1 . Changing the world may be impossible, but changing a world is realistic—that’s how Lorenzo Amani looks on the life. Amani’s journey from the football team to the ________ world is a story of perseverance and personal growth.

Growing up in a military family, Amani experienced frequent moves and ________ requirements, which influenced his character and ________ his capacity to handle stress, particularly in sports. ________, a career-ending foot injury in his junior year ________ his dream of football. With the encouragement and assistance of coaches and the staff, Amani ________ his attention on other off-field interests—studying at Virginia Tech. “Student athletes at the time didn’t really study abroad,” he said. “We were generally too busy ________ our sport. This was a (n) ________ experience that taught me that we’re all a lot more alike than we are ________, even in various corners of the world.”

Following his graduation, Amani served as an academic coach to ________ others facing the same career ________ from sports to others post-college. It’s a (n) ________ many athletes struggle with—fewer than 2 percent of student athletes go on to be professional athletes.

Today, Amani has founded an athleisure clothing company, with a (n) ________ to contributing a portion of its profits to organizations that offer education training to minorities. Additionally, he remains devoted to ________ individuals, helping develop their leadership skills and financial literacy.

Amani’s experience proves that as long as we ________ setbacks (挫折) bravely, we can change not just our own world, but the world of others as well.

1.

A．science

B．business

C．fashion

D．sport

2.

A．regular

B．major

C．illegal

D．strict

3.

A．appreciated

B．enhanced

C．covered

D．restricted

4.

A．Additionally

B．Eventually

C．Nevertheless

D．Instead

5.

A．stopped

B．inspired

C．presented

D．interpreted

6.

A．recalled

B．removed

C．repeated

D．refocused

7.

A．referring to

B．summing up

C．competing in

D．contrasting with

8.

A．normal

B．fantastic

C．relevant

D．adventurous

9.

A．popular

B．attractive

C．familiar

D．different

10.

A．assist

B．satisfy

C．inform

D．ignore

11.

A．strategy

B．choice

C．structure

D．transformation

12.

A．convention

B．examination

C．challenge

D．attitude

13.

A．barrier

B．commitment

C．assumption

D．adaptation

14.

A．guiding

B．appreciating

C．persuading

D．reminding

15.

A．check

B．recognize

C．hug

D．observe

2 . If you want to stand out, 10,000 hours of training will take you much further than your natural abilities. Mozart is considered by many as the greatest composer who ever lived. Traditionally, many people ________ outstanding achievements like Mozart’s are due to talent, or even inborn inspiration or ________.

This assumption holds especially true for child prodigies (神童) like Mozart whose music talent ________ the world at the age of six. But looking more ________ at this phenomenon, we find that these individuals actually had to practice countless hours before showing their ________ remarkable talent. In fact, scientists indicate that a prodigy’s training typically ________ at a very early age, with massive time invested in practice.

For example, when the six-year-old Mozart toured Europe to ________ his brilliant piano skills, he had already ________ 3,500 hours of musical training. If you compare this to other pianists who have practiced for as long, Mozart’s ________ wasn’t all that exceptional. It seems that outstanding abilities come from intensive strict practice ________ natural talents. A study shows the only factor directly ________ the students’ level of achievement was the amount of serious practice time: the most ________ performers had practiced for an average of 10,000 hours, while the least skilled had only 4,000 hours of practice. What’s even more revealing is that there were no ________: All of the top performers had ________ great efforts to their practice. It seems that no extraordinary talent can ________ without tough practice.

1.

A．admit

B．assume

C．realize

D．hope

2.

A．motivation

B．progress

C．fate

D．determination

3.

A．amazed

B．excited

C．questioned

D．scared

4.

A．slowly

B．hurriedly

C．widely

D．closely

5.

A．old-fashioned

B．so-called

C．well-organized

D．newly-discovered

6.

A．begins

B．exists

C．ends

D．grows

7.

A．polish

B．spread

C．display

D．broadcast

8.

A．exchanged

B．accelerated

C．undergone

D．missed

9.

