1 . For decades, I was a hard drinker who could drink anyone under the table. This lasted from the age of 27 until after 50, a golden time during which I felt very sorry for ex-drinkers and people who couldn’t or wouldn’t drink. How did they make it through social situations, especially parties? What did they do at the end of a workday to celebrate and relax?     1    

When I first tried to quit drinking myself in my early 50s, I wasn’t sure at first how it would work for me. But I did it anyway.    2     I was getting older. I had to concede that I wasn’t as tough as I used to be. Nights of drinking too much showed in my face, and I could feel it in my bones. I wanted to take care of myself. So for the next few years, I bounced between not drinking at all for months at a time, then slowly starting again until I had to quit again.

During these years, I didn’t love not drinking. But I had to admit that when I was off booze, I looked and felt better physically: I slept more deeply, had more energy, exercised more. My mind was clearer. My moods were brighter. Parties were hard, and so was cooking at the end of a day of writing without a glass of wine at my elbow.    3    

I finally quit drinking for real almost four years ago, on 12 July 2019, when a writer friend stayed with my husband and me after his wife kicked him out. After my husband had gone upstairs to bed, my friend sat on our sofa drinking an entire bottle of gin, complaining about his fate, until he passed out next to our dog, whose bed that sofa was.    4     I didn’t have a drink the next night, or ever again since.

I’m not going to lie: being sober is not a hot-air balloon ride.    5     Having to feel my damn feelings without filters compels me to face and change the things in my life that keep me stuck. Hard work all around, but as my reward, I connect more deeply with the people I care about. I think of not drinking as a kindness I’ve given myself. And to my surprise, it’s rewarded me with true, hard-won happiness.

A．My body demanded it.

B．My health started improving rapidly.

C．It’s more like a hike in the mountains.

D．How did they quit drinking?

E．It was a wake-up call.

F．But the pluses seemed to outweigh the minuses.

G．How did they get through life?

2 . A growing body of research suggests that the gut microbiome (消化道菌群) could play a major role in a rising chronic disease that makes us physically weaker. The illness, which is commonly called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is characterized by intense fatigue, gastrointestinal (胃肠道的) issues, muscle pain, and cognitive challenges such as headaches and difficulty concentrating, among other symptoms. It often follows a viral infection which can lead to a “disruption” in a balanced gut ecosystem. Actually, an increasing number of Americans have been the sufferers since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Two recent studies published in Cell Host &Microbe point to changes in the microbiome as a possible cause of CFS. Research groups at Columbia University and the Jackson Laboratory performed detailed analyses of the microbes in stool (粪便) samples from patients with CFS and compared them to healthy controls.

The two groups found similar bacteria species were less present in CFS patients compared to control patients. They focused on bacteria that produce butyrate, a fatty acid involved in regulating metabolism and the immune system. “Butyrate plays several roles in directing the body’s response to infections, while also protecting the barrier between the intestine (肠) and the circulatory system, regulating genetic changes in cells, and more,” says Brent Williams, lead author on the Columbia study. Williams and his colleagues extensively analyzed the role of butyrate in CFS patients’ guts, even identifying a correlation between low levels of bacteria that produce this acid and more severe symptoms.

Parallel findings from the Jackson Laboratory team suggest the bacteria that produce butyrate could be used to diagnose CFS. Previous research has identified microbiome issues in CFS patients, but the new findings help clarify which microbes could be related to the illness.

More research on butyrate-producing bacteria and other species identified in the studies is necessary to investigate these potential biomarkers of CFS, the authors say. If the findings are replicated, specific gut bacteria could be used to diagnose the illness, which is currently identified based on symptoms alone.

The findings additionally point toward possible treatments, such as probiotics or microbiome-focused diet adjustments—though patients who have been sick for long periods may require drugs that alleviate the damage done to their metabolism or immune system.

1. What do we know about CFS?

A．It is caused by COVID-19 only.	B．It is an illness with systemic symptoms.
C．It breaks the balance of the gut ecosystem.	D．The number of the infected is on the decrease.

2. How did the researcher carry out the recent studies?

A．By controlling data.	B．By identifying genes.
C．By analyzing samples.	D．By comparing symptoms.

3. Which of the following is NOT the significance of the recent researches?

A．Butyrate’s multiple functions are promoted.

B．Targeted gut microbes may be used to diagnose CFS.

C．Certain microbes responsible for CFS are narrowed down.

D．Probiotics supplement with drugs can be a treatment for CFS.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Gut microbiome may be the key to CFS.	B．Microbes help digest food and aid absorption.
C．Man’s gut is a rich, diverse tropical rainforest.	D．New method for diagnosing CFS are provided.

