1 . Hem an Bekele is not your typical high school student．Rather than spending his free time playing video games or staring at his phone, this 14 year-old from Fairfax, Virginia was calling professors and conducting experiments, all to create a soap that could treat skin cancer, and to make it affordable for everyone who needs it．His work won him the grand prize in this year’s 3M Young Scientist’s Challenge, a competition that encourages kids to think of unique ways to solve everyday problems.
Growing up in Ethiopia, Bekele found in pity that people working outside were likely to end up getting skin cancer．Skin cancer did have cures and was treatable in most cases．However, the average price of skin cancer treatment globally was almost $40,000．Those shocking statistics really inspired him to create a more accessible solution．He started doing experiments and working on different things, and that turned into his bar of soap as a project.
A lot of his research and development started in his family’s kitchen and in his basement．But as he reached the final of the competition, he realized that he did need to do a little bit more outside of just his house．So he reached out to people at University of Virginia and people at Georgetown, and he got a lot of assistance．The number one person would be Deborah Isabelle, who helped him organize and structure his ideas during the finalist competition．Bekele said that he definitely couldn’t have done that all by himself.
Bekele’s award-winning soap is a compound based bar of soap and it’s charged with different cancer fighting chemicals．The color of the soap is a bit of a dark type of white and it has a rough surface, which could be a good exfoliant（去角质剂）．It does have a strong medicine smell and feel a bit stickier．The whole point of it is that even once you wash off the soaps, the medicinal parts will stay on your skin．It can activate the body’s immune cells to defend cancer.
Bekele won 25,000 prize money and he was going to use it to continue research．He said, “I still need a lot of resources to be able to conduct this research, so this money will definitely help me achieve it.”
1. Why did Heman Bekele start working on creating the soap?| A．Because he thought it was a fun project. |
| B．Because he wanted to win a science competition. |
| C．Because he found skin cancer treatment unaffordable. |
| D．Because he wanted to create a unique soap for everyone. |
| A．Well begun is half done. | B．Learn humbly, ask willingly. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. | D．Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. |
| A．What features the soap has. | B．How the soap is used. |
| C．What chemicals the soap contains. | D．How the soap is produced. |
| A．Patient and talented. | B．Friendly and ambitious. |
| C．Cautious and generous. | D．Caring and devoted. |
2 . He looked up at the buildings ________, but could see no open window.
| A．opposed | B．opposite | C．opposing | D．opposition |
3 . She was in her ________ to see her son, who had studied abroad for ages.
| A．curiosity | B．panic | C．awareness | D．eagerness |
4 . On an October morning in 2021, ornithologist (鸟类学家) Mark A. Michaels spotted a bird in a forest, which he first thought was a duck based on its size and long neck. But then he noticed it sometimes folding its wings during flight, something he says that ducks don’t do-but woodpeckers do. “Ivory-billed woodpecker (象牙喙啄木鸟)!” he shouted, certain that the bird was a species that hasn’t been clearly identified in the wild since 1944.
Michaels has had several possible ivory-bill encounters, but he couldn’t be fully certain. This sighting was different. “That was the first time I had been absolutely sure,” he says.
But not everyone agrees this woodpecker remains in the wild. In September 2021, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) put forward a ruling that would declare the ivory-billed woodpecker, along with 22 other species, extinct. However, the supportive data are debated. As a result, on July 6,2022, the agency gave the woodpecker an extension of six months before deciding whether to strip away its protected status (地位) as an existing endangered species.
This case highlights some challenges researchers face in determining whether a species has actually gone extinct. “It’s difficult to prove the absence of something,” says ecologist H. Resit Akcakaya, and so a lack of sightings is not necessarily evidence of extinction.
Moreover, there are costs to making the wrong call about a species’ existence in the wild. Continuing to classify (界定) an actually extinct species as endangered can misdirect financial resources away from protecting vulnerable (脆弱的) species to searching for ones that no longer exist. On the other hand, declaring something extinct when it isn’t can do further harm to a struggling species. “If we think a species is extinct, we no longer have to protect it,” Akcakaya says, “and then it may actually go extinct.”
In the case of the ivory-billed woodpecker, Michaels could do nothing but await USFWS’s ruling. But he was glad that the agency gave the extension. “I’m personally one hundred percent sure that it’s out there,” says Michaels.
