1 . When the PISA worldwide educational comparisons came out late in 2023, most countries fell to wondering how to do better. Spain had lost ground since the last time the tests were done in 2018. But students in Catalonia lost even more. Besides, native Spanish-speakers did worse than Catalan-speakers, which soon led to the blame on language policy.

In the 1980s Catalonia began a transition to teaching all subjects in Catalan, except Spanish. Several years ago the region’s top court ruled that at least 25% of classes must be given in Spanish. The regional government, led by separatists, then passed a law allowing individual school heads to raise or lower the level of teaching in Spanish, according to their need.

A new report for the Association for Bilingual Schools in Catalonia (AEB), which campaigns for more Spanish, said that hardly any schools have changed their published policies. And so they requested the European Parliament to investigate whether pupils’ basic rights had been violated. The week before Christmas a delegation made a fact-finding trip. The Catalan education secretary says they came having already made up their minds that the region’s language policy harms pupils’ performance.

In the Escola San Jaume, a primary school in El Prat de Llobregat, a heavily Spanish-speaking town near Barcelona, all signs are in Catalan. Only about 10% of the pupils are native Catalan-speakers, says the director, Arturo Ramírez. Despite the never-ending discussion across Spain, it is one largely achieved in Catalonia, where over 80% of the population speaks and reads Catalan, and everyone, except some immigrants, speaks Spanish too. Watching the happy students on his playground, Mr Ramírez says “There is no problem here. The problem is outside the building.”

1. What caused the blame on language policy?

A．That the native Catalan-speakers did better than Spanish-speakers in PISA.

B．That Spain had lost ground.

C．That most countries was wondering how to do better.

D．That the PISA worldwide educational comparisons came out.

2. Which best describes the transition in the 1980s?

A．At least 25% of classes must be given in Spanish.

B．All subjects were taught in Catalan.

C．Raise or lower the level in teaching according to need.

D．The regional government passed a law.

3. Which might be the percentage of the schools that have changed their published policies?

A．100%.

B．50%.

C．75%.

D．1%.

4. What might be the attitude of Mr Ramírez to their language teaching?

A．Indifferent.

B．Neutral.

C．Confident.

D．Unclear.

2 . Antarctic charity offers the ideal job—if you don’t mind noisy penguins

A heritage charity is advertising vacancies at the bottom of the world. Four candidates will be chosen to fill the five-month role at Port Lockroy-the “Penguin Post Office”. The nearly-80-year-old building is on British-owned Goudier Island, which is about the size of a football field, featured in hundreds of lovely penguins, breathtaking landscapes and the chance to support conservation efforts in one of the most remote corners of the planet.

Jobs contents:

Managing a museum, post office and gift shop as well as counting penguins.

Requirements for applicants:

The successful applicant should be passionate adventurers. He or she would be resilient, physically fit, environmentally aware, and get ready to take on the challenge of spending five months far away from home.

Advantages:

It has the most splendid mountain range and a glacier with icebergs. It is really raw nature and stunningly beautiful.

Cooking is shared, and meals are variable for it has a trained chef.

There are lovely activities such as having a typical movie night, playing board games or giving presentations on subjects as an Antarctic tradition.

Disadvantages:

Applicants have to adapt to near-constant daylight, subzero temperatures and no flushing toilet or running water.

The penguins are experiencing their breeding season, so applicants cannot escape from the noise.

Applications opened yesterday to UK residents, with training beginning from August this year to March 2025. There will be interview s and selection events before then.

1. Who can be the most suitable applicants for the project?

A．A woman who has trouble sleeping well.

B．A woman who becomes homesick every time he leaves home for business.

C．A man who is experienced in management.

D．A man who has great passion for nature.

2. How long will one be trained if he/ she is selected?

A．8 months.

B．6 months.

C．10 months.

D．2 months.

3. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To advertise for four candidates on Goudier Island.	B．To introduce penguins at Port Lockroy.
C．To compare some advantages of a job.	D．To provide some places to travel.

3 . Torsongan Bullik is a 28-year-old cross-country skier. When he was a freshman in junior high school in 2009, he excelled at long-distance running. As an amateur in 2016, he finished third in the Xinjiang Wusu International Marathon. And then a passion for cycling revealed itself as his hometown hosted the Tour of Sayram Lake, a national road race for amateur cyclists.

“The high-spirited cyclists, their flashy costumes and helmets fascinated me,” he recalls. “I felt that cycling was really cool.”

