1 . Most Famous Paintings in the World

Among the millions of paintings that are created and shown in galleries and museums all around the world, a very small number of them go beyond time and make history. Below are some examples.

The Persistence of Memory — Salvador Dali. Painted in 1931, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable pieces in art history. This work is known to make people reflect on their way of life and the way they spend their time, and it is also thought that Albert Einstein’s well-known Theory of Relativity gave Dali the idea for this wonderful painting.

Girl with a Pearl Earring — Johannes Vermeer. Considered by many to be “the Dutch Mona Lisa”, this beautiful painting features an unnamed young woman looking over her shoulder to stare directly at the viewer. It was completed in 1665 and is exhibited in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Guernica — Pablo Picasso. The famous painting by Picasso was completed in 1937. It was painted in Paris following the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The painting is on permanent display in the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain.

Starry Night — Vincent van Gogh. Painted in 1889, Starry Night is one of the most famous paintings in modern culture, which is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is based on van Gogh’s direct observations as well as his imagination, memories, and emotions and was the inspiration for the song Vincent (also known as Starry, Starry Night).

1. What do we know about The Persistence of Memory?

A．It was finished in the 1920s.	B．It centers on people’s lifestyle.
C．It reflects the painter’s memories.	D．It may be inspired by a famous theory.

2. Which painting is based on a true story?

A．The Persistence of Memory.	B．Starry Night.
C．Girl with a Pearl Earring.	D．Guernica.

3. What is the common feature of the listed paintings?

A．They are everlasting artworks.	B．They share the similar theme.
C．They are on permanent display.	D．They give ideas for music creation.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

With the International Conference on Food Loss and Waste closed on Saturday in Jinan, Shandong Province, the country has sent a signal to     1     world that China will deal with issues concerning food security by reducing loss and waste in agriculture. With the theme of reducing food loss and food waste and promoting     2     (globe) food security, the three-day event     3     (hold) both online and offline attracted more than 300 participants.

The current world grain production is about 2.8 billion tons a year. Therefore, the loss of only one percentage     4     (be) equal to the loss of 28 million tons of food. This can feed about 70 million people.

In recent years, China     5     (make) great progress in controlling loss and waste in food, with main efforts including upgrading facilities and     6     (equip). In Shandong Province, China’s major grain producer, the Sinograin (中粮集团) grain storage site is equipped with 4,500 high-definition cameras and 280,000 temperature sensors     7     (ensure) that the stock (储备) is in the best condition. Data shows that during China’s 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) , about 13 million tons of food had been saved     8     (year) after production.

We cannot end hunger     9     we do not deal with the high levels of food loss and waste. Cooperation and innovations (创新) in business models, technologies and digital solutions could all contribute     10     reducing food loss and waste.

3 . When Lennon had just moved to Los Angeles, she met Carla. The two young women ________ they had something in common: Both were ________ with life after loss. Lennon’s mother died of lung cancer three years ago and Carla had just ________ her father.

Lennon also met a few others of her age who were grieving (悲伤). She invited them all over for ________. It was a night of ________, expressing themselves to each other and healing. Each guest left with the belief that they weren’t alone to feel ________.

After many meals, Lennon and Carla ________ The Dinner Party. It’s a nonprofit organization offering ________ and care to those who have ________ deep loss by hosting dinner parties. Since then, it has helped bring together over 13,000 people to have meals and ________ their grief.

Lennon learned that there’s almost no ________ of death and grief among young adults like her just because few have experienced such loss, making those who have feel ________. She found that people are more likely to put down their ________ and connect over a shared meal. That’s where their ________ starts.

Every month, people can check out a list of open ________ on The Dinner Party website. The description of each table includes a(n) ________ for the host, as well as themes they’re ho-ping to ________. So far, the organization has grown by almost 3,000 members. “One trend we’ve seen in this is that people need platforms to ________ they weren’t okay,” Lennon says. ________, the COVID-19 put a temporary end to dinner parties. “But it was not a(n) ________ to grief. So I hope the parties will continue.”

1.

A．discovered

B．explained

C．announced

D．guessed

2.

A．quarreling

B．agreeing

C．exchanging

D．struggling

3.

A．forgotten

B．cured

C．lost

D．met

4.

A．meeting

B．dinner

C．breakfast

D．activity

5.

A．conversation

B．sleep

C．memory

D．laughter

6.

A．energetic

B．stupid

C．sensitive

D．sad

7.

A．missed

B．designed

C．founded

D．imagined

8.

