2 . Jennifer and James Crumbley were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter (过失杀人罪) due to their failure to prevent their son Ethan from carrying out a deadly school shooting in Michigan, US. They were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison on April 9, reported The New York Times. The sentence for them marks the first instance in the US where parents have been held legally accountable for their child’s involvement in a mass shooting.

Prosecutors (检察官) argued that the couple ignored clear signs of their son’s mental health issues and emphasized that they purchased the gun he used in the 2021 attack. Ethan, who was only 15 when he killed four students in the shooting, was sentenced to life. “Opportunity knocked over and over again, louder and louder, and it was ignored,” Judge Cheryl Matthews told the court.

Instances of extreme and violent crimes committed by minors consistently stir shock and controversy globally. Such issues urge widespread societal reflection, leading nations to consider revising laws to lower the age of criminal responsibility. While most countries and regions have maintained a standard minimum age of criminal responsibility at 12 or 14 years for an extended period, there are exceptions. For example, Japan lowered the age from 16 to 14 in 2000, according to Xinhua.

In 2010, Denmark lowered its minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14 years old. However, researchers found that this change did not reduce crime rates among 14-year-olds. Instead, the punitive measures (惩罚措施) had negative effects. These young individuals often fell behind their peers academically, especially on high school graduation exams, and the rate of reoffenders increased. Consequently, Denmark reversed this policy two years later, restoring the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 15 years old, The Paper reported.

Denmark’s experience showed that the law doesn’t always stop people from committing crimes again. Furthermore, preventing young people from committing crimes poses a complex challenge.

In Germany, imprisonment is considered a last resort, with a focus on educational, rehabilitative (善后的) and disciplinary measures, as noted in a 2018 paper published in the Justice Evaluation Journal. According to the paper, youth imprisonment is applied in only 2 percent of all cases. Additionally, some prisons offer vocational programs for young inmates, including woodworking, metalworking, and farming. Meanwhile, most of these teenage offenders are placed in community programs where social workers help educate and guide them toward a normal life.

1. Why were Jennifer and James sentenced ?

A．They were the murders of involuntary manslaughter.

B．They offered a gun to Ethan who carried out a school shooting.

C．They didn’t take the parenting responsibility for their son’s problems in growth.

D．They ignored their son’s mental health problems.

2. Which of the following statements does the author possibly agree to?

A．Parents should be the key power to stop young people from committing crime.

B．Solving the problems of minor’s crime needs joint efforts and diverse measures.

C．Lowering the age of criminal responsibility can effectively prevent minors from crime.

D．Increasing the rate of youth imprisonment can effectively prevent minors from crime.

3. What does the underlined word “resort” in the paragraph mean?

A．action to take	B．a place to visit
C．an end to happen	D．a chance to take

4. What’s the purpose of the author to write the article?

A．to show the severity of youth crime

B．to show the efforts countries have made to stop youth crime

C．to show the measures countries have made to stop youth crime

D．to raise parents’ awareness of regulating and educating responsibility

4 . Lexi Reed weighed 485 pounds at the age of 25—a weight that was quite ________ . Danny was overweight himself even though he came in at 280 pounds. But, the ________ part of everything was that the couple were both gaining more weight on what they already had with each passing day. Some of the daily activities, no matter how simple, became a real ________ for the couple. However, after celebrating their first ________ in 2016, they decided to make a positive change in their life.

The couple was making many plans to ________ in the new year 2016 like many other people around the world. They made a New Year’s resolution. But, it was not ________ to many that were made, as they decided to ________ a challenge that would change their lives forever--and for good! So many people make promises to themselves and others that they don’t really ________ , but the Reeds were not about to act like the others. Theirs were bound to come to ________ .

It was completely unknown to the couple that people were actually ________ them online when they started their journey. Their ________ attracted lots of attention, and people cheered them on. Lexi kept her friends and family ________ with her progress through Instagram. But they were yet to receive a major________ of their lives: They were ________ in a popular issue of People Magazine known as “Half Their Size”. Before long, the couple’s story had become a real ________ .

