1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who is the speaker probably talking to?

A．Teachers.

B．Students.

C．Professional cyclists.

2. What does Mr. Smith usually do on the weekend?

A．He joins in bike races.

B．He gives a science class.

C．He cleans his pink bike.

3. What does the speaker want the listeners to do?

A．Prepare some expensive bikes.

B．Try to become bike racers.

C．Use their bikes more often.

4. What will be organized on Fridays in April?

A．Bike fairs.

B．Bike parties.

C．Bike races.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When was the Hugs Café opened?

A．In 2012.

B．In 2014.

C．In 2015.

2. Why did the man open the restaurant?

A．To help people with special needs.

B．To enrich his life.

C．To make a childhood dream come true.

3. What dop we know about the restaurant?

A．There are three team leaders.

B．There are twenty-three teammates of the man.

C．There are some volunteers as helpers.

4. What is the woman doing ?

A．Hosting a show.

B．Visiting a restaurant.

C．Doing a business survey.

3 . As a child, Liu Wenwen disliked the suona, a “loud, high-pitched” traditional Chinese musical instrument, an ancestral heritage of her family that was to become her career.

Her peers at primary school laughed at her, saying her whole family was engaged only in “weddings and funerals.” Indeed, these are the two major occasions where the horn-like wind instrument is played in China’s rural areas. Liu felt ashamed. People admired things that were modern and international. “Suona, in comparison, was considered an art of the hillbilly.” Her father’s family has performed suona for seven generations.

The music is rooted in Liu’s DNA, but it takes time and hard work to become a skilled musician. The instrument was so loud that it annoyed the neighbors when she practiced at home. “So my parents would wake me up at 4 a.m. every day and take me to practice outside in a park.”

While she followed her parents to play the suona as a child, she only fell in love with the instrument at university. She found suona music beautiful for the first time in 2008, when she entered Shanghai Conservatory of Music to learn the instrument more systematically.

On China’s social media platforms, her name is often followed by a video of her live performance at a concert in Sydney, Australia, alongside award-winning composer Tan Dun in 2017. For her debut on the international stage, she was playing Hundreds of Birds Paying Homage to Phoenix, a masterpiece that often represents excellence in suona performance.

Liu promoted the “hillbilly” music to an international audience, thanks to Tan and his team, who recomposed the traditional music and arranged the piece into an orchestra. “It was a smooth dialogue between a Chinese instrument and a Western orchestra, loved by the musicians and audience alike,” she said. “I felt my hard work had paid off. I trained for over 20 years, probably just to win cheers and applause for traditional Chinese music on the international stage.”

1. What can we learn about Liu from the first two paragraphs?

A．She was born into a musical family.

B．She enjoyed playing the suona as a child.

C．She showed a talent for suona when she was young.

D．She felt ashamed of admiring modern and international things.

2. Why did Liu get up early to practice playing the suona?

A．To get more time for her practice.	B．To avoid disturbing the neighbors.
C．To spend more time with her parents.	D．To make practising the suona a habit.

3. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．Audience like Chinese instruments better than Western orchestra.

B．Liu’s performance at a Sydney concert got her recognized by the public.

C．Liu promoted traditional Chinese music to the whole world with her parents.

D．Social media is a major platform to carry forward traditional Chinese music.

4. In which part of the newspaper can we read the passage?

A．Technology.	B．Education.
C．People.	D．Entertainment.

4 . All the wisdom of the ages,     1    , are easily and cheaply available to all of us within the covers of books-but we must know how to avail ourselves of this treasure and how to get the most from it.

I am most interested in people, in meeting them and finding out about them.     2    , then on the pages of his book, and then, again, in my imagination. I’ve found in books new friends, new societies, new worlds.

    3    , others are interested not so much in “who” as in “how”. “Who” in the books includes everybody from science-fiction superman two hundred centuries in the future all the way back to the first figures in history. “How” covers everything from the explanations of Sherlock Holmes to the discoveries of science and ways of teaching manners to children.

Reading is a pleasure of the mind, which means that it is a little like a sport: your eagerness and knowledge and quickness make you a good reader. Reading is fun, not because the writer is telling you something, but because it makes your mind work.     4    . Your experience, compared with his, brings you to the same or different conclusions, and your ideas develop as you understand his.

