1 . As a single parent of two, Carolyn had always been inspired to get her bachelor’s degree (学士学位). However, the day-to-day life had ________ in the way. Luckily, her son, Immanuel Patton, continually encouraged her to ________ her degree as he was working towards his own. It _________ they could graduate from university together.

The ________ to graduation wasn’t always easy, with Carolyn ________ that completing her degree on top of working was a _________ at times. Immanuel also faced ________ challenges of his own, at one point ________ a 1.0 grade point average and being placed on academic probation (留校观察).

“I had a meltdown (崩溃), but I got back on ________. My son says: ‘If I can do it, you can do it, too,’ ” Carolyn recalled. The two encouraged one another and ________ completed their degrees.

The ________ graduation came almost 20 years after a promise Immanuel made to Carolyn while he was in ________ to get their degrees together. On ________ day, the Pattons celebrated their joint achievement, standing for photos with the UMGC president, Gregory Fowler.

________ what life looks like after graduation, Carolyn says she hopes to use her bachelor’s degree to ________ a pay raise at work. Immanuel says that he is now looking for a job, possibly in academic advising.

1.

A．changed

B．lost

C．stood

D．come

2.

A．pursue

B．hold

C．download

D．fancy

3.

A．showed

B．meant

C．requested

D．proved

4.

A．attention

B．reaction

C．devotion

D．journey

5.

A．apologizing

B．noting

C．demanding

D．warning

6.

A．struggle

B．trick

C．foundation

D．process

7.

A．technical

B．general

C．academic

D．physical

8.

A．restoring

B．checking

C．receiving

D．expecting

9.

A．land

B．duty

C．stage

D．track

10.

A．totally

B．ultimately

C．nearly

D．repeatedly

11.

A．joint

B．virtual

C．original

D．improved

12.

A．university

B．danger

C．power

D．kindergarten

13.

A．registration

B．application

C．interview

D．graduation

14.

A．In spite of

B．In need of

C．In terms of

D．In hopes of

15.

A．afford

B．secure

C．include

D．review

2 . “The cure for anything is salt,” says a character in Karen Blixen’s short story The Deluge at Norderney. Everyday life has got a lot saltier since Blixen’s era — and salt is no longer the cure-all it once was. So what should we be doing about it?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends capping your salt intake at 5g a day, and keeping it even lower if possible. That’s because, according to a large body of evidence, eating a lot of it is linked to high blood pressure, which in turn is a risk factor for heart disease. More recently, extra salt has also been associated with stomach cancer.

So is the answer to put down the shaker? It’s a bit more complicated than that: as the British Heart Foundation notes, 75% of the salt that we eat is added before our food even hits our plates. The UK was a world leader in salt reduction, with the Food Standards Agency enforcing (施行) strict limits on how much could be included in most products.

In 2010, however, as the government introduced “responsibility deals”, the food industry itself took the lead in the process, with limits becoming much more voluntary. Now, even brands that would like to reduce the salt content of their foods are hamstrung by what everyone else is doing: apart from being one of the cheapest forms of flavouring available, salt can also be used to bulk up (增重) foods by increasing their water content.

“As a work partner of mine said, leaving it up to the manufacturers (制造商) is like putting a mosquito in charge of a blood bank,” says Graham MacGregor, a professor of medicine. “Some supermarkets want better enforcement, but it has to come from above.”

The answer, then, is that this is one health concern that we should probably be collectively worrying about. You can take steps like cooking most of your meals and avoiding takeaways and ready meals. But it’s not an option for everyone. “If you really want to lower your salt intake, the best first step might be to write to your MP (国会议员),” says MacGregor.

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly focus on concerning salt?

A．Its potential danger to health.	B．Its daily recommended intake.
C．Its significance to everyday life.	D．Its curing ability for certain diseases.

2. What does the underlined word “hamstrung” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Copied.

B．Restricted.

C．Doubted.

D．Criticized.

3. Which of the following describes “responsibility deals” in MacGregor’s opinion?

A．A win-win strategy.	B．An ill-intentioned policy.
C．A business-restricting practice.	D．A poorly thought-out initiative.

