash in Tokyo. Now, this much-awaited journey is about to hit South East Asia for the first time on 18th November 2023 at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands!

HIGHLIGHTS

The doors open up to a stunning 360-degree environment that will transport you into the world of Disney’s storytelling. From classic hits to the latest blockbusters like Frozen, Encanto, Zootopia, and Big Hero 6, you can journey through iconic scenes and meet the timeless characters.

The experience goes beyond mere visual delights. There’ll be lots of interactive elements too, including floors that move with you as you explore the galleries, bubble snowfall, wristbands that light up in different colors, and more. Of course, children will be provided with protective gear when they are exploring with parents.

It is also a hands-on adventure that will ignite your creativity and deepen your understanding of the art of animation. Inside the gallery filled with rarely seen exhibits from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, you can discover animator’s character sketches and get to know some of the incredible animators behind Disney’s legacy. There is also an interactive drawing table to try your hand at drawing your own cartoon characters and make them move.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: From 18th Nov 2023 (Sat)

Opening hours:

Mon–Thu & Sun: 10 am – 10 pm

Fri-Sat: 10 am – 11:30pm

Duration: 90 minutes per slot (时间段)

Exhibition Time-Slots:

10 am; 11:30 am; lpm;2:30 pm;4 pm;5:30 pm;7 pm;8:30 pm

10 pm (Only applicable to Fridays and Saturdays)

Tickets: From $41

CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW.

1. What can you experience in the Immersive Disney Animation Singapore?

A．Feasting your eyes on fantastic magic shows.

B．Interacting with Disney characters face to face.

C．Creating your own animated cartoon characters.

D．Enjoying a 90-minute newly-released Disney film.

2. What is a suitable time to go to Sands Theatre for the exhibition?

A．10 am, 19th Nov 2023.	B．11 am, 17th Nov 2023.
C．10 pm, 20th Nov 2023.	D．11 pm, 18th Nov 2023.

3. Where is this text most probably taken from?

A．A travel brochure.	B．An official website.
C．A local newspaper.	D．An online shopping platform.

7 . How to cultivate emotional awareness

In school, we learned the periodic table and were told to recite the alphabet, but nobody forced us to take a class on what emotions are and how they work.     1     Yet, research shows that being aware of your emotions is hugely beneficial and people with high emotional awareness have better social and emotional functioning.

Emotional awareness is being able to identify and make sense of not only our own emotions but those of others. It’s absolutely essential in maintaining good mental health. But if you’ve spent a lifetime masking your real emotions, being honest with yourself for the first time may prove tough.     2    

Turn to mindfulness

Mindfulness is the process of bringing our attention to: the present moment and becoming more aware of our thoughts.     3     There are many ways to be mindful, from practising breathwork to sitting in silence. Where emotional awareness is concerned, meditation which can aid clarity and allow us to view our emotions in a more measured way is strongly recommended.

Practice daily self-reflection

    4     You’d better create a habit of checking with yourself every day. Self-reflection cultivates emotional awareness and is key to understanding why you feel the way you do. Activities such as journaling can be really beneficial in learning about your thought processes. It may also help you actively choose healthy coping strategies to manage more challenging emotions. Free-writing, where you write out everything that’s on your mind without judgement, can be used to dig deeper into your thoughts and feelings.

Name what you’re feeling

Sometimes what we really struggle with is putting our emotions into words.     5     Instead of employing basic descriptions like angry, happy, frustrated or sad, consult The Emotion Wheel which identifies eight basic emotions at the centre of the wheel, with dozens of corresponding emotions of various intensities stemming out from it. It gives you a specific name for what you’re feeling. By naming them, we can not only find relief from those uncomfortable feelings but bring more joy and fulfilment into our lives too.

A．When was the last time you stopped and truly observed how you feel?

B．Turn into your emotions and honestly reflecting on how you feel is important.

C．It can be difficult to feel heard by others if we don’t have the language to describe how we’re feeling.

D．But it gets easier with practice.

E．It’s not always easy to put a finger on exactly what’s wrong, without digging a little deeper.

F．It’s a state of calm, non-judgmental state of mind.

G．And for many of us, that means understanding how we feel and why can be incredibly difficult.

8 . 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。

When I was a kid in Pennsylvania, my family rehabilitated (使康复) wild animals.

I grew up with animals running around the house. We would go travelling to Bermuda and I would watch the whales off the shore. I fell in love with them and wanted to know more about what they got up to underwater. Now I've been studying whales for more than30 years and I am the president of the Center for Whale Research and Conservation.

