1 . One day, a snowstorm blanketed Washington, D. C., the whole city became a white world. When I awoke, I immediately put on my warmest clothes and dashed outside. I wanted to build a snowman. Then I noticed I had audience — a couple with coffee cups in their hands. My face flushed (脸红) with shame as I tried to come up with an answer to their unspoken question: Don’t you have anything better to do?

A middle-aged woman playing by herself in the snow is an undoubtedly odd sight, but maybe it shouldn’t be. Modern adults are suffering from excessive physical and emotional stress. We’ve held back our natural play instinct (本能), and that’s causing all kinds of problems — for ourselves, our children, and our planet.

Playing suggests that somewhere, deep in our evolutionary history, a playful proto human came up with the concept of stone tools. Even today, the urge to play underlies most of humanity’s greatest inventions, artworks, and scientific breakthroughs. “When I interviewed Nobel Prize winners, I was struck by how most of them didn’t separate work and play. Their labs were their playgrounds,” says Stuart Brown, a play researcher.

While object play occasionally results in direct applications, it has a more general benefit as well, says animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff. “Most forms of play are about preparing for the unexpected by expanding your behavioral repertoire (技能).” When animals play by themselves — such as goats jumping around and intentionally landing awkwardly — they learn two lessons: How to recover from missteps and, more generally, how to remain calm when things go sideways.

When it comes to humans, as we fully transition to a knowledge-based economy, work and play are beginning to combine again. Some of today’s most successful companies were started by people running small business in their garages. Organizations like these understand the value of encouraging adults to play. In many cases, people aren’t needed for routine, boring tasks any more. “You need passionate people who can invent new things, who can think of new ways of doing things,” Brown says.

The next time I’m caught playing, I know exactly what I’ll say: “I am not wasting time or acting immature. I’m playing for the benefit of all humanity. You’re welcome.”

1. Why does the author mention his own experience in the beginning?

A．To present a fact.	B．To describe a scene.
C．To clarify a concept.	D．To introduce a topic.

2. What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

A．Modern adults are free to act on their instincts.

B．Play is the driving power behind human progress.

C．Humans make scientific breakthroughs by playing.

D．Nobel Prize winners often separate work from play.

3. What qualities do companies most need in the knowledge-based economy era?

A．Teamwork and honesty.	B．Leadership and empathy.
C．Innovation and enthusiasm.	D．Patience and determination.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Adults should prioritize playtime	B．Adults need to make time for play
C．Play can expand and correct behavior	D．Play is the source of human inventions

2 . On a chilly autumn morning in the Italian countryside near Larderello, Tuscany, the misty landscape reminded me why the area is nicknamed the Devil’s Valley. The land here is a web of natural cracks in the rock that let a mix of steam and gases reach the surface.

Unlike the rolling hills and cypress-lined roads of other parts of Tuscany, the landscape here is covered with dozens of grey cooling towers puffing white vapors. The deafening roar of a turbine (涡轮机) at the Valle Secolo geothermal (地热的) plant breaks the quietness, but its violent spinning transforms steam rising from underground into energy for 150,000 families in the region. About 30% of Tuscany’s electricity comes from this energy source. After producing electricity, the leftover steam heats water for nearby districts.

This underground energy has recently proved a vital resource. Italy greatly depended on Russian fossil fuels and in 2023 Italians bore the world’s highest household electricity bills. Factories cut down production and households had to turn down their heaters. But residents of the Larderello area spent the winter in warm homes, thanks to the local geothermal plants working 24/7.

Bruno Della Vedova, president of the Italian Geothermal Union, hopes that in the future other Italian regions could benefit from such a resource, which is extremely important when the whole world looks to transition to renewable energy.

While countries like Iceland and Kenya are taking advantage of their geothermal resources, the industry’s growth has made slow progress in Italy. High set-up costs and difficulties in extraction present significant barriers. And new plants often run into opposition from nearby communities over health concerns.

Italy sits on a geothermal sweet spot. Especially below Larderello, as Della Vedova says. A vast reservoir (储备) of steam and water is trapped between Earth’s inner heat and a layer of clay-heavy rocks. High temperatures lead to the formation of steam directly inside the reservoir, providing a significant source of energy.

But while heat from Earth’s core is practically endless, the water it heats within the planet are not. So Della Vedova says restoring underground water supplies and using them sustainably is critical for the future. “We can’t take advantage of a geothermal resource at will,” he says.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The landscape in the countryside.

B．The introduction to a geothermal plant.

C．The application of geothermal energy in Tuscany.

D．The process of turning underground steam into heat.

2. Why has geothermal industry developed slowly in Italy?

A．People near new plants object to it.

B．Geothermal plants cut down their production.

