1 . A new study estimates more than 1 billion people worldwide are currently living with obesity. People with obesity are considered medically overweight. The study, published in the medical publication The Lancet, said that one in eight people are obese. Researchers said around 43 percent of adults were overweight in 2022. Obesity among adults has more than doubled since 1990. Among young people aged 5 to 19, the obesity rate increased by four times during the same period.

“A staggering number of people are living with obesity, and severe obesity is strongly linked to a long list of health problems and an early death.” declared the lead writer of the study, Majid Ezzati, a professor at Imperial College London.

The WHO noted that at the World Health Assembly in 2022, member states agreed to an agency plan to fight obesity. So far, 31 governments “are now leading the way” to reduce obesity by carrying out goals of the plan.

These include government measures to enact new rules on “harmful” marketing of unhealthy food and drinks to children. In addition, governments are aiming to improve school and nutrition policies. They are also seeking price reductions for healthy foods, to increase public awareness about healthy diets and exercise and to strengthen requirements for physical activity in schools.

Imperial College’s Ezzati said that obesity rates are not rising in many wealthier nations. But they are quickly increasing in other countries. He noted that some countries have many underweight people, meaning the nations are facing what he called a “double burden” of nutrition problems.

Branca is head of nutrition at the WHO. He told reporters, “In the past, we have been thinking of obesity as a problem of the rich, but obesity is a problem of the world. Although new obesity drugs — such as Ozempic and Wegovy — could be helpful tools in reducing obesity, they noted that the cost and availability of the drugs might increase inequality.”

1. What does the underlined word “staggering” mean?

A．Satisfying.

B．Amazing.

C．Astonishing.

D．Puzzling.

2. What is included in the plan led by 31 governments?

A．Setting laws to ban the sale of unhealthy food.

B．Increasing the cost for people to consume healthy food.

C．Attaching importance to physical activities.

D．Offering lower-priced obesity drugs to people.

3. What does the author mean by mentioning “double burden”?

A．Some countries are suffering both poverty and obesity.

B．Some countries are suffering both poor nutrition and obesity.

C．Obesity is common in both poor and wealthy countries.

D．Obesity is a heavy burden for some countries.

4. What is Branca’s attitude to obesity problem?

A．Negative.

B．Indifferent.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Optimistic.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The smell of defeat filled the air on a warm October evening. In the school parking lot stood Coach McDonald and me, a loser in the 160-pound weight class.

Coach McDonald’s hands firmly grasped my shoulders, his eyes looking through my uncertainty. “Billy,” his voice cut through the uneasy quiet. “The potential for you to become an excellent wrestler exists. It takes time,” he argued.

“Don’t you see? I lost... again. Ten matches. Never won.” Frustration struck me as I stepped away from Coach McDonald. Pulling my cell phone from my equipment bag, I said definitively, “I need to call my mom. She’ll pick me up.” I just wanted to get away as soon as possible and flung myself into Mom’s arms. She had always been my best friend and supporter.

While waiting for her to answer my call, the thought of quitting the sport rumbled in my mind. I was so frustrated at that time that I ignored the joy and satisfaction wrestling had brought to me.

Coach McDonald closed in. “Billy, look at me,” he said. “Pound for pound, you’re the strongest and most flexible (灵活的) kid on the team. That’s a winning combination. Master the techniques in practice, and victory will be yours, I promise.”

I coughed and pulled my sweaty shirt off my chest. “When, Coach?”

With a knowing look, Coach said, “Do you know how long it took me to win my first match?” He stood up straight, squinting (斜视) like he was recalling a tough time. “During my first year, I lost every match. I ended the season 0-11. I didn’t lose at all in the following two years, including two state championships. Billy, that can be you someday. But it’ll never happen if you quit.”

In that silent moment, I felt a slight pain within me, but it was weak, not strong enough to change my mind. Coach cleared his throat, glancing at his watch. “Well, I’m hungry.”

“And my mom’s here,” I said. Then I jumped into her car.

注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式作答。
In the car, I told her I lost again and I was hesitating about quitting the team.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next day, I walked into the training field again.
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3 . 当下，正值踏春赏花好时节，贵州各地迎来了大量游客，然而旅游中不文明行为时有发生。假设你是学生会主席李华，请你用英语给你校学生写一篇倡议书，呼吁大家文明出游。内容包括：
1.不文明出游的现象;
2.对文明出游发出倡议。
注意：1.可以增加细节，以使行文连贯;
2.词数80词左右;
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。

When Zhao Shuxian started working at an art and craft factory in 1973, the then 19-year-old was given the job of     1     (master) the time-honored craft of making “velvet” flowers from silk. His goal was to be promoted to the designer’s workshop     2     he would be able to make whatever he wanted, and earn a     3     (good) living. Today, Zhao is recognized as one of the few seasoned     4     (make) of this ornament (装饰).

