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. |
Two little birds were happily sitting on the rock, just having finished their lunch. Their parents had allowed them, for the first time, to go and hunt for their lunch by themselves. And they had enjoyed every bit of the freedom.
Suddenly, a net came and fell on both. They struggled to pass through it but in vain. Two boys jumped down from the branch above them. They quickly gathered the net. One of the boys, Eric, shouted to his little brother Max. “We have finally succeeded after ten days of waiting.”
“Yes, what luck! They look much more beautiful than ordinary birds. Let’s go home and put them in our cage,” Eric said joyfully. They ran home with the birds.
The two little birds were terribly frightened. They thought of their mother who must be anxiously waiting for them.
When the two boys got to the house gate, the sweet smell came out of the kitchen. Their mother Amla was baking cakes, which were what the boys couldn’t live without.
Hearing the boys’ footsteps, Amla anxiously asked, “Where have you been? I was getting worried. I’m cooking your favorite cakes.”
“Look, Mom, we have caught two beautiful birds! We are going to cage them. They will play with us.” Max proudly showed them to Amla.
Seeing the young birds shivering (发抖) in the boys’ hands, Amla said, “They are indeed beautiful. But they are so young and look so scared! They need their mother. Set them free.”
The boys said, “We will look after them.” Amla insisted that they shouldn’t keep them. They turned to their father John for help. Similarly,” John said, “It is not good to cage these birds. We should not take away their freedom.”
The boys were in tears and begged, “We love them so much. Please let us keep then.” “Well, just put them in the cage for the time being. Let’s enjoy your favorite cakes.” The boys jumped with joy. In the evening, John said to Amla, “The birds look very rare. We’d better do some research. Maybe we should call the police first.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
The boys woke up only to find a note, “Mom and Dad go to the police station.”
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Just then Dad and Mom returned. On seeing them, the boys asked, “Why did you see the police?”
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3 . For breeding (繁殖) birds, timing is everything. Most species have just a narrow window to get the food they need to feed chicks. Now, after analyzing data that span from 1975 to 2017, a science team suggests that as the climate warms, birds are not only breeding earlier, but their breeding windows are also narrowed—some by as many as 4 to 5 days.
On average, the beginnings and ends of the breeding periods are occurring earlier in the year. However, the ends are shifting back faster than the beginnings, resulting in an average breeding window that is 1.7 days shorter in 2017 than it was in 1975. During that same period, Finland’s average temperature rose by 0.8℃, suggesting many bird species are actively responding to changing temperatures, Hällfors, who led the team, says.
“It’s good for the species if it’s able to follow the optimum conditions as the climate changes,” she says. However, the shorter breeding windows mean more birds are breeding earlier in the season—a risky time for chicks’ survival, especially if the weather turns suddenly cold. In addition, because many late-season species are shifting their breeding windows up, that could mean more competition for food and nesting sites early on, leaving some chicks to go hungry.
Lucyna Halupka, an ecologist at the University of Wroclaw, calls the study “a very important paper” because it’s one of the few ways to measure the breeding period duration. For 2 decades, she says, many scientists studying birds and climate change have looked only at the earliest, median (中间的), or mean laying dates for specific groups of birds. However, she reminds that because the study is limited to Finland, the findings may not apply universally; future studies should examine how breeding seasons move in other regions where the effect of climate change is different. They should also try to determine how shifting breeding windows affect population sizes, she says.
