1 . After a two-hour flight from Shanghai and an hour’s drive, I reached my destination: Jielingkou Village in Qinhuangdao City of Hebei Province, China. The tiny and ________ village is home to Shanhai Pass, where the Great Wall finally dives into the sea. During the Ming Dynasty (1368~1644), Jielingkou Village was considered an extremely important part of the Great Wall. But it slowly fell out of ________ and into disrepair—in modern China.

In 2018, an anti-poverty project began in the village, with the ________ of not only fixing the place up, but also ________ the living standards of the 200 people still living there. One of the ________ was to change all of the old homes into modern guesthouses. “This will allow city folks to enjoy the Great Wall in comfort,” said Ge, who was ________ the project.

But gaining the locals’ ________ took a lot of effort at the beginning. “Just two years ago, they weren’t ________ about the project at all,” Ge told me. “Seeing that they had to ________ water from a faraway well every day, we decided to build a water system that would send water to their homes. It’s one of the first, ________ we have made. It really ________ . Now some of those who were strongly against our project are now our greatest ________ .”

Ge said he hopes that as conditions are ________ becoming better in Jielingkou, some of the younger members of the village who left to seek opportunity in the cities will come back. “Already two university graduates who grew up in the village have returned to ________ the guesthouses. I hope more will be ________ by the potentials here soon.”

1.

A．rich

B．great

C．old

D．nearby

2.

A．reach

B．significance

C．view

D．control

3.

A．cost

B．knowledge

C．favor

D．goal

4.

A．increasing

B．ignoring

C．considering

D．deciding

5.

A．benefits

B．measures

C．disadvantages

D．conditions

6.

A．in charge of

B．in response to

C．in sight of

D．in search of

7.

A．independence

B．weight

C．trust

D．experience

8.

A．worried

B．curious

C．angry

D．enthusiastic

9.

A．carry

B．sell

C．boil

D．produce

10.

A．mistakes

B．apologies

C．improvements

D．documents

11.

A．hurt

B．helped

C．failed

D．escaped

12.

A．workers

B．fighters

C．managers

D．supporters

13.

A．occasionally

B．gradually

C．hardly

D．regularly

14.

A．clean

B．decorate

C．destroy

D．run

15.

A．attracted

B．monitored

C．postponed

D．welcomed

2 . Banff National Park is home to an amazing wildlife population. But the busy Trans Canada Highway that cuts through the park is a hazard to the lovely animals. To address the problem, Banff first put-up wildlife fencing on either side of the highway to discourage animals from entering the busy road. Then, since 1996, they’ve opened six wildlife overpasses and 38 underpasses to help the animals cross the highway in safety. I was fortunate to visit Banff’s Red Earth Overpass with Trevor Kinley, the project manager with Parks Canada. He told me that so far, they have documented 10, 000 safe animal crossings on this overpass alone. “ Some animals have learned how to use the crossings much more quickly than others. Black bears are the fastest learners, followed by deer. Wolves and lions take the longest to work out how to use them, ” Kinley said, laughing. “ But those animals that are slower to adapt are usually more capable and determined at figuring out the safest way to cross those overpasses and underpasses. ”

There is some criticism (批评) that channeling so much wildlife into a few bridges and tunnels is like making a trap for the animals, offering big animals an easy meal on either side. “ But research has shown that this is not the case, ” Kinley assured me. “ There are no more killings around the crossings than there are anywhere else in the park. ”

Walking over the Trans Canada and then walking underneath through one of the tunnels, I was amazed to see the fresh tracks of black bears, wolves, deer and many kinds of smaller animals. Somehow, all these animal footprints made me so happy, knowing that all this wildlife was passing safely under and over the longest road in Canada.

Hopefully, the success of the wildlife crossings in Banff will continue to inspire similar solutions around the world, where human pressure on wildlife continues to grow.

1. Which of the following best explains “ hazard ” underlined in paragraph 1?

A．Shelter.

B．Message.

C．Answer.

D．Danger.

2. What does Trevor Kinley say about those wolves and lions?

A．They are stupid animals.	B．They are cautious learners.
C．They are very dangerous.	D．They are good at adapting.

3. What are the critics worried about?

A．There are too many bridges and tunnels.	B．Many animals will not use the crossings.
C．More killings might happen at the crossings.	D．Illegal hunting might be encouraged in the park.

4. How does the author feel at the end of the visit?

A．Concerned.

B．Disappointed.

C．Shocked.

