1. What is the speaker?
| A．A tour guide. | B．A hotel clerk. | C．A bus driver. |
| A．In a hotel. | B．On a bus. | C．On a bridge. |
| A．It is a coastal city. |
| B．The death rate there is high. |
| C．It is famous for its restaurants. |
| A．Drink some water. |
| B．Take care of their belongings. |
| C．Contact Manuel in advance. |
1. 王羲之公园位于临沂市东部；
2. 在王羲之公园中可以领略书圣（calligrapher）的早期生活以及欣赏王羲之的书法；
3. 可以在公园出口处的戏院里欣赏表演；
4. 在戏院后面的美食街（the Eating Street）可品尝各种各样的食品；
5. 入场费为30元，活动费全免。
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1. When did Bill Wales leave his parents?
| A．At the age of 18. | B．At the age of 20. | C．At the age of 23. |
| A．By asking his parents for money. |
| B．By working in his spare time. |
| C．By borrowing from his roommates. |
| A．He moved to another place. |
| B．He left London and found a job. |
| C．He left school and worked for a year. |
| A．The rent of his room was raised. |
| B．He couldn’t stand his roommates. |
| C．He didn’t get along well with the house-owner. |
1. How long are most shops open in New York?
| A．9 hours. | B．10 hours. | C．12 hours. |
| A．In Paris. | B．In London. | C．In New York. |
| A．Normal. | B．Direct. | C．Interesting. |
Tom’s love for soccer ran deep, and he played the game with a passion that was infectious (有感染力的) to everyone around him. But there was one thing that upset him-his worn-out soccer shoes. These shoes had been passed down to him by his older brother, and they were falling apart. With his birthday drawing near, Tom secretly wished for a new pair of soccer shoes to lift his spirits so that he could have a good performance in the game. However, he was well aware of his parents’ constant struggles to make ends meet and knew that such a wish might remain a dream forever.
One sunny afternoon, Tom and his best friend, David, were at school, watching an exciting soccer match. The exciting run and shout, the determination on the athletes’ faces, and their fine equipment were enough to make anyone’s heart race. It was at this moment that Tom said about his biggest birthday wish. He took a long deep breath and said, “How I wish I could have a new pair of soccer shoes for my birthday, but I know it’s impossible.”
David, sitting beside him, couldn’t help but overhear Tom’s words. The idea of helping his best friend achieve this long-held dream began to form in his mind. After school, David ran home and couldn’t wait to share the idea with his mother.
“Mom, I really want to do this for Tom. He’s been playing with those old shoes for so long. It would mean the world to him,” David explained seriously.
His mother smiled warmly, proud of her son’s compassion (同情) . “David, it’s a wonderful idea. It’s not just about the gift; it’s about the thought and effort you’re putting into making Tom’s day special.”
As David thought about how to earn the money, his mother suggested, “You know, David, there are various ways you can earn some extra money to save for the soccer shoes. Many of our neighbors are looking for someone to help with lawn mowing (刈草坪) and other services. Some even need help with newspaper delivery. You can offer your services and earn money that way.”
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。
David’s eyes lit up as he realized the potential.
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The day of Tom’s birthday finally arrived, and David couldn’t wait to surprise his best friend.
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In the spring sun, my aunt and I headed for her flower shop. Normally I would be delighted to help in her shop, but not recently because of Rosa. Rosa was my sister, just one month old, who was settled in my old bedroom. For ten years, the small room was full of my toys and books. But now it was transformed into her baby room, decorated like a garden with pinks and yellows. My space, my old life, was gone.
“Here we are!” We arrived at the shop, a wave of colour and sweet smell washing over me. My aunt said I could pick some flowers for Mum and Dad. I used to love this, but today I was so overcome with tiredness and envy. Why bother to bring them flowers when they were enjoying Rosa at home without me?
Silently I helped my aunt arrange flowers. “Your mum told me there hasn’t been much shut eye recently for any of you.” “Not much, since Rosa the alarm clock was installed (安装).” I complained with a huge yawn (哈欠).
“I remember having to creep (蹑手蹑脚地走) around like a worn-out mouse when your mum was a baby. I spent the first months hating her so much.” “But you and Mum seem so close,” I said, guiltily hiding away my envy of Rosa.
“Now we are. But it took me years to grow into the role of big sister. Few flowers blossom (绽放) overnight, you know.” She pulled me in for aside hug, glancing up at the clock, and suggested I take a walk outside.
Behind her shop was a field dotted with spring flowers. Stepping into the field, I began to pick little flowers. It was like gathering my childhood memories. I remembered how I’d sit with Dad, making flower chains, crowning (授予) each other with the silliest titles: Queen of Junk Food and King of Mess. My smile grew wider. The shining yellow flowers reminded me of the color in Rosa’s baby room. Was she awake? I wondered.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卷的相应位置作答。
Suddenly I saw two familiar figures walking towards me.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rosa was wide awake in her baby basket beside the picnic blanket.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . Happiness, as I see it, comprises five elements: spiritual well-being (meaning and purpose), physical well-being (nutrition, exercise), intellectual well-being (curiosity, deep learning), relational well-being (kindness and generosity), and emotional well-being (cultivating positive emotions). As an interdependent aggregate of these five elements of SPIRE, happiness is about much more than experiencing pleasure.
