1 . Grace Choi, whose nickname is Sunny, is a gymnast in America. “I remember her doing cartwheels (翻跟头) when she was a kid,” her brother Jin says.
One night at college, Choi saw members of a breaking (霹雳舞) club dancing by accident. She was immediately attracted to the dance and came to a class. Choi’s gymnastics skills gave her an advantage. After graduating from business school, she began working in the cosmetics (化妆品) industry. But on the side, she kept breaking.
Breaking was added to the Paris Olympics program in 2020. In late 2021, Choi attended a camp. It was for the top U. S. breakers. A coach there asked those who wanted to become Olympians to raise their hands. Everyone’s hand went up except Choi’s. Working full-time while training to make the Olympic team seemed impossible.
But after finishing second at the World Games in July 2022, Choi left the cosmetics industry. In 2023, she was chosen for the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning the Pan American Games.“I’m so much happier,” she says. “I feel lighter. I have more energy for the things I want to do.”
Thirty-two breakers will go to Paris. “Choi has power moves,” says Mary Fogarty, a professor of dance at York University, in Toronto, Canada. “Choi is someone who has enough material to go all the way through.” Choi struggles with self-doubt. She’ll work on her mindset. She’ll lift weights with a strength coach. And she’ll eat a healthy diet.
Choi is confident about one thing: If you give breaking a chance, you won’t be disappointed. “You feel the energy,” she says. “You feel the excitement. You feel the happiness or the anger or whatever emotion that the dancer is expressing in that moment. What’s so cool about breaking is that you get to be really you.”
1. What introduced Choi to break dancing?A.An accidental chance. | B.Her gymnastics skills. |
C.Her brother’s encouragement. | D.The camp for the top breakers. |
A.Her job. | B.Her health. |
C.Her college education. | D.Her chance of promotion. |
A.Anxious. | B.Confident. | C.Uncertain. | D.Unexpected. |
A.A youth is to be regarded with respect. | B.The young thirst for being famous. |
C.Where there’s interest, there’s success. | D.Curious minds never feel contented. |
2 . In June 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster introduced Superman to readers. Since then, the Superman has become a cultural symbol, appearing in films, novels, TV series and more.
On April 4, 2024, a copy of that original 1938 Superman comic (漫画) book — called Action Comics No. 1 — sold for $6 million during a Heritage Auctions sale. It’s now the most valuable comic book in the world.
“Thursday was a historic day for a historic comic book, and we expected no less,” says Barry Sandoval, vice president at Heritage Auctions.
The comic has been given a “very fine” grade of 8.5 out of 10 by CGC, a third-party grading service for pop culture collectibles. It’s one of just 78 copies CGC has graded, though the company thinks around 100 still exist. Just 200,000 copies of Action Comics No. I were published in 1938. The price beats out the previous record-holder, a 1939 issue of Superman No. I that sold privately for $5.3 million in 2022. Until then, the record had belonged to a copy of Amazing Fantasy No. 15 — which introduced readers to Spider-Man in 1962 — that sold for $3.6 million in 2021.
Action Comics No. 1 tells the story of a baby boy who was born on a dying faraway planet. His father places him in a space capsule (太空舱) and sends him away just before his home planet gets destroyed. Finally, the capsule lands on Earth, where a passing driver discovers the sleeping baby and saves him. The child — Clark Kent — grows up and realizes he has superhuman strengths and abilities.
Superman’s popularity skyrocketed in the following decades, and Action Comics continues to this day. “Without Superman and Action Comics No. 1, who knows whether there ever would have been a Golden Age of comics — or if the medium would have become what it is today?” says Sandoval.
1. What do we know about Action Comics No.1?A.It is based on the writer’s true story. | B.It contains the character of Spider-Man. |
C.It has a history of more than 80 years. | D.It is the world’s most expensive novel. |
A.To present a topic. | B.To explain a phenomenon. |
C.To raise a question. | D.To make a comparison. |
A.He destroys his home planet. | B.He inspires Siege l to write. |
C.He is the Superman. | D.He is the passing driver. |
A.To remember a writer. | B.To introduce a book. |
C.To promote values of comics. | D.To encourage studies on culture. |
3 . Charles Potter lost his ability to walk in 2006 and had to use a wheelchair after being hit by a drunk driver. He said that after the
Once Potter started to
Years later, Potter and Rhonda got married. They
Charlize has always been into dance. At school, she took such a
So many people were
A.practice | B.show | C.task | D.accident |
A.Unexpectedly | B.Luckily | C.Suddenly | D.Obviously |
A.grow | B.walk | C.recover | D.work |
A.natural | B.possible | C.correct | D.difficult |
A.keep | B.avoid | C.want | D.forget |
A.appreciated | B.welcomed | C.left | D.helped |
A.related | B.used | C.limited | D.addicted |
A.chance | B.course | C.tour | D.challenge |
A.watch | B.interview | C.serve | D.join |
A.got to work | B.took a rest | C.showed up | D.calmed down |
A.described | B.changed | C.performed | D.expressed |
A.chosen | B.made | C.copied | D.posted |
A.worried | B.moved | C.familiar | D.blind |
A.faimess | B.thanks | C.positivity | D.interests |
A.situations | B.desires | C.opinions | D.efforts |
4 . On the surface, Western Australia’s Great Sandy Desert might appear calm. But deep underground, blind moles (鼹鼠), also called kakarratul, covered in silky yellow fur are “swimming” through the sand. These creatures that are considered elusive spend so much of their lives below the surface that they remain largely unknown to wildlife biologists.