D．Delighted.

3 . How to Stop Spam Calls for Good

If you made a list of the little things that bothered you the most, phone call scams would no doubt be at the top. Telemarketers, or more often, automated robot-callers, have tricks for interrupting you at the worst possible moment.     1    

Fact is that robot-callers are never going to stop trying to reach you. Their schemes bring in hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars annually. And unfortunately, older people are more likely to fall prey to these scams.     2    

Sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry

Your first move: Join the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry. You can get on the list by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register.     3     To date, the agency has taken 51 legal actions against companies and telemarketers, recovering $112 million.

Use spam-filtering apps and tech

    4     A spam-filtering app can give you a second layer of protection and is a good add-on to your overall smartphone security. The app’s makers maintain a large database of user-reported robocalls. When one of those numbers dials you, the app blocks the phone from ringing and informs you the call is spam. Genius!

    5    

You probably know that a caller who insists you owe money to the IRS or says you’ll be arrested if you don’t settle a debt is a scammer. But your 10-year-old kid and your older parents and grandparents may be tricked. And remember: Knowing how to stop spam calls is just one step toward avoiding scams; don’t forget to explain how to stop spam texts to your loved ones, too.

A．Warn family members

B．Report to the police at once

C．Follow these steps to pull the plug on them once and for all.

D．If you have multiple numbers to input, register them at DoNotCall. gov.

E．Spam calls can reach you anytime and anywhere when you use your smartphone.

F．They’re annoying, but that’s not the only reason you should know how to stop spam calls.

G．The National Do Not Call Registry will prevent a lot of unwanted calls, but it won’t stop all of them.

4 . 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。

When my boys were younger, going out with them was difficult. My heart sank during the holiday season every time I looked at the long line of kids waiting to meet Santa. This was not an activity our family could enjoy. The noise and crowds caused sensory (感官的) overload for my five-year-old son Noah, an autistic (患自闭症的) child. I also had a younger son, Henry, who needed an extra hand. Waiting in line was hardly possible.

I always hoped for the best but planned for the worst when I took the boys out of the house, but I knew that attempting to get a picture with Santa wasn’t worth the risk. If we had attempted to stand in line for even a few minutes, I would have been chasing Noah, and Henry would have experienced an emotional breakdown. It was easier to stay at home.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve a year ago, the phone rang. The voice on the other end of the line said, “If you’re at home this evening, I’d like to arrange for Santa to stop by.” It was Denny, the friendly owner of a company, who had helped us with our do-it-yourself project. In a short time he was at our home, Denny’s kindness and ability to relate to our kids were evident.

I felt nervous and excited about having Santa come to our home. Denny told me it would be well arranged. Would our kids even notice? Would they be frightened by a stranger in a red suit? Would they cry?

A few minutes before I was planning to cook dinner on Christmas Eve, Santa tapped gently on the living-room window. Noah was speechless, and his jaw dropped. Henry, two years old, waved and said, “Hi, Santa!”

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

Excited and nervous, I opened the door and Santa stepped inside.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

Santa left after staying for only a few minutes and tears streamed down my face.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . The past few years have been difficult for 13-year-old Adeola Abraham. In 2020, the teen was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, and he survived a successful bone marrow transplant (骨髓移植) and rounds of chemotherapy (化疗). Thankfully, Adeola is now out of the hospital. During his recovery, he found out that he had qualified for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask for a dream wish from Make-A-Wish Mississippi. While many teens would choose a memorable Disney trip, meet a favorite figure or get a PlayStation, Abraham instead chose to feed the homeless in his local community.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is famous for brightening the lives of children suffering from critical illnesses by meeting their wishes. A wish typically falls into three categories: a wish to have something, go somewhere or meet someone. Abraham’s charitable wish to give came as a surprise to the organization. Linda Sermons, a Make-A-Wish Mississippi representative, said that Abraham’s generous wish was the first of its kind in the organization’s 35-year history. She was impressed with the teen’s maturity and sense of sympathy.

Make-A-Wish Mississippi approved of the teen’s wish in a big way. They created a service named after the teen, called Abraham’s Table, which would provide free meals to the homeless every month for the next year. Local businesses generously donated food and supplies, and receivers gathered in Jackson’s Poindexter Park for the meals. Abraham and his proud mom personally attended and handed out the food. Abraham’s Table fed more than 80 people at its first event. Abraham said it warmed his heart when the receivers came back to thank him for the meal he provided.