1.

A．unforgivable

B．unbelievable

C．unachievable

D．uncomfortable

2.

A．vital

B．strange

C．miserable

D．miracle

3.

A．issue

B．concern

C．debate

D．possibility

4.

A．birthday

B．valentine

C．Christmas

D．anniversary

5.

A．work

B．run

C．ring

D．surge.

6.

A．equal

B．similar

C．familiar

D．inferior

7.

A．take on

B．take out

C．take off

D．take in

8.

A．put out

B．break out

C．spread out

D．carry out

9.

A．fame

B．formation

C．top

D．reality

10.

A．doubting

B．recording

C．following

D．serving

11.

A．success

B．mission

C．enterprise

D．innovation

12.

A．updated

B．inspired

C．moved

D．connected

13.

A．achievement

B．commitment

C．surprise

D．boost

14.

A．praised

B．featured

C．documented

D．memorized

15.

A．hit

B．incident

C．gossip

D．legend

5 . 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。

Kevin woke to the blaring beep of his alarm clock. “Can’t wait for that camping trip,” Kevin thought, filled with excitement. As he was leaving home, his dad grabbed him by the hand and said, “Before you go, just tell me the directions on where you and your friends are going to stay.”

“But dad!” Kevin complained.

“No buts!” Kevin’s dad added.

“Fine.” Kevin told him the directions and left.

The three friends, Kevin, Jay and Nathan, had been planning this adventure for weeks, packing their stuff-tents, snacks, and a map-preparing for a 3-day outdoor exploration. Excitement ran through Kevin as they departed for their campsite. “This trip is going to be awesome, ” Nathan excitedly yelled as they set off. But little did they know that nature had a surprise in store for them.

The first day at the campsite was going great, setting up tents, collecting firewood, and sharing stories. “Man, we nailed these tents, ” Kevin said. “I know it was easy really,” Nathan replied. The friends were happy.

Yet towards night, as the dark clouds gathered overhead, the atmosphere shifted, and a sudden storm erupted with unforgiving anger. Rain poured down from the heavens like a relentless waterfall, transforming the peaceful campsite into a muddy battleground. Worse still, a huge tree was uprooted and crashed down with a deafening crack on their only means of escape - their car. Kevin’s eyes widened in horror as he spotted the damaged wreckage beneath the fallen giant. “Our car!” he screamed over the howling wind, his voice a mix of disbelief and despair. “We’re stuck here,” he declared, his words barely audible against the backdrop of thunder and raindrops. They realized that their plans had been violently spoiled by forces beyond their control. The once quiet campsite now stood as a deserted battlefield, the fallen tree serving as a painful reminder of the unpredictable nature of the world around them.

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。

Paragraph 1: The next day, they found themselves facing the immediate problem of finding water.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2: On the third night, a distant engine sound broke the terrible stillness.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Artemisia Gentileschi (1593—1653)

As the daughter of a painter, Artemisia Gentileschi was afforded access to the art world at a young age. Early on, she was in her father’s workshop mixing paints and he supported her career when he noticed that she was gifted. As a famous painter of the Italian Baroque period, Artemisia Gentileschi did not let her gender hold her back from her subject matter. She painted Biblical and mythological (神话的) paintings, just like male painters.

Angelica Kauffman (1741—1807)

Born in Switzerland, Angelica Kauffman was the daughter of the artist Johann Joseph Kauffman. She received artistic training while acting as her father’s assistant from a very young age and copying the works of old masters as they traveled for commissions (委托). As a young woman, she also trained in Italy, where her historical paintings and portraits were well received.

Rosa Bonheur (1822—1899)

Like many female artists at the time, Rosa Bonheur’s father was a painter. The French Realist painter is considered one of the most famous female artists of the 19th century, known for her large-format paintings that featured animals. She showed her works regularly at the famous Paris salon and found success abroad in both the United States and Britain.

