1 . Emma and Zoe are both good swimmers. With great _______ and quick thinking, the two teenagers recently became _______ while swimming in Barbados.

The incident happened when the girls heard a _______ cry for help while relaxing on the beach after their swim.

“I heard someone shouting for help in the distance. I then looked around and _______ her, about 50 feet out from where I was,” Zoe, 13, told Global News.

The anxious woman, _______ as Belinda Stone from London, England, informed Zoe that her husband, Robert Stone, was even _______ and struggling to swim. Without hesitation, Zoe and 14-year-old Emma quickly _______ , risking their own safety to rescue the Stones.

After _______ Belinda back to shore, the girls started a five- or six-minute swim through challenging _______ to reach Robert, who was about 150 feet from shore. “When we reached him, he was trying to swim but we could tell he was struggling. He was breathing very ________ ,” Zoe stated. Despite the difficult ________, they successfully brought him back to safety.

Emma shared her experience, saying, “It was a long and ________ swim. I learned from both my parents that when there is a really strong current, you should never swim against it. You should swim parallel (平行) to shore until it ________ or you are completely out of it; otherwise, you will be pulled out into deep ________ .”

The grateful Stones expressed their ________ , “We are just extremely grateful to Zoe and Emma. They saved our lives.”

1.

A．patience

B．luck

C．courage

D．curiosity

2.

A．winners

B．heroes

C．leaders

D．competitors

3.

A．strange

B．surprising

C．familiar

D．desperate

4.

A．spotted

B．supported

C．informed

D．missed

5.

A．accepted

B．identified

C．registered

D．described

6.

A．further

B．higher

C．sadder

D．angrier

7.

A．lost heart

B．calmed down

C．took action

D．kept balance

8.

A．forcing

B．pulling

C．reminding

D．persuading

9.

A．rains

B．winds

C．noises

D．waves

10.

A．heavily

B．easily

C．silently

D．regularly

11.

A．positions

B．destinations

C．conditions

D．solutions

12.

A．interesting

B．disappointing

C．moving

D．tiring

13.

A．reduces

B．strengthens

C．turns

D．speeds

14.

A．cave

B．spring

C．sea

D．well

15.

A．pride

B．appreciation

C．shock

D．satisfaction

2 . How to Be Happy for Your Friend, Even when You’re a Little Jealous

The most basic friendship duty is rooting for your bestie (死党). At minimum, you should jump for joy when told they’ve landed a dream job, for example. Easy enough, right?     1    . Even if you truly want to see them succeed, the ultra-modern three-bedroom house they just bought might feel like a slap in the face if you’re still living in a shoebox apartment. So, if you’re struggling with friendship envy, these suggestions might help you.

    2    .

Jealousy sounds quite negative, but it’s completely normal. If you shame yourself for it, you might miss an opportunity for self-reflection. Instead of judging yourself, acknowledge these feelings head-on. Embrace that you’re bitter or even scared you’ll never experience a career high like your bestie.

Separate your worth from your accomplishments.

    3    . But it’s important to remember that your self-worth doesn’t come from attaining external things. We know it sounds pretty cliche (陈词滥调), but taking a step back and redefining what achievement and happiness mean to you can help you avoid falling into the comparison trap.

Remember: It’s not a competition.

It makes sense that a friend’s success may feel like a threat. When they’re progressing in their life, you must be falling behind in yours, right? The simple answer: No!     4    . One way to abandon this unhealthy mindset is to rely on facts and reality rather than hypothetical scenarios or assumptions.

It’s totally okay to experience occasional waves of envy even with the people you genuinely want to see happy. What truly defines you as a friend is how you handle these emotions. If you need a little space to lick your wounds after receiving a close pal’s exciting news, just do it.     5    .

A．Acknowledge your bitter or envious feelings.

B．Reflect on yourself about feeling ashamed of jealousy.

C．Instead, you can definitely grow into a more caring friend.

D．However, celebrating your friend’s milestones can become a little more complicated.

E．That doesn’t make you a fool— it makes you human.

