1 . Ms. McIntyre, 38, worked as a publisher. She suffered brain cancer and her health got worse despite some medical treatment. But she realized that in a way, she was luckier than some other people. She had insurance to help pay for her medical care. But Ms. McIntyre and her husband, Mr. Gregory, knew that many people with cancer face tough decisions because of the costs of medical care and wind up owing far more than they can pay.

Though her health was failing, Ms. McIntyre decided to help pay off the medical debts of as many people as she possibly could. The couple began donating money to a group called RIP Medical Debt, which is committed to working to pay off the unpaid medical debts of others. The group can pay off medical bills for about 100 times less money than they cost. In other words, for every 100 donated, the group can pay off 10,000 in unpaid medical bills.

Unfortunately, Ms. McIntyre passed away before long. Mr. Gregory posted a message for Ms. McIntyre on her social media accounts. “If you’re reading this, I have passed away,” the post began. Then the post explained, “To celebrate my life, I’ve arranged to buy up others’ medical debts and then destroy the debts.”

The couple had set up a page on a website to raise money for this purpose. They had hoped to raise about $20,000. Nevertheless, Ms. McIntyre’s last post attracted a lot of attention. The donations on her web page quickly passed the total goal. In less than a week, the site had raised 10 times more than expected and the donations are still coming in. By November 22, 2023, Ms. McIntyre’s web page had raised over $627,000, or enough money to pay off about $60 million in medical debts.

Mr. Gregory planned a special event in December to celebrate Ms. McIntyre’s life and to announce how many millions of dollars of medical debts her efforts had paid for.

1. Why did Ms. McIntyre feel luckier than some other people?

A．The doctors eventually cured her.	B．Her disease didn’t become worse.
C．She had a decent job before being ill.	D．She had security about medical care.

2. How did Ms. McIntyre and her husband help others?

A．By paying for their daily debts.	B．By giving away money to them.
C．By ridding them of debts from treatments.	D．By purchasing medical insurance for them.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The public involvement.	B．The couple’s commitment.
C．The operation of a website.	D．The increase of medical debts.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Ms. McIntyre?

A．Humorous and elegant.	B．Influential and understanding.
C．Cautious and promising.	D．Enthusiastic and adaptable.

2 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

I sat in my parents’ car. Mom had insisted I go with her to pick up Dad from work. Across from Dad’s office is a bike store. That was the day my eleven-year-old eyes first saw the purple BMX Mongoose bike. From that day on, all I could think about was that bike. I even drew pictures of the bike in class. Every evening afterward, at five thirty, I eagerly went along with Mom to get Dad.

And every day I told my parents, “I want that bike!” But they disagreed and replied that I had already had a perfectly good bike at home. I’d argue it was old and ugly, thinking that my happiness depended on that purple bike. Days later, I found the store had sold that bike. I knew I’d never be happy again.

A week later, returning home from school, I tripped over something. Lying in the weeds near a river and some wooded lots, was a bike — the exact bike from the store. “Hey, whose bike is this?” I shouted, scanning the area. No one replied, and there was no one in sight. Maybe its owner didn’t want it any longer. I couldn’t leave it lying in the weeds. So I took it home and hid it behind the garage. Every day after school, I sat there, admiring it. But I didn’t feel like riding and didn’t feel as happy as I had thought. Thinking about the bike made my stomach tighten and uncomfortable.

A few days later, during lunch at school, my friend said, “Did you hear about Tyler, in the other fifth-grade class? He lost his new purple BMX Mongoose bike he had just gotten for his birthday. He left it by a river while playing in the woods. It got dark, and he couldn’t find it.”

“I’d never go off and leave a new bike like that. He doesn’t deserve to have that bike,” I replied. My friend added, “Kids say he’s nice. And they say Tyler is upset because his dad worked overtime to buy the bike for him.” For the rest of the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tyler.

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。

After school, I returned home and dragged to my room.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“I know Tyler’s house,” Mom said. “I’ll drive you there.”

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3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

What might your hometown look like in someone else’s eyes?     1     (fascinate) by the unique cultural atmosphere of Beijing, Russian illustrator Liuba Vladimirova draws romantic and peaceful images of the Chinese capital.

Since childhood, she     2     (develop) a love for drawing and painting.     3     attracts Vladimirova most is Beijing’s historic hutong. These narrow alleyways, rich in history and culture, serve     4     a source of inspiration for her art pieces. It allows her to observe the     5     (local) as they chat casually about the weather, savoring tea, and playing games.

