1 . Last Friday, Britain’s Prince William announced the winners of this year’s Earthshot Prize. The prize is meant to encourage new ideas and rapid action to help protect the planet. Below are parts of this year’s prize-winning projects in each category.
Protect and Restore Nature
Kheyti won the prize for protecting and restoring nature with its “Greenhouse-in-a-box” idea. Kheyti is already working with 1, 000 farmers across India, which is one of the most climate-affected countries in the world. The company says the greenhouses allow farmers to use 90% less water and produce seven times as much food. Kheyti hopes to get its greenhouses to 50,000 farmers by 2027.
Clean Our Air
Charlot Magayi won the prize for cleaning the air. Ms. Magayi developed a stove (炉子) that uses a fuel that’s cheaper and pollutes far less than charcoal stoves. Currently, over 200,000 of her Clean Stoves are being used in Kenya.
Build a Waste-Free World
A London-based company called Notpla(for “Not Plastic”)won the prize for building a waste-free world. They’ve created a plastic substitute(替代品)from plants found in the ocean. Unlike most plastic, their products break down naturally with no microplastics. Notpla believes their products can help end the plastic pollution that’s filling landfills and polluting oceans.
Fix Our Climate
The Earthshot Prize for working toward fixing our climate went to a company called 44.01 from Oman. 44.01 has come up with a way to turn polluting carbon dioxide(CO2)into a rock called peridotite. Once the CO2 has been turned into rock, it can no longer be released into the atmosphere again. The method that 44.01 uses is fast, cheap and permanent.
1. What is the aim of the Earthshot Prize?| A．To offer practical advice on global warming. |
| B．To find solutions to the environmental problems. |
| C．To develop a strategic partnership with all parties. |
| D．To encourage literary creations of the British people. |
| A．In India. | B．In Kenya. | C．In the UK. | D．In Oman. |
| A．They want to build a waste-free world. |
| B．Their projects are directly good for farmers. |
| C．Their achievements benefit the air cleaning. |
| D．They use plants from the ocean in their products. |
Ari was a lonely young man who lived on a large island called Iceland. Most of the villagers were fishermen. Ari often wondered what lay beyond the island. The days were long and cold, and he spent many hours in his small house thinking about what life would be like in a warm, sunny place.
“I shall find a true friend far away from here,” Ari thought, and he began writing a letter. He described himself as a loner who had few visitors, yet he had a warm heart. It was his hope to find true friendship with someone who understood his sadness.
Ari described the volcanos on his snowy island and the impressive glaciers (冰川). He wrote about the sky turning green, blue, yellow, and pink at night when the Northern Lights shined in the heavens like silk. For days, Ari poured his soul and innermost thoughts into the letter. Then he placed it into a bottle, and sealed (密封) it tightly.
Ari threw the bottle into the sea and wished upon the brightest star that a true friend would find the letter.
A year later, Ari received a letter. He had no idea who would be writing him, but with joy, he opened the envelope.
Dear Ari,I found your simple but lovely letter. Imagine my surprise when your little bottle from so far away washed up on my shore. I; too, live on an island. It is called Sardinia. My island is warm and filled with mountains, beaches and waters. Most of the people I know are my family, and I, too, long for a true friend. Now that you have found a friend far away, I do hope that you will write and tell me more about your life and people.
Your new friend,
Renata
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。
For three years, Ari and Renata exchanged letters.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Without telling Renata, Ari started a long journey.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1．表达衷心的祝贺；
2．对他的成功进行积极评价；
3．对他的祝愿。
注意：1．写作词数应为80个左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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British people are big tea drinkers. It is a tradition in Britain to drink tea for different occasions and reasons. People have it for breakfast, for when guests visit,
5 . Sirine Jahangir has a rare condition that left her completely blind by the time she was 10 years old. While her parents and doctors have tried to find
So her parents focused on helping her
When she
Afterward, she said, “I can’t even say it’s a dream come true,
| A．destinations | B．examples | C．challenges | D．treatments |
| A．bring about | B．adapt to | C．give up | D．figure out |
| A．see | B．hear | C．guess | D．move |
| A．minded | B．considered | C．started | D．missed |
| A．recognition | B．power | C．fortune | D．happiness |
| A．value | B．talent | C．confidence | D．experience |
| A．easy | B．amazing | C．energetic | D．difficult |
| A．danced | B．appeared | C．lied | D．painted |
| A．achievement | B．misunderstanding | C．love | D．knowledge |
| A．headed | B．ran | C．pulled | D．changed |
| A．smiled | B．cried | C．sang | D．jumped |
| A．Painfully | B．Obviously | C．Unfortunately | D．Unsurprisingly |
| A．meeting | B．competition | C．experiment | D．funding |
| A．because | B．if | C．before | D．unless |
| A．frightening | B．formal | C．realistic | D．awkward |
6 . How to Read a Poem
You’ve selected the poem you want to read — congratulations! Now it’s time for the business of reading it.
