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。

Butter arguably makes everything better — even tea. Yak (牦牛) butter tea, a traditional drink of China’s Tibetan ethnic group, is catching on with its     1     (salt) and unexpected flavor.

For Jason, who works at Café Himalaya in New York City,     2     butter in the cup of tea before him ideally comes from a yak.     3    , in New York yak butter is pretty hard to come by, so Jason, as well as anyone who orders it at Café Himalaya, has to make do with butter     4     a cow. Back in Tibet, yak butter is plentiful, yet no one knows exactly when yak butter     5     (add) to hot tea for the first time.

The     6     (introduce) of this hot butter tea to Tibet provided Tibetans with warmth and supplemented their meager (贫乏的) diet. Also known as Tibetan medicine, it is believed to be able to     7     (sharp) one’s mind and body. Today it is part of Tibetan hospitality to offer guests butter tea and refill the bowl again and again until it’s time for goodbyes — at which point a polite guest will drink up     8     is left.

To non-Tibetans, yak butter may taste strange at first as it makes for a very different taste than the sweet butter     9     (produce) by corn-fed cows. Some of them find it helpful     10     (think) of it as a sort of light soup rather than as tea.

2 . In early October, Travis Gienger transported an enormous pumpkin (南瓜) from his home in Minnesota to the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California. His pumpkin set the record for the biggest one ever grown in North America. How do competitive growers get their pumpkins to grow to massive sizes?     1    

Gienger, who teaches horticulture (园艺学) at Anoka Technical College, begins growing his pumpkins in mid-April, starting with seeds that he grows indoors for the first few weeks, when Minnesota’s soil is too frosty.     2     They can absorb sunlight, nutrients from the soil, and water there. “At their peak, you’re watering them with at least 600 liters a day, ” he says.

Depending on the variety, pumpkin plants can grow up to a dozen fruits on a single vine (藤曼) . But to maximize size, growers remove all but one or two of these pumpkins in order to decrease each individual fruit’s competition for resources.     3    

But what exactly happens inside a pumpkin as it grows? Two factors drive natural growth: cell division and cell expansion. Cell division accounts for most of the growth at the beginning of a fruit’s life. This period lasts for about 20 days in pumpkin plants.     4     Pumpkin cells will expand until around 50 or 60 days after pollination (授粉).

    5     Some varieties of pumpkins have been bred specifically to maximize their size. Still, there is genetic variation even among pumpkins of the same variety. This has led to competition for the best seeds. Following each harvest, many growers auction off (拍卖掉) the seeds from their biggest pumpkins, which will then be used for the following year’s plantings.

A．Biology has the answers.

B．Genetics also influences pumpkin growth.

C．The following tips will give you a head start.

D．Once it warms up, the plants are transferred outside.

E．When it stops, cell expansion will then come into play.

F．Growers extend the growth period for as long as possible.

G．Growers also remove the weeds in the area for the same reason.

3 . They thought it was going to be easy. A piece of cake. The band, Suenalo, were excited that they would present their skills to a group of troubled youth at a detention center (少管所).   

They arrived at the invitation of a friend, who was an adviser at the center. He had mentioned a career day where members of the community came to speak to the teens about their jobs. Usually the speakers were bankers or lawyers, so he thought it would be interesting for the kids to meet some musicians and maybe even hear some music. “They need something cool to get their attention” was the pitch from the friend.

The kids, about 40, were brought in, looking distant, some even angry. Chad Bernstein, the trombone player, started telling the career of a musician from touring to copyright to the business aspects, trying to draw their interest. However, it didn’t. Sensing that they couldn’t win, the band, a little thrown, decided to play one song. With music going, the kids seemed to respond, their heads nodding to the beat. One of them sang a lyric (歌词). The band sang it back. Then, one by one, the musicians began picking up the beat. Chad started free styling a rap, going back and forth with the kid, and in no time, other kids jumped in. Suddenly the band and the kids were creating a song from scratch and all of them were in musical heaven.

For Chad, that moment inspired him to found Guitars Over Guns, an organization that pairs at-risk middle-schoolers with professional musicians. As both music teachers and life coaches, the musicians give the kids a way to find their creative voices and get through dark times. Over time, the kids have dropped their tough fronts and shared personal stories, from family tragedies to ordinary struggles at school with friends.

