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。

Plant lovers believe that talking to plants helps them grow. Scientists have discovered there could be real     1     (true) in this belief. Researchers have discovered that plants give off sounds when they are stressed. The sounds are quite similar     2     a human cry. Unfortunately, plant sounds are at too high a frequency for the human ear     3     (pick) up. Humans can only hear frequencies of up to 16 kilohertz (赫兹). Using special Al technology, scientists can now pick up sounds     4     (send) out by plants that are up to 250 kilohertz. The Al can also tell differences between different types of plant sounds.

The research     5     (do) in a greenhouse at Israel’s Tel Aviy University. Lead researcher Professor Lilach Hadany said: “Plants usually give off sounds when they     6     (be) under stress. Each plant and each type of stress is connected with     7     specific sound.” She suggested that crop fields could be quite     8     (noise), saying “While unable to be picked up by the human ear, the sounds given off by plants can be heard by bats,     9     (mouse) and insects. Understanding these sounds could help us know when crops need watering,     10     means farmers could water their crops more efficiently and thus save water and money.

2 . Here are this year’s four scientific discoveries that could lead to new inventions.

Discovery 1—To survive in the ocean, some animals hide themselves from the light, hoping not to be found by a predator (捕食者). However, their eyes reflect (反射) light, creating shine that can give away their location. Some tiny crustaceans (甲壳类动物) have developed a way around this disadvantage. Their eyes are covered with a sheet of special glass that effectively matches their eyeshine to the color of surrounding water. In this way, they become invisible (看不见的). This discovery might help researchers improve relative technologies in remote sensing and communications.

Discovery 2—Brown bears seldom suffer from blood clots (血栓). To find out how they do it, scientists tracked down brown bears in Sweden. They discovered one protein (蛋白质) in brown bears showed a significant seasonal change. The discovery could provide ways for preventive treatment for cancer patients and those likely to develop blood clots.

Discovery 3—Asp caterpillar venom (毛虫毒液) contains an unusual protein. When it reaches the outer surface of a cell (细胞), this protein makes a hole through the cell wall. By researching such nature, engineers could develop medicine delivery ways to get drugs (药物) inside cells where they need to work.

Discovery 4—This year, scientists found two special proteins in bowhead whales. The proteins called CIRBP and RPA2 play a role in DNA repair, making the animals unlikely to develop cancers. As a scientist says, we probably have the solution to cancer medicine out there in nature already.

1. What can we know about the tiny crustaceans?

A．Their eyes reflect light and create shine.	B．They can carefully hide themselves.
C．Their eyes do not shine while reflecting light.	D．They are easily found by their predators.

2. Which discovery might improve ways doctors use drugs?

A．Discovery 1.

B．Discovery 2.

C．Discovery 3.

D．Discovery 4.

3. What do the four discoveries have in common?

A．They provide an inspiration for new ideas or ways of doing things.

B．They might bring about a breakthrough in communication.

C．They are all good for environmental protection.

D．They are all concerned with endangered animals.

3 . 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。

People in Victoria have often been admired as they enjoy the year-round good climate of Canada’s “banana belt”. So when the unusual snowstorm struck the area this December, Victorians weren’t prepared.

Before Christmas holiday was over, Victorians wished they would never see snow again! However, between December 21st and 29th, so much snow fell. The little city that seldom sees snow was covered by snow that was over I meter deep.

I called my 87-year-old mother, who lived in a downtown nursing home. She was in poor health, but her mind was active and unaffected. “Mum,” I said, “we’re completely snowed in. It may be a few days before I can get out to see you.”

I was worried. My mother had caught a bad cold. And because of the storm, drugs were not being delivered.

On the morning of December 31st, the phone rang. It was Mother’s nurse in charge. “The bad cold has seriously influenced your mother’s lungs,” she said. “She’s quite in low spirits, and she’s extremely eager to see you. Your coming may raise her spirits and increase her body’s ability to fight against the disease. Is there any way you can get here?”

I felt hopeless because I knew there was no way I could get there. Like thousands of others in the city, we were trapped.

Friends suggested I turn to C-FAX, one of the local radio stations. Since the heavy snowstorm struck Victoria, C-FAX had canceled its regular programming and was now a communication center for news updates, volunteer coordination (协调) and health and safety tips. In fact, it had become Victoria’s lifeline.

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。

I picked up my phone and asked anxiously, “Can you help me?”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later, I eagerly got on a truck heading for the nursing room.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . As a boy, I knew little about baseball. Yet I later became the father of two boys, Will and Tim, who were both interested in baseball. On Saturday mornings, I’d take Will out to the playground and play catch with him. Because of my weak arm, the ball often dropped before he could catch it. After many misses, he said one day, “How am I ever going to make the major leagues (联盟)?” “You have the wrong dad, kid,” I thought. Baseball isn’t my thing.

