1 . Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disease which leads to shaky hands and slow movement, and there is no cure. Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art that combines (结合) slow, gentle movements with deep breathing and relaxation, may be an effective means of reducing the suffering. Recently, the researchers say that those who practised the martial art twice a week had fewer complications (并发症) and better quality of life than those who didn’t. Experts say the findings back up previous studies on the benefits of exercise for those with Parkinson’s.

The study, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, monitored the health of hundreds of Parkinson’s patients for up to five years. One group of 147 people practised regular Tai Chi while another group of 187 did not. The researchers found that the disease progressed more slowly in the Tai Chi group on measurements of symptoms (症状), movement and balance. This group also saw fewer falls, less back pain and dizziness, with memory and concentration problems also lower than in the other group. At the same time, sleep and quality of life continuously improved.

Prof. Alastair Noyce, professor in neurology and neuroepidemiology at Queen Mary University of London, called it “an important study”—the positive effects on aspects of motor (运动的) and non-motor functions are impressive — but said there were limitations in its design, and more tests were needed.

“We already recommend Tai Chi, as well as other forms of exercise, but understanding which forms of exercise are most beneficial is an important goal to improve the long-term management of patients,” he said.

1. Why was the study conducted?

A．To find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

B．To improve the sleep quality of Parkinson’s patients.

C．To remove the misunderstanding of the previous studies.

D．To research the benefits of Tai Chi for those with Parkinson’s.

2. Which of the following is not the researchers’ finding?

A．Concentration problem was lower in the Tai Chi group.

B．The disease progressed more slowly in the Tai Chi group.

C．Patients in the non-Tai Chi group continuously fell down.

D．Back pain and dizziness were relieved in the Tai Chi group.

3. What can we learn from Prof. Alastair Noyce’s words?

A．Tai Chi should be given more preference.

B．Finding the most beneficial exercise is of importance.

C．It is unnecessary to do more related studies.

D．Improve the long-term management of patients is impossible.

4. What is Prof. Alastair Noyce’s attitude towards the study?

A．Confused.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Worried.

2 . When I saw the documentary ADHD (多动症): Not Just for Kids, I was in tears after 20 minutes — the stories being told sounded much like my own. I’m in my 40s, I had read everything there was in health and science and I had no idea that the symptoms (症状) I had experienced all of my life were anything but normal. How had I missed this? I called the doctor to get assessed. I must have sounded desperate on the phone; they took me right away.

Later, I researched everything I could about ADHD. It became clear that my misunderstanding and ignorance about the disorder had misled me. A million thoughts, a million regrets. Finally, I told myself I couldn’t change the past, but I could share the fact that ADHD can look much different from the super active child practicing back flips (后空翻) off of a chair.

As for me, things went another way around: I was a young girl, quietly sitting at my school desk, pretending to listen to the teacher. Meanwhile, I was watching and drawing the bird that landed in the tree outside. And I was rereading entire chapters of my textbooks and taking extensive notes because I couldn’t remember what I had just read because I was thinking of the bird I had seen earlier.

Later in life, I’d sit at the kitchen table, staring out the window. There’s no telling how long it will take. Thoughts rush in from yesterday, today and tomorrow. I need to make dinner, take the dog for a walk, the kids will be home soon... But I can’t move. I know that I should, but I can’t. Afterward, I berate myself, unable to understand why I didn’t get up, why I wasted so much precious time, so much of my life doing nothing, it seems.

Since being treated, I have an inner calmness that is new to me. Medication doesn’t organize my day; it doesn’t remind me to pick up the kids or walk the dog. However, it allows me to move when I’ve been staring out the window for too long.

1. What did the author learn from the documentary?

A．She might have been an ADHD patient.

B．She was wrongly assessed by many doctors.

C．She had never experienced any symptom of ADHD.

D．She was a very problematic child during school years.

2. Why does the author share her early experiences in paragraphs 3-4?

A．To offer possible causes of ADHD.

B．To make it clear how ADHD develops

C．To show ADHD has more than one form.

D．To describe ADHD symptoms in children.

3. What does the underlined word “berate” mean in paragraph 4?

A．adjust.

B．blame.

