1 . A group of small, waggling (扭动) robots that communicate by flashing lights can make collective decisions. This is similar to the process bees use to reach an agreement on where to build their nest.

“We believe that in the near future there are going to be simple robots that will do jobs that we don’t want to do, and it will be very important that they make decisions on their own,” says Carmen Miguel at the University of Barcelona in Spain. She and her team tested how copying bees might help with that.

When bees go house-hunting, they communicate their preferred locations through a “waggle dance”. The more a bee recommends one location, the longer and harder it waggles. Eventually other bees join them, and they reach an agreement when a majority are waggling together. Researchers previously translated this behavior into a mathematical model, and Miguel and her colleagues used it to program decision-making rules into small robots called kilobots.

Each kilobot with three thin legs had an infrared-light emitter (红外线发射器) and receiver, and a colored LED light. Within a group, kilobots could move around, turn clockwise or anticlockwise and use infrared signals to exchange information.

Ezequiel Ferrero at the University of Barcelona says that across all the experiments, kilobots reached an agreement within about half an hour, even when they didn’t have many immediate neighbors to communicate with. He says that getting the right combination of how long they spend transmitting their message and how much they walk around allowed them to make a collective decision in the end.

1. What’s Miguel’s attitude to the development of kilobots?

A．Worried.

B．Confident.

C．Uncertain.

D．Unconcerned.

2. How will bees communicate a perfect location when they go house-hunting?

A．By giving out a special smell.	B．By moving around repeatedly.
C．By doing a waggle dance energetically.	D．By flashing light for a long time.

3. What did Miguel and her team do to enable kilobots to make a collective decision?

A．They put kilobots before real bees.

B．They equipped kilobots with thin legs.

C．They built a special mathematical model.

D．They programmed decision-making rules into kilobots.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Bees are expert in waggling.

B．Robots learn waggle dances by copying bees.

C．Waggle dances mean a lot in communication.

D．Robots reach an agreement by copying bees waggling.

2 . I grew up hiking and climbing mountain s a lot. It was my dad who accompanied me and taught me how to hike and climb mountains. On our first hike, our group ran ahead without us. Dad and I ended up _________ the path toward the top. This was the _________ part of the climb, where we had to climb rocks. I was scared not to have the path to tell us where to go. Mainly, I was afraid that Dad would fall off the mountain when he went _________ to seek for the best way for me to climb up. I was grateful for his _________. He always made me feel like I was safe with him — even when he insisted that we should not _________.

When we were close to the top, we _________ some hikers. One of them crouched (蹲) down on a rock, grasping at branches of a bush. His face was _________ and looked frozen, like a statue. Dad asked what was going on. The man _________ told him that he was frightened of _________. In my 7-year-old mind, I thought, “But, you’re climbing a mountain!” Dad always helped people in trouble. He told the man to __________ him while he led him to a spot below that was __________ by trees, with no view of the valley below. Dad told him to wait there for his group of hikers to come back and __________ him up. Dad taught me sympathy and to help others in need whenever I can.

When we finally reached the top and __________ our group, we sat on the highest point, looking at the breathtaking scenery. I was so __________ we hadn’t stopped halfway. Dad taught me, “Don’t give up, especially when you’re almost there.” This has been a valuable __________ that has got me through some big challenges in my life.

1.

A．losing

B．discovering

C．approaching

D．conquering

2.

A．easiest

B．smoothest

C．toughest

D．narrowest

3.

A．down

B．up

C．ahead

D．out

4.

A．safety

B．wisdom

C．strength

D．bravery

5.

A．speed up

B．go on

C．turn back

D．look down

6.

A．came across

B．made out

C．got through

D．got across

7.

A．red

B．pale

C．rough

D．dirty

8.

A．aimlessly

B．fearlessly

C．tirelessly

D．breathlessly

9.

A．heights

B．mountains

C．difficulties

D．accidents

10.

A．look up to

B．hold onto

C．listen to

D．respond to

11.

A．replaced

B．separated

C．surrounded

D．covered

12.

A．cheer

B．look

C．put

D．pick

13.

A．rejoined

B．reintroduced

C．revisited

D．rearranged

14.

A．regretful

B．relieved

C．upset

D．inspired

15.

A．time

B．message

C．decision

D．lesson

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What time does the restaurant open every day?

A．At 8: 00 a. m.

B．At 9: 30 a. m.

C．At 10: 00 a. m.

2. Who is the woman going to the restaurant with?

A．Her daughter.

B．Her husband.

C．Her sister.

3. What kind of table does the woman book?

A．One by the window.

B．One in the corner.

C．One near the door.

4. What can we learn from the conversation?

A．The restaurant serves varieties of Japanese foods.

B．The woman’s reservation is for this Sunday.

C．The restaurant is famous for its vegetable dishes.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How many cafes are there in the central business area of Tianhe district?

A．More than 1,000.

B．Over 500.

C．About 50.

2. What do we know about the coffee in Tsai Hsiching’s coffee shop?

A．The coffee beans are roasted very deep.

B．It combines TCM ingredients.