Every book stands by itself, like a one-family house, but books in a library are like houses in a city.     5    ; they are connected with each other and with other cities. The same ideas, or related ones, turn up in different places; the human problems that repeat themselves in life repeat themselves in literature, but with different solutions according to different writings at different times.

A．If I am interested in people

B．Reading can only be fun if you expect it to be

C．all the stories that have delighted mankind for centuries

D．Although they are separate, together they all add up to something

E．Your own imagination works along with the author’s or even goes beyond his

F．Some of the most remarkable people I’ve met existed only in a writer’s imagination

G．as a result of reading, better, wiser, kinder, or gentler, you won’t have suffered during the process

5 . The innovation is part of research into brain-computer interfaces (接口) to help improve the lives of people with motor disabilities. The researchers included machine learning capabilities with their brain-computer interface, making it a one-size-fits-all solution.

Typically, these devices require extensive adjustment for each user- every brain is different, both for healthy and disabled users- and that has been a major hurdle to mainstream adoption. This new solution can quickly understand the needs of an individual subject and self-adjust through repetition. That means multiple patients could use the device without needing to tune it to the individual.

In a clinical setting, the subjects wear a cap packed with electrodes (电极) that is connected to a computer. The electrodes gather data by measuring electrical signals from the brain, and the decoder translates the brain signals into commands, which are used to control devices or applications. In this case, the decoded signals are translated into actions in a car racing game and a simpler task involving balancing a digital bar. Subjects were trained simultaneously for both the simpler bar game and the more complex car racing game, thus improving their brain function.

The researchers call this work foundational, in that it sets the stage for further brain-computer interface innovation. This project used 18 subjects with no motor disabilities. As they continue down this road, they will test this on people with motor disabilities to apply it to larger groups in clinical settings. “To achieve this, we need to improve our technology to make it easier to use,’ Millan. a professor in the University of Texas says.

On the side of translating the research, Millan and his team continue to work on a wheelchair that users can drive with the brain- computer interface. At the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals this month, the researchers showed off another potential use of the technology. controlling two rehabilitation (康复) robots for the hand and arm. This was not part of the new paper but a sign of where this technology could go in the future. “We’ll continue down this path wherever it takes us in the pursuit of helping people.” Millan says.

1. Who will benefit the most from the Brain-Computer Interface innovation?

A．People with physical disabilities.	B．Businessmen selling wheelchairs.
C．Students seeking academic improvement.	D．Athletes seeking performance enhancement.

2. What is the main advantage of the new solution?

A．Faster adjustment process.	B．Decreased need for tuning.
C．Improved mainstream adoption.	D．Quick understanding of commands.

3. What is the function of electrodes?

A．Translating signals.	B．Measuring brain signals.
C．Controlling devices.	D．Enhancing brain function.

4. What is the probable focus of Millan and his team’s future work?

A．Exploring hand and arm rehabilitation.

B．Showcasing technology at conferences.

C．Translating and publishing research papers.

D．Enhancing brain- computer interface technology.

6 . Family Kayaking

Price: £37 Adult; £21 Child (8 — 16 Years)
Dates: April-October

This activity is designed as a first-time kayaking (皮划艇) experience or for those with little water confidence. During this fun activity you’ ll learn the basics, try out the kit, go on a tour of the Beaulieu River with your trusty guide and maybe play a game or two along the way. A range of boat options will be available to choose from. Children under 12 will be required to take part on a double kayak with an adult. This activity is for those of 8 years and older.

What’s Included?
*Full introduction to the equipment and its use
*Up to 90 minutes of fun, learning and exploration
*Various kayaks to choose from (weight limit 150kg)
*Qualified coach on hand to support you
*Discuss your next steps and further kayaking options
*Toilets and changing rooms available

We can run extra activities at a time to suit you. If you can’t easily find the date you’re after please contact the office and we will be happy to help. We’re confident that what we do is excellent and provides real value for money. However, if for any reason we let you down, you’ ll be eligible (有资格的) for our 100% satisfaction guarantee and we’ll give your money back, no questions asked.

1. How much should an adult with a 9-year-old child pay for the activity?

A．£21.

B．£37.

C．£58.

D．£74.

2. What is required of children under 12?

A．Being good at swimming.

B．Learning the basics in advance.

