During the 2023 Lanzhou International Marathon, all eyes were on the elderly couple—Hu Yingfu, 86, and his wife Wang Zhangmin, 77. Many doubted their ability to finish the race,
Against initial struggles, Hu found a way to motivate himself by counting electric poles while running. “The distance between each electric pole is 50 meters. I run as fast as I can, passing a dozen or so poles.” said Hu.
The couple’s love for running started as a way
Since then, the elderly couple have become regular
With a
2 . The World-Famous Nine
By Ben Guterson, illustrated by Kristina Kister
Zander’s grandmother owns the most incredible department store in the world. When a string of mysterious accidents start happening at the store, Zander’s grandmother tells him that a monster called Darkbloom may have returned. The monster, which can control people, wants a magical object that disappeared from the store decades ago. Zander notices that walls on many floors contain mysterious symbols and takes them down in his notebook. Will the 11-year-old boy be able to solve the puzzle and secure the object before Darkbloom does? Packed with suspense, fascination, and a family drama, this mystery may remind you of a cross between Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Ask the Author
The Week: What inspired this book?
Ben Guterson: When I was growing up, Seattle had two big department stores. Something about these big buildings held many possibilities for mystery and discovery to me.
The Week: Why is Zander close to his grandmother?
Ben Guterson: I didn’t want Zander to be alone, so he’s got his loving grandmother there to give him some guidance and keep him safe.
The Week: Do you enjoy mysteries?
Ben Guterson: Yes, I like stories with a mysterious feel to them. I don’t think I have ever been drawn to straightforward realism.
1. What can we learn about Zander?| A．He grows up in Seattle. | B．He lives alone at a store. |
| C．He wishes to be a magician. | D．He wants to defeat Darkbloom. |
| A．A kid loving true-life stories. | B．A kid enjoying fictional works. |
| C．A kid interested in grandma’s dishes. | D．A kid drawn to online store shopping. |
| A．A writer’s profile. | B．An interview outline. |
| C．A children’s story. | D．A book recommendation. |
3 . For eight years, Sophie created realistic-looking limbs (肢) for those who wanted to fit in. But she longed to work on more odd designs that would stand out. Then she met Pollyanna Hope, a young amputee (被截肢者).
“She wanted something a little different on her leg: pictures of a cartoon she loved, Peppa Pig,” said Sophie, who is now based in London. So she designed a unique leg covered in tattoo-like images of Peppa and other pigs riding a bicycle and eating ice cream. Working with Hope made Sophie realize there was a potential market for limbs.
Since then, Sophie founded the Alternative Limb Project (ALP) to make artistic limbs. Her work includes an arm wrapped in sculpted snakes and a leg that looks like porcelain (瓷器) covered in a painted flowery vine. She makes about six limbs per year, always including clients’ ideas so that they receive a personal piece they can celebrate rather than hide.
Of course, a fancy-looking limb won't suit everyone. For Sophie, the basis is that each limb must satisfy a combination of comfort, beauty and functionality, and pushing too hard in one direction can weaken other areas. But for amputees who appreciate novelty, Sophie has some amazing ideas.
“I’d really like to make a candy-dispenser leg with colorful candies inside it” she says. “Or a cuckoo-clock leg with a wooden bird that pops out every hour.” Her goal is to fashion a striking limb.
“It’ll transform the limbs from an elephant in the room into a conversation piece.”
1. Why did Pollyanna Hope come to Sophie?| A．She hoped to have a tailored limb. |
| B．She intended to design a cartoon figure. |
| C．She longed to expand the market for limbs. |
| D．She expected to sell Sophie some odd ideas. |
| A．boost users’ confidence | B．sharpen users’ creativity |
| C．improve Sophie’s sculpture skills | D．extend Sophie’s art business |
| A．The novelty of the pattern tops the list. | B．The balance of multi-needs comes first. |
| C．Fashion is the best policy. | D．Functionality is the key. |
| A．Sophie resolves to lead the fashion of limbs. |
| B．Sophie plans to further transform artistic limbs. |
| C．Amputees will feel at ease to talk about limbs. |
| D．Amputees will have easy access to artistic limbs. |
1.提出申请；
2.介绍个人情况；
3.表达期望。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
3.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：traditional Chinese literature中国传统文学；Chinese characters汉字
Dear Sir,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
Learning how to choose a career is important not only to adults but also to students at college. People decide to have their careers
The best way to do this is take a personality test,
Therefore, putting interests and hobbies into careers can always lead
6 . Gabe and I were taking a road trip from Hamilton to Nelson. At around 5:30 p. m. , we were
When I
I don’t know how long we were unconscious, but I woke up to the
Luckily, four men spotted us and went to our
When the medical team finally reached us, they
We spent weeks in hospital. Even after
Before this all happened, we were happy-go-lucky people. We’re even more
| A．cycling | B．hiking | C．driving | D．jumping |
| A．aware | B．happy | C．confident | D．anxious |
| A．gave in | B．checked out | C．fell apart | D．looked up |
| A．dropping | B．erupting | C．crashing | D．sheltering |
| A．tapped | B．landed | C．cracked | D．swept |
| A．sound | B．behavior | C．company | D．scene |
| A．cry | B．wave | C．turn | D．fire |
| A．suffer | B．beat | C．shake | D．breathe |
| A．site | B．rescue | C．emergency | D．struggle |
| A．trouble | B．shock | C．protest | D．demand |
| A．honestly | B．obviously | C．responsibly | D．confusingly |
| A．treated | B．drove | C．loaded | D．exchanged |
| A．exercises | B．restorations | C．operations | D．experiments |
| A．determined | B．curious | C．focused | D．positive |
| A．injuries | B．ruins | C．sweats | D．traps |
7 . Do you like Chinese traditional painting and dance ? They are two important parts of the traditional Chinese art. But what about when they meet each other?
