1 . One day, a poor boy was begging for a meal at a house. However, he lost his
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught me never to accept
Many years later the young girl was
After a long struggle, the battle against the illness was
| A．hope | B．temper | C．patience | D．courage |
| A．water | B．milk | C．coffee | D．juice |
| A．teach | B．owe | C．lend | D．give |
| A．payment | B．energy | C．advice | D．pressure |
| A．worse | B．cleverer | C．easier | D．warmer |
| A．hardly | B．slightly | C．seriously | D．mentally |
| A．travel | B．business | C．retirement | D．treatment |
| A．gave away | B．made up | C．called in | D．referred to |
| A．selected | B．recognized | C．rewarded | D．replaced |
| A．decided | B．failed | C．pretended | D．attempted |
| A．attention | B．information | C．luck | D．creation |
| A．lost | B．found | C．won | D．begun |
| A．wrote | B．cut | C．hid | D．copied |
| A．eager | B．confused | C．curious | D．afraid |
| A．picture | B．note | C．dirt | D．number |
2 . Italian diver and gardener Sergio Gamberini decided to see if he could grow vegetables in a plastic balloon underwater. The experiment was a success — so he decided to dive deeper into the world of underwater agriculture.
Today, Gamberini is the founder of a company using “biospheres” off the coast of Italy to grow a variety of plants, introducing the world to a new type of agriculture. The company’s six “biospheres” are air-filled plastic balloons about two meters wide. Each is fixed to the seabed by chains so that it sits between 15 and 36 feet below sea level. The biospheres are equipped with cameras and sensors that allow researchers in the company to monitor CO₂ levels, humidity, temperature, and more from a control tower on the shoreline. There’s also a device to communicate with divers in the biospheres.
Solar panels (太阳能电池板) on the roof of the control tower power the fans that create airflow inside the biospheres, and because the temperature inside and outside the biospheres is consistent, there’s no need to expend energy on the heating or cooling systems needed for traditional greenhouses.
The underwater garden doesn’t require pesticides since bugs can’t reach the plants, and though more research is needed, the company notes on its website that the higher-pressure conditions underwater appear to help plants grow more quickly.
The company is now ready to shift from the research phase of development to optimizing its biospheres for industrialization, with the goal of expanding them off coastlines around the world. To achieve the aim, the startup is now taking advantage of “digital twin” technology to precisely simulate (模仿) every aspect of its underwater garden.
Even with all the optimization potential offered by technology, Gamberini admits it’s hard to imagine the produce grown in his startup’s biospheres ever competing financially with traditionally grown crops. Still, he hopes the system’s sustainability will be enough to draw customers.
1. What does Gamberini’s company use “biospheres” mainly for?| A．Doing scientific research on marine life. |
| B．Creating a habitat for underwater animals. |
| C．Monitoring climate change effects on coastal regions. |
| D．Growing different types of plants through underwater agriculture. |
| A．By temperature regulation by divers. |
| B．By advanced heating and cooling systems. |
| C．By natural climate conditions of the underwater environment. |
| D．By solar panels on the roof of the control tower on the shoreline. |
| A．It contributes to climate change. | B．It leads to excessive use of pesticides. |
| C．It negatively affects ocean biodiversity. | D．It has little negative influence on the environment. |
| A．Growing plants under the sea. | B．The creative world of keeping animals. |
| C．Exploring the depths of underwater farming. | D．The challenge of growing greens underwater. |
In 1999, Esteban Zottele,
“My study experience has made me more
Currently, Esteban teaches Spanish at a university in East China's Jiangsu Province. Since 2013, he
1. 比赛时间、地点和目的；
2. 参赛要求和奖励。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Notice
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Good luck to all participants!
The School English Newspaper
5 . Have you ever wondered about the universal layout (布局) of supermarkets? Smart designers are behind it, subtly tempting you to walk through each aisle and fill your cart without even realizing it.
Grocery store design is a carefully crafted art from both psychological and marketing standpoints, according to Reeves Connelly, who studied architectural design at the Pratt Institute. He explained there is a specific reason why fruit and vegetables are often located at the front of the store, “You’ll grab the fruits and vegetables first and then hopefully feel less guilty about buying junk food later on.” Meanwhile, essential items such as milk and eggs are placed at the back of the store to ensure customers walk through other aisles with many unhealthy options like snacks and sodas, potentially increasing the likelihood of impulse purchases.