4. What is the key to lower salt intake according to MacGregor?

A．The food industry’s voluntary efforts.	B．The UK government enforcing strict laws.
C．The general public’s return to home cooking.	D．The WHO introducing minimum standards.

5 . 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。

As the severe winter conditions set in, the Chinese merganser (秋沙鸭) starts its annual migration (迁徙). These birds leave northeastern China     1     (seek) shelter in milder climates further south. Among the numerous regions that these birds travel to during their winter migration, Hubei Province stands     2     as a significant wintering site. The province’s wetlands offer an ideal environment for the Chinese merganser, providing plentiful food and safe nesting     3     (place). The sighting of nearly 500 of these rare birds     4     (confirm) Hubei’s role as a vital winter habitat.

The Chinese merganser, a species     5     existence predates most of today’s living organisms, enjoys the     6     (high) level of national protection in China. China’s     7     (commit) to preserving these ‘living fossils (化石)’ is not just an effort to protect an endangered species, but also an effort to safeguard a piece of our planet’s ancient history.

The significant presence of the Chinese mergansers in the wetlands of Jingmen City is     8     example of hope for the conservation efforts aimed at     9     (protect) these unique birds. It serves as a reminder of the complicated relationship we share with nature and the responsibility we bear to protect and preserve the diverse ecosystems that are home to such     10     (remark) species.

6 . Science is increasingly central to our lives — from its role in creating day-to-day objects such as the smartphones in our pockets, to the big challenges of tackling disease, addressing climate change and focusing on biodiversity loss.

Many of the changes that the discipline brings are hugely beneficial, but they often come with potential downsides that demand public debate. Will artificial intelligence take people’s jobs or destroy elections with false news? How fast can we practically achieve a net zero economy?

For the crucial public debate that is needed on all this to take place, we must have a scientifically literate population. But there is a divide between the scientifically minded and those who choose not to engage with science.

It saddens me that our culture now views science as difficult, which discourages many from taking an interest in it. A British Science Association (BSA) survey recently suggested that only around a third of 14- to 18-year-olds find scientists inspirational or consider the subject to be relevant to their lives.

In fact, science is interlinked with every aspect of our existence and people from all walks of life and of all ages should be able to access it easily. The invention of the printing press was crucial to the Enlightenment because it democratised (普及) knowledge. So, in this increasingly science-centred world, the same attention should be given to popular science writing as is given to other forms of literature.

The Royal Society Science Book Prize is the only one in the world to promote popular science writing. Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, which was shortlisted (把……列入入围名单) for the prize in 1989, was written for readers who had no prior knowledge of physics and has since become a universally recognised text on the universe.

Democratising science has never been more important. There are so many scientific stories to be told that can help us better understand ourselves. A society equipped with a solid understanding of the issues of the day is a society more able to respond to them in a better way.

1. What does the underlined part “all this” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Beneficial scientific advancements.

B．Challenges facing human beings.

C．Potential downsides of science.

D．Disagreements between scientists and the public.

2. What does the BSA survey reveal about the majority of British young people?

A．They have great respect for scientists.

B．They feel disconnected from science.

C．They know little about the Enlightenment.

D．They wish to land a career in the scientific field.

3. Why has A Brief History of Time been well-received according to the author?

A．It won an international book prize.

B．It focused on important life issues.

C．It was written by a highly-honoured author.

D．It democratised knowledge about the universe.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The crisis of science in our modern life

B．We must rely on science to tackle our problems

C．Popular science books have never been more important

D．Public debate about science could never be more necessary

7 . “Do we have permission to give your father a tracheotomy (气管切开术)?” I was a college student. My father had fallen into a coma (昏迷) a few weeks earlier and I was responsible for his medical decisions.

The call about the tracheotomy came the night before an exam. After a few hours of restless sleep, I was hardly in a state to take the exam. I told my professor what had happened the previous night and requested an alternative exam date, which was denied. This experience made me unwilling to be honest about my struggles. When I soon had to make the decision to take my father off life support, I told nobody.

Despite that sadness, I was able to make it through my studies and, eight years later, I became a professor myself. As a new teacher, I felt I needed to adopt a tough classroom persona (表面形象) to earn fellow teachers’ respect. My behavior wasn’t unlike that of the professor who had denied me the exam extension years earlier, and it did not reflect my actual character.