As Aristotle put it, happiness is the ultimate purpose of life, meaning how we spend our everyday lives is ultimately guided by what we think would make us happier. This is not a good or a bad thing. It simply is, like the law of nature. Even people who are tirelessly working for an important cause, for example, to get rid of world hunger, are doing it because they find their work meaningful. Meaning is an element of happiness.
One barrier to happiness has to do with the expectation that happiness is an unbroken chain of positive emotions. This expectation, however, prevents people from experiencing happiness because painful emotions don’t go away but grow stronger when we reject them.
The second barrier has to do with equating happiness with success. It’s a commonly held belief that happiness can be attained by achieving certain goals, like money or fame. People tend to think if they finally find success, they will automatically become happy.
The third barrier has to do with the way people pursue happiness. We want to be happy for many reasons. After all, we are constantly told that happiness is good for our health, relationships, and work outcomes. Yet, if I wake up in the morning and decide to pursue happiness straight, I will become less happy.
But how? Indirectly. As is known, if you look up at the sun directly, you’ll hurt yourself. But if you take the same sun rays and break them down, you’ll enjoy the colors of a rainbow. Similarly, pursuing happiness directly can hurt us; pursuing it indirectly—by breaking it down into something like the SPIRE elements—can contribute to our well-being. Starting a meditation practice, exercising, performing acts of kindness, learning something new, or expressing gratitude for what we have are all indirect ways of pursuing happiness.
1. What does the underlined word “aggregate” probably mean in the first paragraph?| A．Combination. | B．Conclusion. | C．Accumulation. | D．Association. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Suspicious. | C．Objective. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Being a success leads one to happiness. |
| B．Refusing negative feelings helps us obtain happiness. |
| C．Going after happiness directly makes one feel happy. |
| D．Pursuing one aspect of SPIRE can boost our well-being. |
| A．To make a contrast. | B．To make an analogy. |
| C．To conclude the argumentation. | D．To answer the previous question. |
1. How does the speaker feel about memory loss?
| A．It’s common. | B．It’s unimportant. | C．It’s worrying. |
| A．Having a good sleep. | B．Doing exercise. | C．Attending social events. |
| A．By recalling the past regularly. |
| B．By taking the same route when driving. |
| C．By doing crossword puzzles. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. |
A Special Hero
Candalaria Villanueva, a 62-year-old man was enjoying fishing casually as usual a few miles off the shore one day, when a sudden storm came and pulled his little boat into the deep sea. He tried all his strength and skills he mastered to handle the boat over the rough waters. Unfortunately, the storm became fiercer and his boat was out of his control completely. Eventually the strong storm threw his boat upside down and he fell into the cold sea water. He surely could swim. But the day grew so dark that he couldn’t tell where the shore was. He just swam with the wave to save some energy.
After a long while, Candalaria Villanueva struggled not to give up, thinking of his devoted wife and lovely granddaughter. “Maybe my dear wife is waiting for my fish excitedly as usual and my little girl is desiring to see my return and gatherings today. They may have been glad to see the fish I got before. But now…I will be back! I surely will be back!” he made his resolve again and again.
Floating a while and then swimming a while aimlessly, Candalaria Villanueva tried to find someone to help, but in vain. All he could see was only cold water in all directions. No one, no ship, even no bird. As the sky grew darker, all his strength nearly ran out and he found he was just at the point of giving up. Suddenly Candalaria Villanueva caught sight of something big swimming towards him. A shark? Oh, no! Great fear seized his heart bitterly.
The big dark thing swam around him for several circles and finally came closer. Oh, to his great relief, it was, as a matter of fact, a giant sea turtle. It seemingly showed no intention of harm and just swam around him. Just out of curiosity or something else? Maybe it is here just to help!
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。
Candalaria Villanueva decided to hold on to the turtle with his remaining strength.
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The Philippine Navy spotted something before its large boat and even in the way.
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I like staying overnight at my Gramma’s house — that is, until Gramma starts telling me how wonderful my cousin Maya is. Then it’s Maya this and Maya that until I don’t ever want to hear another word about her.
That’s why I wasn’t too excited when Gramma called me on the phone to “come on over and bring your pajamas.” When I got there, it was worse than I’d expected. There, in Grandpa’s big leather rocker, sat Maya, all dressed up and formal-looking and wearing fancy shoes as if she’d just been to a party.
“Surprise, Kristen!” Gramma said. “Your cousin Maya and her parents have traveled in from the East Coast on business. Maya gets to stay with us this afternoon.” Gramma chattered away about how excited she’d been for this surprise get-together, and how cousins ought to get to know each other better.
I hung my baseball cap in the closet and set my backpack by the stairway, all the time smiling and nodding as if I’d been waiting forever for this chance to spend an afternoon with Maya. Grandpa’s chair squawked (咯咯叫) as Maya rocked back and forth. It’s the chair I like best in the house, the one I usually sit in. I sat down on the sofa across from her.
Shortly, Gramma went off to the kitchen to “see about some lunch,” she’d said. That left me stuck in the living room with rocking Maya.
She was still small but taller than I’d remembered her from her last visit four years ago. She was good at small talk, though, and was chatting away about how nice it was to see me again. But I could tell that she didn’t really think so. The last time she was here, we’d had hours of fun together building caves out of Gramma’s sofa pillows.
After that, I’d heard about her only through Gramma’s tales. Maya taking piano lessons. Maya learning math. Maya, Maya, Maya. Now Maya was here, looking great with the latest haircut and a fancy dress.
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。
Glancing down at my jeans and my old sneakers, I wished I hadn’t come.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“How do you know all these things about me?” I asked.
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