1 . How long does it take to become an elite (精英) in your field?     1     That’s what John Hayes, a cognitive psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, wanted to know.

For decades, Hayes has been investigating the role of effort, practice and knowledge in top performers.     2     The research focused on people like Mozart and Picasso-to determine how long it took them to become world-class at their craft.

Let’s talk about what Hayes has discovered about world-class-performers. And more importantly, let’s discuss how you can use these insights to achieve your goals and become your best.

    3     He analyzed thousands of musical pieces produced from 1685 to 1900. The central question that drove his work was, “How long after one becomes interested in music is it that one becomes world-class?” Eventually, Hayes developed a list of 500 pieces of “masterworks” in the field, which were created by a total of 76 composers.

text, Hayes mapped out the timeline of each composers career.     4     What he discovered was that virtually every single “masterwork” was written after the tenth year of the composer’s career. Not a single person produced incredible work without putting in a decade of practice first. Even a genius like Mozart had to work for at least ten years before he produced something that became popular.     5    

In follow-up studies, Hayes found similar patterns among famous painters and popular poets. These findings have been further confirmed by research from professors like K. Anders Ericsson, who produced research that revealed that you needed to put in “10, 000 hours” to become an elite or expert in your field.

A．It takes time to achieve your goals.

B．And what do people like doing in their spare time?

C．He has studied the most talented creators in history.

D．Hayes started his research by examining successful composers

E．Professor Hayes began to refer to this period as the “ten years of silence”.

F．And what do the successful people do differently than the rest of us?

G．And then he calculated how long they had been working before they created their popular works.

2 . When it comes to popular symbols of marriage, one can not look past the wedding ring. The wedding ring serves as a perfect symbol of everlasting love — a ring is a circle and thus has no beginning or end, representing the never-ending union of marriage. Wedding rings have long and rich histories.

Evidence suggests that wedding rings were used in ancient Egypt around 6,000 years ago. However, unlike the metals and gemstones used today, they were crafted from materials such as reeds, leather or bone. In the centuries that followed, the wedding ring tradition was picked up in the West, where it spread first in ancient Rome and Greece, subsequently throughout Europe during the Middle Ages and eventually to Eastern culture. Throughout history, the circular shape of the ring has endured, and so has the tradition of wearing it on the fourth finger of the left hand. The latter practice stemmed from an ancient belief that a vein ran directly from this finger to the heart. Although this belief has since been proved false, the custom has persisted.

Regarding customs surrounding wedding rings, there was a time when only the bride wore a wedding ring. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the practice of grooms wearing rings gained popularity. This change was influenced by soldiers going off to war, who wore rings as reminders of their loved ones waiting for them at home. Today, the exchange of wedding rings remains an integral part of the wedding ceremony, symbolizing the commitment and love shared between two individuals embarking on a life together.

Wedding rings hold a symbolic significance that binds the two members of a married couple. In an ever-changing world, the wedding ring stands as an ancient tradition that is likely to continue for generations to come, reflecting the timeless and eternal love celebrated through marriage.

1. What is the main reason wedding rings are considered symbols of marriage?

A．They are made of precious materials.	B．They have profound histories.
C．They are worn on left hands.	D．They have circular shapes.

2. According to the passage, what is an example of a common myth instead of a fact?

A．Women were wearing wedding rings long before men were.

B．One finger on the left hand contains a vein leading to the heart.

C．Both ancient Romans and Egyptians wore the ring on the same finger.

D．The wedding ring tradition began in Egypt thousands of years ago.

3. Which of the following aspects of a wedding ring is NOT discussed in the passage?

A．How the tradition of it spread around the world.

B．What couples do with their wedding rings.

C．How to choose suitable wedding rings.

D．Materials used to make early rings.

4. How does the author feel about the tradition of wedding rings?

A．It will most likely last forever.	B．It has already fallen out of date.
C．It should be taken more seriously.	D．It holds no significance in modern society.

4 . Some buildings can leave you wondering how on earth they were built. Jaw-dropping architecture is not new. We’re still amazed that the Great Pyramid in Egypt was built 4,500 years ago! Read on for more recent examples of innovative 4 buildings constructed using technology developed in the last century.

Krzywy Domek (Crooked House) Sopot, Poland

COMPLETED: 2004

SIZE: About three-fourths the size of a football field

With its warped 13 walls, curved stained glass, and roof that looks like green dragon scales, Crooked House is popular with photographers. Staring at it for too long might make you dizzy! Inside though is a typical mall and office building. People can shop in the stores, eat in the restaurants and get their haircut in a salon. A favorite feature is the Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities. It’s modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cube Houses Rotterdam, Netherlands

COMPLETED: 1984

SIZE: About one-fourth the size of a basketball court

The 38 Cube Houses are a popular attraction, but they are also real houses that people live in! The cubes have concrete foundations and floors with a wood-frame living space on top. Cement panels and zinc panels add visual appeal. The furniture is tailor-made to fit the odd angles where the walls meet.

Bubble Palace Cannes, France

COMPLETED: 1989

SIZE: Almost three times the size of a basketball court

This house may look like a space colony but it’s really a 10-bedroom palace. Made of cave-like bubbles forming a labyrinth (迷宫), it also has ponds, waterfalls, swimming pools, an outdoor theater that seats 500 people, and views of the Mediterranean Sea.

