2 . 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。

Large cloisonne (Jingtailan in Chinese) vases, striking plates and other colorful pieces     1     (display) in Beijing Gongmei Group’s arts-and-crafts factory’s studio near Yonghegong in the capital attract a lot of visitors.

Gaze upon these long enough, and you will be surprised by the     2     (diverse) of distinctive Chinese patterns traced by countless thin golden wires.

“It’s said that there are 108 steps in     3     process of producing cloisonne goods,” says Zhang Yongzhen, the factory’s director,     4     has practiced the craft for four decades. “The traditional handicraft is very complicated. No one can finish the process     5     (complete) by himself or herself. It’s a delicate art that takes dedication to every small step.”

The fundamentals of making cloisonne include     6     (shape) the object’s body; bending and inlaying copper (铜) wires     7     (present) surface patterns; coloring these wires; heating and finally, polishing and gilding (镀金).

Te technique was introduced     8     China in the late 13th century. It’s believed that cloisonne reached its peak and     9     (give) its present Chinese name during Emperor Jingtai in the Ming Dynasty. Lan means blue in Chinese. The craft was     10     (far) developed in the Qing Dynasty, following innovations in copper-smelting techniques.

3 . Powerful Benefits of Journaling

When looking for a way to better manage stress and feel your best, consider adding journaling to.     1     It’s a pathway to deeper self-understanding, emotional clarity, and psychological recovery.

Practice journaling as therapy (治疗)

By making journaling a regular practice, you create a space for self-reflection that can lead to personal growth and psychological treatment.     2     Once you start, with each word you write, you’re taking a step towards a deeper understanding of yourself and moving closer to well-being.

Release and process feelings

    3     Journaling provides a private, judgment-free space to explore and express emotions without reservation. This process of externalizing what’s inside can be incredibly cathartic (宣泄的), helping to reduce stress and manage extreme emotions.

Help recognize sources of stress

Think of it as a safe space to express how you feel, leading to a significant decrease in stress levels. Sometimes the first step in building the life you want starts with simple awareness. Journaling gives you a chance to recognize what stresses you out in the first place.     4    

Promote mindfulness

Journaling brings your focus to the present. Just like in mindful meditation (冥想), journaling gives you an outlet to observe thoughts and emotions without judgment. Think of this as an act of self-love, to accept yourself in the present moment just as you are.     5    

A．This practice goes beyond just recording daily events

B．Even just five minutes can help gain some comprehension

C．Sometimes people find it challenging to express their emotions.

D．This mindfulness aspect provides a crucial tool in reducing stress.

E．Once you notice bad situations, you can remove that source of stress.

F．This can enhance decision-making skills and promote an approach to life’s difficulties.

G．To begin your therapeutic journaling journey, the most important aspect is to get started

4 . When Sharaine and Wilson moved their family to Rhode Island, they already had a houseful. Five kids, a busy schedule, a long list of house projects and a whole new neighborhood _______ little time for anything else. And then Paul _______.

At 82 years old, Paul had just lost his wife, but he is still handy and _______. He walked across the street carrying a ladder to meet the new neighbors and _______ a little help with fix-up projects.

Sharaine remembers, “Our biggest _______ of moving into a new neighborhood was what if the new neighbors don’t like us. We have a lot of _______; they make a lot of noise.” But those fears were quickly put to   _______. Paul knows a lot about tools and _______ an old house that Sharaine and Wilson moved in, and he soon became a(n) _______ visitor of the family.

Thanks to Paul’s kind help, Sharaine and Wilson had no ________ in making a new friend. And neither did the kids, Paul made sure the kids crossed the street ________ after school, helped with homework and even ________ the little ones to brush their teeth.

“The kids run up to him like that’s their own ________,” Sharaine says. And that keeps Paul ________. There are neighborhood cookouts, birthdays, home projects and so on. He is also busy ________ a grandpa.

1.

A．needed

B．earned

C．took

D．meant

2.

A．showed up

B．checked out

C．settled down

D．broke in

3.

A．careful

B．grateful

C．helpful

D．hopeful

4.

A．demand

B．offer

C．send

D．promise

5.

A．fear

B．gain

C．pride

D．mistake

6.

A．friends

B．neighbors

C．relatives

D．kids

7.

A．use

B．rest

C．work

D．test

8.

A．discovering

B．exploring

C．maintaining

D．evaluating

9.

A．strange

B．unexpected

C．lonely

D．regular

10.

A．business

B．interest

C．problem

D．point

11.

A．quickly

B．safely

C．calmly

D．quietly

12.

A．reminded

B．forced

C．allowed

D．witnessed

13.

A．grandpa

B．teacher

C．staff

D．property

14.

