1 . Nicole Graham from Melbourne, Australia owns 10 horses. One afternoon, she and her _________ Paris went for a horse ride when the animals suddenly got _________ in mud. Nicole somehow managed to _________ her daughter’s horse, while the other one, Astro, who weighs around 900 pounds, couldn’t get out of the mud.

_________, as she was struggling to help the poor animal, he got stuck even further. All Nicole could do at that point was to stay by Astro’s side to comfort him and made sure that she kept him _________ until help arrived. She stuck to staying by the 17-year-old horse’s side for over three hours. _________, fire fighters arrived and she felt much _________. In order to bring the big animal to _________, they gave him some sedatives (镇静剂) so that they could attach a harness (马具) to him for a car to _________ the horse from the mud. Luckily, the rescue was __________.

Speaking of the __________, Nicole said to a reporter, “It was terrifying. It was also __________ to see my horse struggling. I’ve been riding here for 20 years and never seen any __________ on the road showing the dangers and didn’t realize it was so muddy.

Stacey Sullivan, the vet who __________ Astro, praised Nicole and said, “A lot of horses don’t make it and I think without the __________ the chance of the horse’s survival would have been a lot lower.”

1.

A．daughter

B．friend

C．vet

D．husband

2.

A．absorbed

B．trapped

C．buried

D．engaged

3.

A．rescue

B．raise

C．wash

D．drive

4.

A．Fortunately

B．Sadly

C．Apparently

D．Quickly

5.

A．awake

B．informed

C．calm

D．quiet

6.

A．Immediately

B．Incredibly

C．Subsequently

D．Ultimately

7.

A．awkward

B．frightened

C．relieved

D．impressed

8.

A．safety

B．normal

C．life

D．justice

9.

A．send out

B．pull out

C．bring up

D．clean up

10.

A．terrible

B．urgent

C．confusing

D．successful

11.

A．crash

B．disaster

C．incident

D．event

12.

A．breathtaking

B．heartbreaking

C．awesome

D．troublesome

13.

A．posters

B．traps

C．tracks

D．signs

14.

A．treated

B．discovered

C．kept

D．comforted

15.

A．rescuer

B．owner

C．reporter

D．fighter

2 . A 10-year-old Texas boy is working hard to bring animals joy, one musical tune at a time. He has found a way to combine his ________ for music and dogs while ________ his community.

Yuvi Agarwal plays the piano to ________ dogs at Houston Pets Alive!, a shelter in Houston. Yuvi said he got the ________ to play for dogs after attending a reading program. “Seeing how the dogs relaxed, I realized music has a much stronger impact. So I ________ to basically play music for the animals,” Yuvi said. “________ not deafening drums, but melodious (悦耳的) instruments such as the piano that will reduce their ________.”

“When Yuvi plays the piano, the dogs’ reaction is always ________ — they just all stop and stare, seeming to be so ________ in what he is doing,” Delgado, a worker at the animal shelter, said.“It is a wild ________, actually much better than we have ever ________. Helpful as it has been to play classical music for the animals through the radio, nothing got the animals relaxed like Yuvi’s ________performances.”

The fifth grader has ________ a few months to the work. He is showing there is no age requirement to ________ pleasant change and go after what we love. “We are hopeful of more people getting creative about animal ________ and joining us,” Delgado said.

1.

A．desire

B．affection

C．respect

D．talent

2.

A．giving back to

B．taking advantage of

C．keeping up with

D．throwing light on

3.

A．attract

B．train

C．direct

D．calm

4.

A．opportunity

B．permission

C．inspiration

D．invitation

5.

A．promised

B．afforded

C．managed

D．decided

6.

A．Certainly

B．Initially

C．Occasionally

D．Fortunately

7.

A．pain

B．death

C．anxiety

D．loss

8.

A．slow

B．normal

C．appropriate

D．positive

9.

A．concerned

B．absorbed

C．experienced

D．occupied

10.

A．success

B．honor

C．discovery

D．challenge

11.

A．evaluated

B．recognized

C．expected

D．informed

12.

A．consistent

B．distinctive

C．professional

D．live

13.

A．related

B．devoted

C．applied

D．secured

14.

A．reflect

B．seek

C．drive

D．demand

15.

A．behavior

B．welfare

C．right

D．adoption

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What do the public pay more attention to according to the recent survey?

A．News media.

B．Political issues.

C．Living conditions.

2. How many people responded to the survey?

A．500.

B．1,500.

C．15,000.

3. What did most respondents think everyone should do?

A．Join in environmental protection campaigns.

B．Develop a sense of environmental protection.

C．Donate money to the environmental department.

4. Which one has become the main volunteer activity?

A．Driving less.

B．Planting trees.

C．Picking rubbish.

4 . “When we think of curiosity, we often think of the need for immediate answers,” said Abby Hsiung, Ph. D. , a postdoctoral researcher at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and lead author of a new research paper. “But we found that when people were more curious, they were actually more pleased to wait.”

“When we watch TV shows or football games, we’re watching that information develop over time, uncertain about how it’s all going to end,” said Hsiung. “I wanted to know if higher curiosity would push people to seek, or to avoid getting an immediate ‘spoiler’ (剧透).”

Hsiung drew inspiration from short cooking videos that are popular on social media. “These videos caught my attention because even though they’re so short, they manage to develop a description and suspense (悬念), so that you’re attracted and curious about how the pizza will all come together.” So Hsiung got out her digital paintbrush and made a lot of 30-second animated line drawing videos that, like the cooking videos, eventually ended up as something highly recognizable, like a hamburger or a dog.

