1 . On Oct. 11, hundreds of runners competed in a cross-country race in Minnesota. Melanie Bailey should have _________ the course earlier than she did. Her _________ came because she was carrying a _________ across the finish line.

As reported by a local newspaper, Bailey was more than two-thirds of the way through her _________ when a runner in front of her began crying in pain. She _________ to help her fellow runner, Danielle Lenoue. Bailey took her arm to see if she could walk forward with _________. She couldn’t. Bailey then _________ to let Lenoue climb onto her back and carried her all the way to the finish line, then another 300 feet to where Lenoue could get _________ attention.

Once there, Lenoue was _________ and later taken to a hospital, where she learned that she had serious injuries in one of her knees. She would have struggled with extreme __________ to make it to that aid checkpoint without Bailey’s help.

As for Bailey, she is more __________ about why her act is considered a big __________. “She was just crying. I couldn’t __________ her,” Bailey told the reporter. “I feel like I was just doing the right thing.”

Although the two young women were strangers before the __________, they’ve since become friends. Neither won the race, but the __________ of human kindness won the day.

1.

A．designed

B．followed

C．changed

D．finished

2.

A．delay

B．chance

C．trouble

D．excuse

3.

A．judge

B．volunteer

C．classmate

D．competitor

4.

A．race

B．school

C．town

D．training

5.

A．agreed

B．returned

C．stopped

D．promised

6.

A．courage

B．aid

C．patience

D．advice

7.

A．went away

B．stood up

C．stepped aside

D．bent down

8.

A．medical

B．public

C．constant

D．equal

9.

A．interrupted

B．assessed

C．identified

D．appreciated

10.

A．hunger

B．pain

C．cold

D．tiredness

11.

A．worried

B．ashamed

C．confused

D．discouraged

12.

A．game

B．problem

C．lesson

D．deal

13.

A．leave

B．cure

C．bother

D．understand

14.

A．ride

B．test

C．meet

D．show

15.

A．secret

B．display

C．benefit

D．exchange

2 . Indoor plants might look as if they just sit around not doing much, but in many ways they are the unsung heroes of the home.     1    , but studies have shown that they can promote people’s wellbeing by improving their mood (心情), reducing stress and helping their memory. What’s more, indoor plants are easy to look after and are not very expensive.

What are indoor plants?

Indoor plants, also known as houseplants or pot plants, are plants that like to grow indoors. Many of these species (物种) are not ideally suited to growing outside in the UK, especially in the winter.     2    .

Why are indoor plants good for you?

Will Spoelstra, who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, “    3    . I find during the winter months, plants around the house can really lift your mood.” Several studies have backed this up and found that indoor plants can improve creativity, focus and memory. There is also research showing that pot plants can clean the air around them by removing harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide. They also remove some harmful chemicals from paints or cooking.     4    .

Which plants can you grow?

Aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are some of the species that are easy to grow indoors. You can buy plants from supermarkets, garden centres or online. Younger plants are often cheaper than fully grown ones, and you get to care for them as they mature — which is part of the joy of owning plants. “    5    ,” Spoelstra says. “It can bring a new interest and focus into people’s lives and help to make the link between home and nature.”

A．All plants are different

B．Not only do they look beautiful

C．There are many benefits to growing plants indoors

D．Instead, they grow better inside, where it is warmer

E．Plants like peace lilies and devil’s ivy are among the best

F．Changing the pot of your plant from time to time will also help

G．Learning about the requirements of each plant can be very rewarding

3 . I have the same 24 hours in a day as you do, but I have made specific choice that allow me to make the most of every day and still feel happy and relaxed.     1    

Pick the most important.

    2     Focus on spending time that for you is fun and productive. I chose the life of an adviser because I like to work with companies, but don't want the life of a big company CEO. My choices are based on the lifestyle I want.

Combine your activities.

Many people go crazy trying to figure out how to spend time with friends, family, work, play, etc.     3     Find ways to enjoy them in a combined manner. Build your social life around people in your work environment. Find people in your company who share common interests and develop your career (职业) around the people and activities you love.

    4    

You would think learning takes more time from you, but actually there are always new ways of doing things that can save you time on daily tasks, freeing you up for the most important. Always be looking for a new way to gain back an hour here or there.

