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。

According to historical records, the well-known historian Sima Guang from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) used a part of a round wood     1     his pillow throughout his life. This unique pillow had an unusual function.     2     Sima Guang moved a little during his sleep, his head would slide down off the pillow, causing him to wake up     3     (immediate) and continue his studies. This particular type of pillow came to be known as an “alarm pillow”.

The Chinese word for “pillow”, zhentou,     4     (believe) to be created by Cao Cao, a famous strategist and ruler during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). One night, while Cao Cao was reading in his tent and     5     (become) sleepy, there was no extra space useful to place several books stored in wooden     6     (box). In response (回应), a servant momentarily placed the books at one side of the bed, upon     7     Cao Cao fell asleep quickly, experiencing a deep and restful sleep.     8     (impress) by the comfort provided by this short-term arrangement, the servant then created a padded (有垫的) headrest using soft materials, copying     9     shape of the wooden box that held the books. When Cao Cao asked about the name of this new item, the servant referred to it as “headrest bedding”. Cao Cao     10     (late) named it zhentou, and from that point on, the use of pillows became popular among the common people.

2 . Two weeks ago, 93-year-old Joy Ryan set a world record. In her words, “I’m the _________ lady to ever visit every national park.”

In just eight years, she and her 42-year-old grandson Brad Ryan _________ to go to all 63 national parks, an adventure they’ve written on Instagram. Their _________ stop was the National Park of American Samoa in the South Pacific, some 6,700 miles from their home in Duncan Falls, Ohio. The pair received certificates (证书) from the park in _________ of their achievement.

In a way, the journey began 21 years ago when Brad’s parents got divorced (离婚), and he became _________ from Joy. It wasn’t until 2008, at his sister’s wedding, that he _________ her again. She was 78 and she didn’t look good.

“She came into the church and she was dry,” Brad _________. “Very unsteady (不稳定的). It was hard to see this woman that was so important to me in my growing years on the side of _________, knowing that there was so much _________ between us.”

But over a period of months, Joy __________. And Brad, who’d just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail where he’d been thinking through what mattered to him, __________ the courage to call Joy and __________ they make raisin-filled cookies together.

__________, “there was a little too much awkwardness for my liking,” he says. “You can’t pick up where you left off, I learned that quickly.” Still, they __________ in touch. Over the last eight years, Brad and Joy have had little dust-ups (吵架) to be sure. And this tour of the national parks has __________ the crack (裂缝) that once separated them.

1.

A．strongest

B．happiest

C．fastest

D．oldest

2.

A．managed

B．attempted

C．preferred

D．intended

3.

A．usual

B．extra

C．final

D．major

4.

A．favour

B．honour

C．charge

D．need

5.

A．free

B．different

C．tired

D．separate

6.

A．invited

B．saw

C．touched

D．understood

7.

A．describes

B．replies

C．requires

D．reminds

8.

A．progressing

B．disappearing

C．dying

D．quitting

9.

A．concern

B．shock

C．pleasure

D．distance

10.

A．recovered

B．adapted

C．struggled

D．flashed

11.

A．got in

B．worked up

C．concentrated on

D．made out

12.

A．debate

B．focus

C．suggest

D．explain

13.

A．Therefore

B．Moreover

C．Otherwise

D．However

14.

A．lost

B．stayed

C．got

D．buried

15.

A．created

B．ruined

C．mended

D．hit

3 . According to the Houston Health Department, for nearly one-quarter of children living in Houston, Texas, the choice to eat healthily doesn’t exist. Annie Zhu was shocked to find out so many children in Houston lived in food deserts — areas without access to fresh food. She was also shocked to see how much fresh food supermarkets discard (丢弃) every day. So she and her twin sister Shirley went to work.

First, they partnered with the Houston Health Department to give out food at community centres. With the help of Second Servings, they collected surplus food from grocery stores and began organizing monthly markets. They even connected with human service agencies to provide help beyond food. Lastly, they developed a simple app that tells people when and where the markets are. Since the food is fresh, it needs to be picked up right away, so they developed the text and messaging app Fresh Hub.

Each month, Fresh Hub organizes high schoolers who wear green shirts and go to work setting up stands of fresh produce, baked goods and packaged meats. The Zhu sisters and the green dream team have given out over 1,500 pounds of food. And while families are collecting food, volunteers are entertaining kids with art projects that teach healthy eating.

At the end of the day, Annie says the two are happy to be making a difference. “Frustration (沮丧) over the unfair circumstances built into society led us to meet amazing people,” says Annie. “I know I’m not alone on this journey to help the underserved — and I know our journey has only just begun!”

1. Why do one-quarter of children living in Houston eat unhealthy food?

A．They live in deserts.

B．The supermarkets waste lots of fresh food.

C．They find nowhere to get fresh and healthy food.

D．They choose unhealthy food instead of fresh food.

2. What does the underlined word “surplus” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Extra.

B．Different.

C．Fresh.

D．Sufficient.

3. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．How to use the app Fresh Hub.

B．The Zhu sisters’ green dream team.

C．How much food they have given out.

D．The things volunteers do to help those families.

4. What can we infer from Annie’s words in the last paragraph?

A．She prefers to work alone.

B．She will continue to help those in need.

C．The members of the team need to be replaced.

D．The unfair circumstances are good for the society.

4 . 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。

Distance learning is a form of education in     1     the main elements include physical separation of teachers and students during instruction and the use of     2     (variety) of technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-student communication. Since its introduction, distance learning     3     (focus) on nontraditional students, such as full-time workers, military personnel, and nonresidents or individuals in remote regions who are     4     (able) to attend classroom lectures.

