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。

The 2023 Chinese Bridge Calligraphy and Painting Contest lasted for six months,     1     (attract) 1, 084 contestants from 86 countries     2     a total of 1, 146 calligraphy and painting works.

According to experts, the award winning calligraphy works this year mirrored many Chinese classic elements with more     3     (expressive) and creativity, compared to the winners of last year's contest,

“I feel honored to be the judge again and also     4     (delight) to find that the entries for this year have been such a breakthrough. From their progress, you can     5     (definite) see the authors must have spent a lot of time and energy learning traditional Chinese culture, ” commented one of the judges.

At the closing ceremony, Zhang Bo, professor from Beijing Language and Culture University, gave high praise of the achievement of overseas Chinese teaching,     6     played a significant role in cultural exchanges. He said the quality of the entries resulted from the contestants' years of study, as well as     7     guidance and assistance of overseas Chinese teaching behind them.

The experts suggested watching the videos about the contestants on the website. “Through these videos, we can see their daily practice and creation process,     8     we can also feel their understanding and love for Chinese culture from their introductions. The creative process of calligraphy and painting     9     (have) a visual appreciation similar to dance. It is our hope that these videos     10     (share) on social media will encourage more people to develop a love for Chinese culture.”

2 . A lot of people assume the more work they put in at the gym, and the longer and harder they push themselves, the better their results will be.     1     But if you want to get the best gains, the key is to focus on the quality of the work rather than the quantity.

Your body is capable of making only tiny adaptations and improvements at any one time. Once you've given it enough push to make these changes, any additional work you do after that point won't be making you any better.     2     This is because you'll need longer to recover afterwards. Besides, you won't feel fresh when you start your next session. Ideally, it's just enough to do the smallest amount of work required to promote growth in every workout.     3     Thus the minimum amount of exercise brings the maximum physical gains.

    4     For example, if a new gym-goer wants to get stronger, he might start a squat (深蹲) workout, which is made up of ten steps, each having five repetitions. In theory, it's a sensible way for building strength. If he's only attempted three steps in his previous exercise, it's far from enough. The fourth step would push him past his previous limit and force adaptation. But the subsequent steps are meant for more professional people.     5    

As a general rule, regardless of your experience, aim to only increase the volume of any exercise by one step from workout to workout.

A．It seems logical.

B．Instead, it'll harm your progress.

C．It's natural that you may want to keep fit.

D．After that, you can stop exercising during the day.

E．Only in this way can you enjoy the benefit of exercise.

F．They would just increase the chance of injury for beginners.

G．How much exercise you need to do depends on your current fitness level.

3 . Social media companies are often compared to tobacco companies, for they both market harmful products to children and design their products for maximum customer loyalty (that is, addiction), but there’s a big difference: Teens can and do choose, in large numbers, not to smoke. Social media, in contrast, applies a lot more pressure on non-users, at a much younger age and in a more unnoticed way.

Once a few students in any middle school open accounts at age 11 or 12, the pressure on everyone else to join becomes intense. Even a girl who consciously knows that Instagram can foster beauty obsession, anxiety, and eating disorders might sooner take those risks than accept the seeming certainty of being out of the picture and excluded. In this way, social media unlocks a remarkable achievement: It even harms adolescents who do not use it.

A recent study in the University of Chicago illustrated the effects of the social media trap precisely. The researchers asked more than 1,000 college students how much they would need to be paid to deactivate (停用) their accounts on Instagram for four weeks. On average, the students said they would need to be paid roughly $ 50. Then the experimenters told the students that they were going to get most of their friends to do the same, and then asked, Now how much would you have to be paid to deactivate, if most others did so? The answer, on average, was less than zero — most students were willing to pay to have that happen.

Most students are on social media only because everyone else is too. This is the textbook definition of what social scientists call a collective-action problem. It’s what happens when a group would be better off if everyone in the group took a particular action, but each actor is discouraged from acting, because unless the others do the same, the personal cost outweighs the benefit. Cigarettes trapped individual smokers with a biological addiction. Social media, however, has trapped an entire generation in a collective-action problem.

1. What drives teenagers to start using social media?

A．The longing to stand out.

B．The fear of being left out.

C．The wish to impress others.

D．The pressure from non-users.

2. What can we learn about the college students in the study?

A．They are happy to interact online.

B．They are fed up with social media.

C．They choose Instagram over friends.

D．They use social media to make money.

3. Which of the following is a collective-action problem?

A．Athletes changing strategies to win a race.

B．Students taking exercise for better health.

C．Fishermen limiting their catch to protect fish.

D．Companies investing more for bigger profits.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To present new findings of a research.

B．To introduce a branch of social science.

C．To explore a reason for social media addiction.

