1 . 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。

Everyone knows that bees are busy. There is even     1     saying in English that one can be “as busy as a bee”. However, little     2     (know) about how bees play. Now scientists from Queen Mary University of London have made an amazing     3     (discover). In their study, the researchers found that bees could relax after a busy day making honey — they play with balls. The insects particularly enjoyed     4     (play) with small, wooden balls. According to the researchers, the way bees play is similar     5     that we humans do. Younger bees rolled more balls than older bees, while adult males spent     6     (long) playing with balls than adult females. The ball-rolling bees are the first known insects to “play”.

The researchers     7     (experiment) on 45 bumblebees in a specially designed test area. The bees were given two choices. The first was to fly     8     (direct) to get a sugary treat. The second was to get to the treat by going around different coloured wooden balls. Most of the bees decided to play with the balls and then get their treat,     9     showed that bees are more thoughtful than people believed. “Bees are a million     10     (mile) from the mindless, unfeeling creatures they are traditionally believed to be,” said one of the researchers.

2 . After realizing students at his primary school were going hungry, PE teacher Jason Watson got an inspiration.

“I grew up in Frazeysburg, a 1,300-person town,” said Jason. “It’s a community where people _________ one another.”

During the 2020 COVID, Jason and his wife, school librarian Anne, bought a used _________, and for the past two summers, the couple, both 39, have delivered hot _________ lunches to kids in need in Frazeysburg, with the help of their own kids Pax, 12, Skye, 11, and Lily, 14. They _________ about 70 meals a week and so far they have given out about 1,500 lunches on _________.

“Upon seeing our truck, they come _________,” said Jason. “To see their faces, there’s nothing _________,” added Anne.

The family prepares all the meals themselves. “We love _________,” Jason said. “We try to actually cook a really good meal, like grill hamburgers or chicken sandwiches, things that they just wouldn’t _________ be able to get, to treat them a little bit.”

“We’ve received lots of __________,” said Anne. “And we’ve been __________ to do more. Our dream is to possibly open a free café where we __________ people in for a hot dinner. Then we can sit down and share __________ together.”

In addition to helping children in need, the Watsons are excited they have found an activity that __________ their entire family. “It’s __________. It’s our favorite thing,” Jason said.

1.

A．take control of

B．reach out to

C．watch out for

D．give way to

2.

A．computer

B．truck

C．shelter

D．kitchen

3.

A．ready-made

B．fat-free

C．peace-loving

D．home-cooked

4.

A．order

B．sell

C．serve

D．update

5.

A．wheels

B．floors

C．plates

D．tables

6.

A．jogging

B．skating

C．running

D．jumping

7.

A．noisier

B．better

C．bigger

D．more

8.

A．performing

B．exercising

C．competing

D．cooking

9.

A．extremely

B．secretly

C．formally

D．normally

10.

A．invitations

B．donations

C．instructions

D．directions

11.

A．inspired

B．allowed

C．taught

D．ordered

12.

A．cheat

B．lead

C．invite

D．follow

13.

A．wealth

B．advice

C．life

D．interest

14.

A．connects

B．challenges

C．rescues

D．regards

15.

A．shocking

B．confusing

C．amazing

D．annoying

3 . Schoolchildren spend most of their time surrounded by their peers (同龄人). They spend a lot more time with classmates, teammates and fellow club members than with adults in their lives. Peer pressure can have a huge influence on the lives of children in grades two through twelve.

From birth through age six, the family shapes a child’s sense of identity (个性). Parents and brothers and sisters affect (影响) a child’s likes, dislikes, tastes in clothing, food and music and, perhaps most importantly, values. Once children enter school, they form connections to the larger group of their peers. This group brings new ideas and experiences. Peer pressure happens when a student’s actions are influenced by this group. The “pressure” happens when peers suggest or demand actions different from the child’s normal behavior and values.

Peer pressure leads to some disturbing negative (消极的) behavior in schoolchildren. In the USA, about 75% of high school students have tried alcohol (酒) offered by their friends in middle or high school. According to a survey, students felt pressured by their peers between 35 and 49% of the time. The power of peer pressure can result from a schoolchild’s growing desire to fit into a group.

Thankfully, peer pressure can also be positive (积极的). For example, wanting to join an athletic group of friends may force a student who has been sitting for a long time to try out for the soccer team. In a survey on peer pressure, 51% of teenagers felt that peer pressure was sometimes positive. One teenager responded, “Sometimes it can help you gain confidence.” Other examples of positive peer pressure include students encouraging a classmate to run for school president, or friends suggesting that that a talented peer try out for a talent show.

