1 . When you have mountains of homework and studying ahead, getting started can seem like an impossible task.     1     Read on to learn how to stop procrastinating (拖延) on studying, focus even when you’re tired, and get motivated to do your schoolwork!

Start with your easiest task to get the ball rolling.     2     When you really don’t feel like getting started, it’s better to set yourself up for a quick win. Try working from the shortest to the most time-intensive task, and work from easiest project to the hardest. Once you finish a small step or two, you’ll get an awesome sense of accomplishment that’ll make it easier to keep going!

    3     Pick a few tasks you can accomplish in just one sitting. Divide your larger studying goals into small, concrete steps. Identify specific, achievable goals that you can work on one at a time. This way, you can make good progress, and achieving each goal will make you feel accomplished at the end of your study session.

Reward yourself when you complete a task. Treat yourself to help you stay motivated and make studying fun. If you’re in the middle of a study session, you can take a quick walk, eat a granola bar, or listen to a favorite song.     4    

Work with your friends or a tutor. Positive peer pressure can be a great motivator! Unless working with others creates more of a distraction, find a study buddy or group you can collaborate with.     5     If group studying doesn’t work for you, find a tutor who can help you work through your assignments.

A．Break down your work into smaller pieces.

B．Set goals together, and check-in along the way.

C．Make things less stressful by starting with just a small task.

D．Try a fresh approach to your studies if you’re sick of reading and writing.

E．We’ll teach you how to get into the right frame of mind before you start studying.

F．If you’ve finished your study session, feel free to wind down by playing a video game.

G．If you’re to attend a college, each small study meeting will get you closer to your dream.

2 . Does it ever seem like something is going on with our attention spans? Gloria Mark, an attention researcher at the university of California, says there is scientific evidence that attention spans have shrunk considerably. “We started studying attention span length over 20 years ago,” Mark said. “In 2003, we found that attention spans averaged about two-and-a-half minutes on any screen before people switched, In the past five, six years, they are averaging 47 seconds on the screen.”

Mark maintains that a shorter attention span has three downsides: The first is that people make more errors when they do attention shifting; second downside is that it takes longer to do something, because we have to adjust to every new task every time we shift; the third downside — maybe this is the worst of all — is that stress increases. When people are working on multiple tasks and they have to shift their attention, their blood pressure rises.

You don’t have to be a professor to guess at the cause of our great distract ability: It’s technology, of course-phones, social media, texting. It might be hard to think of the last time you even had a tech-free hour. So she offered a couple of tips for staying focused: First, when you feel the itch to change tasks, analyze why. If it’s just boredom or procrastination (拖延症), make a deal with yourself to work another 20 minutes, and then treat yourself to a reward.

Second, picture yourself at the end of the day. What do you want to have accomplished? What do you want to feel? “A concrete visualization of yourself sitting on the couch, you know, watching your favourite show is really good motivation,” she said.

The internet has this incredible resource available to us, so rather than be upset by it because it distracts us, how can we turn that around and instead find value from it? And how can we utilize our time best when we use the resources from the Internet without getting exhausted from it? These questions are what Gloria Mark will focus on in her subsequent research.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．Negative effects of short attention spans.	B．Benefits of long attention spans.
C．Causes of short attention spans.	D．Ways to deal with short attention spans.

2. What does the underlined word in para. 3 probably mean?

A．Necessity.

B．Courage.

C．Desire

D．Choice

3. Which of the following may Gloria Mark suggest?

A．Imagining what you will accomplish at the end of the day is a waste of time.

B．Multitasking is a good way to extend our attention span.

C．It is necessary to think twice before shifting your tasks.

D．We’d better say no to the internet sometimes as it distracts us.

4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Are Our Attention Spans Getting Shorter?	B．How Do We Live with the Internet?
C．Is Multitasking Possible?	D．What Can We Do to Make Our Attention Spans Longer?

3 . The Amazon rainforest spreads across nine South American countries but most of it (60%) is in Brazil. Brazilian scientists think they might have found a way to reverse the damage caused by deforestation and turn farmland back into forest. The secret lies in ancient local knowledge of soil.

Amazonian dark earth (ADE) is a thick, black soil found deep in the Amazon rainforest, and it could help restore forests around the world. ADE is a kind of compost — a soil made from dead plants and animals. Various kinds of compost are sold in gardening centers around the world, but ADE is unique. It was created by indigenous people (the descendants of people who lived somewhere before another culture arrived and took over) from the Amazon between 2,000 and 2,500 years ago. The Amazonian people, today known as Amerindians, created ADE using charcoal from fires, animal bones, food waste and poo. It contains microbes, including bacteria that help to turn chemicals in the soil into useful nutrients that feed plants and trees.