D．To argue against the benefits of social media.

4 . There’s a site in Cornwall, in southern England, called Woodland Valley Farm. Here, farmer Chris Jones allows beavers (河狸) to wander in an enclosed five-acre plot. Their natural dams, he says, have helped control repeated flooding of the downstream village.

Centuries after beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain, efforts are now underway by environmentalists to reintroduce the creature. “Sometimes they can really be annoying; they can mess everything up,” says Christof Angst, an official consultant of be aver management. “But if you look at it on the whole, the positive impact of this species is huge.” Some of the benefits of beavers’ work on a landscape include a boost to biodiversity, drought resistance, and improvement of water quality by moving pollutants.

Yet, as the animals’ return becomes increasingly widespread, the debate is shifting from whether to bring them back to a question of how to manage them once they start appearing in waterways. The consequences of bringing beavers back are not all positive, the most common one being the flooding they can cause, rather than reduce. In addition, critics point to the high costs of beaver-felled trees and be aver reintroduction programs.“Who’s going to pick up the cost, who’s going to do the repairs, who’s going to cover crop loss?”asks Richard Bramley, a farmer from the York area.“There’s no plan.”

To avoid conflicts, organizers have fenced in beaver-related projects. The beavers are not permitted to wander freely beyond the fences. The government has also put together a beaver management strategy framework, which advises communication and listening, in an effort to clear up misunderstandings and concerns. When beavers do cause issues, available options will be provided, including modifying the dams, reducing water levels, or relocating the animals.

“What we want to direct people towards is coexistence with wildlife and nature,” saysEva Bishop, head of communications and education at the Beaver Trust. “We need to encourage people to give space for nature to function.”

1. What do we know about Woodland Valley Farm?

A．It keeps beavers for research.

B．It is funded by the government.

C．It builds dams to control flooding.

D．It restricts beavers to a certain area.

2. What is Richard Bramley’s attitude toward be aver projects?

A．Critical.

B．Appreciative.

C．Neutral.

D．Tolerant.

3. What does the underlined word “concerns” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Worries about related costs.

B．Doubts about beavers’ safety.

C．Fears for species extinction.

D．Anxieties over river pollution.

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

A．Increasing Beavers Raise the Alarm

B．Conflicts with Beavers Keep Arising

C．Wildlife Conservation Sees a Policy Shift

D．Beaver Projects Offer Coexistence Lessons

5 . 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。

Distracted driving is an ongoing problem. A new poll by State Farm,     1     insurance company, proves once again that the roads are full of fools. One in five of the 912 drivers     2     (survey) last November admitted accessing the Internet on their smartphones while driving. Over the past several months, the company     3     (conduct) a deeper study.     4     (teenager) and young adults are more addicted to their phones, and they’re also less experienced drivers, a reason for danger on the roads with a likely     5     (high) percentage of smartphone use while driving.

Despite     6     (acknowledge) the dangers, none of the guilty drivers seems to be ashamed of     7     (them). “I’m not saying it’s the smartest thing in the world,” says Sean Black, a 38-year-old Illinois resident, “but I guess I just do it anyway.”Maybe, to a certain degree, this behavior will never change     8     a near-accident or actual crash doesn’t take place. Even then, the change will only happen     9     the basis of each individual case, and it puts the lives and well-being of innocents at the mercy of those     10     are too lazy to change their habits.

6 . Greek Odyssey Reader Event

Join Gourmet editor Joann a Hunkin for an evening of Greek celebration at Kafeneion in Melbourne, Australia.

Escape to the warm waters of the Mediterranean as we celebrate the new, permanent home of Kafeneion, a Greek restaurant, on Spring Street with a shared feast of traditional Greek favorites, inspired by the owners’ own family recipes.

Kafeneion was originally established as a pop-up on Bourke Street, but the co-owners quickly realized they were onto a good thing. As word spread of the simple-yet-vibrant menu — which is built on dishes passed through the team’s families for generations — the race was on to find somewhere to continue the legacy (传承), which set the restaurant apart from others.

Now, following a brief absence, Kafeneion is back, taking over The Supper Club for dinner service (with the late-night favourite still in action from 11pm each night). And what better place to settle in for an evening of good food and great conversation, as we celebrate the rich history of Greece and share stories of adventures old and new? Join us as executive chef Fellipe Mezzavilla immerses us in the flavors of Greece and inspires new journeys to come.

VENUE: Kafeneion, Level 1, 161 Spring St, Melbourne
DATE & TIME: 6:30 pm, Wednesday, 19 June 2024
PRICE: $140 per person, all-inclusive four courses with paired drinks throughout
BOOK NOW: Scan the QR code or visit greekodyssey. eventbrite. com.au
ENQUIRIES: Email rsupgt@aremedia.com.au

1. What is special about the food in Kafeneion?

A．It includes typical Australian dishes.