1. What leads to schoolchildren’s peer pressure?

A．The identity shaped by their family.	B．The connections with their classmates.
C．The childhood experiences with their friends.	D．The differences in their behavior and values.

2. Why do some schoolchildren behave negatively under peer pressure?

A．To kill their boring time.	B．To fit into a peer group.
C．To help gain confidence	D．To improve social skills.

3. What does the author think of peer pressure?

A．Peer pressure does more harm than good

B．Peer pressure is very good for schoolchildren’s growth.

C．Peer pressure is not necessarily bad for schoolchildren.

D．Peer pressure plays an important role in shaping a child’s values.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Why schoolchildren turn out the way they do	B．Ways to help schoolchildren deal with peer pressure
C．Peer pressure highly influences schoolchildren	D．How to improve schoolchildren’s behavior and values

4 . A Midsummer Night’s Dream may be one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays—but its latest version from the Royal Shakespeare Company will be unlike any seen before. Titled Dream, the 50-minute online production will let audiences remotely guide the leading character Puck through a virtual forest.

In 2016, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest used high-tech to create a 3D digital image that was projected above the stage. The difference this time is that everything in the play—the performers and their surroundings—will be shown virtually.

Seven actors will perform in a specially-built studio. They will be surrounded by a 360-degree camera set, made up of 47 cameras with every movement almost immediately presented digitally, which is presented to viewers online. With its much-reduced characters, Dream is not a complete production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, rather, it is a story inspired by it, focusing on Puck and the fairies (精灵).

Up to 2,000 audience members for each performance can become part of the show and will be invited to guide Puck through the forest. On screen, the chosen audience will appear as a cloud of tiny fireflies (萤火虫). By using their mouse or finger on the screen of a smart device, they will be able to move their firefly across the screen, and Puck will be at their beck and call to go through the virtual space. For viewers watching at home, the virtual fairies moving through a digital forest will look more like a video game than the average Royal Shakespeare Company show.

“Without the fireflies—the audiences—Puck wouldn’t be going anywhere,” said E.M. Williams who plays the role. “The audiences are very much the fuel and the energy of the show.”

1. What makes Dream different from The Tempest?

A．The number of actors and actresses.	B．The surroundings around the performers
C．The 3D digital image it chooses to show.	D．The way it presents everything in the play.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．Leading characters of the play.	B．Audiences’ opinions on the play.
C．The play’s production process.	D．The inspiration for the play.

3. What does the underlined part “be at their beck and call” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Be ready to follow their order.	B．Be happy to receive a call.
C．Be difficult to control.	D．Be willing to guide them.

4. What do E. M. Williams’ words in the last paragraph show?

A．The cost of the show.	B．The pleasure of the audiences.
C．The task of the leading character.	D．The importance of the audiences.

5 . My husband Robert and I had volunteered to help build an irrigation (灌溉) system for bananas in Zambia. The Heart of Africa Mission is run by local Zambians, with a focus on community development. We were there to share our agricultural (农业的) experience and knowledge with the African farmers.

We left snow-covered Alberta, Canada in January. We spent the next four weeks working side by side with the local Zambians in a banana plantation (种植园). The banana plantation would help make the Heart of Africa Mission self-supporting. It would also teach banana farming to the students there. Students would go on to teach others. It has done that and more. Through the jobs created, several families now have food, education for their children, and enough housing. The plantation is producing well and is a source of great pride for all who work there.

My husband worked hard at building the irrigation system. But the story he tells most often is of the young man who stopped us on one of our walks somewhere. He pointed to his bike, and laughing widely, told Robert, “Look, look, it still works.” Robert had repaired it for him. A bike in Zambia is like a truck in North America—necessary transportation for people and produce. Robert’s small effort made a big difference in this man’s life.

“We sure appreciate (感激) your sacrifice (牺牲),” our organizer often says. For us it was never a sacrifice, only an honor to have the chance to work in a place so far from our own, to be able to exchange ideas and thoughts. All this happened while living in a beautiful sunny country in the green of the rainy season, while at home in Alberta, the snow would cover the landscape (风景) for months. No, the volunteer work was never a sacrifice. It was only an honor.

