1 . 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.

2 . 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。

There     1    (be) a dramatic rise in the number of extreme weather events over the past 20 years,    2    (cause) largely by rising global temperatures,according to a new report from the United Nations. From 2000 to 2019, there were 7,348 major natural disasters around the world,    3    (result) in USD 2,970 billion in economic loss．Much of this increase can be due to climate change. The findings show a critical need     4     (invest) in disaster prevention.

3 . 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 we dream？Scientists aren't completely sure,and they have diverse    1     (idea)．Dreams might be a side effect of memory making.When you sleep,your brain sorts through everything     2     happened during the day，trying to link new experiences to old memories.As it     3     (connect) things，your brain turns them into a story,and you get a dream．

4 . 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)

5 . Physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman developed a clever learning method known as the Feynman Technique. It involves explaining what you're learning to others. By teaching what you’ve learned from memory, you engage in active recall.     1     It also ensures that you understand the topic, because you can only explain an idea if you truly understand it. The technique consists of four repeatable steps.

To begin, choose a concept or topic you wish to fully understand.     2     The more interested you are, the faster you’ll grasp it. Moreover, a personally interesting topic will keep you motivated and engaged.

    3     Write notes and explain it in a way that makes sense to a five-year-old. If you’d rather avoid actually teaching someone, you can just teach it to an imaginary audience. But it works much better if you use a real person. They’ll be able to let you know when something isn’t clear.

While teaching you may discover gaps in your understanding.     4     Review your notes, reread books, or seek external help to ensure you have a complete understanding of the context before moving forward.

Now that you fully grasp the concept, test your understanding by trying to teach it to another person. This will help you identify any remaining areas of uncertainty you need to revisit.

The Feynman Technique is a great way for kids and grown-ups to learn.     5     You need to actively think about the problem instead of passively reading or listening to someone else. However, with great efforts in mastering this method, you’ll see your learning results improve quicker than ever before.

A．It is mentally demanding.

B．This helps the information stick in your mind better.

C．Teach it to a five-year-old, who would give you direct feedback.

D．Your curiosity about it will determine the pace of your learning.

E．Once you have chosen a topic, you can teach it to someone else.

F．Active engagement plays a key role in promoting deeper learning.

G．When this happens, refer back to the original material for the missing pieces.

6 . False Memories or Parallel (平行的) Realities?

Here is a common situation: You’re talking with someone about an event, only to discover that you both remember things quite differently. Usually, you’d put it down to a poor memory, but what if it wasn’t just one person who remembered things differently? What if it was millions?

In fact, this isn’t a “what if” situation. It’s known as the Mandela Effect, and it was first noticed in 2009 by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome. Broome was chatting with people about the South African activist Nelson Mandela, and she commented how sad it was that he had died in prison in the 1980s.     1     Actually, he'd been released in 1990, become president of South Africa, and died in 2013.

Broome was so shocked at this that she started an investigation.     2     People have memories of movies that never existed, and famous words that were never spoken. There is even a group who clearly recall seeing maps showing that New Zealand was northeast of Australia (it’s southeast ). So what in the world is going on?

    3     In each reality, history is shaped by different events, and the Mandela Effect occurs when some of us shift from one reality to another. Therefore, those who remember Nelson Mandela dying in the 1980s aren’t wrong. They’re just remembering events from their original reality.

More likely, however, is that the Mandela Effect has to do with how our brains store information.     4     Many people remember Pikachu’s tail having a black tip on the end of it, when in fact it was always yellow. “Aha!” you cry. “Parallel realities!” Probably not. Consider instead that people often ignore unfamiliar details and transform information to make it more understandable. In the Pikachu example, his tail may not have a black tip, but his ears certainly do. Thus, both his ears and tail are misremembered as having black tips.     5    

All things considered, if you’re stuck arguing with someone about whose version of events is correct, it may indeed be easier to agree that neither of you is wrong. You just come from different realities.

A．Before we explain let’s look at an example.

B．It turns out she wasn’t the only one who’d experienced this.

C．If several people make these memory errors, the false memory gets stronger socially.

D．The story of Nelson Mandela is not the only example of this type of false group memory.

E．Some claim the Mandela Effect happens because we live in one of many parallel realities.

F．Many in her group agreed, while others mentioned that Nelson Mandela had not died in prison.

G．As more incidents of the Mandela effect continue to occur, perhaps more research into the origins will tell us the causes.

7 . As a doctor, I can give you a lot of useful advice about how to get healthy and stay that way, but you don’t need me to tell you that exercise is good for you. Staying active can benefit the heart, the waistline, even the mind.     1     More than 60% of American adults don’t exercise regularly, and many say they don’t exercise at all. More than 72 million are overweight, and almost all of them would like to lose the extra pounds. So, if exercise is such a good idea, why don’t more people do it?

    2     Even as I write this, I am watching my two-year-old run around in circles. Kids seem to be born in constant motion, but along the way that behavior changes.

The slowdown occurs for most at the beginning of college. Academic pressure and lack of organized sports are certainly part of the problem. A bigger part may be looking at life changes as an occasion to blow up old rules and not create new ones in their place.     3     The demands of a new job usually mean less time at the gym. How about a new marriage? How many times have we seen just-married couples looking a lot heavier in first-anniversary photos than they did in the wedding pictures?