3 . GET A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE WORLD’S MOST ATTRACTIVE FEATHERED ANIMALS WITH THESE BOOKS

Flamingo (火烈鸟)

Biologist and photographer Claudio Contreras Koob spent 20 years travelling deep into the wet lands and forests of his native Mexico—and beyond—to feed his flamingo attraction. This book offers a unique window into the behavior and life of red-feathered birds, with more than 120 show-stopping shots displaying their beauty. teNeues, £35.

Around the World in 80 Birds

Inspiring secrets, national pride or scientific discoveries, every bird has a story to tell, from the weaver bird building multi-nest “apartment blocks” in Namibia to the bar-headed goose taking on a twice-yearly trans-Himalayan journey at an extreme altitude. Mike Unwin’s tour is accompanied by beautiful illustrations from Ryuto Miyake. Laurence King Publishing, £22.

A World on the Wing

Pulitzer-shortlisted Weidensaul, who’s at the forefront of research into bird migration, here tracks some of nature’s most remarkable journeys. He sails through the stormy Bering Sea, encounters trappers in the Mediterranean and visits former headhunters in northeast India, where a bird migration crisis has become a conservation success story. Pan Macmillan, £9.99.

Galapagos Crusoes: A Year Alone with the Birds

Explore this updated version of the 1968 title, Galapagos: Islands of Birds, by late bird expert Bryan Nelson, with previously unpublished material from his wife, June. The couple spent a year living on two Galapagos islands, studying birds, including the Galapagos albatross (信天翁). This is their clever and amusing account. Bradt Guides, £11.99.

1. By whom is the second costliest book illustrated?

A．Claudio Contreras Koob.	B．Mike Unwin.
C．Ryuto Miyake.	D．Weidensaul.

2. Which book best suits those concerned about the survival of migratory birds?

A．Flamingo.	B．Around the World in 80 Birds.
C．A World on the Wing.	D．Galapagos: Island of Birds.

3. What feature may Galapagos Crusoes: A Year Alone with the Birds have?

A．Its humorous description.	B．Its romantic style.
C．Its vivid imagination.	D．Its moving plot.

4 . As a child, I was proud of my southern origin. My own voice reflected my family’s past and present-part northern Mississippi, part Tennessee, all southern. There was no sound I loved more than my grandmother’s accent: thick, sweet, warm.

While growing up, I began to realize outside of our region, southerners were often dismissed as uncultured and ignorant. I was ready to leave behind my tiny town in West Tennessee, starting a new life and jumping at big chances in some far-off cities. In that embarrassing space between “teen” and “adult”, my accent was a symbol of everything I thought I hated about my life in the rural South. I feared it would disqualify me from being a noted magazine writer. I would have to talk less “country”. So I killed a piece of myself. I’m ashamed of it, but I’m more ashamed that I tried to kill that part of someone else-change Emily’s accent.

I met Emily in college. She was determined to work for the student newspaper, which was where I spent most of my waking hours, and we became friends. She, unlike me, accepted her roots. Early in our friendship, her mother asked where I was from, assuming it was somewhere up north. Then I felt my efforts paid off and even wanted to ignore the mistake.

Emily is two years younger and she cared about my opinion. I advised her to be more like me and hide her signature Manchester accent. I stressed that throughout our college years, often by making fun of her vowel (元音) sounds. I told myself I was helping her achieve her dream of working as a reporter. Now, I see that it was actually about justifying my hiding part of myself.

Grandma Carolyn used to tell me, “Girl, don’t forget where you come from.” Now I truly understand that. Many things have faded from memory, but this sticks in my mind with uncomfortable clarity. Now that I am grown and have left the South, it’s important to me.

1. What made the author want to leave her hometown?

A．Appeal of convenience in cities.

B．Her dream of becoming a writer.

C．Outside prejudice against southerners.

D．Her desire for the northern accent.

2. How did the author feel about the mistake of Emily’s mother?

A．Upset.

B．Pleased.

C．Ashamed.

D．Surprised.

3. Why on earth did the author try to change Emily’s accent?

A．To prove herself right.	B．To help Emily be a reporter.
C．To make herself influential.	D．To protect Emily’s self-dignity.

4. What message does the text want to convey?

A．Stay true to your roots.	B．Never do things by halves.
C．Hold on to your dreams.	D．Never judge a person by his accent.

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。

“Don’t pass to Makayla,” Olivia’s teammate Jordan whispered. “She’s not serious about soccer,” said Jordan as she adjusted her Orange Team shirt. The score was tied, 1-1, after halftime.

Thinking about what Jordan had said, Olivia got into position for the second half. As the center midfielder, Olivia loved to pass. She also loved it when all her teammates, including Makayla, had the chance to touch the ball. But Jordan was right. Makayla hardly ever took a shot.

