1 . Writing a poem is about observing the world within or around you.
Pick a specific theme or idea. This can make it easier for you to narrow down what images and descriptions you are going to use in your poem. For example, you may decide to write a poem around the theme of love and friendship.
Avoid cliché(陈词滥调). Your poetry will be much stronger if you avoid cliches, which are phrases that have become so familiar that they have lost their meaning.
Get feedback(反馈) from others. You can also share your poem with other poets to get feedback from them and improve your poem.
| A．Write for the ear |
| B．Do writing exercises |
| C．A poem can be about anything |
| D．You may join a poetry writing group |
| E．Go for creative descriptions and images in your poem |
| F．Strong emotional moments make for beautiful and interesting poems |
| G．Then you may think about the moments where you experienced them |
During winter, Leo noticed that of all the houses on the block, there was one with a messy, dirty yard that looked unattended. One day, after all the snow had melted and the trees were starting to bloom (开花) just in time for spring, Leo couldn’t help but stare at his neighbor’s messy yard a little longer. The melted snow showed all the buried leaves and other trash.
He went back home and brought the tools he needed. It took Leo the entire afternoon to clear the yard. He moved the melting snow out of the pathway and swept the leaves from the ground. He also trimmed (修剪) the bushes and left them as neat as he could.
The following morning, the old woman, Abigail, opened her door with joy. She had quietly watched the young man clean up the yard the day before, much to her relief.
Abigail had not left her house in months. She relied totally on her caregiver for her basic needs and was eager to get fresh air. After sitting in her wheelchair in her front yard for a couple of minutes, her neighbors started to notice her. They walked toward her to say hi, and soon, the crowd grew.
“It’s so lovely to see you outdoors, Abigail! How have you been?” one of them asked.
“I’m so happy to be breathing some fresh air for a change. I couldn’t leave the house for months because of the snow. It was too deep, and I couldn’t afford to hi re someone to help me with it,” Abigail admitted.
“But yesterday, I saw a kind young man cleaning my yard the entire afternoon. I wanted to thank him, but I had no food to offer him because my caregiver had not arrived yet,” she shared. “He is such a blessing. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him!”
When Abigail praised the “kind young man” who helped her, they immediately knew it was Leo. The neighbors looked at each other, with guilty all over their faces. They realized they had been so blind to Abigail’s problems that no one thought to help her by cleaning her yard.
注意：1.续写词数应为 150个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
They decided to thank Leo by visiting his house.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When he opened his front door, Leo was surprised to see his neighbors bearing gifts.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . More than 1 billion children, teenagers and adults live with obesity (肥胖) around the world, making it the most common form of malnutrition in many countries, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal The Lancet.
“Previous estimates by the World Obesity Federation suggested that there would be 1 billion people living with obesity by 2030, but that number was already overtaken in 2022,” Dr. Majid Ezzati, senior author of the study and professor at Imperial College London, said in a news conference on Thursday. “We hadn’t expected that the things happened so fast.”
The new global study, conducted by more than 1,500 researchers from the Non-Communicable Diseases Risk Factor Collaboration and the World Health Organization (WHO), analyzed the height and weight measurements of over 220 million people from more than 190 countries.
The study focused on rates of underweight and obesity, both forms of malnutrition that are harmful to people’s health. Adults were regarded as obese if their body mass index (指数) (BMI) was greater than or equal to 30 and considered as underweight if their BMI was below18.5. Children and teenagers were defined as obese or underweight based on age and sex, according to the study.
“Undernutrition and obesity are two faces of the same problem, which is the lack of access to a healthy diet,” Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, said in the news conference. “Public policy must aim to improve monitoring of food producers and ensure fair access to healthy and nutritious food for everyone. Over 3 billion people in the world still cannot afford a healthy diet.”
France, which saw a steady level in its obesity rates in the study, has carried out a national plan called Programme National Nutrition Santé that sets objectives for nutritional policy at the industry, consumer and research levels. Countries in South America have begun carrying out front-of-package nutritional labelling that includes clear warnings about fat, sugar and salt levels. Mexico has led the way on taxation of sweetened drinks, and in Chile, processed foods cannot be marketed to children.