In 2017, I was on a boat around Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, working on a film about whale conservation. The crew wanted to get more footage of me in the water with the humpback whales — I often slip in quietly to record their behaviour for research. Seeing a couple of humpbacks in the distance, I slid off the boat wearing a mask and swam towards them.

As I was approaching, one of the male humpbacks came right up to me, touching me with his head and pushing me through the water. It caught me off-guard — in 33 years of doing this work, this had never happened. I put my arm out and tried to push myself away while he attempted to roll up me under his pectoral fin (胸鳍).

My scientist brain was in overdrive as I tried to work out what he was doing. I felt a mixed sense of excitement and fear. Then the whale swam underneath me and lifted me out of the water on his fin. I signaled to the boat, then — swoosh — I was pushed back under.

After minutes of being pushed around by the humpback, I saw what I thought was a second, smaller whale. But then I noticed the tail — whales move theirs up and down, and this one was moving side to side. I realized with horror that it belonged to a huge, 18-foot tiger shark. Tiger sharks are known to attack people, sometimes fatally (致命地).

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 shark had arched its body, which meant that it was in attack mode.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just over a year later, I was on a boat in the same area when I heard of a whale sighting in the harbour.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

Every time Oksana Chusovitina competes in a gymnastics event, she arrests the spotlight. The Hangzhou Asian Games proved no    1    (except). When the 48-year-old Uzbek gymnast appeared on the scene, thousands of viewers cheered for “Qiu Ma”,     2     translates into “Mother Chusovitina”.

After completing her vault (跳马), Chusovitina blew a kiss to the audience,     3     (form) a “heart” gesture with her hands. “It is the love and support of the people     4    keep me going and give me the strength to achieve more,” Chusovitina said.

“I am not very satisfied with my performance tonight,” she added. Chusovitina has    5     storied history at the Asian Games, having won eight medals. This year, she is targeting a medal in the vault. “I    6    (increase) the difficulty in the final,” she shared.

When her son was diagnosed with leukemia (白血病) in 2002, Chusovitina adopted German    7    (citizen) to compete at global events for a higher income. Her heartfelt affection, “I dare not grow old until you are well,” has resonated (共鸣) with many. After her son’s recovery, she continued her gymnastics journey out of love    8    the sport. Though she announced her retirement after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she decided to return    9     (short) after.

“The    10    (big) motivation is my desire. I’m just doing what I love, so why should I stop?” Chusovitina said.

10 . When Aiden asked me to accompany him on a camping trip, I pictured a wooden cabin with a fireplace. Imagine how my _______ image of camping became a nightmare (噩梦) when Aiden and his brother, Lebron, _______ with a truck filled with camping supplies! I did pack a backpack, as instructed, but I had no idea we were going on _______ training!

Lebron, ever so _______, hurried me to get in so we could leave the noisy city behind us. Ahead, the mountains came into view bigger; the trees were _______. At least the weather was _______ — cotton candy clouds dotted the deep blue sky.

At the trail-head, Lebron lectured Aiden and me about hiking _______. The first part of the trail (小路) looked more like a wooded road. _______, the path became narrower and steeper,   _______ me to focus on the task at hand. Finally, we reached the top. My legs aching, I dropped my pack and groaned (呻吟). “No time to __________,” Lebron said, looking up at the __________. “We need to set up camp.”

Lebron and Aiden worked __________, while I stood around and pretended to __________, thunder rumbling in the distance. Each time lightning lit up the tent, I drew back with fear. And just as __________ as the storm came rushing in, it died down, allowing us to exit the tent. The __________ was superb — I could see for miles.

1.

A．dangerous

B．boring

C．comfortable

D．embarrassing

2.

A．set off

B．showed up

C．showed off

D．caught up

3.

A．survival

B．meaningful

C．demanding

D．fascinating

4.

A．busy

B．efficient

C．patient

D．considerate

5.

A．larger

B．greener

C．clearer

D．older

6.

A．acceptable

B．adaptable

C．challenging

D．amazing

7.

A．rules

B．adventures

C．trails

D．lovers

8.

A．Now

B．Once

C．Thus

D．Soon

9.

A．leading

B．forcing

C．allowing

D．encouraging

10.

A．cry

B．rest

C．celebrate

D．escape

11.

A．mountain

B．partner

C．sky

D．pack

12.

A．expertly

B．unwillingly

C．eagerly

D．nervously

13.

A．complain

B．relax

C．learn

D．help

14.

A．strangely

B．constantly

C．quickly

D．quietly

15.

A．camping

B．rain

C．view

D．experience