1 . Coastal communities around the world are using coir, material from coconuts (a kind of large fruit), to reduce shoreline erosion (侵蚀). People use coir to build barriers, protecting beaches from getting washed away by the force of waves. The material is common and costs a lot less than barriers made of other materials, like wood, steel or concrete.

One project is being built along part of an eroded riverbank in Neptune, New Jersey. The effort has already greatly improved areas that were badly damaged by erosion during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. “We’re always trying to reduce wave energy while protecting the shoreline,” said Tim Dillingham, the director of the group who runs the project. “And whenever we can, we like to use nature-based solutions.”

The coconut-based material is designed to break down over time. But before it does, it is sometimes pre-seeded with shoreline plants and grasses. The coir material holds the plants in place as they grow, finally breaking down and leaving the established plants in place to keep the shoreline from eroding.

In Boston, Julia Hopkins from Northeastern University is also using coir, wood chips and other material to create barriers to slow the force of waves. A test project has four coconut-based barriers in waterways around Boston. Hopkins is pleased with the results she has seen so far. She said the coconut material is not costly and is actually being recycled rather than thrown away.

The method does not always work, however. In 2016, the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary (a wildlife protection area) in Edgartown, Massachusetts, built barriers around a salt marsh, an area of coastal grassland, that had eroded in the past. While the effort did help reduce erosion for a while, the material did not last long because of strong waves.

“It got blown out many times,” said Suzan Bellincampi, the sanctuary’s director.“ We had it in place for a few years and we decided not to fix it again. The project was really interesting in terms of what we wanted to do and how we changed it. It works in some places; it doesn’t work in all places.”

1. What are communities near the coast doing?

A．They are making use of wave energy.

B．They are building barriers to prepare for storms.

C．They are fighting to stop shoreline erosion.

D．They are developing new materials from coconuts.

2. What might the underlined word “established” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Well developed.

B．Ready to plant.

C．Newly planted.

D．Hard to find.

3. What is Hopkins’ attitude towards coconut-based barriers?

A．Carefree.

B．Favorable.

C．Unclear.

D．Doubtful.

4. Why is the project in a sanctuary mentioned in the last but one paragraph?

A．To encourage more places to follow the method.

B．To stress the importance of using the method to protect nature.

C．To show that the method is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

D．To explain how to change the method according to local conditions.

2 . 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。

Marcus was really excited to watch a solar eclipse(日食) in Bloomfield on a sunny Saturday afternoon. He set up the telescope he’d borrowed from his teacher on an open area near the baseball field, where the school baseball team was practicing. Marcus didn’t like baseball; he was more interested in the stars. A solar eclipse was a special event, and he didn’t want to miss it.

While the baseball team practiced, Marcus paid no attention to them. As he looked through his telescope at the sun, the moon started covering it, creating a cool crescent shape (月牙形). Marcus was amazed by it. He wished he could share this moment with someone who loved it as much as he did.

Then, the baseball coach, Bernardi, announced over the loud speaker that the baseball game was put off for 30 minutes because of the solar eclipse. Coach Bernardi’s announcement brought Mareus back. to reality. He realized he was alone near the baseball field, holding his telescope. He had been so into the eclipse that he didn’t notice a baseball flying toward him. It hit the telescope and broke the lens(镜片).

Marcus was angry, and he shouted, wondering who had thrown the baseball at him. He picked up the ball and headed toward the baseball field. He was worried about telling his teacher, Mr. Baker, about the broken telescope. Sure, it wasn’t his fault, but he had positioned the telescope near the baseball field, and he still felt he should take responsibility.

As Marcus stepped onto the baseball field, he realized some fans and players were watching the eclipse. Each person was trying to get a chance to look through the telescopes that some fans had brought to watch the eclipse. Marcus noticed a boy running toward him. ”I’m really sorry about what happened with your telescope. I didn’t mean to break it. I should have been more careful," said the boy, with a sincere expression.

注意：1.续写词数应为150 左右;
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

Marcus understood that it was just an accident.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After a while, it was Marcus’s turn to look through the telescope.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 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。

As with any other cuisine, appearance, smell and taste are extremely important in enjoying Chinese food. Besides these basic elements, however, there is something unique     1     Chinese cuisine. One of them is the importance of texture (口感). The Chinese appreciate a far     2    (wide) range of textures in their food than most Westerners,     3    (include), for example, slippery, chewy and bouncy textures. Chinese people enjoy using their teeth and tongue to feel food, such as chicken feet and duck tongues. If you want to deepen your     4    (appreciate) of Chinese food, it     5    (recommend) that you order some chicken feet to appreciate what your teeth and tongue are doing while you eat them.

