1 . A study by University of Michigan researchers found that about mine out of ten people in New York City were exposed to noises that were high enough to harm their hearing. Some of the risk comes from traffic and other environmental sounds, but we suffer a lot of punishment on our ears by simply attending sports events and concerts. Listening to music through earphones and turning up the volume also do damage.
Hearing aids may have seemed not comfortable to wear for some people. But today, you might not even realize that the person next to you is wearing a pair of earphones so small and thin that they’re mostly hidden inside the ears. You might be even more surprised to discover that the person can adjust those hearing aids on a phone app — to make it easier to hear what you’re saying in a crowded, noisy environment.
“There’s a cool factor for hearing aids,” explains Dr. Hope Lanter. “They’re significantly (显著地) better and smaller.” Lanter is the lead audiologist (听力学家) for hear. com, an online source for hearing aids from various producers, which also offers access to a nationwide network of audiologists who can provide in-person testing and help.
Hear. com has started its own product, which is named the Horizon, together with engineers from hearing aid maker Signia, according to a news report. In addition to producing clear speech, the Horizon is also designed to interact with phones and other tools, make phone calls, stream podcasts, read e-books and so on.
Throughout the United States, the number of hearing aids and earphones is on the rapid increase. Though they have brought much benefit for those who have difficulty in hearing, they really do great harm to people with normal hearing when they listen to music or talk with others.
1. Why did the author mention the study in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic of the text. | B．To show the number of deaf people. |
| C．To explain the importance of protecting hearing. | D．To tell us the wide use of earphones. |
| A．Many people feel it awkward to wear hearing aids. |
| B．More and more people are wearing hearing aids now. |
| C．Hearing aids are getting more and more advanced. |
| D．It’s easier to stay away from loud noises with hearing aids. |
| A．Unfavorable. | B．Supportive. | C．Confident. | D．Not mentioned. |
| A．Loud noises in the United States. | B．Different earphones producers. |
| C．The advantages of hearing aids. | D．The wide use of hearing aids and earphones. |
2 . Hotels Where Wild Animals Wander Free
Check in to one of these hotels where wild animals wander free, and you could be sharing your breakfast table with giraffes, relaxing poolside with elephants, or viewing out from your hotel room window penguins.
Makanyane Safari Lodge
Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa
Located within the Madikwe Game Reserve, the Makanyane Safari Lodge offers guests up close views of the surrounding bush and the wildlife that resides within it. The suites have floor- to-ceiling glass windows perfect for watching passing elephants, and the main lodge is conveniently located next to a water hole visited by a variety of wildlife.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort
Orlando, Florida
A stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort in Orlando will feel more like a visit to Africa than Florida. Take a walk around the grounds, and you’re likely to spot more than 30 species of African wildlife. The lodge is home to 200 resident animals and birds, including gazelles, flamingos, zebras, and giraffes.
Giraffe Manor
Nairobi, Kenya
This hotel outside of Nairobi lets you get up close and personal with Rothschild giraffes. The original place was built in 1932 and has served as a giraffe shelter since the 1970s. Today, Giraffe Manor has six bedrooms and offers guests the chance to share their breakfast table with the eight resident giraffes. All of the hotel’s profits go to support the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife.
Sea Lion Lodge
Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands
Despite the name, it isn’t sea lions you should look out for here: A group of Gentoo penguins has been known to set up camp next to Sea Lion Lodge, a comfortable 3-star hotel in the Falkland Islands. Aside from penguin spotting, the lodge offers expansive views of the South Atlantic Ocean where nothing but water separates you from Antarctica.
1. In which hotel can you view elephants through the windows?| A．Makanyane Safari Lodge. | B．Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. |
| C．Giraffe Manor. | D．Sea Lion Lodge. |
| A．It offers guests free breakfasts. | B．It is home to varieties of wildlife. |
| C．It has been doing charity for wildlife. | D．It provides a stay like a visit to Africa. |
| A．Giraffes. | B．Penguins. | C．Sea lions. | D．Elephants. |
1. Who organizes the Winter Festival?
| A．The government. |
| B．A team of volunteers. |
| C．The businessmen around the town. |
| A．It will be held in a school. |
| B．There are three opening nights. |
| C．The painters of the pictures are local students. |
| A．A fancy-dress party. |
| B．A music talent show. |
| C．An art exhibition. |
| A．To inform people of the festival. |
| B．To raise money for the festival. |
| C．To show some of the musical talents. |
1. What is the woman worried about?
| A．How to get to the students’ union. |
| B．How to find a map of the university. |
| C．How to live the university life. |
| A．8 hours． | B．9 hours． | C．11 hours. |
| A．Beside the Lab B. |
| B．Opposite the Chemistry labs. |
| C．On the right of the Science Blocks. |
| A．Have an appointment with him on Thursday. |
| B．Get familiar with the university. |
| C．Write her telephone number down on the form. |
5 . Self-discipline is the ability to control your behavior in a way that leads you to be more productive and have better habits. Whether you are trying to study for a test, lose weight, or kick a bad habit, self-discipline always plays a part. Wondering how to develop it? Here are some tips for you.