More than 2,000 adults from across the U. S. then watched 25 of these short line drawing videos online. Participants in Hsiung’s study were asked along the way how curious they were, how they felt, and to guess what the drawing would become. Viewers also had a spoiler button to skip ahead to see the final drawing. Hsiung and her team were surprised to find that when people were curious, they refused to hit the spoiler button and kept watching the drawings unfold. It was when people were less curious that they tended to go for an instant answer.

The study also found that curiosity increased at different stages of watching these videos. “We saw higher curiosity during moments when it seemed like the drawing could turn into anything and also when participants were starting to really home in on a single answer,” said co-author Jia-Hou Poh, Ph. D. , a postdoctoral researcher at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.

1. What is the popular belief concerning curiosity?

A．It fuels the urge for answers.	B．It leads to endless patience.
C．It stresses the need to wait.	D．It brings the pleasure of waiting.

2. What inspired Hsiung to use her research approach?

A．The evolution the TV shows displayed.	B．The fantasy the short cooking videos shared.
C．The way the short cooking videos developed.	D．The popularity the short cooking videos achieved.

3. What were participants required to do?

A．Make drawings to take a shortcut.	B．Answer some questions while watching.
C．Press the spoiler button to finish the task.	D．Hunt for an answer as quickly as possible.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The influence of patience on curiosity	B．Curiosity delays eagerness for the answer
C．Curiosity arises from the patience of waiting	D．The way to hold back the urge for an answer

5 . A crow (乌鸦) became rabbits’ friend. It all began when Andrew Silverwood heard of a helpless ______ crow lying injured on a busy road. Without ______, Andrew decided to begin a crow rescue mission, knowing that the bird’s chance of survival was ______ in such a busy street.

Upon ______ the location, Andrew found the baby bird had fallen from his nest. In most situations, the best ______ for the baby bird would be to return the animal to his nest. However, as the nest sat high upon a tree, Andrew had no means of ______ the bird with his family. Besides, the crow had a broken leg, which would require ______ for the animal to survive. Then he took the crow home.

The Silverwoods ______ intended to provide care for the crow until he could be released back into the wild. However, fate had ______ plans in store for the crow, as Andrew soon found there was an unexpected ______ between the crow and his rabbits. The pet rabbits welcomed the crow into their cage, leading to a heartwarming and unconventional ______.

As days turned into weeks, the crow ______ the rabbit family. Surprisingly, the crow took on the characteristics of his rabbit companions.

Despite their differences, this little crow, his human parents, and his rabbit friends ______ happily. Their heartwarming tales serve as a gentle ______ that every living being deserves love and care, regardless of their ______.

1.

A．beautiful

B．clever

C．young

D．perfect

2.

A．doubt

B．difficulty

C．hesitation

D．permission

3.

A．slim

B．possible

C．optimistic

D．acceptable

4.

A．seeing

B．searching

C．knowing

D．reaching

5.

A．opportunity

B．option

C．place

D．performance

6.

A．reuniting

B．matching

C．comparing

D．stimulating

7.

A．food

B．comfort

C．guidance

D．care

8.

A．objectively

B．initially

C．continuously

D．occasionally

9.

A．realistic

B．vital

C．different

D．specific

10.

A．bond

B．balance

C．issue

D．result

11.

A．assignment

B．friendship

C．reputation

D．exhibition

12.

A．took over

B．made up

C．stood for

D．integrated into

13.

A．discuss

B．work

C．coexist

D．cooperate

14.

A．warning

B．reminder

C．model

D．bridge

15.

A．competence

B．talent

C．size

D．species

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What kind of ticket has the man bought?

A．A first-class one.

B．A second-class one.

C．A business-class one.

2. What is free on the train?

A．Meals.

B．Snacks.

C．Coffee.

3. When should the man reach the train station?

A．Before 8:30 am.

B．At 9:00 am.

C．After 9:00 am.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the man doing?

A．Conducting a survey.

B．Asking for directions.

C．Planning a trip.

2. What is the woman happy with about the train?

A．Its space.

B．Its Internet.

C．Its speed.

3. What do we know about the train today?

A．It was too crowded.

B．It broke down halfway.

C．It ran behind schedule.

4. What improvement impressed the woman?

A．The information display facilities.

B．Bigger boards for train times.

C．More seats on the platforms.

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。

Trends popular among the youth such as “China chic” and the growing influence of young consumers have driven the development of hanfu industry in recent years. Among the various     1     (style), the horse face skirt has emerged as the most popular item.

    2    (combine) classical elegance with modern simplicity, the horse face skirt is said to perfectly suit the contemporary culture and lifestyle of young people, making     3     a fashion icon (标志). This trend has gained popularity in Luoyang city, Central China’s Henan province,    4     numerous performers recently showcased these beautiful skirts in their acts, with many visitors alike     5     (dress) in the elegant horse face skirts. In Caoxian county of Shandong province, one of the country’s hanfu production and sales centers, the sales     6     the horse face skirts during last Spring Festival holiday     7     (increase) dozens of times compared to usual volumes. Actually, the skirt has become a very popular     8     (choose) for gifts.

The current popularity of hanfu in the country is believed     9     (indicate) more than a fashion trend; it     10     (represent) a deeper connection to Chinese tradition and cultural identity.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the percentage of older people in the world today?

A．10 percent.

B．20 percent.

C．12 percent.

2. What will be the number of older people by the middle of next century?

A．1,000 million.

B．2,000 million.

C．3,000 million.

3. How many years is the current life expectancy?

A．66 years.

B．75 years.

C．80 years.

4. What is the percentage of people over eighty?

A．8 percent.

B．10 percent.

C．12 percent.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the man drink?

A．He just did it for fun.

B．It was part of his life.

C．He was showing his bravery.

2. What has the woman been teaching the man?

A．To be responsible for other people’s lives.

B．To know right from wrong.

C．Never to neglect his responsibilities.