1. What did the scientists find?| A．The weather in Finland becomes warmer. |
| B．It is becoming more difficult for birds to breed. |
| C．The birds in Finland spend fewer days breeding. |
| D．There isn’t enough food for some chicks in Finland. |
| A．Exact. | B．Proper. | C．Changeable. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．It is carried out in a different way. |
| B．It is helpful for people to protect the birds. |
| C．It opens a window for people to learn about these birds. |
| D．It demonstrates the living situation of the birds on earth. |
| A．Scientists Revealed the Secrets of Birds’ Breeding |
| B．Scientists Take Steps to Protect the Birds in the Wild |
| C．Birds Play a Role in Fighting Against Global Warming |
| D．Birds’ Breeding Windows Are Affected by Global Warming |
4 . On my 16th birthday, I ran into my bedroom, closed the door and cried for an hour. I thought I had turned 16 and had not
The feeling of not achieving adequately is
As for me,
Often we
Life is not a
| A．created | B．learned | C．found | D．achieved |
| A．different | B．right | C．common | D．confusing |
| A．strangers | B．advocates | C．victims | D．failures |
| A．positive | B．necessary | C．amusing | D．simple |
| A．consumed | B．defined | C．judged | D．attracted |
| A．suddenly | B．fortunately | C．occasionally | D．effortlessly |
| A．turn around | B．go away | C．move forward | D．give in |
| A．forget | B．celebrate | C．measure | D．guarantee |
| A．get | B．promise | C．realize | D．express |
| A．confident | B．faithful | C．independent | D．ambitious |
| A．coaches | B．caretakers | C．advisors | D．cheerleaders |
| A．reflection | B．source | C．result | D．description |
| A．tell | B．have | C．call | D．invite |
| A．journey | B．dream | C．story | D．competition |
| A．early | B．enough | C．firmly | D．fast |
5 . We live in an age when all scientific knowledge — from the safety of vaccines (疫苗) to the reality of climate change — faces organized and often angry opposition. Doubters have declared war on the consensus (共识) of experts. It seems that people have turned argumentative overnight.
In a sense, all this is not surprising. Our lives are affected by science and technology as never before. The world seems full of real and imaginary dangers. Though scientists agree that the Ebola virus is spread only by direct contact with blood or body fluids (液体), if you type “airborne Ebola” into an Internet search engine, you’ll find that some people believe that this virus has almost supernatural powers.
In this often confusing world, we need to rely on science to decide whether what we choose to believe has a basis in the laws of nature or not. But science doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Science has often led us to truths that are really mind-blowing. For example, although the roundness of the Earth has been known for thousands of years, some still feel it hard to accept.
Even when people become scientifically educated, most of them still try to make sense of the world by relying on personal experience, stories or emotions rather than statistics. When they hear a number of cancer cases in a town with a dangerous waste dump (垃圾场), they believe pollution caused the cancers. Yet two things happening together doesn’t mean one caused the other. Even when they turn to the Internet, they let in only the information they agree with to strengthen beliefs that have already been shaped by their worldview.
How can scientists convince doubters? Throwing more facts at people may not be enough. More efforts are supposed to be made.
1. What’s the text mainly about?| A．How people view the world. | B．What challenges science faces. |
| C．Whether science is worth respect. | D．Why people show disbelief in science. |
| A．Unbelievable. | B．Desirable. | C．Dangerous. | D．Obvious. |
| A．They apply logical thinking. |
| B．They stick to their own beliefs. |
| C．They form the views on assumptions. |
| D．They rely on the information on the Internet. |
| A．Through comparison. | B．Through quotation. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By making definitions. |
It was an afternoon on the eve of Thanksgiving. The sky was thick with clouds. I had finally finished my month-long business trip to San Francisco and was on my way to the airport to get home for the Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. After what seemed like hours, I finally arrived the airport. It began raining, witch made me even more anxious to get home and enjoy the warmth from my family.
I walked into the hall of terminal(航站楼) and found it surprisingly crowded. Shortly after, I heard the airport announcement that many flights were delayed(延迟) due to bad weather. And there was no certainty as to how long the delay would be. As soon as this announcement was made, the hall was filled with the sound to express their disappointment and helplessness. And it quickly turned the noises from people making a call, probably to tell the person on the other end of the line about the flight delay.
There was a sense of anxiety and worry in the air. I thought many people here were just like me, looking forward to the festive reunion with their families and afraid of missing it due to flight delay. But there was nothing to do but wait.
