1 . 快速阅读下列句子，结合语境写出黑体词在语境中的词性和确切含义。
1. A stay in the country will be beneficial to his health. __________
2. Many of his songs drew inspiration from his experience as a farmer. __________
3. When Helen criticized (批评) me, Chris came to my defense. __________
4. It gives you a sense of achievement if you actually make it to the end of a very long book. __________
5. He was very angry with the man’s improper conduct. __________
6. Advertising and promotion are what this company does best. __________
7. She would only play a role if she could identify with the character. _________
8. The competition was extremely tough this year with 350 applicants applying for the five positions. __________
9. Some flats are being torn down to make room for a bank. _________
10. The retired man donated most of his savings to the school damaged by the earthquake. __________

2 . Everyone deserves healthy meals. However, unfortunately, not everyone has ________ to fresh foods, ________ those in poor communities.

A teenager named Lauren Schroeder ________ this when she volunteered at a community food nonprofit. All vegetables for families in need came in cans and boxes, rather than straight from the fields. ________ to make a change, Lauren set out to grow produce so she could donate it to ________ families.

“I wanted people to get the nutrition they needed from fresh vegetables,” Lauren said. This ________ her to start a garden on her parents’ farm. While her mom was supportive, she made her ________ of how much work it would take-still, the teenager ________ the challenge.

To kick-start her project, Lauren got economic ________ from the National FFA Organization, which ________ agricultural education, to pay for seeds and gardening supplies. Then, the ________ work began. Since the summers in Iowa are very hot and dry, she had to water them daily. Lauren added, “I did a lot of research online and every day, it took about two or three hours.”

But all her efforts ________. Her first harvest resulted in 40 pounds of produce. “It was really good to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables would be able to get the ________,” Lauren said, “I knew that I wanted to keep going.”

So far, she has spent over 1,000 hours working in the garden, producing 7,000 pounds of vegetables. “I want to ________ community members. It makes a(n) ________ when you help other people out. That’s what makes me happiest,” Lauren said.

1.

A．invitation

B．access

C．admission

D．ticket

2.

A．especially

B．actually

C．obviously

D．extremely

3.

A．confirmed

B．appreciated

C．recognized

D．identified

4.

A．Arranging

B．Determining

C．Struggling

D．Pretending

5.

A．musical

B．familiar

C．unique

D．low-income

6.

A．recommended

B．reminded

C．inspired

D．requested

7.

A．aware

B．confident

C．certain

D．free

8.

A．took up

B．looked into

C．applied for

D．went over

9.

A．guidance

B．support

C．pressure

D．benefit

10.

A．organizes

B．expects

C．promotes

D．demands

11.

A．amazing

B．specific

C．professional

D．tough

12.

A．worked out

B．paid off

C．broke off

D．wore out

13.

A．reward

B．rescue

C．honour

D．donation

14.

A．impact

B．impress

C．challenge

D．observe

15.

A．discovery

B．profit

C．difference

D．intention

3 . Erin Alexander, who was suffering from the loss of her relative, was having a hard day. However, her day took an unexpected turn when she picked up her order and noticed a message on the cup: “Madam,” the waitress had written next to a heart, “your heart is golden.” The small and unexpected act moved her deeply, brightening the rest of her day.

New research confirms the great influence of experiences like Ms. Alexander’s. Researchers found people who perform an unplanned act of kindness tend to undervalue how much the receiver will appreciate it. This could hold many of us back from doing nice things for others more often.

In a recent experiment, 84 participants (参与者) were given a hot chocolate on two cold weekends at a park and were told they could keep it or give it to a stranger. The 75 participants who gave away their drink were asked to guess how “big” their kind act would feel to the receiver on a scale (等级) from 0 to 10, and how the receiver would rate their feelings upon receiving it. The receivers were then asked to report how they actually felt using the same scale.

It turned out that the people doing the kind thing always undervalued the importance of their actions. While they thought they were offering something small, the receivers considered it more meaningful because someone had done something nice for them.

