1 . Pasta and pizza were on everyone’s lunch menu in my native land of Italy. Everyone who had such a lunch was fair-skinned and spoke Italian. A few years later, as I stood in the lunch line with my kindergarten class in a school in Brooklyn, I realized things were no longer that simple. My classmates ranged from those kids with pale skin and large blue eyes to those with rich brown skin and dark hair. The food choices were almost as diverse as the students. In front of me was an array of foods I couldn’t even name in my native language. Fearing that I would pick out something awful, I desperately tried to ask the boy ahead of me for a recommendation. Unfortunately, between us stood the barrier of language.

Although my kindergarten experience feels like a century ago, the lessons I learned will stick in my mind forever. For the past three summers, I have worked in a government agency in New York. New immigrants much like the little girl in the lunch line flooded our office seeking help. I often had to be an interpreter for the Italian-speaking ones. As I served the role of vital communication link, I was reminded of my desperate struggle to converse before I learned English. I watched with great sympathy as elderly Italians tried to hold a conversation in Italian with people who did not speak the language. It suddenly became very clear to me how lucky I was to be fluent in two languages.

In New York, a multicultural city, students like me are blessed with a chance to work with a diverse population. In my English to Italian translations, I’ve learned about social programs that I didn’t know existed. This work expanded my mind in ways that are impossible inside the four walls of a classroom. Walking through the streets of Brooklyn today, I am no longer confused by this city’s sounds and smells. Instead, enjoy its diversity.

1. What did the author realize after entering school in Brooklyn?

A．Time passed quickly.	B．English was hard to learn.
C．The food was terrible.	D．People were very different.

2. Who does “the little girl” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．An Italian teacher.	B．A government official.
C．The author herself.	D．The author’s classmate.

3. How did the summer job benefit the author?

A．It strengthened her love for school.	B．It helped sharpen her sense of direction.
C．It opened her eyes to the real world.	D．It made her childhood dream come true.

2 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

Tom, a 15-year-old inventor and entrepreneur (创业者), witnessed at his own school the widespread consumption of sugary drinks by kids. He knew there had to be a better portable drink solution and decided to innovate from something he saw in his own home: fruit infused (浸泡) water.

Tom watched his mum make healthy fruit infusions but then struggle for a take-along option. From observing his mum and from his desire to give kids better drink options, he came up with his original model for the Fun Bottle. “I wanted to come up with a healthy, natural way for people to drink when on the go. A big part of my mission is to get people of all ages off sugary drinks,” Tom explains.

The bottle is made with a strainer (滤网) that allows the great tastes and natural sugars of the various fruits and vegetables you choose to come through the water, without any of the seeds or skins flowing through.

Tom is proud of his design and excited to be selling the Fun Bottle on his website and in stores, but this 15-year-old is most proud of the opportunities that Fun Bottle presents to others. It helps to provide healthy alternatives to sugary drinks; and also Tom donates part of the profits to the Organisation for a Healthier Generation (OHG).

Tom has been awarded several prizes, but this teenage innovator remains humble. When asked what advice he’d give other entrepreneurial youth, he says, “Prepare and have your family’s support. It is important to know from the beginning that there are a lot of highs and lows, and there is no such thing as overnight success.”

1. What did Tom witness at his own school?
2. Where did Tom get the idea for the original model for the Fun Bottle?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Tom is most proud of the opportunities that Fun Bottle presents to others because he not only provides healthy alternatives to sugary drinks but also donates all the profits to the OHG.
4. Among Tom’s qualities, which one(s) do you think will be important for us? Why?(In about 40 words)

3 . Health and fitness help a person live a good and healthy life. Often due to various pressures, we tend to ignore our health.     1     It is the fitness level of our body that helps us fight these diseases.

    2     We need to be fit to have a healthy body. Similarly, if we are healthy we shall naturally be attracted towards maintaining the fitness of our body. Health is the state of our body at a given time. We may not have any disease but still have a weak body, which is ready to be targeted by viruses.     3     This does not definitely mean that we are not healthy. It means the fitness level is not in accordance with our age and the climatic conditions we live in.

It is important for everyone to devote some time to health and fitness.     4     For instance, we must exercise daily regardless of our age and working style. There are different levels of exercises for different age groups and we must do them according to our own health and age.

Additionally, it is important to relax our body. We should have at least six to eight hours of sleep every day. It helps in improving our immune (免疫) system and protects us against diseases.     5     This, in turn, gives us new goals of health and fitness.

A．Fitness levels decide the quality of life.

B．Health and fitness are interrelated to each other.

C．It also helps in keeping us calm and relaxes our mind.

D．For instance, we may have a tendency to catch a cold easily.

E．If we keep our body fit, we can enjoy life in a better manner.

F．There are some activities which everyone should do in our life.

G．This makes our body suffer and we will catch other diseases.

