1 . Nine-year-old Abdulwal Abdula lifted his right arm and waved guests goodbye as they left his house. What appeared a simple gesture was only possible because people from different walks of life raced against time to save the boy’s severed right arm more than two years ago.

On April 30, 2021, Abdulwal’s right arm was severed when it got caught in the motor of a running tractor. Realizing the complexity involved in reattaching the arm, the local hospital decided to transfer the boy to the traditional Chinese medicine hospital of Urumqi, about 1,400 kilometers away, for a surgery that had to be performed within eight hours. But by the time Abdulwal was sent to the airport in Hotan, the last flight to Urumqi that night was already on the runway and ready for takeoff.

Everyone knew that if Abdulwal missed the flight he would lose his right arm, and possibly his life. Air traffic control workers immediately contacted the pilots and asked them to wait, while officials at the airport rushed to arrange permission for the plane to return to the terminal and pick up the boy. With permission granted, Abdulwal and his severed arm, packed in a medical bag, were carried onboard. None of the passengers complained about the delay.

Once the plane landed in Urumqi, a series of green channels ensured Abdulwal reached the hospital in the shortest time. The surgery started seven-and-a-half hours after the accident. His severed limb was successfully reattached and the broken bone fragments rearranged.

The story went viral (走红) on social media, touching all people who could not stop praising the efforts made by so many people to save the boy. The extraordinary story inspired a film, Ordinary Hero, in 2022.

Abdulwal said he had watched the movie twice. “It reminds me of how many people have helped me. They aren’t ordinary people, but superheroes to me.” His mother said that the doctor who reattached Abdulwal’s arm often calls to check on him and give advice on recovery. “I want to be a doctor when I grow up, so that I can help others,” Abdulwal said.

1. What was the key factor in the process of rescuing the boy?

A．Money.

B．Time

C．Medicine.

D．Information.

2. What do we know about the boy?

A．He was cured in the local hospital.

B．He was badly injured in an air crash.

C．His arm recovered well with joint efforts.

D．His surgery lasted seven and a half hours.

3. Why does the doctor often call Abdulwal?

A．To offer some help.	B．To ask about his ambition.
C．To express his sympathy.	D．To check on his recovery.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A news report.	B．A film review.
C．A medical magazine.	D．A biography.

2 . 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。

This year marks     1     20th anniversary of China’s first manned space mission(任务)that sent astronaut Yang Liwei on a 21-hour journey around Earth in the Shenzhou V spacecraft. As one of the     2    (nation) in the world able to independently finish manned space missions, China     3    (carry) out 12 manned flights since then.

A special committee was formed in August 1992 and it     4    (decide) that China would use manned spacecraft to build a space station in the coming years. The plan was passed in September that year,     5    (mark) the first official manned space program of the nation.     6    (achieve) the goal, scientists made specific plans and took practical steps, advancing slowly from multi-day flights     7     month-long missions. Thanks to years of efforts, we are proud that our country completed the Tiangong space station last year. Orbiting Earth about 400 kilometers above the ground, Tiangong has both a core module     8    two science facilities, which is     9    (regular) connected to several visiting spaceships.

Chinese researchers are designing a new-generation manned spacecraft,     10     will be significant in the nation’s first manned exploration to the moon around 2030.

3 . Practicing Self Care

No matter how far along you are in your education, doing well in school can be difficult. You can do your best in school by having healthy study habits, and keeping things organized.     1    .

Get good-quality sleep.     2    . You can practice good sleep by going to bed early enough each night, turning off bright screens at least half an hour before bed, and keeping your room quiet, dark, and comfortable. To help you sleep better, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Do stress-relieving activities. Take time to relax and do things you enjoy. You’ll do much better in school if you aren’t anxious all the time.     3    . These activities can be relaxing and enriching, and they’re also a good way for you to get to know your teachers and fellow students.

Reward yourself. When you get something done, take the time to celebrate! For example, after an hour of studying, you might reward yourself with a favorite snack. Or, if you do well on a big test, you could celebrate by going out for pizza with your friends.     4    .

    5    . If the stress of school is getting to you, sometimes just talking to a friend about how you’re feeling can help you feel better. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for practical support. You could say, “Mom, I’m really stressing about this test. Can you take a few minutes and quiz me with some questions from the review sheet?”

