3 . A man on a cruise ship (游轮) noticed there was an elderly lady all alone, and the staff on the ship all knew her. Curious, he asked a waiter about the lady, half-expecting to hear that she owned the cruise line. However, all the waiter knew was that she had been on the last four cruises, back to back.

As he left the dining room one evening, he caught her eye and stopped to say hello. He asked, “I understand you’ve been on this ship for the last four cruises.” She replied, “Yes, that’s true.” “I don’t understand,” he said.

Without waiting, she replied, “It’s cheaper than a nursing home. The cost for a nursing home is at least $200 a day. Here on the cruise, I can get a long-term discount price of $135 a day. That leaves $65 a day for extra. I can enjoy up to 10 meals a day of fantastic food through room service. There are also free pools, an exercise room and nightly shows. Clean daily necessities are provided every day, without needing to ask. They treat you like a valued customer, not just a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have all the staff happy to help you.”

“I have the chance to meet new people every 7 or 14 days! Is the TV broken? Need to change a light bulb? No problem! They will fix everything soon and say sorry for the problems. There is always a doctor on board. This is how I want to spend the later years of my life.”

1. Why was the man curious about the elderly lady on the cruise ship?

A．He thought she was the captain of the cruise line.

B．He noticed she was alone but well-known on the ship.

C．He wanted to interview her about her daily life.

D．He saw she had taken the cruise ship four times.

2. What did the elderly lady share about her choice to be on the cruise ship?

A．She preferred cruising over flying.

B．She enjoyed working with the staff.

C．She thought it was more affordable.

D．She liked traveling to different countries.

3. Which was not mentioned by the elderly lady about staying on the cruise ship?

A．The availability of 24-hour room service.

B．The opportunity to meet new people.

C．A discounted rate for long-term stays.

D．Access to onboard entertainment and activities.

4. What did the elderly lady want to express by the underlined sentence in Para 3?

A．The staff on the cruise ship were very friendly.

B．The cruise ship offered better medical care when needed.

C．The money could make the staff kindly and considerately.

D．The staff on the cruise ship were very patient.

5. What can we learn about the elderly lady from this story?

A．She preferred a quiet environment.

B．She was not good at managing money.

C．She didn’t like meeting too many new people.

D．She hoped to live the rest of her life with respect.

4 . Some species can be very small, like bacteria and viruses,       are so small that we cannot see them with only our eyes.

A．who

B．that

C．which

D．where

5 . —What time is it? We’re going to be late!
—It’s a quarter after seven. _________. Don’t panic.

A．It all depends

B．We’re on time

C．It’s my pleasure

D．I hope so

7 . Mrs. Black angrily       her son but he didn’t listen to her.

A．told off

B．adapted to

C．turned down

D．put away

10 . Building a country is never easy. It takes hard work from generation to generation. But how about destroying it? A new report from The Guardian said long time of climate change can do that. The report said Tuvalu will be the first country to be completely lost due to climate change.

Tuvalu is a Pacific island nation with nine islands and 12,000 people. It has long been at risk from rising sea levels. Now, 40 percent of the area in its capital is underwater at high tide. By the end of the century, it is believed that all the islands will be underwater, reported Reuters. So many people in Tuvalu have often moved around the country and even to other countries.

To help with the problem, the country plans to build its country in the metaverse. The digital country will recreate the same landscape and keep its cultural and historical records. No matter where they live in the real world, the people in this country will have their identity and “live” in its online communities. The government hopes to manage and serve them in cyberspace.

This news made many people in Tuvalu excited. But Li Zuxi, director of the metaverse lab of Qingbo Intelligent Technology, said it may not be the best solution.

“Though the digital nation belongs to Tuvalu, it’s still built on a metaverse platform,” said Li. “Now, the metaverse is not mature, which may bring some problems.” He gave us an example. If people from other countries enter the space of the digital country but just show their names, how do people know if they do or do not truly belong to that country?

Li added that instead of trying our best to build digital nations, it's better to pay attention to save the real world now.

1. What problem does Tuvalu face?

A．Rising sea levels.	B．A dropping population.
C．The low levels of high tide.	D．Not enough water to use.

2. To deal with the problem, Tuvalu plans to .

A．break the country into several parts	B．fight against climate change
C．move the country to another island	D．build a digital country online

3. What do we know about Tuvalu in the metaverse?

A．People can find the same buildings as they are now.	B．The “new” Tuvalu is larger than the real one.
C．It has no records of culture and history.	D．People of the “new” Tuvalu have no identity.

4. What is Li Zuxi’s opinion about the news?

A．The metaverse world is safe.	B．He fully supports the rebuilding of Tuvalu.
C．He calls for more countries to enter the metaverse.	D．It's hard to manage a digital country.

5. What can we learn from the story?

A．The metaverse is replacing the real world.	B．The metaverse can help to protect culture.
C．Climate change happens more quickly than ever.	D．The metaverse has a bright future.