1 . As my husband and I saw someone publicizing the benefits of spending time outdoors, we were lost in thought. Noticing my daughter had
When we persuaded my daughter to join us, we
“Well done! You’ve arrived as scheduled,” said our ski instructor as we reached the resort. It was
The resort took account of almost all the trouble we might have in skiing. Of the fifty-three runs, eight were greens labeled with
While the experience frightened us, it also
| A．met | B．become | C．criticized | D．dominated |
| A．introduce | B．persuade | C．divide | D．trick |
| A．reward | B．examination | C．comment | D．involvement |
| A．calculated | B．witnessed | C．booked | D．offered |
| A．bother | B．moment | C．fine | D．profit |
| A．above | B．high | C．negative | D．varying |
| A．apparently | B．barely | C．instantly | D．straightly |
| A．signs | B．trees | C．materials | D．walls |
| A．convinced | B．warned | C．advised | D．guided |
| A．permanent | B．legal | C．cool | D．polite |
| A．humble | B．apologetic | C．motivated | D．pleased |
| A．fell | B．woke | C．asked | D．admitted |
| A．delayed | B．discouraged | C．interrupted | D．inspired |
| A．kind | B．shortage | C．answer | D．guarantee |
| A．spoke up | B．broke down | C．went back | D．set off |
On March 21, an artist released a video
AI painting,
Despite the increased efficiency, people are becoming concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs. Not that long ago, painters
3 . Do you know that all sorts of adventures can happen in educational settings after sundown? Here’s a round-up of sites where the fun continues as night falls.
Ripley’s Aquarium
TORONTO, CANADA
Ever wondered how sweet your dreams would be while sleeping in an aquarium’s shark tunnel that holds around 2.9 million litres of water? You can find out during an Overnight Reef Adventure. Green sawfish, sand tiger sharks, Queensland groupers, and green sea turtles will be your companions for the night.
California Academy of Sciences
SAN FRANCISCO, US
This awe-inspiring museum in Golden Gate Park hosts regular Penguins + Pajamas Sleepovers. As the name suggests, pack your pajamas, grab a sleeping bag, and spend a night under the same roof as a colony of African penguins. You can explore a rainforest full of free-flying birds and foreign reptiles (爬行动物) before lights-out. There’s also a planetarium (天文馆) that’s truly out of this world.
Kennedy Space Center
FLORIDA, US
In the Kennedy Space Center, youth groups and visitors making private bookings can have after-hours opportunity to enjoy hands-on challenges, watch a 3D movie in an IMAX theatre, and go on a Q&A session with a former NASA astronaut who’s travelled into space. What’s more, you get to sleep either underneath a 110 m-long Saturn V moon rocket or beside the space shuttle Atlantis.
1. At Ripley’s Aquarium, what will visitors encounter?| A．Foreign reptiles. | B．African penguins. |
| C．Free-flying birds. | D．Sand tiger sharks. |
| A．Travelers seeking sea adventures. | B．Locals eager for outdoor activities. |
| C．Teenagers attracted by hands-on challenges. | D．Visitors interested in space and animals. |
| A．They are all located in the US. | B．They only open after sundown. |
| C．They all offer overnight experiences. | D．They all feature interactive sections. |
4 . There is widespread agreement that climate change threatens our existence. But in our rush to address this challenge, our efforts mustn’t heighten another, more immediate one: the global decline of biodiversity. We are losing species at 1,000 times the natural rate. If we stay on this track, we risk losing up to half of them by the middle of the century.
Sadly, the singular focus on solving climate change has led to people ignoring biodiversity. The alarming result is that many climate efforts unintentionally quicken nature’s destruction. Take the huge need for solar farms for an example. If not located properly, they’ll impact ecosystems and habitats. In Virginia, for example, more than half of solar facilities are being built on forested land rather than areas such as rooftops or parking lots. The state’s push for solar development could lead to the deforestation of nearly 30,000 acres annually.
There is a real risk that badly planned renewable infrastructure (基础设施) will have a greater impact on biodiversity than existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Thus, we need to chart a path that doesn’t address one environmental challenge by creating others.
