1 . 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。

Zong Qinghou,     1     founder of China’s drinks giant Hangzhou Wahaha Group, has died after medical treatment proved ineffective, according     2     a company statement. He was 79.

As the chairman of one of China’s     3    (large) drinks makers, Zong was ranked the nation’s wealthiest businessman in 2010 and 2012 by the Hurun Research Institute’s China Rich List.     4    (bear) to a poor family in Hangzhou in October 1945, Zong became one of the “sent-down youth” in the 1960s, which saw him spend 15 years     5    (stay) in the countryside. The group was established in 1987 with over 30,000 staff members currently, more than 180 subsidiary     6    (company) and over 80 production bases, as well as 35 years of cumulative sales of 860.1 billion yuan ($119.54 billion).

Zong returned to the provincial capital in 1978     7    (work) as a salesman. Together with two retired teachers, Zong took over a grocer in 1987 at a local school     8     started as a drinks and ice cream distributor—his first step in creating a leading beverage firm. He founded and headed Hangzhou Wahaha Nutritional Foods Factory in 1989, which     9    (become) Hangzhou Wahaha Group two years later when it acquired an insolvent local canned food factory. On Dec 9, 2021, Wahaha announced on its official website     10     Zong Fuli, daughter of Zong Qinghou, was appointed as vice-chairman and general manager of Wahaha, responsible for daily work.

2 . “Oh no, Haley. Why are you crying?” A question we often hear when we’re chopping onions.     1    

Well, it all starts underground. Life for an onion is pretty sweet when they’re down there in the dirt. Except when bugs (虫子) come by wanting a bite. Onions don’t like that at all.     2     When the bugs bite the onion, it releases a chemical which stings really bad. This gas acts as a natural insecticide, keeping bugs away from the onion.

This chemical is called syn-propanethial-S-oxide, which is what causes the tears when we cut into them. When we slice into onions to cook them,     3     When it reaches your eyes, it makes them sting. The gas can react with the moisture in our eyes and forms a mild acid. This acid irritates (刺激) our eyes, making them water in an attempt to wash away the irritant. This is why we end up crying when we cut onions.

So, how can we avoid crying while cutting onions? Well, here are a few tips.

    4     When the cold temperature slows down the reaction, less gas is released, which may reduce the amount of syn-propanethial-S-oxide that is released into the air. Alternatively, put a silver spoon in your mouth. When the chemical gets to the spoon, it binds with a metal before it reaches your eyes, or wear some very cool glasses like me. These glasses have side shields that block the gas from reaching your eyes.

In conclusion, onions make us cry because of the gas they release when we cut into them. Although it may be an annoyance,     5     So don’t let that stop you from enjoying their delicious flavor in your favorite dishes.

A．If you are asked such a question, you’re not alone.

B．Have you ever wondered why onions make us cry?

C．Luckily, they’ve got a secret plan to keep bugs away.

D．our eyes then produce tears to flush out the irritant.

E．this gas also has a silver lining to help drive bugs away.

F．we break open the cells and release this gas into the air.

G．One trick is to put the onion in the fridge before you want to cut it.

3 . South Korea’s birth rate, already the world’s lowest, has dropped yet again in the latest setback to the country’s efforts to boost its declining population.

The national statistics body reported Wednesday that the birth rate fell to 0.72 in 2023—down from 0.78 the previous year. Countries need a birth rate of 2.1 to maintain a stable (稳定的) population, in the absence of immigration. South Korea’s birth rate has been falling since 2015 and the country recorded more deaths than births for the first time in 2020, a trend that has continued since. In 2022, the country recorded about 249, 000 births and 372,800 deaths. Meanwhile, Korean women are also having children later in life. The average age of childbirth in South Korea was 33.5 last year.

Similar population declines are being seen in several other Asian countries including Japan and China, raising concern that there will be too few people of working age to support the ballooning elderly population.

Experts say the reasons for these population shifts across the region include demanding work cultures, stagnating wages, rising costs of living, changing attitudes toward marriage and gender equality, and rising disappointment among younger generations.

But despite the economic factors at play, throwing money at the problem has proved ineffective. Last September, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol admitted that more than $200 billion has been spent trying to boost the population over the past 16 years. The South Korean government has introduced various initiatives such as extending paid paternity leave, offering monetary “baby vouchers” to new parents, and social campaigns encouraging men to contribute to childcare and housework. But experts and residents say more support is needed throughout a child’s life, as well as change on several deep-rooted social issues.

