1 . Helen has a very positive _______ towards life and always looks on the bright side.

A．assistance

B．account

C．accident

D．attitude

2 . Every Thursday afternoon, the food pantry (食品储藏室) at the local high school opens up to provide fresh food bags for families who can hardly make both ends meet to get their meals to last through the weekend. Nearly a hundred families rely on the extra food. Some are between jobs, some got hit hard with medical bills for a few months, and some are new to the neighborhood, placed there by refugee services.

On one breezy afternoon, two young mothers walked in together, each accompanied by a young child. There was nothing different about their dress, but their manner revealed a shyness that they struggled to overcome. When they spoke, it was clear why: Their accents were thick, even though they were trying hard to make their English sound American. They were uncertain of being understood. But the pantry is run by grandmothers who are never pressed for time when it comes to conversations. So they sat for a moment and told their story while the little ones were held in arms so very familiar with children.

The two lived in apartments in the basement of the Methodist Church. They had been in the United States for one month. Their husbands were well-educated but working labor jobs to pay for food and save for more typical apartments.

Both had fled the war in Eastern Europe, one family from Ukraine and one from Russia. They ended up in the same church basement and discovered that they needed each other. They became fast friends. Their children played together. They shared meals and navigated their new world together.

There were no bombs or soldiers or rations in their new neighborhood, only a chance to start over. Friendships are sometimes hard to come by, yet matter so much to each of us. A good friend gives us strength, love, laughter and the courage to keep trying.

These two families — worn down by uncertainty and war, thrown together in a new country, a new community with a new language — found so much in common. And isn’t that what we all need? A friend who faces the same life challenges, even if the forces above them have different political views. We are, after all, just mothers and fathers, friends and neighbors.

1. In the article, who primarily benefits from the services provided by the food pantry?

A．High school students.	B．People with disabilities.
C．Families with tight budgets.	D．Underpaid individuals.

2. What was the most noticeable characteristic of the two young mothers when they entered the food pantry?

A．Their clothing.	B．Their language.
C．Their children.	D．Their ID documents.

3. What is one of the reasons why these two families became friends?

A．They both live in the basement of the same church.

B．They met at the same restaurant.

C．They are from the same country.

D．They both have similar professions.

4. Which title best fits the article?

A．Challenges of Life and New Friendship	B．The Story of the Food Pantry
C．New Life in America	D．From War to Peace

3 . I always watch my two sons, Chad and Charlie, sitting on the bench petting their pet chickens. Like me, my boys and my husband, Matt, have a soft spot for animals. My parents owned a farm, so I grew up surrounded by animals. Now, I breed silky chickens as pets. “Mummy, the chicken coop (笼子) is dirty,” Chad said. So I got up to clear it up. It is what I always do.

But a few years ago, things weren’t as good as they could have been. At that time, I wasn’t in a good place, struggling with my mental health (心理健康). I constantly felt angry and got annoyed easily. It began when I was pregnant with Charlie. I felt so sick and led a life consumed by anxiety. I even gave up my job working in a bank.

“I can’t go on like this. I need a focus,” I cried to Matt, deciding to work for myself at home and be flexible for the kids. With my love for animals, it didn’t take long to come up with a plan. “I’m going to start an online shop selling beautiful accessories (装饰物) for feathered and furry friends,” I told Matt.

I did some research and purchased many products, and the shop was soon fully stocked with dog and cat toys. I named it Edna Co after my cat, which went live in 2020. To my surprise, the customers loved it. Sometimes, I come up with some novel ideas. One afternoon, I had an idea to sell chicken nappies (尿布), believing they would be a hit with customers.

Working like nappies for babies, the chicken nappies sold out soon, with orders coming from all over the country. Now, they are my bestsellers. As for me, I’m finding happiness again and my online shop is helping me to finally heal.

1. What do we know about the author from paragraph 1?

A．She owns a farm.	B．She likes animals.
C．She has many coops.	D．She loves eating chicken.

2. Why did the author start her online shop?

A．To raise more pets.	B．To kill her spare time.
C．To earn enough money.	D．To recover from mental issues.

3. What kind of person is the author?

A．Confident.

B．Honest.

C．Creative.

D．Humorous.

4. How does the author feel about her online shop?

A．Funny.

B．Stressed.

C．Disappointed.

D．Grateful.

4 . There is much conversation about boundaries these days, but what exactly are boundaries? Simply put, boundaries are limits we personally set in order to protect our physical, emotional, and mental health, and they can be set with ourselves, with others, or with both.     1     — physical boundaries, emotional boundaries, and time or effort boundaries.

    2    . They help us to protect ourselves from harm - keep us safe. They also help us to maintain our sense of self and feeling of control over our lives.     3    . The most common reason is that your boundary may mean someone else’s disappointment. Here are some tips when you are setting boundaries.

Initially, be clear and direct. The more clear and direct you are, the more others will be able to respect the boundaries you set. “I’m heading home today at 5 pm” will be understood more clearly than “I need to head home sometime around 5 or 5: 30 pm.”     4    . We can’t expect people to respect our boundaries if we don’t respect theirs. Further more, be willing for others not to like the boundaries you set. At first, this can feel difficult. But ultimately other people will respect you more for having clear boundaries and know what to expect from the relationship, which will become healthier and stronger.     5    .

