1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does Jacob ask Amy to do?

A．Enjoy the flowers.

B．Provide help.

C．Grow flowers.

2. How often does Jacob water flowers?

A．Every day.

B．Every two days.

C．Every three days.

3. What do we know about Jacob’s flowers?

A．They lack water.

B．They lack sunshine.

C．Their leaves turn yellow.

4. What will Jacob do?

A．Water flowers in time.

B．Learn about growing flowers.

C．Grow flowers with Amy.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How many kilos of tomatoes will the man buy?

A．Half a kilo.

B．A kilo.

C．Two kilos.

2. What does the woman need to buy for the children’s lunches?

A．Carrots.

B．Juice.

C．Apples.

3. Which of the following won’t the man buy?

A．Potatoes.

B．Chocolate.

C．Beer.

4. Where is the woman now probably?

A．At home.

B．In the supermarket.

C．In the office.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does the speaker’s father do?

A．A shopkeeper.

B．A postman.

C．A nurse.

2. How many sisters does the speaker’s dad have?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

3. Where is Uncle Shawn now?

A．In the states.

B．In Ireland.

C．In England.

4. What do we know about Uncle Shawn?

A．He is in his twenties.

B．He lives in the village.

C．He studied business at university.

4 . Soap (肥皂) might seem like a reasonable way to avoid mosquito bites (蚊子叮) on the basis that if mosquitoes can’t smell you, they can’t bite you. However, a recent study has found that rather than protecting you, certain soaps might actually make you more attractive to mosquitoes.

In the study, conducted at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, four volunteers were asked to wear a sleeve before and after washing with four different brands of soap. The researchers then watched female mosquitoes as only females feed on blood landing on the fabric sample to show their preference. They found that some people washing with some brands of soap, increased their attractiveness to mosquitoes, while washing with other brands of soap tended to repel (驱除) mosquitoes. The repellent effect of some soap may be due to its coconut scent, as coconut oil is known to act as a natural mosquito repellent. The reason behind this attraction is believed to be related to mosquitoes’ sugar intake. When mosquitoes are not feeding on blood, they add their diet with plant juice or sweet water from flowers, “The fact we are taking those flowery and fruity smells and putting them on our bodies means that now the same object smells like a flower and a person at the same time,” said Clément Vinauger, who led the study. It would be like waking up and smelling the smell of coffee and bread, very attractive.

Interestingly, the effects of the soap varied among people, possibly due to the interaction (相互作用) between the soap and each person’s unique body scent. “It’s remarkable that the same person that is extremely attractive to mosquitoes when he is unwashed, but he becomes even more attractive to mosquitoes with one soap, and then become repellent to mosquitoes with another soap,” said Vinauger. Further research is needed to better understand the interaction between different soap and body scents, as well as to develop more effective mosquito repellents.

1. What has the study found?

A．Soap attracts many mosquitoes.	B．Male mosquitoes feed on blood.
C．Some plants drive away mosquitoes.	D．Not all soap can stop mosquito bites.

2. How did the researchers conduct the study?

A．By observing the mosquitoes’ behaviour.	B．By exploring the history of mosquitoes.
C．By interviewing a lot of volunteers.	D．By examining old studies.

3. Why did Vinauger mention coffee and bread?

A．To stress the importance of breakfast.

B．To discuss their probable health benefits.

C．To compare the difference of objects used in the study.

D．To prove the attractiveness of some soap to mosquitoes.

4. In which section of a newspaper may the text appear?

A．Health.

B．Chemistry.

C．Sports.

D．Tour.

5 . Macquarie Island is a tiny island that’s part of Australia. It’s about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. The island’s been made a world heritage area because it’s so untouched, but this unique environment is under threat from some unwanted visitors.

It all started when seal hunters came to the island in the early 1800s. They brought rabbits with them as a source of food for the journey, and also on board the ships were rats and mice, which made their way onto the island too. They’re being blamed for destroying the homes of marine birds, causing soil loss and ripping up plant cover, as these before-and-after photos show.

So what’s being done about the problem? It starts with a team of helicopters that fly across the island carrying these giant containers. Inside them are poisoned pellets (有毒饲料) which are dropped and spread across the island. For any rabbits that survived the baiting (诱饵) , there’s a plan B. This special team of dogs is being put through a final training. It’ll be their job to track down any remaining rabbits. They have to also learn to behave around the island’s native wildlife. The dogs could be here for years or until the task is complete. The dogs don’t actually kill the rabbits. They find them, then the hunters decide to either catch the rabbits or shoot them.