A．achievement

B．ambition

C．exploration

D．experience

10.

A．other than

B．rather than

C．as well as

D．in case of

11.

A．putting forward

B．adjusted to

C．bringing up

D．involved in

12.

A．aggressive

B．ordinary

C．energetic

D．gifted

13.

A．limitations

B．principles

C．exceptions

D．evidences

14.

A．devoted

B．adapted

C．saved

D．reduced

15.

A．perform

B．escape

C．suffer

D．shine

3 . Picture the scene: you are sitting at a cafe on a hot summe’s day and decide to order a glass of lemonade. It arrives ice cold and you smile in contentment until the waiter asks if you want a straw. Now you have to choose to either take a straw or not. Actually, the decision is not an easy one.

A study by a European research group showed there are significant health and environmental risks associated with the paper-based and bamboo-based straws that have replaced plastic straws.

The recent ban on plastic straws saw the introduction of the modern paper straw. It was hoped by officials that it would address the environmental issues of single-use plastic. However, scientists observing the performance of the new paper straws found themselves puzzled by their ability of never getting soggy (浸湿的). They wondered what might be allowing paper straws to perform so well.

The first study to investigate this was performed by Alina Timshina and co-workers in 2021. It showed that paper and plant-based straws contain significant PFAS (含氟表面活性剂). These are fluorine-based chemicals that have remarkable properties in resisting water, oil and pretty much anything. And almost nothing degrades or reacts with PFAS which means they persist in the environment and will do so for thousands of years.

They also make it into the human body by migrating from packaging into our food and drink. Once PFAS are in our blood they are associated with a number of health effects such as liver and kidney disease. There is also evidence that PFAS may lead to increased risk of high blood pressure in pregnant women.

PFAS have also been found in plastic straws but at lower levels. The only material determined to be free of PFAS was stainless steel, which are currently not widely used, so you risk the embarrassment of sounding like a very demanding customer when asking for one. But then again, maybe we should all be more demanding when it comes to preserving the environment and human health.

1. Why does the writer mention the scene in paragraph 1?

A．To show the politeness of waiters.	B．To reflect the necessity of drinks.
C．To highlight the importance of straws.	D．To lead to the following findings.

2. What can be inferred about PFAS from the passage?

A．They are life-threatening.	B．They are chemically stable.
C．They allow paper straws to resist water only.	D．They are less in paper straws than plastic.

3. What does the author suggest in the last paragraph?

A．Insisting on using steel straws.	B．Imposing a ban on paper straws.
C．Putting steel straws into mass production.	D．Promoting the use of plastic straws.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The availability of stain straws.	B．The inefficient ban on plastic straws.
C．The negative effects of paper straws.	D．The characteristics of different straws.

4 . 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。

Today was February 5th, a cold rainy morning, the sort of start that made me wish that I could skip school and head back to my warm home, and bed. Though it was my senior year, most days seemed to re-main the same boredom.

Being late for 5 minutes, I dashed up the stairs, swung open the door to my British Literature class, like a sopping wet dog, and plopped down (砰然坐下) in my seat. The eyes around the room glared at me, as my teacher cleared her throat, “Mathew maybe go and see the lost-and-found for a change of clothes.” I felt my face turn red and stormed out quickly.

The lost-and-found bin did not look promising, until I came across an oversized navy coat at the bot-tom. I put it on and zipped up, this would do for the next couple of hours. Freezing up, I dug my hands deeper down into the pockets to keep warm. Then I hit something, and pulled out a somewhat crinkled (皱巴巴的) piece of notebook paper with some words. “To you, yes you.” I read aloud, realizing that this must be a letter from someone. “Dear Person, I don’t know exactly who you are, but I believe that this letter found you for a reason. I am the least likely of people to write something of this sort, but it’s my senior year, and I thought that I would make true friends. If you would like to participate in this experiment, please leave your response in locker 115, second floor.” My eyes brightened.