C．There is very little underground water and steam.

D．People use less electricity by turning down heaters.

3. What is Della Vedova’s attitude to the prospect of geothermal energy?

A．Unfavorable.

B．Unclear.

C．Optimistic.

D．Cautious.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Where does geothermal energy lead Italy?

B．Is the heat from Earth’s core really limitless?

C．Can energy from underground help power Italy?

D．How can geothermal energy be used scientifically?

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Bill Sumiel was having a tough Friday. It was October 2020, and the 71-year-old, who was dealing with kidney failure (肾衰竭) and had been on dialysis (血液透析) for a few years, found himself at the hospital 30 miles from home for the second time in 24 hours. The day before, his brother had driven him for a routine declotting (去除血块), but it unexpectedly blocked again that night.

Sumiel was no stranger to the struggles of kidney disease. He’d been diagnosed with diabetes (糖尿病) more than 20 years before, which led to his kidney problems. He was on the list of the kidney transplant program, but no matches had yet appeared. So he continued with his treatments, including the periodic declotting that had failed this time. This time, Sumiel took a taxi to and from his appointment.

Timothy Letts, 31, was driving north to visit a friend when his phone received the request for Sumiel’s ride home. The trip was out of Letts’s way. Still, he took the fare, figuring if the passenger was coming from a hospital, he likely needed a ride.

When Sumiel got into the car, Letts could see that the older man was not energetic but in good spirits. And as they set out on the 40-minute drive to Sumiel’s home, the pair started chatting.

Letts shared with Sumiel that he was a proud Army veteran (老兵) and Sumiel mentioned that in the past he’d enjoyed volunteering at his church and in his community, even serving as president of the city council. But he was doing less these days, he explained, because the dialysis treatments left him exhausted and he was searching for a kidney donor.

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。

This hit Timothy Letts deeply.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Weeks later, Letts received a call from the hospital, saying he was a perfect match.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . In a recent study of healthy volunteers, National Institutes of Health researchers discovered that our brains may replay memories of learning new skills when we rest.

NIH researchers have mapped out the brain activity that flows when we learn a new skill, such as playing a new song on the piano, and found that during short rest the volunteers’ brains rapidly and repeatedly replayed faster versions of the activity seen while they practiced typing a code. The more a volunteer replayed the activity the better they performed during subsequent practice sessions.

The study was conducted at the NIH Clinical Center. The team of Dr. Cohen, M.D. , senior investigator at the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), used a highly sensitive scanning technique to record the brain waves of 33 healthy, right-handed volunteers as they learned to type a five-digit test code with their left hands. The subjects sat in a chair and under the scanner’s long, cone-shaped cap. An experiment began when a subject was shown the code “41234” on a screen and asked to type it out as many times as possible for 10 seconds and then take a 10 second break. Subjects were asked to repeat this cycle of alternating (交替的) practice and rest sessions a total of 35 times.

During the first few trials, the speed at which subjects correctly typed the code improved dramatically and then leveled off around the 11th cycle. In a previous study, Dr. Cohen’s team showed that most of these gains happened during short rests, and not when the subjects were typing. Moreover, the gains were greater than those made after a night’s sleep and were related with a decrease in the size of brain waves, called beta rhythms. In this new report, the researchers searched for something different in the subjects’ brain waves.

“We wanted to explore the mechanisms (机制) behind memory strengthening seen during wakeful rest. Several forms of memory appear to rely on the replaying of neural (神经的) activity, so we decided to test this idea out for procedural skill learning,” said Ethan R. Buch, Ph.D., a staff scientist on Dr. Cohen’s team and leader of the study. To do this, Dr. Buch developed a computer program which allowed the team to understand the brain wave activity associated with typing each number in the test code.

Interestingly, they found that the more a volunteer replayed, the better their performance was. “We were a bit surprised by these last results. Overall, our results support the idea that the replay activity during waking rest may be a powerful tool that researchers can use to help individuals learn new skills faster and possibly facilitate recovery from stroke.” said Dr. Cohen.

1. What have NIH researchers recently found?

A．The brain activity slowly flows when we learn a new skill.

B．The value of short practice sessions can’t be overestimated.

C．Short rest makes no difference to the neural replay of the activity.

D．The frequency of brain replay contributes to practice performances.

2. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?

A．The process of the research.

B．The facilities of the research.

C．The application of the research.

D．The preparations of the research.

3. Why did Dr. Buch develop a computer program?

A．To distinguish the first 11 cycles from the later ones.

B．To confirm the role of neural replay in skill learning.

C．To explore the potential effects of procedural learning.

D．To find out the reasons for the changes in brain waves.

4. What does Dr. Cohen think of the research findings?

A．Acceptable.

