1 . In a study from Washington State University, researchers have uncovered a significant correlation between the closeness of older adults to green and blue spaces and their mental and physical well-being. The study offers convincing evidence that even small increases in access to nature can remarkably improve the health outcomes of older adults.

A mere 10% increase in forest space within a person’s living environment is linked to a noticeable decrease in serious psychological conditions. This type of suffering includes mental health challenges that need treatment and block normal social, occupational, or educational functioning. Similarly, the new study proves that enhancing green spaces, water bodies, or trail lengths by 10% appears to lower the likelihood of older individuals reporting their overall health as poor.

The researchers analyzed health survey data from over 42,000 people aged 65 and above living in urban areas of Washington state, spanning (跨越) the years 2011 to 2019. The experts related the health outcomes of these individuals to various measures quantifying their access to nature within their living areas.

Initially presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in April 2023, the research focused only on the link between psychological depression and closeness to natural spaces. The final study expanded to include additional metrics (指标) such as green space percentage and trail length, also taking into account demographic variables (人口统计变量) like race and education.

“Our findings suggest that abatement of our urban green and blue spaces due to rapid urbanization may not just have an environmental impact but could have a public health impact as well,” said Adithya Vegaraju, first author of the study.

Vegaraju said this research is among the first in the U. S. to specifically investigate the relationship between access to nature and health in the older population.

1. What does the author intend to stress in the second paragraph?

A．Access to nature can improve the elders’ mental health.

B．Older individuals are more likely to get close to nature.

C．Green space is an ideal place for educational functioning.

D．A person’s social interaction is linked to more green space.

2. How do the researchers conduct the research?

A．By changing old people’s living habits.	B．By tracking and recording the aged people.
C．By comparing various measures in the study.	D．By analyzing the participants’ related data.

3. What does the underlined word “abatement” mean in paragraph 5?

A．Solution.

B．Impact.

C．Loss.

D．Power.

4. What does Vegaraju think of the study?

A．It needs further research.	B．It’s a pioneer research work.
C．It is beneficial to everyone.	D．It will be used in other fields.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why is the man talking to the woman?

A．To change his current plan.

B．To correct a mistake on his phone bill.

C．To get some information about different plans.

2. When will the man probably get the new bill?

A．Later today.

B．Two weeks later.

C．The day after tomorrow.

3. What is the woman like?

A．Careless.

B．Patient.

C．Impolite.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where does the speaker work most of the time?

A．In libraries.

B．At a college.

C．At home.

2. What does the speaker do besides writing?

A．Teach courses at colleges.

B．Work part-time in a library.

C．Type letters for other people.

3. What will the speaker probably do if she feels lonely?

A．Keep up writing books.

B．Travel around the world.

C．Start a new job working with lots of people.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When does Emily get to work today?

A．At 8: 00 am.

B．At 8: 30 am.

C．At 9: 00 am.

2. What does Mr. Brown do first?

A．He leads Emily to her desk.

B．He gives Emily the time card.

C．He shows Emily around the company.

3. Whose book is it on the desk?

A．Mr. Brown’s.

B．Emily’s.

C．Tom’s.

4. What is Emily’s position?

A．A secretary.

B．An art designer.

C．A department manager.

5 .

Name	Koala	Panda	Elephant
Country	Australia	China	South Africa
Description(描述)	It is cute and small. It eats leaves. It likes sleeping in the trees.	It’s fat and cute. It’s black and white. It eats bamboo.	It’s very quiet and strong. It eats grass and leaves, Its nose is very long.
Time	Only weekends   8: 00 a. m. — 4: 00 p. m.
Tickets	Adults: $ 10. 00    Children: Over 10: $ 5. 00    Under 10: free

Choose the best choice from A B C according to what you read.
1. The elephant is from _______.

A．China

B．Australia

C．South Africa

D．Japan

2. The _______ is cute and eats bamboo.

A．Koala

B．Panda

C．Elephant

D．Tiger

3. You can visit the zoo at _______.

A．9: 30 am on Saturday	B．5: 00 pm on Sunday
C．8: 50 am on Tuesday	D．7: 00 pm on Monday

4. Tom is 13 years old. He goes to the zoo with his mother. They spend _______.

A．$10

B．$15

C．$50

D．$20

6 . Do you know what STEM is? It stands for science, technology (技术), engineering (工程), and maths. STEM classes are popular in the US. But most STEM students are boys.

Alice Hou is a girl from Texas. She is 16 years old now. She first noticed (注意到) the STEM gender gap (性别差异) when she was in the ninth grade. Forty students from her hometown went to the state science fair that year, but only seven of them were girls.

She decided to do something about this. She set up (创建) a club called Girls in STEM. It helps girls learn more about STEM subjects. Girls can try some fun activities that can raise (激发) their interest in STEM. They can also talk to each other about studying these subjects.

The club started with seven girls at Hou’s school. But now it has 45! Other schools have also started their own Girls in STEM clubs.

1. What does the letter “M” mean in the word “STEM”?

A．Music.

B．Money.

C．Maths.

D．Match.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．STEM classes are only for boys.

B．Alice Hou found the gender gap at the age of 16.

C．At first, more girls went to the state science fair.