Vast areas of the Amazon have been cut down, mostly to make way for grassland for raising cattle. Scientists are looking for a way to turn grassland back into rainforest and revive forest ecosystems. These support thousands of animal and plant species, many of them unique to the area. Forests also absorb lots of carbon dioxide, a gas that cause climate change.

To see if the Amazon’s special soil could help, the scientists grew grasses and trees in ADE, regular earth and a mixture of both. Trees grown in ADE were up to six times taller than those in regular soil. ADE takes hundreds of years to create, so the scientists can’t simply make more. Team member, Dr. Siu Mui Tsai, said that instead they want to try and “copy its characteristics”, especially its helpful microbes, and see if it could help to restore natural habitats.

1. What are Brazilian scientists trying to do?

A．To bring forests back.	B．To measure damage.
C．To reduce farmland.	D．To dig out ancient soil.

2. What made the Amazonian dark earth special?

A．Dead plants.

B．Animal bones.

C．Food waste.

D．Bacteria inside.

3. What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

A．The reasons for cutting down forests.	B．The benefits of raising cattle.
C．The significance of forest ecosystems.	D．The influence of climate change.

4. Which of the following might Dr. Siu agree with?

A．Amazonian dark earth is helpful to microbes.

B．Amazonian dark earth is produced in large quantities.

C．Microbes are beneficial to the revival of forests.

D．Microbes are the characteristics of the natural habitats.

4 . With a huge variety of animals, plants, and geological features, it’s no surprise the Rocky Mountains host many national parks in both the US and Canada. Here are a few of the national parks in the region dedicated to preserving the unique environments of the Rocky Mountains.

Rocky Mountain National Park

The first of the great national parks in the Rocky Mountains, this park includes 415 square miles of land across the Continental Divide. Because of its size, visitors can experience high mountain peaks, grassy valleys, hidden alpine lakes, and beautiful waterfalls. Rock climbers can scale a thousand feet up the sheer rock cliffs of Longs Peak, and there are many hiking trails.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is probably one of the most well-known national parks. President Ulyssess S. Grant designated Yellowstone as the very first national park in the United States on March 1, 1872. It is famous for its hot springs, boiling mud, fumaroles and geysers such as Old Faithful, which shoots boiling water more than 100 feet into the air. Yellowstone also has its own canyon and magnificent waterfall. Visitors can see bison, elk, wolves and grizzly bears.

Grand Teton National Park

Travelers can leave Yellowstone on a parkway that brings them right to Grand Teton National Park, just north of Jackson, Wyoming. Humans have lived in the area for more than 11,000 years, and traces of this history can be found throughout the park. Grand Teton has many opportunities for hiking, camping, boating, rock climbing, and viewing wildlife, as well as amazing views of the Grand Teton Mountain Range.

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is located near Calgary, in Alberta, Canada. Banff was Canada’s first national park, and is known for its mountain peaks, its hundreds of glaciers, and glacier-fed lakes such as Lake Louise. Banff has many hiking trails and campsites, and winter visitors snowshoe, ski, and skate.

1. Which of the following best suits winter sports lovers?

A．Rocky Mountain National Park.	B．Yellowstone National Park.
C．Grand Teton National Park.	D．Banff National Park.

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Rocky Mountain National Park has its own canyon.

B．Yellowstone National Park are famous for campsites.

C．Grand Teton National Park enjoys the longest history.

D．Banff National Park is the first national park in Canada.

3. Where is the passage most likely taken from?

A．A science magazine.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A geography textbook.	D．A wildlife guidebook.

5 . As I have perfect pitch (绝对音感) and started playing piano at 3 years old, it’s much natural for me to join the school’s choir when I got to college in the US.

At first, everything went pretty ________: I passed the audition (试音), and was even invited to join the more selective Chamber Singers. However, I soon became ________ after several rehearsals (排练): From jokes to music theory, I simply couldn’t understand what they were talking about! And when I ________ others’ pitch mistakes, they seemed unwilling to accept. I remained silent even when I knew the pitches were ________.

It was our New Year Concert last year that ________ me out of deep waters. When we were singing the words of a song: “To live is to give”, I thought “how could I be ________ just being a silent Asian?” Soon after the ________, I started my plan. In my second term, I ________ to join all the conversations and started to help fellow singers with my abilities ________ identifying pitch. I was overwhelmed by the content of helping people, and was thrilled ________ more choir members came to me for casual talks.

From March to May, I was ________ soloist (独唱者) for four different songs, an unusual ________ for a first-year student. Among them, my favorite piece was a Spanish folk song that we ________ during the choir’s spring tour to Madrid. A Chinese student singing a Spanish song in an American choir — how proud I was to ________ as an ambassador of cross-cultural communication! When the audience applauded us, I came to see a better world with understanding, ________and love.

1.

A．smoothly

B．carefully

C．deeply

D．quickly

2.

