1 . For as long as I can remember I’ve been making art. That meant spending hours at the kitchen table, as a child, drawing women in beautiful gowns and dogs wearing clothes eating in fancy restaurants. Because I was encouraged and praised, I
In college-thinking that I was going to
Even before I graduated, I had begun showing my art in any
The art publishing world was a great way to get my work in front of wide
I sometimes wonder what other visual artists do when they’re feeling burnt out and
People always tell artists to ‘find their own voice’. While I do agree with this, I don’t know if it’s something you can just go out and find. To me, it’s important that your voice
A.possessed | B.developed | C.wasted | D.recognized |
A.stick to | B.deal with | C.major in | D.stand for |
A.relate | B.switch | C.compare | D.apply |
A.patience | B.talent | C.permit | D.degree |
A.spot | B.store | C.gallery | D.show |
A.believe in | B.come across | C.connect with | D.depend on |
A.Eventually | B.Obviously | C.Immediately | D.Gradually |
A.felt like | B.gave up | C.put off | D.ended up |
A.artists | B.professors | C.publishers | D.audiences |
A.Drawing | B.Seeing | C.Creating | D.Describing |
A.upsetting | B.terrifying | C.thrilling | D.embarrassing |
A.uninspired | B.panicked | C.relieved | D.shocked |
A.short | B.wild | C.dry | D.strong |
A.source | B.behaviour | C.recreation | D.knowledge |
A.heals | B.finds | C.satisfies | D.Impresses |
2 . Growing up on a farm, Tori James spent much of her early years outdoors, building shelters and playing in muddy streams. She describes herself as an ambitious, adventurous child who went to bed reading the survival guides that lived on her bedside table. Even so, James says she could never have predicted that, one day, she might be the youngest British woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Today, James is a professional adventurer. Yet ahead of her first expedition at the age of 18, which she spent mapping the cracks of Iceland’s Vatnajökull glacier with the British Exploring Society, James recalls doubting her ability to last a month out in the cold without the comfort of a hot bath. “It’s only by stepping out of our comfort zone that we understand our true potential,”she explains. “That’s when the magic happens.”
Although James has spent a significant part of her life exploring some of the most remote landscapes in the world, when it comes to traveling, she believes that there are numerous ways for everyone to push their boundaries, other than by undertaking physical challenges. James also encourages would-be adventurers not to be put off by the stereotypical image of the rugged, hardy explorer. “I am such a believer that, with the right support and skills, everyone can bring something to an expedition,” she says.
Sometimes, she adds, it’s only out in the field that someone’s hidden talents emerge. A diverse team can be key to a successful trip, particularly given the role of exploration in today’s world. “Historically, exploration has been about people finding nature’s hardest obstacles and trying to either overcome them, or beat them,” says James. “But now, for me at least, exploration is about connecting, not conquering. It’s about our connection to the living world around us, it’s about sharing its importance once we’ve returned and it’s about figuring out how to do adventure sustainably.”
1. What do we know about James?A.She was once doubted to be a professional adventurer. |
B.She enjoys reading thrilling adventure survival stories. |
C.She was a child with big dreams and a desire for exploration. |
D.She might be the youngest woman to conquer Mount Everest. |
A.Few ways are there for us to push our boundaries. |
B.Future explorers are supposed to venture bravely. |
C.Exploring remote landscapes in the world is of significance. |
D.Support and skills are sure to bring out the best of explorers. |
A.To make the most of people’s hidden talent. |
B.To overcome the possible hardest obstacles. |
C.To figure out how to have a successful adventure. |
D.To engage in sustainable interactions with nature. |
A.Born to Be Adventurers. | B.Connecting the Living World. |
C.James’s Amazing Expeditions. | D.Adventurer James’s Travel Insights. |
The first time I saw Jeff was when my best friend, Brian, and I were in the fourth grade. When our teacher introduced Jeff to the class, she explained that he was sick and that he might not be able to be in class all of the time.
Jeff was completely bald (秃顶的) from cancer treatments, and he wore a hat. That was one reason that he and I bonded right away. Being the tomboy that I was, I liked wearing a hat — only I wasn’t allowed to wear one in class. Jeff was allowed to wear his hat all of the time. Other than that, he was a normal friend to both Brian and me. Some things he couldn’t do as well as the other kids because he had tubes in his chest for his treatments, but we never thought of him as sick because he didn’t act that way.
The only time that we would realize that Jeff was sick was when he went for his chemotherapy treatments (化疗). We’d notice the difference, but we’d just sort of think, yeah, Jeff was not feeling really well, but then it would pass and things would be back to normal.
