1 . Popular topics during 2023 Spring Festival

E-CNY

Currently, 17 provincial-level regions in China have begun the use of digital yuan, or e-CNY. The Tianjin branch of China Construction Bank has also launched a digital yuan promotion activity, offering discounts of up to 50 percent to those who spend digital yuan on shopping during the Spring Festival holiday.

January box-office market

The first month of 2023 took a giant leap and became the highest-earning January of all time in China, selling a total of 201 million tickets for 10 million screenings in over 10,000 cinemas. Insiders said people started a new custom of going to cinemas during the Spring Festival and China’s improvement of COVID-19 control measures further made the January box-office earnings rise.

Tourism market

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said the tourism market recovers remarkably, with an increase of 23.1% compared to the same period last year. As for the income of the domestic tourism industry, travel data showed Chengdu, Shanghai and Guangzhou were the top 3 domestic destinations. It is also said that more than 2.3 million people have crossed the border, with 1.2 million entering and 1.1 million exiting.

The year of the cat instead of rabbit

Why? Legend has it that the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox to win the last seat in the zodiac (生肖) when the rat pushed the cat into the water and won the race. However, in the Vietnamese version — where there was no rabbit — the cat could swim and ended up arriving first. Funny as the story is, the change actually has something to do with language misunderstanding, as the word tied to the sign of the rabbit and pronounced mao (卯) is similar to mèo, the Vietnamese word for cat.

1. What may people in Tianjin do during the Spring Festival?

A．Get encouraged to go shopping.

B．Use e-CNY to promote an activity.

C．Start a new custom of traveling.

D．Offer discount to someone in need.

2. What do January box-office market and Tourism market have in common?

A．Bouncing back out of the same reason.

B．Encouraging a new trend during the holiday.

C．Experiencing a sharp decline several years ago.

D．Using statistics to show the industrial recovery.

3. What really makes the Vietnamese celebrate the year of cat instead of rabbit?

A．Lack of rabbit in their country.

B．Different legends about the zodiac.

C．Similar pronunciation with certain Chinese.

D．Vietnamese’s preference for swimming eats.

2 . Everyone wants to live a healthier life and be happy. Learning how to live better and feel more positive about the world around you can help you live a happy and meaningful life.

Think positively. This does not mean that you ignore the bad or unpleasant things in life. It simply means that you approach every situation in life, both good and bad, with a positive outlook and a productive mindset.     1    , try to identify the things you think negatively about, and recognize why. Or you can evaluate your thoughts and feelings throughout the day.

    2    . Determine what you value most. Everyone has things that are important in life, but what do you ultimately value above all else? Don’t think about physical, tangible things. Instead, focus on those in your life that will give your life a sense of meaning and purpose.

Manage stress in your life. You cannot avoid stressful situations, but you can find ways to relieve your stress. You can use relaxation techniques, such as meditation, visualization, tai chi, yoga, and deep breathing.     3    .

Eat a healthy diet.     4     It’s not enough to avoid bad foods. You should also be getting vitamins and nutrients from all of the major food groups, and avoiding overeating or under-eating.

Cultivate a healthy lifestyle.     5    , it’s important to live a healthy and active lifestyle. How well you care for your body in your early and middle years can greatly influence your health later in life.

A．Find purpose in your life

B．To start thinking more positively

C．Make up your mind to change

D．In addition to eating a healthy diet

E．Try to find the negative aspects of positive situations

F．What you eat can have a huge impact on how you feel

G．Try to maintain a positive attitude, even in stressful situations

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。

How Many Books Does It Take to Make a Place Feel Like Home?

At the turn of the millennium, Reid Byers set out to build a private library at his home in Princeton, N.J. The project stretched over a    1    (generate) and ended with a book this year.

In The Privae Library, Mr. Byers goes to the heart of why physical books continue to attract us.    2    (individual), they are frequently useful or    3    (delight) but it is when books are displayed altogether    4    they really work wonders.    5    (cover) the walls of a room, piled up to the ceiling, they nourish the senses, slay (消磨) boredom and relieve distress.

“Entering our library should feel like easing    6    a hot tub, entering a chamber of curiosities, or the house of     7    old friend,” he writes. “It is a setting forth, and it is a coming back to center.”

Mr. Byers coined a term — “book-wrapt” —    8    (describe) the exciting comfort of a well-stocked library. To be surrounded by books    9    (be) to be fascinated in a circle and to experience the extreme pleasure of being transported to other worlds.

And     10    (mass) of books, he said, represent “delights that we hold in possibility” — the joy of being able to lift a hand and tap unexplored worlds.

4 . According to the World Health Organization, a global group that studies public health, 1.1 billion young adults are at risk of developing hearing loss. Smartphones are largely to blame. Can some headphones really damage your hearing?

