1 . How can travel strengthen the human brain? It’s child’s play. By the age of three, a child’s brain has twice as many synapses (突触) per neuron (神经元) than in  adults. That’s because as humans age, the brain  removes unused connections to make  stronger ones; but doing new activities and  having new experiences can help enhance those connections at any age.

A 2009 study gave participants a unique creativity puzzle to solve involving a candle, a box of tacks and matches. The goal was to fix a lighted candle to a cork board with nothing but those items. Most of the participants who had traveled and lived abroad demonstrated a measurable increase in creativity. One of the reasons for this obviously is that living in another culture exposes you to new ideas, to new people, to new stimuli (刺激); and that increases the amount of elements or bits of information that you can combine or recombine in novel and original ways to come up with new ideas.

Scientists used to believe that the brain was unchangeable and only degraded with age. It wasn’t until the 1960s that neuroscientist, Dr. Marian Diamond, proved the complete opposite. She found that if the body was in an enriched environment, the brain could be shaped by that environment and grow. She did this by placing some lab rats in a multi-sensory environment and others in a bare environment. The rats that had spent more time in the enriched environment had more synaptic connections. So an enriched environment allows you to develop more pathways; so that they’ll be there and available for you and they won’t be pruned away as you grow older. By accessing these environments and travel, the mind can enter a complex emotional state known as awe. Awe is one of the most powerful perceptions we have, and awe gives you the excitement and the ability to step to the very place we evolve to avoid which is not knowing. So it gives you the curiosity and the courage to step forward.

If you want to be changeable, adaptable, travel with openness and courage and embrace the unknown. It may just transform your brain for the better.

1. What writing technique does the author use in Paragraph 2?

A．By comparison.	B．By citing quotation.
C．By giving example.	D．By giving definition

2. What can we infer from Dr. Marian Diamond’s proof?

A．As humans age,the brains degrade.

B．Children are more creative than adults.

C．The brain can be shaped by the environment and grow.

D．Enriched environments help brain grow more synaptic connections.

3. What does the underlined phrase mean in paragraph 3?

A．faded

B．deleted

C．expanded

D．increased

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．The relationship between body and mind.

B．Travel can help transform your brain for the better.

C．More synapses in neurons make people more creative.

D．Travel gives you the curiosity and the courage to embrace the unknown.

2 . Try Hard, but Not That Hard.

So many of us were raised with the belief of hard work and max effort, taught that what we put in was what we got out. Now, some coaches and corporate leaders have a new message.

Trying to run at top speed will actually lead to slower running times. Lifting heavy weights until you absolutely can’t any more won’t spark more muscle gain than stopping a little sooner. The trick — be it in exercise, or anything — is to try for 85%. Aiming for perfection often makes us feel awful, burns us out and backfires. Instead, count the fact that you hit eight out of 10 of your targets this quarter as a win.

“I already messed it up,” Sherri Phillips would regret after missing one of her daily personal goals. Last year, the COO of a Manhattan photography business began tracking metrics like her sleep quality and exercise time. It was only after she switched to aiming for 85% success over a week that she stuck with her efforts, instead of giving up when she missed a mark. 

Dialing in on the sweet spot of 85% can help us grow. In a 2019 paper, researchers used machine learning to try to find the ideal difficulty level to learn new things. The neural network they created, meant to mimic the human brain, learned best when it was faced with queries (疑问) set to 85% difficulty, meaning it got questions right 85% of the time. If a task is too hard, humans get demotivated, says Bob Wilson, an author of the study. “If you never make any errors, you’re 100% accurate, well, you can’t learn from the mistakes.”

Ron Shaich, a founder and former CEO of restaurant chain Panera, is skeptical of people who hit 100% on sales targets. He wonders if the goals are too low. They should be ambitious enough that you won’t always get there, he says. Now an investor, board member and author of a coming business book that stresses 80% equals success, Shaich is convinced most companies don’t even hit that number.

Years ago, as a consultant, Grace Ueng learned the “80-20 rule.” The idea was to stop once you were 80% complete on a project, she says. Ueng recently took up piano. She practiced for long hours and still grimaced when she performed for her music group. Then she started tackling small chunks of a piece instead of running through the whole thing again and again. Before a recent performance, she read a book and went to church instead of putting in extra hours at the piano. When it was time to perform, she played well—and actually enjoyed it. “You have to have the wisdom,” she says, “to know when to stop.”

1. What is the main message of the passage?

A．Maximum effort is key to success.

B．Striving for perfection leads to burnout.

C．Consistent hard work guarantees success.

D．Proper aims and effort enhance performance.

2. According to Ron Shaich, what does consistently hitting 100% targets suggest?

A．Exceptional performance.

B．Perfect strategic planning.

C．Goals not ambitious enough.

D．High levels of employee motivation.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Bob Wilson thinks 100% accuracy gets people full of motivation.

B．Sherri Phillips would not regret any more after tracking 85% metrics.

C．Grace Ueng felt optimistic after she played the piano for a long time.

D．Researchers believe the ideal learning way is to face difficult queries.

3 . 当你对某物充满热情时，为了得到它无论什么事，你可能都会去做。
When ________ ________ something, you're ________ to do ________ you can to get it.

4 . 在这种情况下，你也许会考虑一些使你优于你竞争者的设计方法。
In this case you might want to consider some design approaches ________ you ________ ________your competitors.

5 . My writing career began at the age of ten. That year, my mother gave me my first journal to help me deal with the ______ of my grandmother's death. In many ways, my grandmother was the ______ behind my own writing career.