B．It is served with popular ingredients.

C．It is chosen from The Supper Club.

D．It shows family cooking heritage.

2. How can you buy tickets to this event?

A．By calling the restaurant.	B．By scanning a QR code.
C．By sending an email.	D．By purchasing off-line.

3. Where is the text mostly likely taken from?

A．A travel brochure.	B．A cooking recipe.
C．A food magazine.	D．A research paper.

7 . Our National Public Radio staff and trusted crities have made some recommendations about must-reads.

Rough Sleepers    Tracy Kidder

This uplifting book is about Dr. Jim O’Connell’s work of bringing health care to unhoused people for more than three decades, first in Boston and now in nearly every American city. His work might be a band-aid on the bigger problem of homelessness, but as he said, “This is what we do while waiting for the world to change.”

The Right Call       Sally Jenkins

Sally Jenkins has had a superb career recording the highest achievements in sports by individuals and by teams. With The Right Call, she captures what makes some athletes and coaches reach their peak. Whatever part of life you want to excel in, this book will have you rethinking what you do and how you might do it differently.

The Secret of Cooking       Bee Wilson

More than a cookbook, this is a guide to how to make cooking work for you — and even become a joy. What if you have picky eaters, a full time job and a kitchen with only half the ingredients the recipe calls for? This book has the answers, explaining everything from how to figure out what flavors go together, to how to get easy when everything goes wrong.

Land of Milk and Honey       C Pam Zhang

Set in a future where a mysterious smog has swallowed Earth, causing widespread crop failures and food shortages, the story follows an unnamed chef who finds herself in a world of cooking delights and unequalled sensory experiences among a landscape of despair (绝望). It’s an exploration of human nature, and the choices we make in the face of difficulties.

1. How does Dr. Jim O’Connell view his own work?

A．It doesn't help in solving the housing problem.

B．It shows a way to be excellent in life differently.

C．It will make a difference in caring about the homeless.

D．It offers a way to get food in times of shortage.

2. Whose book can get readers to think about how to be excellent in life?

A．Tracy Kidder.	B．Sally Jenkins.
C．Bee Wilson.	D．C Pam Zhang.

3. What do Bee Wilson’s and C Pam Zhang’s works have in common?

A．They tell readers how to reduce food waste.	B．They provide personal cooking experience.
C．They both have something to do with cooking.	D．They try to cover some aspects of family life.

8 . The chorus of the theme song for the movie Fame, performed by actress Irene Cara, includes the line “I’m gonna live forever.” Cara was, of course, singing about the longevity (长存) that fame can bring after she dies. But in Silicon Valley, plenty of big names in big tech have sunk funding into solving the problem of death as if it were just an upgrade to your smartphone’s operating system.

Yet what if longevity will always have a ceiling, no matter what we do? Researchers have now taken on the question of how long we can live if we do not die from cancer, heart disease or getting hit by a bus. They report that when omitting things that usually kill us, our body still fades with time. And even if we make it through life with few stressors, this decline sets the maximum life span for humans at somewhere between 120 and 150 years.

For the study, Timothy Pyrkov, a researcher at a Singapore-based company, and his colleagues looked at this “pace of aging” in the U. S. , the U. K. and Russia. They assessed changes in blood cell counts and the daily number of steps taken and analyzed them by age groups.

For both blood cell and step counts, the pattern was the same; as age increased, some factor beyond disease drove a predictable and incremental (递增的) decline in the body’s ability to return blood cells or pace to a stable level after a disruption. The researchers also found that with age, the body’s, response to injuries could increasingly range far from a stable normal, requiring more time for recovery.

Measurements such as blood pressure and blood cell counts have a known healthy range, however, whereas step counts are highly personal. The fact that the researchers chose a variable that is so different from blood counts and still discovered the same decline over time may suggest a real pace of aging factor in play across different domains.

Study co-author Peter Fedichev says that although the majority of biologists would view blood cell counts and step counts as “pretty different”, the fact that both sources “paint exactly the same future” suggests that this pace of aging component is real.

1. Why did the author mention Irene Cara?

A．To introduce a concept.	B．To bring in the topic.
C．To prove the longevity of fame.	D．To show everyone’s dream.

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

A．Ignoring.

B．Testing.

C．Analyzing.

D．Changing.

3. What was mainly discussed in paragraph 4?

A．The pattern of blood cells.	B．The results of the research.
C．The process of the experiment.	D．The body’s response to injuries.

4. What do most biologists think of the method of the study?

A．Advanced.

B．Unreliable.

C．Conventional.

D．Unusual.