Wonderworks Pigeon Forge, Tenessee

COMPLETED: 2006 (Other locations followed)

SIZE: About nine-tenths the size of a football field

Looking at the cracks in this building, you might think, is it about to crumble? And how do they get palm trees and grass to grow upside down? But it’s all an illusion. This indoor amusement park is actually pretty normal. The upside-down features are just for show. Inside are more than 100 hands-on science exhibits and activities, including a laser-tag zone, a hurricane-force wind tunnel, a zero-gravity astronaut-training ride, and a three-story ropes course.

1. Which building has the smallest size?

A．Wonderworks.	B．Cube Houses.
C．Bubble Palace.	D．Krzywy Domek.

2. What can visitors appreciate in Wonderworks?

A．The Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities.

B．The tailor-made furniture to fit the strange angles.

C．An illusion of palm trees and grass growing upside down.

D．A labyrinth formed by cave-like bubbles.

3. Where could the passage come from?

A．A textbook.

B．A tour brochure.

C．A magazine.

D．A report.

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。

Everything went according to plan, until it didn’t. The night before my first marathon, I ate the classic runner’ s dinner. That morning, I woke up before my alarm, tiptoed downstairs to toast three waffles and slathered them in peanut butter. I had slept eight hours, my unreliable left knee wasn’t bothering me, my stomach was full. I was ready.

Then my girlfriend, Louisa, knocked on the door asking: “Have you checked your email?” The Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis and St. Paul had been canceled. Race officials sent an email at 5: 16 a. m. announcing the race had been called off due to “black flag conditions”-- record-breaking heat.

While I understood why the race organizers didn’t want to put runners at risk, I also knew that I had trained in the baking and humid Washington, D. C. all summer. If I started early and finished around noon, I’d miss the worst heat of the day. Louisa offered to bike alongside me, with water, snacks and salt pills in tow.

I quickly called my friends to figure out what to do. About 40minutes later, we were heading for starting line in downtown Minneapolis, drinking a gallon of water, ready to run our own marathon. There is a psychological difference between running 42. 2 kilometers and running an organized marathon. The distance becomes a shared challenge when you’re running with thousands of others. That gives a runner confidence they can finish the race as well.

“When you’re in that marathon setting, having people on the sidelines, having people running alongside you, maybe running in a new location, there are so many other external things to help keep you focused, “my friend Samson said. The sights and sounds “give you a little of a break from the internal reflection that can happen when you start to struggle.” Indeed, it is a mental race.

注意：
（1）续写词数应为150个左右；
（2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

On our way to the starting line, we were wondering if anybody else would show up despite the cancellation.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The last 8 kilometers of the Twin Cities Marathon route are largely uphill.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

Spring cleaning is a tradition ingrained in societies worldwide, with roots     1     (trace) back to ancient times. The tradition symbolizes the transition from the inactive winter to the energetic     2     (grow) of spring. Human behavior is greatly influenced by the cycles of nature. In the colder months, we have less energy to spare for     3     (chore). We’re not being lazy; limited daylight makes us     4     (sleep).

Before the Lunar New Year, it’s common to clean the home of bad luck and misfortune in China. Known as “sweeping the dust,” cleaning makes way     5     the new year’s prosperity. Cleaning must be done before the holiday,     6     (typical) in January or February, since sweeping after the festivities     7     (see) as removing good luck.

In Thailand, it’s customary to deep clean homes, schools, and public spaces to     8     (pure) them ahead of the Thai New Year. People toss water at each other in the streets to wash away the previous year’s bad luck and ensure luck for the year to come.

As spring comes, it is sensible to open the windows     9     (air) out stuffy homes, remove dirt, and repair any damages     10     occurred during the winter months. Inventions such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and cleaning agents have made the process more efficient and convenient.

8 .

A video of a young boy waving to ask his dad for one extra hug before he drives off to work is capturing the hearts of social media users online.

Tyler Lobdell shared a 31-second clip on his TikTok page, which now has over 1.5 million views. Lobdell, a father of two, told Good Morning America he had the idea to check his doorbell camera recently when he came across the special moment and couldn’t resist watching it over and over.

“I watched it 150 times before I posted it because I’m just watching it and its making me emotional watching it and I just wanted people to feel what I felt watching it.” Lobdell said of his motivation to share the video of him and his son Isaiah.

Lobdell said even though he often showers his sons, Hudson and Isaiah, with hugs and kisses, the boys, who are now 6 and 8, still like to stop him before he leaves for work and occasionally request one more hug from him.

“They’ll catch me in the garage or come out, like Isaiah did that morning, and they’ll stop me for an extra hug,” Lobdell, an ironworker in Constantia, New York, explained. “They just do it randomly from time to time and I just love that they do that.”

“I always try to make sure that I’m reciprocating that love that they’re trying to show me,” he continued. “It’s a rough world out there and I don’t ever want my kids to ever feel that they can’t show me love or feel in any way that they’re not totally and completely loved by their parents.”

Lobdell said he encourages other parents to “be as present as possible” with their kids and take the opportunity to spend time with them because “time flies by so fast”. As for his young sons, Lobdell added that he wants them to know that no matter what they do, he’ll always support them and he’ll always be proud of them.

1. What attracted people’s attention about the video?

A．Lobdell’s care for his son.	B．Isaiah’s love for his father.
C．Lobdell’s parenting skills.	D．Isaiah’s funny activities.

2. Why did Tyler Lobdell post the video?

A．To express his gratitude.	B．To attract some followers.
C．To make his son feel proud.	D．To share his personal feelings.

3. What does the underlined word “reciprocating” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．Making out.

B．Taking over.

C．Giving back.

D．Setting down.

4. What was Tyler Lobdell’s final advice to other parents?

A．Be strict with their children.	B．Keep their children company.
C．Show respect to their children.	D．Praise and motivate their children.