In 2012, Torsongan’s father gave him a mountain bike that cost 5,000 yuan ($695), which was a lot of money for his family. He loved the bicycle so much that he used it at every opportunity. Two years later, he entered his first competition, although there was no fairy-tale ending as he lost his balance on a steep slope. But he was determined and kept testing his limits. This paid off as he has won medals at all levels of the sport in China.

On Oct 18, 2018, Torsongan was the first to cross the finish line during a high-altitude bike race in the Xizang autonomous region. But surprisingly, it was the national cross-country skiing team that he impressed with his endurance (耐力). They were in search of new talented athletes for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Accepting the invitation from the team marked a turning point for Torsongan’s career, but challenges remained. “After training with the team during the day, I had to go to the gym to level up my upper-body strength in the evening,” Torsongan said in an earlier interview.

He didn’t make the final list, but worked as a technician assisting (帮助) in the operations of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Regardless of the outcome of the 14th National Winter Games, Torsongan enjoyed the challenge of competing, and has his eyes set on the next race.

“I will continue with my efforts. As long as I don’t give up, I still have a chance to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics,” he says.

1. What set Torsongan on the cross-country skiing road?

A．He felt that skiing was really cool.

B．He studied on cross-country skiing.

C．A professional team looked for someone with talent.

D．He hoped to fulfill his father’s expectations.

2. Which of the following can best describe Torsongan?

A．Determined and hard-working.	B．Cautious and responsible.
C．Strong and humorous.	D．Talented and productive.

3. Which of the following can we know from the Torsongan?

A．He used to be a professional long-distance runner.

B．His hard work of bike training didn’t paid off.

C．He didn’t accept the invitation from the team.

D．He was a technician in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

4. What is Torsongan’s next plan?

A．Encouraging others to join in his activity.

B．Becoming a technician assistant in his hometown.

C．Continuing his dream at the next Winter Olympics.

D．Becoming a long-distance running player.

4 . Hope is a way of thinking. We know it can be taught; we know it can be nurtured.

Being hopeful doesn’t mean engaging in wishful thinking or blind optimism.     1    . The opposite of hope, therefore, is not pessimism, but indifference, with its loss of motivation. And while wishing is passive, hope is about taking action. Here are some tips that can help cultivate hope-even when it feels unattainable.

Give yourself permission to be hopeful

Remember when you were a kid, and well-intentioned adults cautioned you not to get your hopes up?     2    , at some point we are going to be disappointed. The solution is not never allowing ourselves to feel hopeful or giving up on hope altogether.

Set at least one meaningful goal

In order to be hopeful, people must think in a goal-oriented way. Make it a point to always be working toward at least one goal that’s meaningful. In other words, it shouldn’t be something you have to do, but something you want to do.     3    .

    4    

People who are high in hope, meanwhile, tend to generate lots of pathways-so if one doesn’t work out, they have an alternative at the ready. If you’re struggling to make a plan, or you keep being blocked-by someone else, or an unfair system, or bad luck-sitting down with a pen and paper and giving yourself an hour to brainstorm solutions will be suggested.

Call your support team

    5    . Getting a good night’s rest, following a health y diet, and meditating can all promote agency. Sometimes, however, the strongest source of agency is other people. Make a list of your biggest supporters, so when you’re feeling unmotivated, you know exactly who to call for a boost.

A．Struggle to make a plan.

B．Brainstorm solutions.

C．Goals can be anything that’s important to us.

D．Rather, it’s the belief that we have the ability to go after a better future.

E．People who are hopeful tend to have a lot of “agency”.

F．When you can see yourself in the future, that is the very essence of hope.

G．In fact, whether or not we allow ourselves to hope.

5 . Powerful Quotes To Help You Find Your Way When You Feel Lost

Everyone has moments in their lives when they feel a little lost, and it is at these times that we begin to question who we are and what the purpose of life is. Many people have struggled with similar emotions before us.     1    

    2     It can happen to anyone at any time. If you are currently going through such a period in your life, powerful quotations will undoubtedly be beneficial. They will always act in your best interests and direct you in the right direction.

Powerful quotations about feeling lost will encourage you to search within and discover how you truly are. With all of life’s ups and downs, it’s simple to feel like your life is meaningless, that there is no hope for the future.     3    

Perhaps you’ve become lost in your work, your relationship, or your parental responsibilities.     4     Powerful quotations will aid in your self-understanding and boost your confidence so that you can design the life you love.