9 . If you could save someone’s life, would you? That question was ______ in the hearts of Julia Harlin’s children. Their mother was at risk of dying without a liver transplant. Julia did not want her children to become living ______ , but the kids had other ideas. Eileen Harlin and two of her siblings (兄弟姐妹) made the ______ to have testing as possible ______ without telling their mom.

After securing a good test result, Eileen phoned her mother, “Hey, don’t get ______ , but I’ve been tested to see if I’m a match. And I am, and I want to do it. How can you be mad when your daughter is going to save her mom’s life?” The news went around and was ______ tears all around.

The transplant surgery went ______ on August 16, 2022, at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Unfortunately, Julia received bad news shortly after getting her new ______ of life. She was experiencing kidney ______ due to her liver disease, so even though the liver was mending, the kidneys had too much damage to ______ .

Without a second thought, Eileen ______ and another transplant was ______ on December 19, 2023, at the same facility.

Daniel G. Maluf, M. D. , the surgeon for both of Julia’s procedures, said, “The mom’s kidney function recovered ______. And both of them were home two or three days after the transplant. Julia is a wonderful patient, very ______ of her kids’ efforts. And obviously, the hero of the story is Eileen, who ______ twice to save her mother.”

1.

A．alarming

B．burning

C．disturbing

D．damaging

2.

A．organizers

B．models

C．donors

D．losers

3.

A．decision

B．difference

C．mistake

D．examination

4.

A．organs

B．matches

C．chances

D．applicants

5.

A．fearful

B．ignorant

C．upset

D．mad

6.

A．met with

B．commented on

C．agreed to

D．burst into

7.

A．badly

B．slowly

C．smoothly

D．obviously

8.

A．dream

B．page

C．certificate

D．message

9.

A．loss

B．pain

C．function

D．failure

10.

A．recover

B．apply

C．suffer

D．develop

11.

A．settled down

B．stood out

C．jumped in

D．sank in

12.

A．transformed

B．observed

C．influenced

D．accomplished

13.

A．immediately

B．gradually

C．eventually

D．independently

14.

A．helpful

B．generous

C．appreciative

D．impressive

15.

A．went ahead

B．came forward

C．took on

D．gave in

10 . The tales and the tone vary, and the story-tellers are “journal influencers”, mostly young women reading their teenage diaries to audiences online. One influencer, Carrie Walker, draws 1. 2 million views for a half hour read online. And sharing secrets presents commercial opportunity: selling notebooks and pens on shopping website. or copies of diaries on auction (拍卖) website.

Sally Bayley of the University of Oxford, author of The Private Life of the Diary, regards sharing diaries on social media as the contrary of diary keeping. saying the journal is an internal territory, inseparable (分不开的) from privacy. Yet diaries have also long been shared. In the 19th century, when keeping a journal rose in popularity, diary-sharing then was “extremely common”. Diaries were read aloud or sent to friends. “That distinction between public and private really doesn’t hold at all, ” says Professor Huff. Some diaries served practical uses, sharing advice on self-improvement, pregnancy or childbirth. British women in a strange land often sent diaries back home. They were creating an extended family through these diaries.

Many journal videos also create a sense of community. They share stories of loneliness of struggles with body image or early romantic trouble. They make fun of the improper expectations of youth and the disappointments of adulthood, with the ear of sympathetic strangers.

The co-existence of secrecy and celebration was perhaps best understood by Anais Nin, a 20th-century French-born American whose diary was an exercise in self-creation. “I’m in my journal, and in my journal only. Nothing shows on the outside. Perhaps I don’t exist except as a fantastic character in this story. ”

And Nin published her journals. Its content won her fame that her fiction had not. Her confessional (忏悔的) texts broke through the thin screen between public and private. The diaries are a masterclass in broadcast secrecy.

“We write to taste life twice.” Nin wrote, “in the moment and in reflection. ” She spent her last years reading her diaries to crowds. Like today's influencers, she knew that reflection tastes much sweeter in company.

1. How does Carrie Walker attract viewers?

A．By advertising her stories,	B．By reading her journals online.
C．By telling stories in a humorous way.	D．By influencing others to write journals.

2. What does Professor Huff think about the act of journal-sharing?

A．It won’t break the privacy of journals.	B．It should be forbidden on social media
C．It develops one’s sense of community.	D．It's an age-long custom to observe.

3. What did Anais do in her journal videos?

A．She shared her advice on exercising in a group.

B．She criticized her parents’ unrealistic expectation.

C．She publicly reflected on her body image problem.

D．She regretted her past mistakes through the journal.

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

A．Writing Journals Is a New Trend	B．Media Platforms Set Stages for Writers
C．Who Are the Personal Journals Written for?	D．What Breaks the Barrier of Public and Private?