1. How does Ezzati feel about the number of obese people worldwide in 2022?| A．Disappointed. | B．Astonished. |
| C．Amused. | D．Relieved. |
| A．By asking questions. | B．By analyzing data. |
| C．By making observations. | D．By carrying out experiments. |
| A．33. | B．30. |
| C．20. | D．18. |
| A．The good habits of teenagers in South America. |
| B．The differences in diet among different countries. |
| C．The problems of rising obesity rates faced by France. |
| D．The measures taken by several countries to address obesity. |
4 . Information from this year’s IQAir World Air Quality Report showed only seven countries met the World Health Organization’s pollution recommendations in 2023, which were Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand. Of the 134 countries and regions measured, 124 had higher levels than called for in the WHO pollution guidelines.
The report said the five countries with what it called the lowest air quality had particle (颗粒物) levels at least nine times higher than what the WHO recommends. Three South Asian countries — Bangladesh, Pakistan and India — had the world’s lowest air quality. In 2022, India was eighth and Bangladesh was fifth.
The information came from the Swiss company IQAir. The report used measurements from over 30,000 stations across 134 countries. IQAir used the WHO standard of PM 2.5 to measure the size of breathable pollutant particles in the air. The PM2.5 measurement means the particles are 2.5 microns (微米) or less in diameter (直径). The diameter of human hair, for example, is about 30 times larger than a particle of 2.5 microns.
In Bangladesh, the concentration of PM2.5 particles reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. In Pakistan, the number was 73.7. India’s level was 54.4, Tajikistan in Central Asia was 49 and Burkina Faso in West Africa was the fifth-most polluted nation at 46.6.
Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, said 20 percent of the early deaths in the country were caused by air pollution. He added spending on pollution-related healthcare was equal to four to five percent of the nation’s economy.
Christi Chester Schroeder oversees air quality science for IQair. She said South Asia’s geography and climate conditions influence its air quality. “The pollution has nowhere to go,” she added. “Because of agricultural practices, industry and population density, it really does look like it is going to get worse before it gets better.”
1. What can be inferred from the text?| A．Bangladesh’s air quality may have decreased in 2023. |
| B．India’s air quality was greatly improved in 2022. |
| C．Mauritius had the fifth-worst air quality in the world in 2022. |
| D．Pakistan’s air quality was the third-worst in the world in 2023. |
| A．To demonstrate how to use hair products. |
| B．To offer suggestions to people with hair problems. |
| C．To emphasize the difficulty of measuring pollutant particles. |
| D．To explain the size of breathable pollutant particles in the air. |
| A．Developing agriculture will help improve air quality. |
| B．Geographical conditions have little influence on air quality. |
| C．The future of air quality in South Asia does not look bright. |
| D．South Asian countries should try to increase their populations. |
| A．A report on global air pollution. | B．Plans to fight against air pollution. |
| C．The harm of air pollution to humans. | D．Advice on cutting air pollution. |
5 . Despite his slim body of work, J. D. Salinger was one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century. His short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker, inspired the early careers of writers such as Phillip Roth, John Updike and Harold Brodkey.
Born on January 1, 1919, in New York, Salinger was a restless student, attending New York University, Ursinus College and Columbia University. While taking classes at the latter, he met Professor Whit Burnett, who was also the editor of Story magazine. Burnett, sensing Salinger’s talent as a writer, pushed him to create more often and soon Salinger’s works were appearing not just in Story, but in other big-name publications such as Collier’s and the Saturday Evening Post.
His career had started to take off, but then, like so many young American men around that time, World War II interrupted his life. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Salinger was drafted into the army, serving from 1942 to 1944. During that time, however, Salinger kept writing for a new novel whose main character was a deeply unsatisfied young man named Holden Caulfield.
When Salinger returned to New York, he quickly set about resuming his life as a writer and soon found his work published in his favorite magazine, The New Yorker.
He also pushed on with the work on his novel about Holden Caulfield. Finally, in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye was published. The book earned its share of positive reviews, but some critics weren’t so kind. But over time the American reading public ate the book up and The Catcher in the Rye became an essential part of the academic literature course. To date, the book has sold more than 65 million copies.
In 1953, two years after the publication of The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger moved from New York City to Cornish, New Hampshire. There, Salinger did his best to cut off contact with the public and significantly slowed his literary output. He only published one new story, the 25,000-word Hapworth 16, 1924, before his death on January 27, 2010, in Cornish, New Hampshire.