Now, Aboriginal rangers (护林员) have made a sight of one of the kakarratuls by the Martu, the local people of central Western Australia. This marks the second kakarratul sight in just six months. Historically, people only see the species five to ten times every decade.
Kakarratuls are very small and can’t see very clearly. Their bodies are covered in soft fur, and they primarily eat worms (蠕虫). They’re also perfectly adapted for life in the tough Australian land. Rather than living in the hot sun, they live almost entirely underground — digging holes as far as 8.2 feet below the surface — where they move through the sand in a unique way. The kakarratul is an amazing creature that “swims” through the sand of Australia’s western deserts. They carve a path and fill it in as they go forward through the sand.
“The creatures can survive by just breathing the air that moves between sand,” wrote Joe Benshemesh, a biologist with the National Malleefowl Recovery Group, for Australian Geographic. “They save energy and resources by allowing their body temperature to reflect that of the surrounding sand,” he added.
The moles periodically come to the surface, especially during periods of cool, rainy weather. But they don’t appear often, so wildlife scientists don’t know their population size. They are regarded as a species of “least concern”. “Local rangers try their best to take good care of kakarratuls, but they aren’t easy to find,” said Lynette Wildridge, a senior Nyangumarta ranger.
1. What does the underlined word “elusive” in paragraph I mean?A.Dangerous to approach. | B.Difficult to find. |
C.Expensive to buy. | D.Easy to feed. |
A.Attractive. | B.Frightening. | C.Unforgettable. | D.Unusual. |
A.They may appear in rainy days. |
B.They are well taken care of by the rangers. |
C.They can find food more easily underground. |
D.They dig holes to get away from the extreme weather. |
A.Kakarratuls: Swimmers Through Desert Sand | B.Kakarratuls: Unique Animals to Australia |
C.Local Rangers Look After Kakarratuls Well | D.Australia Is Trying Hard to Save Kakarratuls |
A tracking camera set up by a team of dog tracking experts in Colorado has caught the incredible journey of a missing dog named Ullr. He managed to survive 11 months alone in the wilderness, following a snow crash that separated him from his owner.
Jacob Dalbey, Ullr’s owner, received the long-awaited confirmation of his beloved dog’s survival through photos taken by the tracking experts he had employed. Dalbey expressed his great joy and gratitude on a GoFundMe page, launched by his friend, Deborah Wieker. “After 341 days, 11 months to the day of setting up tracking cameras and food and moving them around in the hope of attracting Ullr into one to finally get confirmation of what I have known all along, it happened,” Dalbey shared. “To all of you. friends and supporters of Ullr and me, I want to thank you so much. Knowing you believe in us really means a lot, even when I don’t say it. It has been extremely difficult to say the least. Your support has made it possible to keep searching for Ullr over the last 11 months,” he added.
The separation between Dalbey and Ullr occurred on March 17, 2023, when they were caught in a snow crash near Chair Mountain while backcountry skiing with friends. Despite being seriously injured and hospitalized, Dalbey displayed incredible resilience (韧性), recalling, “I was fully buried with my right arm sticking out of the snow. I was able to clear my airway immediately and then dug myself out over three hours with a broken hand and frozen fingers.”
Deborah Wieker explained that Dalbey, unable to work due to injuries during the snow crash, faced a significant financial burden with unplanned medical bills. At the same time, he needed to cover the expense of the tracker that played an important role in Ullr’s discovery.
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。
The story of Jacob Dalbey and his dog moved people online.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jacob Dalbey finally recovered, leaving the hospital to pick up his dog.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Not far away from
In the exhibition showing the works of Tang, one particular painting stood out as the centerpiece— “two sparrows (麻雀) on a tree”. The masterpiece (杰作) shows the
“It’s considered
Tang, better known by his name Bohu, was famous
7 . With the increasing development of technology, we now have the ability to get much information from foreign media sources (媒体资源). Because we can learn much about events happening in other countries from the media, such as magazines and newspapers, many people may think that reading magazines and newspapers is the best way to learn about a foreign country. However, I believe that only reading magazines and newspapers as a way of learning about a foreign country has several limitations.
We cannot deny that magazines and newspapers actually present some valuable information about foreign countries. However, the information that they present is often one-sided, so that readers can only learn about one opinion on an event happening in a foreign country. Also, the words and pictures in magazines and newspapers may not be true. If a government wants to hide some facts, it may force the media to tell lies to its readers, and thus the information that readers receive may not be true.
