Stamp collecting has recently emerged as a fresh and innovative approach for young people to document their travels. Instead of
Shi Junchu, 29, from Yunnan province, came across stamp collecting three years ago while traveling in Wuhan, Hubei province. She found it to be a better way of commemorating her travels
“Stamp collecting has added more meaning to my travels. Turning the pages of those notebooks
She currently operates a private museum in Kunming. Since last October, she has also introduced stamp-collecting services
2 . In 2016, Mark Raymond learned the hard way that life can change in a split second(一瞬间). One day, Raymond went boating with his friends. He jumped off the back of the boat and hit a sandbank, leading to a severe injury to his neck. He became paralyzed(瘫痪的)and spent months in the hospital receiving treatment. When he was allowed to leave the hospital, he realized that the hard part was just beginning. He still needed to exercise to recover his strength after finishing the outpatient(门诊病人)treatment.
However, when Raymond returned home, he realized there was a serious lack of accessible gyms or facilities that could help people with different abilities work out and improve their health in his community. The lack of them caused Raymond to take action. In 2018, he established the Split Second Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides treatment that takes up from where outpatient treatment left off.
“The Split Second Foundation has equipment for people who have different disabling conditions,” Raymond explained.“Our specially trained staff will evaluate(评估)disabled customers’ physical needs and limitations and then provide recovery, education, and ongoing fitness classes suitable for them. We’re able to push them in a recovery driven fitness environment to be their best selves.”
Raymond’s goal is to open more accessible gyms, not just in New Orleans where he lives. He hopes the Split Second Foundation can help even more people get their lives back after disastrous accidents. “People with disabilities should also be thought of as productive members of society,” said Raymond. “Anybody’s life can change in an instant due to some kind of injury or disabling condition, and we are providing what’s next.”
When Raymond couldn’t find the services he needed, he made some for himself and others. This is the sort of cleverness we love to see in the world.
1. What does the underlined part “the hard part” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The mental problem. | B．The process of recovery. |
| C．The high pressure of work. | D．The treatment in the hospital. |
| A．His love for a variety of sports. |
| B．His dream of becoming a businessman. |
| C．A boating accident that happened to his friend. |
| D．A lack of accessible exercise resources in his community. |
| A．It provides treatment by cooperating with hospitals. |
| B．It focuses on holding basic classes for poor children. |
| C．It offers fitness and recovery services to the disabled. |
| D．It creates plenty of job opportunities for disabled people. |
| A．Mark Raymond’s Journey from Paralysis to Recovery |
| B．Mark Raymond: Help the Disabled Rebuild Their Lives |
| C．The Importance of Accessible Gyms for Disabled People |
| D．Split Second Foundation: Offer Patients Postoperative Treatment |
3 . As a writer, I miss rejection slips. Not that I enjoyed receiving those pre-printed slips of paper, but at least when I got one, I was pretty sure that a flesh-and-blood
Nowadays, rejection slips seem to have disappeared with the use of online submissions. Most editors don’t feel it a must to
For me, there are three
Learning to
| A．writer | B．reader | C．mailman | D．editor |
| A．demanding | B．indicating | C．suspecting | D．arguing |
| A．boring | B．novel | C．lengthy | D．particular |
| A．thrilling | B．upsetting | C．embarrassing | D．amusing |
| A．buy | B．reject | C．check | D．substitute |
| A．prove | B．determine | C．explain | D．acknowledge |
| A．proposals | B．drafts | C．contributions | D．instructions |
| A．meanings | B．stages | C．wonders | D．rewards |
| A．relief | B．frustration | C．anger | D．hesitation |
| A．valueless | B．expensive | C．characterless | D．shiny |
| A．make up | B．put away | C．turn down | D．insist on |
| A．easier | B．better | C．shorter | D．longer |
| A．print | B．revise | C．download | D．submit |
| A．accept | B．criticize | C．judge | D．evaluate |
| A．thinner | B．fatter | C．older | D．newer |
4 . What if “looking your age” refers not to your face, but to your chest? Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have developed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model that uses chest radiographs (光片) to assess a person’s biological age. More importantly, when it is different from the chronological age (实足年龄), it can signal a link with chronic (慢性的) diseases. These findings mark a breakthrough in medical imaging, paving the way for improved early disease detection and intervention.
