1 . How to improve your home’s energy efficiency

Ensuring that your home is energy-efficient possibly keeps your bills right down and helps you play your part in the fight against climate change.     1    .

Insulate (使隔热) your loft

Most of your home’s wasted energy will attempt to escape through your roof. To stop it in its tracks, you must invest in having your loft insulated.    2    , but it will be sure to save you over £100 a year.

    3    

By investing in a top-of-the-line boiler, you’ll no doubt tap into an extra of savings. What’s more, making this kind of investment will also be sure to lower your home’s carbon emissions. When choosing a new boiler, give precedence (优先) to those that fall in or near the “A” category. Whatever you do, just don’t slip towards the lower end of the scale.

Fit double glazing (双层玻璃)

    4    . This is because double-glazed windows and doors trap more heat than regular ones, ultimately meaning they will stop you from having to put your heating on as much or as high. The initial investment demanded in this instance can be costly, which is why you should consider making use of the Help to Buy Windows Scheme.

Keep an eye on your energy consumption

Only when you know how much energy you use can you take action with regards to being less wasteful and more resourceful. This means that you should make a conscious effort to keep an eye on your energy consumption.    5    , you might want to consider fitting an energy monitor in your home. Generally, this type of technology will cost between £25 and £40.

A．Update your boiler

B．Maximize the boiler

C．To assist you in rising to this challenge

D．Taking such action may demand some cost in advance

E．Double-glazed windows will increase your energy consumption

F．Take these steps, and you’ll be living in an energy-efficient home

G．Double glazing will make a massive difference to your annual energy bills

2 . Louie, a pet parrot, saved a whole family. He ______ the sleeping Klein family in the middle of the night as flames swept through their home.

“Louie is a true ______,” Barbara Klein recently told news agency South West News Service(SWNS). “If it hadn’t been for him, I probably wouldn’t have been ______ at that time. He started shouting ‘Fire’. He had never said that word before in my ______. When I woke up, the fire was starting to spread across the living room floor.” Unluckily for the family, Louie didn’t ______. Barbara said, “He was like our babies, so it’s ______.”

Barbara took her five-year-old granddaughter ______ and ran out of the house. Her husband Larry also made it out, but was severely wounded when escaping from the burning building. “He ran to the kitchen and tried to ______ the fire out with water,” Barbara told SWNS. “After we left, he ran back into the house and insisted on ______ the pet but with no ______.” The Kleins suffered great ______ in the fire. Their house was in ______ along with its contents and the parrot Louie passed away.

“People have ______ with clothing and someone donated an apartment for three months,” Barbara said. “The man who donated the apartment also ______ us with a baby parrot. We call him Louie Jr to _____   Louie.”

1.

A．annoyed

B．alarmed

C．impressed

D．noticed

2.

A．model

B．genius

C．hero

D．pioneer

3.

A．awake

B．asleep

C．alone

D．afraid

4.

A．opinion

B．way

C．memory

D．sight

5.

A．survive

B．resist

C．arrive

D．respond

6.

A．frightening

B．shocking

C．sorrowful

D．grateful

7.

A．angrily

B．gently

C．secretly

D．immediately

8.

A．turn

B．blow

C．keep

D．put

9.

A．accompanying

B．saving

C．comforting

D．adopting

10.

A．luck

B．doubt

C．evidence

D．barrier

11.

A．injuries

B．losses

C．pressures

D．failures

12.

A．detail

B．place

C．ruins

D．rows

13.

A．rushed out

B．come back

C．run away

D．reached out

14.

A．presented

B．equipped

C．linked

D．compared

15.

A．replace

B．honor

C．forget

D．reward

3 . Arsh believes in the importance of making the world a more beautiful place. The talented boy not only paints but also sells his artwork and donates the money.

It all started when his parents bought him a set of painting tools for his 8th birthday. Once he had his own materials, he began spending much of his free time putting color on his canvas. As Arsh’s paintings began to grow in number, he decided to give them as gifts to friends and family. Receiving a positive response from people around him, he soon realized his pieces had the potential to get much more than smiles and praise.