Another element of Chinese cuisine is the art of cutting. So you might like to consider the way that the ingredients are cut     6     how this affects the way they look on the plate. If your meal has been ordered by a Chinese person or someone else who is knowledgeable about the food, you might also notice that there is     7    (probable) a soup that is intended to provide     8     pleasing contrast to the more strongly flavoured dishes. You might also notice that there is at least one lightly flavoured vegetable dish,     9     will help to create a balance d meal that will leave you     10    (relax) afterwards.

5 . An elderly woman using a hairdryer as a radar gun (雷达枪) has become the talk of the town in Montana.

Patti, a grandmother living near the busy Glacier National Park, observed that _________ often happened on her road due to the heavy tourist traffic. _________ about the safety of her community, she decided to take matters into her own _________. With a chair, a drink, and a hairdryer, Patti _________ herself by the road, mimicking the actions of a traffic officer making a speed _________.

Her creative approach to road safety didn’t go _________. Drivers began to slow down, _________ and curious about the sight of a grandmother with a hairdryer. Patti’s _________ even attracted the attention of local law enforcement. A Montana trooper (州警) expressed his _________ for her creative attempt to make the roads safer. He __________ her with the title of “honorable trooper”, complete with a hat and badge.

Patti shared her story on The Kelly Clarkson Show, explaining, “We’re very __________ to Glacier National Park, so we get a lot of tourists going around on our road. And they __________. So, my son suggested I place myself on the road and use a hairdryer, pretending it was a radar gun.”

Her story serves as a __________ that sometimes, a little __________ and a lot of care for one’s community can go a long way towards making a __________.

1.

A．parking

B．speeding

C．accident

D．fight

2.

A．Curious

B．Surprised

C．Afraid

D．Concerned

3.

A．hands

B．head

C．plan

D．pockets

4.

A．enjoyed

B．protected

C．stationed

D．cleaned

5.

A．record

B．check

C．limit

D．mark

6.

A．unpunished

B．unsolved

C．unnoticed

D．undoubted

7.

A．confused

B．frightened

C．satisfied

D．amused

8.

A．hobbies

B．experiences

C．approaches

D．efforts

9.

A．congratulation

B．appreciation

C．expectation

D．satisfaction

10.

A．trusted

B．memorized

C．presented

D．comforted

11.

A．close

B．blessed

C．beneficial

D．unique

12.

A．break in

B．show up

C．pull over

D．flashed by

13.

A．test

B．reminder

C．lesson

D．symbol

14.

A．encouragement

B．improvement

C．creativity

D．generosity

15.

A．promise

B．decision

C．profit

D．difference

6 . We often see that some of our friends always appear relaxed.     1     This is because they are better organized than us. If we want to lead a well-organized life, some habits have to be cultivated purposefully.

A place for everything and everything in its place

When we are lazy or in a hurry, we keep our things in the wrong place.    2     To lead an organized life, we should make sure to put things back in their proper place.

Avoid multitasking

When we are trying to do more than one thing at a time, we cannot concentrate on our work properly, resulting in poor performance.    3     For example, while doing our homework, if we keep our mobile phone within our reach and keep on replying to friends’ messages, our quality of work will suffer.

Plan ahead

Planning ahead is an important characteristic of an organized personality. But we should be realistic in our plans.    4     Practically, planning our daily, weekly and even monthly goals and trying our best to achieve them will make life more organized and tasks more manageable for us.

Value your time

Another key to leading a well-organized life is to manage your time in the most fruitful way. Giving in to temptation usually results in wasted hours which we regret later on. The famous columnist Harvey MacKay said, ”Time is free, but it’s priceless.    5    “

A．Then we have to waste lots of precious time and energy searching for them.

B．They are not nervous during examinations and seem to enjoy life better than us.

C．Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.

D．The fewer things we have, the easier it will be to manage them.

E．They follow some rules which lead to a more successful life.

F．There are times when we find a big part of what we aimed to do is left undone.

G．We should be clear about what has to be done and what is just wasting time.

7 . Disagreements have arisen in Northern France after many ancient standing stones were damaged to make way for a new hardware chain(五金连锁店).

About 39 stones, dating back at least 7,000 years, were removed from the site, which sits on one of Europe’s most famous prehistoric attractions, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. “The site has been damaged,” local archaeologist Christian Obeltz told AFP.

Carnac, often described as “French Stonehenge”， is famous for its spreading fields of large tall stones. The stones are arranged in long, straight lines and, according to the Carnac Tourist Office, it is the largest collection of this type of standing stone in the world. The two main sites alone, at Menec and Kermarjo, house nearly 3,000 standing monuments covering over 4 miles.

