2 . 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。

During the 2023 Lanzhou International Marathon, all eyes were on the elderly couple—Hu Yingfu, 86, and his wife Wang Zhangmin, 77. Many doubted their ability to finish the race,     1     Hu completed the half marathon in two hours and twenty minutes.

Against initial struggles, Hu found a way to motivate himself by counting electric poles while running. “The distance between each electric pole is 50 meters. I run as fast as I can, passing a dozen or so poles.” said Hu.     2     (gradua), his endurance improved, along with his physical condition.

The couple’s love for running started as a way     3     (improve) their fitness, but it quickly became a passion, They participated in a national athletics event     4     the elderly in 2004,     5     (mark) their first-ever national competition. To their surprise, Wang achieved     6     impressive result—the fourth place.

Since then, the elderly couple have become regular     7     (participate) in national athletics events, consistently winning medals, and they     8     (recognize) as well-known figures in the running community.

With a     9     (combine) age of 163, the couple have participated in over 100 marathon races nationwide, whose impact has motivated     10     (count) young individuals to become part of the running community.

3 . On February 17th, the Clermont County Animal Shelter, Ohio, shared a story. A woman met with her missing dog Will again.

While ________ the shelter’s Facebook post forwarded by friends in her community, Hannah saw a dog named Rome that was to be available at the shelter’s weekend ________ event and that dog looked quite ________.

Hannah explained in her Facebook post that Will, a six-year-old went missing from her home in 2019. Although her family looked everywhere, they couldn’t ________ their missing baby.

A shelter volunteer said, “Just yesterday we ________ a message accompanied by photos with a detailed description of Will’s ________ in the hope that the dog brought to our shelter and renamed Rome was ________ Will!” But Rome was scheduled to be at the Take Me Home event today! Learning this, the volunteer, in a bit of ________ quickly sent a message back that Rome would be at the event! “We would love this family to be ________ and we just had to ________ whether this was Will after all these years!” It turned out a big yes. The volunteer continued, “The ________ story serves as a reminder of the incredible impact that the Internet can have in bringing communities together, especially in times of ________. Thank you all for ________ Will’s post.”

It was nothing short of a ________ and we are sure Hannah and her family are ________ to have their dog back!

1.

A．commenting on

B．checking out

C．speaking of

D．looking for

2.

A．celebration

B．adoption

C．demonstration

D．recommendation

3.

A．dynamic

B．lovely

C．familiar

D．friendly

4.

A．shelter

B．describe

C．forget

D．locate

5.

A．received

B．forwarded

C．left

D．delivered

6.

A．duties

B．achievements

C．owner

D．appearance

7.

A．possibly

B．obviously

C．actually

D．typically

8.

A．hesitation

B．guilt

C．anger

D．panic

9.

A．popular

B．thankful

C．supported

D．reunited

10.

A．guess

B．know

C．discuss

D．doubt

11.

A．heartwarming

B．mind-bending

C．convincing

D．entertaining

12.

A．danger

B．need

C．happiness

D．uncertainty

13.

A．sharing

B．reading

C．revising

D．saving

14.

A．connection

B．treasure

C．wonder

D．success

15.

A．excited

B．motivated

C．amused

D．urged

4 . For eight years, Sophie created realistic-looking limbs (肢) for those who wanted to fit in. But she longed to work on more odd designs that would stand out. Then she met Pollyanna Hope, a young amputee (被截肢者).

“She wanted something a little different on her leg: pictures of a cartoon she loved, Peppa Pig,” said Sophie, who is now based in London. So she designed a unique leg covered in tattoo-like images of Peppa and other pigs riding a bicycle and eating ice cream. Working with Hope made Sophie realize there was a potential market for limbs.

Since then, Sophie founded the Alternative Limb Project (ALP) to make artistic limbs. Her work includes an arm wrapped in sculpted snakes and a leg that looks like porcelain (瓷器) covered in a painted flowery vine. She makes about six limbs per year, always including clients’ ideas so that they receive a personal piece they can celebrate rather than hide.

Of course, a fancy-looking limb won't suit everyone. For Sophie, the basis is that each limb must satisfy a combination of comfort, beauty and functionality, and pushing too hard in one direction can weaken other areas. But for amputees who appreciate novelty, Sophie has some amazing ideas.

“I’d really like to make a candy-dispenser leg with colorful candies inside it” she says. “Or a cuckoo-clock leg with a wooden bird that pops out every hour.” Her goal is to fashion a striking limb.

“It’ll transform the limbs from an elephant in the room into a conversation piece.”

1. Why did Pollyanna Hope come to Sophie?

A．She hoped to have a tailored limb.

B．She intended to design a cartoon figure.

C．She longed to expand the market for limbs.

D．She expected to sell Sophie some odd ideas.

2. According to paragraph 3, ALP aims to ______.

A．boost users’ confidence	B．sharpen users’ creativity
C．improve Sophie’s sculpture skills	D．extend Sophie’s art business

3. What is the basis for Sophie's works?

A．The novelty of the pattern tops the list.	B．The balance of multi-needs comes first.
C．Fashion is the best policy.	D．Functionality is the key.

4. What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A．Sophie resolves to lead the fashion of limbs.

B．Sophie plans to further transform artistic limbs.

C．Amputees will feel at ease to talk about limbs.

D．Amputees will have easy access to artistic limbs.