Lighten up.

The world won't come to an end in most cases just because you left a few things undone. Celebrate progress and keep refining (改进) toward a happy productive existence.     5     Every completion is a small victory that adds up in a big way.

A．Speed up.

B．Be an active learner.

C．Stop trying to balance time between them all.

D．Make choices about what is meaningful in your life.

E．The things you do well usually give you greater joy.

F．Perhaps these tips will help you make the most of your time.

G．This is why making lists is important in any productivity handbook.

4 . There’s no doubt that football is the global sport. Though basketball, tennis, and other sports are popular too, nothing comes close to football. Being played in every country in the world, football provides dozens of superstars. The numbers are greater when compared to any other sport, and this drives the popularity of football up. Have you ever wondered when the sport started and became popular?

Football has its origin (起源) in China and has a history of more than 2,000 years. However, modern football originally appeared in Britain in the 19th century. Folk football matches had been played before in many cities and towns, but never on a professional level.

Football became a winter sport game played in different schools. The rules were carried out by each school, and this made it difficult for players to play an official game with each other. It all changed in 1849 at the University of Cambridge that invented a set of standard rules known as the Cambridge rules of football. From that moment, a new star sport was born.

By the early 20th century, football had spread all across Europe. In 1904, FIFA was set up. There are seven original members, including France, Denmark and Spain, FIFA became the governing body for many associations in Europe.

England’s international success improved the popularity of the sport in the country. The league (联赛) in Britain was set up in 1992. From the 1990s, it became a truly impressive piece of football organization, becoming the world’s top football league in the process.

Football is obviously the most popular sport in the world. It is impossible for any other sport to take its place, especially with leagues spending billions of pounds every year to stay in the focus.

1. What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 1?

A．To describe the level of football.

B．To introduce the topic of the text.

C．To debate the main idea of the text.

D．To introduce famous football leagues.

2. Where did modern football first start?

A．In China.	B．In France.
C．In Britain.	D．In Spain.

3. Why was it difficult to play an official game before 1849?

A．The rules always changed.

B．There were no common rules.

C．The season made players hard to win.

D．Officials made players misunderstand the rules.

4. How is the text mainly developed?

A．By time order.	B．By space order.
C．By listing numbers.	D．By giving examples.

5 . Wholesale prices for gas and electricity are increasing suddenly across Europe,raising the possibility of increases in already-high utility (公共事业）bills and further pain for people who have taken a financial hit fromCOVID-19.

Governments are struggling to find ways to limit costs to consumers as scant natural gas reserves present yet another potential problem, exposing the continent to even more price increases and possible shortages if it’s a cold winter.

In the U.K., many people will see their gas and electricity bills rise next month after the nation’s energy regulator approved a 12% price increase for those without contracts that lock in rates. Officials in Italy have warned that prices will increase by 40% for the quarter that will be billed in October.

There are multiple causes for the price increases, energy analysts say, including tight supplies of natural gas used to generate electricity, higher costs for permits to release carbon dioxide as part of Europe’s fight against climate change, and less supply from wind in some cases.

Analysts at S&P Global Platts say electricity prices have risen due to strong demand from places like data centers and electric cars, but above all because of the rise in the price of natural gas used in generating plants. Utility companies’ exposure to natural gas prices has increased as high-emission coal plants have been retired, while utilities face higher costs for carbon allowances required by the European Union’s emissions trading system, which is aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

The tight gas market could bite even more sharply if there’s an unusually cold winter. That’s because European distributors did not refill reserves reduced during last winter as they typically had done in summer months. In March 2008, when the freeze named “the beast from the east” hit Europe, industrial users in the U.K got a notice that there was a risk of interruption, although it didn’t come to that.

Could Europe run out of gas? “The short answer is Yes, this is a real risk,” said James Huckstepp, an analyst at S&P Global Platts. “Storage stocks are at record lows and there isn’t currently any spare supply capacity that is exportable anywhere in the world.The longer answer is that it’s hard to predict how it will play out given that Europe has never run out of gas in two decades under the current distribution system.”

1. What does the underlined word “scant” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Total.

B．Additional.

C．Limited.

D．Regular.

2. What has actually led to the rise of electricity prices?

A．The closure of some coal plants.