Despite longing for kindness, many people feel awkward at the thought of being kind. The “little inner voice” often leads them to question whether their behavior might be misunderstood or whether it will make the receiver feel pressured to pay it back.

But an act of kindness is unlikely to have unintended results; it can lead to even more kindness. If you are not already in the habit of performing unplanned kind acts, start by thinking about what you are interested in and how you can turn that into an offering for others.

1. How did Erin Alexander feel after reading the message?

A．Calm.

B．Puzzled.

C．Warmed.

D．Anxious.

2. Paragraph 3 is mainly about the ______ of the experiment.

A．rule

B．process

C．purpose

D．result

3. What may prevent people performing kindness according to the text?

A．A mix of fears.	B．Coldness from others.
C．High expectations of others.	D．Voices from the public.

4. What does the author suggest readers do?

A．Think twice before helping.	B．Value kindness from others.
C．Find ways to change habits.	D．Take action to offer kindness.

4 . 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。

Cynthia was a primary school student. She was curious about everything. She made efforts to get a good grade in every subject. She was a kind-hearted and outgoing girl. At school, she was always ready to help her classmates. At home, she helped her mum do some housework. She was never a concern to her mum, Mrs. Anderson.

However, Mrs. Anderson noticed a change in Cynthia these days. There were more quiet moments. Mrs. Anderson saw Cynthia looking out of the window, lost in thought. She also learned from her teacher that Cynthia wasn’t as focused on school as before. A sense of worry rose in Mrs. Anderson’s heart and she wondered about what was behind Cynthia’s unusual behavior.

Before going to bed, she started talking with Cynthia, asking about her day. However, Cynthia just said that nothing in particular happened. Mrs. Anderson’s concern grew. She decided to keep a closer eye, hoping to uncover the challenges her daughter might be facing.

One day, while cleaning up Cynthia’s bedroom, Mrs. Anderson discovered something unexpected — on her desk lay some books on how to treat injured birds. It was quite surprising. Cynthia had never told her about this. It also amazed Mrs. Anderson. She had a deep love for nature and birds and she could always find inspiration in their freedom and the beauty of their songs. She couldn’t help but wonder what had inspired her daughter’s newfound interest in birds.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.开头已给出。

The next morning, Mrs. Anderson saw Cynthia walking quietly into the backyard with a first aid kit in hand.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mrs. Anderson couldn’t help but walk out.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . When you hear the word “culture”, you may think of nations or societies.     1     What is family culture? It is the combination (结合) of values, expectations, and experiences that describes a family and shapes the way its members get along with each other.

Everyone has a unique culture that determines who they are as a person. Your family culture helps you understand your traditions and explains the reason for your behavior every day. It’s important to you.     2     A deeper sense of unity and togetherness is important for a family culture. The following will help you understand how to uncover your cultural story with your family.

    3     You can find out what your family’s values are and what they stand for by looking at the traditions around those values. You can do this by talking to people you respect in your family or by using some simple Internet searches. Through looking into your family’s history, you will understand the context of their culture.

After this, it’s time to write a detailed description of your family’s culture.     4     So you need to take your time with this step. In this description, you need to give a specific account of your family’s culture, traditions, values, and history.

The last step is to share it with people. You can talk to your family about their culture and let them know that you’ve written down what they are like. You can also talk to friends who know little about your family’s culture.     5    

Exploring your family’s culture is an exciting process that will bring new meaning to everything you’ve ever held dear. So start your journey of uncovering it right now!

A．This is a key part of the process.

B．But every family has a culture, too.

C．Know how to talk with your family.

D．Start by researching your family’s history.

E．It also contributes to your family togetherness.

F．Then they can start a process of self-exploration.

G．So they will know better what your family is all about.