Nerves carry messages to each other, such as sounds or sensations. Most hearing loss is the result of nerve wreck. Scientists use decibels to measure volume. You can listen to 85 decibels pretty much all day without causing any damage. That is about the noise level of busy city traffic. Things quickly become dangerous once you get louder than that. The noise level produced at a rock concert or by a chain saw is about 115 decibels. At this level, damage can happen in less than a minute. You might not immediately notice large hearing loss. It will add up over time. Some smartphones can crank (调高) music to 120 decibels. Say: you listen to 10 songs in a row at that volume. You might notice hearing loss by the time you take off your headphones.

What kind of headphones should people use? All of them have different benefits and downsides. Ear buds have a bad reputation because they sit in your ear canal. This allows them to release the sound closer to your ear. That means what you hear is almost the full force of the sound. Big, padded over-ear headphones do not sit as close to your eardrum. They still trap in sound, though. Sound from these headphones also reaches your eardrum at nearly full force. Then there are some special over-ear headphones, the kind with foam (泡沫) earphone covers which are better at blocking noise. They deliver sound around your ear instead of straight into it. It might not sound as good, but it’s healthier for your ears. Solid-plastic in-ear headphones are not very good at blocking out background noise. This might make you want to pump up the volume.

Doctors recommend that their patients get fitted for headphones which will help block background noise. In theory, this should encourage people to listen at lower volumes. But they are not sure it works that way because they think people just have a habit of turning it all the way up.

1. What does the word “wreck” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Loss.

B．Damage.

C．Tension.

D．Decrease.

2. Which activity will probably damage your hearing?

A．Driving at the city center.	B．Enjoying ten songs.
C．Using a chain saw.	D．Watching an action movie.

3. What can you infer from paragraph 3?

A．It is the volume that really damages people’s hearing

B．It’s unnecessary to turn down the volume for people with normal hearing

C．Picking right headphones has nothing to do with people’s hearing.

D．A good pair of headphones can adjust the volume of the smartphone.

4. What kind of headphone do doctors probably recommend people to use?

A．Solid-plastic in-ear headphones.	B．Tiny in-ear headphones.
C．Big padded over-ear headphones.	D．Special over-ear headphones.

5 . World Press Photo

The annual World Press Photo Contest recognizes and celebrates the best photo journalism and documentary photography produced over the last year. Entries for the 2023 World Press Photo Contest will open on 1 December 2022 and close on 10 January 2023. We are excited to welcome a multiplicity of stories and a diverse range of photographers from all over the world to enter the contest!

Regional winners

Every regional winner of the contest receives:

·A monetary prize of 1,000

·Inclusion in the annual World Press Photo year-long worldwide exhibition

·Inclusion in the annual collectible yearbook, available in multiple languages with a worldwide distribution of more than 30,000 copies

·Publication in the online collection and a personal profile on World Press Photo’s website

·A physical award

In addition, winners are often featured in major publications and invited to speak at public events, exhibition openings, and lectures throughout the year.

Global winners

A global jury selects the four global winners: the World Press Photo of the Year, the World Press Photo Story of the Year, the World Press Photo Long-Term Project Award, and the World Press Photo Open Format Award. The global winners will be chosen from the regional winners in their respective categories.

In addition to their regional prizes, global winners will also receive:

·An additional monetary prize of €5,000

·An additional physical award

1. Who would most probably enter for World Press Photo?

A．Storytellers.	B．Photographers.
C．Librarians.	D．Celebrities.

2. Which of the following benefits will Regional Winners receive?

A．Their works will be exhibited for years.

B．A personal profile on any website is allowed.

C．30,000 copies of their works will be distributed to other winners.

D．They will be invited to deliver speeches throughout the year.

3. If you were a global winner, what monetary prize would you receive?

A．€1000.

B．€4000.

C．€5000.

D．€6000.

6 . In Tennessee, you will find a “secret society” that consists of 9 women who call themselves “The 9 Nanas.” Its mission is simple — to spread happiness by performing random acts of kindness for those in need. The Nanas have been together since childhood. Several of them were raised by MaMaw and PaPaw, a couple that were always doing good for the community.

One day when the 9 Nanas got together, they started recollecting the old days with MaMaw and PaPaw. They fondly recalled how MaMaw Ruth used to bake and send pound cakes to families who had recently lost someone. The “sisters” wanted to do good for their community too. So, the “secret society” of “The 9 Nanas” was born.

The ladies kept their ears open as they ran their daily work. Whenever they heard of someone in need, they’d step in to help. A package would be sent, which would always include one of MaMaw Ruth’s pound cakes and a note that said “Somebody loves you.”

Believe it or not, the group operated in secret for 30 years! But by then, the husbands had started to get suspicious. So the 9 Nanas gathered the husbands and spilled the beans. Their husbands wanted in on the fun. That’s when the operation was taken to the next level!

Now, over 5 years since the husbands uncovered their wives’ secret, the 9 Nanas are still going strong. They said, “Not everyone is as lucky as we were to have MaMaw and PaPaw to take care of them. So this is our way of giving back. We want to make sure that happiness happens.”