4 . Quantum ( 量子 ) computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest challenges we face as humans. I’ve also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts. One is computer scientist Chris Johnson who I see as someone who helps keep the field honest. The other is physicist Philip Taylor.

For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a laboratory curiosity. Now, big tech companies have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller ones. According to Business Weekly, quantum machines could help us “cure cancer, and even take steps to turn climate change in the opposite direction.” This is the sort of hype ( 炒作 ) that annoys Johnson. He worries that researchers are making promises they can’t keep. “What’s new,” Johnson wrote, “is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers.”

As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, researchers may mislead investors, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their work’s potential. If researchers can’t keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Johnson warns. Lots of other technologies have gone through stages of excitement. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Johnson suggests, perhaps because “‘quantum’ stands for something cool you shouldn’t be able to understand.” And that brings me back to Taylor, who suggested that I read his book Q for Quantum.

After I read the book, Taylor patiently answered my questions about it. He also answered my questions about PyQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016. Taylor shares Johnson’s concerns about hype, but he says those concerns do not apply to PyQuantum.

The company, he says, is closer than any other firm “by a very large margin ( 幅度 )” to building a “useful” quantum computer, one that “solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise.” He adds, “People will naturally discount my opinions, but I have spent a lot of time quantitatively comparing what we are doing with others.”

Could PyQuantum really be leading all the competition “by a wide margin”, as Taylor claims? I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Taylor, just as I trust Johnson.

1. Regarding Johnson’s concerns, the author feels ________.

A．sympathetic

B．unconcerned

C．doubtful

D．excited

2. What leads to Taylor’s optimism about quantum computing?

A．His dominance in physics.	B．The competition in the field.
C．His confidence in PyQuantum.	D．The investment of tech companies.

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

A．Open.

B．Cool.

C．Useful.

D．Resistant.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Is Johnson More Competent Than Taylor?

B．Is Quantum Computing Redefining Technology?

C．Will Quantum Computers Ever Come into Being?

D．Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype?

5 . My name is Alice. Early last year, I was troubled by an anxiety that crippled ( 削弱 ) my ability to do anything. I felt like a storm cloud hung over me. For almost a year I struggled on, constantly staring at this wall that faced me. My perfectionist tendencies were the main root of this: I wanted to be perfect at whatever I did, which obviously in life is not possible, but it consumed me.

One day, I attended a presentation by wildlife conservationist Grant Brown at my high school. His presentation not only awed and inspired me, but also helped emerge an inner desire to make a difference in the world. I joined a pre-presentation dinner with him and that smaller setting allowed me to slowly build up my courage to speak one-on-one with him—an idea that had seemed completely impossible. This first contact was where my story began.

A month later, Brown invited me to attend the World Youth Wildlife Conference. Looking back, I now see that this would be the first in a series of timely opportunities that my old self would have let pass, but that this new and more confident Alice enthusiastically seized. Shortly after I received his invitation, applications to join the Youth for Nature and the Youth for Planet groups were sent around through my high school. I decided to commit to completing the applications, and soon I was a part of a growing global team of young people working to protect nature. Each of these new steps continued to grow my confidence.

I am writing this just six months since my journey began and I’ve realised that my biggest obstacle ( 障碍 ) this whole time was myself. It was that voice in the back of my head telling me that one phrase that has stopped so many people from reaching their potential: I can’t. They say good things come to those who wait; I say: grab every opportunity with everything you have and be impatient. After all, nature does not require our patience, but our action.

1. What was the main cause for Alice’s anxiety?

A．Her inability to act her age.	B．Her habit of consumption.
C．Her desire to be perfect.	D．Her lack of inspiration.

2. How did Grant Brown’s presentation influence Alice?

A．She decided to do something for nature.	B．She tasted the sweetness of friendship.
C．She learned about the harm of desire.	D．She built up her courage to speak up.

3. The activities Alice joined in helped her to become more ________.

A．intelligent

B．confident

C．innovative

D．critical

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Patience is a cure of anxiety.
C．Action is worry’s worst enemy.	D．Everything comes to those who wait.

6 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Since people can’t always eat out or cook for     1     (they), they get takeout or order delivery. More takeout and more food delivery equal more waste, especially plastic waste. That includes cups, bottles, and bags, most of     2     are only good for one use. That’s a big problem and it is getting even     3     (bad). The use of those plastics     4     (increase) by 300% since 2019. The world won’t survive if this situation continues.

7 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Why do humans prefer some smells over others? One theory, increasingly     1       (support) by experts, suggests that smell preferences are learned. It’s easy to explain how we determine     2     smells are dangerous or not: we learn. This has been adopted to ensure easier detection of gas leaks. Gas naturally     3     (have) no recognisable smell. However, a strong smell is added so that we can raise the alarm when we detect the smell associated with danger.