However, distance learning has become a (n)     5     (establish) part of the educational world, with trends       6    (point) to ongoing growth. In U. S. higher education alone, more than 5.6 million university students were enrolled in at least one online course in the autumn of 2009, a significant growth     7    1.6 million in 2002. Students of all ages, around the world, were forced into distance learning in early 2020     8     the global coronavirus pandemic resulted in a widespread     9     (close) of many schools. Videoconferencing software such as Zoom gained greatly from this development. Zoom became one of the most popular services of its kind, one of the most downloaded applications worldwide, and     10     household word. Teaching and the student-teacher relationship were fundamentally changed.

5 . 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。

During the 2023 Lanzhou International Marathon, all eyes were on the elderly couple—Hu Yingfu, 86, and his wife Wang Zhangmin, 77. Many doubted their ability to finish the race,     1     Hu completed the half marathon in two hours and twenty minutes.

Against initial struggles, Hu found a way to motivate himself by counting electric poles while running. “The distance between each electric pole is 50 meters. I run as fast as I can, passing a dozen or so poles.” said Hu.     2     (gradua), his endurance improved, along with his physical condition.

The couple’s love for running started as a way     3     (improve) their fitness, but it quickly became a passion, They participated in a national athletics event     4     the elderly in 2004,     5     (mark) their first-ever national competition. To their surprise, Wang achieved     6     impressive result—the fourth place.

Since then, the elderly couple have become regular     7     (participate) in national athletics events, consistently winning medals, and they     8     (recognize) as well-known figures in the running community.

With a     9     (combine) age of 163, the couple have participated in over 100 marathon races nationwide, whose impact has motivated     10     (count) young individuals to become part of the running community.

6 . For eight years, Sophie created realistic-looking limbs (肢) for those who wanted to fit in. But she longed to work on more odd designs that would stand out. Then she met Pollyanna Hope, a young amputee (被截肢者).

“She wanted something a little different on her leg: pictures of a cartoon she loved, Peppa Pig,” said Sophie, who is now based in London. So she designed a unique leg covered in tattoo-like images of Peppa and other pigs riding a bicycle and eating ice cream. Working with Hope made Sophie realize there was a potential market for limbs.

Since then, Sophie founded the Alternative Limb Project (ALP) to make artistic limbs. Her work includes an arm wrapped in sculpted snakes and a leg that looks like porcelain (瓷器) covered in a painted flowery vine. She makes about six limbs per year, always including clients’ ideas so that they receive a personal piece they can celebrate rather than hide.

Of course, a fancy-looking limb won't suit everyone. For Sophie, the basis is that each limb must satisfy a combination of comfort, beauty and functionality, and pushing too hard in one direction can weaken other areas. But for amputees who appreciate novelty, Sophie has some amazing ideas.

“I’d really like to make a candy-dispenser leg with colorful candies inside it” she says. “Or a cuckoo-clock leg with a wooden bird that pops out every hour.” Her goal is to fashion a striking limb.

“It’ll transform the limbs from an elephant in the room into a conversation piece.”

1. Why did Pollyanna Hope come to Sophie?

A．She hoped to have a tailored limb.

B．She intended to design a cartoon figure.

C．She longed to expand the market for limbs.

D．She expected to sell Sophie some odd ideas.

2. According to paragraph 3, ALP aims to ______.

A．boost users’ confidence	B．sharpen users’ creativity
C．improve Sophie’s sculpture skills	D．extend Sophie’s art business

3. What is the basis for Sophie's works?

A．The novelty of the pattern tops the list.	B．The balance of multi-needs comes first.
C．Fashion is the best policy.	D．Functionality is the key.

4. What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A．Sophie resolves to lead the fashion of limbs.

B．Sophie plans to further transform artistic limbs.

C．Amputees will feel at ease to talk about limbs.

D．Amputees will have easy access to artistic limbs.

7 . 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。

On the second floor of the Zitong Art Gallery, 43-year-old Jiang Xiaoqi n is working on her painting in a studio,     1     doubles as part of an exhibition hall. She draws some yellow from her palette (调色板) and tips it on her canvas (画布) before stopping     2     (check) if it is too thick. Now and then, she stands back a pace or two, takes a survey of her painting and then     3     (decide) whether to apply more.

Around her are five other men and women,     4     (stand) in front of their respective easels (画架) and working on their own paintings. They look exactly like those     5     (profession) artists that one would meet in an art academy.

Only they aren’t. They are farmers from Dujing village, the administrative seat of Zitong township, Chun’an county     6     East China’s Zhejiang province.

Starting to learn painting only three years ago, Jiang has already made     7     name for herself. Indeed, she is     8     (warm) known as “Sister Corn” for her corn-themed paintings and artistic     9     (creation), especially after her oil painting-titled Corn, unsurprisingly — was sold for 7,500 yuan at a special exhibition     10     (hold) in Shanghai in 2020 featuring 61works by Zitong’s farmers.

8 . While the idea behind this experiment _________ in our group, it was suggested to us by our teacher that we try something similar.

A．discussed

B．was being discussed

C．had discussed

D．had been discussed

9 . Have you heard of the ________ “Six Degrees of Separation”? It is the idea that we all know everyone else in the world through about six people.

A．phase

B．express

C．impression

D．phrase

10 . When Matthew arrived with the little girl, Marilla ______in amazement because Mrs. Spencer promised she was going to send a boy.

A．froze

B．freezed

C．revealed

D．proceeded