C．It is prepared by hand.

3. What do young people think of the ice cream containing TCM ingredients?

A．Disappointing.

B．Satisfactory.

C．Just so-so.

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。

Dora Kellert was the school’s spelling bee champion, winner of the reading contest at the public library three summers in a row and the playground grand champion in chess. She was a straight-A student.

Though Dora was talented, she was no good at sports. She could not figure out in which direction to kick the soccer ball. She was no good at baseball or basketball either. It wasn’t until last year, when she was eleven years old, that she learned how to ride a bike. And even then she had to use training wheels.

“I’ll never be good at sports,” she thought one day as she lay on her bed staring at the shelf her father had made to hold her trophies (奖杯). “How I wish I could win something, anything, even marbles (弹珠).”

At the word “marbles,” she sat up, “That’s it. Maybe I could be good at playing marbles.” She jumped out of bed and found a can full of her brother’s marbles. “Yes,” she thought. “I could play marbles, and marbles is a sport.” At that moment she realized that she had only three weeks to practice. The playground championship was coming up. She had a lot to do.

To strengthen her wrists (腕关节), she decided to do twenty push-ups on her fingertips, five at a time. By the end of the first set she was breathing hard. She did one more set and decided that was enough push-ups for the first day. She squeezed (握) a rubber eraser one hundred times, hoping it would strengthen her thumb (大拇指). This seemed to work because the next day her thumb was painful. She could hardly hold a marble in her hand, so Dora rested that day and listened to her brother’s tips on how to shoot.

After school the next day she practiced three hours straight. After practice, she squeezed the eraser for an hour. Practice, practice, practice. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. Dora got better and even beat her brother for the first time.

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。

Time flew and soon came the big day.

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Dancing home, she placed the trophy on the middle of the shelf.

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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。

Dominic Richard loves cycling. In 2023, he ordered a new bike from a factory in Shanghai and flew there     1     (pick) it up in person. However,     2     followed was jaw-dropping. Instead of flying back, he determined to ride back alone to the UK.

Richard cycled through cities and countries, taking in the sights along the way. He started in Shanghai, where after successfully picking up his new bike he began the journey. Considering all the possible challenges, he travelled light. The bike     3     (equip) with a carbon frame and tubeless tires, meaning no worry about a flat tire on route. He had a sleeping mat that kept him     4     (comfort) at night and bags to pack his clothing and equipment in. Battling a burning heat wave, he cycled across the vast expanse of China, often resting by the side of the road. People were curious     5     his journey along the way. Now and then Richard got     6     (invite) to many natives’ houses for free lunch and supplies, with truck drivers and cyclists     7     (stop) him along the road to chat.

Fortunately, after the     8     (impress) long ride, Richard made     9     to his home in the UK. “Thanks to this experience, I got     10     better understanding of amazing China and found a better self.”

7 . Grainne lived alone. My morning routine _________ with her daily walks to and from her gates, and we began having _________ there.

She was an easy conversationalists, with a good habit of focusing _________ on me as we talked. She told me she was 87, and she was surprised I was only 26. I found myself _________ her things I hadn’t necessarily told anyone. “I have never felt at home anywhere, I’m traveling to find out where I _________.” I told her.

We both looked forward to my daily _________. However, as our friendship grew, my beloved grandfather was seriously ill. I _________ to go back to India soon.

The day before I left Dublin, I went to say goodbye to Grainne. We both knew we were likely talking to each other in person for the _________ time.

Shortly after my return to India, my grandfather _________. I emailed Grainne telling her “I lost the only person who made me feel less __________.” Grainne wrote back, an email full of __________. She said: “I hope you understand you don’t fit into places. You fit into __________. You will always fit where you have people to fit with.”

Although I was never able to __________ Grainne again, my friendship with her continued through emails. It was one of the most __________ friendship I’ve ever known. I was 26 and alone in a foreign country, and she was 87 and alone in her own home. Together we made the world __________ again.

1.

A．cope

B．contrast

C．correspond

D．communicate

2.

A．conversations

B．arguments

C．expectations

D．competitions

3.

A．helpfully

B．initially

C．traditionally

D．entirely

4.

A．asking

B．teaching

C．telling

D．offering

5.

A．live

B．fit

C．differ

D．appear

6.

A．schedules

B．thoughts

C．needs

D．visits

7.

A．refused

B．remembered

C．decided

D．hesitated

8.

A．next

B．same

C．last

D．right

9.

A．gave up

B．passed away

C．turned over

D．pulled out

10.

A．respected

B．connected

C．alone

D．guilty

11.

A．news

B．treat

C．adventure

D．sympathy

12.

A．future

B．people

C．time

D．experience

13.

A．trust

B．find

C．comfort

D．see

14.

A．beautiful

B．commercial

C．secret

D．pretended

15.

A．fall behind

B．make sense

C．slow down

D．take effect

8 . 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。

Whenever Abigail opened the door to her aunt’s place for an after-school visit, she was greeted with the sight of her 3-year-old niece, sitting on the floor drawing with crayons. “She’s obsessed (着迷的),” said her aunt.“Gosh, I’m envious of a 3-year-old then,” Abigail thought to herself.

