One day, I was taking a summer class in American literature on the campus of The State University of New York at Oneonta. Professor James walked into the classroom and announced that he had invited a special guest to class, but his guest had been delayed. The class stirred with curiosity and anticipation.
“Who is coming?” someone asked. “All I will tell you is that he is the author of one of the books you have read for this class,” he said. “I need a volunteer to meet him and guide him here.”
To my amazement, my right hand shot up. I never volunteer for anything. I’m introverted(内向的), shy, and uncomfortable meeting new people. In fact, I’m absolutely the wrong person for the job. Realizing my mistake, I put my hand down quickly, but it was too late.
“Thank you, David,” said Professor James. “You’d better leave now. He will be arriving any minute.” Seeing no way to back out, I reluctantly got out of my seat and headed for the classroom door. When I reached it, I stopped. “Umm,” I said. “If I don’t know who this person is, how will I recognize him? I would hate to bring back the wrong guy.” Professor James laughed. “Good point,” he said. He pulled me aside and whispered a name in my ear. “Alex Haley,” he said. “Really?” I said.
I regretted for volunteering. Why me? Alex Haley is one of the authors of The Autobiography of Malcolm X : As Told to Alex Haley. He is so famous. As I walked across the campus, my anxiety grew. I feared that I was about to embarrass myself in front of the famous gentleman by asking stupid questions, or worse, by guiding him in painful silence.
But at the moment I realized why I instinctively raised my hand to volunteer for this job. The man was what I wanted to be: a writer. I could learn from him.
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。
I paced back and forth until a man with a briefcase(公文包) entered the building.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Encouraged by Mr Haley, I stopped worrying whether I had the talent for writing.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The vast fields of wheat in Northeast China are no ordinary plants — they were created in outer space. They are a variety known as Luyuan502 and are China’s second most
They are an example of a growing number
China
3 . A woman about 100 years old just proved that age means nothing by breaking three amateur(业余的) swimming world records.
On Saturday, Jan. 20, Betty Brussels
Betty Brussel didn’t get into
Betty finished her 50m backstroke in 1:24.91, which was almost five
“I was surprised by my own
Even though Betty Brussels only just
“I live life every day and
| A．set aside | B．called on | C．headed for | D．engaged in |
| A．group | B．court | C．period | D．department |
| A．challenging | B．demanding | C．appropriate | D．competitive |
| A．regain | B．reach | C．commit | D．recall |
| A．building upon | B．carrying out | C．relying on | D．showing off |
| A．minutes | B．seconds | C．moments | D．meters |
| A．formerly | B．regularly | C．temporarily | D．interestingly |
| A．improving | B．completing | C．raising | D．stopping |
| A．behavior | B．function | C．restriction | D．swim |
| A．fascinated | B．attracted | C．touched | D．affected |
| A．records | B．dreams | C．beliefs | D．failures |
| A．happy | B．anxious | C．sorry | D．thankful |
| A．declined | B．proved | C．revealed | D．marked |
| A．novel | B．advertisement | C．documentary | D．interview |
| A．cue | B．enjoy | C．purchase | D．deserve |
4 . By keeping a diary, you can create a space for self-reflection. With each word you write, you’re taking a step towards a deeper understanding of yourself and moving closer to well-being.
A tool for self-discovery
A diary acts as a mirror, reflecting your innermost thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Help recognize sources of stress
Sometimes people find it challenging to express their emotions verbally (口头上) and tend to block them out. Ignored unexpressed emotions can cause stress and get stored in the body, causing disease and pain. A diary provides a private space to explore and express feelings. This process of externalizing emotions inside can help reduce stress and manage overwhelming emotions.
Encourage solutions to problems and reflection
Facing a challenge that you can’t seem to figure out? Put pen to paper. Writing about challenges can help clarify the issue, explore potential solutions, and reflect on past experiences that may offer insight.
Even if you’ve never keep a diary before, it’s easy to begin. Persistence (坚持) is key to keeping a diary.
| A．Release and process feelings |
| B．Keep a diary during the spare time each day |
| C．Reflection can make you puzzled on your personal journey |
| D．Writing about worries or challenges every day can be a way out |
| E．Keeping a diary gives you a way to blame your friends or family |
| F．This way improves decision-making and encourages a positive attitude towards challenges |
| G．You can uncover patterns in your thinking or behavior, leading to increased self-awareness |
5 . With amazing Christmas lights and some very special guests, Pallion Action Group kicked off the festive season in style after another year of giving much-needed support to the Sunderland community.