There’s also a reason why you often feel lost in local supermarkets. Shockingly, they move things around. Reeves explained, “They are very much aware that these strategies become less effective after you visit the store a few times and get a better sense of where everything is, so they’ll regularly move the products to different aisles to confuse you. The practice is not limited to a specific store but is employed across various retail chains.”
“Their little tricks always work on me,” one regular shopper admits, “I walk in to get three things and end up spending $300; that’s why I hate grocery shopping,” he said. On the other hand, some shoppers are proud to declare they have never fallen into the trap. “That’s why I always keep a shopping list on me,” another shopper shared. “I’ve started having my groceries delivered. If I have to go to the store, I never grab a cart. If I can’t carry it, I’m not buying it,” he added.
1. What is the purpose of the supermarket layout?| A．To encourage healthy lifestyle. | B．To save consumers’ shopping time. |
| C．To provide multiple goods for choice. | D．To promote non-essential consumption. |
| A．Distributing junk food in different areas. |
| B．Putting milk and eggs at the back of aisles. |
| C．Rearranging products in supermarkets regularly. |
| D．Placing fruit and vegetables at the front of the store. |
| A．Shopping baskets are better than heavy carts. |
| B．Most shoppers are trapped in marketing tricks. |
| C．Grocery delivery can help improve supermarket sales. |
| D．Taking a shopping list can be a smart move to avoid impulse buying. |
| A．A business magazine. | B．A psychology report. |
| C．A research paper. | D．A shopping guidebook. |
1. 人物简介；
2. 尊敬和爱戴的原因。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 短文题目和首句已为你写好。
The person I Respect
There are many respectable people around us.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . Vegetarians would rather not be forced to eat meat. Yet the reverse compulsion is hidden in the proposals for a new plant-based “planetary diet.” Nowhere is this more visible than in India.
Earlier this year, the EAT-Lancet Commission released its global report on nutrition and called for a global shift to a more plant-based diet and for “substantially reducing consumption of animal source foods.” In countries like India, that call could become a tool to aggravate an already tense political situation and stress already undernourished populations.
The EAT report assumes that “traditional diets” in countries like India include little red meat, which might be consumed only on special occasions or as minor ingredients in mixed dishes.
In India, however, there is a vast difference between what people would wish to consume and what they have to consume because of innumerable barriers around class, religion, culture, cost, geography, etc. Policymakers in India have traditionally pushed for a cereal-heavy “vegetarian diet” on a meat-eating population as a way of providing the cheapest sources of food.
Currently, under an aggressive Hindu nationalist government, Muslims, Christians, disadvantaged classes and indigenous communities are being compelled to give up their traditional foods.
None of these concerns seem to have been appreciated by the EAT-Lancet Commission’s representative, Brent Loken, who said “India has got such a great example” in sourcing protein from plants.
But how much of a model for the world is India’s vegetarianism? In the Global Hunger Index, the country ranks 102nd out of 117. Data from the National Family Health Survey indicate that only 10 percent of infants of 6 to 23 months are adequately fed, which is why calls for a plant-based diet modeled on India risk offering another whip with which to beat already vulnerable communities in developing countries.
A diet directed at the affluent West fails to recognize that in low-income countries undernourished children are known to benefit from the consumption of milk and other animal source foods, improving cognitive functions, while reducing the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies as well as death.
EAT-Lancet claimed its intention was to “spark conversations” among all Indian stakeholders. Yet vocal critics of the food processing industry and food fortification strategies have been left out of the debate. But the most conspicuous (明显的) omission may well be the absence of India’s farmers.
