1 . Two Canadian teenagers, William and Henry, have been taking on a series of remarkable challenges. Their most recent action _______ following the shores of the Lake Ontario for 73 kilometers. They walked from Toronto to Hamilton, Canada, in about 18 hours.

“We like to challenge ourselves physically and _______. We like to _______ challenges like these. And we feel as though going on a long walk is kind of just the purest form of challenge that you can have.” Henry told CBC news.

With very little _______, the two 16-year-olds began their journey at 5 am, starting in darkness and finishing before midnight. They took several breaks, stopping at benches with _______ views along the way, which appealed to them so much.

During their walk, one of the interesting _______ they encountered was an abandoned cargo ship(货船).“You’d be _______ by the amount of things that you don’t see when you are driving and that you will see when you’re taking your time walking,” said Henry.

_______, the journey was not only a physical _______ but also a significant mental challenge. There were moments of ________ for the pair, requiring them to ________ each other along the way.

Around 70 km into the walk, they ________ a person on a bridge who appeared to be experiencing a mental health ________. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me and Henry. But we tried to ________ him to get out of it and ended up calling the police, and the situation was ________and everyone was all right,” William told CBC News. The walk is now over but William and Henry are not ready to stop challenging themselves. They set about planning a two-day 100 km walk in the near future.

1.

A．imagined

B．involved

C．permitted

D．missed

2.

A．hurriedly

B．occasionally

C．seriously

D．mentally

3.

A．evaluate

B．describe

C．overcome

D．avoid

4.

A．strength

B．preparation

C．humour

D．independence

5.

A．ordinary

B．horrible

C．fantastic

D．concrete

6.

A．sights

B．matches

C．platforms

D．notices

7.

A．amazed

B．embarrassed

C．confused

D．terrified

8.

A．Instead

B．However

C．Moreover

D．Therefore

9.

A．contact

B．change

C．appearance

D．trial

10.

A．pride

B．victory

C．amusement

D．loneliness

11.

A．blame

B．warn

C．support

D．respect

12.

A．came across

B．turned down

C．called on

D．took over

13.

A．crisis

B．facility

C．degree

D．examination

14.

A．allow

B．forbid

C．order

D．convince

15.

A．exposed

B．eased

C．predicted

D．proved

2 . Seasonality is a big part of business. For some industries, seasonal patterns are a defining feature. Agriculture is one obvious example; tourism another. Western toymakers notch up a huge proportion of their annual sales during Christmas. Construction is harder during cold weather, when that industry employs fewer people.

Firms less obviously tied to the seasons can still be deeply affected by them, as a recent review by Ian Hohm of the University of British Columbia makes clear. An analysis of social-media posts on the Internet found that dieting-related posts peak in the spring, as the season of body dysmorphia (变形) approaches.

Even when overall demand doesn’t vary greatly between the seasons, preterences change. Beef-eaters buy roasts in the slow-cooking winter season and plump for steaks during the summer months. Starbucks is among those firms that make seasonality a marketing event. The pumpkin-spiced latte is a reliable sign that autumn is on its way, along with falling leaves.

Seasonality also leaves a less obvious imprint (印记) inside organisations. This week, with so many bosses stuck on a mountain for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, productive employees can get on with some work and lazy ones can relax. School holidays offer an obvious form of seasonality, when employees without children are upset that they are covering for colleagues on holiday, and colleagues on holiday are upset that they have children.

Pay decisions are seasonal events, too. The time when employees find out their salary rises and bonuses sets off disappointment and happiness in all workplaces. In some, they are more like tsunamis. The actual date on which bonuses are paid matters too — once the money is safely put in the bank, people are more likely to move jobs.

There are other forms of corporate seasonality. While there isn’t much research on the impact of seasonality within firms, it’s certain that they have their own annual rhythms.

1. Why do people focus on dieting in spring posts according to the analysis?

A．They want to take time to get refreshed in spring.

B．They fear the summer heat will ruin their health.

C．They fear summer will reveal their body shapes.

D．They suffer a lack of proper food during winter.

2. What does the underlined part “plump for” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Throw away.

B．Decide on.

C．Rule out.