“So far we’ve helped over 2,700 students. Our work is highly satisfying because it shows us that a music career is more than a job, it can have more impact,” says Chad Bernstein.

1. Why did the band come to the detention center?

A．To get attention.

B．To display skills.

C．To plan their careers.

D．To chat about music.

2. What can we learn about the song created on the spot?

A．Its lyrics were from the kids.	B．Chad owned its copyright.
C．It was composed cooperatively.	D．The kids picked up its beat.

3. What does Guitars Over Guns do to help at-risk teens?

A．Offer guidance on life.	B．Give full school instruction.
C．Relate personal stories.	D．Promote awareness of risks.

4. What kind of person is Chad Bernstein?

A．Disciplined.

B．Purposeful.

C．Humorous.

D．Traditional.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．An introduction to a voluntary job.

B．An appeal for blood donation.

C．Safety rules of driving motorbikes.

2. How many advanced qualified riders does the Association have?

A．262.

B．1,400.

C．35,000.

3. What caused Angela Brown to start the volunteering?

A．Her coach’s influence.

B．Suggestions from her nephew.

C．Her community’s encouragement.

5 . Glen Edwards became a hero when he rescued a construction worker trapped on top of a 160-meter-high building.

As a crane (吊车) _______ working on a construction site, Edwards _______ found himself in a life-saving mission when a fire broke out. He recalled how he _______ the trapped worker from his crane’s cabin (驾驶舱), and how he came up with the idea of saving the man by lowerin a cage to him to let him _______.

However, his attempt to _______ the cage before the man was by no means an easy job, as each post (弹) of wind prevented to throw his crane off balance. Besides, the smoke and flames also added to the difficulty. _______ the great challenges, Edwards refused to give up and fought to _______ control. Luckily, someone on the ground offered _______ on where to land the cage through a radio. Edwards _______ the crane’s movements, inch by inch, until the cage hanged (盘旋) just inches from the edge of the _______. With determination, Edwards successfully landed the cage.

Eventually, Edwards watched the cage _______ the man away from the horrible fire below and lowering him to safety. The crowd _______ a big round of applause, a tribute (致敬) to the courage and skill _______ by Edwards. He knew that his quick thinking and strong _______ had made all the difference between life and death in the face of disaster.

A GoFundMe page has now been set up to raise money for him —— with organizers _______ people to “buy Glen a beer” for his life-saving efforts.

1.

A．engineer

B．operator

C．cleaner

D．salesman

2.

A．regularly

B．unfortunately

C．intentionally

D．unexpectedly

3.

A．helped

B．spotted

C．realized

D．guided

4.

A．escape

B．hide

C．walk

D．slide

5.

A．clean

B．cover

C．position

D．open

6.

A．Despite

B．Without

C．For

D．From

7.

A．switch

B．maintain

C．lose

D．give

8.

A．instructions

B．problems

C．explanations

D．courses

9.

A．quickened

B．described

C．adjusted

D．repeated

10.

A．door

B．garden

C．crane

D．roof

11.

A．persuading

B．lifting

C．warning

D．dragging

12.

A．went through

B．put on

C．asked for

D．broke into

13.

A．displayed

B．admitted

C．exchanged

D．required

14.

A．preference

B．response

C．emotion

D．determination

15.

A．choosing

B．encouraging

C．ordering

D．teaching

6 . The past few months have brought electrifying news that, for the first time, a gene treatment has provided some hearing to children born with deafness.

Eli Lilly announced this week, for example, that a profoundly deaf boy from Morocco given its treatment as part of a clinical trial in Philadelphia can now hear. And five children in China treated similarly at younger ages gained hearing with some able to verbally communicate without their cochlear implants (人工耳蜗). Their hearing recovery, first covered by the press in October 2023, is described in detail this week in The Lancet.

“It’s an enormous achievement,” says geneticist Karen Avraham of Tel Aviv University. Otolaryngologist (耳鼻喉科专家) and gene therapist Lawrence Lustig of Columbia University, whose lab was among the first to test the same approach in mice, agrees. “Other than cochlear implants, we haven’t really had any successful treatments to treat deafness,” he notes.

The various efforts from companies and academic centers each use a virus to insert the same gene, OTOF, into the children’s inner ear so the so-called hair cells there can sense sound and transmit it to the brain.