C．Being accompanied by an adult.

D．Attending an extra 90-minute activity.

3. What can you do if you are dissatisfied with the service?

A．Get your money back.

B．Complain to the office.

C．Ask for an extra guided tour by a qualified coach.

D．Discuss your further kayaking options with your guide.

7 . Is it OK to kill time? Machines used to find this question difficult to answer. But a new study shows’ that artificial intelligence (AI) can be programmed to judge right from wrong.

“We show that machines can learn about our moral values,”says Dr. Patrick Schramowski, author of this study, based at the Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany.

“There is general agreement that AI research is progressing rapidly and that AI’s influence on society is likely to increase,” Schramowski reports. “From self-driving cars to health care, AI systems deal with increasingly complex (复杂的) human tasks in increasingly autonomous ways. It is important to carry out research in this area so that we can trust the decisions they make.”

Schramowski’s AI system is named the Moral Choice Machine (MCM). He and his team trained it with sets of newspapers, articles, and other texts that appeared between the years 1510 and 2009.

Once the scientists had trained the MCM, it accepted the moral values of the given text. When asked whether one may steal money, harm animals or kill a living being, it will answer “No.” But if you ask “Should I kill time?” it will tell you it’s okay. Because it has understood that the behavior means no harm. You will generally get a reasonable answer from the machine.

“The MCM did this not by repeating the text it found,” reports Schramowski. “It could tell the difference between contextual information provided in a question.”

Furthermore, the study shows that the machine takes up moral values indicative of the time and kind of society the written sources come from, showing the changing social norms (准则) over ages.

For example, when they limited its training data to news articles from 2008 to 2009, the AI system favored work and school over family life. But when it could only explore news from the late eighties and nineties, it favored marriage and parenting.

1. What does Schramowski mainly talk about in paragraph 3?

A．Their research methods.	B．AI systems’ bright future.
C．The great value of their study.	D．The difficulties of AI research.

2. How did the researchers train the MCM?

A．They let it repeat moral stories.

B．They showed it many kind acts.

C．They offered it a lot of written material.

D．They talked with it about decision-making.

3. What can the MCM do after training?

A．Improve social rules.

B．Tell right from wrong.

C．Help humans make decisions.

D．Create texts about moral values.

4. What can we learn from the example in the last paragraph?

A．Social values change over time.

B．Technology should be used wisely.

C．AI systems have their own limitations.

D．It’s hard for machines to make moral choices.

8 . Off the coast of northeastern Queensland, Australia, near Magnetic Island in Florence Bay, the Great Barrier Reef corals (大堡礁珊瑚) are having a baby boom (激增).

“Every year there are more anrd more coral babies,” says Hillary Smith, an ecologist at ames Cook University in Australia.

That’s thanks to a simple but effective strategy for cleaning the region’s coral reefs: “seaweeding”. Like weeding (给……除杂草) a garden, seaweeding involves pulling big handfuls of large algae (水藻) off reefs and taking them away.

Experts say getting climate change under control is key to keeping the world’s reefs healthy. But meanwhile, local efforts such as seaweeding can help corals grow and reduce the effects of climate change.

The health of coral reefs around the world is dire: By 2050, 95 percent of the world’s coral could experience heat stress, according to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Algae is a big problem: Already, algae cover has increased on two-thirds of reefs around the world, and one study published in 2021 showed that half the world’s coral reefs have died since the 1950s. Removing seaweed from reefs requires a great deal of work but is not complex, making it a good project for citizen scientists eager to help restore (恢复) reefs.

When the project first began in 2018, Smith says researchers weren’t sure if removing seaweed would benefit the reef or if removal might have the opposite effect in some way. But now, “It’s all looking really positive for the reef,” she says.

Volunteers are ready and waiting to help near Townsville and at other affected Australian reefs, says the Earthwatch Institute’s Fiona Wilson.“We need lots of willing hands to remove seaweed. It takes weeks of time,”she says. “But obviously recovery of the Great Barrier Reef is a passion for many people, so we draw volunteers.”

1. What contributed to the growth of the Great Barrier Reef corals in Florence Bay?

A．Local efforts to remove seaweed.	B．Reduced effects of climate change.
C．Fewer human activities in the region.	D．The use of new restoration technologies.

2. What does the underlined word “dire” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Strange.

B．Acceptable.