Indeed, with practical choices, we can do the opposite, using nature to address climate change. Consider carbon removal. Research shows between 2001 and 2019, forests around the world seized more than twice the amount of carbon dioxide that they emitted (排放) — absorbing more than the combined annual emissions of the US and UK. Nature is also critical in setting the adaptation necessary to prepare for increasingly severe weather shocks, such as the role of mangroves (a kind of tree) in absorbing floods.
Governments must think differently, employing better infrastructure planning at all levels. A report from The Nature Conservancy shows careful siting can reduce the effects of the clean energy infrastructure by 70%compared with siting as usual practices. For instance, solar farms can be put on already degraded land.
It would be a tragic irony if, in our efforts to tackle climate change, we end upbringing a big and immediate crisis in the natural world.
1. What is the effect of building solar farms on forested land in Virginia?| A．It damages the forest. | B．It boosts local economy. |
| C．It reduces human’s living space. | D．It protects the environment. |
| A．Increasing funds for clean energy. | B．Using technology to remove carbon. |
| C．Locating clean energy projects carefully. | D．Prioritizing renewable energy totally. |
| A．climate change will contribute to more severe issues |
| B．focus on climate change makes people ignore land use |
| C．efforts to solve climate change speed up biodiversity loss |
| D．the development of clean energy quickens climate change |
| A．Pessimistic and critical. | B．Factual and concerned. |
| C．Subjective and dismissive. | D．Humorous and optimistic. |
5 . I once had a strange relationship with money. I always made more money than most people of my age did. But it still stressed me out, and I felt like I never had enough. After coming across The School of Betty, a platform that enables women to create relationships with their money, I found myself inspired to do a no-spend month challenge. The result? I saved more than $1,000. It was like finding money in my winter coat pocket after a long summer.
The most eye-opening thing a no-spend challenge can do for you is shedding light on the emotions and the behaviors you have around your money that have become a habit. Most individuals don’t realize they are spending out of habit and based on their emotions. Figuring out the causes and knowing I was able to save a good sum of money in only 30 days, I set out to do a longer challenge — three months.
As for the first challenge, I was only allowed to buy essentials, which meant my normal bills — lighting, phone, car insurance, gas, oil and groceries. But in my 90-day challenge, I further removed all of the extras — no new clothes, no new shoes, and no lunches at restaurants. I allowed myself one night out with friends per month — to avoid going crazy — but I stuck to a budget. This also allowed me to see what type of experience was worth my money and what type was wasting my money.
90 days later, my jaw hit the floor when I totaled my savings: I was almost $4,000 richer. The rewards were more than financial: I was able to distinguish between my needs and my wants. The process enabled me to spot purchases driven by emotions. Even better, I shifted the way I valued money: The money I spent socializing with friends felt far more valuable than the pleasure of purchasing, say, two new sweaters.
1. How did the author feel after the first no-spend challenge?| A．Stressed and regretful. | B．Surprised and wonderful. |
| C．Tired but content. | D．Awful but encouraged. |
| A．Because of their unintentional habits. | B．Because of their social communication. |
| C．Because of their heavy pressure of work. | D．Because of their basic needs. |
| A．She hung around with friends weekly. | B．She saw essentials as a waste of money. |
| C．She enjoyed her friends’ company. | D．She bought nothing in ninety days. |
| A．To share personal experiences. | B．To advertise a platform. |
| C．To support an argument. | D．To advocate healthy lifestyles. |
6 . Perhaps a friend you’ve known for years has moved away. It’s normal to feel sad and frustrated at not getting to see him in the way you’d like to.
WRITE LOTS OF LETTERS
Seeing a note or card from someone they care about in the letterbox is a sure way to make your friend smile. While it’s good to keep in touch via technology, putting your thoughts down on paper shows how much you care and that you’ve set aside some time to think about them. It doesn’t have to be an essay.