Still, I wanted to give my kids confidence on the field. There was an official Little League in our area, but it was super-competitive and only catered to older boys. I really hoped we had something less competitive, something that welcomed younger boys and girls.

I shared the idea with some neighbors. “That would be great!” they said. Now who could organize such a thing? Not me. I tried to put the idea aside, but it wouldn’t leave me. I finally decided that I must do something about it. So I called the city government, explaining that some families wanted to start a baseball league in our neighborhood. Were there any fields for that? When I had to speak to the official in charge, I got butterflies in my stomach. What if he said no? “Yes, we have two fields for four hours every Sunday morning,” the man said hearing my request. Our league was founded. What a joy it was to sit on the benches, watching Will and Tim playing baseball! And I became the most unlikely baseball commissioner (专员) ever.

Many years have passed. Now Will and Tim are new dads, and I can’t want to see what they’ll have to do. I know better than anyone: Parenthood calls you to do the most unlikely things.

1. Why did the author think his son Will had the wrong father?

A．He had poor baseball skills.	B．He had no confidence in his son.
C．He wouldn’t play catch with his son.	D．He didn’t know what his son’s dream was.

2. What does the underlined phrase “catered to” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Won the respect of.	B．Ensured the safety of.
C．Served the purpose of.	D．Saved the trouble of.

3. How did the author probably feel while talking to the official?

A．Confident.

B．Peaceful.

C．Nervous.

D．Proud.

4. What does the author want to stress in the text?

A．The need to challenge oneself.	B．The greatness of parental love.
C．The role of sports in kids’ growth.	D．The relationship between parents and kids.

5 . 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。

Lying in a gorge(峡谷) near the Minjiang River in Southwest China’s Sichuan province, Taoping Qiang village     1    (stay) here for over two thousand years.

Originally constructed for military defense, the village’s watchtower has seen the flames of war extinguished(熄灭的) over the ages and is now a tourist     2    (attract). Surviving the terrible 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the tower still stands tall and now witnesses the area’s change.

The village was reconstructed after that, and a new village in the same architectural style was built nearby, with many residents choosing     3    (move) there for a better quality of life. Today, visitors are     4    (continuous) drawn to the beautiful village, bringing prosperity(繁荣) to the local tourism industry.

By Dec 25, the Taoping village area had welcomed 189,000 tourists in 2023, driving sales of local farm products to 30.8 million yuan and generating over 95.2 million yuan in tourism income. The trend has brought new opportunities and benefits to     5    (local), such as Maixi, who is a member of the Qiang ethnic group. Her journey has mirrored the great development of her hometown.

Maixi, one of the eight children, worked as a shepherd(牧羊人) when she was a girl. Now 60, she has achieved prosperity by changing her ancestral home     6     a homestay business. And she has expanded her business by opening a four-story homestay in the new village, drawing in a steady stream of customers     7     enjoy her signature dish of a hearty soup with vegetables. Maixi is not shy about saying she now leads a life that seemed impossible in her youth. The income her family brought in by selling Sichuan peppers was quite important during her childhood, she remembers,     8     the children would work alongside the adults all day long throughout the harvest season as sun-dried peppers reached a high price.

“With over 440 households and a population of more than 1,300, the village no     9    (long) relies on herding(畜牧). Half of our workforce is now involved in tourism, and we also cultivate over 1,000 mu of cherries and other     10    (variety) fruits. In recent years, the average income per mu has been about 60,000 yuan,” says Yang Buyi, Party chief of Taoping.

6 . A six-year-old girl has become an enthusiastic business helper in a “silent” foot spa where the owner and all of the employees are hearing-impaired (听力受损的), serving as a sign language translator for customers. Hu Yunjia, nicknamed Niu Niu, is the daughter of the foot spa owner Hu Yong. The father Hu, 34, lost his hearing and speech due to a severe fever in his childhood, making it difficult for him to get a permanent job. After finishing training in the foot spa and pedicure (修指甲术) abilities, Hu started the business in Chengdu, the capital city of Southwest China’s Sichuan province, in 2019．Peng Feng, the mother, who is also deaf, works together with her husband at the shop. Despite its modest size, the shop attracts a steady stream of customers due to the couple’s solid skills.

Evenings witness a peak in business at the foot spa, and this is when Niu Niu finishes school and plays a role as a sign language translator. “Madam, how is your day and what help do you need?” “Sir, my dad asked you to take this ointment (药膏) back home and apply it,” Niu Niu delivers her father’s messages to the customers in her sweet child voice and with rich body language, frequently amusing the guests. Besides translating, she enjoys introducing and promoting services to customers and answering phone calls.

Niu Niu started learning sign language from her parents at the age of two and began assisting at the shop at the age of four after kindergarten hours and on holidays.