F．You need to let go of this idea that if they’re winning something, that means you’re losing.

G．There are expectations what success is supposed to be in our achievement-driven society.

3 . Food polluted with fungi (真菌) can be an inconvenience at best and life-threatening at worst. But new research shows that removing just one protein can leave some fungal toxins (毒素) high and dry, and that’s potentially good news for food safety.

Some fungi produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins that not only ruin food such as grains but can also make us sick. “It is a silent enemy,” said fungal researcher Ozgur Bayram of Maynooth University in Ireland, as most people don’t notice when foods like corn or wheat are ruined.

For years, researchers have known that some fungi produce these toxins, but didn’t know all the detail. Now, Bayram and his colleagues have identified a group of proteins responsible for turning on the production of mycotoxins. Genetically engineering the fungus to remove even just one of the proteins prevents the toxins from being made, the researchers reported in the September 23 issue of Nucleic Acids Research.

“The newly identified proteins act like a keystarting a car,” Bayram said. “The researchers wanted to figure out how to remove the key and prevent the starting signal from going through, meaning that no toxins would be made in the first place.”

Bayram and his team identified the proteins in a kind of fungus named A. nidulans, revealing that four proteins come together to make the key. The researchers genetically engineered the fungus to delete each protein in turn. When any of the four proteins are missing, the key does not start mycotoxin ignition(点火装置), the team found.

Fungi and fungi-like organisms are estimated to ruin a third of the world’s food crops each year. If that contamination could be prevented, Bayram estimates the saved food would be enough to feed 800 million people in 2024.

The new research is a good start, but it will still be a challenge to try to understand how this can be operationalized for agricultural purposes. “It’s difficult to apply the technique, and getting US regulatory agencies to approve the use of a genetically modified fungus on key food crops might be difficult,” said Felicia Wu a food safety expert.

1. Why is the mycotoxin called “a silent enemy”?

A．It is hard to be proved.	B．It tends to be unnoticed.
C．Its protein is harmful.	D．Its damage is incurable.

2. What does the underlined word “contamination” in paragraph 6 mean?

A．Pollution

B．Increase

C．Spread

D．Control

3. What is one difficulty according to Felicia Wu?

A．Changing the genes of fungus.	B．Putting the technique to practical use.
C．Enlarging the size of farmland.	D．Using genetically modified food.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Many crops are ruined by fungi each year.	B．Fungi bring great harm to people’s health.
C．Deleting a protein can stop toxin production.	D．Researchers found new proteins producing toxins.

4 . Even with the heated water splashing on my shoulders, a chill (寒意) still ran through me. My son was swimming _______ along the bottom of the pool. He surfaced and said, “I’ll show you how to swim underwater.”Usually I was a(n) _______ student, but not this time.

I just couldn’t trust my body to _______.My anxious mind would not let go. Over the years, I had learned not to sink, but I had never found the _______ of swimming that came easily to my friends. Self-doubt hardened into a _______:I couldn’t swim underwater.

But my son George wouldn’t _______ this. “Can you try?” His waiting face was open with possibility. I thought of the_______ things we had asked of him. The days I left him at preschool, he wept bitterly as I _______.The times he bared his arm for shots from the doctor. Earlier times in pools when he, too, _______ deep water.

I couldn’t say no. “Try to swim to me. It’s not very far.” he said, ________ above the water.His voice,calm and encouraging,   ________ me. “When I count to three, you start, OK?” I didn’t move. “Let’s try again,” he said in his teacher voice. “One, two, three!”

After more false starts, I knew I must ________.I sucked in air, squeezed my eyes shut, and aimed like a torpedo (鱼雷) into the dark. I traveled ________ in this liquid world, just pushing forward. I ________ my breath until I couldn’t anymore. I burst up into cool air. “I did it!” I said, tears of ________ streaming down my smiling face.George smiled too. “Now,” he continued, “try to go a little farther.”

I swam farther.I swam.

1.

A．bravely

B．skillfully

C．carefully

D．nervously

2.

A．willing

B．ambitious

C．gifted

D．adorable

3.