C．push.

D．challenge.

4. How has the treatment affected the author?

A．She has learned some basic life skills.

B．She has allowed herself more free time.

C．She has become motivated to take action.

D．She has developed more patience with her kids.

3 . 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。

At the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), the     1     (late) season of the travel reality show on Hunan TV    2     (attract) a newfound interest in the special bridge in Croatia among viewers.

China and Croatia are far apart,     3     they were connected by the ancient Silk Road more than 700 years ago. In 2022, the Pelješac Bridge,     4     (build) by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, was     5     (official) completed and opened to traffic. It connects the northern and southern lands of Croatia,    6     has become a symbol of friendship and cooperation between Croatia and China.

Hai Tao, the head of the company, talked about the changes it has brought to local people’s    7     (life). He mentioned that people spent three hours     8       traveling to Dubrovnik, yet now it takes only half an hour    9     (cross) the bridge. It saves residents time, promotes local tourism development and increases job opportunities.

The bridge realizes “the centuries-old dream of     10     (connect) the south with the rest of Croatia” and its completion “gave the cooperation between Croatia and China a completely new dimension,” Croatian Prime Minister told Xinhua.

4 . Hobbies to try in 2024: release your passion

Do you want to try out new and exciting hobbies in 2024? We are here to provide you with a variety of hobbies that will inspire your interest and free your creativity.

Release your artistic side and let your imagination soar with creative hobbies. For example, painting is a good way to express emotions and creativity. Certainly, it’s not the only way     1     It lets you explore various subjects, from landscapes to portraits and allows you to freeze moments in a flash.

Social hobbies are worth exploring for those who enjoy making meaningful relationships. Joining a book club allows you to discuss literary works and share insight with fellow book enthusiasts. You can also make a difference in your community to a cause you care about. Volunteering isn’t a time consuming task     2    

If you love to embrace the unknown, adventurous hobbies might be your calling. Experience the ultimate rush as you jump out of an airplane and free fall through the sky.     3     Besides, rock climbing pushes your limits and rewards you with a sense of achievement when you reach the summit.

    4     For instance, open doors to new cultures and broaden your horizons by learning a new language. It not only boosts your communication skills but also fosters a deeper understanding of different customs and traditions. Or you can learn an instrument to enhance cognitive abilities and bring joy through the power of music.

In conclusion, hobbies are an essential part of our lives     5     So, go ahead and kick off an exciting journey of self-discovery!

A．You can also capture the world through your cameras.

B．Skydiving provides an unparalleled sense of great joy.

C．Language learning is a hobby which can definitely benefit you.

D．You can create beautiful works of art and find comfort in the process.

E．Instead, it does others a favor and provides a sense of fulfillment as well.

F．They offer us an escape from daily routine and a chance to explore our passions.

G．Expand your knowledge and challenge your brains with the educational hobbies.

5 . Once upon a time, there was a small village in the center of a big forest. All the villagers were used to their robotic farm work and none of them had the imagination or the will (意愿) to try something new, except for one girl named Jo. Very few could read or write, and Jo was one of them.

One afternoon, when Jo was on one of her explorations in the forest, she came upon an abandoned cottage (废弃的小屋). Though she’d been warned to stay away from abandoned places, her curiosity got the best of her. She slid in and was amazed to find a room full of books! Jo’s excitement was huge when she realized she had found a hidden treasure.

She ran to tell the villagers everything, thinking that they would share her excitement but instead, she heard roars of laughter! Jo was confused by this reaction (反应) and a little hurt too, but she did not give up on her books.

She came to the cottage every day and got down to reading the books. For her, each page was an adventure with characters who challenged difficulties with their determination and who struggled for good. Knowing the power of stories in impressing on people the values of life, she decided to share the stories with the villagers, though she knew it would be a difficult journey. Making this her mission (使命), Jo started telling stories every day at her cottage.

In the beginning, only a few came to the readings. But word spread rapidly, causing more and more people to come, some of whom even traveled from far away to just listen to her stories. She also conducted workshops in which she taught people how to read and write. She was remembered and lived in her stories even after she was long gone.

1. What do the underlined words “got the best of” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Prevented.

B．Frightened.