A．Reach out for support

B．Spend time with your family

C．You can also feel your best by taking care of yourself

D．Consider joining in school clubs or student committees

E．You won’t do well in school if you’re too tired to focus

F．These rewards will help inspire you to keep working hard

G．Have a positive attitude and it will help you do better at school

4 . Asian robotics company Yukai Engineering showed its unusual but cute robot, its new breathing robotic pillow “Fufuly”, for the first time in Las Vegas in January, 2023. Later, the cute robotic pillow was familiar to the public at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 and won the CES 2023 Innovation Award.

The breathing pillow is a breath-inducing (呼吸诱导) robot that anyone can hold for comfort, according to Yukai Engineering. Yukai Engineering says stressed workers can rest and take breaks with the help of a robotic pillow. The company’s researchers added they wanted to create a product that would relax its users and allow them to take a deep breath.

In order to make the robotic pillow more effective, the robotics company together with the University of Tokyo carried out the breathing and rest studies. Banking on the data of these studies, researchers state that living creatures have a working system that make the rhythm (节奏) and depth of breathing at the same time. Yukai Engineering says that just holding Fufuly while it expands and contracts (收缩) will help users achieve this, calming the mind and improving task performance.

The robot expands and contracts as if it is breathing like a living creature. The University of Tokyo’s research has proved that its changeable movement causes breathing to change in rhythm and depth, which is the most important working system of it. Inside the robot is something called Deep Breathing Technology, which is based on how living things are drawn to the sounds of their partners’ breathing. Besides, the pillow can automatically (自动地) react to users without the remote control.

1. What can we know about the pillow robot from the first two paragraphs?

A．It was firstly showed in Las Vegas.

B．It allows people to have a deep sleep.

C．It is specially designed for stressed workers.

D．It won many awards at the technology show.

2. What does the underlined phrase “Banking on” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Depending on.

B．Copying.

C．Leaving out.

D．Changing.

3. What’s the key system for the pillow robot to work?

A．Breathing sounds.	B．Remote control.
C．Automatic reaction.	D．Changeable movement.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A guidebook.	B．A news report.
C．A research paper.	D．A company introduction.

5 . Where to travel in February

Kangaroo Island, Australia

Unbelievably huge and being fortunate to have a surprising amount of coastline — 540km (335 miles) to be exact — this is where you may find you’ve owned an entire beach. Kangaroo Island invites guests to enjoy its unique local food, come across lovely Australian wildlife and discover some of the country’s best beaches. And the island is a total show-off during the Aussie summer months of January and February.

Mazatlán, Mexico

A Mexico visit in January or February means dry and relatively cooler days, providing some relief in wet coastal places. It’s also whale-watching season along the Pacific Coast. In Mazatlán, February is carnival time: the 2024 festival is the 126th celebration.

St Lucia, Caribbean

There’s hardly a wrong time to visit the Caribbean — yet February sees a great many groups of visitors hoping to get away from cold-weather countries. St Lucia’s independence from British rule in 1979 is celebrated on February 22, and marked by parades and celebratory events island-wide. Come prepared to party.

Hokkaido, Japan

February is when the temperatures are at the coldest in Japan for skiing, snowmobiling and snowboarding, and the season even offers an opportunity for outdoor lovers to try ice fishing on the top of a frozen lake. Sapporo Snow Festival—Hokkaido’s most famous festival, featured by thick snow and amazing ice sculptures and giant slides — is held in February, bringing a large number of well-wrapped-up visitors.

1. Which one is the best place to taste local food?

A．Kangaroo Island.

B．Mazatlán.

C．St Lucia.

D．Hokkaido.

2. What can visitors do in both Mazatlán and St Lucia?

A．Hunt whales.	B．Enjoy dry climate.
C．Join in celebrations.	D．Watch sea animals.

3. What is the main attraction of Sapporo Snow Festival?

A．Snowmobiling.	B．Ice sculptures.
C．The lowest temperature.	D．Fishing on the frozen lake.

6 . Simple Yet Amazing Ways To Be Wiser

Wisdom is no just a good quality to have but it is also very necessary. There are a lot of ways to become wiser.     1    . Here are some strategies that you can use to get wiser.

    2    

You will never grow from being in your comfort zone which is why you need to get out of it. This is the only way you will gain wisdom and become better. You try learning new skills that you never thought of learning or going to places that were on your bucket list. Change your routine and see where life takes you, take control!