Abraham now wants to inspire other teens to get more involved in local charities. He also wants to continue his mission of helping others by starting his own nonprofit that helps those experiencing food insecurity.

1. What made Abraham a remarkable boy?

A．His exceptional choice for a dream wish.	B．His great sufferings from a critical disease.
C．His special qualifications for a dream wish.	D．His successful survival from a blood disorder.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Eighty people or so benefited from Abraharn’s Table.

B．Abraham’s act of kindness received positive reaction.

C．The organization provided financial help for the homeless.

D．The local businesses were greatly appreciated by the receivers.

3. According to the passage, which words can best describe Abraham?

A．Energetic and determined.	B．Mature and intelligent.
C．Sympathetic and selfless.	D．Generous and cautious.

4. Which of the following can best describe the story?

A．Hard work always pays off.	B．It’s a blessing to be a giver.
C．Actions speak louder than words.	D．Miracles often occur in bad luck.

6 . The Best National Parks to Visit in Winter

While most parks tend to draw families in the summer and fall, there are also ideal spots for adventurous winter trips.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

The country’s oldest and best-known national park takes on an almost otherworldly atmosphere in winter: the air filled with rolling steam, the strong colors of hot springs, the surrounding white landscapes, let alone the impressive wildlife during this time, like bison, wolves, and playful red foxes. Just book a guided hiking tour to get a ranger’s perspective on the park and local people.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

With its giant red rocks and unique trees, you’ll feel like stepping onto a foreign planet as you spend hours hiking the Panorama Loop or Maze Loop. The park is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, featuring virtually zero light pollution and the country’s best views of a starry sky.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

A significantly lower number of visitors in winter means you can take in unblocked views of the South Rim, and get to see the rare beauty of the Grand Canyon dusted with snow. For those adventurous and daring, it is recommended to hike the Bright Angel Trail and take the chance to see the canyon’s wintertime wildlife, including mule deer, elk, and bald eagles.

Virgin Islands National Park, St. John

Surprise! Not all wintertime national park trips need to involve snow. Virgin Islands National Park is most famous for its white-sand beaches. You can also hike inland to visit old sugar plantations, or venture out to the water to swim along with sea turtles and manta rays. You will definitely enjoy a different winter here.

1. Which park will one choose if he/she is interested in stars?

A．Yellowstone National Park.	B．Joshua Tree National Park.
C．Grand Canyon National Park.	D．Virgin Islands National Park.

2. What do we know about the Grand Canyon National Park?

A．We can have a poor view of the South Rim there.	B．It lies in an area with rolling steam and hot springs.
C．There is a slight decline in visitor numbers in winter.	D．The Bright Angel Trail is challenging in cold weather.

3. Which activity is mentioned in all of the parks?

A．Hiking.

B．Skiing.

C．Swimming.

D．Hunting.

7 . Cheney School is a popular, high performing school located in the heart of Oxford serving a diverse community of students who are eager to learn. The school is looking to add to its bank of exam invigilators (监考人), who will be employed on a casual basis to watch over students taking both mock(模拟) and actual GCSE / GCE exams, as necessary throughout the school year.

Full training will be provided and staff will be contacted before the exam period to discuss the invigilation schedule in relation to their own availability.

We are looking for people who

*have a command of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint

*have effective written communication skills

* are reliable and punctual

*are able to solve problems and keep calm under pressure

*enjoy working as part of a team

We can offer you

*€10.19 per hour

*reduced tuition fees for your kids

*a housing allowance

*shuttle service

If you would like to find out more, please contact Ms Marie-Anne Fischer at mf@cheney.oxon.sch.uk, or by telephone on 01865 5755270.

How to apply: Please download an application form from the school’s vacancy website: http://www.cheney.oxon.sch.uk/lnvigilators.

1. What does Cheney School offer its invigilators?

A．Flexible working hours.	B．Free staff dormitories.
C．A transportation allowance.	D．Free schooling for their kids.

2. What is required of the applicants?

A．Designing a mock exam paper.	B．Passing the GCSE or GCE exam.
C．Being able to use office software.	D．Enjoying working independently.

3. What will you have to do if you are interested in the job?

A．Prepare for the interview.	B．Fill in an application form.
C．Apply for relevant training.	D．Contact the school online or by telephone.

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。

Robert Owens felt     1     (defeat) and helpless on Sunday as he waited in Louisiana’s capital city for one of the most     2     (power) hurricanes ever to strike the US.