Jeff, Brian and I were really sports lovers, and we became best friends. We would swim, jump and run together. As fourth grade progressed, Jeff seemed to get worse. During the summer between fourth and fifth grades, we spent tons of time together outdoors, running everywhere, although it had been hard for him to finish the run. Still, he was really happy when he was able to cross the finish line, and so were we.
Before school started, Jeff told me that he would be away for a few weeks to have his operation.
“Bye, see you in a month or so,” I said to him as if nothing much was happening.
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。
Then came the night when the phone rang. It was Jeff’s mom.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Brian and I decided to do something to help everybody remember Jeff.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________An International Business “Made in China”
Dominik, a 34-year-old Polish man, founded his own international logistics (物流) company Hao Duo Huo — meaning “lots of goods” in Chinese — in Wuhan, Hubei province.
“The first time I came to China was in 1997,” said Dominik. “Seeing the abundant opportunities in China, I decided to have my university education here.”
After
In April 2021, he
Explaining
5 . The Impact of AI on Smart Homes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is surely changing the way we live and work, and smart homes are no exception. With AI, smart homes will become even more automated and responsive.
Smart homes can learn about the people living in it. With special sensors and AI, the home can see which rooms people are in. Then the home can change things like the temperature, lights and other things in that room to make people comfortable.
Smart homes can save energy and help the environment. With AI, the home can sense when people are not using things like lights. Then the lights will turn off by themselves to conserve power.
AI has improved home safety a lot. It uses motion sensors and cameras around the home to watch out for things automatically. Security systems with AI can tell if something strange is happening. It will send alarms to owners on their phones.
All in all, with the increasing adoption of AI technology, smart homes are becoming more innovative, energy-efficient, safe, and convenient.
A.Other smart devices help keep homes safe too. |
B.We should use less air conditioning in summer. |
C.Watches helps a lot in monitoring people’s health. |
D.Here are some ways AI is impacting smart homes. |
E.AI will help connect smart homes to people’s health. |
F.AI also helps homes use energy better in other ways. |
G.The home can also use sensors to understand what people want. |
6 . Today’s teenage generation has been brought up surrounded by one single stereotype (刻板印象): the so-called MTV generation. We’re all constantly glued to our phone and TV screens, the boys are addicted to video games and the girls prefer posting pictures of themselves on the Internet. Both could watch TV series all day and both could do without a book. How accurate is this stereotype?
It turns out that most of them could actually do without a book. “The Kids & Family Reading Report” found that only 24% of 12 to 14-year-olds read five to seven days a week. The percentage goes down to a mere 17% when it comes to 15 to 17-year-olds. And it may come as no surprise that 76% of the former visit social media websites on a daily basis.
Reading frequently has many great benefits: it develops your verbal abilities (especially for kids, it will greatly improve their vocabulary), it improves your focus and concentration, it enhances your imagination, it reduces stress and it’s entertaining! Not only that but research has shown that people who read for pleasure show a greater appetite to engage with stories, texts and learning.
The popular TV show “Game of Thrones” (《权利的游戏》) certainly seems to have motivated a lot of teens to buy George R.R. Martin’s best-selling book series. Sales skyrocketed after the show was first put on in 2011, selling 9 million copies in one year, with many teens and young adults believed to have contributed to this statistic. In contrast, the book series had “only” sold 5 million from the first book’s release till 2011.
With nowadays’ teenagers apparently constantly glued to their screens, TV series “Game of Thrones” seems to have inspired a lot of them to take a break and read a book. Maybe teenagers will end up being the ones solving the issue after all.
1. Why does the author mention “The Kids & Family Reading Report” in paragraph 2?A.To prove a fact about teenagers’ reading. |
B.To stress the importance of daily reading. |
C.To introduce some social media websites. |
D.To encourage teenagers to read more each week. |
A.The importance of verbal abilities. | B.The ways to read for pleasure. |
C.The advantages of frequent reading. | D.The appetite to engage with learning. |
A.Dropped slightly. | B.Increased quickly. |
C.Changed frequently. | D.Remained surprisingly. |
A.Positive. | B.Defensive. |
C.Cautious. | D.Doubtful. |
7 . A pair of best friends from Texas are proving that adventure doesn’t have an age limit — even when you’re 81.
Ellie Hamby, a photographer, and Sandy Hazelip, a physician, toured the world in 80 days, adventuring from the beaches of Bali to the deserts of Egypt.