Meet new people

Limiting yourself to only one type of people that share the same beliefs as you can be comforting but it doesn’t get you anywhere in life. You need to meet and experience new people and learn what they have to offer. Share what defines you and learn from others. This will make you wise.     3    .

Learn and grow from your mistakes

All of us make mistakes in life, but it is the acknowledgment of mistakes that makes us grow and do better next time. Whenever we make a mistake, we should learn from it, thinking over our shortcomings won’t get us anywhere.     4    . Stop blaming other people for your mistakes and admit where you went wrong. Let me tell you this: your best teacher will always be your last mistake, so learn the best from it.

Share your knowledge with others

If you have accumulated a lot of knowledge then why not share it with others too?     5    . In today’s world, it is very easy to become wise but it isn’t easy to help others, so do the difficult part too. Inspire humanity and see your life change for the better.

A．Try experiencing new opportunities

B．Expose yourself to diverse viewpoints

C．However, you are advised to start small

D．Developing new friendships will be beneficial to you

E．We can reflect upon failure in order to improve ourselves

F．Being ready to help others out will definitely increase your wisdom

G．If something confuses you, try to clear out your problems by yourselves

7 . Britain has a stubborn enemy called the “devil plant”, the Japanese knotweed (虎杖). The name originated in Japan, but it became a promoter behind a plant disaster in Britain. Initially it was introduced to England as a landscape plant. However, over time it has evolved into a harsh plant difficult to control.

The plant is disreputable (坏名声的) mainly because of its strong ability to survive. The Japanese knotweed can grow at an amazing speed. What’s more, Japan’s knotweed is penetrating. As long as you give it a small gap, it can follow it and make rapid growth. This gap may be a crack in the road, or a wall crack in the house, and even some Japanese knotweed will start to grow from the foundation of the house, gradually “destroy” the whole house. Such an invasion (入侵) is a nightmare for the British. The British simply love and hate the plant, but so far, they are still unable to find an effective way to remove it.

Fortunately, China’s knotweed is not identical to Japan’s, and in the China’s ecosystem, there are many natural enemies against it. As a result, China has not experienced a knotweed invasion as severe as Britain. Additionally, its tender stem can be made into delicious food. The root of knotweed is a very good Chinese medicine. Therefore, in some places there’s also a need to plant knotweed, to obtain economic benefits.

This case gives us a profound inspiration that it is important to be careful when introducing alien species and to fully understand the characteristics of plants or animals and the effects they may cause in a new environment, otherwise it may be easy to spend a huge amount of money every year to clean up the Japanese knotweed, as in the UK.

1. Why did Britain bring in Japanese knotweed at first?

A．To make profits.	B．For decoration.
C．For scientific research.	D．To promote biodiversity.

2. What does the underlined word “penetrating” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Fading away.	B．Dying out.
C．Multiplying rapidly.	D．Growing steadily.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．China’s ecosystem is not damaged by knotweed.

B．Knotweed is in great demand in the whole China.

C．Knotweed has made most of the Chinese people rich.

D．Chinese medicine includes knotweed’s stems and roots.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．A Natural Phenomenon We Know

B．A Plant That People Love and Hate

C．Alien Species’ Effect on the Local Economy

D．The Fight Against Invasive Plants and Animals

8 . 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。

In a misty morning, Robert was hiking high in the mountains with Lucky, his tiny but energetic dog. Every weekend, the two would go together on a hiking to climb nearby mountains. As they got near to the top, the path was rocky and less-traveled. After an hour, they reached the top, touched by the beautiful view there. Lost in the breathtaking scenery, Robert felt refreshed. When he looked at the loyal friend beside him, the memory of meeting Lucky for the first time flooded into his mind.

It had been about two years since Robert got Lucky. She was small and a ball of energy. “The day when my mother let me choose a dog from the doghouse, she was playfully jumping around and licking (舔) me, barking (犬吠) loudly to show how much she wanted to be my family,” thought Robert. “She looked quite small, but from the moment I threw my eyes on her, I knew she was the perfect dog for me. And, for some reasons, that active energy was something that I needed in my life,” Robert kept thinking.

Time flew, dark night drawing near. Having got enough rest, Robert decided it was time to go home. Suddenly, Robert lost his balance, rolled down a rocky hill, hit his head really hard, and finally stopped upside down.