C．Cheated.

D．Beat.

2. Why did the villagers laugh when Jo told them her discovery?

A．They already knew it.	B．They thought nothing of it.
C．It was related to something fun.	D．It was all Jo’s imagination.

3. Which of the following best describe Jo?

A．Caring but confusing.	B．Honest and helpful.
C．Adventurous but careless.	D．Determined and influential.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Discovery of a Hidden Treasure

B．Jo’s Journey: from Adventure to Education

C．The Power of Stories in Challenging Difficulties

D．Jo’s Adventure: Unearthing an Abandoned Cottage

6 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

One sunny morning, the sun began to rise, casting a warm golden glow over the park. Two young men named Tom and Jerry, who was lost in their own books, found themselves siting on opposite ends of a bench. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the distant sound of children playing. Their eyes met for a brief moment before they both bent down to pick up their pens. It seemed as if they had known before. They quickly became friends and then began to spend many happy times together. They played basketball, watched movies, and spent many unforgettable days together. However, as time went on, their lives changed, and their friendship was put to the test.

A few years later, Tom became a successful lawyer, while Jerry chose a different path and became an artist. Despite different kinds of changes in their lifestyles, they still kept in touch and would gather together every once in a while to recall the good old days.

One day, Tom received a letter from Jerry. The letter said, “Dear Tom, I hope you can come and visit my art exhibition. I know you may not be interested in art, but I think you will like these works. They are all paintings I made during the days we spent together. I hope you can feel the friendship between us.”

After reading the letter, Tom immediately decided to attend Jerry’s art exhibition. He bought a bunch of flowers as a gift and arrived at the exhibition site. When he walked into the exhibition hall, he was shocked by what he saw. The walls were filled with Jerry’s works, each painting full of life and emotion. He saw scenes of them playing basketball in the park, watching movies together, and walking in the rain. These paintings made him feel the deep friendship between them.

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。
Paragraph 1:

At the exhibition, Tom met many old friends.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

With the bunch of flowers, Tom still kept looking for Jerry.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . While screen time is known to affect sleep, new research suggests that interactive (互动的) activities, such as texting friends or playing video games, put off and reduce the time spent asleep to a greater degree than passive (被动的) screen time like watching television, especially for teens.

The team studied the daytime screen-based activities of 475 teenagers using daily surveys. They asked the teens how many hours they had spent that day communicating with friends through social media and how many hours they spent playing video games, surfing the internet and watching television or videos. Finally, the researchers asked if they had joined in any of these activities in the hour before bed.

Next, the team measured their sleep time for one week. The researchers found that the teens spent an average of two hours per day communicating with friends via social media, about 1.3 hours playing video games, less than an hour surfing the internet and about 1.7 hours watching television or videos. For every hour throughout the day that they used screens to communicate with friends, they fell asleep about 11 minutes later averagely. For every hour to play video games, they fell asleep about 9 minutes later. Those who talked, texted or played games in the hour before bed lost the most sleep: about 30 minutes later.

Interestingly, David, lead author of the study, said the team found no obvious relations between passive screen-based activities and sleep. “It could be that passive activities are less mentally exciting than interactive activities,” said Anne, co-author of the study. “It’s a tricky situation,” she said. “These screen tools are really important to everyone nowadays, so it’s hard to put a limit on them, but if you’re really looking out for a teenager’s health and well-being, you might consider limiting the more interactive activities, especially in the hour before bed.”

1. Which of the following belongs to interactive screen activities?

A．Seeing movies.	B．Watching videos.
C．Texting friends.	D．Surfing the internet.

2. Who might lose the most sleep according to the text?

A．Lucy who watched a three-hour movie before going to bed.

B．Jack who had a 30-minute video chat with his brother before bed.

C．Sam who played computer games for two hours throughout the day.

D．Amy who chatted with her friends on WeChat for one hour in the morning.

3. What does the underlined word “tricky” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Frightening.

B．Awkward.

C．Hopeless.