A．bend

B．float

C．extend

D．swing

4.

A．knowledge

B．potential

C．freedom

D．chance

5.

A．goal

B．result

C．decision

D．belief

6.

A．realize

B．change

C．accept

D．consider

7.

A．special

B．basic

C．common

D．hard

8.

A．turned up

B．passed by

C．slipped away

D．broke in

9.

A．feared

B．missed

C．enjoyed

D．expected

10.

A．standing

B．towering

C．stretching

D．adjusting

11.

A．comforted

B．surprised

C．puzzled

D．amused

12.

A．continue

B．act

C．win

D．quit

13.

A．blindly

B．quickly

C．elegantly

D．freely

14.

A．lost

B．took

C．caught

D．held

15.

A．relief

B．sorrow

C．joy

D．gratitude

5 . The next generation of scientists and inventors is already finding approaches to address society’s problems. A group of high school students and their instructor report a solution to the problem of lead (铅) pollution in drinking water — an inexpensive faucet (水龙头) attachment that removes this poisonous metal. Unlike conventional filters currently on the market, theirs includes a container made of eco-friendly plastic and indicates when it’s “used up” by turning the tap water yellow.

“A few years ago, I saw a video of a woman in Michigan turn on her tap water, and it came out brown.” says Rebecca Bushway, the project’s principal investigator. “That made me think — because there’s really no safe level of lead in drinking water, wouldn’t it be nice to have a water filter that could tell you your water is polluted, well before it turns brown because of lead?”

Bushway, as a science teacher, wondered aloud to her chemistry class if there was a little filter that they could make from inexpensive components to easily remove lead. The students were excited about the idea, and they started thinking about the project in 2020.

The students discussed designs for an attachment to screw (用螺丝固定) a filter onto a sink’s faucet. Then in the spring semester of 2021, they 3D printed the attachment and a 3-inch-tall filter housing, using eco-friendly plastic. They filled the containers with some chemical powder. Next, the students added a tiny spectrophotometer (分光光度计) with a single-wavelength LED to the bottom of the filter container. They installed an indicator light that turns on as soon as the detector identifies the yellow color of the lead iodide (碘化铅).

The team’s goal is to make and sell their filters for less than $1 each. Because the housings use eco-friendly plastic, the cost could trend a little higher, but the material would help reduce the overall environmental impact of the filter.

The process of developing the filter has been very fulfilling. “Ultimately, this experience has shown students they can make a difference to somebody, and that there are problems they can fix with science,” said Bushway.

1. What shows that the filter is running out according to the text?

A．The change of the water’s color.	B．The change of the filter housing’s color.
C．The times of the filter being used.	D．The flash of the indicator light.

2. What inspired Bushway to remove lead in the water?

A．Her personal experience in Michigan.	B．The unsafe water used by a woman.
C．A lack of safe drinking water.	D．The experiments carried out in her class.

3. What can be inferred from paragraphs 4 and 5?

A．Chemical powder reacts with the lead in the water.

B．A detector is fixed to identify the lead iodide.

C．The students have developed eco-friendly plastic.

D．The filter has an advantage over others in price.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To advertise a product to remove lead to readers.

B．To highlight the hardships the inventors encounter.

C．To praise the young for shouldering responsibilities.

D．To stress the importance of environmental protection.

6 . Chinese food is well-known for its rich sorts and distinct flavors from different areas. This article highlights four classic dishes that represent the wide range of Chinese cooking.

Dongpo pork

Dongpo pork is a delicious dish from Zhejiang Province, China. It’s made by cooking streaky pork (五花肉) slowly with ingredients like soy sauce, ginger, and sugar. This makes the meat very soft and full of flavor. The tasty sauce is great for mixing with rice. The dish is named after a famous poet, Su Dongpo.

Hot candied milk tofu

Hot candied milk tofu is a sweet specialty from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is crisp (酥脆的) on the outside and soft on the inside. It tastes sweet and is suitable for people of all ages to eat. It’s also great for getting more calcium.