Every day, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Abigail would go over to look at herself in the mirror, thinking the same thing: I am just so…ordinary. It all started once she entered middle school, where her grades in all subjects were OK but not great, and she couldn’t sing or dance that well, or play sports. She wasn’t even good at making jokes as she was so shy. As she continued to go down the same mind spiral (漩涡) of “you’re not good enough, what kind of job could you get in the future being someone so ordinary?”, she checked the clock and rushed out the door to get to school on time.

Along the way, she saw Peter and Sally walking ahead of her. Two of the class’s top students, they were just so smart and dedicated. Peter always stayed behind after math class to continue working on the equations (方程式). He was, like her niece was with drawing, obsessed and talented.

A few mornings later in class, something seemed a bit off with Abigail’s teacher, Mr Fry. He was normally quite active, moving quickly from the whiteboard to the podium (讲台) to explain some new knowledge points. But that morning, Abigail noticed that he seemed slower, not very with it. Then, as he asked the students to copy down a math equation, Mr Fry began shaking and then started to fall. Immediately, Abigail rushed from her sea t in the fourth row, managing to catch him just in time. He had fainted. “Someone go get the head teacher now!” yelled Abigail in a loud, clear voice. Fifteen minutes later, Abigail and her classmates watched out the classroom window at Mr Fry being wheeled across the parking lot on a stretcher (担架) to be put into an ambulance.

After two weeks off, Mr Fry was back, entering the classroom again to a round of applause from the students. His presence brought a sense of relief and normalcy to the room, easing their worry about his sudden illness.

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

As soon as the lunch bell rang, Mr Fry pulled Abigail aside.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Extraordinary”, the word echoed in Abigail’s mind as walked home from school that day.

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9 . 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。

According to one legend, dumplings first appeared during the Han Dynasty.     1     (rough) 1800 years ago, the story goes, a physician named Zhang Zhongjing returned to his hometown during a cold winter. He found his fellow villagers with frostbitten ears and created a new dish to help them warm up. The ingredients he chose for their warming     2     (comprise) of button, herbs, and spices. The doctor wrapped them     3     pieces of dough and folded the pieces to resemble tiny ears. Dumplings     4     (continue) to take off and diversify since then. Typically     5     (fill) with meat or vegetables, the simple bites are distinguished by their pleated (起褶皱的), wheat dough wrappers. They’re often served for the Chinese New Year, though not because they look like crescent moons (新月). Eating them is believed     6     (bring) prosperity in the new year. Traditionally, if you want to wish someone good fortune in China, you feed dumplings with a coin hidden inside and     7     gets this coin will be lucky in the coming year. Making dumplings together with the whole family creates a unique,     8     (harmony) atmosphere. Today, Jiaozi is still     9     must in winter in most parts of northern China, especially during the Spring Festival. No words can precisely describe Chinese people’s affection for dumplings, as the food has already become a symbol of home and     10     (warm).

10 . Big Stuff

Do you know what is the tallest building in the world and where the tallest Ferris wheel is? Have you heard of the world’s steepest roller coaster? Have you seen the biggest monster truck? Here are some of the most huge things on Earth.

A Towering Achievement

Burj Khalifa, a tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the world’s tallest structure. The 162-story building, which opened in 2010, stands over 2,717 feet tall. Seen from above, the tower has a Y-shaped design. Its three tall, narrow wings are joined in the middle. Like the legs of a tripod (三脚架), each wing is supported by the other two.

A Wheel Winner

About 15 miles from the world’s tallest building stands the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, Ain Dubai. Also called an observation wheel, Ain Dubai stands 820 feet tall. Each of the 48 cabins can carry 40 people for spectacular views of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Before construction, support columns had to be driven 115 feet down through the earth to reach bedrock.

Extreme Ups and Downs

The world’s tallest roller coaster is Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. At 456 feet, the peak of the ride towers over nearby Jackson, New Jersey. A 500-foot-tall crane was needed to place the final section at the top. Like many weight-bearing structures, the tower makes use of the most stable geometric (几何的) shape, the triangle.

A Monster of a Truck

Designed and built by business owner Bob Chandler, Bigfoot 5 has held the record for the world’s biggest monster truck since 1986. Other trucks, including Bigfoot models, have been designed to perform better in competitions. But Bigfoot 5 still stands above the crowd, thanks to its 10-foot-tall tires. The tires were originally designed for equipment that drives on Alaska’s snowy tundra.

1. What do Burj Khalifa and Ain Dubai have in common?

A．They have similar structures.

B．They are located in the same city.

C．They are designed by the same architect.

D．They are intended for visitors to overlook the views.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A．Ain Dubai has a Y-shaped design.	B．Other trucks perform better than Bigfoot 5.
C．Kingda Ka takes advantage of the triangle.	D．Burj Khalifa can carry 40 people for spectacular views.

3. In which section will readers read the text?

A．Business.

B．Lifestyle.

C．Entertainment.

D．Advertisement.