1 . 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。

The 19th Asian Games closed on 8 October, 2023 in Hangzhou. 45 countries and regions shared     1     (amaze) moments there, marking     2     third time that China has hosted the continental multi-sports event.

With break-dancing and esports making     3     (they) debuts (首次亮相) as official medal sports, the Hangzhou Asian Games featured 40 sports and 481 events. China     4     (win) 201 golds, 111 silvers and 71 bronzes, finishing atop the medal tally for the 11th consecutive edition. Behind China, Japan finished in second place with 52 gold, 67 silver and 69 bronze medals,     5     (follow) by South Korea on 42-59-89. 27 countries and regions won gold     6     (medal), while 41 delegations pocketed at least one medal.

China’s swimmers Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang     7     (award) Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Asian Games. Zhang clinched (赢得) six titles and Qin pocketed five golds and a silver on his second Asiad     8     (appear).

Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) acting president Raja Randhir Singh declared the Games closed, praising China as the perfect host     9     the OCA will never forget. “I would like to thank the Chinese government, the Chinese Olympic Committee, the people of Hangzhou,     10     the Hangzhou organizing committee (HAGOC) for what you have done.” said Singh.

2 . Every year my parents go out to the streets of San Francisco to hand out gifts, sleeping bags and other clothing to the homeless in the Winter season.

My parents ________ their first homeless person of the day. He was ________ and a bit confused (迷糊的). My parents asked him what happened. He said he had all his things ________. His name was Tom Cronin. My parents then asked if he would like to have them ________ his family for him, and he pulled out of his pocket a ________ with his brother’s name on it. What happens next is a crazy ________.

After giving him ________ and a sleeping bag, my Mom came home and asked me to ________ the name of his brother. After I had found the ________ of his brother in Big Sur, my Mom contacted him. He told us Tom suffered from epilepsy (癫痫), which sometimes made him lost and unable to take care of himself.

Brother Dan came to San Francisco and ________ the streets with my Dad, but there was no ________. Then a (an) ________ was created by Dan called Findtomcronin.com. What happened later was ________. People started emailing Dan.

Less than two weeks later, police officer Rodney Barrera ________ Tom and immediately brought him to the ________ room. The hospital contacted Dan. With the efforts of so many, a family was reunited.

1.

A．respected

B．met

C．invited

D．hired

2.

A．untidy

B．lazy

C．calm

D．cool

3.

A．borrowed

B．cleaned

C．stolen

D．sent

4.

A．teach

B．help

C．remind

D．contact

5.

A．key

B．card

C．bill

D．wallet

6.

A．dream

B．idea

C．adventure

D．attempt

7.

A．clothes

B．resources

C．facilities

D．materials

8.

A．put forward

B．think over

C．write down

D．look up

9.

A．job

B．introduction

C．information

D．account

10.

A．searched

B．crossed

C．cleaned

D．visited

11.

A．harm

B．luck

C．response

D．option

12.

A．workshop

B．website

C．poster

D．company

13.

A．magical

B．alarming

C．passive

D．unbearable

14.

A．believed

B．awakened

C．found

D．supported

15.

A．living

B．dining

C．storage

D．emergency

3 . If your next meeting can’t be an email, maybe it can just be 15 minutes. The 15-minute meeting is the fastest-growing block of time that workers and bosses are planning, according to an analysis of Microsoft Teams data, which also shows people are booking fewer hour-long meetings. Fifteen-minute meetings now make up 60 percent of gatherings, proving that executives and employees alike have grown stricter about their time.

Thirty minutes tends to be the common time for many meetings. Jayne Sandman, who runs a Washington, D.C., branding-and-marketing firm, generally gives people a tight 15. “The death of your day is too many ‘half-hours’,” she says. Sandman starts calls with something warm and exciting, such as “I can’t wait to hear about your weekend later!” Then she quickly turns to business, noting there are only 15 minutes on the docket (议程).