1. What can we learn about the ivory-billed woodpecker from the first paragraph?| A．It was spotted many times. |
| B．It became extinct in 1944. |
| C．It looked a bit similar to a duck. |
| D．Its wings were always spread during flight. |
| A．Confirm. | B．Discuss. | C．Create. | D．Remove. |
| A．Winning the trust of the public. |
| B．Providing proof of their extinction. |
| C．Deciding which species are valuable. |
| D．Getting financial support for the research. |
| A．New protection measures will be carried out. |
| B．There will be a huge waste of financial resources. |
| C．The protection of this species will come to an end. |
| D．Researchers will conduct further studies on this species. |
The long-awaited TV series Blossoms Shanghai has been released in two versions — Mandarin (普通话) and the Shanghai dialect — on Dec 27, quickly soaring as one of the
Amid his journey to success, the protagonist (主角) has received help from multiple
6 . A family who is willing to support you while you’re in college is a wonderful thing. Even though you are in school, you still have
The first thing you should do is
Going to a small school
It is truly amazing to have someone who understands your struggle to talk to. Talking to the older students at my school really helped me. Now I am able to do the same. I talk to other students about my
I hope that sharing my story can help others to see that they can do it, too.
1.| A．notes | B．reports | C．bills | D．files |
| A．But | B．For | C．Or | D．So |
| A．paying for | B．paying off | C．taking up | D．taking away |
| A．imagine | B．determine | C．blame | D．conclude |
| A．making | B．searching | C．treating | D．worrying |
| A．effect | B．difference | C．change | D．effort |
| A．clarifies | B．admits | C．means | D．realizes |
| A．known | B．understood | C．heard | D．improved |
| A．reject | B．interview | C．employ | D．order |
| A．relation | B．memory | C．decision | D．impression |
| A．forced | B．allowed | C．warned | D．promised |
| A．rarely | B．regularly | C．suddenly | D．finally |
| A．familiar | B．popular | C．angry | D．honest |
| A．generous | B．afraid | C．careful | D．patient |
| A．performances | B．experiences | C．habits | D．origins |
7 . Food waste is a growing problem throughout the world; on the one hand, we’ve got so many people starving, but on the other hand, in places like Western Europe or the US, people are wasting almost 50% of what they eat. It seems reasonable to find ways to send the excess food to the places where it’s most needed, but that doesn’t happen nearly as much as it should. With that in mind, people in Galdakao, Spain, took action.
They launched what they call the Community Fridge—a regular white fridge placed in the middle of the town where anyone can drop food or leftovers and anyone can come in and take it. This fridge has already saved 300 kg of food in just two months. The service is not a charity — anyone can come and just take whatever food they want.
Of course, there are a few regulations though—you can’t donate raw fish, meat or eggs, for health reasons. Also, all the food has to be within its expiration date and anything homemade should have a label with the ingredients. These are reasonable rules, and so far, the program seems to be enjoying success. Other Spanish cities have expressed interest in adopting their own Community Fridge.
This is not the first time this kind of idea has been put forward. A man in the Saudi city of Hail has also put a fridge outside his house and called on neighbors to fill it with food for the needy.
The idea doesn’t work in the US, and it seems like some people would rather throw food away than risk sharing it with others, but I certainly think this idea is worth spreading. Sure, you need someone to check the contents of the fridge and take out the food that goes bad, but for 150 kg of food per month, with one fridge, I think that’s worth it.
1. The first paragraph is meant to __________.| A．give the conclusion |
| B．introduce the topic |
| C．satisfy readers’ curiosity |
| D．describe a social fact |
| A．It is the first time such an idea has been put forward. |
| B．It is intended for the homeless. |
| C．It has some food security problems. |
| D．It has enjoyed success since it started. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．The Starving and Food Waste |
| B．Community Fridge to Deal with Food Waste |
| C．Community Fridge and Food Security |
| D．Community Fridge to Be Adopted in the US |
8 . Every relationship has survived on apologies.
Your past. Your past might contain some mistakes which you aren’t proud of.
Being honest.