D．Encouraging.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Screen time activities cut down our sleep hours

B．Interactive screen use reduces sleep time in teenagers

C．Passive screen use is better than interactive screen use

D．Parents should prevent children from using social media

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。

“No matter how hard we try, some things are just not meant to be,” Andrew thought bitterly. He looked down at the hospital bills in his hands and tears filled his eyes. His poor mom had been so ill, and here he was complaining and feeling sorry for himself! He should be praying for her recovery, not crying over a lost, childish dream.

Andrew was nineteen, and as far back as he could remember, he’d wanted to become a software engineer. That dream had become harder to reach after his dad died when Andrew was twelve. His mom had been left to raise him on her own, and it was hard to make ends meet. So Andrew started doing part-time jobs.

Every cent he earned he put away for college. When he was sixteen, he got himself a summer job at a local IT company, where his insight and intelligence caught the owner’s eye. Mr. Lewis, the CEO, made Andrew the assistant of his best and most innovative developer, and the boy thrived (不断成长) on the challenge. He couldn’t wait to go to college!

Unfortunately, when Andrew was in his senior year in high school, his mother became very ill. The usually energetic woman was constantly tired and in pain. She went from doctor to doctor, but no one knew exactly what was wrong with her. They sent her off to do dozens of expensive tests, then shook their heads over the results. Andrew’s mom started getting weaker and weaker, and thinner and thinner until she could barely walk.

Andrew added up the medical bills and was shocked. They owed over $23,000! Andrew pulled out his bank book. He had close to $30,000 in his savings account. He’d painstakingly (艰苦地) saved up for YEARS, so he’d be able to go to college, but his mom’s health was more important.

注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 左右；2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
        The next day, Andrew went to see Mr. Lewis.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
        That night, Mr. Lewis appeared on Andrew’s home with a great idea.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Young Emily, aged four, is deaf and uses British Sign Language to communicate. Her mother, Tanya Andrews, took her and her six-year-old brother Hugo to ________ Santa ahead of the Christmas holiday when an elf (精灵) made a ________impression on the family.

The family ________ the sweet story of how Melanie Boyeson, playing Holly the Elf, helped Emily tell Santa what she ________ for Christmas. Tanya took her ________ to the Airmyn Park Primary School for the outing, in which the school’s head teacher, Natalie Dodds, said that the elf was hired (雇用) ________ for Emily.

Tanya said the ________ was magical, as she had taken her daughter to four different Santa meetings over the years and been falsely promised a Santa who ________ sign language.

“Emily being able to ________ freely with the elf and tell Santa what she wanted was just________,” Tanya said. “Seeing what was in front of me, I was in tears. It was so amazing to see Emily’s face ________.” Emily was a little ________ at first, as she had never interacted with Santa before, but Holly the Elf ________ her to speak with Santa.

Tanya was so glad that her daughter’s dream ________ and hoped it would be a(n) ________for others to enjoy experiences similar to theirs with Santa. “I hope the barriers (障碍) for the deaf community will be removed one day,” she said.

1.

A．attract

B．help

C．see

D．direct

2.

A．lasting

B．shocking

C．general

D．tough

3.

A．created

B．shared

C．missed

D．disliked

4.

A．bought

B．reserved

C．wanted

D．made

5.

A．gifts

B．coworkers

C．audience

D．children

6.

A．immediately

B．specifically

C．eagerly

D．anxiously

7.

A．experience

B．training

C．student

D．volunteer

8.

A．forgets

B．prefers

C．knows

D．teaches

9.

A．jump

B．struggle

C．laugh

D．communicate

10.

A．unnecessary

B．unbelievable

C．strange

D．endless

11.

A．light up

B．calm down

C．stand out

D．break away

12.

A．confident

B．ordinary

C．annoyed

D．nervous

13.

A．advised

B．encouraged

C．forced

D．warned

14.

A．went on

B．cried out

C．set off

D．came true

15.

A．custom

B．proposal

C．inspiration

D．adventure

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the woman doing?

A．Borrowing a tent.

B．Packing a tent.

C．Returning a tent.

2. What is the woman’s motivation for climbing?

A．To have fun.

B．To improve her fitness.

C．To get close to nature.

3. Where will the speakers do rock climbing together?

A．At a gym.

B．In the wild

C．At a climbing center.