The 27-year-old man had spent days     3     (anxious) watching long lines of cars leaving for safer locations as Hurricane Ida     4     (approach). He had hoped that his wife and two children would be among them. But leaving would have required money for gas and a hotel room—something they didn’t have.

Out of desperation, Owens went to the bank on Saturday and applied     5     a payday loan. But he     6     (tell) he didn’t have enough credit history.

“Our bank account is empty-we can’t afford     7     (leave),” he said. “A lot of us here in my neighborhood have to stay and wait, not knowing how bad it’s going to get,” he said. “It’s     8     terrifying feeling to think my family is getting left behind.”

“The fact     9     we are not middle class or above just keeps coming back to bite us again and again, in so many different     10     (direction)and ways. A simple payday advance is just one of them,” he said. “It’s like we have to pay for being poor, even though we’re trying not to be poor.”

9 . In this article, I’m going to show you certain aspects of the Chinese language and explain why they make learning the language a lot easier than you might think.

No verb conjugations (变化)

When you learn English, you need to remember how the verb changes with the subject and time. In Chinese, there are no verb inflections (词尾的屈折变化) at all.     1    .

No grammatical cases

In English, we make a difference between how pronouns are used depending on if they are the subject or the object of a sentence.     2    . None of that in Chinese!

Flexible parts of speech

When learning English, you need to remember different forms of the words depending on what part of speech they belong to. For example, we say “ice” (noun), “icy” (adjective) and “to ice” (verb). These look different.     3    . You don’t know which one it is unless you know the context. This means that speaking and writing becomes much easier since you don’t need to remember so many different forms!

    4    

Word order in Chinese can be a little bit tricky, but it becomes much easier at more advanced levels. As a beginner, there are a few patterns you need to learn, and once you’ve done that, you can just fill in the words you’ve learnt and people will be able to understand. It also helps that the basic word order is the same as in English: subject—verb—object.

What all these boil down to is that learning Chinese needn’t be all that hard. Yes, reaching an advanced level takes a lot of time and effort.     5    

A．Relatively easy word order

B．The same subject—verb—object order

C．In short, it is very easy to learn Chinese well

D．We say “he talks to her”, while “him talks to she” is wrong

E．In Chinese, though, these could all be represented by one single word “ice”

F．For example, you can use “look” for any person and refer to any period of time

G．But getting to basic conversational fluency is easy for anyone who really wants it

10 . Facial recognition software has found an unlikely new application: scanning the faces of thousands of British children in school canteens.

Nine schools in North Ayrshire will today start taking lunch payments by scanning the faces of pupils, claiming that the new system speeds up queues and is more secure than the card payments and fingerprint scanners they used previously. “It’s the fastest way of recognising someone at the till,” said David Swanston, the managing director of CRB Cunninghams, the company that installed the systems. “In a secondary school you have around a 25-minute period to serve potentially 1,000 pupils. So we need fast productivity at the point of sale.” He said the average transaction time was cut to five seconds per pupil.

However, privacy campaigners say there is little need to spread out facial recognition technology, which has been criticized for often operating without gaining approvals from the owners. Swanston argued that CRB Cunningham’s system, which uses cameras to check against coded face-print modes stored on servers at the schools, was different from live facial recognition systems that scan through crowds to identify faces. Live facial recognition has previously caused debate after being used by schools for security or to monitor attendance.

North Ayrshire committee said that 97 percent of children or their parents had given agreement for the new system. “Pupils often forget their PINs and unfortunately some have also been the victim of PIN cheating, so they are supportive of the planned developments and appreciate the benefits to them,” the council said.

But some parents said they were unsure whether their children had been given enough information to make their decision, and suggested that peer pressure had also played a role.

1. What can we infer from Swanston’s word?

A．He speaks highly of the system.

B．The software is intended to promote the sales.

C．The technology has previously caused debate.

D．The system will be helpful when the students forget their PINs.

2. What is not the advantage of the facial recognition software?

A．It speeds up the queues.

B．It is safer than the previous payments.

C．It operates without being approved of.

D．It benefits the pupils who often forget their PINs.

3. What’s the author’s attitude to the application of facial recognition technology?

A．Supportive	B．Disapproved
C．Objective	D．Critical

4. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Facial recognition has been the best way adopted so far.

B．Parents disagree with the application of facial recognition system.

C．The facial recognition system can benefit the pupils who are forgetful.

D．Schools speed up canteen queues with facial recognition technology.