Once you set boundaries, it’s important to maintain them. At the beginning, it may feel challenging to set and maintain them, but eventually, they can become second nature and we find ourselves in relationships built on mutual respect and care-the kind of relationships we all want to be in.

A．Or it will need to end

B．Boundaries have cons and pros

C．Then be respectful of others’ boundaries

D．Naturally, they may be met with resistance

E．There are many different types of boundaries

F．Boundaries are important part of a healthy life

G．However, people often have a difficult time setting them

5 . We love our pets. In fact, for most people they are more than me re pets and become more like family members. It is likely then that their owners, at some point, are going to want photographs of their furry friends. However, pet photography presents its own special problems.     1     If you’re thinking of trying pet photography, here are a few pointers to get you started.

Find out about your subject’s personality and habits. Where does it nod off if the sun is out? What is its favourite toy?     2     It’s also worth spending a little time getting to know the animal yourself. Cats, dogs, horses, they all have personality, and you need to ensure they are comfortable being around you, and you around them.

    3     If the pet is comfortable with you, and if it isn’t too nervous, fill the frame with the pet’s face. Get the eyes nice and sharp. Just like humans, this is a natural point of focus, although focusing on the nose or mouth of a dog or cat can also make for an interesting image in its own right.

See the world from pets’ perspective. If you photograph a pet while you’re standing up, all you’re going to see is the top of their head and their backs, not what you want for a portrait. Get down to their eye level. Try pre-focusing your camera and just holding it at ground level so you can look up at the pet.     4    .

Bring a flash with the owner’s permission. While greeting or playing with a new pet, fire a couple of test flashes away from them to see their reaction. In daylight particularly, they never seem to mind the flash at all.     5    .

A．Think about getting in close to your subject.

B．It’s worth a try just for a new angle on things.

C．Animals can be unpredictable, lazy, aggressive and excitable.

D．A good photograph focuses on the subject and not the background.

E．If they do mind, then stick with natural light and use a white reflector.

F．The more you shoot, the greater your chances of hitting that perfect shot!

G．Take time to chat with the owner and observe your subject to gain some insight.

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。

Chinese opera, has a rich history dating back thousands of years. There are various types of Chinese opera, each with its own unique characteristics and traditions. Kunqu Opera, for example,     1     (consider) an old form of Chinese opera, characterized by its elegant lyrics and beautiful melodies. Peking Opera, another famous type, is noted     2     its colorful costumes, facial makeup and movements.

One of the     3     (remarkable) features of Chinese opera is its integration (融合) of singing, dancing, acting, and acrobatics. The singing in Chinese opera is an impressive aspect. In addition to singing,     4     fascinates people most is actors’ dance and acrobatics. These     5     (performance) require years of training and dedication, making Chinese opera actors true masters of their craft.

The stories     6     (tell) through Chinese opera are often drawn from historical events, legends and folklore. These narratives not only entertain but also educate,     7     (pass) down cultural values and moral lessons from generation to generation. The themes of loyalty, bravery and filial piety (孝) are repeated, which promotes social harmony and moral behavior.

In     8    (conclude), Chinese opera is a treasured art form     9     (deep) rooted in Chinese culture. Whether you’re a fan of theater     10     simply interested in Chinese culture, Chinese opera is definitely worth exploring.

7 . In 2019, a white-haired senior was awarded the Friendship Medal, the highest order of honor of China for foreigners. It was Isabel Crook. In her more than a century of life, she spent more than 90 years in China and cultivated (培养) a large number of foreign language talents for China.

In 1915, Isabel was born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1938, Isabel couldn’t wait to return to China. With hard work, she and her colleague completed the survey of over 1,500 families in some villages in Bishan County. She recorded the daily life of the villagers in Xinglongchang with detailed field notes, which give the young people today some idea of the state of affairs in villages at that time.             

In 1947, Isabel and her husband David Crook came to China to observe and study the ongoing land reform. A year later, they completed the study and accepted the invitation to stay in China for language teaching.

One could hardly imagine the teaching conditions in the midst of a war. They asked their students to take small stools (凳子) with them so that they could give class everywhere. They tailored (定制) teaching approaches to suit students’ different language proficiency levels. Without handy teaching materials, they collected articles from English newspapers and magazines. In oral English teaching, Isabel asked students to watch their teachers in a given conversation first. Since there were no tape recorders at school, she had to perform the conversation again and again.

Isabel retired in 1981, but she returned to Southwest China many times to set up scholarship for children from poor families. She also went to Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and other places to help with foreign language teaching. Isabel died in 2023 in Beijing.

1. What do we know about Isabel according to the text?

A．She got China’s highest honor for foreigners.

B．She received her college education in China.

C．She returned to China as a teacher at age 23.

D．She helped children in need all over China.

2. When did Isabel start the journey of education in China?

A．In 1915.

B．In 1938.

C．In 1948.

D．In 1981.

3. Which of the following best describes the couple’s teaching?

A．Boring but helpful.	B．Simple and modern.
C．Traditional but attractive.	D．Flexible and personalized.