1. Who had a great influence on J. D. Salinger?| A．Phillip Roth. | B．Whit Burnett. |
| C．John Updike. | D．Harold Brodkey. |
| A．Continuing. | B．Saving. |
| C．Wasting. | D．Risking. |
| A．It was published during World War II. |
| B．It has sold less than 65 million copies. |
| C．It was well received by American readers. |
| D．It features an old man as the main character. |
| A．He stopped writing when he was in the army. |
| B．He wrote lots of short stories in his later years. |
| C．His literary output was very low in his later years. |
| D．He had moved to New York City just before he died. |
6 . I just returned from India. While driving home from the airport, I was amazed by how everything in American streets
During the two years I was away, my friends and family
While I was on my
Expats (侨民) in Laos say that sometimes, if you stay abroad too long, you become a permanent
| A．results in | B．results from | C．differs in | D．differs from |
| A．even though | B．as though | C．now that | D．in that |
| A．were devoted to | B．looked forward to | C．got used to | D．were addicted to |
| A．functioning | B．ringing | C．shining | D．shaking |
| A．lonely | B．energetic | C．curious | D．fortunate |
| A．encouragement | B．expectation | C．understanding | D．description |
| A．research | B．recall | C．relax | D．reconnect |
| A．ideal | B．extraordinary | C．international | D．dramatic |
| A．lives | B．studies | C．expectations | D．ambitions |
| A．travelling | B．surfing | C．exercising | D．competing |
| A．desperate | B．memorable | C．ashamed | D．nervous |
| A．factual | B．special | C．external | D．similar |
| A．native | B．foreigner | C．civilian | D．resident |
| A．content | B．uncontrolled | C．astonished | D．secure |
| A．acknowledge | B．bet | C．promise | D．disagree |
7 . There’s nothing so annoying as a broken bike. If there’s something wrong with your bicycle, stop using it and have it checked and fixed by MacBike’s expert mechanics (机修工).
FIXED WITHIN ONE DAY
Most of our repairs are done by our bike mechanics within one day, so if you bring your bike in the morning you can pick it up at the end of the day.
FREE LOAN BIKE
If repairs are 35 Euros or more, you will find free replacement transport ready and waiting for you. This loan bike will have you back on the road within 10 minutes!
BOVAG CERTIFIED
We are a BOVAG-certified bike repair shop. We follow specialized workshops annually so we can deliver high-quality services to our customers. We handle BOVAG guarantee and BOVAG terms of delivery.
Where
MacBike has three shops for bicycle sales and repair shops in the city centre of Amsterdam: 38th Avenue, 30th Avenue, 45th Avenue.
Business Hours
Monday-Saturday from 09:00-18:00
Closed on
25 & 26 December.
1 January
27 April
Telephone Number
0031 (0)20 428 14 40
Getting There
Bus 9, 14
Subway 51, 53, 54
1. How long will it take for a MacBike’s worker to fix a broken bike?| A．A day. | B．A week. | C．A morning. | D．An afternoon. |
| A．It is located in Amsterdam. | B．It has the public recognition. |
| C．It offers professionals to the shop. | D．It has three shops in the city center. |
| A．By taking Bus 53. | B．By taking Subway 51. |
| C．By riding a loan bike. | D．By going there on Christmas. |
8 . When 12-year-old Erica Fernandez volunteered to help clean up the beach in her new hometown, Oxnard, California, she could barely speak English. She was just a kid helping 20 adults take care of the beach. She and her family had recently arrived in California from a small town in Mexico.
Erica started going door to door in her mainly Spanish-speaking farmworker community. “I always loved the ocean,” she says, “so it made me really sad to see this beautiful beach full of trash. That’s why I decided to help.”
Erica cared too much to stay silent. Having grown up in a tiny town in the Mexican state of Michoacán, she had a strong motivation to care for nature. “We grew our own food and raised our own animals. Taking care of nature was part of survival.” She wanted to bring that same spirit to her new life in California.
As her English improved, she talked to kids in her high school about what was going on. “I didn’t know if they would listen to me. My English wasn’t good and I was only sixteen,” she says. As she nervously approached the microphone, she was informed that time was running out. One minute and thirty seconds was all she had. “I couldn’t give my prepared speech, so I just spoke from my heart.”
The result was electrifying. When Erica was finished, people stood up and broke into applause. One of the teachers said, “I’m very moved by your words, Erica. When I was your age, I was playing video games.”