“We’ve got wreath making, our singers and dancers and, of course, a visit from Santa. This event brings out so much enthusiasm in the community,” said organizer Karen Noble. “We’ll also go and surprise anyone we know who’s going to be lonely at Christmas.”
Pallion has been at the heart of the community here since 1993, but the past couple of years have seen people increasingly struggling financially and feeling lonely. “This time last year, people were in great poverty,” said Karen. “But if we’ve done our job properly, they’ve become more financially resilient (可迅速恢复的) or less lonely and we should be helping different people this year. And a lot of those who were helped last year are volunteering for us now. People are so kind — we get loads of homemade thank-you cards. But I think the biggest thanks we get is knowing we’ve helped somebody to the point where they’re independent and getting on with life.”
Karen and the team organize a wide range of activities, from after-school clubs and cookery sessions to line dancing and computer classes to keep older people connected. But all this wouldn’t be possible without funding from People’s Health Trust, with money raised through The Health Lottery (彩票). Every time you play The Health Lottery, not only could you win up to £100,000, but you’re also helping to raise much-needed funds that go straight to the heart of the community. “So playing The Health Lottery is not just the chance to win a prize. You could be making a real difference,” said Karen.
1. What can we know about Pallion Action Group from the first two paragraphs?| A．It needs much support. |
| B．Its main task is holding festivals. |
| C．It cares for the community. |
| D．It offers a chance to visit Santa. |
| A．It is of no use. | B．It has paid off. |
| C．It needs improving. | D．It is not satisfactory. |
| A．By funding from an organization. |
| B．By raising money themselves. |
| C．By receiving donations from different people. |
| D．By receiving money from the government. |
| A．Sensitive and skeptical. | B．Ambitious and energetic. |
| C．Talented and intelligent. | D．Caring and enthusiastic. |
6 . Several art projects are on show to warn people of the climate change happening around us.
Video on the walls
Photographer Camille Seaman has traveled to both the North Pole and the South Pole, where she has captured the disappearing ice in photographs and video. Camille Seaman made a video with some of her most powerful photos of melting ice for people in four coastal cities to display on their buildings. The video ends with a prediction that sea level will rise by 2050 without relative action.
Mural (壁画)changing color
Temperatures in Austin, Texas, are on the rise, and climate change will put the city at higher risk of extended drought, wildfires, intense rain and flooding. Artist Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz designed a unique mural that changes color as it gets hotter. This art work calls for people to change the world and change climate change, underlining the importance of individual actions to the collective future.
Public billboard (广告牌)
Artist Christine Sun Kim released a public billboard on the 710 Freeway called The Sound of Temperature Rising. It points to the reality of climate disaster that has become all too clear on the West Coast and the need for significant change now. The illustration features a graph (图表) of music notes that get progressively longer and redder.
Anti-Extinction Library
Globally, species are disappearing at an unheard-of rate. In response, architect Mitchell Joachim created The Anti-Extinction Library in New York. The sculptural piece is not only beautiful but also functional. Their unique egg-shaped library has a special freezer storing test tubes with the frozen cells and DNA of rare animals and plants. It’s important for people to realize we must quickly work to protect the rights of different species in our area.
1. What is the key feature of the mural?| A．It lights up at night. |
| B．It moves with the wind. |
| C．It plays music when it rains. |
| D．It changes color with temperature. |
| A．Camille Seaman’s. | B．Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz’s. |
| C．Christine Sun Kim's. | D．Mitchel l Joachim’s. |
| A．To praise artists’ participation. |
| B．To call for people to take action. |
| C．To show the severe result of climate change. |
| D．To facilitate the combination of art and climate. |
7 . In school, kids are told to drink water in class.
For many years, people have followed the unofficial advice of drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, known as the “8×8 rule”. It’s said that this seems to have partly come from the guidance that was published almost 80 years ago. In 1945, the US Food and Nutrition Board of National Research Council advised drinking one millilitre (毫升) of liquid for every recommended calorie of food. This is equal to around two litres of water a day, or eight glasses per person.
There are, of course, undeniable benefits to drinking water.