Over three-fourths of employees say shorter meetings are more efficient, according to a new poll of more than 2,000 U.S. workers conducted in September by market-research firm Civicscience. One-third of respondents said they stop paying attention after 15 minutes anyway. For an employee who makes $100 an hour, cutting down 4 of their meetings by 15 minutes is a $100 savings. Shorter meetings can also help employees work less hours. Companies that have gone to a four-day workweek say banishing meetings that serve mostly as progress reports is the first step to increase efficient hours out of the day.

Rahim Charania, managing partner of a real-estate investment firm, says the 15-minute block is the standard time, and meetings rarely run over. “It forces everyone to do the majority of their thinking before the meeting.”

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．Arguments over meeting time.

B．Means of attending meetings.

C．People’s attitudes towards time.

D．People’s preference for shorter meetings.

2. Which of the following best explains “banish” underlined?

A．Remove.

B．Attend.

C．Organize.

D．Add.

3. How does the author show the efficiency of 15-minute meetings?

A．By listing figures.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By telling a story.	D．By giving definitions.

4. What is the benefit of shorter meetings according to Rahim Charania?

A．Workers can earn more money.

B．Workers can stay more focused.

C．Workers will prepare for meetings well.

D．Workers can have more time themselves.

4 . Can international students bring family or their children with them to Australia? Use this guide to find out about the visa rules for international students.

A student visa is a temporary (临时的) visa that allows students to stay in Australia for the length of their course. Students are also able to include family members when they are applying for their student visa as long as they are your partner or children.

One of the most important factors of the application is the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) criterion (入境标准). It includes a written statement in which you need to demonstrate (说明) that you and your family do not intend to stay in Australia beyond your student visa.

You also have to meet English language prerequisites (前提) as well as financial requirements. You need to have enough money that is genuinely available to you to pay for your course fees and travel and living costs for you and your accompanying family members while you are in Australia.

The 12-month living cost is:

Student: AUD$21,041

Partner/spouse: AUD$7,362

Child: AUD$3,152

Alternatively, you can show proof of an annual income. The current benchmark (基准) is A$62,222 for single person or A$72,592 for families.

1. What can we learn about an international student visa in Australia?

A．It is easy to apply.

B．It can be used forever.

C．It can include students’ family members.

D．It is signed by students’ family members.

2. How much will a student spend on living for one year if his child goes abroad with him?

A．AUD$62, 222.	B．AUD$72, 592.
C．AUD$24, 193.	D．AUD$28, 403.

3. Where is the passage most probably taken from?

A．A travel journal.	B．An educational guide.
C．A course plan.	D．A business report.

5 . Volunteer by supporting a local animal rescue center in Costa Rica!

If you like animals and are also interested in preserving the environment, you will be perfect for this program. You will be helping out in and supporting a local animal shelter. Not only does this shelter take in homeless animals, but also wild animals which are in bad condition.

In addition to the caretaking of the animals, volunteers help us welcome visitors at the entrance and answer any questions that visitors may have about the shelter or its animals. As volunteers spend more days in the shelter, knowledge about wildlife management will grow.

Requirements

＊You need to be at least 15 years old on the program start date at the high school level or above.

＊Speaking English is a basic requirement.

＊No restrictions on nationality. Helping hands both in Costa Rica and beyond are welcome.

＊Your helping hand will be required from 09:00 to 15:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Program fees

＊Booking payments (15%): The booking payment is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payment is made by PayPal. You can also pay using a credit card.

＊Final payments (85%): Your final payment will be agreed with Volunteer Now Costa Rica during the application process.

1. What can a volunteer do in the rescue center?

A．Communicate with visitors.	B．Get trained to place animals.
C．Give lectures about animals.	D．Search for homeless animals.

2. Who can volunteer in the program?

A．A French-speaking adult.	B．A primary schoolchild.
C．A college student from America.	D．A local person free on Fridays.

3. How much should a volunteer pay at least to make a reservation?

A．$52.5.

B．$105.

C．$297.5.

D．$350.

6 . Four Women Who Made Scientific History

Katherine Johnson (1918-2020)

Katherine Johnson was a black mathematician and one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist. As a mathematician, she calculated (计算) and analyzed the flight paths of NASA spacecraft. She is best known for making the calculations that allowed the first Americans to enter Earth’s orbit and set foot on the moon. The 2016 movie Hidden Figures records Johnson’s life and work at NASA.