You need to understand that you are not alone if you’re feeling lost.     5     Because things will pass and get better. It Make an effort to show yourself enough love and attention. Enjoy life as it comes to you and take your time.

A．The only life you can actually lead is the one that is immediately in front of you.

B．So follow them, set aside your concerns and allow yourself to see the life that lies ahead.

C．In any event, you shouldn’t let yourself become trapped in this condition of confusion.

D．Your current difficult situations are temporary.

E．Being lost is perfectly normal.

F．Get help from some powerful professional quotes.

G．However, maybe you’re experiencing a difficult time that you weren’t prepared well.

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。

Suona performer Xue Tianlong and his night class courses recently made     1     (headline) as the classes gained popularity among young people in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. His courses,     2     (hold)   at the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Center, surprisingly have 491 people signed up for a limited 16 slots. Most of the students are     3     their 20s and 30s, all with great enthusiasm and affection for the traditional instrument.

The suona was first introduced to China from Arabia via the ancient Silk Road as early as the     4     (three) century. The instrument first appeared in written records during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) , and was used as     5     horn to inspire soldiers in the battle. Over the years, the suona     6     (become) widely popular and is commonly used at traditional ceremonies in rural China such as weddings and funerals, in combination with gongs and drums.

With its     7     (extreme) loud and distinctively expressive sounds, the suona is often hailed as the “king of Chinese folk instruments.” In recent years, more suona performers have been working with musicians of different music genres, such as jazz and bossa nova,     8     (give) the suona a contemporary twist. Young suona players     9     (see) actively promoting the instrument on social media platforms,     10     has helped the instrument to experience a revival.

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。

The farming-themed program, Become a Farmer, stands out as one of the most widely discussed and popular Chinese reality     1     (show) in the past year.

The program truthfully records 10 young men in their 20s     2     spent 190 days diligently sowing, irrigating (灌溉), fertilizing, and harvesting on 142 acres of land. Before the show, the 10 young men     3     (work) in the entertainment industry. It is not the fake experience of farming under the camera,     4     the fact that they farmed the land for half     5     year, sowing, planting, and breeding throughout the process.

Before starting their rural lives, the production unit conducted training classes for these young men     6     (learn) some basic skills. Moreover, they     7     (require) to learn how to operate agricultural machinery (器械), including tractors and rice harvesters.

The production unit attracted audience to     8     (active) get involved by hosting regular livestreams (直播). The first season of the show included over 100 livestreams, having a total viewership over 170 million on Sina Weibo and Douyin. Many netizens took part     9     these livestreams by leaving comments to express     10     (they) concern about the participants’ working process.

8 . 3 Most Inspirational Stories For The Child In You

Whether you choose to share these tales with your children or enjoy a personal journey through their pages, you’re about to unwrap a fascinating world of inspiration! Now is the time to visit our web and be ready to be inspired!

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!-By Dr. Seuss

In a world full of creatures and strange features living in a colorful town, there is a character who sets out on an amazing journey. This character sailed through many adventures. Facing all the challenges, this character never gave up. Do you know why? Because it is understood that life is just an exciting journey that is full of surprises. And if you are brave enough, you will find lots of opportunities just waiting around the corner.

The Little Engine That Could -By Watty Piper

In a colorful world of engines, there lived a tiny blue engine. It was small but it had big dreams! One day, the engines were entrusted (委派) with the most important task of the year: To deliver toys to children who live on the other side of the towering mountain. “It’s too hard. We can’t do it.” Said all the bigger engines. But the little engine believed in itself and set out on the mountain with effort. The little blue engine completed the task and it was only able to do this because it believed in itself!

The Rainbow Fish-By Marcus Pfister

There was an extraordinarily beautiful fish called the Rainbow Fish that had sparkling scales in the oceans. But it did not want to share its scales with other fish. Despite being so beautiful, it had no friends! One day, a wise octopus (章鱼) told the fish that we truly feel satisfied in life when we share our blessings with the less fortunate. The Rainbow Fish reflected on its own life and started sharing its scale with other fish. The Rainbow Fish made many friends that day. It discovered the joy of a true friendship.

1. If you hope your child has courage to conquer difficulties, which story you probably choose?

A．Oh, the Places You’ll Go!	B．The Little Engine That Could.
C．The Rainbow Fish.	D．All of them.