A．crazy

B．busy

C．annoyed

D．surprised

15.

A．assisting

B．meeting

C．being

D．becoming

6 . The 2017 Noble Prize for Physics was given for the confirmation of a prediction made 101 years earlier. In 1916 Albert Einstein, whose theories of special and general relativity revolutionized scientists’ understanding of the universe, predicted that, in certain circumstances, the fabric of the universe itself should swing and bend.

The cause is gravitational waves In 2015 gravitational waves were directly observed for the first time. LIGO, an American observatory based in Washington State in that country’s northwest, and Louisiana in the southeast, detected waves produced by a pair of crashing black holes, each about 30 times the mass of the sun. That produced ripples (波纹) in space-time with a frequency of about 150 Hz, or cycles per second, and a wavelength of around 2, 000km.

This detection marked the beginning of the era of gravitational wave astronomy, which uses gravity to examine the universe in the same way that conventional astronomy uses electromagnetic radiation, from visible light to radio waves and gamma rays. On June 29th four projects led by researchers in America, Australia, China and Europe claimed to have pushed forward the state of that emerging art. They announced the detection of new, extremely low frequency gravitational waves which could offer insights into some of the hardest-to-study bits of the universe.

Gravitational wave detectors are interferometers (干涉仪). They work by dividing a ray of light into two,and sending each half down one of a pair of long,straight arms. At the end of the arms,the light waves are reflected back towards the source, where they are recombined. If that journey is uninterrupted, the returning rays will cancel each other out when they are put back together. If they do not, then that suggests some disturbance has disturbed them on their journey.

1. Why was Einstein mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To make a prediction.	B．To make a comparison.
C．To offer more background.	D．To honor this great scientist.

2. Which word best describes the detection of gravitational waves?

A．Expected.

B．Surprising.

C．Accidental.

D．Groundbreaking.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us about gravitational wave detectors?

A．How they work.	B．What they can do.
C．Whether they are accurate.	D．Why they are used.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Ripples in Space-Time.	B．Theories to Be Confirmed.
C．Predictions about the Universe.	D．Ways of Observing the Universe.

7 . Vietnam Quality Tour

Price	￡4,240 per person
Price includes	·Return flights from the UK, current taxes ·Domestic transportation ·16 nights’ four star accommodation ·16 breakfasts, 15 lunches and 16 dinners ·Touring with guides and entrance fees as detailed in schedule ·Exclusive free pre-tour extension including hotel night with breakfast and dinner and a half-day cooking class.
Departures	May 2024 to June 2026

This tour is the perfect introduction to Vietnam, with cultural activities and plenty of opportunities to interact with the locals. Learn more about the history of Saigon, and explore Hue for a glimpse(一睹) of the grand past of this ancient country. Hoi An will impress you with its stone streets and scenic riverside setting, while the capital city Hanoi features timeless streets full of local life, wonderful colonial(殖民的) architecture and a splendid history. The tour finishes as it started, with a showstopper—Halong Bay, where you’ll take an overnight journey by sea out onto the calm waters and wind your way through the breathtaking karst(喀斯特) scenery.

When booking this tour with The Times Travel Offers, you will get a high-quality free pre-tour extension, which includes an extra hotel night with breakfast and dinner, as well as a half-day cooking class which is of great value-make sure to quote TIMES-ON when booking.

1. When can you sign up for this tour?

A．In April 2024.

B．In August 2025.

C．In July 2026.

D．In August 2026

2. What is Halong Bay famous for?

A．Its stone streets.

B．Its unique scenery.

C．Its splendid history

D．Its colonial architecture.

3. What type of writing is the text?

A．A travel plan.

B．A travel journal

C．An attraction profile.

D．A travel advertisement

8 . Sweeney is a children’s author who once lived in Lahaina on Front Street. When she saw the ________ of the big fires there, she decided she would use her way to ________ the survivors.

Sweeney promoted a book drive for people in Lahaina and it has received a ________ support. In one week, ________ from as far away as Australia arrived. Her garage has ________ a global donation drive center.

“I ________ it with the hope of getting 200 books to bring with me over to the island so I could stay in a shelter and ________ to the children. But it has turned out that it goes far beyond my ________,” she said. So far she has ________ thousands of books weighing more than 2,000 pounds — that’s more than a ton. “I am totally surprised,” she said. “The whole thing is just ________.”

She is ________ delivery companies to see if they can send the ________ to different schools and shelters. A company is offering 50% off the delivery.

Sweeney is ________ to Lahaina in two weeks for the first time since the fires. She also has a goal to help the burned-down Lahaina Library ________ its shelves once it is rebuilt.