Steamed Chinese cabbage in supreme soup

Steamed Chinese cabbage in supreme soup is a famous Sichuan cuisine. It is made with the hearts of Chinese cabbage from the north. It’s cooked with chicken, duck, and pork bones to make a clear flavourful soup, which is seasoned with minced chicken or pork. Some chicken oil is drizzled on top. The Chinese cabbage, cooked in the soup, keeps its crisp freshness and soaks up (吸收) the soup, offering a tasty experience.

Steamed fish head with chopped hot chilli peppers

In Hunan Province, the love for spicy food is obvious in a famous traditional dish, steamed fish head with chopped hot chilli peppers. The fish head is marinated (腌) with a generous amount of red chilli peppers and then steamed to perfection. The combination of the fish’s natural freshness and the chilli peppers’ heat creates an unforgettable taste experience.

1. What is the first dish named after?

A．A famous chef.	B．A historical figure.
C．A traditional festival.	D．A specific cooking technique.

2. Which dish uses several kinds of meat as ingredients?

A．Dongpo pork.

B．Hot candied milk tofu.

C．Steamed Chinese cabbage in supreme soup.

D．Steamed fish head with chopped hot chilli peppers.

3. What are the key tastes of steamed fish head with chopped hot chilli peppers?

A．Sweet and sour.	B．Sweet and fresh.
C．Salty and sweet.	D．Spicy and fresh.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

With cold winter setting in, sometimes people need a small act of kindness to stay warm. That’s where Sharie Monsam and her niece come in. The pair are leaving scarves and hats on statues in downtown Mesa, Arizona for people who need them to keep warm.

Helping people who are homeless or down on their luck comes naturally for Monsam. “If you’re cold, take one,” she said. “This is the fourth winter that we have collected hats and scarves from family, friends, and neighbors. And also, we bought them at second-hand stores. And then we put them on the statues downtown, probably 15 to 18 statues.”

The hats and scarves are quickly taken from the statues, showing that there is a need for the winter equipment. Monsam hopes that other people will follow her lead and help the unhoused.

“I hope more people do it. They can donate food to the food kitchens as well,” Monsam added. “Every single person would make a difference. Find something that you can do to help other people. I personally think that’s what we're here on earth for.”

Happily, there are people doing the same thing. In Morristown, New Jersey, the fiber fairies are spreading warmth by decorating statues with gloves, hats, and scarves.

The founders who want to remain nameless established the group in 2014 to help the homeless stay warm. They began by asking for donations of winter hats and scarves on Facebook. The group placed the winter items on statues in the city’s green spaces.

One day, a boy named Peter went to the city center with his mother. Peter wore few clothes and felt very cold. The clothes on the statues became timely rain. The incident left a deep impression on the boy.

注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Peter went home and began to look for clothes.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Peter wasn’t about to stop the good behavior.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 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。

A Chinese factory, called “mother-friendly factory”, has arranged flexible working for the women who work there. This measure allows them     1     (balance) their careers with caring for their children.

Mothers often have to make a tough     2     (decide) in rural areas—whether to stay home to raise their children or work elsewhere to contribute financially.

Gong Qin, a worker at the factory, now and then glances over at her 4-year-old daughter with a smile. It brings her comfort to see her child playing with friends nearby while she focuses     3     her task. “My little girl is considerate and never     4     (bother) me during work,” Gong said with pride.

Gong began working at the factory eight years ago, and when she     5    (face) with the challenge of her husband working away from home, she suggested     6     (bring) her children to work. To her delight, the factory welcomed her suggestion. Since then, Gong’s son has stayed with her in the workshop after school, where he and other children engage in playful learning     7     complete their homework.

Zhang Tiantian, a manager, says the factory employs over 120 women, 80 percent of     8     are mothers with young children. Around 50 mothers work together with their children year-round.

To further support children's development, the mother-friendly factory has established     9     parent-child canteen with nutritious meals, repaired 16     10     (apartment) for mothers and children, and organized volunteer-led after-school care.