D．Turn up.

3. What troubles childless employees during school holidays?

A．Being unable to relax in the absence of the boss.

B．Staying in step with the change of the seasons.

C．Accompanying the children of their colleagues.

D．Sharing the work of the employees with children.

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

A．Companies Have Their Own Seasonal Rhythms

B．School Holidays Have an Effect on Companies

C．Corporate Seasonality Has Vast Social Effect

D．Employees Must Watch Beyond the Seasons

3 . My mother was born on a farm in Wisconsin in 1897. She attended college in Milwaukee.

One of my earliest memories, when I was about 3, was on a bitter cold day in 1932, the middle of the Great Depression. A man knocked on our back door and asked my mother for something to eat, as he hadn’t eaten for three days. Mom gave him a plate of stew (炖菜) plus two slices of bread. When he took the plate and fork, tears streamed down his cheeks.

At age 21, in 1918, my mother began employment with a local charity in northern Georgia. She was assigned alone to create valuable programs for a small community. She often told us the stories about those old days after she retired. In her later years, my mother established Georgia’s Garden Club, the Professional Women’s Club, the town’s first lending library and other “firsts”.

There were quite a lot of people at her funeral in 1990, when she passed away at 93. My sister and I moved among her many friends, exchanging memories about her. At one point, we saw a stranger with tears on his face. We approached him and my sister asked, “Did you know my mother well?” He replied, “I owe my life to her!” He told us that when he was a young child, in 1918, his family of seven all came down with the flu. The “new lady from the charity” heard about their illness and came to help. He said, “We’d never have made it without her loving care.”

Amazingly, the night before I had read a brief account of that very incident in one of my mother’s diaries. I’m certain I have a responsibility to inform the world of what my mother’s life in northern Georgia was like.

1. Why does the author mention the story that happened in 1932?

A．To complain about the Great Depression.

B．To explain there were many poor people.

C．To prove his family was so wealthy then.

D．To show his mother was very sympathetic.

2. What can best describe the author’s mother in her later years?

A．Ambitious and active.	B．Traditional but brave.
C．Determined and humorous.	D．Demanding but straightforward.

3. How might the author and his sister feel after hearing what the stranger said?

A．Puzzled.

B．Grateful.

C．Proud.

D．Sad.

4. What is the author likely to talk about next regarding his mother?

A．Her education experiences.	B．Her childhood memories.
C．The challenges in her career.	D．The stories in her programs.

4 . It might surprise you to learn that there are conservationists on four legs as well as two. In the 1890s, realizing that imported stoats (白鼬) were having a disastrous impact on local birds such as kiwi, conservationist Richard Henry relied upon his pet dog to help translocate birds to a reserve on Resolution Island. From then on, he kept working and contributed to the world’s first government-backed conservation dogs programme established in 1998.

Dogs have many qualities that recommend them for field work, but it’s their nose that puts them ahead of many humans. Damp surfaces trap odour molecules (气味分子), but dog noses are also remarkably sensitive. Add in a set of other adaptations that allow dogs to filter the air they breathe in to a dedicated smelling area at the back of the nose, you’ve got an extremely excellent detective machine.

Worldwide, dogs have helped scientists to track snow leopards, koalas, gorillas and even killer whales, whose muck (排泄物) only floats on the ocean’s surface for a limited time. For their cooperation, the dogs receive their favourite treat. “We reward our dogs for locating the target by playing balls,” says Hartman, a research scientist. She explains that around 98% of the dogs are from rescue shelters, given up by owners who could not match their energy levels. Enthusiastic dogs are a must for the programme, but trainers need to match this with patience curiosity and hard work.

After the muck sniffers (嗅探器), the next most common task for conservation dogs is live animal detection. Many working dogs were first bred to be pest controllers in agricultural settings. Now conservation dogs are used to find introduced rats and stoats on New Zealand’s island safe havens, feral cats in Australia, mongooses in Japan — even mussels and ants in the US that cause destruction and upset ecosystems. It’s just one of the ways dogs are being employed to keep human activity in check.

1. Why is Richard Henry’s story mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To illustrate stoats’ impact.

B．To tell dogs’ position in animal protection.