2. Who makes the Rainbow Fish change its mind?

A．Itself.

B．Other fish.

C．Marcus Pfister.

D．The wise octopus.

3. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A story book.

B．A web page.

C．A newspaper.

D．A textbook.

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。

Rikki’s mom was preparing baked beans and mixing up potato salad to go with Saturday night barbecue when Rikki stormed in the front door and marched to her room. She glanced out the window and saw their neighbor Lexi walking back to her house across the road. Mother’s intuition told herself this situation might need some direction.

“Rikki, come in here. I need some help with dinner.” Rikki came out with an obstinate look on her face —the kind that kids have when they know they are wrong but have convinced themselves they are right.

“I noticed that Lexi came over but didn’t stay long. She is your age and in your class at school. Why doesn’t she stay longer?” Mom watched Rikki out of the corner of her eye as she continued to prepare food. “I don’t like her,” Rikki whined. “I wish she would stop coming over here all the time. She dresses terrible, and sometimes she doesn’t smell good. Her nose is always runny, and her hair is tangled. None of us like her.” Mom knew that “none of us” meant the popular crowd Rikki ran with.

“That’s not her fault, Rikki. I don’t know what her family is like, but maybe she doesn’t have anyone to help her. Some kids don’t have the extra things that you and your friends have. That doesn’t make them any less worthy than you.” Rikki replied that she knew that, and those things were not the real issue. “I just don’t like to play with her, Momma. She doesn’t like to do the same things that I do.”

Mom told Rikki to go on outside and play. What she didn’t know, however, was that Rikki’s dad had been watching while he was grilling. He didn’t like the fact that Rikki had ignored Lexi, so he decided to intervene. He wanted to know why Lexi was leaving with her head down and looking so sad.

注意：
(1)续写词数应为150个左右；
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Then Rikki’s father came over and asked what happened.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rikki went with her dad to invite Lexi.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . Save the rice for cooking, says the phone company, which has finally acknowledged the longstanding “trick” could do more damage.

You know the nightmare situation: You dropped your phone in water — be it pool, ocean, or toilet, your worries get the best of you, although iPhone 12’s and onwards are designed to survive 30 minutes of aquatic submersion. In the urgent need of saving your expensive device from potential damage, you remember your friend’s suggestion to throw it in a bag of rice overnight. Supposedly, the grain draws out any remaining water droplets from the smartphone’s tiny crevices, saving its precious circuitry in the process. They swore by it, after all. What is there to lose?

Well, as the phone company spotted earlier today, a recently updated document states that this “trick” could actually cause further issues in your phone. “Don’t put your wet phone in a bag of rice,” the company warns in the revised article on its dreaded Liquid Detection Alert, “For doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your phone,” while the rice starch (淀粉) can block the innards through the device’s small cracks. Besides all that, rice simply isn’t as effective as other materials, such as those silica packets you already should be recycling, anyway.

Among the other rumored solutions to avoid, the company advises phone owners not to use an “external heat source” such as a blow dryer, as well as leave the compressed air can in the utility closet. Similarly, trying to stuff cotton swabs, napkins, paper towels, or any other “foreign object” into charging ports could make things worse.

So, what should you do if your phone takes a plunge? The company advises a gentle approach in such situations, such as simply tapping the device against your hand “with the connector facing down” to dislodge liquid, then leaving it in an open, dry space with decent airflow for at least 30 minutes. From there, try connecting it to a cable charger. Yes. They really did pull out the trusty “Have you tried turning it on and off again?” line for this one.

1. Which is closest in meaning to “get the best of” in paragraph 2?

A．Make full of.

B．Make fun of.

C．Take care of.

D．Take control of.

2. Why is it NOT suggested to put your wet phone in rice?

A．Because the rice will damage the inner parts of the phone.

B．Because the rice is cheaper and more effective than other materials.

C．Because the rice will stick to the phone.

D．Because the rice will be wet.

3. What is the suitable way to dry a wet phone according to the phone company?

A．Stuffing cotton swabs to absorb the water.

B．Leaving it in an open, dry place with constant flowing air.

C．Using a blow dryer to heat up the inside.

D．Using napkins to dry up the surface.

4. Which can be the best title of this passage?

A．Placing wet phone in rice may hurt.	B．Rice is a good choice for drying up wet phone.
C．Phone 12 is designed water-proof.	D．Approaches to dry up your wet phone.