1 .

The day starts early for Tang Shengli, a bird protection volunteer in Lanshan county, Yongzhou, Hunan province. At about 5 am, the 60-year-old is in uniform and ready to start his day’s work protecting and recording migratory (迁徙的) birds. Located on the northern side of the Nanling Mountains, Lanshan is an important passageway for migratory birds. From September to December every year, more than 240 species of migratory birds fly from Siberia to Australia via Hunan. In the past 10 years, Tang has recorded more than 120 species of such birds with his camera. “The flight calls of the migratory birds at night attract me so much that I cannot sleep. All I want to do is get up and record them,” Tang says.

When Tang joined the Hunan provincial bird protection organization in 2013, he knew he faced a tough task. Numerous migratory birds were lost each year as a result of killing and illegal trade. At that time, poachers (偷猎者) lit up the hillside to attract the birds there and hunt them. Some nights hundreds of birds would be killed or caught, remembers Liao Changgui, an official with the local forestry bureau.

By day, Tang distributes brochures to villagers in Lanshan to raise public awareness of bird protection, while at night, he goes deep into the wilderness to tackle illegal hunting. “Many villagers didn’t think bird hunting was illegal, and some made a living from it. Our work has affected their business,” Tang explains, adding his wife was threatened at their home in order to stop him doing his work.

To stop poaching, in October 2012, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued a notice to prevent the illegal hunting of migratory birds. In December that year, the Hunan provincial government promised to fight against poaching and establish a bird monitoring and protection system. So far, 43 migratory bird protection stations have been built across the province, covering almost all key points on the passageway. In 2020, a “lights out” program started in Lanshan county to prevent the birds from being distracted (使分心).

On Nov 1, the Hunan provincial government issued a ban on hunting migratory birds and other wildlife listed under national and provincial protection. Nationwide, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration is carrying out a two-month special action plan to strengthen patrols and remove illegal hunting equipment in national parks, nature reserves and bird migration routes across the country.

1. Why did poachers light up the hillside according to paragraph 2?

A．To find their way around the hill.

B．To search for birds’ nests and catch them.

C．To draw the birds’ attention to catch them.

D．To lead the birds to fly safely and in the correct direction.

2. What is the possible meaning of the underlined word “tackle” in paragraph 3?

A．Give up.

B．Put off.

C．Call for.

D．Deal with.

3. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

A．Ways to punish bird poachers.

B．Routes migratory birds fly along.

C．Measures to protect migratory birds.

D．Reasons why poachers try to capture birds.

4. What is a suitable title for the news report?

A．Ensuring birds have a safe passage

B．Important passageway for migratory birds

C．Flight calls of migratory birds at night attract Tang

D．Tang records more than 120 species of migratory birds

2 . Here is a timetable of courses in Children’s Palace.

Monday Space Course 19: 00-20: 00 (once a week for one month) Dr. Li (the teacher from Hope School) More knowledge about the outer space. Place: Room 106	Saturday Coconut Shell Carving (椰雕) Course 14: 00-16: 00 (once a week for three months) Hainan Coconut Shell Carving. Join us to learn it. Call Ms. Yao at 88882023. Place: Room 108
Wednesday Photography Course 18: 30-19: 30 (once a week for two months) Mr. Song will show you how to take good pictures. Bring your own camera. Place: Room 218	Sunday Chinese Shadow Puppetry (皮影戏) Course 15: 00-17: 30 (once a week for three months) Tell the story of Heroes of the Marshes (水浒传) by Mrs. Zhang. Place: Room 308

1. You can learn more about the outer space ________.

A．on Monday	B．on Saturday
C．on Wednesday	D．on Sunday

2. If you’re interested in Coconut Shell Carving, you can learn from ________.

A．Dr. Li

B．Ms. Yao

C．Mr. Song

D．Mrs. Zhang

3. In ________, we can have the Photography Course.

A．Room 106

B．Room 108.

C．Room 218

D．Room 308

3 . With her paddle slicing through the water swiftly, 37-year-old Chinese canoeist (皮筏艇运动员) Xie Maosan enjoyed a significant lead in the women’s KLI canoe final and won the first gold medal of the 4th Asian Para Games on Monday.

Born to a rural family in Anhui Province in 1986 and afflicted by Poliomyelitis (小儿麻痹症), Xie couldn’t _______ before the age of 10. Throughout her childhood, as she recalled, the _______ stares of relatives and mockery from classmates made her more determined to _______ herself.

In her teens, with the _______ and understanding of her mother, Xie decided to master a craft to _______. She packed up her belongings, went to the county to learn tailoring for three years, and then became a tailor. Later, she went to Shanghai to learn CAD pattern-making.

“Regardless of the career path I choose, I always push myself _______. I want to prove to everyone that we are _______ capable,” she shared at the post-race press conference, tears in her eyes.