After the judge blew the whistle (哨子) to start, Olivia received the ball from Jordan. She dribbled (运球) it, keeping it close. Jordan called for the ball, but was surrounded by the Green Team’s defense. Directly across from Olivia, Makayla waved her arms. She was all by herself. Hesitantly, Olivia passed the ball to her. But her shot missed, and the ball rolled out of bounds.

“I told you,” Jordan said, shaking her head. Probably Jordan was right. Olivia needed to find a way to pass the ball to Jordan, the team’s top scorer, to win the game.

After the Green Team threw in the ball from the sideline, Olivia received it and this time she pushed the ball to Jordan. Jordan received the ball, turned, and shot toward the far corner of the goal. Still, they failed.

As the other team set up for a goal kick, Olivia saw Makayla still standing inside the 18-yard box. The judge signaled her to move. The Orange Team wasn’t allowed there. When Makayla ran toward Olivia, she tripped and fell. “Are you OK?” Olivia asked. Makayla upped and rubbed (揉) her knees. “Yep, I know I’m still learning, but I love soccer.” “Me too,” Olivia said.

The Green Team rocketed a kick. Olivia stepped in front of her defender and trapped the ball. Jordan called for a pass, but she wasn’t open. Olivia held on to the ball. She cut right, then left, leaving a defender in the dust. With the ball at her feet, she looked up and there was Makayla, wide open in front of the net.

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。

With another defender closely behind to attack, Olivia had no choice.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The crowd broke into thunderous applause and cheers.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Last May, my 15-year-old son, Benjamin, told my wife and me that he would attend a Kendrick Lamar concert. We ________ him that he was too young to go. But my son and his friend, Josh, ________ to take no for an answer.

Later I received a ________ from Josh’s father: “How about taking the boys to the Kendrick Lamar’ concert!?” While I felt ________ to attend a rap concert in my fifties, Josh’s father was as excited as the boys. He also knew how to get tickets and had started ________ the whole evening. By this ________ it was impossible to say no. I couldn’t imagine anywhere I would ________ less.

To learn about Mr Lamar and his ________, I downloaded and listened to all his songs days before heading down to the Scotiabank Arena.

The truth is the concert was really ________. The best part, of course, was how happy my son was. I stood when ________, I didn’t dance, and occasionally my son gave me an encouraging, accepting nod. ________ Kendrick Lamar is still not my favourite artist, I’m glad my son ________ me to him, and I’m glad I went.

It’s so easy to sit in our towers, ________ by age or upbringing background. ________, we have children, like Benjamin, to expose us to new experiences. If, of course, we have the ________ to listen to them.

1.

A．convinced

B．informed

C．comforted

D．promised

2.

A．refused

B．struggled

C．prepared

D．expected

3.

A．notice

B．ticket

C．message

D．gift

4.

A．relieved

B．guilty

C．embarrassed

D．confident

5.

A．singing

B．sharing

C．planning

D．welcoming

6.

A．rule

B．means

C．round

D．point

7.

A．fit in

B．benefit from

C．care for

D．complain about

8.

A．story

B．music

C．family

D．influence

9.

A．creative

B．formal

C．noisy

D．impressive

10.

A．appropriate

B．bearable

C．useful

D．convenient

11.

A．As long as

B．In case

C．Because

D．While

12.

A．compared

B．referred

C．introduced

D．recommended

13.

A．divided

B．threatened

C．broken

D．tested

14.

A．Eventually

B．Consequently

C．Gradually

D．Fortunately

15.

A．hobby

B．sense

C．right

D．freedom

7 . Do you like cilantro(香菜)? Cilantro is a common food that people tend to either adore or abuse.     1     But the reasons behind what you like and don’t like are not always so straightforward.

    2     Your sense of smell allows you to distinguish between something like strawberry and cherry. Scientists looked at olfactory (receptors and discovered that individuals with a certain gene. OR6A2, are more sensitive to smelling cilantro. That, in turn, affects how people sense its flavor.     3     When you’re open to these foods, you learn to like what you eat. Even people who hate cilantro may be able to learn to at least tolerate it, if not like it.

Culture plays a big role in what you like, too. Food preferences vary across cultures. When it comes down to food preferences in different parts of the world, it has a lot to do with what’s available and considered a food staple (主食).    4    But there will always be exceptions-a Greek person who can’t stand olives or a Dutch person who hates cheese.

While preferences can be formed after a few attempts, negative experiences with foods, especially when you’re young, can have a lasting effect.     5     Jasmine Robinson, 29, from Athens, shared her story about olives. When she was young, another child, who wouldn’t let her have a turn on a swing, made fun of her while eating olives from a jar and being mean. She later tried olives as an adult but failed.

A．We like sweet and hate bitter.

B．Love it or hate it is pretty clear.