When she was alive, my grandmother had ______ much emotional pain, but she also knew that writing was her key to ______ . While growing up in Galicia, Poland, during World War I, she ______ both her parents, and then had to care for herself and her eight-year-old sister. She found solace (慰藉) in journal writing.

Many years after her death, I ______ her journal and read every word. The void (空虚感) she had left in my life became stronger as the years progressed and I had my own health issues to ______ , such as being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 47. My ______ caused me to write down my grandmother's life story, based

on the ______ of her journal. Although at times the writing was ______ , it did bring me close to her once again and help me more ______ understand her many hardships.

Keeping journals has helped me ______ emotionally. Whether you're ______ by change, loss or pain, finding the time to write is ______ to the healing process. So why not ______ your pen and write down whatever comes to your mind?

1.

A．secret

B．reason

C．suffering

D．place

2.

A．idea

B．inspiration

C．tip

D．instruction

3.

A．described

B．studied

C．forgotten

D．experienced

4.

A．existence

B．education

C．survival

D．dream

5.

A．lost

B．missed

C．left

D．loved

6.

A．picked up

B．came across

C．took away

D．gave back

7.

A．display

B．make

C．explain

D．handle

8.

A．job

B．failure

C．illness

D．confusion

9.

A．contents

B．suggestions

C．demands

D．pages

10.

A．scary

B．painful

C．vital

D．great

11.

A．happily

B．nearly

C．exactly

D．clearly

12.

A．respond

B．succeed

C．struggle

D．recover

13.

A．tracked

B．affected

C．injured

D．punished

14.

A．important

B．close

C．equal

D．related

15.

A．borrow

B．purchase

C．grab

D．throw

6 . You may be feeling a mix of emotions — nervousness, depression and maybe even a little bit of fear about your coming exam.     1     But remember that you are not alone in these feelings. Your family, friends and teachers are all here to support you every step of the way. Here are a few strategies to help you with the big feelings.

It’s normal to have those big feelings ahead of a big event. When they start to bubble up inside you, remember to take a deep breath. Think about the times when you’ve overcome challenges before and how proud you felt afterwards. You are capable of so much more than you realize.     2    

If you’re stressed about an exam, try talking to someone who tend to be laid back, empathetic, and supportive, whether it’s a parent, teacher, or friend. Open up about how you’re feeling and ask them for support.     3     It can make them feel a little less overwhelming.

You must find a balance between your schoolwork and your life. Try doing something you enjoy, like listening or dancing to music, drawing, going for a walk, or hitting or kicking a ball outside. Take breaks and do things that make you happy.     4     You could also try practising some relaxation techniques, like deep breathing or mindfulness meditation (冥想). Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a calm and peaceful place, where all your worries melt away.

    5     It’s okay to feel nervous or worried, but try not to be too hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can and that’s all anyone can ask for.

A．Get those emotions out in the open.

B．You are amazing just the way you are.

C．Those can help keep those big feelings in check.

D．Remind yourself of all the things that make you special.

E．The exam is just one small part of your learning journey.

F．It’s normal to feel this way when faced with something challenging.

G．Most importantly, remember to be kind to yourself during this time.

7 . I was sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for my annual check-up. The doctor threw in a(n) ________ that took me off guard.

“So Robin, what are you going to do after high school? Why don’t you go to college to become a(n) ________ like me?” he asked while writing on the file.

Go to college to become a doctor? Who was this man kidding? I thought he was ________ for even suggesting it. My grades were ________ and I wasn’t college material. Embarrassed by his question, I ________ to the doctor, “I’m not ________ enough to be a doctor.”

The doctor immediately looked at me straight in the eyes when he said very ________, “You don’t have to be clever to be a doctor. You just have to be persistent (坚持不懈的).”

Even though I wasn’t college material, what the doctor said ________ me. Three years later, I ________ to a college close to my home and soon found myself walking the campus as a new student.

I began ________ anything that seemed frightening. I put all my energy toward passing the assignments one by one. I ________ that when I was persistent, I could ________ things I never believed possible.

I graduated with a master’s degree in September 2023, two decades after that ________ with my doctor. I ________ I could shake his hand and tell him “thank you”. Sometimes even the smallest moments in time can have a life-changing ________.

1.

A．present

B．request

C．question

D．invitation

2.

A．teacher

B．expert

C．doctor

D．scientist

3.

A．crazy

B．boring

C．strange

D．considerate

4.

A．stable

B．average

C．formal

D．excellent

5.

A．complained

B．apologized

C．lied

D．replied

6.

A．smart

B．careful

C．outgoing

D．patient

7.

A．regretfully

B．proudly

C．gratefully

D．seriously

8.

A．impressed

B．disturbed

C．limited

D．discouraged

9.

A．pointed

B．returned

C．applied

D．adapted

10.

A．taking over

B．breaking down

C．setting aside

D．giving up

11.

A．promised

B．announced

C．agreed

D．discovered

12.

A．understand

B．avoid

C．control

D．achieve

13.

A．cooperation

B．experiment

C．conversation

D．argument

14.

A．wish

B．think

C．insist

D．recall

15.

A．purpose

B．influence

C．chance

D．choice

8 . This is the ___________ film ___________ I’ve seen since I came to Huazhou.
这是我来化州后看的第一部电影。

9 . ___________ is a good idea ___________ __________ children to be responsible citizens from kindergarten days.
从幼儿园时期就教育孩子做一名负责任的公民是一个好主意。

10 . “Let’s take some measures to stop food waste,” the head teacher said. (变间接引语)
The head teacher ___________ us ___________ __________ some measures to stop food waste.