C．Excellent.

D．Terrible.

3. How did researchers feel about the project at first?

A．They were hopeful of it.	B．They were excited about it.
C．They were uncertain about it.	D．They were uninterested in it.

4. What does Wilson say about the recovery of the Great Barrier Reef?

A．It is still a long way off.	B．It is less difficult than thought.
C．It will take hard work and skill.	D．It attracts and needs volunteers.

9 . I had been off work for twelve weeks after the birth of our second child. You might think that maternity leave (产假) would be about the new baby, and for the first few weeks that was probably the case. But my maternity leave turned into a magical vacation with my three-year-old.

Every week we tried to go on a special trip that would create memories for us. But the daily activities, such as trips to the store and after-dinner walks, were what made the days so special. Who would have realized the beauty of the moment when that small hand reached unconsciously (无意识地) up for yours? And also the pride you felt as you got to see the growth of your child’s mind.

The last week that I was off, I had been trying to help prepare her, and myself for the end of my leave. I would mention that I would be going to work and she would get to stay with Daddy. Sometimes she would ask why I had to return to work. I said that I needed to earn money to pay for the house and the car and food.

Today, we were headed to the grocery store. Part of our store ritual (习惯) was to take a little change with us to buy a lemonade (柠檬味汽水) to share.

As she was climbing into the car to go, she found a quarter on the floor and shouted excitedly, “Oh, I will buy a house and car with it.”

I was surprised and asked, “Why?”

She stated, “So you don’t have to go back to work, Mommy.”

She was quiet on the way to the store. So was I. When we got there, I collected a second quarter from the car and handed it to her for our lemonade. She fed the quarter I had given her into the machine, but kept the one she had found clenched (攥住) in her hand.

I explained to her that we didn’t have enough money to buy a lemonade without the other quarter. But she wouldn’t give up that quarter. And she was perfectly cheerful not having her special treat that day because the quarter she had found had a higher purpose.

1. What did the author do during her maternity leave?

A．She stayed at home all the time.

B．She devoted herself to her new baby.

C．She made plans for a magical vacation.

D．She spent a lot of time with her older child.

2. Which of the following best describes the author’s life during her maternity leave?

A．Happy.

B．Boring.

C．Easy.

D．Lonely.

3. Why was the author quiet on the way to the store?

A．She was worried about her new job.

B．She was moved by her daughter’s words.

C．She wanted to give full attention to driving.

D．She tried to remember where she’d lost her money.

4. What did the author’s daughter finally do with the money she had found?

A．She bought a toy car.

B．She gave it to someone in need.

C．She treated her mother to a lemonade.

D．She kept it to buy something important.

10 . Looking down at your phone or laptop can cause ongoing neck pain. When you hold this posture (姿势) for long periods of time, you may develop a repetitive stress injury or muscle strain. This is commonly referred to as tech neck.     1     Here are a few simple steps you can take to prevent the pain:

    2    

Hold your phone up close to eye level to avoid tipping your head forward or bending your neck down. If your arms get tired from holding the screen higher, buy a holder to elevate your device or rest your elbows (肘部) on a tabletop to support your arms comfortably.

Take breaks often.

If you have to look at a screen for an extended period of time, take breaks.     3     Use these breaks to change your posture and move around, keeping your muscles loose and spine (脊柱) straight.

Sit in a chair with a headrest.

The design of your chair can help you maintain a correct posture and avoid tech neck. Switch to a chair that has a headrest and keep the back of your head against the headrest while you use your screen.     4    

Strengthen and stretch your muscles.

    5     To prevent these imbalances, it helps to strengthen and stretch your chest, neck, and upper back muscles. Keeping these muscles in good shape helps support the weight of your head and minimize strain on your spine.

Try all or some of the above methods and see which ones work for you. If your neck pain symptoms don’t improve, it may be time to seek help from a qualified health professional.

A．Raise your screen higher.

B．Use pain as a warning sign.

C．It can be avoided by changing a few habits.

D．Choose an aerobic activity that doesn’t cause neck pain.

E．Develop a habit of taking a 2 or 3-minute break every half hour.

F．Over time, muscle imbalances can develop due to long-term head-forward posture.

G．Holding your head in this position will prevent you from looking down with your neck bent forward.