C．To present different kinds of conservationists.

D．To highlight Henry’s passion for making a reserve.

2. What makes dogs outstanding for field work?

A．Loyalty.

B．Smelling.

C．Bravery.

D．Wisdom.

3. What does Hartman suggest in paragraph 3?

A．Dogs need training to achieve their potential.

B．Dogs located their targets by playing balls.

C．Humans could be as energetic as their dogs.

D．Dogs from rescue shelters are best for the job.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Be friendly to your pet dog.

B．Train your dogs to detect wildlife.

C．Cooperate with dogs for a better living.

D．Meet the dogs saving some animal species.

5 . A homeowner is puzzled by two dolls moving into his mailbox one day. Don Powell said the two dolls ________ in his mailbox last summer with a ________ that read: “We’ve decided to live here. Mary and Shelley.”

He asked his neighbors if anyone else had ________ dolls in their mailbox but no one had. It’s important to note that Powell has a mailbox that looks ________ to his actual home. So, he could see why a doll family might want to ________ .

His first thought was to ________ the couple and their belongings into the garbage can. But then, ________, he changed his mind. He pushed the couple and their belongings to the ________ of the mailbox and started doing his own business.

But this was just the ________. Soon after, someone dropped off a dog for the doll couple living in the mailbox. Over time more ________ started to appear inside the mailbox including a carpet, chair, and a bed.

By Christmas time, Shelley and Mary ________ some wrapped presents and a little Christmas tree. After a while, Powell turned to social media to see whether anyone would ________ they put the dolls in his mailbox, or if they ________ who did. But no one came forward.

“I’m kind of enjoying the mystery,” he said. “I look forward to ________ things being added to the mailbox.” Powell said although the dolls have found a home inside his mailbox, it doesn’t disturb his mailman from ________ his letters.

1.

A．grew

B．married

C．arrived

D．quarreled

2.

A．book

B．note

C．order

D．request

3.

A．found

B．lent

C．kept

D．made

4.

A．strange

B．proper

C．close

D．similar

5.

A．sign up

B．move in

C．carry on

D．come along

6.

A．throw

B．warn

C．force

D．drive

7.

A．absolutely

B．actually

C．obviously

D．suddenly

8.

A．top

B．side

C．back

D．outside

9.

A．attempt

B．beginning

C．excuse

D．joke

10.

A．furniture

B．adventure

C．fortune

D．wealth

11.

A．bought

B．created

C．received

D．expected

12.

A．admit

B．promise

C．refuse

D．declare

13.

A．blamed

B．considered

C．knew

D．feared

14.

A．new

B．valuable

C．unique

D．terrible

15.

A．getting

B．writing

C．sending

D．delivering

6 . There Are 4 Types of Anger: Which One Is Yours?

You’re passive-aggressive (被动攻击型)

    1     when a colleague asks for a favor, but then oh, forget to do it—or do it late and not well. You say "it's fine" when it's really not or 'whatever' when you really mean no. These are all classic passive-aggressive behaviors-or patterns of indirectly expressing negative feelings instead of openly addressing them.

You make mountains out of molehills (小题大做)

You find the fault in every situation, and regard each conversation as an argument you have to win. Maybe you were made to look or feel inferior（卑微的） growing up. To pay off, you become more aggressive. Instead of feeling like a victim, you learn to be the "rejecter".     2    . And you create conflict or deliver the first blow in an argument so it gives you the chance to be heard, to prove you are smarter, and to show you're right.

Your fuse (保险丝) is short and you burst into anger

When you lose the ability to control a situation, it may set off aggression, violent behavior or explosive outbursts that are not necessary to the situation.    3    . This type of anger can also put people at risk for harm, so it's important to seek professional help.

    4    

When it comes to your religious, political or other beliefs—yours are right, the others are wrong; yours are good, the others are bad. So when others go against your beliefs, you're on the offensive because your beliefs are correct, and therefore your anger is reasonable. Even if your intentions are good, anger gets you in trouble when you allow it get out of control.    5     because you think your morals back the behavior.

A．Your morals fuel your anger

B．Anger itself is not a bad emotion

C．You give an enthusiastic "sure, no problem!"