This year, a dance drama titled Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting (《只此青绿》) was staged on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala and became popular.
According to CCTV, this poetic dance program was inspired by the 900-year-old Chinese painting A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains (《千里江山图》). Created by Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng at about 18, the painting is amazing in its sweeping size, rich coloration and the expressive details, reported CCTV. It shows a Chinese blue-green landscape: “mountains and groupings of infinite (无限的) rise and fall between cloudless sky and rippling (涟漪的) water”.
When the dancers moved elegantly, audiences seemed to be looking at the moving mountains and rivers. “It brings me a pure experience of beauty. It is not only a drama but also an exhibition. Vast mountains and rivers are coming to life!” Internet user Mo Weisha wrote in a review. “More than a thousand years later, green mountains and rivers still impress people as they did long ago.” Some people even decided to watch the dance again when it was staged in the theaters later. In fact, in recent years, more and more modern shows feature Chinese traditional culture and have received warm welcome. As for the reason, it is due to people’s great love for traditional culture.
“The younger generations have grown up with a more open mind. They accept Chinese culture and are proud of it.” Yao Wei, director of Henan TV Station’s Innovation Center, told China Daily.
1. What’s the writing purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To show a doubtful attitude. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To describe the art world. | D．To raise a question. |
| A．Wang xizhi. | B．Zhao mengfu. | C．Wang Ximeng. | D．Not mentioned. |
| A．CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala. | B．Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng. |
| C．A Chinese blue-green landscape. | D．An ancient Chinese traditional painting. |
| A．Traditional culture is accepted and loved by people. |
| B．Green mountains and rivers greatly impress people. |
| C．The poetic dance can be staged in the theaters later. |
| D．Increasing modern shows feature Chinese traditional culture. |
1.介绍比赛的目的；
2.你参加此次活动的收获。
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 Peter,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best regards,
Li Hua
1. 简要介绍个人情况：姓名、年龄等；2. 无工作经验但对此工作感兴趣；
3. 英语及性格：4. 希望得到回复。
注意：1. 短文需包括以上所有内容，可适当发挥。
2. 写作词数应为80个左右。
普通话mandarin
Dear sir,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
10 . Read Yuan Longping’s information and answer the questions.
Name | Yuan Longping | Nationality | Chinese |
Occupation | Scientist | Birthdate | Sept.7, 1930 |
education | Graduated from southwest agricultural college in 1953 | ||
Life goal | Finding ways to produce more rice | ||
Dream | To export his hybrid rice (杂交水稻) so that it can be grown around the globe | ||
Achievement | In 1973, he developed hybrid rice which produced 20% more than normal rice | ||
Hobbies | Listening to violin music, playing mahjiong, swimming and reading | ||
1. Which of the following is Yuan Longping’s favourite music?
| A．Pop music. | B．Country music . | C．Violin music. | D．Piano music. |
| A．His name. | B．His nationality. | C．His birthplace. | D．His occupation. |
| A．Yuan Longping developed hybrid rice in 1972. |
| B．Yuan Longping graduated from Southwest College in 1953. |
| C．Yuan Longping was born in 1930. |
| D．Yuan Longping dreamt to win a big prize. |
| A．Yuan Longping was an expert in agriculture. |
| B．Yuan Longping hoped his hybrid rice could be grown only in China. |
| C．Yuan Longping graduated from college when he was 23 years old. |
| D．Yuan Longping’s life goal was to find ways to grow more rice. |