Taking me time. Let’s all agree that we need some time alone to figure out our life. Or many people prefer to be alone after a long day just to go through their day and think of times they are thankful for.
| A．Being yourself. |
| B．Apologizing for what you are. |
| C．Don’t feel bad about not lying. |
| D．Always don't say sorry for what makes you happy. |
| E．You need to let them go, because it’s your life and that was your decision. |
| F．Sometimes besides listening to people, we really need to relax and listen to our own thoughts. |
| G．After all, we are humans and take stupid decisions and do dumb things which annoy (使烦恼) the other person. |
9 . Lots of kids like to talk about sports, but Joseph D’Avirro talks about sports like a professional host in a show called Sliders & Curveballs. The 9-year-old from Newington, Connecticut is a natural at sports talk and has been broadcasting the show—which is about baseball, basketball and other sports—with his dad, Mike D’Avirro, since September 2019.
The D’Avirro started the broadcast after two former college roommates of Mike died, which made Mike want to spend more time with his son. Then the idea came to him. So far, they have done about 50 programs. Joseph’s favorite is when the father-and-son team interviewed Jim Calhoun, the coach leading the Connecticut Huskies to three national titles. They have also interviewed important sports authors.
The father and son make about one 30- to 40-minute podcast each month. They prepare for the podcasts by deciding on the questions they want to ask the guest. Joseph asks half of the questions, and Mike handles the other half. Joseph reads his questions again and again to get them in his brain well. It is a lot of work, but Joseph says it is “a lot more fun than homework”. Joseph has also learned to speak up and speak clearly. He has to listen and to go with the flow of the conversation. For example, he said, “If the guest is talking about sports in the 1990s, you have to think about sports in the 1990s.”
When asked how long he and his dad will continue doing the show, he answered, “Until my dad starts growing gray hairs.” Joseph has other ambitions when he grows up—to be a sports player, a sports broadcaster or to own a basketball team. Those are big dreams, but Joseph is already living a dream: talking sports and spending time with his dad.
1. What is Joseph’s show about?| A．Some talk shows on sports. |
| B．Ways to get along with parents. |
| C．Stories about famous sports players. |
| D．Sports that his family loves playing. |
| A．His son’s talent for sports. |
| B．His wish to be a host since college. |
| C．The deaths of his college roommates. |
| D．The encouragement from his roommates. |
| A．It’s as boring as homework. |
| B．It’s challenging to his brain. |
| C．It takes a lot of time but means a lot. |
| D．It’s more interesting than homework. |
| A．A rising sports broadcaster |
| B．A long road to go to success |
| C．The father-and-son team hosts |
| D．Joseph D’Avirro’s big dream |
In our weekly staff meeting, our editor Ashley was not pleased with the quality of our reporting. “Our readership is way down. We need better stories for this Thursday’s school newspaper. Does anybody have any ideas?” she said.
I handed her my article about our basketball team beating Deerfield High School the previous night by one point. “Sports stories are fun,” she said, “but not good enough for the front page. We need something to really get people ‘s attention.”
After our meeting, we left the newsroom together and heard someone screaming, “Perry is missing!” Perry was a big red parrot and had been our school mascot (吉祥物) for ten years. He played an important role in students’ lives, both in and out of class. He had also been a constant presence at school events, inspiring a sense of unity among students.
Everyone gathered around Perry’s empty cage, heartbroken. Suddenly, a student from the crowd came over and showed me a photo. “You’re a reporter for the school paper, right? I happened to take this yesterday,” he said. In the photo was a Deerfield High School basketball player with something large hidden under his shirt around the size of a parrot.
“He must have stolen Perry to get back at us for winning the game!” Ashley cried. We hurried back to the newsroom, agreeing to run the photo on the front page with the headline “Deerfeld Stole Perry.” “This is just the story we need. Everyone will read it,” Ashley said confidently.
After she left, I took a closer look at the photo. The clock in the background read 4:15 pm, but our game against Deerfield hadn’t started until 4:30 pm. Why would the boy have taken Perry before we even played? An uneasy feeling came over me that we might have falsely accused someone.
I went to Perry’s usual caretaker to ask if he knew Perry was missing. ”He’s not missing. He’s retired. He’s ready for some quieter days,“ he said. Learning the truth, I immediately told Ashley and suggested writing a story to say goodbye to Perry.
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。
To my surprise, Ashley insisted on reporting the “Deerfield Stole Perry” story.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On Thursday, the paper came out with the headline “Bye-Bye, Perry” on the front page.
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