D．It's how you use your anger that makes it good or bad

E．And you feel you have the right to do whatever you want

F．You put down or reject others first before it can be done to you

G．Getting stuck in traffic, for example, may lead you to yell at other drivers

7 . American Jason Stark’s two young sons talked excitedly for months about seeing the The Super Mario Bros. Movie. When the film opened this month, Star k decided to make a special event of taking his boys to the show.

Star k took a day off from work and drove his boys, ages 9 and 6, about a half-hour from their Connecticut home. They went to watch the movie at an AMC theater with a large special screen called an IMAX.

“We got lunch, we went to the movies and had a fun day together,” said Stark. “They loved it. They were amazed by how big (the screen) was.”

Filmmakers and theater business leaders say movie watchers are seeking such new, interesting experiences. American and Canadian ticket sales of traditional movies this year are 16 percent below 2019. However, people have attended movies in large numbers for films and showings that use special effects, including Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water.

Theaters are employing technology to create improved experiences. Changes include larger screens, special sound systems, seats that move in connect ion with action in a film and other environmental effects.

Market researcher Comscore visualizes these special shows will make up 16.7 percent of U. S. movie ticket sales. The company says that number was 9.2 percent in 2019.

Theater companies continue to build large, special viewing screens known as premium format (高级格式). The total number of premium format screens in North America reached 1,940 in 2022, says Omdia, another research company. It says the new number represents an increase of 4.4 percent over the year before.

The average ticket price to see a movie in the U. S. is around $11. Premium screenings usually cost five to seven dollars more.

B&B Theatres operates 531 screens in 14 states and offers large format screens as well as heated chairs that can be raised and lowered, immersive (亲临其境) audio and seats timed to move with a movie’s action.

1. What impressed Star k and his two sons most about the movie?

A．Its large screen.	B．Its moving story.
C．Its famous actors.	D．Its excited audience.

2. What’s the problem with traditional movies?

A．They are out of date.	B．They will disappear in the future.
C．They are less popular now.	D．People no longer like to see them.

3. What does the underlined word “visualizes” mean in paragraph 6?

A．Warns.

B．Expects.

C．Doubts.

D．Announces.

4. What do we know about the new technology movies?

A．They are costly and difficult to build.	B．They have lost their traditional style.
C．They only attract the young to watch.	D．They cost more for people to enjoy.

8 . Scientists have discovered fossils that might have belonged to the heaviest animal in Earth’s history. The blue whale holds the current record as the largest creature to live on Earth. But a collection of bones found in Peru might break that record.

Mario Urbina discovered the bones in 2012. He is with the University of San Marcos’ Natural History Museum in Lima. An international team spent years digging them out from the side of a rocky hill in the Ica desert. The large fossils date back to around 39 million years ago.

After the digging operation, the researchers used 3D scanners to study the surface of the bones and also looked inside. The researchers used the huge but incomplete skeleton to estimate the whale’s size and weight.

The team estimates the ancient creature weighed somewhere between 85 and 340 metric tons. The biggest blue whales found have been within that range, at about 180 metric tons. This means the newly discovered whale was possibly the heaviest animal ever. Bu it was most likely not the longest animal ever.

The research team said one reason the animal weighs more is because its bones are much denser and heavier than a blue whale’s bones. Those super-dense bones suggest the whale may have spent its time in less deep, coastal waters, the scientists said. Other animals that stay close to the coast have heavy bones to help them stay close to the seafloor.

Amson, from the State Museum of Natural History in Germany, said that without the skull, it is hard to know what the whale was eating to support such a huge body. It is possible that the large creature sought food along the seafloor, the researchers said. Or it could have eaten up tons of smaller sea life in the ocean.

1. What did the researchers want to know by using 3D technology?

A．How big and heavy the whale was.	B．What environment the whale faced.
C．What caused the whale to die.	D．How long the whale lived.

2. What do heavier bones mean for this ancient whale?

A．The strength it had.	B．The area where it lived.
C．The way it hunted for food.	D．The speed it swam in the sea.