4. What does the author want to illustrate by mentioning Isabel’s experiences?

A．Her working experiences were rich.

B．Her life in China was quite colorful.

C．She devoted herself to teaching in China.

D．She showed great interest in Chinese history.

8 . As a child, Liu Wenwen disliked the suona, a “loud, high-pitched” traditional Chinese musical instrument, an ancestral heritage of her family that was to become her career.

Her peers at primary school laughed at her, saying her whole family was engaged only in “weddings and funerals.” Indeed, these are the two major occasions where the horn-like wind instrument is played in China’s rural areas. Liu felt ashamed. People admired things that were modern and international. “Suona, in comparison, was considered an art of the hillbilly.” Her father’s family has performed suona for seven generations.

The music is rooted in Liu’s DNA, but it takes time and hard work to become a skilled musician. The instrument was so loud that it annoyed the neighbors when she practiced at home. “So my parents would wake me up at 4 a.m. every day and take me to practice outside in a park.”

While she followed her parents to play the suona as a child, she only fell in love with the instrument at university. She found suona music beautiful for the first time in 2008, when she entered Shanghai Conservatory of Music to learn the instrument more systematically.

On China’s social media platforms, her name is often followed by a video of her live performance at a concert in Sydney, Australia, alongside award-winning composer Tan Dun in 2017. For her debut on the international stage, she was playing Hundreds of Birds Paying Homage to Phoenix, a masterpiece that often represents excellence in suona performance.

Liu promoted the “hillbilly” music to an international audience, thanks to Tan and his team, who recomposed the traditional music and arranged the piece into an orchestra. “It was a smooth dialogue between a Chinese instrument and a Western orchestra, loved by the musicians and audience alike,” she said. “I felt my hard work had paid off. I trained for over 20 years, probably just to win cheers and applause for traditional Chinese music on the international stage.”

1. What can we learn about Liu from the first two paragraphs?

A．She was born into a musical family.

B．She enjoyed playing the suona as a child.

C．She showed a talent for suona when she was young.

D．She felt ashamed of admiring modern and international things.

2. Why did Liu get up early to practice playing the suona?

A．To get more time for her practice.	B．To avoid disturbing the neighbors.
C．To spend more time with her parents.	D．To make practising the suona a habit.

3. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．Audience like Chinese instruments better than Western orchestra.

B．Liu’s performance at a Sydney concert got her recognized by the public.

C．Liu promoted traditional Chinese music to the whole world with her parents.

D．Social media is a major platform to carry forward traditional Chinese music.

4. In which part of the newspaper can we read the passage?

A．Technology.	B．Education.
C．People.	D．Entertainment.

9 . Four best zoos in the UK

London Zoo

Established in 1828, London Zoo is the oldest scientific zoo in the world. It is situated in Regent’s Park and is home to around 755 different animal species with about 16,802 animals. In addition to being famous for being the oldest scientific zoo, it’s also the very first zoo to launch an Aquarium, an Insect House, a Children’s Zoo and a Reptile House.

Ticket prices online: Children £15 and adults £21. Under 3 — free entry.

Colchester Zoo

This charming child-friendly zoo has more than 155 species located within 60 acres of well-kept land. It has at least 50 displays every day, plenty of hands-on experience opportunities and 5 play areas. It remains up-to-date by expanding continuously and children are guaranteed to enjoy the Madagascar express road train.

Ticket prices online: Children £14 and adults £21. Under 3 — free entry.

Whipsnade Zoo

Whipsnade Zoo is the UK’s biggest zoo set in over 600 acres of beautiful scenery. It first opened in 1931 and now houses 227 different species that comprise over 10,000 animals. The remarkable feature of this zoo is the wandering herds of elephants that freely move around the zoo grounds, making it a wonderful place to take excellent natural pictures to show off to friends and family.

Ticket prices online: Children £18 and adults £25. Under 3 — free entry.

Bristol Zoo

This 12-acre zoo houses more than 450 species. Moreover, it has used its space resourcefully for a small zoo — probably one of the smallest in the world. For example, the latest Gorilla House is an award-winning area with the world’s first walkable glass roof.

Ticket prices online: Children £9 and adults £14. Under 2 — no entry fee.

1. What can visitors do in London Zoo?

A．Visit the Insect House.

B．Experience hands-on activities.

C．Perform scientific experiments.

D．Take pictures on a walkable glass roof.

2. Where should visitors go if their kids want to take a sightseeing train?

A．London Zoo.	B．Colchester Zoo.
C．Whipsnade Zoo.	D．Bristol Zoo.

3. How much should a couple with a 6-year-old pay to visit the smallest zoo?

A．£18.

B．£23.

C．£37.

D．£46.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What was the speaker’s greatest fear?

A．Living a hard life in high school.

B．Meeting all types of people.

C．Attending the college entrance exams.

2. What did the speaker do when getting on with others?

A．He did more and spoke less.

B．He praised their strengths.

C．He talked about similar interests.

3. What is the speaker’s hobby?

A．Playing basketball.

B．Joining learning club.

C．Taking baseball classes.