1. What can we learn about the author from the first paragraph?

A．She likes to take adventures.	B．She is probably an expert in agriculture.
C．She started the Heart of Africa Mission.	D．She used to live in Africa for a long time.

2. Which of the following best describes the author’s volunteer job?

A．Costly.

B．Tiring.

C．Challenging.

D．Fruitful.

3. Why did the young man stop the author and her husband?

A．To ask for help.	B．To express his thanks.
C．To show his cycling skills.	D．To tell them about his work.

4. Why did the author consider the volunteer work an honor?

A．It enabled her to work harder.	B．It brought her public recognition.
C．It made her appreciate her life more.	D．It allowed her to experience different things.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整 的短文。

One Christmas Eve, my seventeen-year-old son called me from the bakery where he worked part-time. He was on the evening shift with a couple of co-workers, and the store was about to dose. The person from a local charity who was scheduled to pick up the leftover bread and cakes hadn’t shown up. He was worried about what to do with the food, so I suggested he call the manager to ask for advice. The manager told him to throw the leftovers into the garbage—approximately $1,500 worth of fresh baked goods.

It seemed completely wrong for all this good food to go to waste, so we talked about where we could take it. A new homeless shelter had just opened in our area, so I called and asked if they could use a delivery of free baked goods.

An excited staff member said, “Yes, please!” I drove to the bakery and, together with my son and his co-workers, we loaded up the truck and made our way to the homeless shelter. As we walked toward the entrance, a woman stopped and held open the door for us. Thinking we were staff, she thanked us for what we were doing and said she was really grateful for her new temporary home. She introduced herself and told us her street friends call her “Star”. We chatted for a while on the sidewalk with light snow falling around us. She said that moving off the streets into the shelter had saved her life.

Star told us she spent her days looking out for those who needed help and trying to do kind things for others whenever she could. Then she asked for a favor. She showed us a phone number. She’d wanted to tell her friend she was okay so he wouldn’t worry, but she couldn’t afford the long-distance call. I said I would be happy to pass on her message. She wrote his name on a card. Then she hugged us both, and we wished each other a merry Christmas.

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。

On Christmas morning, I called the number on the card. A man answered the phone.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few months later, I was driving when I saw Star standing in the middle of the crosswalk.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . 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。

The world is in a climate crisis. We need to change how we get our power, which     1     (mean) we need to end the use of fossil fuels, like oil and gas. The European Space Agency (ESA) has started on work that could provide     2     (million) of homes with clean and reliable energy. It has approved     3     three-year project to test huge solar farms in space. These solar farms are expected     4     (send) energy wirelessly from space into peopled homes. An ESA spokesperson said one solar-farm satellite could create the same amount of electricity     5     a power station on Earth. She added that the satellites will be around 1.7 km in     6     (long) and their aim is to have many of these giant satellites     7     (place) in low-Earth orbits. They could cut our use of fossil fuels and reduce energy shortages.

The ESA project     8     (call) Solaris. Josef Aschbacher,     9     is currently the director-general of the ESA, said that Solaris could be of great significance. “We humans are consuming large quantities of fossil fuels. We need to change the way we produce energy. We especially need to reduce the fossil fuel part of our energy production,” said Josef. “It would be     10     (absolute) fantastic if we could do it from space. It would be a solution to lots of problems.”

8 . Andrew Chilton was diagnosed with autism (自闭症) at age eight. There was a lot to _________. Would he ever have a job? Live _________? Doctors and school officials _________ that Andrew might not even graduate from high school.

Andrew’s family would do anything for him. Christy Chachere, the boy’s personal care attendant, saw the _________ right away. “You have to let him _________,” she told the family. “It’s the _________ way he learns to do things on his own.”

No longer would Andrew’s mother write his papers. His younger brother wouldn’t _________ him to operate the computer. Christy wouldn’t help him with homework either.

Andrew _________ loudly at times. But then what Christy expected began to _________. Andrew would come home from school, get a snack and start on his homework. Christy was ____________ there. She wouldn’t do his papers for him. But she showed him how to get organized. Best of all, Christy offered ____________ once his work was done. She’d ____________ him to a store where he could buy Pokémon cards. To the movies. Or out to eat his favorite food.

Christy has been with Andrew for six years. She has successfully helped ____________ the life of a boy with autism. One ____________ at a time, Andrew gained independence. He graduated from high school and entered community college. “Life has never been ____________,” said Andrew.

1.

A．put off

B．worry about

C．set aside

D．settle down

2.