3. What interested Amson about the ancient whale?

A．The way it moved in the sea.	B．The miss of its head bones.
C．The large amount of food it ate.	D．The threat it brought to other sea life.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Ancestor of Blue Whales Was Discovered

B．Huge Ancient Whale Bones Shock Researchers

C．Mysterious Giant Ancient Whales Puzzle Scientists

D．Ancient Whale May Be Heaviest Animal Ever Found

9 . On January 12, three EF-3 tornadoes came through the city of Griffin, Georgia, where I live. One of the tornadoes passed directly over my house. The rumbling (隆隆声) was strong as the winds pushed against the house. Trees were uprooted, and broken pieces flew through the air. Rain and hail fell in sheets.

Students had to shelter in place. The students gathered together for hours, according to Nicole Dowling, a math teacher at Kennedy Road Middle School. “We all waited for safe passage,” she said. “There were downed trees blocking each direction on Kennedy Road.”

Most students got home safely by 11 p. m., but about two dozen had to remain until the early hours of January 13.

“I’ll never forget the sound,” Dowling said. She heard loud noises as she waited with other teachers in a classroom. “All at once,” she added, “we were under desks for cover. We were all one, listening attentively, until we sensed the storm moving away.”

Mariyah Dallas, a sixth grader, said that she and her family were frightened. “It was very scary because the power was out for more than a day,” she said. “We had to move a lot of trees out of the yard.”

The tornadoes damaged nearly 2,000 buildings in Griffin. Dowling described the result. “Massive trees were broken in half and thrown about,” she said. “Electrical wire were hanging like loose noodles. Ruins lay everywhere.”

Power was knocked out in the city, which has a population of more than 23,000. When I looked into the damage, I saw that a gas station overhang had fallen down, destroying a car under it. The roof of the Hobby Lobby near the shopping center had fallen down.

A study from 2019 suggests that climate change may be a contributing factor to the shift of Tornado Alley, causing it to move eastward. As a result, heavily-populated areas east of the Mississippi River are experiencing more tornadoes than they have in the past.

1. What happened to the students according to the math teacher?

A．They ran away from school.	B．They were trapped in a disaster.
C．They found no places to shelter.	D．They were injured in the tornado.

2. What impressed Dowling most about the tornado?

A．Its sight.

B．Its speed.

C．Its power.

D．Its noises.

3. What do we know about the car in the gas station?

A．It broke down half way.	B．It ran out of gas on the way.
C．It was covered by falling ruins.	D．It was destroyed by falling trees.

4. How does climate change affect tornadoes?

A．It changes their areas.	B．It changes their moving speed.
C．It increases their force to destroy.	D．It increases times to take place.

10 . Getting the best deal

Bargaining is a difficult process. The buyer wants to purchase a product at its minimum price while the seller wants to maximize the potential for profit.     1    , and thus it is in the best interest of buyers to strategize exactly how they will convince sellers to lower their prices.

First, buyers should assume that the price tag represents the starting point of negotiations, not the final word on the matter. Buyers should begin by asking the salesperson whether any sales or discounts will soon be advertised.     2    , the salesperson probably will not volunteer to give one to them. Salespeople often work on commission, so it is frequently to their advantage to hide this information from their customers.

Second, buyers need to find out whether the seller has lowered prices in the past and, if SO, by how much.     3    , he or she can request a similar price. This step in the bargaining 2 process requires perseverance, but it can pay off financially. Also, it is important that buyers never let sellers know that they need their products because the seller is then less likely to lower the price.

Finally, buyers must be patient     4    , as buyers must collect a good deal of information about the product. Sometimes buyers might need to purchase a product at a more expensive price sim ply because they do not have the time necessary to shop further. The buyer’s time is important, too, and sometimes it is worth spending extra money if he or she needs the item immediately. However, sometimes simply by waiting for two weeks or two months, the buyer will save a considerable amount of money.     5    .

A．Even if customers really want the item

B．If customers do not request a special deal

C．Looking for bargains takes time and energy

D．It can be worthwhile to wait under these circumstances

E．The desires of the buyer and the seller oppose each other

F．Buyers must be prepared to walk away from an item when bargaining

G．If the buyer learns that the seller has offered discounts to other customers