1. What is more visible in India than anywhere else according to the passage?| A．People’s positive views on the proposals for a “planetary diet”. |
| B．People’s reluctance to be compelled to eat plant-based food. |
| C．People’s preferences for the kind of food they consume. |
| D．People’s unwillingness to give up their eating habits. |
| A．Radically change their dietary habits. | B．Keep them further away from politics. |
| C．Make them even more undernourished. | D．Substantially reduce their food choices. |
| A．People’s diet will not change due to the EAT-Lancet report. |
| B．Many people simply do not have access to foods they prefer. |
| C．There is a growing popularity of a cereal-heavy vegetarian diet. |
| D．Policymakers help remove the barriers to people’s choice of food. |
| A．It may benefit populations whose traditional diet is meat-based. |
| B．It may be another blow to the economy in developing countries. |
| C．It may worsen the nourishment problem in low-income countries. |
| D．It may help narrow the gap between the rich and poor countries. |
8 . It was 1:20 a.m. I had just gone to bed, a bit
I was awakened by the
Shaking in darkness, I
I took
In the end, I think the experience made me
| A．relieved | B．drunk | C．excited | D．content |
| A．stones | B．sandbags | C．wood | D．boxes |
| A．in doubt | B．in advance | C．in turn | D．in case |
| A．thundering | B．snowing | C．pouring | D．blowing |
| A．roar | B．taste | C．rhythm | D．smell |
| A．appearing | B．spreading | C．freezing | D．rising |
| A．grabbed | B．charged | C．dropped | D．studied |
| A．realize | B．guess | C．see | D．check |
| A．extremely | B．violently | C．narrowly | D．certainly |
| A．get out | B．check out | C．calm down | D．move out |
| A．brave | B．immediate | C．determined | D．calculated |
| A．fear | B．shock | C．stress | D．responsibility |
| A．active | B．proud | C．grateful | D．amazed |
| A．ask | B．assess | C．hear | D．follow |
| A．loved | B．gained | C．survived | D．graduated |
9 . How to Overcome Your Fears
Here are five practical strategies that will help you overcome your fears and face a brighter future.
Identify your fears
Take a moment to explore inward and identify the specific sources of your fears. Recognize what it is that is holding you back. Ask yourself, “What are you genuinely afraid of?” Spend a few quiet moments observing your thoughts and emotions.
Understand the root cause
Spend some time exploring the nature of your fears. Begin reflective thinking by asking yourself, “Why am I experiencing fear?” and “What is causing me to feel anxious?”
Practice acceptance
The journey of overcoming fear requires acceptance.
To overcome your fears effectively, you need to set clear and achievable goals. That’s because you can use a sense of purpose to drive you forward on your journey. In addition, breaking down your broader goals into smaller ones is important.
Take action
| A．Establish clear goals |
| B．Remember all your goals |
| C．If you take action at once |
| D．When you answer these questions |
| E．Then write down in detail what comes up for you |
| F．Accepting fear is not a barrier to self-improvement |
| G．At this point on your journey to overcome fear, it’s time to take action |
10 . Tokyo restaurant Sushiya no Nohachi reportedly serves great sushi, but it is most famous for its gimmick—making the world’s smallest sushi with a single grain of rice.
Located in Asakusa, a slightly quieter part of Tokyo, Sushiya no Nohachi is the place to go if you want to enjoy the tiniest, most adorable sushi in the world. Each piece is made with only a grain of rice and a tiny slice of topping wrapped in the thinnest piece of nori(海苔). Every served piece is actually perfect, which hints at the amount of work and patience that Bes into making them. They are the work of Hironori Ikeno, the chef of Sushiya no Nohachi, who came up with the idea in 2002 when a client asked him how small he could make his sushi. He answered, “as small as a grain of rice”, and proceeded to demonstrate that he wasn’t kidding. Over the years, the restaurant has become internationally famous for making the world’s smallest sushi.
Despite its size, miniature sushi actually takes a bit longer to make than regular-sized me, because of the precision and concentration required to put the tiny ingredients together. That is part of the reason why the restaurant only prepares tiny sushi for customers a few times a week and no more than five times a day, although they do sometimes make exceptions for foreign visitors who travel to the restaurant just to experience the world’s smallest sushi.
“I had a client from Sweden who came just to see my tiny sushi and the moment she saw it, she literally cried with joy.” Hironori Ikeno said.
Interestingly, one cannot simply order the tiny sushi at the restaurant. It is served for f re upon request with a regular-sized sushi course. Considering the sushi served at this place is reportedly delicious, you should probably be more excited about that. Plus, it also justifies the gimmick that the restaurant is so famous for.
1. What does the underlined word “gimmick” in paragraph 1 probably refer to?| A．A class to teach cooking skills. |
| B．A trick to attract customers. |
| C．A plan to promote the sushi. |
| D．A dish to win over opponents. |
| A．His pursuit for perfection. |
| B．The curiosity of a customer. |
| C．The requirement from his boss. |
| D．A bet he made with others. |
| A．Take more time to make one |
| B．Unpopular among customers |
| C．costs more money to buy one |
| D．needs more expensive materials |
| A．Diversity of the customers. |
| B．His lack of experience. |
| C．Special treatment to foreigners. |
| D．His sense of achievement. |