The research team, led by graduate student Yasuhito Mitsuyama and Dr. Daiju Ueda from the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, first constructed a deep learning-based AI model to estimate age from chest radiographs of healthy individuals. They then applied the model to radiographs of patients with known diseases to analyze the relationship between AI-estimated age and each disease. Given that AI trained on a single dataset tends to over fit, the researchers collected data from multiple institutions.
For the development, training, internal and external testing of the AI model for age estimation, a total of 67,099 chest radiographs were obtained between 2008 and 2021 from 36,051 healthy individuals who underwent health check-ups at three facilities.
To confirm the usefulness of AI-estimated age using chest radiographs as a biomarker, an additional 34,197 chest radiographs were collected from 34,197 patients with known diseases from two other institutions. The results showed that the difference between AI-estimated age and the patient’s chronological age was positively correlated with a variety of chronic diseases. In other words, the higher the AI-estimated age compared to the chronological age, the more likely individuals were to have these diseases.
“Chronological age is one of the most critical factors in medicine,” stated Mr. Mitsuyama. “Our results suggest that chest radiography-based apparent age may accurately reflect health conditions beyond chronological age. We aim to further develop this research and apply it to estimate the severity of chronic diseases, to predict life expectancy and to forecast possible surgical complications.”
1. What is the AI model used to do?| A．Tell a patient’s chronological age. | B．Estimate an individual’s biological age. |
| C．Develop advanced chest radiographs. | D．Analyze individuals’ workout habits. |
| A．They followed patients for over two decades. |
| B．They obtained data from the same institution. |
| C．They collected a large number of chest radiographs. |
| D．They had face-to-face talks with healthy individuals. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By interviewing their doctors. |
| C．By observing them in their lab. | D．By analyzing causes and effects. |
| A．The research is too complex to be carried out widely. |
| B．The AI model is expected to have a promising future. |
| C．Chronological age matters more than AI-estimated age. |
| D．The research findings have been well received in medicine. |
Javon was the shortest kid in the class. It had been that way since the third grade. He’d had to ask to get his gym locker changed so that he didn’t have to struggle so much to reach it. For most kids, being short would be a problem, but Javon didn’t let being short bother him at all.
That was Javon’s attitude about most things except school work. And Javon had worked hard. By the middle of seventh grade, Javon was one of the top kids in the class. So, he hadn’t been too concerned when Mr. T announced they were starting a new unit in math. For Javon, math used to be easy. He figured that since he had ten fingers, he could do most of it. But when Mr. T threw letters into math problems, he couldn’t wrap his mind around using these letters. Mr. T had given them all sorts of rules for what to do when there were letters in math problems. But Javon couldn’t remember what they all were and he didn’t think he even understood the rules he did remember. Soon he was hopelessly lost in math class. Even worse, it was time for the class to take the chapter test.
The test was quite demanding. Javon was confused by the very first question. He was nervous and kept losing track of what he was doing. When the class period ended, he hadn’t finished all of the problems.
The day came when the class finally got their papers back. Seeing “D” written in red ink on the corner of the paper, he felt desperate. In the seat next to him, Tyler sighed slightly, catching Javon’s attention. He couldn’t help but see the big, red “C” on Tyler’s paper. He felt so upset.
When they started packing up to leave after class, Tyler accidentally told Javon he got extra time on the test. Upon hearing this, Javon burst out, “It was unfair!” He dropped his books, face hot.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
At this very moment, Mr. T came up to see what happened to them.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Eventually, Javon understood what a reading disorder was and how to ask for help.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Los Angeles is home to a popular cycling culture. The following bike shops will help you see the city in a whole new light.
Los Angeles Bike Academy
Los Angeles Bike Academy is a bike shop with a critical mission: Provide resources and community for local underserved youth. Its initiative is its Earn-a-Bike program, where students spend time in the shop learning the basics of bike maintenance and running a store, and they graduate with their own bike. LABA also forms competitive cycling teams that race all around the country.
The Cub House
It’s a bike shop, a plant store and a nice place to wander through. It has something for everyone. Here you can play a game of ping-pong on the outdoor table, head into the mini greenhouse for a delicate plant, or just admire the vintage (老式的) cycling clothes hung on the walls. Finally, make sure to swing by the Cub House for the L. A. Invitational, a weekend party featuring multiple bike rides and a vintage car and bike show outside the store.