1. What do the data imply in Paragraph 2?

A．South Korea has a stable population.

B．The birth rate differs among countries.

C．The ideal birth rate is possible to reach.

D．South Korea’s birth rate declines seriously.

2. What does the word “ballooning” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Increasing rapidly.	B．Staying unstable.
C．Decreasing slowly.	D．Remaining the same.

3. What measures may be taken by South Korea government in the future?

A．Solve various social issues.

B．Extend paid paternity leave.

C．Focus on a child’s life continuously.

D．Encourage men to take care of children.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Population crisis is worth public attention.

B．South Korea’s birth rate has become an emergency.

C．Efforts to increase population has paid off in South Korea.

D．Social problems result in population crisis in South Korea.

4 . All the external parts of your life are like a dream. Let go of the shell you’re in while you’re alive so you can get out of the cage that holds you.

Not long before I made the decision to leave the rock band, I invited a friend of mine over for Friday night dinner. Though I waited all long, he didn’t turn up. However, what happened instead changed my life. My neighbor Alex, who was near to me, saw me sitting there waiting, and said, “Hey, come on over and join us.”

Alex and I sat around the dinner table for about an hour and a half, talking about the band, touring, and all the great things we had accomplished.

“Well, do you have a picture of what you would like your life to look like in ten years?”

I hadn’t thought about it until he asked me, but I closed my eyes and could see a vision of who I wanted to be. It was so clear. I started describing the vision of a young man who was walking his kids to school and helping and assisting others with their spiritual pursuits. When I finished describing the vision I had seen, I looked at Alex, and his eyes were filled with tears.

“Alex, I know I paint a pretty picture, but why on earth are you so emotional about it?”

He looked me in the eyes and said, “I had that kind of clarity once. I chose to listen to others about what I should do and how I should live my life. I didn’t want to go to law school, but I did because of my parents, my scholarship, and a lot of external pressure. It’s been ten years, and I am just figuring that out now. You know, if you are adding a black and white pixel onto the screen of your life. Soon, the vision will be gone, the inspiration will fade, and you will have had your life chosen for you instead of choosing your life for yourself.”

After he said those words, I changed my decision. It was a moment of grace, a moment where I was given another chance and an opportunity to start again and live a life I wanted to live.

1. What does “cage” indicate in paragraph 1?

A．The external pressure you face.	B．The decision you made.
C．The pretty picture you paint.	D．The house you live in.

2. Why did Alex tell the author about his past experience?

A．To give advice on how to live.	B．To ask for help from the author.
C．To explain why he chose law school.	D．To share his great regrets about his life.

3. How did the author feel after the conversation with Alex?

A．Saddened by Alex’s unhappy past experiences.

B．Confused about what his future should look like.

C．Inspired to run after his own dreams and goals in life.

D．Relieved because he made the right decision to leave the band.

4. How does the author develop the passage?

A．By comparing his own life with that of Alex.

B．By describing a specific event and its impact on his life.

C．By listing a series of achievements he had made in the past.

D．By analyzing the causes and effects of following others’ advice.

5 . Coffee may be unfriendly to a financial planner, according to researchers from the University of South Florida (USF) “Caffeine (咖啡因), as a powerful stimulant, leads to a higher energetic state, which in turn decreases self-control,” said lead author and USF professor Dipayan Biswas. The findings were published on Thursday in the Journal of Marketing.

According to the study, researchers ran three experiments involving coffee machines at the entrances of a supermarket and home goods store in France and a department store in Spain. Upon entering those places, over 300 shoppers received a cup with nothing in it yet. About half of those shoppers ordered a coffee containing roughly 100 mg of caffeine, while the other half went in with either decaffeinated coffee or water. Importantly, the shoppers also shared their shopping receipts (收据) with researchers as they exited.

Sure enough, people who drank caffeinated coffee bought a significantly higher number of items and spent more money. Interestingly, drinking caffeine also appeared to influence the types of items people bought. Shoppers who drank caffeine bought more unnecessary items, such as decorative candles and fragrances (香水), than the others. However, there were few differences among caffeinated and decaffeinated shoppers when it came to making more practical decisions, including kitchen tools and storage baskets.

The study authors also conducted the fourth experiment in a lab testing the impact of caffeine on online shopping. They separated a group of 200 business school students depending on whether they just drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. Then, each person had to pick which items they would buy from a list of 66 options. Again, people drinking caffeine chose more unnecessary items from the list while the others tended to choose more practical goods.