A．scared

B．determined

C．frustrated

D．absorbed

3.

A．looked out

B．pointed out

C．figured out

D．turned out

4.

A．normal

B．incorrect

C．perfect

D．regular

5.

A．pushed

B．pressed

C．selected

D．drew

6.

A．satisfied with

B．keen on

C．familiar with

D．eager for

7.

A．audition

B．joke

C．concert

D．rehearsal

8.

A．hoped

B．managed

C．refused

D．failed

9.

A．by

B．to

C．on

D．in

10.

A．when

B．while

C．before

D．unless

11.

A．respected

B．postponed

C．attached

D．appointed

12.

A．feature

B．hobby

C．achievement

D．request

13.

A．performed

B．desired

C．lacked

D．ignored

14.

A．launch

B．serve

C．assume

D．announce

15.

A．patience

B．independence

C．peace

D．pride

6 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

The Poster Contest

Shawn had been working on his entry for the school’s poster contest for weeks. The topic of the contest was recycling, and the winner would receive the honor of having his or her poster displayed all around the school. This was a big event and he couldn’t afford to miss it. And Shawn was sure his was the best in the class-certainly better than Neil’s!

Neil and Shawn were in the same class and the two boys competed in everything, and their test scores and grades were just about equal. They almost never spoke to each other, but everyone in the class knew they were competitors. One thing Shawn excelled at, though, was art.

His poster, which showed a garbage pile threatening to crush the school, looked really good. The only problem was the slogan, which was a little boring. It read, “Recycle.”

Mr. Wu evaluated all the posters carefully and said, “These are all excellent, but there are two entries that really stand out.” Shawn grinned as Mr. Wu held up his poster and the class clapped. But then Mr. Wu held up Neil’s poster, too. The artwork wasn’t great, Shawn saw, but the words written across the top were powerful. They read, “It’s Your Planet-Recycle It!” Even Shawn had to admit it was a good slogan.

Mr. Wu announced that the winner should be decided by a public vote. But their competition ended in a tie(平局). It was really a hard decision, for they both did a good job in the designing, each with their own unique strong points.

Shawn walked out of the school, with his head and shoulders hanging down. He knew the chance that his poster would be exhibited was dimming. When he looked up, he saw Neil walking alone a few steps ahead, his face stiffening with worry. He cast Shawn a look, but didn’t say a single word.

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。

Then Shawn had an idea.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The exhibition Shawn had been looking forward to finally came.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Wang Yaping, a female taikonaut of Shenzhou XIII mission,     1     (become) China’s first and the world’s 16th female space walker on Nov. 8. Despite physical challenges, female astronauts have unique     2    (advantage).

Understanding between astronauts is very important for carrying out space activities, which     3    (base) on excellent communication skills. Women are better in communication and language expression,     4    (help) female astronauts conduct space activities.

Men and women are different in body size,     5     also gives women unique convenience for spacewalks. They can control their weight better and thus perform a wider variety of tasks. A different body shape requires a different spacesuit. Wang’s tailor-made spacesuit was     6    (light) than the male version. Designers improved the pattern of this spacesuit to make it more     7    (suit) for astronauts with slimmer figures.

Many studies also have found that female astronauts are better in qualities such as attention to detail and thinking     8    (thorough). Men tend to excel in shorter-term, goal-oriented situations,     9     women are better in longer-term, habitation-type circumstances. So we are witnessing history thanks     10     Wang’s bravery.

8 . Paris has set a goal of making the Seine swimmable by 2024 when it will host the Olympic Games. If it _________ it will be the first time that _________ in the Seine is legal in over 100 years. To do that, though, the city will have to significantly _________ the levels of toxic (有毒的) bacteria that flow through the river. Then there’s _________   treasure hidden at the bottom.

Around 360 tons of plastic are found in the Seine every year.

_________ for Paris,11-year-old Raphael is on the case. For nearly two years, he has _________ nearly every weekend with his dad, _________ debris (垃圾，残骸) out of the almost 725-kilometer stretch of water. A typical _________ can include anything from an iPhone to an electric scooter.

It all started in 2019 when Raphael saw a video from someone doing something _________. So, Raphael asked his parents for ropes, a hook and a powerful magnet (磁铁) that could __________ metal objects weighing more than a ton.

“At first, it was just meant to be a leisurely weekend __________,” Raphael said. “But once I saw just how much __________ there was buried at the bottom of the river, it became like a full-time __________ and I wanted other people to know, too.”

Last October, Raphael was even awarded the Medal of Paris for his __________. While he’s not sure if he can make the entire Seine glisten by the 2024 Olympics, he hopes he’ll be one of the first __________ in the water once it’s declared safe.

1.

A．hosts

B．finishes

C．happens

D．succeeds

2.