6 . 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。

According to legend, the Yellow River flooded during the period of Emperor Yao, and the people     1     (force) to leave their villages, and went to live in trees or on mountain tops. The flood     2     (bring) great misfortune to the people. So Yao assigned (指派) Gun to regulate it. Gun wanted to cut off the flood with stones     3     failed. Then, Shun assigned Yu, Gun’s son, to continue the work. Having learned     4     (he) father’s lesson, Yu dredged (疏浚) new river     5     (channel) as outlets, guiding water into river and river into sea. Day by day, year by year, Yu spent thirteen years     6     (govern) the flood without a break. It was said that during the thirteen years, he passed his home three times, but did not enter     7     his task was completed. His efforts not only solved the flood problem, but contributed to the     8     (develop) of agriculture.

In the face of difficulties, we should have the wisdom     9     (overcome) difficulties and the spirit of public selflessness. We also need powerful spirit and strong faith, only     10     that way can we work together to deal with a variety of difficulties.

7 . Loss of slow-wave sleep as you age may increase your risk of developing dementia (痴呆), according to a new study.

“We found that aging was associated with a decline in the amount of the deepest stages of sleep, known as slow-wave sleep. We then found that people with greater declines in slow-wave sleep over time had a higher risk of getting dementia over the next 17 years of follow-up,” said Matthew Pase, senior author of the study.

Slow-wave sleep is the third and fourth stages of sleep, which is important for brain health. During this stage, the body removes unwanted or harmful materials from the brain. “For the brain, this deep sleep is thought to be the most restorative,” said Dr Richard Isaacson, who wasn’t involved in the study.

The researchers wanted to know whether chronic (慢性的) reductions in slow-wave sleep over time are linked to dementia risk in humans and whether dementia-related processes in the brain may contribute to getting less of this type of sleep. They studied 346 people with an average age of 69 and completed two overnight sleep studies—one between 1995 and 1998 and the second between 1998 and 2001—during which their sleep was monitored. The researchers also investigated whether any change in the amount of slow-wave sleep that participants got was associated with developing dementia up to 17 years after they completed the sleep studies. By that time, 52 participants had been diagnosed with dementia. Each percentage decrease in slow-wave sleep per year was linked to a 27 percent increased risk of developing dementia. The rate of slow-wave sleep loss accelerated (加速) from age 60, peaked from ages 75 to 80and slowed afterwards.

“This is an important study yet again showing the impact of quality of sleep on a person’s risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Isaacson said. “It’s important to not only pay attention to the total amount of sleep a person gets each night, but also monitor sleep quality as best as possible.”

1. What can we learn from the new study?

A．The older you are, the less sleep you will have.

B．Slow-wave sleep has been linked to the risk of dementia.

C．The rate of slow-wave sleep loss keeps going up with age.

D．The amount of sleep has an impact on the risk of dementia.

2. How did researchers get what they wanted?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By introducing a concept.
C．By referring to another study.	D．By making a survey.

3. What did Dr Richard Isaacson suggest?

A．Sleep quality needs more attention.

B．We should have enough sleep.

C．The elderly should sleep more than the young.

D．The amount of sleep is more important than sleep quality.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Sports.

B．Health.

C．Education.

D．Environment.

8 . Four Art Study Abroad Programs in 2024

Whether you love art history, dance, photography, writing, or beyond, here are the top art programs to attend in 2024.

The 6-week Gap Year Course in Italy | Art History Abroad
Program length: 6 weeks in summer
Price: $10,000

If you’re interested in studying artists, criticism, and painting techniques during periods like the Renaissance and styles like baroque, Romanesque, and modern art, then this program is for you. It prides itself on not simply teaching art but also culture and an appreciation of beauty.

Creative Internships (实习) in Australia with ABI | ArtBound Initiative
Program length: 1 month
Price: $3,250

If you’ve ever had an interest in pursuing a career in the creative industry, consider an internship opportunity with ArtBound Initiative. Interns can work in exciting overseas locations while getting one-on-one career coaching from professionals.