I finished my letter by the bell, as I made my way through the crowd, Charlie jammed his shoulder into mine from the opposite direction. “Hey! Out of my way!” I shouted. He just ignored me, not looking back. Charlie is popular in our school and people like him (but not me). I know Charlie never likes me, ever since primary school. I finally made it to the second floor, slipped the letter into the locker, and left secretly.

注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1: Soon my unseen pen pal and I wrote letters every day. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: I waited for my pen pal in the stadium after school that day.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 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。

The lantern fair in Zigong, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, which     1     (own) a history of more than 1,000 years, is once again fascinating visitors with its brilliant shining lanterns.

Covering     2     area of nearly 37 hectares, the 30th International Dinosaur Lantern Show received around 450,000 visitors during the Spring Festival holiday from February 10 to 17.

To mark the Year of the Dragon, many of the lanterns     3     show feature the Chinese sign of the zodiac (生肖), but there are also a wide variety of other lantern designs to meet different needs. Visitors     4     prefer traditional lanterns can find lanterns with flowers and birds, legendary figures, and landscapes, while lanterns with modern themes such as cartoon characters, cultural trends and online games are gaining     5     (popular) among young people.

The lantern show is also expressing the concept of environmental protection. For example, a dragon lantern     6     (measure) over 200 meters long was made by tying together some 200,000     7     (abandon) water bottles.

This year’s show received more than 3,000 children’s artworks from around the world. Some of the art pieces were turned into lanterns by     8     (profession) craftsmen. Visitors can also enjoy acrobatics (杂技), folk arts, and Chinese music performances during     9     (they) lantern-viewing tours.

Famous for lantern-making, Zigong saw its lanterns lighting 80 cities across China during the Spring Festival holiday and Zigong lanterns     10     (light) up in more than 20 countries overseas last year.

8 . Feeling anxious? Try smiling or doing a good deed to get rid of it.

Taitz, a clinical psychologist, published a new book Stress Resets: How to Soothe (缓和) Your Body and Mind in Minutes.     1    . Here are a few of our favorites.

Name that emotion. You feel overwhelmed with negative emotions and you’re not sure why you feel this way.     2    . Maybe you’re feeling depressed and you’re at a 3 on a 0 to 5 scale. When you’re able to observe your emotion, this can loosen your sadness, anger or stress, says Taitz.

    3    . There’s been an upsetting event and now you think everything is terrible. Grab a pen and paper and make a list of what you care most about: health, friendships, career, hobbies, family. Assign each item a percentage and then draw each section in a pie chart. The image should be an instant reminder that “there are a lot of other things that matter” in your life, says Taitz.

Wear a half smile.     4    ? If so, Taitz wants you to try a half smile. Ever so slightly raise the upper corners of your lips. This will automatically reduce all that tension and relax your face muscles, communicating to your brain that everything’s OK.

Do a good deed. You feel like you have no control over your life and nothing seems to be going right because you feel powerless, says Taitz. Doing a good deed can remind you that you have the power and ability to make things better for yourself and others.     5    .

Taitz says all of these are actions like “small wheels on a big suitcase.” So pause the next time you are feeling stressed and give yourself a reset.

A．Make a pie chart of your life

B．Classify the upsetting events

C．Do you tense up your face when you’re stressed

D．Are you in a setting that is making you force a smile

E．Observe and describe the emotion and label its intensity

F．You can live by your values even if so much is out of your control

G．She shares 75 techniques to help reduce stress and anxiety in real time

9 . The open-air bookstalls (书摊) that line the River Seine are as symbolic of Paris as the Louvre or the Arc de Triomphe. But most of the boxy, dark green stalls must be temporarily removed before the 2024 Summer Olympics for what officials say are security reasons.

Organizers in Paris are aiming to bring back magnificence to the Games, which begin on July 26. The opening ceremony will take place not in a stadium, but along the Seine, with thousands of Olympic athletes riding on a flotilla (船队)of 160 boats before hundreds of thousands of visitors on the river’s banks. The ceremony’s unusual format poses security headaches, for both the International Olympic committee and the Paris police, who said they had concerns that bombs could be hidden in the stalls.