C．But your biology is not everything.

D．It is related to familiarity and not biology.

E．Your preference can come down to genetics.

F．Associations can make you like or not like something.

G．Just one bad experience can turn you off from something for life.

8 . Virtually, there is nothing that man cannot do. Only what he has to do is keep doing and doing without being discouraged. Success will come someday or other, though it may apparently be the conception about something that it cannot be done.     1     But the reality is that man’s success depends on whether he can do the toughest tasks successfully. It is because our life is complicated and tough. And to succeed in this tough battle, perseverance and hard work are a must     2    . We can prove this fact when we look at the reality of life and the history of man’s success. Perseverance helps us do what we otherwise would consider impossible to do.

What the world-famous scientist Sir Isaac Newton had done by twelve years’ constant hard work was burnt out by his pet dog. But that could not discourage him a little.     3     It is only for his undefeated perseverance that’ we have been able to have many inventions and discoveries.

    4     He went through thick and thin to reach his destination after months of the strenuous voyage on the sea. He discovered the way from Spain to America and offered the world a new route of communication with America. This outcome of his perseverance will be generated by the world forever.

All the great men in history have written their names in golden letters by means of perseverance.     5     If we all are perseverant in whatever we do, we are sure to stand out as a successful nation in the near future.

A．Every action has its reaction.

B．It is a unique precondition to success in life.

C．In human life, perseverance plays a very important role.

D．Their success will always remain as perfect examples to us.

E．Columbus has left us an adventurous story of perseverance.

F．The task that is easily done at the first attempt is undoubtedly very easy.

G．He was able to do it again through years of hard work and perseverance.

9 . During the summer of 2021, Beverly Wax had an experience that filled her with awe. It was the sight of her son, Justin, dragging a 36-kilogram portable air conditioner upstairs. Beverly’s central air conditioning had stopped working in the middle of a 32℃ heat wave. She had mentioned to her son and he’d shown up as a surprise. As she watched him sweat and struggle while fixing it, she felt a wave of gratitude and appreciation.

Awe is that feeling we get when something is so vast that it stops us in our tracks. Often, it challenges or expands our thinking. Research shows that awe experiences decrease stress and increase overall satisfaction. It can also help our relationships, making us feel more sympathetic and less greedy, more supported by and more likely to help others.

Most of us associate awe with something rare and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But people can bring about awe, and not just public heroes. Often, this interpersonal awe is a response to life’s big, sweeping changes. We can be awed by our nearest and dearest — the people sitting next to us on the sofa, or chatting on the phone. But it happens in smaller moments, too. John Bargh, a psychologist, said he was truly awestruck by his then-five-year-old daughter. When she heard another child crying, she grabbed her toy, walked over to the boy and handed it to him.

Unfortunately, we can’t make someone else behave in a way that’s awesome. But we can prepare ourselves to notice it when they do — and take steps to boost the emotion’s positive effects.

1. Why does the writer tell Beverly’s story?

A．To show sympathy for her.	B．To cite an example of awe.
C．To express appreciation to her son.	D．To start a discussion about awe.

2. What is the benefit of awe?

A．It stops our anxiety.	B．It simplifies our thinking.
C．It satisfies regular needs.	D．It promotes positive emotions.

3. In which situation can we feel awed between the nearest?

A．Admiring scenery in a national park.

B．Enjoying classic music in a concert hall.

C．Receiving a call from a long-lost friend.

D．Getting the signature of a famous athlete.

4. What can be implied from the last paragraph?

A．Arise in time of trouble.

B．Behave in an awesome way.

C．Sense amazement in daily life.

D．Increase chance of finding awe.

10 . Traveling itself is an experience hard to be described in words.     1     Especially the solo (独自) traveling experience is so transforming that it lives with you forever. Here I am sharing some lessons.

    2     Thinking how I would manage my entire day among strangers on campus, I pretended to be sick. Then I had the same feeling when I was planning to travel alone. Exploring a city on my own was a big fear for me but I successfully managed it all and now, I seek out new opportunities and experiences. I love to push myself.    3    

Having grown up and lived all my life in a single place, I had a small set of friends since my school days which continued till my college days.    4     I met a few very interesting people with whom I could feel an instant connect and got some new friends for life.

I totally agree that traveling with family and friends is fun and enjoying. But traveling alone is satisfying too. It’s among those few things that you do for yourself and nobody else.    5     During my solo travels I have explored my inner self and have expanded my boundaries which people around me have acknowledged at times.

A．I want to experience more.

B．But all this changed with my first solo trip.

C．I never thought I would travel alone in my life.

D．I was so scared when I went to school first time.

E．Every journey prepares you for the journey of life.

F．The farther you travel, the more independent you become.

G．After all you need to take care of yourself a bit too at times.