9 . London native, Bodhana first became interested in chess to beat back boredom. Just five years old at the time, she quickly surpassed (超越) her father’s chess playing ability and began playing, and winning, in online chess games. Three years later, Bodhana made history as the top female chess player in Europe after she defeated grandmasters many times her age at the European Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in December 2023.

Sivanandan Velayutham, Bodhana’s father, said that his daughter first became fascinated with chess at the age of five, when he brought home a second-hand chess set. Bodhana happened to see the knight (武士) lying around and it caught her interest. “I want the horse,” she told her father.

Bodhana’s father was happy to help and he taught her the chess basics that he’d learned in India. But it didn’t take long for his preschool daughter to beat him. “At the start, I might have won one or two games, but she soon knew the rules better than me and the tables quickly turned,” Velayutham said.

From the beginning, Bodhana strengthened what her father was teaching her with games and methods that she learned from YouTube videos. But when it became clear that she had a lasting interest and an unusual talent, her father enrolled in a local chess club for her, where she soon fell into the habit of practicing daily for an hour or more.

Last year, at one of Bodhana’s first ever tournament experiences, which was hosted by the English Chess Federation, she defeated a number of grandmasters.

A year later, Bodhana won the World Youth Chess Championship in the Under-8 Girls category. After defeating kids at her age, a few months later she went back to beating adults.

BBC shared Bodhana’s win at the European Blitz Chess Championship in December of 2023. There, she earned the title of best female player, scoring8.5/13, and earning widespread praise from other game masters.

1. What can be learned about Bodhana in paragraph 1?

A．Her considerate family.	B．Her amazing chess talent.
C．Her great luck in her career.	D．Her powerful self-study ability.

2. What caused Bodhana’s interest in chess in the first place?

A．Her father’s encouragement.	B．The interesting rules of chess.
C．An animal-shaped chess piece.	D．Education received in preschool.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．Bodhana made her father lose face.	B．Bodhana’s father collected used chess.
C．Bodhana was sent to India to learn chess.	D．Bodhana’s father used to live abroad.

4. What made Bodhana start playing chess regularly?

A．Joining a local chess club.	B．Learning chess rules online.
C．Defeating a number of grandmasters.	D．Meeting with a second-hand chess set.

10 . Top Technology Products at CES 2024

One of the world’s largest technology events, CES, is taking place this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here is a look at some top products presented at CES 2024.

Robot that adds walking power

WIRobotics introduced a wearable robot that provides walking assistance to users. The company’s WIM model is designed for anyone who needs an extra “push” when walking. An online description explains the robot can help individuals “walk farther, faster and healthier”. The price for such assistance is high, though, with the WIM selling for about $2,500.

Body power to charge a phone

Sports equipment developer LifeSpan introduced an exercise bicycle/desk combination that uses human power to charge phones or other devices. The Ampera bike is designed to be used with a “standing” desk table. LifeSpan says the bike can produce up to 65 watts of electricity per hour.

Home-made ice cream in 2 minutes

The ColdSnap company introduced a machine that can make single servings of ice cream in about two minutes. The machine uses small containers, called pods, just like Keurig coffeemakers. The company points out the pods for its ColdSnap machine can be kept at room temperature, saving energy costs. The machines can be taken anywhere and are simple to operate.

Smart mirror for better mental health

French health product developer Baracoda presented what it described as “the world’s first AI-powered smart mirror for mental wellness.” The company’s BMind model is built to work in any bathroom. The product was designed to use cameras and sensors to collect data on a person's movements , expressions and language. It can identify a user’s moods (心情) and sense other possible mental health issues.

1. What do the first product and the second one have in common?

A．They are expensive.	B．They are related to sports.
C．They can produce power.	D．They can make walking easier.

2. What can you do with AI-powered smart mirror?

A．Maintain a good mood.	B．Make bathing more comfortable.
C．Improve your image gradually.	D．Find your mental health problems.

3. Which product will you choose if you’re interested in cooking?

A．The robot that adds walking power.	B．The Ampera bike.
C．The home-made ice cream machine.	D．The AI-powered smart mirror.