Only the second person in her family to go to college, Erica wants to become an environmental lawyer so she can fight for the environment and for the rights of communities. She wants other young people to speak out when they see something wrong, even if they feel shy about it at first. “We are the future. The future is ours.”
1. Why did the author mention Erica’s words in Paragraph 2?| A．To show gratitude to her action. | B．To advocate learning from her. |
| C．To clarify the reason for her help. | D．To think highly of her devotion. |
| A．She was the only college student in her family. |
| B．She volunteered to clean up the garbage on Spanish beaches. |
| C．She spent her childhood in a small town in Mexico. |
| D．She couldn’t speak either English or Spanish in California. |
| A．The device disturbed her performance. |
| B．The audience was greatly encouraged. |
| C．It affected people’s attitude to playing games. |
| D．Erica expressed her inner thoughts fluently. |
| A．A geography textbook. | B．A health report. |
| C．A scientific website. | D．An environmental magazine. |
9 . Salvador Dali is one of the most influential and famous painters of all time. Not just a painter, but his personality was as unique as his paintings. His surrealistic paintings are so famous that they overshadow his other artworks.
Hearing the name “Salvador Dali” alone creates an image, or perhaps I should say, a painting in the minds of people. His paintings are usually surrealistic and hard to understand, but once understood, they convey their message so fluently and beautifully. During his creative exploration, Dali went deep into various artistic styles, such as impressionism, cloisonne (分格画), and cubism (立体画), before eventually venturing into surrealism. It was in this period that he created one of his famous paintings, Sick Boy—Pointillism (点彩派).
Pointillism is the method of painting using only small dots of color to create the painting. Sick Boy is a clear mixture of expressionism and pointillism, but there’s more going on here. Dali has added a little bit of surrealism as well. This is a self-portrait of him in Cadaqués, the coastal town where he used to spend his summers.
While the sickness of the child can be seen from his lying position, exhausted and weak, and looking at the viewers’ eyes, the actual sickness is far more terrifying. Take a look at his hand with long, pointed fingers. His face presents a disturbing and threatening expression. It is hardly human. It almost feels like there is another creature inside the body of this kid, using the skin and face as a cover.
The parallel can be drawn from the other living thing in the painting, the caged canary (金丝雀). Similar to the canary, which is imprisoned inside this cage to stay, the boy’s true self is imprisoned inside the body. There might be some dark and sick intentions inside his mind, but those must be controlled. The way the sick child lies on
the chair and stares ahead makes it one of the frightening paintings by Salvador Dali.1. What are the main features of Salvador Dali’s paintings?
| A．Hope and optimism. | B．Fluency and harmony. |
| C．Beauty and simplicity. | D．Complexity and confusion. |
| A．A portrait Dali painted for himself. | B．The painter’s favorite coastal town. |
| C．A canary imprisoned inside the cage. | D．The exploration of various artistic styles. |
| A．It represents the boy’s sickness. | B．It conveys the beauty of nature. |
| C．It symbolizes the boy’s trapped true self. | D．It shows the sick boy’s love for animals. |
| A．Energetic and realistic. | B．Negative and stubborn. |
| C．Strange and threatening. | D．Unconventional and creative. |
10 . I received a call telling me that my brother and his wife had been killed in a car crash. Shocked and grieved, I
Several friends phoned me,
When the door bell rang, I
“I’ve come to clean the shoes.” she said.
“I remember when my father died, it took me
Donna settled herself on the laundry room floor and
Now whenever I hear of an acquaintance who has
| A．sank | B．fell | C．slowed | D．calmed |
| A．asking | B．suggesting | C．offering | D．helping |
| A．do with | B．ask for | C．take away | D．talk about |
| A．rose | B．stood | C．showed | D．answered |
| A．Touched | B．Satisfied | C．Annoyed | D．Confused |
| A．time | B．minutes | C．hours | D．days |
| A．accident | B．loss | C．ceremony | D．funeral |
| A．took | B．relied | C．carried | D．concentrated |
| A．fog | B．mist | C．dust | D．dirt |
| A．place | B．line | C．corner | D．room |
| A．spotless | B．organized | C．orderly | D．new |
| A．missed | B．lost | C．helped | D．comforted |
| A．immediate | B．special | C．vague | D．insincere |
| A．However | B．Instead | C．Meanwhile | D．Moreover |
| A．sadness | B．mood | C．taste | D．need |