    4     People who set general goals, like “I will exercise in my free time,” did a far worse job of sticking to that plan than did people who made a firm commitment, like “I will walk to my friend’s house and back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

The good news is, there are solutions to all these. We can begin with exercises as simple as remembering to sit straighter or drink enough water. Specific workout plans can turn a general desire to exercise into a firm commitment.     5    

We may never again have the energy of a two-year-old, but getting back even a little of our early-life energy can make our later lives a whole lot healthier.

A．Being in college is certainly part of the problem.

B．This is especially so when it comes to staying fit.

C．Not having a clearly defined exercise plan can hurt.

D．We often wish to go back to our two-year-old selves.

E．For instance, you can schedule a weekly gym visit with friends.

F．Still, there’s a real disconnect between what we know and what we do.

G．The most puzzling part of our inactive nature is that we don’t start out that way.

8 . A quiet space is often considered essential for achieving the concentration that leads to academic success. But research shows that some students may benefit from breaking the silence with certain kinds of music while they study. Music has a powerful influence on both the body and the brain, in ways that can help students navigate the physical and emotional barriers that come with academic challenges.

One U.S. study compared students who took a test to soft music with those who took the test under silent conditions. The study found that students taking a test to music not only completed more questions within a set time but also answered more questions correctly. Music has been further linked to improvements in memory and recall. Experts have found that when music stimulates mood and motivation, students are able to learn more and to better demonstrate their knowledge.

A bit of mood music affects more than just memory and recall when students hit the books. Music can also relieve stress associated with school. Scientists have learned that music engages the autonomic nervous system, which not only controls the unconscious functions of the body but also influences emotions. So it’s no surprise that researchers from the Group Health Research Institute concluded that certain kinds of background music can be just as effective at reducing stress as a massage. Furthermore, while the brain feels better with music, the body may as well. Research shows that certain types of music can make physical pain feel less intense. What’s more, calming music with a steady, meditative rhythm can help people sleep longer and more deeply.

However, some educators express concern that listening to music while trying to concentrate may do more harm than good. Loud music may have a negative influence on a student’s mood or act as a distraction. Actually, the best approach may depend on the students themselves. Listening to music during study time may not mean a guaranteed A for all students, but those who find it helpful should be allowed to plug in their headphones.

1. What does the underlined word “navigate” in the first paragraph probably mean?

A．Recognize.

B．Overcome.

C．Assess.

D．Create.

2. What can we learn from this passage?

A．Music helps students get rid of physical pain.

B．Loud music has the same calming effect as a massage.

C．Listening to music makes it easier for students to multitask.

D．Music helps students better remember relevant information.

3. The author writes Paragraph 3 mainly to ________.

A．present the effects of music on mind and body

B．compare the functions of different types of music

C．confirm the impacts of music on memory and recall

D．give examples of the influences of music on emotions

4. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．The Power of Silence	B．Music to a Sharper Mind
C．The Score to Better Scores	D．Road to Academic Success

9 .

My wife and I usually don’t keep houseplants. Anything in pots gets either overwatered or underwatered. But after my diagnosis with a brain cancer, I loved the idea of having something green and ________ around us.

Last year, my friend Mitch gave me a lucky bamboo plant. Tending to the plant gave me a sense of ________ at a time when I sometimes felt useless because my ability to move was limited. As a physician, I was used to being the one who ________ care. Watering the plant ________ me to a core part of my old identity and taught me I could still be a caregiver.

However, after several weeks growing in perfect condition, the plant ________ began to show signs of stress. No matter what I did, the leaves kept ________ and dropping to the floor.

“I can’t even care for a simple plant!” I yelled. “If my lucky bamboo dies, I might die too!”

Identifying with the green and growing plant had offered me comfort. But when the tree was struggling, I felt increasingly uneasy and ________.

It was several months later when I recovered from surgery that I realized I had wrongly linked my careful nurturing of the plant—something over which I had at least some control—with my own ________—something over which I had no control.

As my ________ lessened, I began to study online tutorials to figure out how to care for the tree. I transplanted it to a larger pot, and when it was back in the sunny window, we both began to thrive (旺盛) again.

Now whenever I look at the tree in its new pot, I make a point to relax and think of the things I can ________.

1.

A．alive

B．primitive

C．delicate

D．mature

2.

A．warmth

B．relief

C．achievement

D．security

3.

A．valued

B．needed

C．provided

D．lacked

4.

A．added

B．connected

C．adapted

D．compared

5.

A．casually

B．interestingly

C．genuinely

D．mysteriously

6.

A．spreading

B．browning

C．waving

D．dancing

7.

A．fearful

B．innocent

C．faithful

D．dishonest

8.

A．dream

B．success

C．capability

D．survival

9.

A．discontent

B．anxiety

C．doubt

D．sympathy

10.

A．give

B．share

C．decide

D．preserve

10 . 阅读下面短文，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。

Gratitude is more than just saying “thank you”. Gratitude is a deeper appreciation for someone or something. Expressing gratitude makes us feel a positive emotion. Over the past thirty years, there    1     (be) many studies showing that writing a gratitude letter to another person offers us an opportunity    2     (escape) from negative emotions. Even if we don’t share our writing with anyone, the act of completing the exercise alone makes us happier and    3     (satisfied) with life. The more we express gratitude, the more positive we feel.