1 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The Right Decisions

Lisa looked at her watch outside of the gift store and knew that in half an hour her mother would be standing on the doorsteps of their house waiting. She had to make up her mind or go home without a proper birthday gift.

“What should I do?” Lisa asked herself. “I owe Mr. Chapman five dollars for a science fair display board tomorrow.” That caused a serious, uncomfortable problem. If Lisa bought the tiny cactus (仙人掌) for her mother’s birthday, she would have money for the science board. If she bought the more expensive cut flowers, she wouldn’t.

Upon stepping into the gift store, the beautiful flowers immediately caught her eye. Lisa knew her mother would adore the flowers, so without another thought, she grabbed them.

Mrs. Mills, the store manager, smiled at Lisa when she came to the counter to purchase the beautiful flowers. “Wow, I wonder who will be gifted those beautiful flowers, Lisa,” she asked with a smile.

“It’s for my mother’s birthday, Mrs. Mills,” Lisa replied, returning a smile. The price tag (价签) said the flowers cost $5.30, and Lisa gave Mrs. Mills a ten-dollar bill.

Upon stepping out of the store, Lisa looked down at the flowers in her left hand — the afternoon sun made them brighter in color. She was glad she had made the right decision. Then, her eyes looked down upon her right hand, where the change that Mrs. Mills gave to her lay. To her surprise, she saw a five-dollar bill inside. Mrs. Mills definitely had made a mistake and she had been given too much money!

Lisa was caught in a dilemma. A voice inside told her to keep the money, so she could have amazing flowers for her mother and five dollars for Mr. Chapman’s science board. But another voice told her it was dishonest to keep the extra money, and Mrs. Mills would be held responsible for the mistake.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Lisa stood still for a few minutes and finally returned to the gift store and went inside. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“I’m sorry, Lisa. I did make a mistake, but the mistake is with the price tag,” Mrs. Mills said. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 . One Saturday morning my brother and I went to play tennis near a school building. Actually, we played very well and we were ______ the ball higher and faster each time.

Suddenly, something ______ happened — the ball got out of ______ and went crashing through one of the upstairs windows. We looked around and no one was in ______.

I asked my brother ______, “ Now what should we do?” “ Well,” my brother ______, “no one will know whose ball it is and no one saw us. Let’s go home.” I ______ after a brief hesitation.

As soon as we arrived home, we told our father what had happened. We thought we were lucky and wise. However, his response was ______ to our expectation. “ Well, I will go to the school janitor (门卫) and see what we need to do.” And then he left immediately.

We were waiting at home, ______ and uneasy. About an hour later, our father ______. “ Well, I talked to the school janitor and he was ______ when I told him what had happened. He said many windows had been broken, but we were the first ones to ______ that we were responsible. He said the school budget ______ window repair, so we will not have to pay for the window.”

He could see our relief as he continued, “ I am proud of your kids for having the ______ to tell me what happened.”

From this incident, we discovered that admitting our mistakes and taking the ______ is always the right choice.

1.

A．hitting

B．catching

C．getting

D．throwing

2.

A．interesting

B．impossible

C．familiar

D．unexpected

3.

A．control

B．reach

C．power

D．order

4.

A．place

B．sight

C．distance

D．position

5.

A．excitedly

B．casually

C．nervously

D．patiently

6.

A．suspected

B．responded

C．informed

D．indicated

7.

A．opposed

B．doubted

C．ignored

D．agreed

8.

A．contrary

B．similar

C．proper

D．beneficial

9.

A．curious

B．desperate

C．upset

D．confused

10.

A．left

B．returned

C．began

D．continued

11.

A．delighted

B．surprised

C．grateful

D．generous

12.

A．admit

B．confirm

C．propose

D．believe

13.

A．sets down

B．puts off

C．takes over

D．allows for

14.

A．confidence

B．wisdom

C．courage

D．ambition

15.

A．conditions

B．situations

C．circumstances

D．consequences

3 . “I WANT A MOUSE!” said my grandma. She was 80 years old and sounded quite determined. She was a very enthusiastic reader. In her later years, she had to deal with the language of the digital age. I can only imagine her bitterness at constantly meeting the sentence, “Find more information at the click of a mouse.” And so now you understand why my grandma wanted a mouse.

According to the WHO, the number of people over 60 years will nearly double between 2015 and 2050. We live in glorious times of fast-changing technology. It seems as if we have a million passwords to remember, and a lot of settings to navigate. People who lose some memory ability as they grow older may be disadvantaged. Digital citizenship is a real skill. Mobile apps are like an appendage (附属品) to everything we do. Even our basic needs can be met at the click of a button. This is a real struggle for old folks who did not grow up glued to their screens!

I am sure grandma would say, “At the click of a button, I wish to call, read and watch — without having to spend so much time navigating.” Phone manufacturers and mobile app developers, of course, should take note. It will be of great help to the older people if the settings are more self-explanatory, with few fancy technical terms that require a separate dictionary to understand.