One of his leg was in between two rocks, so he couldn’t move. But that was the least of his worries. What Robert was really scared of was that he was going to sleep with a serious head injury. He tried to cry for help, but he was so weak that he was going to become unconscious (昏迷的). “If only there had been someone else,” Robert thought, sad and hopeless. As darkness fell further, the weather turned cold and windy and he was about to lose consciousness. What’s worse, Robert noticed something like a snake approaching him before he finally fell unconscious.

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:

Fortunately, Lucky was there all the time and never stopped barking for help.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

After seeing unconscious Robert, the two strangers managed to wake him up.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . As I walked to the market this morning, I saw an old man in dirty clothes sitting in front of a shop. He seemed to be a beggar ______ alms (救济品). I decided that on my way back I should give him whatever ______ I had. Meanwhile, a few feet away, I saw a young man ______ on the sidewalk and no one who passed by took any notice. I thought it was some ______ drunkard who had wasted all his money on alcohol (酒精).

When I finished ______ and reached the beggar, I put out some change asking him to take it. To my ______, he shook his head. But I didn’t give up. Finally, he ______ it. As I stood there gloating (洋洋得意) over my great act of ______, the man got up, walking to the tea shop, to ______ a loaf of bread and a cup of hot tea for which he paid with the money I gave. He then walked up to the young man, shook him gently till he was ______. He helped him to sit and ______ have the bread and the tea. When he ______ that I was still there, he said that the young man has not ______ for two days and collapsed (晕倒) on the sidewalk. Suddenly I felt so ______. That moment I admired and learned the real ______ of a man who has so little compared to me.

1.

A．giving away

B．looking for

C．turning down

D．putting aside

2.

A．bread

B．tea

C．change

D．gift

3.

A．exploring

B．struggling

C．sitting

D．lying

4.

A．good-for-nothing

B．down-to-earth

C．hard-to-get

D．easy-to-see

5.

A．walking

B．thinking

C．shopping

D．observing

6.

A．anger

B．comfort

C．surprise

D．satisfaction

7.

A．accepted

B．refused

C．shared

D．dropped

8.

A．belief

B．charity

C．curiosity

D．politeness

9.

A．enjoy

B．borrow

C．make

D．collect

10.

A．impressed

B．awake

C．calm

D．anxious

11.

A．slowly

B．perfectly

C．skillfully

D．confidently

12.

A．expected

B．noticed

C．ignored

D．imagined

13.

A．slept

B．relaxed

C．worked

D．eaten

14.

A．selfless

B．unique

C．small

D．proud

15.

A．generosity

B．bravery

C．honesty

D．humor

10 . Thanks to a generous and kind soul, this winter is not cold any more. A Stockton teen will make sure seniors are staying warm and unforgotten during the holiday season, because dozens of elders across the nation are getting socks for Christmas — they couldn’t be happier about it.

Elle Gianelli, 17, is a student in high school, but most of her friends are elders. She has been making colored socks with silly designs for years, sending them to seniors in nursing and care homes to brighten up their day.

It all started from the closer-than-close friendship she has with her grandmother, which taught the value of spending time with elders. “I’m a grandma’s girl, I love love love my nana,” Gianelli said. On putting forward the idea, she was supported by her family and friends. Later, she was encouraged by her teachers who started the project Socks for Seniors when she was in her 7th grade, and she has so far lighted up 92 care homes in 48 states.

But as Christmas approaches, she’s making efforts to prepare her surprise in order to send boxes of silly socks to elders in all 50 states in time for the big day. “I know most people have toys for babies and things for kids but they always seem to forget about elders,” Gianelli told CBS. “Maybe they don’t have family or maybe they live super far away and they’re only getting something like a postcard.” To make sure that elders’ toes and hearts remain warm this holiday season, Gianelli is hoping to raise $10,000 through GoFundMe for a big sock drive. So far, with still 19 days to go before Christmas, she has received 95% of her total in donations.

1. What’s elders’ feeling on getting the socks?

A．Overjoyed.

B．Embarrassed.

C．Confused.

D．Frightened.

2. What inspired Gianelli’s kind action?

A．Teachers’ guidance.	B．Christmas project.
C．Love for her grandma.	D．Encouragement from friends.

3. What can we learn about Gianelli’s Christmas surprise?

A．She also has toys and things for kids.	B．She will send socks to seniors in 48 states.
C．She still has 19 days to prepare the surprise.	D．She has raised $10,000 through GoFundMe.

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

A．Warm Gifts From a Teen.	B．The Wishes of the Elders.
C．A Special Relationship.	D．A Wonderful School Project.