His light-bulb moment came shortly after: he would sell his artwork and donate the money to charity. His first plan was to raise $1,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which he accomplished in around nine months by selling his paintings on social media and at local art shows. Since then, he’s broadened his reach to benefit other organizations, including childhood cancer nonprofit Compass to Care and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He’s raised over $16,000 for charities so far.

Arsh’s artwork is often colorful and cheery, as one might expect from a youngster, but it showcases the impressive technique of a gifted artist. Some pieces are more abstract in nature; others feature realistic renditions (演绎) of flowers and animals. They range in size and complexity, and, accordingly, price. Small paintings might sell for $10 while larger canvases, up to five feet, have gone for $800.

Last year, Arsh won The Diana Award, an honor presented by a UK charity founded on Princess Diana’s belief that young people have the power to change their country. And the young artist has advice for other kids looking to make a difference. “Helping others doesn’t have to be, like, money or anything. It can be your time, your skills, your talent,” he says, “and overall, just be kind to other people to make their day better.”

1. What made Arsh interested in painting?

A．A birthday present from his parents.	B．His parents’ deep love for painting.
C．The encouragement of others around him.	D．His fascination with the beauty of nature.

2. Why did Arsh decide to sell his artwork?

A．To pay for his painting materials.	B．To get more attention from others.
C．To attract children’s interest in art.	D．To help those people who are in need.

3. What can we learn about Arsh from the text?

A．His fundraising plan is going well.

B．He will turn his attention to his studies.

C．All his paintings sell at high prices now.

D．He is going to teach other children to paint for free.

4. What does Arsh want to say in the last paragraph?

A．Every child has a unique talent.

B．Everyone has the ability to help others.

C．Talent plays an important role in learning art.

D．Helping others is the responsibility of young artists.

4 . Cultural tourism is a form of travel that focuses on exploring and experiencing the cultural heritage and traditions of a particular destination. Cultural tourism is a good way to enrich your experience as a tourist.     1    .

Cultural tourism helps to encourage the protection of culture and heritage by keeping endangered traditions alive. For example, heritage handicraft skills (手工技能) might be little practical, but outside interest could be enough to safeguard a tradition that might otherwise have been lost.

Cultural tourism also improves education.     2    , such as workshops, language lessons, or historical tours. They can learn about the traditions and customs of different cultures, and enrich their knowledge and experiences.

However, when cultural practices and traditions are presented only for tourism purposes, they may lose their true meaning and become superficial (表面的) performances aimed at entertaining tourists.     3    .

In addition, a lot of tourists can put a pressure on local resources.     4    , which leads to overcrowding, too much pollution and damage to historical sites.

Most importantly, cultural tourism may lead to the loss of cultural diversity. As destinations become more popular to mass tourism, there is a risk of homogenization, where cultural practices and traditions become standardized to the tastes and expectations of tourists.

    5    , can the benefits outweigh the downsides.

A．Only when culture tourism is managed properly

B．This can lead to a misunderstanding of the culture

C．It is important to improve cultural understanding and respect

D．Because cultural tourism often involves travelling to far areas

E．Travelers have the chance to take part in educational activities

F．But it’s worth noting that this type of travel has both benefits and downsides

G．Popular cultural destinations often experience an increase in the number of visitors

5 . Getting third-party computer producers to add an AI button to laptops is the latest move by Microsoft to take most advantage of its close partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and make itself a gateway for applications of generative AI technology.

Although most people now connect to the Internet — and many AI applications — by phone rather than computer, it’s a symbolic kickoff to what’s expected to be a competitive year as tech companies race to outdo each other in AI applications even as they haven’t yet settled all the moral and legal consequences. The New York Times last month charged both OpenAI and Microsoft that tools like ChatGPT and Copilot — formerly known as Bing Chat — are infringing (侵犯) on copyrighted news articles.