A．curiosity

B．puzzle

C．surprise

D．comfort

9.

A．gone through

B．taken over

C．pulled down

D．cheered up

10.

A．hide

B．share

C．record

D．abandon

11.

A．routine

B．choice

C．preference

D．discussion

12.

A．respected

B．separated

C．suspected

D．cheated

13.

A．conflict

B．ambition

C．guard

D．principle

14.

A．applying

B．healing

C．working

D．delaying

15.

A．buildings

B．windows

C．tables

D．doors

16.

A．introduction

B．involvement

C．preparation

D．judgement

17.

A．remove

B．stress

C．challenge

D．explore

18.

A．decide

B．admit

C．suppose

D．mean

19.

A．Unfortunately

B．Eventually

C．Strangely

D．Naturally

20.

A．doubt

B．encourage

C．end

D．sign

4 . New methods have allowed researchers and scientists to find a way to reduce heat loss from buildings by about 30%. This new “green” solution is quite literally (确实地) green as it involves fitting a living wall by sticking soil and plants onto the walls, according to a new research.

To see what effects renewing a living wall on an existing building would have on the environment, the scientists decided to test it out on a building at a university in the UK, which was originally built in the 1970s. As a control, part of the building was not fitted with the living wall. Both of the parts of the building were west-facing and the test was conducted over 5 weeks. They found that the part with the living wall lost 31.4% less heat as compared to the side without it. So it took less energy to heat and had environmentally friendly effects.

In the UK, approximately 57% of buildings were built before 1964. They have caused 17% of greenhouse emissions (排放), about 60% of which come from house heating. If people could reduce heat loss from older buildings by 30%, a huge part of greenhouse emissions could be eliminated. While regulations have changed recently to improve the thermal performance (热性能) of new constructions, it is the existing buildings that require the most energy to heat and are a significant contributor to carbon emissions. It is, therefore, essential that people begin to improve the thermal performance of these existing buildings if the UK is to reach its target of net (净) zero carbon emission by 2050, and help to reduce the possibility of fuel poverty.

The new research suggests living walls can also provide significant energy savings to help reduce the carbon footprint of existing buildings. Perfecting these living wall systems, however, is now needed to help increase the environmental benefits.

1. What did the researchers find about the living wall in the test?

A．It protected the building very well.

B．It caused serious waste of some fuels.

C．It reduced the heat loss of the building.

D．It made the building look more beautiful.

2. What does the underlined word “eliminated” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Repeated.

B．Removed.

C．Defeated.

D．Renewed.

3. What measure should the UK take to reduce carbon emission?

A．Pulling down the older buildings.

B．Cutting down the prices of fuels.

C．Reducing heat loss from the older buildings.

D．Adding more living walls to new buildings.

4. Which of the following can best describe the living wall?

A．Promising.

B．Doubtful.

C．Expensive.

D．Impracticable.

5 . 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。

My first semester at MIT (Massuchusetts Institute of Technology麻省理工大学) was awesome — I was very motivated and got all A’s, with everything being pass. My second semester went pretty well, too, but I struggled very much in organic chemistry and ended up with a B. This was my first B ever, and though I was disappointed, I shook it off and tried to stay positive.

I was not even sure why I took organic chemistry, since I was interested in math. My parents were pressuring me to become a doctor like them so I guess I was trying to make them satisfied. But at the same time, I was desperately running away from them and their control. I was confused and had no idea what I wanted to do in the future.

For my third semester, I took Linear Algebra (线性代数). I had never done higher-level math before, and I ended up with a D. I didn’t do that well in my other classes, either. I started skipping classes more and more, sleeping more and more. It seemed like all my friends were doing so well, getting some internship opportunities over the summers, while my parents made me fly home and stay with them every summer. The next semester I got 2 Fails.

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:

My fifth semester, I realized that I was awful at higher-level math.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

Since I was forced to drop out of university,

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卡相应的位置上。

I truly believe the secret to a successful quit lies in the desire to quit. No     1     (program) work when you don’t really want to stop     2     (smoke). If your desire to quit is     3     (great) than your need to smoke, you will     4     (success). We all deserve.     5     smoke-free life. No matter what causes us     6     (quit) smoking or spurs (鞭策) us on, we deserve health and     7     (happy) that being smoke-free provides. You’ll have a     8     (wonder) existence without nicotine addiction. If you still struggle with the desire     9     you have to continue smoking after you’ve quit, I believe you need to re-examine your reasons     10     quitting in the first place.