But the program has received a bit of criticism. Some people argue 25 million dollars is a lot of money to be spending on wiping out rabbits and rodents (啮齿目动物), and in the process, some native birds will be killed because of the baiting.

The reality is the problem isn’t going to be solved overnight. The people running the program say that even if one pair of rabbits is left alive, the whole task will be seen as a failure, which means these guys could be here for a long time, trying to ensure that this precious island remains protected from pests.

1. Who are these unwanted visitors?

A．Seal hunters.

B．Marine wildlife.

C．Native birds.

D．Foreign species.

2. What do the underlined words “ripping up” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Advancing.

B．Destroying.

C．Dividing

D．Balancing

3. What is being done to solve the problem of unwanted visitors on Macquarie Island?

A．Poisoned pellets are being dropped on the island from helicopters.

B．A team of hunters is being trained to catch or shoot rabbits.

C．Native birds are being protected from the unwanted visitors.

D．A special team of dogs is being sent to kill the rabbits.

4. What is the goal of the program?

A．To spend as little money as possible.

B．To protect native birds from the unwanted visitors.

C．To ensure that no pair of rabbits survive on the island.

D．To train dogs to track down the rabbits on the island.

6 . Why do we talk the way we do? It might date back to when our ancestors left the jungle for the open plain. Between 5.3 million and 16 million years ago, Africa’s landscapes changed from thick, leafy forests to wide-open grasslands. This environmental change pushed our ancestors out of the trees and onto the ground. Along with all of the physical and behavioral changes this may have caused, researchers also believe it may have changed the way we speak.

“Open landscapes provide us with fewer objects to affect signal communication, meaning our voices can travel further compared with that in thick forests,” Charlotte Gannon, a researcher who studies language development, told Newsweek. “The move to these open spaces may have increased the effectiveness of our communication.”

By comparing the vocal calls of the orangutan (大猩猩) , Gannon and her team were able to establish how different calls could travel across different landscapes. In their study, the team played 487 calls from orangutans and measured their audibility (可听度) at set length over an overall distance of over 1,300 feet in the South African plain.

“Our results were surprising,” Gannon said, “The rule of sound spread suggests that lower-frequency (低频率) sounds (the grumphs) would have traveled further than higher-frequency sounds (the kiss squeaks). Our results actually found the opposite to this.” In these environmental settings, consonant (辅音)-like calls traveled a lot further than vowel (元音) -like calls. Actually, around 80 percent of consonant-based calls were audible at 1,300 feet, compared to only 20 percent of vowel-based calls.

Gannon said these results highlight the importance of studying living orangutan to learn about our species’ history. “We can view them as time machines that allow us to recreate key moments of our history so we can learn more about the development of our language,” Gannon said. “Despite their popularity in modern languages, consonants have often been forgotten when discussing speech development. Our research highlights not only their presence in ancient times but their importance to the development of language.”

1. What led to the speech development?

A．Behavioral change.	B．Time development.
C．Physical development.	D．Environmental change.

2. What makes communication happening 10 million years ago more effective?

A．Less block.

B．Better tools.

C．Louder voice.

D．Larger vocabulary.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The results of the study.

B．The process of the research.

C．The purpose of the program.

D．The participants of the project.

4. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．The living orangutan can recreate our language.

B．Consonants are significant in language development.

C．The sound of grumphs travels further than that of kiss squeaks.

D．Consonant-like calls travel four times further than vowel-like calls.

7 . 比尔已经完全从心脏病中恢复过来。他现在非常开心。
Bill ________________ ________________ from his heart disease. He is very happy now.

8 . The design theory behind a pair of tiny robots may one day find its way into environmental monitoring, as well as search and-rescue tasks. Modeled after a water strider (水黾), an insect, the two robots each weigh in at 8 and 55 milligrams, and may mark the smallest, lightest, and fastest fully functional micro-robots in the world, according to Washington State University (WSU).

Developed by a team of WSU researchers, the robots’ tininess largely relies on a material known as a shape memory alloy (合金). Although shape memory alloys change form when heated, they can “remember” their original shapes and return to them after cooling. Because of this, the two micro-robots do not require standard motors, and they use light and small ones instead of bulky moving parts.