The keyboard redesign will be Microsoft’s biggest change to PC keyboards since it introduced a special Windows key in the 1990s. Microsoft’s four-squared logo design on it has evolved, but the key has been a fixture on Windows-oriented keyboards for about three decades.

The newest AI button is marked by the ribbon-like Copilot logo and is located near the space bar. On some computers it will replace the fight “CTRL” key, while on others it will replace a menu key.

Microsoft is not the only company with customized (订制的) keys. Apple pioneered the concept in the 1980s with its “Command” key marked by a looped square design(it also sported an Apple logo for a time). Google has a search button on its Chromebooks and was first to experiment with an AI-specific key to launch its voice assistant on its now-discontinued Pixelbook.

But Microsoft has a much stronger hold on the broader PC market through its licensing agreements with third-party producers like Lenovo, Dell and HP. About 82% of all desktop computers, laptops and workstations run Windows, compared to 9%for Apple’s in-house operating system and just over 6% for Google’s.

Microsoft hasn’t yet said which computer-makers are installing the Copilot button beyond Microsoft’s own in-house line of high-end Surface equipment. It said some of the companies are expected to unveil (公布) their new models at next week’s CES gadget show in Las Vegas.

1. Why does Microsoft add an AI button to laptops?

A．To improve the partnership with OpenAI.

B．To help third-party computer producers.

C．To establish its favorable position in AI applications.

D．To change people’s habit to connect to the Internet.

2. What can we infer about AI from Paragraph 2?

A．People will connect to AI applications by PC.

B．The appearance of AI button leads to competition.

C．Competition in AI areas is fierce and unregulated.

D．The New York Times violated copyrighted news articles.

3. What kept changing in Microsoft keyboards over the past 30 years?

A．The space bar.	B．The Windows key.
C．The “Command” key.	D．The “CTRL” key.

4. What is Microsoft’s advantage in changing keyboard keys?

A．It can influence many more computer producers.

B．It is further ahead in AI application technology.

C．It has the patent for customized keyboard keys.

D．It controls the IT world with the CES gadget show.

6 . I sat at the corner of the living room, staring at the Christmas tree. It was the best tree we had had. My husband ________ it immediately we found it among the rows of pre-cut trees. We ________ that it was a real beauty. We thought it was the ________ tree even though it was not. Like most Christmas trees, it has a good ________, which was facing out toward the living room. Seen from every angle, the tree is the most ________ one. But if you stood where I was ________, you would see that this tree has its ________. One side wasn’t shaped quite as ________ as the other. So we put this side around to the corner because none wanted to see that ________ side.

Upon hearing about the tree, my eight-year-old daughter, Kaylyn, ________, “Christmas is ruined!” Christmas wasn’t mined, Kaylyn. Like most things, Christmas is all about what you ________. And many of us are wishing that Christmas should be perfection which we can only achieve in our ________, like everything is right in the world.

So there’s ________ for us that perfection could be found in the least perfect world. ________, you don’t have to face the world with your “good side” and push your “bad side” of you into the corner, in hopes that no one will ________ it.

1.

A．offered

B．selected

C．cut

D．ignored

2.

A．joked

B．pretended

C．proved

D．imagined

3.

A．perfect

B．necessary

C．right

D．free

4.

A．function

B．meaning

C．value

D．side

5.

A．worthwhile

B．available

C．beautiful

D．special

6.

A．standing

B．lying

C．sitting

D．talking

7.

A．similarity

B．secret

C．difference

D．character

8.

A．skillfully

B．formally

C．normally

D．cleanly

9.

A．ugly

B．pretty

C．excellent

D．strange

10.

A．cried

B．cheered

C．applauded

D．apologized

11.

A．decide

B．expect

C．promise

D．choose

12.

A．reality

B．world

C．minds

D．homes

13.

A．fact

B．wonder

C．doubt

D．hope

14.

A．In another word

B．In addition

C．By all means

D．In that case

15.