“She is always cheerful, positive, enthusiastic and outgoing,” said the customers and the school teachers. “Dad taught me to be hardworking,” Niu Niu explained. In her view, her parents are like superheroes who look after the family and her although they’re unable to hear and speak. “Though my dad is different from other people, he is the best for me,” she added.

Hu also recruited two hearing-impaired persons in the hope of providing opportunities for people with disabilities like him. Niu Niu graduated from kindergarten and began attending a local primary school last summer. “She made me proud, and I am grateful to have such an ‘angel’ in my life. Now that she is a primary school student, I want her to focus more on her studies and less on my business. No matter what, I will give her my full support,” said the father.

1. What does Niu Niu do in the spa according to the second paragraph?
①She washes towels and bed sheets.
②She does some cooking for her family.
③She answers phone calls from customers.
④She passes her father’s messages to the customers.
⑤She introduces and promotes services to customers.

A．②④⑤

B．①②④

C．③④⑤

D．②③④

2. How did Niu Niu begin to learn sign language?

A．By learning from one of their relatives.

B．By learning from her parents.

C．By learning from a teacher in a kindergarten.

D．By learning from videos on the Internet.

3. Which can replace the underlined word “recruited” in the last paragraph?

A．Turned to.

B．Cared about.

C．Took on.

D．Referred to

4. What is the best title for the news report?

A．Deaf couple runs foot spa business in Chengdu

B．Deaf couple’s solid skills attract steady stream of customers

C．Girl, 6, acts as translator for her deaf parents doing foot spa business

D．Girl, 6, treat her parents as superheroes who look after family and her

7 . It’s the day of the big race. You’ve got your running shoes on and your starting number pinned to your tank top (背心装). You’ve trained for weeks for this marathon, but have you shortchanged yourself by not having a cup of coffee?

Studies about coffee can be tricky. One week scientists find that coffee is bad for us, while the next week they announce it provides benefits. When it comes to coffee’s star ingredient—caffeine, the results are much clearer in relation to athletes: Caffeine improves performance. It is one of the few legal performance enhancers in the world. In studies, athletes who consumed caffeine before a race were able to go faster, last longer and recover more quickly than those who didn’t.

Researchers have found that caffeine causes muscles to use fat as fuel, rather than glycogen (糖原) stored in the muscles, which increases strength. Caffeine also cheers up muscles by releasing calcium stored within, which aids speed and endurance. And it affects how hard you think you’re working, so that you can run longer and harder without feeling exhausted.

You don’t even need much caffeine to get the results. Scientists estimate that between 1 and 2 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight will do the trick. More isn’t better. It’s possible to perform worse when you consume more than 9 milligrams per kilogram.

Caffeine can have detrimental side effects in people not used to it, most notably headaches. It is also discouraged for those with heart conditions or high blood pressure. In some runners, coffee and other caffeinated products can result in diarrhea (腹泻). For these reasons, it’s probably best not to drink your first cup of coffee the morning of a marathon. Instead, see how your body reacts during your training.

1. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．How researchers made the finding.	B．How caffeine in coffee helps runners.
C．Why coffee is important to runners.	D．Why researchers carried out the research.

2. What does the underlined word “detrimental” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Beneficial.

B．Unnoticeable.

C．Efficient.

D．Harmful.

3. What is the author’s advice concerning consuming coffee?

A．Test its effect in training.	B．Take more before a race.
C．Take some after a race.	D．Never take any before a race.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A notebook.

B．A diary.

C．A magazine.

D．A travel guide.

8 . Most people have already heard we are facing an era of massive species extinction, that we run out of insect pollinators (传粉者) for our plantations and that springs are silent now. It is also agreed that a diverse nature is essential for our economic and emotional well-being and for human health. But how to achieve this?

Buildings produce dangerous emissions (排放物) polluting the air. The nation’s buildings are responsible for 40% of all US carbon emissions. Designing buildings that put the environment first is essential. Daniel Jaconetti, the National Sustainable Design Leader for the architecture firm HED tells Gb&d Magazine, “Our first responsibility is to educate and then to design for clients the best possible building that meets their needs.”

The best buildings are designed to be resilient (能复原的) , energy efficient, comfortable, and without poisonous chemicals. They are probably the ones-that make the most sense to people—being as efficient as possible. “You’re putting out fewer emissions.” Daniel Jaconetti tells Gb&d.

Eco-conscious design can be found-in a number of ways. The application of solar power is just one common design trend. Choosing eco-friendly building materials can also help. This can include a wide variety of materials, from bamboo to those recycled.

When looking for ways to cater to eco-friendly design, biophilia (热爱生物) has been used in architectural design to unite nature into the environment. With common elements of biophilic design in buildings including indoor trees and plants and living walls creatures, we can enjoy the various benefits associated with the presence of nature indoors. For already constructed homes, biophilic design element can help create an environmentally friendly atmosphere. Bringing in plants is just one major way to make an eco-friendly statement. Properly styling the greenery can be the difference between showcasing the tree itself and allowing it to complement the surrounding design.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.	B．To raise people’s awareness of pollution.
C．To call on people to protect wildlife.	D．To draw people’s attention to emotional well-being.