“While moderate (适度的) amounts of caffeine intake can have positive health benefits, there can be unintended results of being caffeinated while shopping,” Prof Biswas concludes.

1. What can we know about the study?

A．Caffeine may improve people’s health	B．Caffeine may help people relieve pressure.
C．Caffeine may cause people to be unfriendly.	D．Caffeine may leave people less self-controlled.

2. What is the purpose of collecting the shoppers’ receipts?

A．To pay for their items	B．To record what they drank.
C．To figure out what they pretend	D．To find out what they bought.

3. What did the fourth experiment show about drinking caffeine?

A．It made students buy more useful goods.	B．It affected students’ shopping choices.
C．It was beneficial to the students’ health.	D．It made the students energetic in learning.

4. What might Biswas suggest people with limited money do?

A．Stop shopping for caffeinated food.	B．Give up taking in caffeine in daily lift.
C．Avoid caffeinated coffee before shopping	D．Drink less decaffeinated coffee in life.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who introduced Laura to the woman?

A．The man.

B．Ian.

C．A singer.

2. What does Laura look like?

A．She is tall and a little fat.

B．She is short with green eyes.

C．She is short with brown hair.

3. When did Laura win the writing competition?

A．In September.

B．In July.

C．In January.

7 . The leather jacket is age-won and soft. I found it banging in the window of a shop in Brighton, England. I was there to deliver a talk on modem women’s writing at an international conference, a PhD student eager to make a name for herself and waiting for her life to start. I had just turned 28.

I’m still closely connected to that woman, her dreams and her ambition (雄心), although she also frightens me. She was always quite determined, this leather jacket woman — she had a five-year plan and was sticking to it! This was the woman who couldn’t find time to visit her grandmother, who regularly missed her nieces’ and nephews’ birthday parties, and who left and didn’t look back.

She and I are one and the same, but we are also very different. There was a change that happened a few years into the five-year plan. Each time one goal post was reached, another took its place. This is the pattern of the overly ambitious. I started to doubt whether it would result in any real success other than an unwavering (坚定不移的) ability to give up everything else along the way. My determination wavered. I realized I didn’t want the same things anymore. The jacket moved to the back of the wardrobe (衣橱).

Seven years later, as I stand in front of my wardrobe filled with useless clothes, I don’t know what to do with the jacket. When England’s cold spread to my bones years earlier, the jacket had felt like a practical thing I bought. Here in Australia’s sunshine, it always felt a little silly. I let it fall heavily on the bed alongside the other clothes I’ve decided to give away because they no longer make the cut.

Yet, despite its uselessness and how much space it takes up, at the last moment I return the leather jacket to the wardrobe. I think it will always stand for a part of myself that I’m not quite willing to give up forever — that ambitious, motivated woman.

1. Why did the author go to Brighton?

A．To give a public lecture.	B．To go window shopping.
C．To study as a PhD student.	D．To start her new life.

2. What does the author mainly tell us in paragraph 2?

A．Her taste in clothing.	B．Her original dreams.
C．Her character in her late 20.	D．Her family relationships.

3. What happened to the author in paragraph 3?

A．She was proud of her success.	B．She started losing ambition.
C．She cared less about dressing.	D．She seldom doubted her plan.

4. Why did the author keep the jacket?

A．To encourage other women.	B．To treasure her real self.
C．To help her keep warm.	D．To help her set goals.

8 . When I was in my at 20s, I was living in Santa Barbara and wondering about the course of my life. I wanted something different, possibly even a new town. But I wasn’t sure ________ what I wanted or how to get there.

That’s when I ________ a book called Creative Visualization. I found its goal-setting exercise extremely helpful. In it, the author tells readers to ________ their best possible lives, considering different ________ of life, including relationships, work, personal development and more. ________, they should pick up a pen and write about this ________ life, as if everything were just as they wanted it to be.

Doing this exercise at that time helped me a lot. It encouraged me to ________ on my values, deepest desires, and goals. For example back then I imagined myself having a job where I could help others, speaking new languages, and playing more music. ________ these things didn’t finally appear in my life, knowing what I wanted helped me set a(n) ________ to work toward them.

Since that time, I’ve done this exercise many times over the years, often with good ________ Even so, it wasn’t until recently that I noticed there’s research to support the ________. When you imagine your best possible self, suggests the research, you feel more optimistic and ________ about life, which motivates you to apply yourself toward ________ goals.

I can’t promise it’ll work for you, too. But it might make a(n) ________ in how you feel about the future. So why not take a moment to imagine your life in the future? Consider all of the ________ areas of your life. Then, write continuously for about 15 minutes about what you imagine this best possible future to be.