Frank’s
Some of the wildest bikes in L. A. are rolling out of Frank’s. The house specialty here is BMX, specifically luxury models with large 29-inch wheels. These bikes are as much fun to look at as they are to ride. Since 1992, Frank’s has found a business opportunity for itself as a destination for BMX builds and hard-to-find parts. The display counter has enough attractions to match a jewelry store.
The Bicycle Stand
This spacious store features classic vintage bikes. It’s worth making a trip to this store just to see their amazing collection. The store also specializes in vintage bike repainting and restorations. Besides, the Bicycle Stand team works on all kinds of rides, and the shop has a variety of refurbished (翻新的), ready-to-ride bikes for sale.
1. What is special about Los Angeles Bike Academy?| A．It aims at repairing local bikes. |
| B．It holds national cycling competitions. |
| C．It serves as a community for disabled youth. |
| D．It offers a program for students to earn a bike. |
| A．Los Angeles Bike Academy. | B．The Cub House. |
| C．Frank’s. | D．The Bicycle Stand. |
| A．To discuss benefits of riding. | B．To explain how bike shops work. |
| C．To promote bike shops in L. A. | D．To introduce a riding organization. |
7 . Urban agriculture, the practice of farming within the restrictions of a city, is becoming increasingly popular and is viewed as a sustainable alternative to big industrial farms. By some estimates, between 20% and 30% of the global urban population engages in some form of urban agriculture. But until recently, its carbon footprint remains understudied.
Using data from 73 low-tech city farms, community gardens and personal plots of land, Newell and his team compared the average carbon emissions of food produced at low-tech urban agriculture sites to those of conventionally grown crops. The team found that because of urban gardens’ relatively low yields, along with the energy used in constructing the planting beds, big-city spuds (马铃薯) were significantly more carbon-intensive than commercially grown ones. This held true even when the researchers factored in emissions from transporting commercially grown produce to often distant grocery stores. That doesn’t mean that growing vegetables in big cities is totally bad, however. “Urban farming is great, ” if imperfect, says Carola Grebitus, a food choice expert. It can be a powerful tool for job creation and education, she says, and a good way to introduce fresh produce to urban “food deserts” where healthy fruits and vegetables are hard to come by. Community gardens can also provide a place to connect with nature, and the added green space can reduce the risks of heat and flooding.
Conscious of these benefits, Newell’s team highlighted several ways to make urban agriculture more sustainable. One option is to be selective about what crops are grown. For instance, tomatoes grown in the soil of open-air urban plots had a lower carbon intensity than tomatoes grown in conventional greenhouses. Another strategy is to rely on existing constructions. Include old structures into a new garden’s design instead of taking down old buildings. Finally, take the local climate, water quality and soil into account. Growing plants that are ill-suited to an area requires more water, energy and pesticides (杀虫剂), all of which affect the environment.
1. What can we know about urban agriculture from paragraph 1?| A．It is thoroughly researched. | B．It is welcomed by city people. |
| C．It is environmentally friendly. | D．It is limited to industrial farms. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By telling a story. |
| C．By giving a definition. | D．By using a quote. |
| A．It adds variety to urban people’s diet. | B．It provides recreational opportunities. |
| C．It strengthens the bonds of community. | D．It helps to contain drought and flooding. |
| A．Reconstructing gardens. | B．Developing greenhouse crops. |
| C．Selecting pesticide-free vegetables. | D．Growing plants suited to local conditions. |
A Cheating Incident
Raj looked into the teacher’s stony face as she raised an eyebrow. With his forehead bathed in sweat, he attempted to hide the book beneath his desk, but in vain. The watchful teacher had already caught sight of his behavior. She swiftly snatched the book away and ordered him to stand till the time was up, a period that seemed to stretch endlessly.
To Raj’s regret and disappointment, he had forgotten to study for the important quiz. It was CAI, the crucial stage of his academic year, and Raj was having his Science paper. He closed his eyes as he tried to recall. Then, it dawned on him. A week earlier, his Science teacher had clearly informed the class, “Next week, we’ll be having a quiz focusing on Interactions and Matter. Make sure you study these topics thoroughly.” Raj blamed himself for letting such vital information slip his mind among the chaos of daily school life.