A．touring

B．bathing

C．surfing

D．boating

3.

A．improve

B．control

C．reduce

D．change

4.

A．reserved

B．covered

C．trapped

D．buried

5.

A．Lucky

B．Grateful

C．Eager

D．Ready

6.

A．disturbed

B．lost

C．wasted

D．spent

7.

A．fetching

B．searching

C．piling

D．fishing

8.

A．process

B．catch

C．campaign

D．movement

9.

A．similar

B．mysterious

C．funny

D．dangerous

10.

A．seize

B．break

C．lift

D．attract

11.

A．challenge

B．game

C．activity

D．entertainment

12.

A．jewelry

B．garbage

C．coal

D．iron

13.

A．job

B．hobby

C．business

D．life

14.

A．bravery

B．courage

C．efforts

D．results

15.

A．players

B．cleaners

C．divers

D．swimmers

9 . Making the Most of Your Study Abroad Experience

You’re incredibly excited to study abroad and to experience a new culture. You may be also nervous about studying abroad because you know you’ll be stepping out of your comfort zone, but that’s only natural.    1    

Immerse yourself in the local culture.     2     If you’re in a country where a foreign language is spoken, immerse yourself in it. Try to speak the language as much as possible, to read the language, and to even watch TV shows on the local channels.

Hang out with the right people. A big part of having the perfect study abroad experience is who you hang out with.    3     If you have the right friends, you could end up learning a lot more about the culture.

Take the opportunity to travel. If you’re studying abroad, then there’s a good chance that you’re living within just hundreds of miles of many fantastic destinations.     4     So you should make a point of seizing the opportunity to visit a few foreign places you have never been to. However, you shouldn’t forget that your main goal is to immerse yourself in the country where you’ve chosen to study, so you should explore that country the most.

    5     That’s right. It’s called “study abroad” for a reason, which is that you will be spending half of your time either in class, or learning about the local culture through educational trips to museums, palaces, castles, and other historical sites. Don’t let yourself forget how absolutely amazing it is that you get to get first-hand knowledge about a culture that fascinates you.

A．Remember to learn something.

B．Go to as many museums as possible.

C．It’s better to stay in touch with people from home.

D．You should seize every opportunity to try something new.

E．A ticket to these areas is much cheaper than it will be from home.

F．If you’d like to know how to study abroad the right way, follow these tips.

G．The company you keep can make or break your entire trip, so choose your friends carefully.

10 . After decades of development and many trials and frustrations along the way, the James Webb Telescope has finally started to deliver what it came for. On July 12, NASA released the first science observations made by the suite of instruments carried on board the mission, marking what we eagerly anticipate will be the beginning of a new era in astronomy.

After the nail-biting launch on Christmas Day, a series of critical deployments followed to open up the telescope and its sunshade. If any of these operations had failed, James Webb would have been an unusable disaster. But the programme was perfectly executed, as the amazing observatory it has been planned to be.

It was very exciting to see the new images selected by an international committee of representatives from NASA. Scientists were not prepared for the level of crispness and fine detail that can be seen. It’s a joy to finally have such high-quality data.

Unveiled by US president Joe Biden, the stunning images of SMACS 0723, a cluster of thousands of galaxies, were released on July 11. The massive foreground galaxy groups magnify and twist the light of objects behind them, helping us to have a closer look at very faint objects in time.

The image shows the galaxy cluster as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. Images such as this will help us understand how the first stars and galaxies formed. Some of these may be among the most distant objects known, from the beginning of the universe.

The size of a telescope-its aperture (孔径) -is the key thing that decides the ultimate quality of the images and the detail that can be observed. Bigger is better. With its six-metre aperture, James Webb is the largest telescope ever launched into space and from its vantage point a million miles from Earth, free from the Earth’s atmosphere, it is expected to deliver the best, most detailed views of the universe we have ever seen. There is no doubt that it will revolutionize our understanding of the universe, just as its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, once did.

1. What marked the beginning of a new era in astronomy?

A．The successful launch of the James Webb Telescope.

B．The perfect operation of the James Webb Telescope.

C．The first scientific exploration mission carried out by the James Webb Telescope.

D．The new images about the galaxy cluster unveiled by US president Joe Biden.

2. What made scientists surprised?

A．How the first stars and galaxies formed 4.6 billion years ago.

B．The clear and detailed images observed by the James Webb Telescope.

C．The programme of the James Webb Telescope was perfectly performed.

D．The James Webb Telescope went through decades of development and tests.

3. What does the underlined word “faint” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Unclear.

B．Tiny.

C．Weak.

D．Blank.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The James Webb Telescope is larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.

B．The Hubble Space Telescope covers a distance of six metres.

C．Our understanding of the universe has been completely changed by the James Webb Telescope.

D．A million miles from Earth is the best location for astronomy observation.