Their first stop was Antarctica. “The beauty of the Antarctic is just unbelievable,” Hamby recalled. Since then, the pair have visited 18 countries across all seven continents.
And despite the challenges international travel presents, the best friends say they finished their trip without any arguments.
“We’re both independent, very stubborn. But we seem to allow each other to give space,” said Hamby. “We just understand each other and we know this is a good thing we’re doing and we kind of respect each other’s feelings.”
For Hamby, the most interesting aspect of the trip was the people they met along the way.
“We love all the sights that we saw, but the things that we remember the most are the people that we met,” she said. “We met some of the most wonderful, kindest, friendliest people in the world. We just have friends now all over the world that we love dearly.”
And they shared an important piece of advice for any travelers worried about the language barrier on their own adventures.
“You know, people ask us often about the language, how we manage it,” said Hamby. “We say with Sandy and Ellie, there’s one language and that’s a smile. And we found that worked wonders because we were often aware that there was not English spoken. But a smile covers all languages.”
1. Why did they finish the trip without arguments?A.They had different personalities. |
B.They prepared presents for each other. |
C.They understand and respect each other. |
D.They allowed each other to voice their ideas. |
A.The beautiful sights. | B.The wonderful people. |
C.The interesting activities. | D.The cultural experiences. |
A.Rely on the smile. | B.Be more adventurous. |
C.Hear English spoken more. | D.Learn more languages. |
A.Language Struggles: Testing Friendship |
B.Travel Troubles: Friendship Tested Abroad |
C.Talking Struggles: Adventures Lost in Translation |
D.Limitless Adventure: Two Friends Break Age Barriers |
·The Seattle Great Wheel
The Seattle Great Wheel, open to the public in 2012, is a popular landmark in the city located on the west coast. The great Ferris wheel is 175 feet high. Appropriate for all ages, it is a must try ride in the city for a full view of Seattle. Fine dining restaurants and great wheel light shows add up the cheer to the place.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Ticket Price: $14 (Adults) $9 (Kids)
·Great Wolf LodgeThe Great Wolf Lodge was opened in 2008 with variety of amusement activities. Attractions like body slides, tube slides, lazy river etc. are featured in the amusement mark, making it perfect for all age groups. Fun rides, fitness centre and food court increase the enjoyment in the park.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 08:00 PM
Entry Fee: $50 per person
·Wild Waves Theme ParkWild Waves Theme Park is one of the major amusement parks in Seattle. It was opened in 1977, serving Seattle’s population with an exciting and fun experience. Rides and attractions in the park are divided into 5 major sections. It also celebrates annual festivals with lights, making the place more attractive.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 06:00 PM
Entry Fee: $34 (Adult) $24 (Children)
·Oaks Amusement ParkOne of the oldest amusement parks around Seattle, Oaks Amusement Park was opened in 1905. Among various amusement divisions, rides, skating rink, miniature golf court are few popular spots. The rides section of the park featuring kiddie rides, thrill rides, family rides, and height rides.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Entry Fee: $10 to $100 (Varies as per the activities)
1. What can visitors do at the Seattle Great Wheel?A.Have a full view of Seattle. | B.Play in the golf court. |
C.Enjoy the festival celebration. | D.Experience the body slides. |
A.$37. | B.$50. | C.$92. | D.$100. |
A.The Seattle Great Wheel. | B.Great Wolf Lodge. |
C.Wild Waves Theme Park. | D.Oaks Amusement Park. |
Zhang Zeduan's Qingming Scroll is a masterwork of Chinese art
Zhang used his
Zhang's timeless scroll is one of the examples of realism in the history of Chinese paintings, whose value is down
10 . Reading is often seen as an individual activity, but it definitely doesn’t have to be. If you join a book club, reading with others can be a positive social interaction.
In such a fast-paced world, sometimes it’s challenging to find the time and motivation to read. By joining a book club, you make a commitment to read the book of the month or the week and discuss your insights with others.
Reading is one of the most important things you can do for your brain, but reading with other people can make it even better.
Another plus is that at a book club you get together with your club members regularly, with whom you can share not only your thoughts about books but also other aspects of life.
A.This can help you meet your reading goals. |
B.Joining a book club can offer you many benefits. |
C.Book clubs can boost your happiness and well-being. |
D.Do you often have difficulty finishing reading a book? |
E.This brings a sense of community, belonging, and friendship. |
F.Have you found yourself always reading similar types of books? |
G.Meeting with others and exchanging ideas about things is the key. |