I just had to seat myself and wait patiently for the arrival of the good news that the flight was resuming(继续)．Shortly after I sat down, a group of graceful men sitting opposite me drew my special attention. What they had in common was that they all had a musical instrument with them. It seemed like they were an orchestra(管弦乐队).
Everyone waited for a long time feeling down, and the atmosphere was not relaxing a bit. Then I saw one of them, an elegantly mannered man, stand up. One by one, he said something to his partners in a low voice. Each nodded as he listened. After that, they rose up and walked out of the crowds. I didn’t pay any more attention to where they were going.
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。
Suddenly, out of nowhere came the beautiful music.
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The performance won the applause(掌声) of everyone.
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7 . I walked along the sidewalk that borders the west side of Central Park this morning, wondering at its shape: Hexagonal(六边形的) paving stones underneath my feet were bordered by brickwork, with a tidy stone wall running alongside. Just past the wall lay the park itself, where delicate branches of leafless trees reached to the blue sky, and sparrows emerged from trees.
The contrast between the straight-lined, orderly, man-made sidewalk and the complex diversity of nature just beyond its border made me think about the differences between natural creation and man’s creation.
The world holds many examples of circles: the moon, grapes, drops of water and the center of flowers. Triangles(三角形) are readily evident, too. There are kitty cat noses and ears, mountain peaks and river deltas.
But what about the most common shape in the man-made world, the rectangle(矩形)? I searched my brain for natural equals. Though I thought and thought, I came up with only two: teeth and salt crystals. That surprised me. Do we prefer rectangles simply because it’s easier to plan and build with blocks and straight lines? Or does it have something to do with the idea that humans tend to assume life is supposed to be linear? I don’t know.
There are bent lines everywhere. As I look at the beauty of, a tree in winter, with its branches reaching skyward in a seemingly untidy but obviously planned pattern, I can apprehend something of what that means.
Our world isn’t always tidy and predictable in the way that I want it to be. There are twists and turns in my life that I can’t foresee or predict. That doesn’t mean branching off in unexpected directions is bad or wrong. It means that when I find myself in each new place, I need to continue growing and reaching upward.
1. How did the author feel about the sidewalk’s shape?| A．disappointed. | B．surprised. | C．worried. | D．pleased. |
| A．negative. | B．cautious. | C．unconcerned. | D．objective. |
| A．create. | B．imagine. | C．understand. | D．arrange. |
| A．People should live in a complex world. |
| B．Triangles are the most common in nature. |
| C．Natural creation and man’s creation should be balanced. |
| D．We should move forward in the face of uncertainties. |
It was a rainy December day. I headed to the store to pick up another week’s worth of food with my son Bob. There was a little displeasure on his face.
I had put off shopping for Christmas presents until later in the month because of my work schedule. But I wasn’t looking forward to the crowd of Christmas shoppers when seeing the long line of people outside the store.
I kept the CD player on while I drove to avoid the radio news. It only spoke of the world’s huge problems and how divided we all still were. And it just left me feeling helpless.
We hurried into the store past the Salvation Army bell-ringer. I had always enjoyed putting something in his kettle (小壶) before. I gave my son a dollar and asked him to put in the kettle at the door, although he didn’t know why I should do that.
I told Bob to pick the present he wanted despite the price and I would manage to collect the food, so that we could leave the store as soon as possible. He nodded his head and started to run towards the door.
We went in and soon filled our cart (手推车) with food and his presents. Then we walked towards the self-checkout machines. I hated using them. I much preferred to chat with the friendly cashiers, but the line there was that long and I just didn’t have the time.
As I pulled my cart up, I heard the man at the machine next to me complaining under his breath, trying his hardest not to lose his temper. He only had a few things but every time he put his well-worn twenty dollar bill into the machine, it spit it back out (退回). And the shoppers behind us started to become restless.
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。
I quickly took a new twenty dollar bill out of my wallet and gave it to him.
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After checking out, I remembered something Mother Teresa once said.