The new deafness treatments add to a string of recent successes for the gene treatment field, but also raise questions. The ear’s hair cells don’t divide, so the new copies of OTOF they contain should persist and continue to instruct the cells to make OTOF. Gene expression could drop off over time or the ear could mount an immune response that shuts it off.

But Lustig is optimistic that the various challenges will be overcome. “Now that we’ve got one success story, there’s going to be more money coming in to fund some of these other projects,” he says.

1. What do we know about the new treatment?

A．It is a totally mature practice.	B．It’s a China-only clinical trial.
C．It uses a virus to sense sound.	D．It aims to treat the deafness.

2. Which of the following best describes the impact of the treatment?

A．Breakthrough.

B．Regret.

C．Disappointment.

D．Adventure.

3. What is the problem of the gene treatment?

A．The brain refuses to receive it.

B．Gene stops to produce hair cells.

C．Gene expression might be weakened.

D．Companies really profit a lot from it.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Electrifying News Based on Some Clinical Trials

B．Gene Treatment That Brings Deaf Children Hope

C．Ways How Scientists Develop Cochlear Implants

D．Challenges About the New Deafness Treatment

7 . When my son Reace celebrated his sixth birthday two years ago, he made a wish that I would get a transplant. Less than a week later, his wish came true when I received new _________.

Born with a breathing disease, I was able to manage my _________ without a hospital visit until I was 23. At 30, _________, it steadily worsened and I was _________ for a transplant. I started having check-ups once a year, then every six months, then every three months until I was _________ living at the hospital and reliant on oxygen to survive. Everyday _________ like having a shower or brushing my hair became _________.

After four months on the list, I _________ the call to say a pair of lungs was available. The transplant was successful and the _________ was noticeable. Before my transplant I had been so __________, I couldn’t even walk from the couch to the front door without __________ my breath—and it was only six paces. __________, I was so used to being breathless that I didn’t know any difference. I had __________ what it would be like to be a __________ person and now I know. I can do everything an ordinary mum would do: housework, workout, or taking Reace to basketball.

I am extremely grateful to my __________ and his family.

1.

A．medicines

B．gifts

C．lungs

D．hearts

2.

A．condition

B．weight

C．stress

D．emotion

3.

A．therefore

B．however

C．otherwise

D．besides

4.

A．scheduled

B．hospitalized

C．listed

D．selected

5.

A．barely

B．previously

C．temporarily

D．basically

6.

A．tasks

B．challenges

C．decisions

D．concerns

7.

A．necessary

B．fundamental

C．impossible

D．contradictory

8.

A．missed

B．received

C．returned

D．rejected

9.

A．symptom

B．damage

C．trouble

D．difference

10.

A．sick

B．nervous

C．sensitive

D．innocent

11.

A．catching

B．holding

C．losing

D．recovering

12.

A．Fortunately

B．Actually

C．Possibly

D．Eventually

13.

A．understood

B．experienced

C．recalled

D．wondered

14.

A．normal

B．distinguished

C．disabled

D．responsible

15.

A．doctor

B．nurse

C．child

D．donor

8 . Initial conversations can have a huge impact on how relationships develop over time. People are often stuck in the impressions they think they might have made the minute they finish speaking with someone for the first time: “Did they like me or were they just being polite?” “Were they deep in thought or deeply bored?”

To find out whether these worries are necessary, we have conducted nearly 10 years of research. In our studies, participants in the UK talked with someone they had never met before. Afterward, they were asked how much they liked their conversation partner and how much they believed that their conversation partner liked them. This allowed us to compare how much people believed they were liked to how much they were actually liked.

Time and time again, we found that people left their conversations with negative feelings about the impression they made. That is, people systematically underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company — a false belief we call the “liking gap”.

This bias (偏见) may seem like something that would occur only in initial interactions, but its effects extend far beyond a first impression. Surprisingly, the liking gap can constantly affect a variety of relationships, including interactions with coworkers, long after the initial conversations have taken place. Having a larger liking gap is associated with being less willing to ask workmates for help, less willing to provide workmates with open and honest feedback, and less willing to work on another project together.

There are numerous strategies to minimize your biased feelings. One place to start is shifting your focus of attention. Try to direct your attention to your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.