In 2015, things _______ when news reached her of the national team’s _______ for canoeing talents. Without hesitation, she ________, and at 29, she joined the national canoeing team.

Recalling her initial days, Xie said, “Lacking a foundation in sports, it was truly ________ for me at the beginning. I ________ into the water multiple times during training. Not knowing how to swim, I almost passed out from choking on water.”

Despite all the hardships, ________ to win glory for her country kept Xie going. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Xie finished fifth in the women’s KL1 canoeing final. “________ me, canoeing is a ________, as it gave me confidence and a new life,” said Xie.

1.

A．walk

B．hear

C．see

D．speak

2.

A．warm

B．cold

C．angry

D．kind

3.

A．defend

B．prove

C．improve

D．encourage

4.

A．concern

B．favour

C．admission

D．support

5.

A．make a fortune

B．make a difference

C．make a living

D．make a contribution

6.

A．more

B．less

C．better

D．harder

7.

A．definitely

B．equally

C．entirely

D．actually

8.

A．adopted

B．recovered

C．changed

D．started

9.

A．search

B．application

C．expectation

D．research

10.

A．left

B．challenged

C．refused

D．volunteered

11.

A．easy

B．calm

C．painful

D．awesome

12.

A．fell

B．jumped

C．crashed

D．dropped

13.

A．capability

B．desire

C．responsibility

D．attitude

14.

A．As for

B．According to

C．Because of

D．In addition to

15.

A．rebirth

B．relief

C．recovery

D．reward

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where might the speakers be?

A．At school.

B．At home.

C．At an office.

2. What will the boy do this weekend?

A．Go skiing.

B．Visit a zoo.

C．Study with his classmates.

3. Where will the woman go this weekend?

A．To Washington D. C.

B．To Los Angeles.

C．To London.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What kind of lessons did Florence Nightingale take in her early years?

A．Music lessons.

B．English lessons.

C．Medical lessons.

2. Where did Florence Nightingale start a nursing home for women?

A．In Germany.

B．In Britain.

C．In France.

3. What did Florence Nightingale do in 1854?

A．She went to learn nursing abroad.

B．She built a hospital in a war field.

C．She looked after soldiers at the front hospitals.

4. When did Florence Nightingale write a book on public health?

A．Before the Crimean War.	B．During the Crimean War.
C．After the Crimean War.

6 . For Jennifer Reinhart, it was the nurses’ small act of kindness that helped her through that night, One night, Jennifer Reinhart was ______ in a loft (阁楼) above her living room. At some point, she started to sleepwalk, and ______ falling 10 feet, landing on a table below. In the weeks that followed, she ______ three major operations.

One particular night in the hospital still stands out in her ______. She was on a large amount of ______ to help herself sleep through the pain, but the medicine gave her horrible dreams. When she ______ up, she was wet with sweat and shaking.

She ______ to reach the call button and ask for the nurses to change the ______ used on the bed, The nurse who ______ in was kind. She gently scooped (温柔地抱起) Reinhart out of the ______. Reinhart said, “She held me like I was a little baby. So ______.”

While other nurses changed Reinhart’s sheets (床单), the nurse ______ to hold Reinhart, Then she began to quietly sing a tune. “There was something about the power of her voice, and how gently she was holding me, which seemed to ______ the pain.” Reinhart said. After the nurse set Reinhart back down on the bed, the other nurses ______ her warm blankets.

“I felt sure that I was going to live through this,” Reinhart said. “I ______ she could have known just how much she helped me.”

1.

A．interested

B．silent

C．asleep

D．lost

2.

A．built up

B．ended up

C．turned up

D．burned up

3.

A．expected

B．experienced

C．replaced

D．selected

4.

A．memory

B．schedule

C．experiment

D．accommodation

5.

A．information

B．anger

C．energy

D．medicine

6.

A．set

B．hung

C．looked

D．woke

7.

A．managed

B．agreed

C．happened

D．appeared

8.

A．necessities

B．boots

C．curtains

D．belts

9.

A．gave

B．broke

C．came

D．cut

10.

A．ground

B．dream

C．window

D．bed

11.

A．secretly

B．regularly

C．softly

D．sharply

12.

A．pretended

B．hoped

C．continued

D．refused

13.

A．relieve

B．connect

C．conduct

D．measure

14.

A．sold

B．brought

C．threw

D．repaired

15.

A．confirmed

B．promised

C．summarised

D．wished

7 . What is the woman’s advice?

A．Improving the judgment.

B．Avoiding judging by appearances.

C．Carrying out the real-name system.

