1. Why did the speaker go on the tour?
| A．It was the prize of a competition. |
| B．John asked her to go with him. |
| C．It was her travel plan. |
| A．The drinks. | B．The food. | C．The waiters. |
| A．Disappointing. | B．Amazing. | C．Terrible. |
| A．She rode an elephant. |
| B．She went to the mountains. |
| C．She relaxed in the hotel. |
“You signed us up for what?” Lu’s eyes widened as Jamie grinned at her. “A charity bike ride. It’d be fun!” She stared at him open-mouthed. “Fun? But I haven’t ridden a bike for years, Jamie. And I hate exercise! How long is this ride?” Lu could feel her muscle shrinking at the mere thought of it.
“Only 20 kilometers.”
Lucinda swiped the brightly coloured leaflet advertising the bike ride from her husband’s hand. “Twenty kilometres? That’s a half marathon, Jamie!”
She tossed the leaflet back at him. “Well you can count me out. I’m not fit enough to run five minutes round the block, let alone hours on a bike.”
“But you will be in a couple of months. I thought we could train for it together.” Jamie patted his beer belly. “I’m not exactly in great shape at the moment. And you’ re always saying we don’t get to spend enough time together!” He gave her his best winning grin.
A smile fell across Lucinda’s lips. It was true, she was always saying that lately. Though spending her weekends cycling was not exactly what she’d had in mind.
A wave of sadness spun through her heart. The past few months had been... difficult. She had lost her job and was struggling to find a new one. Being at home, scrolling through job adverts and waiting for interview replies, had left her feeling stuck. Jamie had been working extra hours to support financially, but that only added to her guilt. Despite trying to stay positive, life had somehow skidded to a stop.
“I’m not sure,” Lu sighed.
“It’s not a race, but a joy ride, Lu.” Jamie reassured her, nudging her playfully. “Plus, I’ve already rented us a tandem bike(双人自行车)!”
“A tandem?” Lu’s eyes flashed with horror. “Are you mad?” She stared at him. “You’re not even joking, are you?” Doubts crept into her mind as she imagined the challenges of coordinating their movements on a shared bike.
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。
Actually, the first training session did not go well.
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It seemed cycling had truly got their lives moving forward again.
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3 . Map reading, growing fruit and vegetable and basic car service are also more common skills among the baby boomer generation. But according to a new survey, just one in three 18- to 25-year-olds are able to do basic DIY, compared to two-thirds of those aged 58 and over.
Sarah Clarke-Kuehn, Chief Operating Officer-Commercial, said, “The survey findings are so interesting as they highlight a very common incorrect conception related to ‘getting old’.”
When asked at what age they thought developing new skills becomes “difficult”, Gen Z respondents said they were 35 years old, while those aged over 58 believed this number was 63 years old. The belief is that there is a boundary between learning new skills and getting a sense of achievement. But we know that this is just not the case. The benefits in continuing to enjoy life, as well as developing new talents are very significant—both physically and mentally as we grow older.
Neuroscientist and author, Dr Julia Jones, said, “We underestimate our brain’s ability to continue learning. Our brain is the most complex and precise structure in the known universe but we only use a small part of its true potential throughout our lifetimes. To boost continued brain health, we should learn complex and novel skills at all ages. This becomes more important as we age, because these learning experiences help to build new connections between neurons (神经细胞) that maintain intelligence and reduce the risk of future brain decline.”
“Learning languages and musical instruments are believed to be effective at boosting neuroplasticity (神经可塑性) due to their complex nature, but all learning is beneficial and can bring a sense of achievement, purpose and social engagement.”
Dr Jones added. “Find a new hobby and throw yourself into a wonderful learning experience or pick up an old pastime and improve those skills. I’m currently learning to play the guitar and it’s opened up a whole new world of music and fun.”
1. What is mentioned about the young generation in the text?| A．They lose interest in DIY. |
| B．They have no idea in plants. |
| C．Many of them lack some basic skills. |
| D．Many of them own poor reading skills. |
| A．Learning brings a sense of belonging. |
| B．It is never too late to learn in one’s life. |
| C．It is necessary to show off one’s talents. |
| D．The benefits of lifelong learning are temporary. |
| A．The significance of knowing the structure of the brain. |
| B．The difficulties in improving the ability of the brain. |
| C．The reasons for taking full advantage of the brain. |
| D．The process of protecting the brain from risk. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
4 . Mount Tai, located just north of Tai’an city in East China’s Shandong Province, is a mountain of historical and cultural
Among the Five Sacred Mountains (the other four are Heng Mountain of Hunan Province, Hua Mountain of Shaanxi Province, Song Mountain of Henan Province and Heng Mountain of Shanxi Province), Mount Tai is only the third highest. Why is it seen as the
In absolute terms, Mount Tai cannot be considered as the highest of China’s mountains, but because it is
Many Chinese emperors climbed to the top for enthronement (登基) or other significant ceremonies in ancient China, for they considered it to be a
Mount Tai is famous for its various stone inscriptions, which are the works of either ancient emperors or celebrities. The stone inscriptions
| A．evidence | B．significance | C．confidence | D．existence |
| A．partner | B．member | C．leader | D．laggard |
| A．close | B．far | C．remote | D．proper |
| A．absolute | B．relative | C．real | D．perfect |
| A．altitude | B．width | C．longitude | D．attitude |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Otherwise | D．Moreover |
| A．chance | B．change | C．death | D．renewal |
| A．gift | B．symbol | C．beginning | D．call |
| A．look at | B．go through | C．look for | D．go back |
| A．preserved | B．ruined | C．collected | D．hid |
| A．newspapers | B．information | C．articles | D．advertisements |
| A．combine | B．change | C．stop | D．increase |
| A．exciting | B．famous | C．delicate | D．rough |
| A．importance | B．magnificence | C．possibility | D．difference |
| A．powerless | B．pale | C．weak | D．forceful |
