2 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

In the 1950s and 1960s, people were widely using chemicals in agriculture, which polluted the food web and broke the eggs of Bald Eagles. Concern for the birds helped to pass the Endangered Species (物种) Act (ESA) on December 28,1973.

The ESA is now 50 years old. It is a vital part of protection efforts in America, but it comes into play only when a species is nearly gone. There is much we can do to prevent our weak creatures from needing the act in the first place.

Recent studies have shown that the best way to protect species is to protect their habitats (栖息地), because it follows a sound, nature-based logic. People and progress depend on nature for large benefits. Compared to recovering a species, protecting habitats won’t need to decide which species is the most serious case that should be treated first.

In January 2023, a bill named Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA)was passed, which would provide significant funding for protection of wildlife habitat that supports species at risk. It basically modernized the Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937, one of the first species-protection acts in America. RAWA was one of the most important acts in wildlife conservation in decades providing $1.397 billion to fund local and state efforts not only to help recover endangered species but also prevent at-risk wildlife from becoming endangered. While this funding has worked for decades, the accelerating (加速) loss of biodiversity requires a new way and more investment.

Protecting habitat doesn’t just protect wildlife; it protects humanity. If the desire to care for our world is not enough, it’s wise to remember that if you destroy your home, you des troy your life.

1. What is the disadvantage of ESA?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why protecting habitats is better than recovering a species?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶RAWA, a modern version of the Pittman-Robertson Act, mainly helps to save the species that are endangered.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Apart from protecting habitats, what else can we do to protect animals? (In about 40 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . Over the past century, the average lifespan (平均寿命) in developed countries has increased by 30 years, from roughly age 50 to 80.

    1     But they have also created a new and important gap: Healthspan (健康寿命), usually explained as the period of life free of disease or disability, does not always match longer life.

While lifespan is certainly an important measure of health and well-being, it is not the only one.     2     That is because it emphasizes the importance of not only living a long life but also living a healthy and productive life.

By a study based on the World Health Organization, an American who expects to live to 79 might first face serious disease at 63.     3     Indeed, aging is the biggest risk for cancer and heart disease. During the past 10 years, medicine has started to take a different way based on the biology of aging. The focus should be on a longer health y life rather than just length of life, and slowing aging is the tool to do it.

Lengthening healthspan starts with thinking about aging well overall, meaning putting physical health, mental health, and daily lifestyle all in one.     4     It can reduce stress and the risk of chronic health conditions.

For now, there are some familiar steps to extend healthspan: common-sense nutrition, sleep, exercise and social connection are the four main factors.     5     For example, regular exercise helps to prevent many diseases.

A．Some disease is less linked with lifestyle habits.

B．It also means taking ways to feel joy and connection.

C．It is important to remember that aging is a natural process.

D．Longer lifespans overall have been a public health success.

E．That could mean he will live in sickness for at least 15 years.

F．Healthspan is increasingly being known as an important idea.

G．The reason those things work is that they improve the biology of aging.

4 . Getting older often involves a series of challenges, such as cognitive (认知的) decline, late-life depression and social isolation. In a society that is aging fast, it has become important to find ways to promote successful aging to prevent and limit cognitive and emotional disorders. Music is a promising tool for improving cognition and promoting well-being.

Cognitive reserve (储备) is the mind’s power to stop age-related brain damage. Research has shown that stimulating (令人兴奋的) life experiences are linked with higher power to prevent age-related brain diseases. Music is known to be cognitively stimulating and it could contribute to building such reserve throughout the life course. Music makes unique demands on our nervous system, like cognitive control. For example, lifelong musical expert knowledge and skills seem to reduce cognitive decline. However, it is not necessary to be a professional musician to benefit from musical training. Research shows that even short-term musical training strengthens cognition in the elderly.

The brain is built to change over our lifetime, which can be shaped by experience. Importantly, this happens over time and in response to a specific new skill. Research studies have identified structural and functional differences between the brains of musicians and non-musicians, especially in regions related to motor control and auditory processing. Evidence shows that even short-term musical interventions (干预) can promote brain plasticity and increase grey matter volume. Even passive music listening can result in improved cognitive abilities.

Music can open forgotten doors to our memories — such as weddings, school dances, and parties — with little cognitive effort. Music helps to recall all the memories that you have connected with a song. The “reminiscence bump” is used to describe enhanced memory for events that occur during adolescence (青春期) and early adulthood that are often sharp. A song becomes a soundtrack for a particular time, such as during a summer hanging out with a specific group of friends.

Music has a great power to bring strong emotions and intense pleasure into your mind, thus changing mood. Music can be used as an aid for escaping from everyday life through imagination of your own memories. Moreover, musical activities often involve social functions promoting social contact, cooperation, and a sense of belonging with others.

In sum, music is a powerful tool to fight against aging-related emotional and cognitive disorders. Music is also considered as a social activity, accessible to anyone regardless of background. So, this intervention should become a major policy priority for health y aging.

1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us about music?

A．The effect of music on musicians.	B．The benefit of music for cognition.
C．The power of music over loneliness.	D．The demand of music on nervous system.

2. The author uses “reminiscence bump” in Paragraph 4 to ________.

A．introduce a topic	B．provide an opinion
C．compare with music	D．explain an argument

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Short-term musical training doesn’t work.

B．The brain can’t be influenced by experience.

C．Music can be used to limit emotional disorders.

D．Music is a powerful tool to fight against aging.