Examine the title and the shape
Read the poem as you normally read anything
Reading poetry doesn’t require a clever approach; you can read as you’d read anything else. On the first pass through, absorb whatever it is that arises upon first impression.
Next, try reading the poem out loud or search for readings of the poem online. This is where the music of a poem emerges, and you can feel the shape of each word and line as you move through it.
Add context to paint a full picture
Finally, return to the poem context.
| A．Re-read for sound |
| B．Re-read for meaning |
| C．Dig into the author’s history |
| D．Notice where in the poem you react |
| E．Look for where the poem offers a moment of surprise |
| F．Before you start a poem, you should first read the title |
| G．Long messy forms might mean it’s coming from a place of confusion or anger |
7 . Wildfire season has begun in many places around the world. The dangerous smoke wildfires produce can spread far and wide. It blocks sunlight, poisons the air and damages the health of people and other living things.
Some of those living things could be the plants in gardens, says gardening expert Jessica Damiano, who writes gardening stories for the Associated Press. Damiano lives in New York City and recently experienced several days of very smoky air. Wildfires in eastern Canada were the source.
Damiano, like other people, limited the time she spent outdoors when the air quality was poor. She also wore a face covering when she had to go outside.
But the plants in her garden had no such escape. They had to breathe the poisoned air through the extremely small holes in their leaves.
Pollutants in smoke landing on plants can block sunlight, which is essential for photosynthesis (光合作用). Reduced photosynthesis results in reduced energy. That means slower growth. Additionally, smoke can also affect a plant’s ability to take in nutrients(营养物质).
Brooke Edmunds, a plant scientist and community horticulturalist with Oregon State University Extension, said plants that are affected by smoke for a short amount of time will usually recover quickly. “It depends on how close they are,” she said. “There could also be a localized effect, where one garden is covered in ash(灰烬), and a half-mile away, there’s nothing because that’s the way the wind was moving things around.”
The best thing home gardeners can do is keep an eye on plants. Edmunds suggests giving plants some extra love and care. “Wash the plants gently to remove pollutants left by smoke. Then give them a long, slow drink of water. Most will pull through,” Edmunds said. However, people should not use leaf blower machines to remove ashes from plants because they will risk breathing in what is blowing around.
1. What happened to Jessica Damiano?| A．She had her house burned in a fire. |
| B．She couldn’t afford face coverings. |
| C．She suffered from health problems. |
| D．She had to deal with poor air quality. |
| A．The bad effects of smoke on plants. |
| B．The benefits of growing plants. |
| C．The role of plants in the environment. |
| D．The importance of water to plants. |
| A．Wind has little effect on plants. |
| B．Plants can sometimes make a quick recovery. |
| C．Ashes can spread more than half a mile. |
| D．Plants close to smoke usually grow well. |
| A．By pulling them out of the ground. |
| B．By using leaf blower machines. |
| C．By washing them with great care. |
| D．By giving them a fast drink of water. |
8 . French officials are preparing to offer flying taxi services to people attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. If the taxis are actually used in the French capital, it could mark the first major real world show of the flying technology.
Some air taxi developers attended the recent Paris Air Show to show off their products and seek industry support. One of the companies in attendance was Germany’s Volocopter, which plans to offer a flying taxi service during the Olympics.
But so far, no air taxi maker has received government permission to launch service in France. Volocopter hopes to be the first. But the company still needs to run its aircraft through rigorous weather tests and provide thousands of pages of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Company chief Dirk Hoke said that in addition to worries about government approvals, air taxi companies have also faced difficulties linked to economic slowdowns affecting the world. Robin Riedel, who co-leads the Center for Future Mobility at the business advisory company McKinsey, said companies formed to support air taxi projects have lost about 30 percent of their value in recent years. In addition, many investors(投资人) have decided to put money into drones(无人机) instead of flying taxis.
Hoke has thought about a person he would like to be the first rider of his flying taxis-French President Emmanuel Macron. “That would be super amazing,”Hoke said, “That would be a strong sign to Europe to see the president flying.”
In the beginning, air taxi trips are likely to be short and costly. This is because current battery technology limits the distance and number of paying passengers the aircraft can carry. The long-term success of air taxis will also be dependent on effective systems to manage all the air traffic using the skies. Experts say such systems will need new technology to provide safety for all flyers. As the industry progresses, the number of air taxis is expected to reach into the millions.