The practice of wearing velvet flowers     5     (believe) to date back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). They were sent to palaces during the reign of Wu Zetian,     6     they became a popular hair embellishment (点缀) for women serving at the court.

“It was common for court ladies     7     (decorate) their hair with flowers,” Zhao says. “But fresh flowers are not available all year around, so     8     (gradual) fabric flowers became a substitute.” Velvet flowers are called ronghua in Mandarin, a homophone for the characters meaning “prosperity”. Wearing them as     9     blessing became popular at wedding ceremonies, Lunar New Year, and Mid-Autumn Festival. Today, Zhao’s customers, who come from all over the world, wear his flowers both as an everyday item and     10     special occasions.

5 . It was a sunny weekend. I had planned to go mountain climbing in the suburbs with Daniel. However, a sudden heavy rain that morning disrupted my plan. Looking out of the window, I couldn’t help feeling a little ________ as the rain poured down.

However, Daniel ________ , “Since we can’t go mountain climbing, why don’t we go to an old ________ in the city? I heard there are many interesting shops and delicious food there.” I thought it was a good idea and _________. We braved the heavy rain and arrived at the old neighborhood. Although the sky was still ________ , the old buildings and unique atmosphere of the neighborhood attracted us.

We walked through the narrow streets and admired the ________ shops on both sides. A retro-style coffee shop caught our attention and we decided to go in and rest. In the coffee shop, we tasted the delicious coffee and talked about our daily lives. ________ , a strange figure walked into the coffee shop. He looked ________ and lost. His eyes fell on us casually and seemed to be looking for something. Out of ________ , we took the ________ to talk to him. It turned out that he was a photographer and he had just lost an important memory card which contained his works of many years. He had been searching for it in the neighborhood for a long time, but still couldn’t find it.

After hearing ________ his troubles, we decided to help him search for it. We searched around the neighborhood and asked many people, but couldn’t find the memory card. Just when we were about to give up, a little kid ________ to us with a memory card and said he had found it by the roadside. We excitedly took the memory card and after checking it was ________ , we gave it back to the photographer. The photographer looked at us gratefully with tears in his eyes. He said, “Thank you very much. This memory card means a lot to me.” We felt happy that we could help him and it added more meaning ________ this unexpected trip.

This experience made me realize that life always has unexpected surprises and twists. Sometimes, ________ your plan is not a bad thing and it may bring you a more wonderful experience.

1.

A．disabled

B．disappointed

C．disgraceful

D．disturbed

2.

A．suggested

B．claimed

C．answered

D．demanded

3.

A．museum

B．community

C．street

D．neighborhood

4.

A．admired

B．agreed

C．jumped

D．permitted

5.

A．sunny

B．chilly

C．gloomy

D．clear

6.

A．ancient

B．crowded

C．spacious

D．various

7.

A．Gradually

B．Slowly

C．Suddenly

D．Quickly

8.

A．tired

B．angry

C．energetic

D．relieved

9.

A．question

B．curiosity

C．control

D．danger

10.

A．action

B．measures

C．responsibility

D．initiative

11.

A．about

B．from

C．out

D．into

12.

A．listened

B．talked

C．came

D．pointed

13.

A．complete

B．correct

C．full

D．useful

14.

A．with

B．up

C．in

D．to

15.

A．changing

B．scheduling

C．making

D．following

6 . Most of us have been there: Families can be very difficult, and family problems are very painful.     1     Life is too short to waste time bogged down with negativity towards the people you love. How you approach the family member and what you say can make a big difference.

Identify the real problem.     2     Perhaps you are struggling with health problems or personal problems that you have been hiding from your family. Or maybe you are all grieving over a loved one who has passed away. Consider the real issue at hand, as this will allow you to then better address it.

Wait until you’re not angry to discuss this problem. Family problems can be very painful, especially around family-centered times, like holidays.     3     Waiting allows you to approach the issue logically, rather than emotionally.

    4     Keep your language positive when you talk to your family. Avoid using language that puts blame on any of your family members or that feels negative. Negativity is a vicious cycle.