A．admit

B．recognize

C．notice

D．appreciate

7 . A robot that can wash windows and do the shopping is something that the futuristic carto on The Jetsons envisioned occurring in 2062, but it is happening now. Unlimited Robotics, an Israeli startup based in Tel Aviv has created a robot that can do the tasks that you don’t want to.

Gary, named after the initials of the company’s founder and CEO Guy Altagar’s children, is not like the robots that are already on the market. The robot has two functioning arms and it is no easy task to build a robot with two arms. In fact, Altagar said that the robot can activate its arms to do a number of tasks at the same time.

Gary is also autonomous, which means that it can do tasks that are programmed without a person turning on a switch like an iRobot. This means that unlike robots that are designed to do just one task like picking fruit or assembling cars, Gary can pick up new skills and perform new tasks just by writing some additional lines of code.

While Gary was designed to do tasks in homes and offices, the robot could easily do work in factories, stores, and hospitals. Gary can hold up to 5 kilos (11 pounds) and has a top speed of 1.2 meters per second (3.1 mph) and can adapt to multiple settings — floors, carpets, grass, indoors and outdoors. Gary can adapt to different environments because of the three different infrared (红外线的) and in-depth cameras that are built in.

There are currently nine robots that are being used in medical settings and in hotels where there are presently labor shortages. Gary can do nonmedical work by bringing patients water or extra blankets. But this is just the beginning. The company already has plans to increase the number of robots to 500 by the end of 2024. After that, who knows what other futuristic Jetsonian fantasy will become a reality next?

1. Why do the author mention The Jetsons in paragraph 1?

A．To lead in the topic of robot Gary.	B．To get readers interested in robots.
C．To highly praise the current robots.	D．To introduce a futuristic cartoon film.

2. What is the advantage of Gary over other robots?

A．It is easily operated.	B．It can be programmed itself.
C．It is remotely controlled.	D．It can do multiple tasks automatically.

3. What does paragraph 4 focus on regarding Gary?

A．Its capabilities.

B．Its design.

C．Its appearance.

D．Its limitations.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Robots Are Replacing Human Beings	B．Meet the Multi-functional Service Robots
C．Autonomous Robots Work Better in Hospitals	D．Unlimited Robotics Made Breakthrough in Cartoon

8 . 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。

In early 2022, the Ministry of Water Resources in China planned to invest 800 billion yuan building water management projects during the year. But the country     1     (see) the funds reach 823 billion yuan by the end of September.

Last year, the large-scale development played a significant role in ensuring stable home fund     2     promoting employment. Over 2. 5 million workers     3     (employ) in the development, including almost 2.1 million people from rural China. People also noted the     4     (remark) growth in funds it raised for water management projects. Almost 1. 16 trillion yuan was collected across the country last year, 44 percent more than 2021. Over 203.6 billion yuan was raised     5     government bonds, roughly 1.5 times that of the previous year. Over 37.9 billion yuan was invested     6     (expand) and renovate (翻新) 529 medium and large-scale irrigated areas in 2022. Thanks to the     7     (invest), over 10,000 kilometers of irrigation channels were built or renovated.

During the rare drought in the Yangtze River Basin last year, the complete systems in many of those irrigated areas functioned     8     (efficient) in reducing the impacts of the drought and reducing losses. Such irrigated areas guaranteed water supply to 11.3 million hectares of farmland in     9     (strike) regions. Despite the drought, the basin saw     10     good harvest of grain.

9 . 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。

Spreading Joy

This past Christmas season began for me as usual on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday. My mom, sister, and I had gotten up early to go shopping. As we were driving out of a store parking lot, we caught sight of a dreadfully thin woman sitting on a walker. She was clearly homeless, with bird feathers stuck into her gray hair, and a dirty yellow raincoat.

That homeless woman got us thinking about what Christmas would be like for some one who has no place to call home. With no family to turn to and certainly no presents to open on Christmas morning, these people have nothing to look forward to but the cold and lonely place where they choose to camp. Even though we live in sunny California, the temperature can still fall below freezing on winter nights. Where would this woman sleep when the sun went down?