D．Girls in STEM makes girls interested in STEM.

3. What can you do in Alice’s club?

A．Talk about science.	B．Have a birthday party.
C．Learn about history.	D．Do some sports.

4. What can we probably see in the next state science fair?

A．There are some robots (机器人).	B．There are more girls.
C．There are more teachers.	D．There are more clubs.

7 . 阅读下面短文，将短文中画线部分的句子翻译成中文。

For the last three nights, I haven’t slept too well.     1     I wake up an hour earlier than normal and then I’m unable to get back to sleep. I was a bit tired when I went into my bedroom to watch TV this evening.     2     I picked up a book and tried to read, but could feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Finally, I closed them and laid my book on the table. Suddenly I felt something rousing (唤醒) me. It was warm breath hitting me right in the face. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a long, sweet-looking face covered in white and gold fur.     3     Its pink nose was breathing on me and its big, brown eyes were looking at me with love.

I smiled and said, “Hello Fluffy.” Suddenly my face was covered in dog kisses. I hugged his neck, and laughed as he continued to show me with his love. I thought to myself     4     “If only we humans could love each other as purely (纯真地) as our dogs love us, and how wonderful that would be.”

    5     Dogs are our best friends and greatest teachers of love. We should not forget their lessons. We should give our hearts freely and our love joyfully. We should live our lives on the side of love.

8 . Are you an early person (人) or an evening person? That’s the question. When do you work best? For me, the answer is easy. I work best in the morning. I do all my best work before lunchtime. I get up at about eight, and then have breakfast. I listen to the radio, and read the papers. And then I start to work. Usually I work from nine to twelve, but after that I gets tired easily. On a good day I write fifteen hundred words or more, sometimes two thousand words, in the morning. Then after lunch I go for a walk or do some reading. In the evening, I like to listen to music, go to my favourite club or go out to meet people. Before ten o’clock, I go to bed and in about five minutes I fall asleep (入睡的) very quickly. If you are a writer, you need self-discipline. But when you are tired, it shows that you have to refresh (使……恢复) your mind and body.

1. The writer usually works ________ in the morning.

A．about half an hour	B．about l hours
C．about 3 hours	D．about 4 hours

2. What does the first sentence (句子) mean (意思是) after reading the passage?

A．You are a person who likes getting up early.

B．You are a person who likes going to bed late.

C．You are a person who works best in the morning or in the evening.

D．You are a person who likes working in the morning or in the evening.

3. What does the underlined word “self-discipline” mean in the passage?

A．自私的

B．自律的

C．自我的

D．自以为是的

4. The passage tells us that ________.

A．the writer’s daily life is busy	B．the writer goes for a walk after supper
C．the writer does best work in the morning	D．the writer always need refresh mind and body

9 . What do you feel passionate? What do you love (besides your family, children, and friends)? Our passion often leads us to our purpose in life. For example, am absolutely passionate about helping people work through blocks or barriers such as hurt, guilt, shame, and self-doubt in order to experience the freedom to be authentically who they are.

I believe when you find your passion, you will experience freedom, happiness and, ultimately, less anxiety and more peace. It sounds so simple. However, many people do not really know what they are passionate about because they have lost a sense of who they are. We have spent so much time trying to please others or creating stories about why we can’t do something. What if you could change this? How would your life be different?

Identify and write down the areas you love. Technology, gardening, helping others, inner design, leadership, finances, health, fitness, writing, photography, art, managing projects, and the list goes on.

Look at your thoughts around placing more emphasis on the area where you pursue either personally or professionally. What are you telling yourself? I’m not good enough. I don’t have the time or money. Whatever it is, work on deleting this from your thoughts and replacing them with the opposite statement.

Create more time in your calendar or research what add it information or resources you might need to integrate this more in your life. Maybe it’s getting a coach or instructor to help keep you on track, reduce your fears and work on your limiting conversations. Set goals and make them happen.

Living out your purpose may mean a different job or it may mean focusing your time differently or making your passion more of a priority in your life. We all matter and have a purpose. It’s never too late to create what you want.

This quote by Bob Proctor summarizes what this all means, “Your purpose explains what you are doing with your life. Your vision explains how you are living your purpose. Your goals enable you to realize your vision.”

1. Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic.	B．To express his doubts.
C．To present an argument	D．To compare different ideas.

2. What does the 2nd paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The benefit of passion.	B．The unknown about passion.
C．The disadvantage of passion.	D．The definition of passion.

3. Why does the author mention the quote by Bob Proctor?

A．To explain the purpose of action.

B．To demonstrate the value of Bob Proctor’s book.

C．To illustrate the process for achieving the goal.

D．To remind the readers of the importance of passion

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Passion is the priority	B．Creation is never too late
C．Passion leads to purpose	D．Success lies in anxiety reduction

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the problem with the speaker?

A．He can’t find his textbook.

B．He can’t finish his homework.

C．He has a hard time learning physics.

2. How does the speaker deal with his problem?

A．By reading more books.

B．By joining a study group.

C．By turning to his teacher.

3. What can we learn according to the speaker?

A．Most of the other students find the erhu easy.

B．The speaker’s classmates don’t like the erhu.

C．The speaker will have trouble in the final exam.