The Irish Arts and Culture Program | Irish Gap Year
Program length: 1 semester
Price: $17,000

Explore your own areas of interest as you work side by side with local Irish artists, photographers, writers, and musicians, learning about Ireland’s rich cultural and artistic heritage. Your hands-on experience goes hand in hand with day trips to galleries, museums, and castles, and at the end, you’ll have the opportunity to exhibit your works at the Le Cheile Art Expo.

Creative Semester in France | Berridge Programs
Program length: 1 semester
Price: $16,500

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced performer or artist, your interests and talents will be nurtured by industry professionals. During your time here, you will work on improving your skills which will end with a feature film or creative performance.

1. Where should you go to obtain career guidance according to the text?

A．France.

B．Australia.

C．Italy.

D．Ireland.

2. Which program enables participants to display their works?

A．The 6-week Gap Year Course in Italy.

B．Creative Internships in Australia with ABI.

C．The Irish Arts and Culture Program.

D．Creative Semester in France.

3. How much should an artist pay to improve his performing skills?

A．$3,250.

B．$10,000.

C．$16,500.

D．$17,000.

9 . Dusting is particularly annoying. Nearly two-thirds of household dust content comes from the outdoors, some of which may contain harmful chemicals. So, keeping your home as dust-free as possible is important to improve overall health.     1    ？

In general, you should dust your home’s most exposed surfaces on a weekly basis. This means items such as tables, shelves, beds, dressers, counter-tops and windows.     2    . Use microfiber or natural-fiber cloths that will pick up the dust.

Change your bed sheets weekly, as dust mites (螨) especially love bedding.     3    . Every three to six months, clean behind and under furniture, and wash your bedding.

Since so much dust comes in from the outdoors, you can cut down on the amount gathering in your home by keeping doors and windows closed as often as possible, and placing carpets on both sides of doors.     4    , changing them for a pair of slippers or private house shoes.

Get rid of odds and ends, which can easily attract dust, and be careful how you handle clothes. Since clothes both collects dust and sheds (掉落) fibers, regularly wash any clothes or don’t throw clothing on the ground.

When you’re getting ready to clean a room, always work from the top down.     5    , the dust on the highest surfaces will drift down to everything you’ve just cleaned.

A．If you dust from the bottom up

B．How can we keep the home dust-free

C．Why should we keep the home dust-free

D．You can remove your shoes when you come home

E．You can buy some new shoes before you return home

F．Don’t use feather dusters that simply push the dust around

G．Items that don’t collect dust easily can go a month without cleaning

10 . Research has showed physical activities are very important for students. So many schools are now encouraging students to take part in any form of healthy exercise.

Physical education is an important part of healthy living for people of all age groups, especially for the students. This is because school life is full of stress.

Besides that, in today’s world, many school children eat unhealthy foods. These may include soft drinks, pizzas and burgers. Eating these foods can make school children gain weight.

Physical education at school helps prevent school children from putting on weight. Physical exercise and activities will help them burn off more calories (卡路里). If these calories are not burned off, they will be stored as fat.

At the same time, such activities play an important role in the growth and development of the bones (骨骼). Exercise such as jumping is especially important for school children.

A physically active student will also have a healthy heart. Research shows that kids who perform aerobic (有氧的) exercise, two to three times a week for at least twenty minutes, have a healthier heart compared with those who don’t take part in physical exercise. Some kinds of the healthy aerobic exercise are playing basketball, playing soccer and so on.

1. What are many schools encouraging their students to do?

A．Study hard and get good grades.

B．Join in different kinds of sports games.

C．Take part in any form of healthy exercise.

D．Take part in different kinds of after-school activities.

2. What does the underlined word “gain” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Prevent

B．Discuss

C．Lose

D．Increase

3. What does the writer mainly tell us in the passage?

A．It’s not easy for students to receive physical education.

B．Physical activities are good for students in many ways.

C．Those who don’t take part in physical exercise can’t keep fit.

D．Students should have more time to receive knowledge and education.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Healthy living habits

B．Students’ school life

C．Exercise more to keep healthy

D．Different kinds of aerobic exercise