Both the robots’ motors are each made up of two shape memory alloys, allowing them to move their fins as fast as 40 times a second while also lifting over 150 times their weight. “They’re very technologically sound. The development of the very lightweight robots opens up new possibilities in micro-robotics,” said Conor Trygstad, a material engineering PhD student and study lead author. “Although the robots are impressive when compared to other robots, the pair still fall behind their biological relatives’,” Trygstad said. They can currently move at a speed of about six millimeters a second; a water strider, by comparison, speeds along at about a meter per second. For now, the robots also require wired (连线的) power sources, thus seriously preventing any real-world applications for the moment.

Going forward, however, the team plans to copy other small insect species while also creating a new water strider robot which can move at a higher speed. Depending on using small batteries could also greatly increase the robots’ areas of use, If the breakthrough designs continue improving, similar micro-robots could one day be employed to monitor hard-to-reachor dangerous environments.

1. What is the inspiration for the two robots?

A．A special monitor.	B．The lightest micro robot.
C．An insect species.	D．A search-and rescue task

2. What does the underlined word “bulky” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Cheap.

B．Huge.

C．Cool

D．Fast.

3. What might Conor Trygstad agree with?

A．Both robots can identify sound.	B．Both robots need wireless power sources.
C．Both robots work better than water striders.	D．Both robots have weaknesses besides strengths.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Robots Are Saving Environment	B．Shape Memory Alloys Are The Key
C．Human Beings Learn From Animals	D．Two Micro robots Can Play A Big Part

9 . Must-See Destinations in 2024

Are you ready to explore the world in 2024? Whether you dream of sailing down famous European rivers or exploring unique places, our list of must-see destinations is here to inspire your travels.

Spain

Throw yourself into the rich culture and history of Spain. From the sunny beaches of Tenerife to the Moorish architecture (建筑物) of Andalucía, there’s so much to explore in this lively country. Discover the UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) city of La Laguna and become amazed at the beauty of Cordoba, Seville, and La Alhambra, or relax on a beach holiday to Majorca or Tenerife.

Montenegro

Despite its size, Montenegro has beautiful beaches, rich history, and a breathtaking channel. Experience the beauty of the Montenegrin coast — Dalmatia’s jewel (宝石) is the UNESCO World Heritage listed oasis of Dubrovnik, famously praised by Lord Bryon as The Pearl of the Adriatic.

Croatia

Discover the beauty that is Dubrovnik. Explore the 16th-century city’s defensive walls and red-roofed buildings. Sail along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast, where attractive villages and beautiful towns like Pula, Rovinj, and Poreč are just waiting to be explored...

South Africa

Explore the wonders of South Africa, from the Garden Route’s nature reserves to the thrill of a Safari drive in the Kariega Game Reserve. Discover the different plants and animals while searching for the “Big Five” on an unforgettable South Africa holiday.

With over 25 years of experience creating holidays for the curious, Travel Department ensures that your journey is in good hands. Plus as a trusted Reader’s Digest Travel partner, you can get special deals when you travel with them across lots of different 2024 holidays. If you want to know more information, please click here.

1. What do Spain and Montenegro have in common?

A．They are both praised by tourists.

B．They both have world heritage cities.

C．They are known for their architectures.

D．They both own beaches and rich history.

2. Which destination will attract people who are interested in creatures?

A．Spain.	B．South Africa.
C．Montenegro.	D．Croatia.

3. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A website.	B．A guidebook.
C．A novel.	D．A magazine.

10 . 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。

A team of     1     (expert) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, working with a colleague from the National University of Mongolia, conducted a study of the 405-km wall in eastern Mongolia. They used     2     variety of ways in order to learn more about     3     (it) history and purpose. In their published paper, the group     4     (describe) the techniques and technology they used to study the wall.

They mapped the wall,     5     stretches (延伸) from the Dornod Province to the Sukhbaatar Province, roughly along the border (国界) between Mongolia and China. They found that it was unclear when the wall was built, estimated to be between the 11th and 13th centuries. The team referred     6     weather records to learn more about what the wall had experienced over the years and satellite imagery to learn more about connections between wall locations and terrain (地形).

The research team found some surprises. The     7     (big) of all surprises was that the wall had large gaps that suggested it was not made to keep out all invaders (侵略者)—it appeared that it was built     8     (quick) to deal with certain invaders. There was also evidence that suggested the wall was built as a means of     9     (control) the movement of people or animals. Though there were many discoveries, the researchers intended     10     (continue) their work, hoping to learn more.