SEND A CARE PACKAGE
SHARE A SHOW
Is there a TV series that you both love? While you may not be able to share a packet of popcorn and view it side by side, you could arrange to watch it at the same time and then talk on the phone about it afterwards, sharing your reactions and opinions.
| A．It’s the thought that counts. |
| B．But staying connected is possible. |
| C．It can also be an e-mail with photos. |
| D．Postcards are a lovely way to stay in touch. |
| E．This works well as a way of regularly staying in touch. |
| F．Once in a while, make a parcel filled with items that are meaningful to your friend. |
| G．Even when you live far apart from someone, they can still be a big part of your life. |
7 . Psychologists have defined nostalgia (怀旧) as a self-conscious and social emotion, bittersweet but mainly positive. It develops out of happy memories mixed with a desire for the past and the close relationships we had back then. Often, nostalgia involves sensory stimuli. For example, the smell of autumn leaves might cause an intense longing for your childhood home. Neuroscientists have found it’s a complex cognitive phenomenon involving many parts of the brain, including some that are involved in self-reflection, emotional regulation, and reward processing.
Almost everyone experiences nostalgia, although its object tends to vary throughout life. One survey conducted by the psychologist Krystine Irene Batcho found younger people felt more nostalgia for pets, toys, and holidays than did older people, who felt it more strongly for music.
Nostalgia was originally viewed as an emotional disease when it was first defined in the late 17th century. Perhaps because it often occurs when people are experiencing negative moods or having bad experiences. Loneliness can be a trigger (诱因), as researchers found in 2008. Another is bad weather.
However, despite its association with negative emotions, nostalgia does not cause or exacerbate unhappiness. Rather, nostalgia has a uniquely protective power against unhappiness, and brings relief from a negative mood. Psychologists writing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2006 found that causing nostalgia in experiments strengthens people’s social bonds, boosts their positive feelings about themselves, improves their sense of life’s meaning, lowers an existential reaction to the idea of death, and raises optimism. Besides, nostalgia’s emotional intensity allows the joy of the past to overpower the unpleasantness of the present, which helps us forget about the bad times for a while.
Scholars aren’t sure exactly how nostalgia works. Perhaps because it’s so powerful and complex, nostalgia has received wonderful treatment from poets and writers. “The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm (领域), beyond the reach of intellect,” Marcel Proust, one of the greatest French novelists of the 20th century, wrote.
1. What is most likely to lead to nostalgia in the elderly?| A．A cute dog. | B．An expensive toy. | C．A happy holiday. | D．An old song. |
| A．Relieve. | B．Worsen. | C．Defend. | D．Cover. |
| A．It removes people’s fear of death. | B．It lessens the positive perception about the self. |
| C．K offers temporary escape from the sad present. | D．It intensifies people’s doubt about life’s meaning. |
| A．Nostalgia: A Defense Against Unhappiness | B．Nostalgia: A Trigger for Happiness |
| C．Nostalgia: A Treatment for Depression | D．Nostalgia: A Social Emotion in Life |
1.活动介绍；
2.征求建议。
注意：1.写作词数应为80个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Mr. Smith,
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Yours,
Li Hua
If you could travel back 3, 000 years
The Yinxu Ruins, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, are
“Did you hear what I said?” The band director was looking right at me. So was everyone else. “Yes, ma’am. You want me to do the solo (独奏) at the concert.” I said, trying to hide my fear.
I play the jazz saxophone (萨克斯管). I’m the best player in the sax section of my middle school band; I even do concerts with the senior high band. So, what’s my problem? Stage fright. Performing with a group is no problem. Butraying solo? I will freeze like a water balloon in deep space.
The band director continued, “By the way, the director of the Youth Symphony will be there. You know, if he hears someone who’s really good, he invites them to audition (试演).” I tried to look calm as I headed to the door, but the rock in my stomach had just doubled in weight. I’d dreamed of playing in the Youth Symphony for a long time but never had the courage to audition. I could pretend to be sick and stay home. But there are only two concerts each year, and missing one would be really a great pity.
“What should I do?” I went back home and headed downstairs. I usually practice in the basement. The family calls it Kevin’s Dungeon (地牢). I play great in the dungeon. It’s comfortable down there—just me, my sax, and my music. “Why can’t the school auditorium feel like my dungeon?” I said to myself. Then an idea occurred to me—how about sticking a photo of my dungeon inside the bell of my sax? Looking at it while playing might work for me. I immediately took action and practised and practised.
The day finally came. Suddenly, the lights went down, the curtain went up, and we were off and running. Each song started and ended, but it was like somebody else was playing my sax, not me. Then it was time—my solo.
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。
I stood up and walked to the front of the stage.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With the last long note ending, the audience burst into applause.
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