8 . One Monday morning, while the children were enjoying “free play”, I stepped to the doorway of the classroom to take a break. Suddenly, I _________ a movement of the heavy wooden door. This was the very door I _________ guided the children through to ensure their safety from the bitter cold. I felt a chill (寒意) go through my body.

My legs carried me to that door, and I pushed it open. It was one of my kindergarteners who I thought was _________ that day. He had been dropped off at school late and was _________ to open the door.

He must have been waiting there for quite a while! Without a word, I rushed him to the hospital. He was treated for frostbite on his hands. He’d need time to _________ , and wouldn’t come for class the next day, I thought.

The next morning, one of the first to _________ was my little frostbitten boy. Not only did he run in with energy, but his _________ could be heard as loud as ever! I gave him a warm hug and told him how _________ I was to see him. His words have stayed with me all these years, “I knew you would open the door.”

That cold Monday morning, he waited a long, long while for adults to _________. To a child, every minute feels like forever. He didn’t attempt to walk back home; he waited and trusted. This five-year-old taught me a powerful lesson in __________ .

1.

A．caused

B．spotted

C．checked

D．imagined

2.

A．hesitantly

B．randomly

C．dizzily

D．carefully

3.

A．angry

B．absent

C．special

D．noisy

4.

A．courageous

B．content

C．unable

D．unwilling

5.

A．recover

B．play

C．change

D．wait

6.

A．settle

B．gather

C．arrive

D．react

7.

A．sneeze

B．weep

C．complaint

D．laughter

8.

A．lucky

B．happy

C．curious

D．nervous

9.

A．show up

B．pull up

C．hold up

D．line up

10.

A．gratitude

B．forgiveness

C．faith

D．kindness

9 . Like many young people, Jessica wants to travel the globe. Unlike most of them, this 25-year-old is doing it _______ . She and her husband have spent the last two years traveling the world, stopping everywhere from Paris to Singapore. It might sound like one long, expensive _______ , but the couple has an unusual way to make their travel _______ .

They’re part of a new form of the _______ economy: an online group of house sitters. Throughout their no-cost stays in _______ homes, they feed pets and water plants in the homeowner’s _______ .

It’s not all sightseeing. The two travelers carefully _______ their trips, scheduling their days around the pets that are sometimes difficult to _______ . But house sitting also offers a level of _______ they can’t find in a hotel. “It’s like ________ at a friend’s house,” Jessica says.

The couple has a high ________ rate in getting accepted as house sitters and they always go beyond the homeowner’s ________ . For Jessica, that means ________ plenty of pictures of happy pets, keeping the house ________ and leaving a nice small gift before heading to the next house. “You want to make the homeowner feel that they made the right ________ ,” she says.

1.

A．indoors

B．online

C．single-handed

D．full-time

2.

A．game

B．service

C．vacation

D．procedure

3.

A．safe

B．busy

C．helpful

D．affordable

4.

A．local

B．private

C．sharing

D．agricultural

5.

A．strangers’

B．parents’

C．co-workers’

D．neighbors’

6.

A．favor

B．defense

C．honor

D．absence

7.

A．plan

B．explain

C．compare

D．complete

8.

A．buy

B．transport

C．choose

D．please

9.

A．support

B．comfort

C．control

D．attention

10.

A．cooking

B．staying

C．waiting

D．studying

11.

A．success

B．survival

C．growth

D．unemployment

12.

A．budget

B．abilities

C．expectations

D．understanding

13.

A．admiring

B．donating

C．sending

D．borrowing

14.

A．clean

B．open

C．simple

D．empty

15.

A．guess

B．decision

C．response

D．impression

10 . Writing an essay is a difficult process for most people. However, the process can be made easier if you learn to practice three simple techniques.

    1     When you are first trying to think of ideas for an essay, put your pen to your paper and write nonstop for ten or fifteen minutes without letting your pen leave the paper. Stay loose and free.     2     Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Even though this technique won’t work for everyone, it helps many people get a good store of ideas to draw on.

The next technique is to write your draft rapidly without worrying about being perfect.     3     Yet, by learning to live with imperfection, you will save yourself headaches and a wastepaper basket full of crumpled (弄皱) paper. Think of your first draft as a path cut out of the jungle—as part of an exploration, not as a complete highway.

The third technique is to try printing out a triple-spaced (三倍行距) copy to allow space for revision.     4     As a result, these writers never get in the habit of crossing out chunks (大块) of their draft and writing revisions in the blank space. After you have revised your draft until it is too messy to work from anymore, you can enter your changes into your word processor.     5     The resulting blank space invites you to revise.

A．Make sure your handwriting is neat.

B．Let your pen follow the waves of thought.

C．The second draft of the essay should be better.

D．First of all, learn the technique of nonstop writing.

E．Too many writers try to get their drafts right the first time.

F．Many beginning writers don’t leave enough space to revise.

G．Then you can print out a fresh draft, again setting your text on triple-space.