2. Why is designing environmentally-friendly buildings important?

A．We need new buildings to be comfortable.	B．Buildings are to blame for serious emissions.
C．Buildings are where we spend most of our time.	D．We need different buildings to cheer ourselves up.

3. Which of the following can describe best buildings?

A．Luxury.

B．Splendid.

C．Eco-friendly.

D．Life-changing.

4. What can you do with a constructed home?

A．Redecorate it.	B．Give it a thorough clean.
C．Change its design style.	D．Add some green plants to it.

9 . Everything a girl named Bella needed for her life to change for the better was a dog. But Ceorge is unlike other dogs. He’s a service dog who fills Bella’s days with joy and laughter and helps her regain her independence back.

Bella was suffering a rare metabolic (新陈代谢的) disorder, which leads to short neck , knock knees and hip problems. In Bella’s case, her parents were told that their daughter would eventually need a wheelchair and won’t be able to move on her own.

When the family welcomed George in their lives, he helped Bella walk by providing assistance. A harness (背带) with the words “service dog” is fastened on his back so that people know he isn’t just a pet. He and Bella are now inseparable and he never leaves her side. Bella attended school for only half a day before leaving to play at the home of her friend—Hunter. Because he gets to nap on the couch while Bella plays. George loves going over there.

As a thank-you for his loyalty, Bella wanted to give George something in return. She and her parents then came up with the idea to contact BarkPost, a well-known website that hosts events referred to as “Dog’s Best Days” and give George a day to remember. Among the rest, the two friends got to share a hamburger together and got to walk on snow, something George enjoys. They did a bunch of fun things together and had a lovely day.

Thanks to George, Bella doesn’t need a wheelchair and enjoys the independence her service dog provides to her. “George is joyful and he’s always there to cheer me up. He is my best friend,” Bella says.

1. What did the doctor say about Bella’s illness?

A．She would recover slowly.	B．She would drop out of school.
C．She would lose the ability to walk.	D．She would need a service dog to look after her.

2. What was George’s main job?

A．To play with Bella.	B．To comfort Bella.
C．To help Bella walk.	D．To cheer Bella up.

3. Why did Bella and her parents contact BarkPost?

A．They wanted to thank George.	B．They wanted to find friends for George.
C．They wanted to give George a rest.	D．They wanted to make George well-known.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．A Girl Fights Her Illness Bravely

B．A Pet Dog Becomes Famous for His Loyalty

C．Dogs Are Important in Helping the Disabled

D．A Service Dog Helps a Girl Regain Her Independence

10 . It was November. The sky was gray with dark clouds and a freezing rain. My mood ______ the day. Thanksgiving was coming soon and then Christmas but after that was a long, dark, cold winter and I wasn’t ______ it.

The older I got, the less it seemed I ______ the winter months. When I was a boy, they meant ______ in the snow, making snowmen, having snowball fights, and then sitting with my dog by the ______ and reading my favorite books. Now they just ______ watching the days get shorter, driving on slippy roads, and feeling the cold wind bite my face every time I went outside.

I lay on my bed, hoping I could sleep under the covers until ______ . Just then my little dog climbed onto my ______ and looked at me with her big, wet eyes. She appeared so sad and miserable. “Is that how I ______ right now?” I thought, knowing that she often ______ my moods. I smiled and patted her until she smiled too.

I feel grateful for having this loving, little dog. She ______ me that the whole world around us is our mirror. We can either be a reflection of ______ or darkness. We can either give the world kindness and joy or fear and ______. Life truly is what we ______ it and we can reflect our warmth, love and light even in winter’s ______ days.

1.

A．counted

B．admired

C．matched

D．rescued

2.

A．looking forward to

B．keeping up with

C．taking notice of

D．getting along with

3.

A．achieved

B．remembered

C．needed

D．liked

4.

A．playing

B．training

C．performing

D．driving

5.

A．roadside

B．tree

C．river

D．fire

6.

A．enjoyed

B．meant

C．advised

D．regretted

7.

A．spring

B．summer

C．autumn

D．winter

8.

A．stage

B．desk

C．bed

D．chair

9.

A．sound

B．look

C．smell

D．taste

10.

A．demanded

B．forgot

C．mirrored

D．delivered

11.

A．reminds

B．suggests

C．warns

D．promises

12.

A．peace

B．light

C．silence

D．patience

13.

A．doubt

B．surprise

C．shame

D．anger

14.

A．have

B．use

C．take

D．make

15.

A．happiest

B．simplest

C．darkest

D．Busiest