5 . 语法填空

Paper cutting is one of the most popular Chinese traditions. We can see paper cutting works     1     walls, windows, doors, mirrors and so on. It is popular because it is cheap and easy     2     (make). Paper cutting works are usually made of red paper. Red is the most popular color in Chinese culture.     3     we need is simply a piece of paper and a knife or a pair of scissors.     4     to be good at this art is not easy at all because it needs much practice and imagination.

6 . In 2022, my 4-year-old son, Tyler, needed to have a serious surgery (手术). My wife and I took him to Children’s Hospital.

There were a lot of worries in our hearts in the waiting room. When a nurse called us to the doctor’s office, our _______ only grew. A young doctor told us that he would perform the surgery and began to _______ what the process (过程) would be and all the risks of a surgery like this. My mind went to the _______ possible result. I just couldn’t help but feel like: What was I going to do if I _______ my son?

But he then did something that was very _______. He looked us both in the eye, put a hand on each one of our shoulders and said, “Your son is my son.” I will never _______ that because that sent a calm through me. What he said was very helpful and meaningful.

After the surgery, he _______ to us, looked us once again in the eye and said, “Our son is just fine, and you could see him here in a few minutes.”

I can’t tell you how _______ we both were for having him there and for what he said to us. I’ll never forget that doctor. And to this day, anytime I have a chance to volunteer or donate to Children’s Hospital, I’ll make sure I’m one of the first ones in line. I hope that I have the _______ of seeing him again someday to thank him for his ________ words.

1.

A．fear

B．shame

C．pity

D．pride

2.

A．imagine

B．realize

C．explain

D．challenge

3.

A．fastest

B．latest

C．lowest

D．worst

4.

A．trusted

B．lost

C．scared

D．missed

5.

A．secret

B．unexpected

C．strange

D．creative

6.

A．accept

B．believe

C．doubt

D．forget

7.

A．looked up

B．walked up

C．opened up

D．drove up

8.

A．sorry

B．angry

C．thankful

D．regretful

9.

A．task

B．choice

C．sign

D．chance

10.

A．kind

B．sharp

C．boring

D．simple

8 . 根据题目所提出的具体要求，在答题卡上写出一篇连贯完整的短文。词数不少于60。
假设你是红星中学的高一学生李华，你的英国笔友Jim对于你校近期组织的线上体育课很感兴趣，请你根据下面的信息给他回信, 介绍线上体育课相关情况，内容包括：
1. 线上体育课所需准备；2. 课堂活动内容；3. 个人收获与感受。
信的开头结尾以为你写好，不计入总词数。

Online PE Class
Preparations	a pair of comfortable shoes
Class activities	do some warm-ups watch videos on how to do sports practice doing different sports
Benefits and your feelings	…….

Dear Jim,

I’ve heard you are interested in our online PE class. Now I’d like to introduce it to you.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That’s all for our online PE class. If you want to know more, contact me!

Yours,

Li Hua

9 . 阅读下面短文, 根据文章内容及题目要求回答问题。

Is it the future worrying me? Did I hurt someone by mistake? Am I expecting too much from life? We are often stuck in these unnecessary thoughts, causing anxiety and making us weak.

The escape from my sadness and depressed thought has been cooking for the past few months. I read through quick recipes, find the ones that I can connect to, and search up for materials in the kitchen. Every time I cut a vegetable, it is like I am cutting off my problems. All of this not only brings me great joy, but it leads me to discover something I am good at, which I might have never tried otherwise.

Cooking can work as a treatment, which has received some scientific explanations. Mental health experts have talked about the benefits cooking and baking provides for people struggling with poor mental health. Through cooking, these people can get back control of their lives. They can bring back the feeling of joy and excitement that has been long gone from their daily lives. Julia Ohana, an active expert in culinary therapy, talked about the significance cooking holds in terms of time control, communication, and problem-solving ability. She believes all these skills combined help people become less depressed and more satisfied.

The excitement when you work on a recipe is unexplainable. You look forward to what you are going to create from your own hands. You have the power to make something great, only depending on the direction you take and your cooking skills.

1. What might be the result if we are caught in unnecessary worries?
__________________________________________________________
2. According to the experts, what benefits will cooking bring to people with poor mental health?
__________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The author chooses to cook when he feels sad because he wants to comfort himself with a good meal and the cooking process also brings him happiness.
__________________________________________________________
4. Please briefly present some other ways to get rid of unnecessary worries.   (In about 40 words)
__________________________________________________________

10 . For many parents, it is not easy to ask for information from children about what they did at school all day.     1    But other times, they keep silence or respond with a single word. It doesn’t have to be so tough. With the right strategies, even the most silent child will open up.     2    

Don’t ask “How was your day?”.

This question often leads to one-word answers or a shrug. For many children, the question is too general and they don’t want to think about how to answer it with specifics.

Share your own experiences.

    3    Don’t shy away from sharing your challenging experiences.   It will get the conversation started and help children understand their own emotions. Labeling that you are also having a stressful experience is a good chance to show them how they might do that.

    4    

Ask when your child feels disappointed, frustrated or sad, too. Asking children to share negative as well as positive emotions can help to surface problems in a more routine, less stressful way.

Avoid distractions.

Choose a time to talk when you’ll be able to listen to your child.     5     Children are less likely to reply with thoughtful answers when you’re not paying full attention. Full focus will help you ask follow-up questions, which are important to show interest.

A．Don’t rush to know everything.

B．Sometimes, kids are happy to chat.

C．Don’t expect only positive experiences.

D．Here’s how to get them to tell you about their day.

E．Put your phone down and avoid doing other chores.

F．One way is to ask children to retell what they learned in school.

G．Children may follow your lead if you share your own highlights and lowlights.