I think that the best way to learn about a foreign country is to travel or live there for a while. By traveling or living in a country, you can see things that do not appear in magazines and newspapers, and learn about the local political situation, state of the economy, and the culture. You can get more information about a country by talking directly with local people about the overall situation, and can truly understand the local culture by living with them for a while. But if you are at home reading a newspaper or magazine, you simply get information provided by others passively (被动地) instead of collecting information directly.
So, I believe that the best way to learn about a foreign country is not by reading magazines and newspapers but by placing yourself in that foreign country.
1. What does the text mainly discuss?A.How people get information in no time. |
B.Where people can get information they need. |
C.Why it’s important to learn about a foreign country. |
D.What the best way to learn about a foreign country is. |
A.Disagree. | B.Promise. | C.Realize. | D.Accept. |
A.True but not enough. | B.Correct but not fresh. |
C.Limited and not always true. | D.Not enough and not valuable. |
A.You’ll have a quicker mind by learning more. |
B.You’ll have a chance to read local newspapers. |
C.You’ll meet people who are different from you. |
D.You’ll learn truths that the media don’t provide. |
8 . Sunday sadness is real, for tomorrow is the start of working days.
An excellent choice is exercise. Breaking a sweat has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, boost mood and improve sleep, all good ways to fight Sunday stress. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, just five minutes of aerobic exercise can reduce anxiety.
●Take a nature pillActually, any form of exercise or movement can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress.
Some folks turn to drinking alcohol, even crazily, to cope with the Sunday night blues. That’s a poor choice: Alcohol rattles your normal sleep patterns, trapping you in lighter stages of sleep and dramatically reducing the quality of your rest at night.
“It continues to pull you out of rapid eye movement and the deeper stages of sleep, causing you to wake up not feeling restored,” said Rebecca Robbins, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health, in a previous CNN interview.
●Wind downThis is going to sound impossible, but try to avoid your cell phone and work email on Sunday. Being constantly connected keeps us excited even on our days off, discouraging relaxation.
Does the idea make you even more nervous?
Unconsciously worrying about all the things you have to do Monday brings you restless sleep, even insomnia(失眠), so write down a list of all the things you have to do Monday – or even the entire week. You can go so far as prioritizing them if you like. Not only will putting the tasks on paper jump-start your Monday morning, you’ll feel like you’ve purged your worries.
A.Then try to check in as early in the evening on Sunday as you can. |
B.Avoid overdrinking |
C.Here’s how to battle the pre-workweek blues. |
D.Here are some following ways to help you relax at weekends. |
E.Why not increase that effect by enjoying nature? |
F.Then relax and keep texting till your bedtime. |
G.In fact, writing in a journal has been scientifically shown to improve overall health. |
1. adj.热切的;渴望的
2. n.益处vt.使受益vi.得益于
3. vt.鼓舞;激励;启发思考
4. n.机会;时机
5. n.&vt.尊敬;尊重
6. break away
7. significant
8. from then on
9. to be frank
10. absolutely
10 . When I was nine years old, my dad worked in a heating and air conditioning company. It allowed him to work mainly in the spring and fall. With summers free, my parents took me and my two brothers to the lake every day. I supposed my parents must realize that if they didn’t find us any things to do, we would finally start fighting, as we were too bored.
On the way to the lake, my mother drove the car and my father recited (朗诵) poems so my brothers and I wouldn’t get bored. I still didn’t know how my dad had learnt so many poems by heart. But I had a great discovery that every time my father recited them, those verses (诗句) could keep us three quiet for the next twenty--minute drive. Such moments could never be achieved by what else my parents usually did such as singing, telling stories, and so on.
One of the poems that completely attracted me was a bit silly. It begins—Ladles and jellyspoons/I come before you/To stand behind you/And tell you something I know nothing about. There were still many similar ones. I found I was deeply caught. I recited these lines in my head over and over, week after week until they burned new electrical pathways in my brain. I even couldn’t help copying those poems neatly in my favorite notebooks.
It’s a love story that continues to this day, thirty years and 10 books of my own later. So the value of the story is this: Read to your kids. Sing to your kids. Recite poems for your kids. Be silly with your kids! It may make all the difference. It works for me. Thanks, Dad.
1. According to the author, why were his brothers and he taken to the lake daily in summer?A.To reduce their study pressure. | B.To escape the heat of summers. |
C.To teach them some new life skills. | D.To draw their attention to other things. |
A.Poems were easy to learn by heart. |
B.His parents were good at creating poems. |
C.His father tried hard to get along well with them. |
D.Poems could make the three brothers calm down. |
A.He began to write poems himself. | B.He gradually fell in love with poems. |
C.He made changes to some silly poems. | D.He grew to be a kid with excellent grades. |
A.Children should be grateful to their parents. |
B.Parents should avoid being too strict with kids. |
C.Good family atmosphere is very important for kids. |
D.Children should be encouraged to follow their dreams. |