With the clock ticking, he was briefly glancing through the pages of his textbook, desperately trying to absorb any last-minute knowledge before the quiz began. However, just as he was doing so, the teacher severely instructed everyone to pack away everything except their pencil cases. Raj let out a low sigh, despair settling heavily in his chest.
As the teacher handed out the papers, he felt nervous and his hands grew icy and slick with sweat, showing his anxiety. Drops of sweat stood out on his forehead as he tried to focus. Thoughts of being a failure ran through his mind. He moved his body from side to side in his seat as he thought of the notes he had secretly hidden in his pencil case.
Finally, the teacher announced, “Class, the time is 10: 00 a. m. We will stop at 11: 00a. m. sharp. You may begin, now.” The noise of flurrying papers was heard as students attentively turned to the first page. Raj rapidly filled out the multiple-choice section without much consideration, his heart pounding faster with each tick of the clock.
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。
When he came to the open-ended questions, he sighed desperately from the bottom of his heart.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once the time was up, the teacher took him to the headmaster’s office.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mrs Flippen’s class sat listening to a talk being given by a local author. Tucker sat absent-minded in one of the library chairs. Most of the students wanted to hear about the writer’s work. Tucker did not.
“Why bother?” Tucker thought to himself. He always received low marks on his writing assignments, no matter how hard he worked on them. He could never think of anything interesting to write about.
“Does anyone have any questions?” Mrs Flippen asked her class.
Tucker raised his hand, “How do you know what to write about?”
“Well, sometimes I don’t,” the author replied. “It takes a lot of hard work to come up with ideas.” She reached down and pulled a worn-looking book from a cloth bag on the floor. “I find making a scrapbook (剪贴簿) helps.”
Tucker sat up a little straighter in his seat. “What’s in the book?” he asked.
“I fill it with pictures, stories, and notes about things that interest me.” The writer opened the scrapbook on her knee. “When I need an idea, I look through the book instead of staring at a blank page.”
Tucker thought about the author’s scrapbook as he walked home. He thought about staring at a blank page each time he tried to write a story. Digging in his bookcase, Tucker found an old binder (活页夹). He filled the binder with notepaper from his desk. After supper, Tucker cut some pictures out of the newspaper. Then he drew some pictures of his own. He cut and pasted (粘贴) stories from his old magazines. Then he looked up the words he did not know and wrote down their meanings.
In the days and weeks that followed, Tucker collected more ideas. He found that the more he collected, the easier it became to find things to collect. Tucker’s book of ideas grew fatter and fatter.
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。
One morning, Mrs Flippen told the class about a story writing competition.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then came the day when the headmaster announced the result.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . A phrase “less screen time and more green time” is popular now. A study from the University of Adelaide found that more time outside and less time spent watching TV is connected with better psychological (心理的) results and school achievements among teenagers. Gardening is a great way to do so.
Jim Carter, a psychologist of America, is asking for teenagers’ return to traditional values of gardening, and thinks that they need to turn off the TV and go outside to do something healthier instead. Carter even considers it important to put gardening as a usual course because it is proven to be good for mental health.
“It’s physical exercise, and it teaches patience,” Carter explains. “The wait for a small sunflower seed (葵花籽) to become a six-foot plant is long.”
“I’m hearing that teenagers are struggling to deal with stress, and every time they open Gardeners’ World, they talk about how gardening helps them deal with stress. They learn so much about life, and so much about themselves through gardening,” said Lee Connelly, a teacher who is carrying out his own green school programme—Gardeners’ World. “The join of gardening into the class course for schools presents a remarkable chance to change education and the benefits are far beyond the classroom, influencing mental health, behavior and developing a lifelong love for horticulture (园艺).”
1. What does Carter suggest teenagers do?| A．Do exercise at home. | B．Go back to gardening. |
| C．Turn on the TV at night. | D．Pay attention to psychological courses. |
| A．To prove gardening is easy. | B．To say dealing with stress is difficult. |
| C．To show green time is hard to find. | D．To explain gardening develops patience. |
| A．It is meaningful. | B．It is useless. | C．It is costly. | D．It is challenging. |
| A．Time to Get Close to TV |
| B．Being Sporty, Being Healthy |
| C．Less Screen Time, Better School Achievements |
| D．Gardening: A Good Green Moment for Teenagers |