Figuring out what does and does not work for you is key to understanding how to be more self-disciplined. Some people succeed when working around others, while others do better working alone. Some people are motivated by rewards, while others prefer consequences to keep them in line.
Share your goals with someone
Telling your goals to people you respect is directly related to a better chance of achieving them. You can simply let your friends know that you have decided to work on your self-discipline in general, or you can share some of your goals with them.
Start small
Don’t begin your daily work with self-discipline by trying to achieve something huge.
Forgive yourself
| A．Find a partner |
| B．Recognize how you struggle |
| C．Self-discipline requires lots of effort |
| D．Review why and where things went wrong |
| E．The act will help you achieve them more easily |
| F．We are all humans, so perfection isn’t possible |
| G．This will take too much time to keep you on track |
6 . Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’re talking to someone but they keep looking at their phone? This is called “phubbing” — a mix of the words “phone” and “snubbing”, which is the act of ignoring someone in favor of the phone. It can happen in any conversation — whether it’s with a friend, family member, or even a business associate. When someone is “phubbing”, they’re using their phone to look through the online news, check messages, play games and so on, instead of focusing on the conversation or spending time with the people they’re with.
The word was first used back in 2012, when fewer people had smartphones. And now that most people have smartphones, phubbing is a common problem. Most people would agree that it’s rude to be focused on your phone when you’re spending time with another person. The expert William Hanson thinks so, too. “Phubbing is a no-no!” he says. “If you have planned to go out with friends, focus on them and not your friends on your phone.” Studies have found that phubbing can damage your relationships with others. Eye contact is super important in bonding and developing oxytocin, the chemical that builds trust and connection. A lack of eye contact due to phubbing can make people feel like you don’t care about them or value their time.
Phubbing can make people feel disregarded, and those who “phub” are thought of as less polite and caring. So science has shown that phubbing is not good for us — but why do we do it? It might be because we are feeling bored, worried or stressed. Or it might be because we are addicted to checking our phones, especially social media. Whatever the reason may be, phubbing is a bad habit and can make us miss out on real moments with the people around us. So the next time you’re spending time with a friend or family member, try and keep your phone out of sight!
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Phubbing dates from 2012. |
| B．Phubbing means using phone when necessary. |
| C．Phubbing only happens in business associates. |
| D．Phubbing is the act of focusing on people instead of phones. |
| A．Phubbing would benefit relationship. |
| B．It is polite to phub when meeting friends. |
| C．People don’t need eye contact to show their caring. |
| D．Phone should be put aside when they meet their friends. |
| A．They are bored. | B．They think it a fashion to phub. |
| C．They are addicted to their phones. | D．They want to check their social media. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Protested. | C．Focused. | D．Ignored. |
7 . Jon Fosse has won the 2023 Nobel Prize in literature, “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”. The 64-year-old playwright is not well-known outside his home country of Norway. But the author is internationally celebrated in literary circles and has been called “the most produced living playwright”.
Fosse grew up on a rural farm near Strandebarm, Norway, where his grandparents lived in one house while he, his parents, and two sisters lived in another. His father worked as a manager of Strandebarm Cooperative, a local grocery store, and his mother was a caregiver. Fosse started writing at age 12 or 13, first composing song lyrics and later trying poems.
In 1979 Fosse graduated from high school and moved to Bergen, where he began working for the newspaper Gula Tidend. That same year he became a father, and the following year he married the mother of his child. In the next decades he married twice more and had five additional children. Meanwhile, throughout the 1980s he studied at the University of Bergen, receiving a Master of Art in comparative literature in 1987.
Also during the 1980s, Fosse published his first novels, namely Red, Black, whose topic is suicide, and Stringed Guitar, about a mother in a difficult situation after locking herself out of her house where she has left her baby.
The playwright began as a novelist, and did not break through as a theater writer until he was in his 40s. His international reputation as a playwright was confirmed in 1998, with a Paris production of his first play Someone Is Going to Come, which had been written in 1992. Since then, his work has been performed in more than 60 countries around the world, according to his translator, Ann Henning Jocelyn. According to his publisher, Fosse’s work has been translated into more than 40 languages, and there have been more than 1,000 different productions of his plays.
1. When did Jon Fosse get married to his first wife?| A．In 1979. | B．In 1980. | C．In 1981. | D．In 1987. |
| A．He started writing in 1979. |
| B．His first novel is Someone Is Going to Come. |
| C．He gained international popularity as a playwright. |
| D．He worked as a theater writer when he was in his 30s. |
| A．Talented and productive. | B．Positive and ordinary. |
| C．Hardworking and considerate. | D．Imaginative and selfish. |
| A．Jon Fosse and His Novels |
| B．Jon Fosse and His Awards |
| C．Jon Fosse: The Greatest Norwegian Writer |
| D．Jon Fosse: Wins 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature |
Sometimes a stranger can greatly improve our day. A pleasant meeting with a stranger can comfort us when we were in trouble.