B．The great demand for electric cars.

C．The competition between utility companies.

D．The change in the emissions trading system.

3. Why could an unusually cold winter make the gas market tighter?

A．More natural gas will be needed for industrial use.

B．European distributors don’t make good preparations.

C．It is not easy to fill reserves during the cold weather.

D．Utility companies work can be easily interrupted.

4. What can we learn from James Huckstepp’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Europe is expected to seek help from other countries.

B．It is hard to control the gas price in Europe at present.

C．Europe might face a serious shortage of gas in the future.

D．There’s something wrong with Europe’s distribution system.

6 . 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。

When I was in primary school, I disliked doing exercise. I felt tired when I did any kind of exercise. My parents were really     1     (worry) about my health. One day, after having supper, my father     2    (come) and asked me to have a walk with him in the park. I agreed and we went     3     together. It was hard for me to walk for half an hour. I wanted to give up,     4     my father encouraged me to keep on walking. From then on. I was often asked to walk with my parents. To my surprise, I could walk for an hour in the     5    (five) month. How     6    (pride) I felt! I loved taking exercise gradually. Now I am     7     excellent runner in my school. I take part in the school sports meeting every year.

During all our life, we may face a lot of     8    (difficulty). Don’t be afraid of     9    (they). Please try to face them     10    (brave). After you overcome what you used to be afraid of, you may find how great you are!

7 . Stepping out of your comfort zone (区域) helps you to improve yourself and become a happy and fun person. You’ll experience greater enjoyment as you try out new experiences.     1    .

Unplug (拔掉插头)

Take a break from today's interconnected world.       2    .   You may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but you will know that is just part of the process to let you know better about yourself.

Go to another country

You will experience new cultures, different customs, unique landscapes and another language from travel.     3    . Additionally, the excitement of exploring different scenery and experiencing different cultures are lifelong treasure.

    4    

Try diving, skydiving or a roller coaster ride. If those are too frightening, try giving a speech or taking a dance class. Once you overcome your inner fear, you will have a sense of satisfaction that comes from overcoming it.

Talk with someone new

This doesn’t have to be a complete stranger. Start a conversation with someone new at work, the barista (咖啡师) in your local coffee shop, a neighbour or someone in the queue.     5    . By focusing on other people rather than your own internal thoughts, you can improve your own mental health.

A．Do something that is fearful for you

B．Become uncomfortable with the Internet

C．You can end your conversation with your friends anytime

D．Leave your phone at home, turn off the TV and the Internet

E．Here are some ways that can probably lead you to a new life

F．See if you can continue the conversation for 30 seconds or longer

G．Besides, using cash from different countries is also good for your brain

8 . Researcher Ruijia Hu said wildlife habitat in crowded places like south went Ohio is becoming increasingly fragmented (分散) as forests give way to new construction. Eventually, this could make trouble to an animal with specific habitat needs like Ohio’s pileated (红冠) woodpecker.

Pileated woodpeckers have the nickname carpenter birds for their never-ending natural woodworking. They peck out holes in trees for their nests every year, creating lots of valuable homes for animals like fox squirrels and owls. “They make new nests every year. They won’t reuse old ones,” Hu said. “Other animals depend on them.”

Pileated woodpeckers are private birds that are more often heard than seen. Studying them can be especially difficult. So Hu turned to citizen science for help. To identify where woodpeckers have been seen, she used eight years of sightings collected by birders and logged into the website eBird, a free online tool and app that anyone can use to record their observations and locations. She overlaid these sightings with remote sensing data and found that corridors along rivers and creeks with abundant mature trees and deadwood helped the birds adjust to their increasingly fragmented urban landscape.

“With fragmented forests, many habitats that were once suitable for wildlife are broken up,” Hu sa id. “Wildlife is unable to find habitat big enough to meet their survival needs. And even if there are suitable habitats, the distance between them can be too great. Wildlife corridors link up these habitat patches. Since wildlife can travel and migrate from one patch to another, the probability of finding food and shelter is higher.”