Liuba’s fresh perspective allowed her to arrive in the city with fresh eyes and an eager heart, offering    6     unique blend of culture, history, and natural attractions. For instance, Vladimirova thinks    7     interesting that elderly parents will gather in parks     8     (find) potential marriage partners for their adult children. She also notes the absence of the 4th floors in some Chinese buildings due to the superstition (迷信) associated with the number four, the pronunciation of     9     is nearly identical to that of the word for “death” in Chinese.

“I wanted to share my personal experiences and observations of Beijing and Chinese culture in a fun and    10     (access) way, in the hope that readers would relate, reflect, and consider their own experiences,” Vladimirova said.

4 . My mom loved to pass her wisdom to me: ”Nothing beats a good bite that bites back.” She was referring to her bitter-taste foods like dill pickles and rhubarb (大黄叶). But I was not a big fan.

Three years ago, I finally decided to ask if I could ________ out her rhubarb while weeding the garden. “________ not!” Mom gasped, throwing me a(n) ________ look. Clearly, I had underestimated her________ for it. However, as I continued ________, I thought about how rhubarb is one of the first to appear in spring. It ________ the snowy ground before the arrival of other plants. How can anyone fail to ________ it? When those first sprouts (嫩芽) appeared, Mom would count them like a ________ counting a newborn’s fingers and toes.

When I was a kid and my mom gave me that pie, it made me ________ to try. In my teens, it made me complain about the bitterness. Even ice cream or candies did not ________ the deal for my young taste buds (味蕾). Rhubarb was something to be ________ at all costs.

Then, last summer, I came across the ________ for her rhubarb pie in an old drawer. So I decided to give it a ________. A few attempts later, I served rhubarb pie to family and guests. All agreed, including me, that it tasted incredible.

Since then I’ve come to a ________ about rhubarb. Rhubarb’s taste may be lost on children, but adults can________ it. Like my wise mother, I now understand that “Nothing beats a good bite that bites back.”

1.

A．dig

B．check

C．figure

D．smell

2.

A．Absolutely

B．Possibly

C．Basically

D．Technically

3.

A．warm

B．anxious

C．curious

D．sharp

4.

A．talent

B．affection

C．patience

D．ambition

5.

A．asking

B．weeding

C．assessing

D．walking

6.

A．makes for

B．takes in

C．breaks through

D．puts down

7.

A．admire

B．miss

C．ignore

D．question

8.

A．friend

B．doctor

C．parent

D．child

9.

A．grateful

B．content

C．guilty

D．reluctant

10.

A．enlarge

B．cancel

C．sweeten

D．postpone

11.

A．obtained

B．gathered

C．praised

D．avoided

12.

A．letter

B．bill

C．recipe

D．menu

13.

A．break

B．shot

C．second

D．rest

14.

A．resolution

B．suggestion

C．decision

D．conclusion

15.

A．appreciate

B．achieve

C．tolerate

D．provide

5 . Make a difference at school

Besides being a great place to learn, school offers a great opportunity to make friends, try new things, and give back to others. The beginning of a school year is a good time for you to take advantage of opportunities and activities that your school offers.     1    . Here’s how to get started.

Reach out

Try to be more involved in activities, clubs, and teams. All of these help you meet more people, including teachers and staff, who can give you an idea of the needs the school might have.     2    . Ask if you can attend meetings to share ideas and listen to what others want to change at school.

    3    

Your school may have a variety of clubs — from robotics to anime. If you have an interest that’s not covered by a current school club, you could consider forming your own. Many schools have a standard process for approving clubs, which may include asking a teacher to advise the club, and finding a place and time to meet.

Identify a need and take action

Think about what makes you feel happy at school. Maybe you enjoy having lunch or playing soccer during break. Now think about ways those could be even better. You might wish there were more food options or more balls to play. Once you have your idea, talk to a staff to see if students could help.     4    .

Be kind

    5    . However, you can help create a positive atmosphere at school by being kind and respectful to others. This includes respecting a teacher’s rules, saying thank you when a student helps you, cleaning up any mess you make, and saying hello to others in the hallway. Attitude is infectious!

A．Start something new

B．Find what appeals to you

C．It may seem like a simple action

D．For example, involve yourself in the student union

E．You can also take full advantage of what you have on hand

F．It’s also a good time to think of ways to make a difference to your school

G．You could offer to develop a diverse meal plan or organize fundraising for new balls

6 . Hibernation (冬眠) is a classic topic of science fiction. In movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, or Passengers, crew members are put into a state of sleep to take year-long journeys to space. Now a new study from Washington University has shown that human hibernation may soon become a reality.