My grandma’s trouble might bring back some memories for you. Remember when you had your grandparents take you on a long winding walk, stopping at every flower, butterfly or an ant under a rock, and patiently listening to your countless questions along the way. They gave you the gift of their patience and time in your curious, exploratory childhood. Now it might be time for you to give them the gift of a little time and patience in return as they click and navigate to where they want to go in a digital world. It’s the old folks’ turn to ask the questions.

1. Why does the author’s grandma want a mouse?

A．To confirm information.	B．To reduce her boredom.
C．To follow the fashion.	D．To meet her practical needs.

2. From the underlined sentence, we know that grandma is _________.

A．curious and passionate	B．ashamed and regretful
C．annoyed but eager	D．impatient but satisfied

3. What does the author mean by mentioning childhood experiences?

A．We should not forget our grandma’s upbringing.

B．It’s high time that we should repay our grandma.

C．Our grandma is in desperate need of health care.

D．We had a happy childhood even without a mouse.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A digital return gift of time	B．A great need in digital age
C．My grandma’s embarrassment	D．My digitally diligent grandma

4 . TVB’s 56th-anniversary show, The Queen of News, has become popular across the country. It stars actors Charmaine Sheh and Kenneth Ma . People enjoy talking about its plot and copying its pointed lines.

The show got 8.2 points out of 10 on the review website Douban. Telling the stories of news reporters competing for the top spot during golden time, some said, the show was a bit over the top. But the fantastic plot where the main character overcomes challenges on the way to success is loved by many.

The Queen of News is a so-called “feel-good drama”, a type of drama that has become more and more popular in recent years. But why do people enjoy such dramas so much? One of the reasons is that the plots in these shows are easy to follow. They often tell stories where the main character goes from facing difficulties to seeking revenge (复仇) and, in the end, earning respect and success.

This kind of show allows people to forget about their worries and challenges in life and feel happy while watching them. Han Ning, a psychological counselor who works in Nanjing, told the Yangtze Evening Post that feel-good dramas can help with mental health . These shows can meet the emotional needs of the audience. They also help people lower their anxiety and stress levels.

However, some people worry that feel-good dramas may lead people to look at life in an unrealistic way. If people look too deeply into these big personality changes of characters and the excitement of the story, it may affect how they think they should live their lives, noted Guangming Daily. The newspaper added that these dramas should cut out the over-the-top parts that are larger-than-life.

1. Which word is closest in meaning to “over the top” in Paragraph 2?

A．sharp.

B．dramatic.

C．competitive.

D．unrealistic.

2. What do we know about “feel-good dramas”?

A．Their plots are close to real life.	B．Their plots are easy to follow.
C．They star the most popular idols.	D．They usually get high points on Douban.

3. Why are “feel-good dramas” popular according to Han Ning?

A．Because they help the audience release stress.

B．Because they come from and are used in life.

C．Because they teach useful life lessons.

D．Because they let the audience feel respected.

4. What idea might Guangming Daily agree with?

A．People shouldn’t watch “feel-good dramas”.

B．The dramas should promote more realistic views.

C．We should closely watch the qualities of the dramas.

D．It’s good to watch “feel-good dramas” sometimes.

5 . In early December, the US broke a terrible new record:38mass shootings in a single year, in which 203 people have died. This beat the previous record of 36 mass shootings, according to The Guardian. But why is there so much gun violence in the US? Although the issue is complicated, there are three big reasons: too many guns, weak gun laws and loopholes (漏洞), and cultural factors.

The US has a lot of guns –120.5guns for every 100 Americans, according to a 2017 survey. In other words, there are more guns than people in the US. This makes it easier for people to get guns.

Although US federal law says certain people can’t buy guns, it’s still fairly easy for Americans to buy them anyway, said Vox. A big part of this is loopholes in gun sales. In the US, when you buy a gun from a licensed shop or at a gun show, they have to check your background. But if you buy from a private seller, they don’t have to do that. Even in those cases where a background check is made, it can only take up to three days at most. If the seller does not receive a clear answer within three days, the seller can still sell the gun, reported CGTN.

The US also has a unique gun culture, influenced by the Second Amendment(第二修正案) of the US Constitution. Some people believe it gives them special rights, making them refuse to give up their guns for the greater good.

Despite these challenges, around 60 percent of Americans think gun violence is a big problem and want stricter gun laws, a 2022 Pew Research Center study said. But it’s unclear if US lawmakers, who listen to powerful gun groups like the National Rifle Association or Gun Owners of America, will make changes.

1. What are the main reasons for increasing gun violence in the US?
a. the high ownership of guns             b. the weak laws on buying guns
c. the light punishment on gun violence             d. the right to have guns in the minds of Americans

A．abc

B．abd

C．acd

D．bcd

2. Those who are not allowed to have guns _____.

A．won’t have any chance to buy guns	B．can purchase guns with a special license
C．can purchase guns from private sellers	D．can buy guns by showing their background

3. In the writer’s opinion, to keep gun violence under control in the US is _____.

A．meaningless

B．costly

C．tough

D．possible

4. What’s the structure of the story?

A．	B．
C．	D．

6 . 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。

Dunhuang, located in Northwest China’s Gansu province, was     1     important stop on the ancient Silk Road with a long history. What does it look like today?