Sally Ride (1951-2012)

Sally Ride was important in creating career and educational opportunities for women and girls in science and mathematics. As an astronaut, she became the first American woman in space in 1983. On NASA’s second and third Space Shuttle missions, her job was to work the robotic arm, which she used to put satellites into space. After she stopped working for NASA, she founded NASA’s EarthKAM project, which provided students the opportunity to take pictures of the Earth and then study them. In 2003, she was added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)

Ada Lovelace is regarded as the world’s first computer programmer. She helped develop the idea for a computing machine, and invented an algorithm (算法) for a computer. To honor her contributions, the U.S. Department of Defense named a new computer language “Ada” in the 1980s.

Mae Jemison (1956- )

Mae Jemison is a doctor, engineer, and former NASA astronaut. In 1992, she became the first Black woman to travel into space. Jemison excels in many scientific fields, has authored several books, and even appeared on an episode (一集) of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She was included in the National Women’s Hall of Fame the International Space Hall of Fame. Currently, she leads the 100 Year Starship project through the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. This project is devoted to ensuring that human travel to another star is possible in the next 100 years.

1. What did Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride have in common?

A．They both did teaching jobs.	B．They both traveled to space.
C．They both worked for NASA.	D．They both spoke up for women’s rights.

2. Whose name was used to name a computer language?

A．Katherine Johnson’s.	B．Sally Ride’s.
C．Ada Lovelace’s.	D．Mae Jemison’s.

3. What is Mae Jemison doing at present?

A．Writing a book.	B．Leading a project.
C．Starring in a TV series.	D．Working as an astronaut.

7 . In the middle of the night, a baby chimpanzee (黑猩猩) is having nightmares. Chantal, his caretaker, tries to calm him down. She works at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, in the Republic of the Congo, in Africa. The chimp’s name is George. He was taken from his mother by hunters. Finally, he was rescued and taken to the sanctuary (鸟兽保护区), where Chantal helped him make friends with other chimpanzees. “We rescue chimps from terrible conditions and help them to live in the wild like other chimpanzees,” Chantal said, “They need to learn chimp behavior.”

Chimpanzees meet a lot difficulties because people cut down forest and illegal (非法的) wildlife trade. Their population, numbering in the millions a century ago, could be down to 172,000. This makes the work of the Tchimpounga Sanctuary even more important.

When opening in 1992, Tchimpounga had space for 60 chimpanzees. It has been made larger to the size of a hundred football fields, and provide home around 150 chimps. Many live on islands with thick forest in the Kouilou River. In that environment, the chimps are prepared for a possible return to the wild. The sanctuary also works with the government to reduce illegal trade in animals. Tchimpounga’s head veterinarian (兽医) Rebeca Atencia said, “We have effectively reduced the arrival of orphan (孤儿) chimpanzees to Tchimpounga. We’ve received only one orphan chimp over the past three years.”

The chimps have shown that they understand the sanctuary staff’s efforts. “Saving the life of a chimpanzee is very gratifying,” Atencia says. “Chimpanzees know when you’re helped them or saved their life. Sometimes, they thank you with a hug.”

As the leader of Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), Atencia also works with people who live near the sanctuary. These people depend on the forest for food and building houses, and their growing population is a danger to chimps. JGI helps the people in these places get healthcare, clean water, and others. This makes them less dependent on the area’s natural resources and reduces illegal trade in chimps. At present, there are islands within the sanctuary where the chimps can be safe from wild chimpanzees and hunters. And they’ re still under the care of the sanctuary staff.

1. What happened to chimps after they were taken to the sanctuary?

A．They got together with their mothers.

B．They were trained to comfort social workers.

C．They were taught how to live a usual life.

D．They were used for scientific experiments.

2. How does Rebeca Atencia probably find the sanctuary’s work?

A．It was dangerous and cost a lot of money at first.

B．It has received lots of support.

C．It hardly saves adult chimps.

D．It is a success.