Once, I experienced a severe turbulence (气流颠簸) on the flight to Boston. Because of that, I was extremely scared. Anxiety and fear filled my heart. All the people on the flight seemed nervous, except my seatmate, who looked friendly and calm. Then, I turned to the woman next to me and said, “Hey, would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes? I’m really nervous.”
“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied, smiling warmly. “What brings you to Boston?” I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane shook violently, and suddenly I said, “I might need to hold your hand too.” Sue took my hand in both of hers, patted it, and held on tight.
When Sue Pernick took my hand on that scary flight to Boston, I almost wept (哭泣) with comfort. She was so calm and made me less frightened—“Yep, this is a little trouble, but we’ll be on the ground safely soon,” she told me—that I asked her what she did for a living. “I’m a retired P.E. teacher and I coached women’s volleyball,” she said. Immediately, I could see what an awesome coach she must have been.
Sue and I talked-about our families, our vacations, our love of the ocean—until the plane finally landed. Then the businessman sitting on the other side of her, who’d been silent the entire flight, remarked that he’d enjoyed our conversation. “It cleared my fear out,” he said. “I was scared too. I wanted to hold Sue’s hand!” When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big hug and my e-mail address.
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。
A few days later, I received an e-mail.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I decided to be a person like Sue.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 . A three-year nationwide action plan to better protect ancient covered bridges (廊桥) started on Monday in Taishun county, Wenzhou city in East China’s Zhejiang province.
Covered bridges not only serve as means of transportation and communication. They are also acting as places to rest and for leisurely gatherings, sites for making offerings and even market areas for trading.
“Covered bridges are an important part of traditional Chinese culture, with a long history and rich diversity,” said Huang Zi, a lead expert at the Zhejiang Ancient Architecture Design and Research Institute.
But their largely wooden structures and the variety of roles they play make them easier to be damaged. In 2016, three ancient covered bridges in Taishun were destroyed by heavy rains during a typhoon. In 2020, a covered bridge first built during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and most recently rebuilt in the 18th century in Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, was destroyed by floodwaters. Not long ago, a 900-year-old covered bridge in Pingnan county, Fujian province, one of the longest in China, fell down in a fire at night in early August.
Protective measures have already been put in place in areas with ancient covered bridges. It will be a long-term process, said Huang, and greater efforts should be made to keep that sustainable (可持续的). One key, according to Huang, is to involve people’s concerns, needs and values in protecting the covered bridges.
“More preservation knowledge should be communicated to people through related projects,” he said.
More relevantly, the protection of covered bridges should be combined with tourism. “When people come to visit, walk and have fun there, those old covered bridges can truly show their energy and liveliness,” he said.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Different means of transportation. | B．The roles of covered bridges. |
| C．Places to communicate and rest. | D．Trading areas of covered bridges. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By telling stories. |
| A．Projects to build different bridges. |
| B．Knowledge about the bridge history. |
| C．Public attention and participation. |
| D．Communication about different values. |
| A．They were largely made of hard stones. |
| B．The protective measures were not enough. |
| C．The covered bridges in Taishun fell down in a fire. |
| D．Tourism will do harm to their energy and liveliness. |
10 . The Best Language Learning Apps for 2023
We test all the major apps for learning a language and here are our top picks for 2023.
Rype
Rype is an online marketplace where language students find teachers and then sign up for low-cost-courses. Because Rype offers tutoring and not classes, it’s best for language learners who are not true beginners. Intermediate level speakers and higher will get the most out of Rype.
Rosetta Stone
It is one of the best software programs for learning a language, especially for beginners. It does well in introducing new words and basic grammar in a way that’s interesting. Rosetta Stone also does an excellent job of helping you to learn and study for about 30 minutes per day with its wonderfully clear and structured lessons.
Duolingo
Duolingo is really great for all language students. There is no better free language learning app than Duolingo. What makes it so good? With the help of the strong content and the good design, you can pick up and practice for a few minutes per day or sit down for longer study sessions.
Yabla
Unlike most other language learning apps and services, Yabla takes a video-first method. Diving into Yabla’s material is more like going to YouTube than opening a textbook. You learn by watching videos, some of which are in the style of a language learning lesson but many others are just interesting content—music videos, cooking segments, travel shows—in the language you’re learning.
1. Which of the four apps suits best for beginners?| A．Rype. | B．Rosetta Stone. | C．Duolingo. | D．Yabla. |
| A．It has cheap classes. | B．It is a free language app. |
| C．It introduces textbooks. | D．It offers videos to learn. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A wildlife website. |
| C．A monthly magazine. | D．A personal diary. |
