2 . 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。

When Hannah Herbst was in seventh grade, she found out her Ethiopian pen friend, Ruth ,was living in energy poverty(贫困）with fewer electricity, lights, medical     1     (supply) ,or even waste water control systems. “I realized the environment was     2    (importance) at a very young age. I have always been curious, and as a child, I developed my first interest     3    learning about the environment,” she said. So she     4    (create) an ocean energy device(装置）—BEACON，    5     changes the active movement of current energy from any moving body of water into    6     source of usable electricity.

It    7     (make) from 90 percent recycled materials     8     (easy) found throughout the world, including 2-liter plastic soda bottles and recycled spoons.

She is now working on improving the final     9    (invent) of BEACON, and is in the process of running her prototypes(原型）so that others around the world can reproduce her creation, both for fighting energy poverty in developing nations as well as for     10    (encourage)scientific education in classroom worldwide.

3 . Nowadays, cellphones play a big part in our life. Besides being a means of communication, cellphones also provide ______ ---they allow listening to music, playing games, etc. So you probably often ______this Go into any restaurant and you’ll notice cellphones on the table are just as ______a sight as forks. Honestly, I always find the sight ________Imagine how you feel when your partner is interested in his cellphone ______ your talks.

A recent study was designed to ____ the influence of cellphones on the ______ of phone users themselves. Two groups of volunteers were asked to have a meal with friends. The first group were told to ______ their cellphones during the meal ______ the second were not. The results showed a decrease in pleasure among the second group, who______ used their cellphones because they were close at hand. Besides, those who _____ with someone face to face meanwhile using cellphones reported a greater sense of unhappiness, compared to those without a cellphone in hand.

Researcher Dunn says, “Using a phone at the table is contagious(传染的）.” His words are_______

Yesterday when I was at a restaurant, I noticed a woman never once looked at her cellphone when waiting for food; so I fought the______ to look at mine; I wanted to______ her amazing standard.

Actually, what ______is what’s right in front of us. That’s where the real connections take place.

1.

A．advice

B．protection

C．education

D．enjoyment

2.

A．choose

B．consider

C．experience

D．expect

3.

A．common

B．funny

C．special

D．strange

4.

A．amazing

B．understandable

C．uncomfortable

D．curious

5.

A．because of

B．rather than

C．along with

D．other than

6.

A．reduce

B．collect

C．use

D．determine

7.

A．decisions

B．interests

C．feelings

D．characters

8.

A．put away

B．stick to

C．pick up

D．turn on

9.

A．so

B．because

C．while

D．if

10.

A．hardly

B．quickly

C．indirectly

D．frequently

11.

A．communicated

B．argued

C．worked

D．finished

12.

A．true

B．confusing

C．friendly

D．misleading

13.

A．agreement

B．fear

C．wish

D．ability

14.

A．question

B．design

C．change

D．follow

15.

A．matters

B．encourages

C．challenges

D．improves

4 .        Many people who don’t normally visit museums may consider them boring and often wonder what the appeal(吸引力）is. Actually, people visit museums for a variety of reasons. .    1     And we thought it would be interesting to examine these reasons in an effort to change naysayers’(反对者的）minds. As a result, we’ve come up with some reasons to visit museums.
       Expand horizons.    2     Each work opens a doorway into artists’ soul and lets you explore what they felt, rather than merely observed. Every piece of art tells a unique story, and by studying it, you can experience a different world.

Gain inspiration. Do you ever feel like you   need a breath of inspiration to refresh your soul? It’s not a coincidence(巧合）that there’s a “muse” in museums! A museum is a wonderful place to get inspired and let creative juices begin to flow again.    3    

Offer “food” for conversation. This is because museums can help fuel your discussions with other people. Whether it’s a new exhibit or a fascinating show, museums offer a variety of subjects to talk about.     4    You   can also mention exciting inventions in science, historical findings and so on.

    5     Museums offer a perfect opportunity to meet some people that share your love of art and culture. By taking in new exhibits or attending lectures, you’re placing yourself in an atmosphere that will attract like minds.

A．Change your attitude towards life.

B．Meet those sharing similar interests.

C．Some are personal and some are social.

D．It has a positive effect on the whole society.

E．These topics aren’t just limited to traditional artworks.

F．Observing artistic works enables you to come up with new ideas.

G．Visiting museums allows you to place yourself in the shoes of artists.

5 . The world’s first-ever floating(浮动的) farm is expected to open soon. The farm is located in Rotterdam, a port city about 50 miles away from Amsterdam. Built near the mouth of the river Meuse, the farm consists of three levels.

About 40 cows will be moved to the second level of the farm in November. The level above them will house greenhouse that grow grass and crops needed to feed the cows. Meanwhile, the bottom level will hold any necessary machines and packaging for the milk and yogurt. By December, the farm is expected to be producing more than 200 gallons of milk per day.

In addition to producing fresh milk and yogurt, the farm produces and sells fresh food that runs through a closed cycle and ends up at the customer. This causes almost no waste, bringing the reduction of food’s travel from production to consumers.

The farm is the idea of Minke van Wingerden, a partner in the development company behind the project, Beladon. In 2021, she and her husband got caught in Hurricane Sandy during a business trip to New York City. With the storm preventing food delivery trucks from getting on the road, local people were unable to find fresh produce in stores.

The event pushed wingerden and her partners to find a way to produce food closer to people’s locations in order to avoid losses of supplies in the future. They eventually came up with the idea of floating farms,which would make use of otherwise unused space in the water and meanwhile shorten the distance between stores and farms.

After launching the Rotterdam project, Beladon will work on opening more floating farms. The company is designing floating chicken farms and floating vertical(垂直的) farming greenhouses. The company is in talks with another Dutch city for a second farm.