Then, the pandemic (大流行病) hit. I was too tired to keep up the act, and my students needed support. So, I shared the story about my father’s illness and death to acknowledge that life goes on outside of my classroom. I told my students I knew they might be suffering and wanted them to know that if they came to me needing help, I would understand.

The response was immediate and powerful. Students became unafraid to share their stories with me. I changed nothing about the way I delivered course material, but student exam scores improved, as did my teaching evaluations. Students could see that although I still pushed them to learn the material, I cared about their well-being and wanted them to succeed.

Exposing your imperfections, connecting with students on a deeper level, and creating space for them — and you — to grow will always be challenging, but it is worth it. I cannot know everything that is going on in every student’s life, but I can always choose sympathy.

1. What effect did the professor’s denial have on the author?

A．He lost confidence in himself.

B．He grew stronger in the face of challenges.

C．He became hesitant to ask for help from others.

D．He learned to be respectful of others’ choices.

2. How did the pandemic change the author’s teaching?

A．He lowered his academic standards.

B．He adopted a tough classroom persona.

C．He stopped pushing his students to learn.

D．He shared his personal stories to bond with students.

3. What did the author think of his students’ reactions in paragraph 5?

A．A nice surprise.

B．An anticipated response.

C．A brave fight.

D．A slow change.

4. What might the author expect teachers to do by writing the text?

A．Set good examples for students.	B．Care about students’ mental health.
C．Respect students’ individual differences.	D．Focus on innovative teaching methods.

8 . Hamlet at the Metropolitan Opera

March 27, 1:00-4:20 pm

Actors

Claudius, king of Denmark	James Morris
Gertrude, queen of Claudius	Jennifer Larmore
Prince Hamlet, Gertrude’s son	Simon Keenlyside
Ophélie	Marlis Petersen
Laërte, Ophélie’s brother	Toby Spence
Hamlet’s father	David Pittsinger
Polonius, Ophélie’s father	Maxim Mikhailov

The Creators

Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) achieved success in opera with Mignon and Hamlet. He was also highly regarded as a teacher and as the director of the Paris Conservatory. The libretto ( 剧本) for Hamlet was written by Michel Carré (1821-1872) and Jules Barbier (1825-1901), a team of dramatists whose other operatic co-productions include Gounod’s Faust and Roméo et Juliette and Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. The opera is, of course, based on the play by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), whose works have inspired generations of artists for the last four centuries.

Notes
●Met Titles are available for this performance in English, German, and Spanish. To activate, press the red button to the right of the screen in front of your seat and follow the instructions provided. To turn off the display, press the red button once again.
●If you have questions, please ask an attendant at intermission.
●The exits indicated by a red light and the sign nearest the seat you occupy are the shortest routes to the street.
●The photographing or sound recording of any performance is prohibited.
1. Who will star as Hamlet’s father in the opera?

A．James Morris.

B．Simon Keenlyside.

C．David Pittsinger.

D．Maxim Mikhailov.

2. What do we know about the two dramatists?

A．They worked together many times.	B．They were students of Ambroise Thomas.
C．They studied at the Paris Conservatory.	D．They were experienced on stage as well.

3. What can the audience do by pressing the red button mentioned in the Notes?

A．Call for an attendant.	B．Check the nearest exit.
C．Record the performance.	D．Turn on the screen.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What happened to Maya at age eight?

A．She became speechless.

B．She went blind.

C．She lost her hearing.

2. Why did Maya begin to write?

A．To enter a competition.

B．To become a famous poet.

C．To influence others positively.

3. Which of the following contains poems and paintings?

A．Still I Rise.

B．Phenomenal Woman.

C．Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Which year of college is the man in now?

A．The first year.

B．The second year.

C．The third year.

2. Why did the man select Southampton?

A．Because of the fee.

B．Because of the course.

C．Because of the location.

3. What does Southampton motivate students to do on Wednesday afternoons?

A．Do some exercise.

B．Enjoy social activities.

C．Go on field trips.

4. How does Professor Williams encourage students?

A．By playing a film.

B．By giving a special book.

C．By assigning less homework.