1. What is the task of the “secret society”?

A．To uncover secrets.	B．To search for lost family members.
C．To spread happiness.	D．To attend kids for working parents.

2. What inspired the 9 Nanas to start the “secret society”?

A．A thank-you note.	B．Their similar interests.
C．A special package.	D．Their common memories.

3. Which of the following best explains ”spilled the beans“ underlined in paragraph 4?

A．Told the truth.	B．Shared snacks.
C．Asked for help.	D．Made promises.

4. Which of the following best describes the 9 Nanas?

A．Practical and polite.	B．Humble and humorous.
C．Caring and devoted.	D．Outgoing and disciplined.

7 . When I was 13, I climbed my first mountain--a fairly gentle 3,900-foot peak. I was overweight at the time and out of breath when I reached the summit. But I loved challenging myself. Soon I’d climbed nearly 100 peaks. My parents were happy I’d finally found a hobby.

I often go climbing with my friend Mel Olsen. She and I drove to tackle 11, 240-foot Mount Hood. It’s safer to start winter climbs at night when there’s less risk of the sun melting the snowpack. That day, we started at 3 a. m. At around9 a. m., we reached an ice step. It was about three or four feet tall and sloped al a 75-degree angle. 1 volunteered to go first. I placed my left foot on the ice step.

I gained a sense of the ice when 1 stuck my ax and crampons (鞋底钉) into it, and it felt good. Confident I was safe, I put my full weight on it. Suddenly, I heard a crack, and as the snowpack became thinner, a whole piece of ice broke off the step, right under my foot.

In an instant, I fell backward, bouncing off the rock face and rolling down the mountain as if I were a character in a video game. I remember thinking, This is it. You’re done. I stuck out my arms and legs, grabbing at anything. That stopped my rolling down the mountain, but I was still sliding, After 2 few seconds, I came to a stop on a shallow slope.

I asked myself: Where are you? Mount Hood. What’s the date? December 30. Good. My brain was functioning. Then I checked my body to see where I was hurt. For the most part, I was fine, except that I was suffering from a sharp pain in my left leg. Later I’d learn that I’d broken my femur (大腿骨) and that the bone was slicing into my skin and muscle.

At the bottom of Mount Hood, I was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital. The doctors told me it would be a year before I could climb again, but I was back on the trails within six months.

1. Why did the author and her friend set out at 3 a. m. ?

A．It was the best time to enjoy scenery.	B．It was more challenging to climb at night.
C．They wanted to finish the climb before sunset.	D．They hoped to avoid some possible dangers.

2. Why is “a character in a video game” mentioned in paragraph 4?

A．To show her strong character.	B．To make her idea more convincing.
C．To help readers imagine the scene.	D．To add to the humor of the description.

3. How did the author make sure she could still think clearly?

A．By recalling what had happened.	B．By checking whether she was injured.
C．By calling an ambulance for rescue.	D．By asking herself some factual questions.

4. What can we learn about the author?

A．She is too brave to pay attention to any danger.

B．R She has a strong desire for professional knowledge.

C．Setbacks can’t stop her from challenging herself.

D．The love for nature sets her apart from her friends.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers talking about?

A．Suggestions on a speech draft.

B．Methods to write a good essay.

C．Opinions about a job application.

2. How does the man feel now?

A．Excited.

B．Confident.

C．Nervous.

3. What suggestion does the woman give for the second part?

A．The man should add some truthful data.

B．The man should make the topic more attractive.

C．The man should make his words more appealing.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did Rosa think of the trip to the museum?

A．Common.

B．Busy.

C．Amazing.

2. When will the speakers probably go to the museum together?

A．In spring.

B．In summer.

C．In winter.

10 . 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。

Demand for Chinese stories turns a page at Italian book fair

A picture book series titled Palace Cats,    1    (picture) a few of the furry occupants of the Palace Museum, the huge national museum complex housed in the Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing, caught the eyes of nearly all visitors    2    the exhibition area of a Chinese publishing house at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair,    3    ran from March 6- 9 in the central Italian city.

In its 60th edition, the annual book fair is    4    major international forum for publishers, authors    5    illustrators of children’s literature to exchange ideas, forge bonds and select partners.

At the 32-square-meter stand of China Science and Technology Press, hundreds of Chinese story books and science books for children were on n display. Audrey Lorenzini, an    6    (independence) publisher from Padova, Italy,    7    (discuss) copyright issues with the Chinese exhibitors.

“It’s very difficult for children in Italy    8    (access) books about Chinese culture,”she said while looking for books for Italians who want to learn about China.

    9    (profession) and publishers, including Beijing-based UTOP publishing house and China Children’s Press and Publication Group,    10    (draw) to the exhibition booths of other Chinese publishers to seek deals for cooperation.