She said, “We’re all the same and we all help each other ________ after disasters.”

1.

A．cause

B．importance

C．sign

D．destruction

2.

A．remember

B．observe

C．help

D．accept

3.

A．worldwide

B．healthy

C．local

D．legal

4.

A．firefighters

B．experts

C．donations

D．profits

5.

A．moved into

B．led to

C．depended on

D．turned into

6.

A．started

B．reported

C．joined

D．confirmed

7.

A．speak

B．read

C．sing

D．write

8.

A．reach

B．ability

C．understanding

D．expectation

9.

A．collected

B．won

C．borrowed

D．published

10.

A．clear

B．amazing

C．normal

D．puzzling

11.

A．founding

B．interviewing

C．contacting

D．reminding

12.

A．money

B．medicine

C．awards

D．books

13.

A．heading

B．referring

C．adapting

D．pointing

14.

A．paint

B．refill

C．discover

D．remove

15.

A．travel

B．suffer

C．recover

D．compete

9 . For years, animals have been used in the testing of medicine to make sure the products are safe to use for humans. A law that doesn’t require labs to test on animals any more has been signed recently. Before the new law was in place, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required new medicine to be tested on animals before the labs could move on to test on humans. Companies were required to test their products on animals like a monkey or dog. This causes companies to test on tens of thousands of animals every yar. Now the new law lifts the requirement for animal testing.

According to Science, researchers have been wanting to move away from animal testing. Paul Locke, scientist and lawyer at Johns Hopkins University, told the website: “We have many important drugs that have been developed using animal tests. But as we get into some of these more difficult diseases, especially neurological (神经系统的) diseases, the animal models just aren’t serving us as well.”

The chief scientist of the FDA says that they want to try and get rid of (摆脱) all animal testing. “We support other methods that are backed by science and provide the necessary data showing whether products are safe and effective,” Namandjé Bumpus told Science. One of their choices is called “organs-on-chips (器官芯片)”. These are small chips that contain human cells (细胞). The chips are used to test the effects of medicine. They mimic certain human body functions. For example, they are very soft, there can be some kind of blood flow and they are physically active, just as our bodies.

Aysha Akhtar, a neurologist and president and CEO of the Center for Modern Sciences said: “The decision is still up to the FDA to decide whether the method is to be put into practice.” Anyway, Akhtar expects that new methods of testing will be used.

1. What does the new law state?

A．New medicines are to be tested on humans.	B．The requirement for animal testing is stopped.
C．The skills of animal testing need to be improved.	D．More animals are to be used to test new medicine.

2. Why do researchers want to get rid of animal testing?

A．They think it difficult to find enough animals.

B．Animal testing fails to function well sometimes.

C．Some difficult illnesses get worse after animal testing.

D．The medicine is too expensive to be tested on animals.

3. What does the underlined word “mimic” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Put an end to.

B．Keep away from.

C．Make up for.

D．Model themselves on.

4. What is Akhtar’s attitude to new testing methods?

A．Doubtful.

B．Disapproving.

C．Positive.

D．Uninterested.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

A Pleasant Surprise

It was one week before Christmas and my house was filled with festive cheer. The only thing I hoped to get from my Christmas wish list was a puppy (小狗). I had always dreamed of having a puppy, as I was the only child, and it could be quite lonely at times. However, I did not want to get my hopes up, as I knew neither of my parents liked the thought of having a puppy around the house and all that came with it.

Every time I begged for a puppy, my parents would say, “It is a lot of responsibilities, and you will have to clean up after it, give it baths, feed it regularly and walk it.”

I knew the responsibilities and was ready to take them on. Unfortunately, even with my enthusiasm (热情) and determination, my parents still disagreed to get me a puppy. There were very few chances of getting it, but I still tried asking them again that week.

“Oh honey, pick something else instead. There are so many toys that you can pick,” my parents responded as usual. As expected, I thought, giving a resigned sigh (无奈的叹息). For the rest of the evening, I decorated the Christmas tree as my parents hung some stockings. That night, I went to sleep with the hope that my dream would ever come true.

My alarm clock woke me up. “Oh my goodness, it is finally Christmas day!” I shouted excitedly and rushed down the stairs to the living room.

“Good morning, Bella!” both my parents chatted with huge smiles on their faces that were brighter than usual. My curiosity was inspired and many questions rushed into my mind. They played Christmas carols, and they sang along to the merry tunes. Just then, I caught my father smiling at my mother as if they had a secret plan and walking out of the door. When I asked my mother where my father had gone, she simply said that he had gone to pick something up. I grew confused.

注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I wondered what they could be hiding from me.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I fell in love with the puppy at first sight and named her Daisy.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________