1. Why did the author carry out 10 years of research?

A．To dismiss national concerns.	B．To check out a potential bias.
C．To enhance human communication.	D．To develop harmonious relationships.

2. What is one effect of people’s liking gap?

A．Fewer chances of new projects.	B．Underestimation of their ability.
C．Bad relationships with people around.	D．Low willingness to interact with others.

3. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．Restate opinions.

B．Deliver warnings.

C．Give suggestions.

D．Make a summary.

4. Which might be the best title for the text?

A．Liking Gap May Influence Work Performances

B．First Impressions Rely On Initial Conversations

C．People Probably Like You More Than You Think

D．How People Like You Matters Less Than You Assume

9 . Explore the science behind these amazing landscapes

Retracing Charles Darwin’s travels across North Wales

13 May 2024|6 days

Uncover the best of Wales as you explore the dramatic Welsh landscapes of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park and examine the region geology and how it has been transformed by volcanic and glacial activity over the years.Discover the story of Charles Darwin’s 1831 and 1842 tours of Wales,and retrace his travels on this small group journey to Shrewsbury and Snowdonia.

The Rockies and the Badlands:Geology and dinosaurs in Canada

17 June 2024|7 days

Explore the majestic Rocky Mountains west of Calgary and the otherworldly Badlands to the cast,witness the stunning scenery and geology of southerm Alberta.This tour includes two visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites,where you will see first-hand the rugged peaks and glacial features of the Banff portion of Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and the bone-riddled badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Short break:Dinosaurs and Hoodoos:Alberta

23 July 2024|3 days

Visit one of the world’s premier dinosaur museums,sail all the way around a World Heritage site with outstanding dinosaur fossils and explore the multi-hued canyons and wind-sculpted hoodoos (石林)of the Alberta Badlands.Throughout this tour you will be accompanied by palaeontologist (古生物学家)Jon Noad,who will share the stories of the rocks,including tales about past oceans,swamps,rivers and deserts,the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and,more recently,ice sheets that covered Alberta and carved out spectacular landscapes.

1. Which of the following might appeal to dinosaur enthusiast most?

A．The Eryri National Park.	B．The Welsh Glaciers.
C．The Rocky Mountains.	D．The Alberta Badlands.

2. What do all the three tours involve?

A．Scientific facts.	B．Tales about the past.
C．Special companions.	D．Visits to World Heritage sites.

3. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A research paper.	B．A science fiction.
C．A tourism report.	D．A travel brochure.

10 . Birmingham is the second largest city of the United Kingdom. It lies near the geographic center of England. It’s one of England’s major industrial and commercial areas. Here’re some places in Birmingham you may be interested in living in.

Solihull

Located 7.5 miles southeast of Birmingham, Solihull offers the best of both worlds for the perfect combination of city and country living. With several top-rated schools, Solihull is a perfect location for families, and with over 1,500acres of parks, there’re plenty of green spaces to keep the kids entertained as well. With easy transport links into Birmingham, it’s a great choice for commuters (通勤人员) and what’s more, Birmingham Airport is located in Solihull.

Erdington

Situated five miles northeast of the city center, Erdington has to be one of the best places to live in and around Birmingham. This is a very well-connected city suburb, with easy motorway access, great bus links and a railway station on the Cross City Line.

Digbeth

If you’re looking to buy your first home in Birmingham, Digbeth could be the perfect choice. The area is a hub for the creative industry, with the Custard Factory and Fazeley Studios both hosting a huge variety of digital and cultural businesses. It’s very tolerant of all kinds of culture, making it one of the most dynamic places to live in.

Edgbaston

Edgbaston is one of the richest areas in Birmingham, well-known for its green spaces and Birmingham Botanical Gardens. There’re many other attractions for those not interested in sports, including the pretty Victorian campus of Birmingham University and multiple Michelin-starred restaurants. It is a suitable place to live in.

1. What’s special about Solihull?

A．It is very suitable for the old.

B．It has the largest park in Birmingham.

C．It is the trading center of Birmingham.

D．It shows the mix of rural and urban life.

2. Which place presents cultural diversity?

A．Digbeth.	B．Erdington.
C．Edgbaston.	D．Solihull.

3. What is the author trying to persuade readers to do in Birmingham?

A．Attend university.	B．Go on a tour.
C．Buy houses.	D．Start businesses.