The booksellers, known as “les bouquinistes”, have said they will not compromise, calling the order issued by the Paris police chief last week an affront to the French capital’s history and soul. “Paris without the bouquinistes is like Venice without the boats,” said Jean-Pierre Mathias, 76, who has had a stall along the Seine for about four decades.

Open every day from morning until dusk, the bouquinistes are both a scene along the riverside and a symbol of Paris’s literary culture, attracting curious tourists and locals looking for rare books. The tradition dates back to at least the 17th century and by the 19th century, Napoleon gave approval to the bookstalls, popular with intellectuals and writers, and they became permanent.

The city’s mayor (市长), Anne Hidalgo, initially highlighted the booksellers’ importance to the city and suggested an alternative plan that would keep the stall s in place once the police confirmed they were not a security threat. But that plan was no longer under consideration because the police declared it necessary to remove the stalls for safety, a spokeswoman for Ms. Hidalgo said on Tuesday.

1. The bookstalls must be removed before the Olympics due to ________.

A．traffic crowdedness

B．audience attention

C．potential danger

D．ceremony chaos

2. What does the underlined word “affront” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Doubt.

B．Shame.

C．Claim.

D．Appeal.

3. What is the mayor’s attitude towards the removal?

A．Objective.

B．Indifferent.

C．Approving.

D．Opposed.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Paris bookstalls, a symbol of French culture

B．Paris bookstalls, a welcomed tourist attraction

C．Paris bookstalls gaining support from citizens

D．Paris bookstalls facing the relocation order

10 . We decided not to tell the kids. Marla knew that once our three daughters understood that their mother had been given 1,000 days to live and they’d start counting.

They would not be able to enjoy school, friends, their teams, or birthday parties. They’d be watching too closely how she looked, moved, acted, ate, or didn’t. Marla wanted her daughters to stay children: unburdened, confident that tomorrow would look like yesterday.

In 2009, Marla’s physician called to tell her that she had early-stage breast cancer. She was also BRCA-positive, meaning that she carried the gene for the disease, a troublesome marker. After several medical operations, she needed eight rounds of chemotherapy (化疗) to clear the cancer found in her lymph nodes.

Our kids were 8, 9, and 11 at the time, and though they understood then that she was undergoing treatment, we never told them the news. We soon learned from Memorial Sloan Kettering’s head of breast-cancer oncology: Marla had a triple-negative cancer cell, the most severe of them all. It is commonly referred to as “the breast-cancer death sentence”. This specialist outspokenly told her: “Go live your next 1,000 days in the best way you know how.”

Despite the sickness of chemotherapy, she went on running long distances, for her own mental fitness, and more importantly, so her kids would see her strong. I knew these miles were a wonder. Marla earned and survived a little more than 3,500 days instead of 1,000 since her initial diagnosis. In her lifetime, she celebrated 25 anniversaries, 57 children’s birthdays, three college acceptances, and two high-school graduations. But the next numbers make me numb: Zero college graduations. Zero weddings. Zero grandchildren.

Marla said to me at the hospital, “No glory days for us. We almost had the kids out of the house, and now you’re alone. I’m so sorry.” I replied, “Sorry about what? You made life worth living. When you kissed me, I melted. I admired your pureness, your power. You outran science. Thank you for taking me on your magic carpet. Rest easy, my one and only girlfriend.”

1. If the children were told about Marla’s illness, they would ________.

A．remain innocent

B．study harder

C．hang out with friends

D．live with burden

2. How did Marla face her illness?

A．She continued sports activities.	B．She accepted it angrily.
C．She avoided social life.	D．She refused medical treatment.

3. What do the numbers show in paragraph 5?

A．Their precious memories.	B．Seriousness of her illness.
C．A mixed feeling of joy and regret.	D．Importance of family celebrations.

4. What does Marla’s story tell us?

A．Life is not all roses.	B．Live life to the fullest.
C．Love overcomes thing.	D．Happiness takes no account of time.