1. What does the underlined word “rigorous” in paragraph 3 mean?| A．Strict. | B．Simple. | C．Creative. | D．Similar. |
| A．To secure the president’s investment. |
| B．To welcome the Paris Summer Olympics. |
| C．To increase public trust in air taxis. |
| D．To get government approval more quickly. |
| A．Crowded roads. | B．Limitations of batteries. |
| C．Investors’ requirements. | D．The government’s decisions. |
| A．The rapid development of drones. |
| B．An industry report to ensure safety. |
| C．The strong support from French officials. |
| D．A good system for managing all air traffic. |
9 . Last Sunday, the famous Champs-Elysees street in Paris was turned into a giant outdoor classroom for a special spelling event called “The Big Dictation”. The event was a chance for people who love words to show off their listening and spelling skills in an unusual setting.
The Big Dictation of Champs-Elysees was organized by a writer named Rachid Santaki. He came up with the idea of large groups of people taking part in dictations back in 2013. Over 50,000 people asked to join the special spelling event on the Champs-Elysees, which turned one of Paris’s busiest streets into a classroom, with cars replaced by desks. In the end, around 5,000 people, aged 10 to 90, were chosen to take part.
Just like in school, a large “blackboard” was set up for the event near a famous building, the Arc de Triomphe. Several famous people were there to play the part of the teacher, and read the dictation texts out loud. After the dictation is read, the text on the screen lets people check their work.
Not everyone found it easy. Ten-year-old Samson thought the dictation was too quick and he couldn’t finish. Another young student agreed. “It was impossible!” he said. “The dictation was for adults.”
Even adults found it challenging, reporting that it caused stress and worry. One retired woman was pleased that she had only made two mistakes.
Marc-Antoine Jamet is in charge of the Champs-Elysees Committee, who brought the event to the famous street. He said the event wasn’t just about getting all the words right but also about bringing people together.
Another goal of The Big Dictation was to break the record for the largest dictation event ever. The previous record was set in 2018 at France’s national stadium, Stade de France, with 1,473 people taking part. That event was also run by Mr. Santaki.
1. How many people were chosen to take part in The Big Dictation last Sunday?| A．Around 1, 500. | B．Around 2,000. | C．Around 5,000. | D．Over 50,000. |
| A．Easy. | B．Exciting. | C．Boring. | D．Challenging. |
| A．To break the record for the dictation event. |
| B．To introduce a famous street to the world. |
| C．To reduce the learning pressure of students. |
| D．To remember the founder of the competition. |
| A．The Famous Scenic Spots of France |
| B．A Spelling Event Took Place on a Paris Street |
| C．The French Love for Spelling Competitions |
| D．An Outdoor Classroom Unique to the British |
Amy was very excited. She was going to a big birthday party on Saturday night. There would be music, dancing, food and lots of new people to meet. Amy knew she would have a great time, but what was she going to wear? All her friends at school were talking about it. Imogen and Chloe had new dresses. Sally had expensive new jeans...
Amy requested her mother to buy her something new but was refused. Amy felt frustrated, so she turned to her granny. Then, on Saturday, her granny took her to the shopping mall.
They went into the first store and began to look at the clothes. Granny pulled out dresses, tops and jeans. Amy chose six things and went to the fitting room to try them on. When she came out, Granny was waiting. She asked, “Anything nice?”
Amy shook her head. “No. The dress was quite nice, but it wasn’t really special. I want something special, Granny.”
“I know you do, my love. It’s a special party! Don’t worry — this is just the first shop. There are plenty of others. Come on!”
Amy found nothing on Floor 1. So they took the elevator up to Floor 2 and began again. In every shop, Amy tried on clothes while Granny was very patient and she never got cross.
“Take your time, love,” she said. “I want you to be happy.”
They took the elevator to Floor 3 and granny squeezed Amy’s hand. “You will find something,” she said. “There are five floors in this mall. We will keep going until we find your special thing.” Saying nothing, Amy hung her head, exhausted. But Granny kept looking and never stopped smiling.
They searched all the shops on Floor 3 then went up to Floor 4. But there, her heart suddenly felt very heavy. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to cry. “I’m never going to find it, Granny,” said Amy. “I want so much to find something special, but nothing is right and I’m so tired. I just want to go home, but I can’t go home with nothing.”
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。
Granny passed her a tissue and comforted her gently.
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“You already have it,” Granny whispered something in Amy’s ear.
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