So, next time you feel thirsty, reach for a glass of water, but otherwise, don’t worry about it!
| A．Your body knows what it’s doing. |
| B．Is that the probable origin of the “8×8 rule”? |
| C．So should we control our water intake at all? |
| D．Yet the reality is that individuals have different needs. |
| E．After all, drinking more water is far from unreasonable. |
| F．Announcers encourage us to remember our bottles on public transport. |
| G．Water helps our bodies regulate temperature, aids digestion and acts as a shock absorber for our joints. |
8 . The maleo (塚雉), a bird with black feathers and a pink chest, is native to Indonesia’s Sulawesi island and a few neighboring ones. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which identifies wildlife across the world currently facing threats, estimates only 800 to 1,400 adult maleos remain in the wild. Experts do not know how many maleos still live across West Sulawesi island. They were only able to record the presence of nesting grounds in 23 villages based on reports from locals in the area. But of those, only 18 are considered active nesting areas.
Recently, the birds have been faced with new threats, which accelerate their decline. The Indonesian government plans to move the nation’s capital from Jakarta to a new city on Borneo island, which is just a six-hour boat trip apart from Sulawesi island. The island takes on the building of new roads and seaports to be used to transport materials to the new capital. Activities also include tree clearing, digging, and removing stones. The process already has changed the forest environment on West Sulawesi and is harming maleo nesting areas near the beach. These changes have made the trip for maleos to lay their eggs increasingly difficult.
Another problem has been poachers. The Associated Press reports that, regardless of official ban, they steal maleo eggs that the males’ parents have hidden in the sand, and sell the eggs for about $1 to people as food. The eggs are a traditional gift for many people in Mamuju and other parts of Sulawesi.
“As far as I know, maleo birds are in decline,” said Andi Aco Takdir, chief of the West Sulawesi Forestry Agency. He pointed to several reasons for the decline, including destruction of beach areas, and expanding human development activities. He added that government officials there are prepared to take steps to protect the maleos even with the new capital development. Andi said, “Nature conservation must be used as an achievement and must not be built leaving behind problems.”
1. Which word can be used to describe the maleos?| A．Endangered. | B．Adaptable. |
| C．Widespread. | D．Extinct. |
| A．The sudden changes of climate. |
| B．The disappearance of the forests. |
| C．The development of Sulawesi island. |
| D．The supporting work for the new capital. |
| A．People who hunt maleos for their meat. |
| B．People who live by selling maleo eggs. |
| C．People who engage in illegal hunting. |
| D．People who regard maleo eggs as gifts. |
| A．The new capital development might be stopped at once. |
| B．The government will balance conservation and development. |
| C．There seems to be a tough way for the new capital to develop. |
| D．The government will concentrate on solving urban problems. |
Spotted lanternflies (斑点灯笼蝇) are an invasive species. Since 2014, they have been seen all across the eastern United States. The insects are harmful to many plants, and can disturb entire ecosystems. State officials have urged people to kill spotted lanternflies wherever they see them.
When Joy saw the pests in her school courtyard, she thought she had to do something. “I’ve always wanted to take environmental action,” she says, “and show people that no one is ever too small to make a difference.”
So she started a club called Squash (压扁). Its mission is to kill spotted lanternflies around the school. More than 20 students have joined. At first, they trapped the pests in empty water bottles and then squashed them. In a single day, the club managed to kill more than a hundred spotted lanternflies.
Joy wanted to do more. With research, she discovered a plant called milkweed. It’s nutritious for pollinators (传粉昆虫) such as monarch butterflies but poisonous to spotted lanternflies. Joy thought that using milkweed along with the traps made specifically for spotted lanternflies would be a better way to kill them. The issue was that they didn’t have enough money to buy milkweed and the traps.
The kids were hoping to raise money for their school to address the big problem. Their goal was to raise $200, the cost of the equipment needed to kill spotted lanternflies around their school. They got part of the way there, with about $75. They decided to attract more fundraisers. “We discovered that if you find your voice,” Joy says, “you can do much more.”
In May, Joy and other students from Squash gathered in Columbus Park, in New York City. They set up a table with lemonade, cookies, and origami figures for sale. The money will be used to buy milkweed and the traps.
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。
To attract more attention, the students divided their work into various roles.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the day progressed, the students’ efforts paid off.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Frances Wood, a well-known British historian, working on the study of Chinese culture, has said Chinese civilisation is one of the most fascinating and lasting
Some rules
Wood studied Chinese at Cambridge University in
As a person with the duty of being in charge