7 . Once a highly successful businessman, _________ a health insurance company, was getting ready to go to his office. When he _________ the car door and tried to reach into his car, a dog sleeping under his car suddenly came out and _________ on bis leg! The businessman got very angry and quickly _________ a few rocks and threw at the dog but none hit the dog. The dog ran away.

Upon reaching his office, the businessman _________ a meeting of his managers and during the meeting he put the anger of dog on them. The managers also got upset by the anger of their _________ and they put their anger to the employees working under them. The chain of this reaction kept going _________ the lower level of employees and _________, the anger reached to the office peon (苦力；苦工).

After the of office time was _________ the peon reached his home, and his wife opened the door. She asked him, “Why are you so late today?” The peon __________ and upset, gave one slap (用手掌打，拍，捆) to his wife! And he said, “I didn’t go to the office to play football. I went to work so don’t irritate me with your stupid questions!”

So now the wife got upset, for she got a slap for no __________. She put her anger on his son who was watching TV and gave him a slap, “This is all you do, and you have no interest in studying! __________ the TV now!”

The son got upset now! He walked out of his house and saw a dog passing by looking at him. He picked up a rock and hit the dog in anger and frustration. The dog, getting hit by a rock, ran away barking, __________.

This was the same dog that bit the businessman early morning.

What we can learn from this story is that we should be mindful of our __________, because good actions will bring you good things and black deeds will lead to __________ results.

1.

A．serving

B．funding

C．running

D．paying

2.

A．opened

B．closed

C．locked

D．washed

3.

A．felt

B．barked

C．smelt

D．bit

4.

A．broke up

B．picked up

C．cut up

D．hung up

5.

A．postponed

B．canceled

C．called

D．considered

6.

A．partner

B．child

C．customer

D．boss

7.

A．till

B．before

C．after

D．past

8.

A．luckily

B．finally

C．painfully

D．hopefully

9.

A．down

B．over

C．on

D．off

10.

A．angry

B．frightened

C．helpless

D．nervous

11.

A．good

B．word

C．reason

D．luck

12.

A．Break down

B．Put away

C．Turn off

D．Pick out

13.

A．in need

B．in trouble

C．in order

D．in pain

14.

A．experiment

B．challenge

C．recommendation

D．behavior

15.

A．unpleasant

B．unique

C．equal

D．impressive

8 . Some people, regardless of what they lack—money, looks, or social connections—always show with energy and confidence. Even the most doubting individuals find themselves attracted with these lovely personalities. These people are the ones you turn to for help, advice, and companionship. You just can’t get enough of them, and they leave you asking yourself, “What do they have that I don’t? What makes them so attractive?”

The difference? Their sense of self-worth comes from within. Attractive people aren’t constantly searching for value, because they’re confident enough to find it in themselves. There are certain habits they pursue every day to keep this healthy view. Since being attractive isn’t the result of dumb luck, it’s time to study the habits of attractive people so that you can use them to your benefit.

Get ready to say “hello” to a new, more attractive you. Attractive people treat everyone with respect. Whether interacting with their biggest shoppers or a server taking their drink order, attractive people are unfailingly polite and respectful. They treat every one with respect because they believe they’re no belief than anyone else.

They follow the golden rule. One person loves public recognition, while another hates being the center of attention. The golden rule is to treat others as they want to be treated. Attractive people are great at reading other people, and they adjust their behaviors and styles to make others fell comfortable.

Bringing it all together, attractive people have simply perfected certain appealing qualities and habits that anyone can adopt as their own. They think about other people more than they think about themselves, and they make other people feel liked, respected, understood and seen. Just remember: the more you focus on others, the more attractive you’ll be.

1. Why are the people with lovely personalities different from you?

A．Because they show confidence and energy.

B．Because they maintain their healthy view.

C．Because they get along well with doubting individuals.

D．Bemuse they don’t lack money, looks, or social connections.

2. What does the underlined phrase “dumb luck” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Bad luck.	B．Study habit.
C．Valuable belief.	D．Good fortune.

3. What will an attractive person probably do when having dinner with his leader?

A．He will comfort his leader and the waitress during the dinner lime.

B．He will treat his leader properly and help the waitress when necessary.

C．He will make the leader focused when the leader prefers to stay alone.

D．He will just care about his leader rather than the waitress when ordering.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Intelligent People	B．The Golden Rule
C．The Attractive Personalities	D．The Different Qualities

9 . Zhang Huiying used to feel very lonely because she and her husband live far from their children. To _________ time, the 67-year- old resident living in a community in Chengdu, danced with her peers in the _________.