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9 . Liao Wentao, a pet undertaker, put the body of 2-year-old Garfield on a small bed surrounded by flowers. Then he let the cat’s owner say a last goodbye before cremation (火化). “We send off 400 to 500 pets each year, and there’s a great demand for pet funerals,” he told China News.
Keeping pets has become a trend for young people in China and people are more than willing to pay for whatever their pets need. From 2019 to 2021, China’s pet market grew by almost 18% and hit 348.8billion yuan in value in 2021, according to a report by Research Consulting Group.
As the pet economy develops, animal lovers’ various needs have boosted the emergence and development of related businesses such as bathing, pet food, pet beauty and healthcare.
In addition to basic services, pet owners are increasingly paying for many new services, such as training, pet funerals, insurance, photography and entertainment. The growing pet market has also given birth to a large number of new pet-related jobs, noted CCTV News.
Liu Wei, 33, is a famous pet detective in Shanghai. He and his team work on finding families’ lost pets. “We have successfully helped find more than 1,000 pets. Besides cats and dogs, there are other pets like birds, lizards and hamsters,” Liu said. “In many big cities, cats and dogs have become an important part of many families and are taken good care of. So what we look for are not just pets, but family members.”
Apart from pet undertakers and detectives, some people work as pet food testers, pet sitters and pet trainers. According to Tu Di, secretary—general of the Hunan Pet Industry Association, the booming pet market shows people’s improved living standards.
However, there are also problems with the industry, for example, the high fees of taking pets to the vet (兽医). Many pet owners have called for stricter pricing regulations for pet medical services, reported Global Times.
1. Why is Liao’s story mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To teach readers a lesson. |
| C．To sum up the main idea. | D．To involve readers in a story. |
| A．By introducing an argument. | B．By telling some true stories. |
| C．By giving numbers and examples. | D．By focusing on basic pet—related services. |
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．The low quality of services. | B．The rapid growth of the industry. |
| C．The lack of related regulations. | D．The various needs of animal lovers. |
10 . Have you ever considered trading your everyday routine for a different experience and ever a new uniform? Although the world has nearly changed overnight, new opportunities have risen in light of the pandemic. Everyday heroes have appeared and adopted the ways in which they can use their skills and newfound time to help others.
One such hero who has made a career switch is Peter Login from Horsham, England. While previously he worked on a plane as a pilot, he has now taken on his new role as a Tesco supermarket delivery truck driver, bringing food to those who need it most. For many of the customers who live alone, Login is bringing them not only the essentials (必需品) to survive but also something even more important—hope.
In Italy, an experienced driver has also taken to the streets to lend a helping hand during these troubling times. F1 Ferrari team boss, Maurizio Arrivabene, is now transporting sick Italians to the hospital as an ambulance driver. From a racer enjoying the excitement of a race track to becoming an essential part of Italy’s rescue team, Arrivabene didn’t waste a minute putting his stellar driving experience to good use.
Over in Edmonton, Canada, instead of showing off kitchens to potential buyers, house agent Jordan Zabloski is now busy baking hundreds of bread in the kitchen of The Mustard Seed, which supports Western Canada’s homeless population. Zabloski thoughtfully states that there are always some ways to volunteer or help out.
These incredible workers are only three out of thousands worldwide who are finding new ways to apply their skills, experience and free time. As uncertain as our current reality may be, we can take comfort in knowing that people are still trying to do their best and look out for each other.
1. How does Peter Login help others?| A．By chatting with lonely people. | B．By delivering food to people in need. |
| C．By teaching people driving skills. | D．By taking sick people to the hospital. |
| A．Exciting. | B．Unique. | C．Unforgettable. | D．Excellent. |
| A．He takes care of patients. | B．He provides jobs for the poor. |
| C．He sells houses to customers. | D．He bakes bread for the homeless. |
| A．Heroes are taking on new roles to help others. |
| B．Many people are out of work during the pandemic. |
| C．People are creating new jobs to support themselves. |
| D．Neighbors work together to make communities better. |