A．flexibly

B．fortunately

C．creatively

D．independently

3.

A．whispered

B．desired

C．predicted

D．witnessed

4.

A．opinion

B．chance

C．problem

D．ability

5.

A．fail

B．escape

C．protect

D．promise

6.

A．easy

B．normal

C．quick

D．only

7.

A．help

B．inspire

C．allow

D．refuse

8.

A．apologized

B．complained

C．requested

D．argued

9.

A．pass

B．reduce

C．spread

D．happen

10.

A．always

B．sometimes

C．seldom

D．never

11.

A．quality

B．measure

C．freedom

D．strength

12.

A．follow

B．take

C．force

D．introduce

13.

A．ruin

B．change

C．occupy

D．admire

14.

A．discovery

B．competition

C．choice

D．step

15.

A．better

B．busier

C．easier

D．quieter

9 . Try to picture the world before refrigerators. That may be difficult!     1     They may also help store leftovers there after dinner. Yes, life today would be quite different without refrigerators. How did people keep their food fresh before these machines were around?

    2     In cold areas, ancient people could freeze their food. They could then store it in ice and snow. Warmer places allowed for drying food in sunlight. Experts say these early practices gave people the option to settle and form communities.

One advanced method of food storage arose in Persia around 400 BC. People there stored food in structures called Yakhchal, which were buildings made from mud brick to keep ice frozen during even the warmest summer months. During the Middle Ages, people stored meat by salting or smoking it.     3     These foods could then be stored in cool places, like caves, allowing people to save food for difficult times.

Later, buildings called ice houses or ice pits were built upon the idea of the Yakhchal. Such ice houses were very common by the 1800s. At the end of the 19th century, many people kept their food fresh in iceboxes made of wood.     4     Ice delivery businesses grew with more homes requiring ice to store food.

By the 1930s, many people were using electric refrigerators to keep food fresh.     5     Many refrigerators today come with built-in ice makers. Some people even choose smart refrigerators that can help them with meal plans and grocery shopping.

A．They would also dry many foods, including grains.

B．These containers held large blocks of ice to keep food cool.

C．No one knows for sure how people first learned to store food.

D．After all, kids today are used to grabbing a snack from the fridge after school.

E．Since then, growth in technology has led these machines to become more advanced.

F．With no means to store food, ancient people often went hungry or even died.

G．Actually, people found different ways to keep their food fresh thousands of years ago.

10 . Life expectancy (寿命) in Africa rose by nearly 10 years in the first two decades of this century, according to the World Health Organization. “This rise is greater than in any other region of the world during the same period,” the WHO said.

In the year 2019, the average African could expect to live to be 56. However, that is still well below the global average of 64 years. WHO official Lindiwe Makubalo warned the life expectancy gains could easily be lost unless countries strengthen and make greater investments in the development of health care systems.

Makubalo said Africa has made a good start over the past two decades. On average, she said, access to essential services like basic health care improved to 46% in 2019 compared with 24% in 2000. “Other factors include improvements in reproductive, newborn and child health care, as well as advances in fighting infectious (传染的) diseases, such as TB, malaria and HIV.”

While progress has been made in preventing and treating infectious diseases, the report found health services for non-infectious diseases are lagging. It says the great rise in diabetes, cancer and other non-infectious diseases could jeopardize (危害) health gains if those conditions continue to be ignored.

The report says the COVID-19 outbreak has brought about greater damages to essential health services in Africa compared to other regions of the world, which might affect healthy life expectancy.

“It is important that significant improvements are made in health services, and governments ensure quality, equal and accessible services for all,” Makubalo said.

According to the report, some progress has been made in achieving universal health coverage, but it is far from enough. Health officials say one of the key measures to improve access to health services is for governments to increase their public health budgets. That, they say, would reduce the huge out-of-pocket expenses by families that are pushing millions of people into poverty.

1. What was the average life expectancy of people in Africa in 2000?

A．46.

B．54.

C．56.

D．64.

2. Which contributed to Africans’ life expectancy rise according to the text?

A．Plenty of food supplies.

B．Improvement in basic health services.

C．Easier access to clean drinking water.

D．Progress in fighting against non-infectious diseases.

3. What does the underlined word “lagging” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Unique.

B．Independent.

C．Informal.

D．Underdeveloped.

4. What’s WHO’s attitude towards Africa’s present situation?

A．Positive.

B．Uncertain.

C．Concerned.

D．Pessimistic.