Accept everyone’s faults, including your own. They say that blood is thicker than water, and that you can choose your friends, but not your family.     5    

A．Avoid the blame game.

B．Accept blame when you deserve it.

C．Try to figure out what is indeed going on.

D．That means avoiding judgment words or name calling of the family member.

E．However, there are ways to solve family problems and restore peace to the dynamic.

F．You might be able to cut people out, but it could cause you more pain down the road.

G．You should take a step back and give yourself some time to think before dealing with them.

7 . Djukic is a biology and chemistry student at John Carroll University. She never thought that one day she would be in a classroom where an English teacher asked her to play a board game in order to learn about climate change.

Debra Rosenthal is the professor of the class. At first, Djukic said she was uncertain about Rosenthal’s board game idea. “I was just like: ‘this is interesting, but how much are we actually going to take away from it?”

Rosenthal thought her students would gain a greater understanding about how their own ideas and experiences affect climate change. Students do not compete against each other. They work together to choose the best plan of action. The game is different from board games such as Monopoly, where the goal is to win. Rosenthal said she hoped the games would give students a chance to talk about climate change in a new way.

“By playing the games, it’s a way to be social, to engage in conversation. There has to be a lot of energy around the table. It’s very collaborative. And in the game that I chose to play, they really were able to work together and try to come up with a solution so that the planet was not destroyed.”

During the class, she said, students laughed, disagreed and had to call for votes as a way to decide how to move forward in the game. Djukic said it was a “way to have fun...while also learning about such a serious subject.”

The games are global, Djukic said. That is because she and her classmates said they were able to see how one player’s decision about agriculture affected another player on the other side of the world.

She said the games showed her that “in the game of climate change and the climate crisis, no individual wins.” “It’s either we all suffer from this, or we all somehow collaborate to work our way out of this and turn the clock back on climate change.”

1. What is the purpose of Rosenthal’s class arrangement?

A．To inspire the competition among students.

B．To entertain the students with the board game.

C．To stress the damage caused by climate change.

D．To encourage student’s viewpoints about climate change.

2. Which best describes the board game according to paragraph 4?

A．Cooperative

B．Competitive

C．Creative

D．Exclusive

3. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．Agriculture is of vital importance to the world.

B．The world is a community of shared future.

C．Man with strong will can conquer nature.

D．Climate change is a tough problem to solve.

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

A．Climate change calls for teamwork.

B．Climate change leads to global impact.

C．A board game helps students understand climate issues.

D．A good teacher gives students lifelong benefits.

8 . Sora, a new AI model developed by the company OpenAI — creator of chatbot ChatGPT — has recently become a global focus. The text-to-video artificial intelligence technology has the potential to make a revolution in video industries.

Sora can generate videos up to a minute long while maintaining visual quality and respond to user prompts, OpenAI said. It is able to generate complex scenes with multiple characters, specific types of motion, and accurate details of the subject and background.

Liu Xingliang, director of the Beijing-based Data Center of China Internet, said Sora is undoubtedly a major breakthrough for AI. “It not only demonstrates AI’s advanced ability to understand and create complex visual content, but also brings about opportunities and challenges for video content creation, entertainment, film and television production industries. The video-generation model will help video content creators to turn their ideas into reality at a faster speed and at a lower cost, and offer audiences richer and more diverse visual experiences,” Liu said, adding that AI is expected to play a more important role in all aspects of human lives in the future.

Meanwhile, the use of text-to-video AI models raises concerns about ethics, copyright protection, personal privacy and data security, experts said. How to ensure the authenticity and transparency of the content has become an important issue, and more efforts are needed to formulate rules and regulations to ensure the healthy development of such technology.

Zhou Hongyi, founder of Chinese company 360 Security Group, said: “Sora might bring a huge disruption to the advertising industry, movie trailers and short video industry, but it may not necessarily beat TikTok quickly. It is more likely to become a creative tool for TikTok.”

1. According to the text, what is the possible function of Sora?

A．Writing an essay.	B．Drawing an image.
C．Generating a movie.	D．Composing a song.

2. How does Sora bring opportunities to video content industries?

A．By reducing the time of making a video.

B．By adding the cost of making a video.

C．By offering audiences a single visual experience.

D．By helping the creators copy other’s ideas.

3. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?

A．The significance of Sora.	B．The potential risks of Sora.
C．The working principles of Sora.	D．The functions of Sora.