The research team carried out tests on rats — animals that do not naturally hibernate. They first identified a group of neurons (神经元) in a deep brain region, which were found to be involved in controlling body temperature during hibernation. They showed that, in mice, these neurons could be stimulated using ultrasound (超声波), which was delivered through a helmet without causing an injury.

When receiving the ultrasound, the mice showed a drop in body temperature of about3°C, and their heart rates fell by about 47%. When the ultrasound system was switched off, they woke up again. The result was “surprising and fascinating”, said Hong Chen, a professor who led the work.

Researchers are also trying to determine how to harness the power of hibernation to help humans. They believe that it could be key to addressing health conditions like heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, hibernation’s ability to slow aging, which was observed in bats, could benefit space exploration, enabling longer missions with less food requirements. Research in animals also suggests that bodies of hibernating astronauts might lose less bone and muscle, making them fit and ready to start challenging exploration soon after they wake up.

By unlocking the secrets of this remarkable process, researchers may uncover ways to improve human health, as well as gain new insights into the natural world. Therefore, the exploration of hibernation is an exciting area that is sure to yield numerous benefits in the years to come.

The scientists now plan to look at how lowered body temperature might affect the cognitive abilities of humans. “Our next experiments will test working memory in monkeys. This is important because while astronauts physically hibernate as they fly into deep space, their brain still needs to be working,” said Chen.

1. How did researchers put rats into hibernation?

A．By lowering their body temperature.

B．By activating specific brain neurons.

C．By putting a regular helmet on them.

D．By using ultrasound through an operation.

2. What does the underlined word “harness” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Employ.

B．Challenge.

C．Overlook.

D．Discover.

3. What advantage might hibernation bring to humans?

A．It improves people’s mental health.

B．It predicts a variety of heart diseases.

C．It helps astronauts keep physically fit.

D．It enables astronauts to build up muscle.

4. What’s the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To point out the significance of the study.

B．To bring out the focus of follow-up studies.

C．To discuss other factors affecting hibernation.

D．To explain practical applications of the finding.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Which cinema showed its first film in 1922?

A．The Kinema.

B．The Cube.

C．The Broadway.

2. What does the speaker say about the Cube?

A．It is a wooden building.

B．It was used as a church.

C．It is managed by volunteers.

3. What is forbidden at the Rex?

A．Cola.

B．Popcom.

C．Yogurt.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How many languages can the woman speak?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

2. Which aspect of Spanish is the man poor at?

A．Speaking.

B．Reading.

C．Writing

3. Why did the woman go to Japan?

A．To travel.

B．To study.

C．To work.

4. Who taught the man Japanese?

A．His father.

B．The man himself

C．His grandmother.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What good news does the woman tell the man?

A．Emma gave birth to a baby.

B．She got a promotion.

C．She passed the driving test.

2. What does the name Dora mean according to the man?

A．The goddess of flowers.

B．The happiest person.

C．The gift of God.

3. Where are probably the speakers?

A．In the hospital.

B．At home.

C．In the shopping mall.

10 . Being prepared, having a plan, and practicing that plan are essential to escaping a fire.    1     Think ahead, learn general escape solutions, and familiarize yourself with more specific procedures.

Be prepared.

The best way to survive a fire is to prepare for the worst. If at home, make sure that you have properly functioning smoke detectors and that you develop life-saving habits like closing all the doors in your home before you sleep or disconnecting appliances with heating elements to avoid a fire.     2     Participate in fire drills (演习). Fire drills are practiced at workplaces, schools, and universities, several times a year, to ensure that everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency.

Report the emergency.

On a building telephone, dial "operator", and on a cellphone, dial 119. State your location and the situation.

    3    

First, feel the door and its handle with the back of your hand. If it feels warm or hot, don’t open it. Then, check around the door for signs of smoke. If you see black smoke through the door, you also should not open it. Doors do an effective job at stopping fire.

Walk to the nearest emergency exit.

Locate the nearest emergency exit. If smoke is present, stay low.     4     Do not use the elevator. Many elevators will move to the ground floor to let off passengers if the alarm sounds during an emergency.

Seal (密封) the doors and windows.

Seal the doors and any window vents with wet towels or sheets if unable to evacuate (撤离) or ordered to stay in place.     5     Also make sure you turn on an exhaust fan (排气扇) You can also hang a sheet from a window to get a firefighter’s attention.

A．Check the door.

B．Doors are important.

C．If you are unable to escape, proceed back into your room.

D．If at work or at school, make sure that your building is up to fire code(消防规范).

E．This will reduce the amount of smoke and heat that enters the room at the same time.

F．Pay attention to the smoke and heat that may enter the room from door or window vents.

G．Make your plan by taking into account your home’ s particular layout(布局) and your household’s members.