1.

A．obviously

B．exactly

C．extremely

D．wisely

2.

A．came across

B．came up with

C．worked out

D．searched for

3.

A．improve

B．explore

C．imagine

D．confirm

4.

A．cases

B．means

C．walks

D．parts

5.

A．Anyway

B．Somehow

C．Thus

D．Then

6.

A．unique

B．adventurous

C．perfect

D．suitable

7.

A．comment

B．depend

C．pass

D．reflect

8.

A．Though

B．Because

C．Since

D．Once

9.

A．example

B．intention

C．rule

D．alarm

10.

A．reactions

B．results

C．additions

D．guidelines

11.

A．practice

B．treatment

C．evidence

D．system

12.

A．careful

B．curious

C．concerned

D．positive

13.

A．identifying

B．admiring

C．achieving

D．defining

14.

A．impression

B．living

C．difference

D．promise

15.

A．ordinary

B．related

C．striking

D．advanced

9 . Many people desire stronger,truer friendships as an adult.     1     How do you leave out the embarrassing chit-chat stage and hit the fast-forward button on a possible friendship? I’ve learned a few things.

Give yourself permission to bore people

We all know the safe topics to begin when first meeting someone. But this tendency to play it safe can put off knowing whether you are like-minded with a possible friend.     2    . “What do you think is the best television finale of all time?” This is a great conversation starter as long as it interests you. And if the other person slowly backs away, then you’ve just saved yourself hours of chatting.

    3    

Often our friendships feel shallow because they are based on gossip (八卦，闲聊). It’s human nature to focus on a third person to relieve our stress. We share spicy updates about former classmates with our high school friends, or have a drink with colleagues and complained about the boss.But a friendship built on gossip can leave both people feeling exhausted and upset after they hang out.

If a friend starts to give you updates on other people you know, it can be helpful to say, “I want to hear about what’s going on with you.” Or you can ask yourself, “What would I share about myself if I were with my best friend right now?”     4    .

Be curious bout who people are, and who they want to be

    5     They are also, able to share their struggles without fear of judgement. A great way to deepen a friendship is to ask someone, “What has been challenging for you the last year?” Or, “What’s a belief you have that has changed over the course of your life?” These are questions we seldom ask each other, but they reveal so much about who we are, and who we’re trying to be.

A．Cut back on the gossip

B．Take the gossip seriously

C．Then jump to the heart of things that you want to share

D．True friends try to know each other’s thinking about difficult subjects

E．But the process of building these relationships can prove slow and awkward

F．True friendships help us get through difficult situations and light up our lives

G．Rather than chat without risks but without any depth, go straight to what excites you

10 . Last week, I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked to pray (祈祷) with us. As we _______our heads, he said, “God ,thank you for the food, and I would thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream...!”

At this moment, I heard a woman saying,” That’s what’s wrong with this country. Kids today even don’t know how to _______. Asking God for ice cream! Why? I never!”

Hearing this, my son burst into _______ and asked me, “Did I do it wrong? Is God _______ at me?“

As I told him he had done a good _______ and that God was _______ not mad at him, an elderly gentleman came to us. He said, “I happen to know that God thought you were a great _______.”

“Really?” my son asked.

“I’m sure,” the man replied.

Then he _______, “The woman _______ asks God for ice cream but a little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes.

________, I bought my kids ice creams later. My son ________ at it for a moment, and then did something I will remember forever. He ________his ice cream and, without a word, walked over and ________ it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, “Here, this is ________you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my soul is good ________ .”

1.

A．lowered

B．raised

C．shook

D．nodded

2.

A．reply

B．remark

C．pray

D．demand

3.

A．laughter

B．tears

C．anger

D．smiles

4.

A．mad

B．pleased

C．disappointed

D．shocked

5.

A．deed

B．favor

C．project

D．job

6.

A．gradually

B．certainly

C．therefore

D．however

7.

A．lover

B．customer

C．talker

D．prayer

8.

A．answered

B．added

C．commented

D．requested

9.

A．never

B．ever

C．almost

D．sometimes

10.

A．Surprisingly

B．Unexpectedly

C．Naturally

D．Luckily

11.

A．looked

B．worked

C．kept

D．stared

12.

A．ate up

B．broke up

C．picked up

D．used up

13.

A．brought

B．placed

C．handed

D．took

14.

A．with

B．for

C．against

D．to

15.

A．already

B．yet

C．still

D．even