Wingerden and her husband also believe that new communities should be bulit with food access in mind. The area by the Port of Rotterdam, for example, is on track to be filled with residential space and offices in the next several years, and Wingerden said food production should be at “the heart of that community.”

1. What do we know about the floating farm from the text?

A．It is a farm without any grass or plants.

B．It can produce more milk than expected.

C．It has three levels with different purposes.

D．It is planned to be used in certain climates.

2. What is the advantage of the floating farm?

A．It offers custom-made food.

B．It cuts the cost of shipping.

C．It plays a role in recycling wastes.

D．It acts as a shelter in a hurricane.

3. How did Minke van Wingerden get the idea of the floating farm?

A．With the help of the scientists.

B．Through her personal experience.

C．By getting encouraged by the news.

D．By making research on the technology.

4. What can we infer about the floating farm from Wingerden’s words?

A．It makes it easier for people to get food.

B．It saves more residential and working space.

C．It helps people learn about food production.

D．It improves the attraction of new communities.

6 . Previous studies have shown that children with attention difficulties solve cognitive(认知的)tasks better when they are listening to white noise. However, this is the first time that such a link has been proved between visual(视觉的) white noise and cognitive abilities such as memory and reading.

The study was conducted on around 80 students. The children who took part were selected following a word recognition test and were divided into three groups: good readers, children with some reading difficulties, and children with major reading difficulties. They were asked to read 12 words while being exposed to four different levels of visual white noise, from zero to high.

The results showed that the group with major reading difficulties performed significantly better when exposed to visual white noise. They read more words correctly and also recalled more words. The white noise had no effect or negative effects on the good readers and those with only small reading problems.

The children in the study were exposed to different levels of white noise, with the result showing that the amount of noise is the key to reading and memory. “You can compare it with being shortsighted and needing glasses. When we exposed the children to a medium level of white noise, their reading improved. However, their reading skills were affected when there was no noise or a high level of noise,” said Göran Söderlund, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gothenburg.

“These results show that children with reading difficulties can be helped with a simple intervention(干预). By altering screens in school or at home, we hope to be able to resolve their problems,” added Göran ,

Göran wants to further study the effects of white noise. He hopes that new studies can answer the question of whether practicing with white noise for a prolonged period can lead to lasting improvements. “It’s important to continue with new studies to establish whether this simple measure, which everyone can do on the laptop, will actually provide continuous help for these children.

1. How are the students divided into three groups?

A．By their study habits.

B．By their reading abilities.

C．By their personal interest.

D．By their learning environment.

2. The study results show visual white noise can_________.

A．do great harm to students’ eyesight

B．cause good readers to become more active and energetic

C．make students with small reading problems unable to concentrate

D．improve reading and memory of students with major reading difficulties

3. What is important to the good effect of visual white noise?

A．Wearing a pair of protective glasses.

B．Getting a proper level of visual white noise.

C．Having a good knowledge of visual white noise.

D．Fixing the eyes on the screen as much as possible.

4. What does the underlined word “altering” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Adjusting.	B．Covering.
C．Testing.	D．Touching.

8 . Learning math can something be difficult. Then math websites come to the rescue! We’ve gathered some of the best math websites for both students and teachers They will help keep students learning and having fun. If your students need extra help with their math, try one of the websites that are listed below.

Greg Tang Math

It tries to provide good math lessons for students as well as professional development for in-service teachers. It has games, puzzles ,and other resources, like free downloads, worksheets, and math centers.

Cost: free.

Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones, from Origo Education, is a special math website that combines printed and digital materials. It features problem-solving activities, methods, and practice. Teachers can also visit a professional blog that provides advice and support.

Cost: a small fee.

Arithmetic Four

Two users play a game in which each player tries to connect four game pieces in a row. The players answer math questions to connect the pieces. The teacher chooses how much time each player has to answer, the level of difficulty, and the type of math problem, and then gives marks to the users after the game.

Cost: free.

Front Row

It allows kids to practice math at their own level. It has more than 30,000 math questions and has a tool that can organize material at just the right level. Front Row also features lessons, assessments(评估), and reports for teachers.

Cost: free for teachers, and a small fee for upgrades and other features.

1. What do Greg Tang Math and Stepping Stones have in common?

A．They both encourage good teamwork.

B．They both offer professional help to teachers.

C．They both teach math through interesting puzzles.

D．They both allow users to talk with in-service teachers.

2. What is a feature of Arithmetic Four?

A．It provides excellent math lessons at low price.

B．It invites many experts to answer users’ questions.

C．It organizes various outdoor problem-solving activities.

D．It uses games to test students’ mastery of knowledge.

3. Which website best suits students looking for a level-based learning platform?

A．Front Row.

B．Arithmetic Four.

C．Stepping Stones.

D．Greg Tang Math.

10 . 阅读下面短文，结合语境在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Scientists have been attempting to send humans to Mars. Researchers from NASA are     1    (current)trying to find out what kind of plants could grow on Mars, hoping astronauts will be able to grow their own food there. The journey to Mars could take up    2     two-and-a-half years. The astronauts    3    (take)enough food just to last for the journey. They will grow their own vegetables and other plants on Mars. However, NASA said they would have trouble in    4    (grow)things on their own because the soil is not good enough.

Now researchers from NASA    5    (test)special “Martian gardens” to see what plants might grow on Mars. They have used a special soil    6    (make)up of crushed volcanic rock; similar to the soil on Mars it contains no nutrients. Scientists managed to grow lettuce in it,     7     tasted normal, but it had weaker roots and took    8    (long)to grow. The scientists are now trying growing other vegetables. A NASA Spokesman said, “    9    (discover)made in these gardens will pave the way for future studies    10     technology development in terms of reliable and efficient food production.”