3. What does the underlined word “gratifying” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Challenging.

B．Interesting.

C．Pleasing.

D．Tiring.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Supporting local people is good for chimp protection.

B．More efforts should be made to care for wild chimps.

C．The chimp population in the sanctuary has grown quickly.

D．People near the sanctuary depend on tourists to increase income.

8 . Jerry pretended ________the moment his father stepped in, which made the man extremely angry because he couldn’t bear________.

A．to be reading; being cheated	B．to read; being cheated
C．to be reading; to be cheated	D．to read; to be cheated

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。

“The 2023 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to Jon Fosse for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable,” the Swedish Academy     1    (announce)in Stockholm on Thursday.

The committee praised the author’s style,    2     has come to be known as “Fosse minimalism(极简主义)”. “Fosse presents everyday situations that are instantly recognizable in our own lives,” the committee said. “His reduction of language and dramatic action expresses the most powerful human emotions of     3    (anxious)and powerlessness in the simplest terms.”

His masterpiece — seven works grouped together into a single volume titled “Septology” —tells the story of     4     aging painter and widower who lives alone as he deals with the realities of religion, identity, art and family life.

“Fosse combines strong local ties, both linguistic and geographic,     5     modernist artistic techniques,” the committee said, “    6    (list)the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and the Austrian poet Georg Trakl among those who influenced his style.”

“While Fosse shares the negative outlook of his predecessors, his particular vision cannot be said     7    (cause)a nihilistic contempt(虚无主义不屑)of the world. Indeed, there is also great warmth     8     humor in his work.” the committee added.

The choice of Fosse as this year’s laureate will do little to counter criticism from those who say the committee rewards     9    (Europe)writers at the expense of authors in other continents.

Male writers have also     10    (historical)dominated the award: Of the 120 laureates in literature, only 17 have been women.

10 . Dryland ecosystems cover about 40% of land on earth and support more than 2 billion people, and, once degraded, they are difficult to restore. One technique for restoring dryland ecosystems with native plants — direct seeding — is promising, but has many disadvantages.

“In degraded drylands only around 10% of directly sown seeds actually establish themselves,” says Frederick Dadzie, PhD candidate at UNSW. “And given that native seeds are expensive and often in low supply, this is full of problems.”

Since one of the potential issues of degraded drylands is an absence of native microorganisms(微生物)in the soil, the research team acquired native microorganisms from undisturbed sites and grew them. They then introduced them to soil that contained the seeds of native plants and planted them in degraded drylands.

They found that microorganisms were very beneficial for getting the plants established. especially at the earlier stages when the seeds were growing to seedlings(树苗). After that, the relationship was less clear.

“That microorganisms improve germination(发芽)in degraded habitats is good news for ecosystem restoration," says Mr. Dadzie. “And what’s better: this is a simple, two-step process that can be applied to restoring dryland ecosystems. First, combining the seeds and soil into pellets(小球), and second, providing those pellets with the microorganisms.”

“Not only are drylands valuable as food bowls for vast numbers of people, but they also provide other services,” says Mr. Dadzie. “Due to the vastness of drylands, they have the highest potential to absorb atmospheric carbon and therefore contribute substantially to climate change.”

While this study was conducted at a field site, the seedlings were provided with both shade and water. In the future, similar experiments should be repeated but under more naturalized conditions with environmentally determined sun and rain.

1. What does the underlined word “degraded” in Paragraph I mean?

A．Changed.

B．Improved.

C．Worsened.

D．Simplified.

2. What does Mr. Dadzie think of using native microorganisms to restore dryland ecosystems?

A．It is simple and promising.	B．It is costly but practical.
C．It is challenging but effective.	D．It is unproven and questionable.

3. What can we learn about the study?

A．Its method is out of date.

B．It was conducted in the laboratory.

C．Further study in naturalized conditions is necessary.

D．One type of native plant was involved in the whole process.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The solution to climate change lies in drylands

B．Microorganisms are the key to ecosystem restoration

C．Scientists have improved the direct seeding technique

D．Local microorganisms help native seeds take root in drylands