Sadly, homeless people are a common sight in our town. On our way home, we passed countless people pushing shopping carts overflowing with their belongings and people standing in the center dividers of roads holding cardboard signs with “Just Hungry” written on them.

The next day, my mom had a great idea. While we were out Christmas shopping, we purchased some blue tins (罐) of sugar cookies and a few boxes of candy canes. When we got home, I helped my mom carefully ti e each tin with a red ribbon and tape a candy cane on top. Next, we wrote “Call 211 for Help” on notes and taped them to the bottoms of the tins. “Not only will we be spreading Christmas cheer, but now the homeless people will have a number to call and get the help they need,” my mom explained as we worked.

We put all the tins in the car and, whenever we went for a drive, we searched the streets for individuals down on their luck. Usually, the streets are crowded with people carrying sleeping bags, but somehow when you are looking for something, it always seems to disappear.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。

Eventually, we found a young man sleeping in the Lowe’s parking lot.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The day before Christmas, we drove around the streets again with our final tin.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . I’ve gotten deep into rhythm games that I simply don’t typically have access to from the US. And a playlist of songs can only take you so far. When Arcaea released on the Nintendo Switch I though, “Eventually, my time is here.” Originally released for mobile phones in 2017, Arcaea is an incredibly full rhythm game from lowiro. The Switch version alone comes with over 150 songs, multiple game modes and two distinct ways to play.

Song choice is the most important part of any rhythm game in my opinion. That, and variety, which Arcaea has plenty of. The game has the usual modes. World Mode, Music Play and Story are all available. It’s all par for the course and not really worth explaining.

Going back to the Story mode though, I know unlocking and reading little tidbits (花絮) about the characters in rhythm games is a big deal for a lot of people. The story is incredibly basic and the characters don’t really differ that much in my opinion. It’s frankly dismissible. I never found myself eager to spend currency and unlock new information regarding people or even the world.

The only aspect of the game that Arcaea excels in is its song choice. Like I said earlier, it has over 150 songs, with a few new original ones added. There’s an amazing mix of genre and sound. Arcaea doesn’t give players five versions of the same song with different vocalists or only include songs with different, but still connected, genres. In the grand scheme of things, 150 tracks may not seem like a large number to boast. Still, I genuinely felt as though the Switch versions song library was just as good as any mobile rhythm games’. Especially since all are included with your base purchase.

One of the only questions I really wanted answered when I first opened up Arcaea was, “How does this play with Nintendo Switch controls?” The game is especially keen to let players know it has two vastly different game options. Naturally, my expectations were high. I’ve had bad luck with rhythm games on the Switch. Unfortunately, Arcaea falls into the same issue I’ve found with similar games.

……

Overall, I think Arcaea is a good game, but the problem with the Nintendo Switch port is that a lot of its benefits are found in the mobile version. I didn’t really enjoy playing this on my Switch. It wasn’t fun on the hands or wrists. If your phone can’t handle more games space-wise or isn’t built for rhythm games, I would say get this. Playing with the touch screen requires a little maneuvering, but eventually works. Plus, the music is just amazing.

1. Why does the author say the game is “all par for the course and not really worth explaining”?

A．It is boring so it’s no value explaining.	B．It has a very large number of varieties.
C．It contains uncommon modes as well.	D．It does not go beyond our imagination.

2. What is the author’s attitude to the song choice about the game?

A．Indifferent.

B．Favourable.

C．Doubtful.

D．Ambiguous.

3. What may the author write in the “……” part?

A．The problems he found when playing Arcaea on his switch.

B．The drawbacks about playing rhythm games on a switch.

C．His positive comments about the rhythm game from lowiro.

D．His brilliant experience when playing Arcaea on his switch.

4. Where does the passage probably come from?

A．An online forum.	B．A daily newspaper.
C．An investigation report.	D．An autobiography.