Berthe Morisot (1841—1895)

Considered one of the great female Impressionists, Berthe Morisot had art running through her veins. Born into a noble French family, she was the great-niece of celebrated Rococo painter Jean-Honore Fragonard. Her art often focused on family scenes, and she preferred working with pastels (粉彩), watercolor, and charcoal (木炭).

1. What artistic style do Artemisia Gentileschi’s paintings belong to?

A．Rococo.

B．Baroque.

C．Realism.

D．Impressionism.

2. Who is famous for painting animals?

A．Artemisia Gentileschi.	B．Angelica Kauffman.
C．Rosa Bonheur.	D．Berthe Morisot.

3. What do these four female painters have in common?

A．They all learned painting from their fathers.

B．They all loved copying classic paintings.

C．They were all born into a noble family.

D．They all grew up in an artistic environment.

9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容 (1个单词) 或括号内单词的正确形式。

A skywell, or “tian jing” in Mandarin, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China.     1     (expose) less to the outdoor environment, a skywell is different from a northern Chinese courtyard. Skywells are     2     (relative) common in historic residences in large areas of southern and eastern China.

In today’s rapidly urbanising China, fewer and fewer people live in skywell dwellings,     3     a revival of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells     4     (restore) for modern times. Meanwhile, some architects are drawing     5     (inspire) from skywells to help keep new buildings cooler, which is a method     6     (combine) design and technology to cool a building without the use of power.

However, there are some     7     (challenge) for bringing skywells into modern designs. The mechanisms of courtyards facilitating natural lighting, ventilation (通风) and rain collection are well known, but applying these principles     8     (need) to be site-specific. Because traditional skywells had different shapes, sizes and features, which were highly dependent     9     their natural surroundings. Adding skywells into modern buildings requires designers to be sensitive to their project’s context and situation, making it difficult to apply them as     10     universal solution.

10 . About 30 years ago, an acoustic neuroma (听神经瘤) was found inside my body. The removal of the neuroma caused my temporary balance issues and permanent hearing loss in one ear. Apart from this, I was fine.

Unexpectedly, the neuroma came back years later. It had to be removed again. Otherwise it would threaten the rest of my brain. When I awoke from the second operation, I had stroke-like symptoms. The whole right side of my body almost stopped functioning, and still does.

Overnight my whole identity had changed. I used to effortlessly leap up the stairs two at a time, but now it takes fifteen minutes to struggle. Attempts at the recovery of the old me proved to be fruitless. My family role also shifted from a father to a dependent child, and coupled with my communication problems, this led to increased frustration (沮丧) and anger.

There were concerns too about whether I would ever be accepted again in the wider world. Soon after this I just managed to swim in a pool. A ten-year-old boy I didn’t know came up and asked me if I had been on the water slide yet. As politely as possible, I said no, and we struck up a conversation about it. For the first time a stranger was speaking to me as an equal like before. Though insignificant then, it opened doors to a whole new way of being seen, and seeing myself.

To make sure the neuroma did not reappear, I received radiation treatment for two hours regularly, during which I loved listening to music by Tom Waits, an eccentric (古 怪的) singer most people dislike, but I don’t care. For me, life after brain injury is like Waits’ odd works. Out of failure, ugliness, and horror-the most unpromising raw material-a beautiful diamond can be created that shines out even more brightly because of its dark surroundings.

1. What happened to the author after his single-sided deafness?

A．He lost the ability to keep balance.

B．His acoustic neuroma regrew.

C．He underwent two operations in a row.

D．His vision was accidentally damaged.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The author’s efforts to rebuild his disabled body.

B．The author’s self-reflection on his cultural identity.

C．The different attitudes of the author’s family to him.

D．The considerable impact of the author’s brain injury.

3. How did the author find his talk with the boy?

A．Reasonable.

B．Engaging.

C．Life-changing.

D．In-depth.

4. What lesson did the author learn from Tom Waits’ music?

A．Music is the universal language of mankind.

B．Suffering often leads to new self-discovery.

C．Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear.

D．Live for yourself, not for the approval of others.