B．Promising.

C．Shallow.

D．Dismissive.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
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。

She was the prettiest puppy we had ever seen, and the whole family immediately fell in love with her. We named her Onyx because of her black, shiny black coat. She spent her first vacation with us when she was only ten weeks old and had her first bath and swim in the St. Lawrence River. We had no clue that this amazing little ball of fur would end up being our hero.

As she grew older, Onyx became more and more involved in our family activities. On hot summer days, Onyx enjoyed floating on the river with us in her own rubber tube (橡皮圈). Amazingly standing on the top of the tube, she smiled while showing off her perfect balance. Resting her front legs and paws over the edge of the rubber tube, she kept her eyes shut as she floated until she’d had enough of the warm sun on her black coat.

One day, our eighteen-year-old daughter, Margie, announced she was going to swim across the bay. No one in the family was free to go swimming with her. The unwritten rules, regardless of swimming ability, was to have a companion in the water with you, especially when swimming the width of the bay. I was not a good swimmer, so I said to Margie, “Take Onyx with you.” Having heard her name, Onyx woke up from a nap and was ready for action. Margie signed the dog to follow her. Onyx ran to the water next to her. They entered the freezing river together and swam side by side across the bay.

I watched from the bank as they reached the sandbar (沙洲) on the far shore. They rested a few minutes before diving into the water for the return trip. I felt uneasy for some reason and continued to watch the pair swim side by side.

Suddenly I heard Margie calling out, “I have a cram (痉挛) in the leg! ”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Seeing the pair approaching the riverbank, I breathed a sigh of relief.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

My Best Examination

One day, while at work in a coal-mine in Malden, I happened to overhear two miners talking about a great school for poor people in Virginia. It was Hampton Institute. The school was established to provide opportunities for poor but worthy students who could work out all or a part of the cost of board, and at the same time be taught some trade or industry.

I was on fire constantly with one ambition, and that was to go to school. I decided at once to go to that school. Finally the great day came and I started for Hampton. I had only a small, cheap bag that contained what few articles of clothing I could get. The distance from Malden to Hampton is about five hundred miles. I had not been away from home many hours before it began to grow painfully evident that I did not have enough money to pay my fare (路费) to Hampton.

By walking and begging rides in some way, I finally reached the grounds of the Hampton Institute after a number of days, tired and dirty. As soon as possible after reaching, I presented myself before the head teacher for assignment to a class. Having been so long without proper food, a bath, and change of clothing, I was like a worthless loafer (游荡者).

I did not, of course, make a very favourable impression upon her, and I could see at once that there were doubts in her mind about the wisdom of admitting me as a student. I tried to impress her in all the ways I could with my worthiness. How I wished that I could get a chance to show what was in me.

After some time, the head teacher said to me, “The adjoining (隔壁的) classroom needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it.”

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。

It occurred to me at once that here was my chance.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The head teacher went into the room and inspected the floor and closets.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I begged my mom to let me make cookies by myself. Even though I had never attempted baking before, I was nine years old and my friend Emmie had been baking cupcakes by herself for a year. I was determined to prove that I could make it.

My brother, Caleb, laughed at the idea of me cooking alone, calling it a disaster. Having a big brother can be annoying. Despite his laughing, my mom agreed to let me try. She reminded me to take my time and be careful because I’d had some messy spills before I was nine.

I raced to the kitchen and went to work. I cracked eggs and put a cold stick of butter into the bowl. I turned on the mixer at medium speed—and whoa. Whoa. Whoa! What a disaster! I had to wipe butter off my face, then off the table and floor.

Caleb made fun of me again, calling me a mess. I chased him away with a spoon and turned back to the mixing bowl. I started again with softer butter. Referring to the recipe, I poured everything needed into the bowl and mixed it. After that, I put round batter (面糊) onto the cookie sheet and put it into the oven (烤箱). Within a minute, a fantastic smell filled the kitchen—the smell of cookie success!

I was going to prove that I was responsible. No more eye-rolling from my brother. No more “You’re too young” from my parents. I was grown up and in control.

I stared into the oven, and my heart sank. The neat, little balls had melted (融化) and overflowed to the edges of the cookie sheet. I pulled the pan out just as Caleb wandered back into the kitchen.

“What in the world?” He started to laugh. “Cookie soup?”

“You just be quiet,” I whispered, trying not to cry. “Just leave me alone.”

“How’s it going in there?” Dad called from the living room.

Caleb raised his eyebrows and bit his lip. I responded that everything was fine, pouring the melted batter into the bowl quickly.

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。
Paragraph 1: I picked up the directions, wondering what had gone wrong．
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: I brought a plate of cookies into the living room for my parents．
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________