However, her life has _________ a change since she became a “shared granny”. The role sees Zhang taking care of children in the community when their parents are _________ with work and don’t have time to _________ them. Now, her life has more meaning. When she acts as a shared granny willingly, Zhang has a sense of _________ because she is loved by the children. The role is _________, but Zhang is proud of her contribution to society and she is _________ as a contributor instead of as an old woman killing her time.

Most of the children she cares for are _________, who are keen on something __________. Zhang surfs the internet daily to learn new things. Then she __________ the children to make new handicrafts. Last year, Zhang was sick for several days and could not care for the pupils. She was __________ when several of them visited her with their parents. When she opened the door, five kids rushed up to her saying they __________ her.

The community’s retired residents had plenty of free time and __________ to participate in more social activities. __________ local decision-makers __________ the shared granny program to __________ female seniors to take care of the children. In return, parents provide a range of __________ for the elderly.

Zhang feels taking care of young students is __________. Thanks to the program, community __________ has been enhanced and many neighbors have grown closer.

1.

A．use

B．save

C．enjoy

D．kill

2.

A．station

B．airport

C．square

D．classroom

3.

A．occurred

B．witnessed

C．suffered

D．prevented

4.

A．busy

B．angry

C．patient

D．content

5.

A．chat with

B．look for

C．listen to

D．attend to

6.

A．security

B．satisfaction

C．humour

D．guilt

7.

A．compulsory

B．reasonable

C．amazing

D．voluntary

8.

A．appointed

B．regarded

C．named

D．awarded

9.

A．pupils

B．orphans

C．babies

D．relatives

10.

A．impossible

B．familiar

C．novel

D．normal

11.

A．instructs

B．reminds

C．persuades

D．expects

12.

A．confused

B．disappointed

C．touched

D．amused

13.

A．admired

B．missed

C．trusted

D．understood

14.

A．desired

B．refused

C．struggled

D．hesitated

15.

A．Suddenly

B．Occasionally

C．Casually

D．Fortunately

16.

A．considered

B．accomplished

C．introduced

D．attracted

17.

A．force

B．allow

C．urge

D．teach

18.

A．money

B．blessings

C．care

D．belongings

19.

A．demanding

B．challenging

C．promising

D．rewarding

20.

A．harmony

B．equipment

C．wealth

D．status

10 . Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why you came into it in the first place? I couldn’t agree more when I read an article from Live Science that stated, “There are several types of memories, and the brain has a unique way of forgetting each kind.” Memory does some funny things. While forgetting is a normal and vital part of our brain function, we have to admit that memory can be a mysterious and naughty joker. One of the most common mysteries is a short-term memory failure where people find themselves entering a room with no memory of why they did so.

Everyone has experienced this at least once in their lives. We call it a “senior moment”, but researchers say it’s actually okay to put the blame on our doorways and not on our ageing brains. The act of walking through a doorway sends a signal to our brains that a new scene has started and that previous memories should be put away. This is what causes our memory failure and confusion. The thoughts we had before we entered that new scene have actually been sectionalized (分区). In an interview with Live Science Gabriel Radvansky, a psychologist at the University of Norte Dame said, “Entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an ‘event boundary’ in the mind.”

I find this amazing, as I watch it happen to people all around me every day. I guess I should stop telling them they’re getting old and actually explain the cause. For me it’s not doorways that cause a problem. It’s flights of stairs. Every so often I find myself going up the stairs and forgetting why I did so just as soon as I’ve reached the landing. What’s up with that? Now if I can only find out what that means, I’d be truly fascinated.

1. What contributes to our “senior moment” according to the researchers?

A．Ageing brains.

B．Doorways.

C．Different moments.

D．The same scenes.

2. Which of the following is Radvansky likely to agree with?

A．Walking through a doorway makes us nervous in the mind.

B．Sectionalized thoughts disappear when we enter a new scene.

C．Too many events in life are harmful to our brain memory.

D．Exiting through doorways causes short memory failures.

3. What may confuse the author?

A．Whether he should explain the cause to others.

B．How much he was fascinated by science.

C．How many people suffer from doorway problems.

D．Why going up the stairs makes him forgetful.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Short memory failures do have scientific reasons.

B．Our brain has several types of memories.

C．Everyone has a unique way of forgetting things.

D．Psychology theories can help us improve memories.