“There are so many species in urban areas that we don’t pay attention to, especially when they’re not considered vulnerable,” Hu said. “With development chipping away at more forest in this crowded county, the tipping point (临界点) could come quickly and unexpectedly. You can’t fix it overnight. It’s not just about planting more trees. The birds need mature forest, so it could take 30 to 50 years to replace their habitat. At least we can protect these riverside forest corridors and see that existing trees reach maturity.”

1. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．The magpie’s nest is occupied by the dove.

B．Birds abandon the old for the new easily.

C．Friendship really exists among animals.

D．One’s trash is another treasure.

2. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．The effect of   Hu’s study on birds.

B．The process of   Hu’s   research.

C．The difficulty Hu had in his study.

D．The application of technology.

3. What role do wildlife corridors play for birds?

A．Helping them survive in the fragmented landscape.

B．Making them adjust to deadwood quickly.

C．Providing them with enough food for survival.

D．Ensuring them a stable and safe habitat.

4. What does Hu imply in the last paragraph?

A．One tree doesn’t make a forest.

B．Be wise after the event.

C．Prepare for a rainy day.

D．Take things as they come.

9 . The AIDA model is the foundation of modern marketing and advertising practice. It outlines the four basic steps used to persuade potentials to make a purchase. The first three steps lie in creating attention (A), decorating interest (I), and building desire (D) for the product, before the fourth step — the “call to action” (A) — tells them exactly how and where to buy. AIDA can channel the customer’s feelings through each stage toward reaching a sale.

Attracting the customer’s attention is the first challenge and this may be achieved by using an attracting phrase or picture. Once someone’s attention has been clutched, it must be turned into real interest. This is best done by providing a brief description of the product’s benefits to the consumer rather than simply listing the product’s main features or problem-solving claims.

Now, it is time to transform that interest into a desire for a product or service. This is where consumers need to believe their lives could be better by possessing the product. It could be a vital step towards turning a potential into a real customer.

“Call-to-action” is where all of the initial hard work pays off and leads to the action from a potential customer. For example, they might pick up the phone to discuss the idea of a trial of the services or, alternatively, they may just buy that product or service that has been promoted to them all along.

And AIDA is used to great effect in the movie industry. Movie studios begin their marketing campaigns months in advance. The campaigns develop by offering attractive flashes of the movie without giving too much away. Desire is inspired by the release of the full preview which is fully designed to show the exciting moments of the movie, from special effects to humorous lines of dialogue on the opening weekend. Advertisements in newspapers and on television focus on the movie’s release, inviting the consumer to go and buy a ticket.

1. What is the purpose of practising AIDA?

A．To create jobs.	B．To increase sales.
C．To research markets.	D．To introduce products.

2. What does the underlined word “clutched” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Seized.

B．Freed.

C．Cheated.

D．Affected.

3. In which stage of the AIDA model may a customer call to try the service?

A．Action.

B．Interest.

C．Desire.

D．Attention.

4. Why does the author mention the movie industry in the last paragraph?

A．To design an AIDA model.	B．To display how AIDA works.
C．To show how to make a movie.	D．To advertise the movie industry.

10 . When we’re bored, most of us end up being glued to a phone. That might ease our boredom.     1     That time could’ve been spent on a different, more valuable activity. The following will help ease your boredom, and teach you to use time more productively.

Reading.

    2     That’s because they were forced to read at school. But when you have the option to choose which book you’re going to read, you can understand why it’s enjoyable. Not only can it help ease your boredom, it’s also one of the best ways to expand your knowledge.

    3    

People often forget why they’re pursing something in the first place. Some may not even be sure what they’re supposed to be doing in their daily life. This lack of direction then often shows up as boredom. That’s why having goals is important.

Exercise.

Exercise is good and should be done frequently.     4     Most people who exercise do it to look better in the mirror. But there’s another reason why you should exercise, it improves our brain function.

Cleaning up your room.

Take a look around right now. Chances are that the space you’re in, is far from clean. However, you have to change that, as our physical environment has a huge impact on our cognition, behavior and decision making.     5     But once we remove all this visual mess from our environment, we’re able to focus and process information much better.

A．Pursuing a dream.

B．Planning and goal setting.

C．But there’s an opportunity cost.

D．Most people only do reading after school.

E．But for some reason, not everyone does it.

F．When our surroundings are a mess, so are we.

G．Most people don’t read anything after they’ve finished school.