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。

China’s first home-grown large cruise (航行) ship, the Adora Magic City, completed its official     1     (deliver) this Saturday. The large cruise ship,     2     is 323.6 meters long and weighs 135,500 tons, has 2,125 guest rooms, 22 unique restaurants and bars and can accommodate 5,246 people. Tickets for its first voyage, beginning on Jan 1, 2024,     3     (sell) since Sept 20. For passengers, the Adora Magic City promises     4     variety of entertainment choices, from movies to music shows, and even a musical drama in its 1,000-seat theater.

    5     (build) such a large cruise ship is not an easy task.     6     addition, it requires advanced technology and an excellent approach to manufacturing. The Adora Magic City, with its delicate design and over 25 million     7     (part), is a fine example. More than 30 countries worked together     8     (create) the ship. Therefore, The Adora Magic City is more than just a ship.     9     (obvious), it is also a symbol of China’s technological advancement in shipbuilding, and shows China’s open attitude and willingness in international cooperation. This achievement in shipbuilding will     10     (strength) China’s role as a major player in the global cruise industry.

9 . The Davis Stampede is a long-standing tradition with running and walking. The event includes 5km, 10km, and half marathon routes, which are loop (环形) courses that travel along both roadways and Davis’ tree-lined greenbelts.

Entry to the event includes a short-sleeve T-shirt, a finisher medal, timing and post-race refreshments (点心). Experienced pacers will lead pace groups in the half marathon for goal finish times from 1:30, 1:35, 1:40, 2:55 to 3:00. They can help you reach your goal time, set a new personal best record and have a great race.

A free kids’ fun run is offered to kids aged 13 and under. Both a 1/4-mile course and a 1/2-mile course are offered. The kids’ runs start at 10:30.

Date: Sunday, December 17, 2023

Location: Playfields Park, South Davis

Distance: 5km, 10km, half marathon, kids’ run.

Post-race email: Please read out post-race email (sent to all registered athletes on Sunday, December 17) here.

Photos: Available here

Status of medals: All medals have been distributed to Fleet Feet’s as indicated in the above email, or shipped (based on the county of residence). You can view our list of shipped medals and the shipping date in the email. For those whose medals were shipped, if your medal hasn’t arrived, contact us so that we can track it.

1. How can experienced pacers help people?

A．By teaching them running and walking skills.

B．By completing a full marathon with them.

C．By relaxing their muscles after a race.

D．By helping them get their best results.

2. What is the fact about the Davis Stampede?

A．It has a fairly short history.

B．It is held in the countryside.

C．It is intended for professional runners.

D．It offers free courses for children under 13.

3. What does the post-race email show?

A．The competitor list.	B．The schedule of the race.
C．The shipping date of medals.	D．The organizing committee of the event.

10 . A new device could save lives by sounding an alarm when children or pets are left alone in vehicles (车辆).

Developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo, the device uses radar technology and artificial intelligence(AI)to detect unattended children or animals with 100% accuracy.

Small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, the device is designed to be attached to a vehicle’s rear-view mirror (后视镜). It sends out radar signals that are reflected back by people, animals and objects in the vehicle. Built-in Al then analyzes the reflected signals.

“It solves a serious problem,” said George Shaker, an engineering professor at Waterloo. “The device is so affordable that it could become standard equipment in all vehicles.”

Analysis by the device determines the number of people and their location in a vehicle. That information could be used to set rates (费用) for ride-sharing services, or to qualify vehicles for car-pool lanes (共乘车道).

In primary purpose, however, is to detect when a child or a pet has been left behind by accident, a situation that can result in serous harm or death in extremely hot or cold weather. In such cases, the system would prevent vehicle doors from locking and sound an alarm to remind the driver, passengers and other people in the area that there is a problem.

“Unlike cameras, this device preserves privacy and it doesn’t have any blind spots because radar can get through seats to determine if there is a child in a rear-facing car seat,” said Shaker.

Small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, the device can recognize differences between living beings and inanimate (无生命的) objects by detecting breathing movements.

Researchers are now exploring the use to watch the signs of drivers for distraction, illnesses or other issues.

1. Why has the new device been developed?

A．Mainly to qualify vehicles for car-pool lanes.

B．Mainly to set rates for ride-sharing services.

C．Mainly to see if there is any dangerous object inside a vehicle.

D．Mainly to help prevent children or pets from being left behind in vehicles.

2. How will the device work to warn a driver?

A．By sending signals to a driver’s phone.	B．By locking a vehicle door.
C．By sounding an alarm.	D．By giving out a red light.

3. Which of the following is NOT one of the advantages of this device?

A．It can protect privacy.	B．It can help people drive much faster.
C．Its price is reasonable.	D．Its size is rather small.

4. What is the difference between cameras and the new device according to Shaker’s opinion?

A．The radar of the device can get through seats.

B．The radar of the device can take clearer photos.

C．The device can send a weak voice in a vehicle to a driver.

D．The device can recognize living beings rather than inanimate objects.