The purpose of this ancient curiosity is still unknown. Many believe it may have had something to do with religion, while others think it could have served as a farming calendar. One idea even suggests that the stones are connected to a sad event that happened to a Roman army.

The Regional Office of Cultural Affairs for Brittany, which is responsible for protecting the cultural monument, made a statement on disagreements over building the store on Wednesday. “Given the uncertain and non-major character of the remains, damage to a site of historical value has not been established,” the statement said. However, Obeltz mentioned that there hasn’t been enough research in the area to decide whether the stones were historically important.

News of building the store has caused a storm of angry comments on social media, with many expressing their thoughts on the loss of the ancient stones. “Poor Carnac! The commodification(商品化) of the world prepares the man without memories,” said Philippe de Villiers, France’s former Secretary of State for Culture.

“In Carnac,39 standing stone monuments survived Julius Caesar, World War I and World War II. But not Mr. DIY!” the Twitter account Dom Revolution wrote.

1. What happened to the 39 stones?

A．They were sold to a store.	B．They were worn with time.
C．They were moved away.	D．They were used to build a building.

2. What makes Carnac stand out as a site of stone monuments?

A．Its unique shape.	B．Its large size.
C．Its long rich history.	D．Its connection with an army.

3. What may the Regional Office agree with?

A．The site has low historical value.	B．The site needs government protection.
C．The site is not very well-known.	D．The site should have been studied more.

4. Why does the author mention opinions on the Internet?

A．To share people’s last memories of Carnac.

B．To stress the importance of protecting Carnac.

C．To show public anger at Carnac’s situation.

D．To give more information about Carnac’s history.

8 . 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。

Avoiding people in a small town requires the skills of a spy. Alban, 22, hasn’t seen or spoken to his junior school teacher, Ms Taylor, in his town for many years.

In Grade 9, Alban argued fiercely with one of his classmates, Robert. Robert grabbed his arm and verbally (言语) threatened him. When Alban turned to Ms Taylor, hoping for help, she kept silent and seemed to be thinking about something. Before she spoke, Alban rushed out angrily. That was the end of his relationship with Ms Taylor who had been the one person in school he could depend on. Then Alban moved like a ghost, taking precautions to stay far away from Ms Taylor.

One day after graduation from college, Alban was halfway home when he felt his cellphone vibrate (震动). It was Julia, the monitor in Grade 9, who had announced the classmate reunion and Ms Taylor’s retirement ceremony, which would be held in the school meeting room. Alban’s heart sank. Although he missed his classmates, Alban felt embarrassed to attend the reunion. Ms. Taylor would be there!

Despite his hesitation, Alban arrived on time for the big day. From where he sat, Alban saw his teacher, thin and tired, walk unsteadily into the room. She had not been well. Alban hesitantly walked over to her. He didn’t say much, just a few pleasant words. No hug or smile. Many people crowded in. The ceremony began and Alban sat there, just listening to the speeches of Ms Taylor and other students.

After the party Ms Taylor’s image, present and past, always haunted (萦绕) him. Alban’s memory of Ms Taylor began when he was in Grade 7. She’d listen to him patiently and help solve his problems in every aspect. She’d often suggest interesting books, and they’d share their opinions. Sometimes she even took him to camp near the school on weekends. Great memories still remained in his mind.

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。

Alban decided to visit Ms Taylor again.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As scheduled, the day when Ms Taylor and Alban went camping came.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

Changxing Baiyelong dance is a     1     (character) dragon dance popular in Lincheng town, Changxing county, Huzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province. Baiyelong, which     2     (literal) means “a dragon made of a hundred lotus leaves”,     3     (inspire) by a local legend about a dragon born in a lotus pond.

The dance, which is usually performed by a team of 17 people during temple     4     (festival), is a customary practice that     5     (represent) the wishes of local residents for a prosperous year, both for their families and their motherland.

In 1957, a Baiyelong dance program took home     6     gold award at the sixth World Youth College Students Festival     7     (hold) in Moscow in 1957. In April 2004, Changxing set up a training base     8     (restore) the traditional art and established a government-backed troupe in June 2005. A year later, Changxing Baiyelong dance was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. In 2023, the Changxing Baiyelong dance was selected     9     a warm-up performance for the Asian Games’ opening ceremony and it made an immediate impression on hundreds of millions of TV viewers.

“We hope that this dance,     10     has been performed in Changxing for over 200 years, can be presented to the whole world in a brand-new way on the stage of the Asian Games,” said Gu Keni, the general director of the program.