From Dec.5 to 8 in 2023, the show titled “The Dunhuang You Don’t Know”,     2    (release)on social media platforms including Weibo and Douyin. Since     3    (it) first public performance, the video series has got millions of views online.

The show, produced by the art program center of the China Media Group, focused on the modern way of life in Dunhuang,     4    (display) the inheritance(继承) and development of traditional Chinese culture. The program referred to eight dimensions, including local cuisine, folk tradition and guochao,     5     means “native wave”, and the use of traditional Chinese elements in fashion. One episode (集) guided viewers through the Mogao Grottoes and related exhibitions, providing insights     6     the historical and cultural significance behind the cave paintings. In another episode, the audience were taken to the night market     7     (taste) local food such as iron plate fish and hand-grabbed lamb.

In recent years, with a rise in the     8    (popular) of guochao, modern artists     9    (transform) age-old art into creative cultural products that appeal to young consumers. This video series has also caught people ‘s attention through trendy and     10     (fashion) collection.

7 . We are all failures, sometimes. The emotional attack that follows failure can hang over you, if you think about it for a long time.     1     Here’s how to deal with failure in a more positive way so you can move on to your next challenge with renewed determination.

Listen to your emotions.     2     Focusing on your emotions, rather than making excuses for your failure, might actually help you learn from the experience. In turn, it will contribute to your putting more effort into a second attempt.

    3     The opinions of others might only multiply or confuse your feelings surrounding a failure. In fact, in many situations, only you know the full truth. If you can close your ears to others’ misinformed ideas, you’ll come to terms with failure more quickly and peacefully.

Lower the bar and be practical.     4     This feeling can lead to a negative cycle where your confidence and motivation start to decrease. Super-slim stars with smooth, glowing skin that wear fancy dresses only exist in the movies. This is not real life. Consider your own journey and ask yourself: Have I really failed here? Of course the answer is NO. What you need to do is change your mindset.     5     You might find these smaller goals bring about more wins to celebrate along the way.

A．Respond to failure in a more positive way.

B．Avoid those who are quick to judge your situations.

C．If you set unrealistic goals, you may often feel disappointed.

D．Your friends can be quick to take sides and offer unhealthy remarks.

E．This means admitting your feelings and sitting with them for a moment.

F．Concentrate on taking small, practical steps to improve an area of your life.

G．On the other hand, forgetting it may lead you to miss out on vital life lessons.

8 . The change caused by increased scientific funding during the 20th century is remarkable. Thomas Edison electrified the world from his industrial lab at Menlo Park, and the Carnegie Foundation was the major supporter of Edwin Hubble. Advances in science during the Second World War—from the development of radar to the atom bomb — encouraged governments and companies to increase their funding.

However, a growing amount of work shows that the reward has fallen even as more money is spent on research. One explanation for this is that the way science is funded is out of date. The rate at which funding applications are approved has fallen. Two-fifths of a top scientist’s time is spent on things other than research, such as looking for money. Risky ideas are often put aside. It is time to make another change.

The first step is to try new things. More money could fund promising people rather than specific projects, encouraging researchers to take risks. Countries should also learn from the best practices of others. American funders give over three times more to science than the European funders do. Europeans might benefit from learning from others’ practices.

More important still is to find ways to measure what is working and what is not, and then adapt accordingly. Governments might consider appointing leading scientists or chief economists to do the data analysis in various scientific fields. One interesting idea is to keep a close eye on the projects that they do not fund, and track how they perform.

None of this will be easy. Scientific funders say they want to experiment, but they also face pressure to support research that can be easily explained, to keep politicians happy. In some cases more money may be the only solution. Still, the economic returns to research are so large — at least ten times the original investment — that fixing the system is well worth the effort. Like science itself, the way of funding it must also progress.

1. Why does the author mention Thomas Edison in Paragraph 1?

A．To praise the inventor’s achievement.	B．To explain the change with examples.
C．To compare scientific breakthroughs.	D．To transform the funding for science.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A．Most scientists are devoted to research.	B．Funding for research is less rewarding.
C．Funding applications get fast approved.	D．Scientists should look for more money.

3. What does the author suggest funders do?

A．Support people with risky ideas.	B．Invest money in specific projects.
C．Analyse the data to earn money.	D．Let go of the unfunded projects.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward another change in science funding?

A．Unclear.

B．Negative.

C．Doubtful.

D．Approving.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where does Mark usually read news now?

A．In a newspaper.

B．In a magazine.

C．On the Internet.

2. What makes the woman surprised about the machine?

A．It has a small glass window.

B．It can make a pizza in a short time.

C．It offers four types of pizzas at a time.

3. What does the woman think of the machine?

A．It is quite necessary.

B．It might not be popular.

C．It will certainly succeed.

4. What is an advantage of the machine?

A．The 24-hour service.

B．Tasty pizza made by it.

C．The low production cost.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When will the man go to the restaurant?

A．On Tuesday.

B．On Wednesday.

C．On Thursday.

2. Who will have dinner with the man?

A．A couple.

B．Some friends.

C．His family.

3. What will the man do next?

A．Provide personal information.

B．Tell the waitress his arriving time.

C．Ask for a table at the non-smoking area.