4. Which statement does Zhou Hongyi agree with?

A．Sora is important in all aspects of human lives.

B．Sora will replace the traditional video industry.

C．Sora poses huge risks to TikTok.

D．Sora is a double-edged sword.

9 . How to yum cha in Hong Kong

For Hong Kongers, a quality restaurant could become a family haunt that’s visited for generations to come. Here are some of the best places for chowing down on these steam-basket goodies.

Forum

Founded by a legendary abalone (鲍鱼) master, this three Michelin-star restaurant serves classic Cantonese dim sum with an attention to detail that can only be described as impeccable (无瑕疵的). If you want to know what perfect dim sum tastes like, head to Forum.

Sun Hing

As the chefs begin kneading (捏) dough and wrapping buns in the middle of the night, neighbors slowly fill the seats and wait for its freshly made dumplings and stir-fried milk puffs. There is no menu or ordering sheet here. Diners choose their dim sum from the display towers located at the counter.

Golden Valley

Golden Valley offers two styles of Chinese cuisine — Cantonese and Sichuanese — on one dim sum menu. Golden Valley’s dumplings are a refreshing and sumptuous (豪华的) pocket of shrimp, mushrooms, pork and water chestnuts, while its Sichuanese dan dan noodles are flavorfully spicy.

Veggie Kingdom

Veggie Kingdom boasts a pretty impressive meatless dim sum experience that even non-vegetarians wouldn’t feel lacking. Helmed by a veteran dim sum chef, Veggie Kingdom makes fresh vegan dishes using traditional cooking techniques. Specially-treated vegetable oil is used to replace lard (猪油) and butter. Mushrooms are added to replace the usual pork fillings.

1. What is Sun Hing’s feature?

A．It was founded by a famed master.	B．It offers special kinds of noodles.
C．It offers dim sum to night owls.	D．It offers menus to order food.

2. Which restaurant best suits visitors who dislike meat?

A．Golden Valley.	B．Veggie Kingdom.
C．Forum.	D．Sun Hing.

3. In which section of a magazine can the text be found?

A．Business.

B．Travel.

C．Entertainment.

D．Health.

10 . Research found gophers (囊地鼠) might improve conditions for root growth inside their underground tunnels. This could help the root-eating gophers get enough food in areas that don’t naturally contain lots of roots. If gophers aid the growth of food in this way, it might be counted as a type of farming.

Gophers spend a lot of energy digging their tunnels. Two researchers, Jack Putz and Veronica Selden from the University of Florida, got curious about where they got all this energy. So in 2021, the two investigated some gophers in Florida. They studied roots near 12 gopher tunnels to estimate how much root mass a gopher would encounter as it dug a meter of tunnel. Then the researchers calculated how much energy those roots would provide. They found digging cost the gophers about as much energy as the roots provided.

They also examined gopher tunnels. Poop (粪便) was spread along the tunnels. Gophers also seemed to have taken a few bites out of the roots. All suggested the gophers bad provided conditions conducing to root growth. Their poop served as fertilizer. And biting also encouraged root growth. They now think this amounts to a form of farming.

But the idea meets doubts. “I don’t think you could call it farming,” biologist Pynne says, “Biting roots and pooping mightn’t be signs of farming. Gophers could just be doing what all animals do,” Biologist Ulrich Mueller says. “If gophers could be regarded as farmers, then most animals are farmers. These animals also create good growing conditions for the plants they feed on. Take cows, for example. Their poop fertilizes the grass. But farmers don’t consider cows as their colleagues.” Selden understands the doubts but thinks what qualifies the gophers as farmers and sets them apart from other animals is that they develop and maintain this ideal growing environment.

Putz hopes their research makes people kinder to gophers. “If you put in ‘gopher’ online, you’ll see many ways to kill them,” he says. If people see gophers as useful animals, they might treat them better.

1. What did the researchers find about gophers?

A．They dug holes on the farm.	B．They bedded roots in the tunnel.
C．They helped improve farming methods.	D．They acquired energy from roots.

2. What do the underlined words “conducing to” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Belonging to.

B．Pointing to.

C．Favouring.

D．Balancing.

3. Why does Mueller mention cows in paragraph 4?

A．To show farmers depend on them.	B．To present they benefit root growth.
C．To deny gophers are viewed as farmers.	D．To prove their poop can serve as fertilizer.

4. What does Putz expect people to do about gophers?

A．Treat them as explorers.	B．Avoid hurting them.
C．Publicize them online.	D．Protect their habitats.