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。

Chinese achievements in pollution control, ecological recovery and protection, and green development China     1     (make) in the past decade were highlighted at a Friday press briefing,     2     a senior official pointed out China’s     3     (participate) and leadership in global climate governance.

According to the press briefing, China has been the fastest in improving air quality and the PM2. 5 level in cities at the prefecture level and above dropped by 34. 8 percent from that of 2015. Days with good air quality reached 87. 5 percent. Pollution of water bodies and the soil is also     4     (effective) tackled. Ecological systems     5     (protect) and restored. National parks are set and more than 300 endangered animal and plant species saw their wild populations recover, marking achievements in protecting ecological diversity.

The country has taken     6     active part in cooperation on climate change. It has done its     7     (good) to help other developing countries to improve their climate response capacity     8     (reduce) the harmful impacts of climate change. It also has distributed over 1. 2 billion yuan on climate change and trained about 2, 000 officials and experts in the field of climate change     9     more than 120 developing countries.

    10     (head) forward, China will work with all parties to actively participate in the global governance of climate change.

2 . Growing up, I felt that I learned some things quickly and other things painfully slowly. Picking up French and Spanish seemed to come naturally, while painting and drawing required a lot of practice. I thought that some people just have a talent for languages; others don’t.

You’ve probably felt the same way—that certain things were easier for you to learn. And so did my research partners. So we set out to identify what makes some people learn faster than others. If we could just distill (提取) these unique characteristics, we thought, we would be able to create better learning environments—and make everyone a fast learner.

In our study, we model data from student performance on groups of tasks that assess the same skill component and that provide follow-up instructions on student errors. Our models estimate the increase in correctness after each practice opportunity. We applied our models to 1.3 million observations across 27 datasets of student interactions with online practice systems in the context of elementary to college courses. In contrast, and much to our surprise, we found students to be astonishingly similar in estimated learning rate. There are no such things as fast and slow learners!

We find that a typical student needs about seven learning opportunities to master a typical knowledge component. They start at different levels of proficiency but, when provided with high-quality practice opportunities, they learn at about the same speed. Yes, they will end in different places-but that’s because they have different starting lines, not because they are quicker or slower to learn.

That means the types of opportunities you get are important. Detailed, timely feedback and hints provide favorable conditions that allow you to consistently make progress, regardless of where you began.

Don’t think you’re alone if learning feels slow and effortful. Do try, try again. You can make as much progress as everyone else—and so can the young people in your life. Achievement gaps are the result of opportunity gaps, not individual differences in learning speed.

1. What is the author’s previous thought according to the first two paragraphs?

A．He can’t learn painting and drawing.	B．All people have a talent for languages.
C．People learn things in the same way.	D．People have different learning speeds.

2. What did the researchers do in the research?

A．Teach elementary courses.	B．Criticize students’ mistakes.
C．Apply their models extensively.	D．Distinguish the fast and slow learners.

3. How can a student make greater achievements according to the research?

A．By using high-quality equipment.	B．By doing more efficient practice.
C．By competing with other students.	D．By increasing learning speed.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．There Is No Such Things as a Fast Learner	B．How We Can Learn Faster than Others
C．There Is No Difference Between Students	D．Why Education Is Important to Us

3 . In much of the western United States, drought and access to fresh water is a critical issue. However, recently California came up with a novel solution. The state approved regulations that allow agencies to purify wastewater for drinking. This recycled wastewater may be consumed in homes, schools, and businesses.

As the population in California has exploded in recent decades, the state has struggled to meet demands for fresh water. Recycled wastewater will allow the state to increase access to the precious resource.

Recycled wastewater is not new to the state. It has previously been used in ice hockey rinks (冰球场), for crops, and to generate artificial snow. But now, water agencies will have the option to put recycled wastewater back into pipes for drinking. California is only the second state to allow purified wastewater to be consumed. The first was Colorado in 2022.

While the idea of drinking recycled wastewater may be off-putting, regulators spent more than a decade developing rules and regulations to ensure safety. Independent panels of scientists also reviewed the state’s rules around recycled wastewater consumption. All water will be treated for pathogens (病原体) and viruses before being available for consumption.

So far, the state’s plan has been met with approval from large water agencies. Many of them have plans to construct wastewater recycling plans over the next few years. In Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has set a goal aiming to produce 150 million gallons of direct and indirect recycled water per day. This water will be in the pipes of the 19 million people throughout the six counties that the agency serves.

Officials are aware that a certain amount of public convincing may still be necessary. However, they remain optimistic about the future of the project, reminding consumers that the water is safe, and that recycled water is already in use in California.

1. Why does California pass new regulations about recycled wastewater?

A．To ease the pressure of drought.	B．To increase the supply of fresh water.
C．To recycle the wastewater for industry.	D．To reduce the pollution of the wastewater.

2. What does the underlined word “off-putting” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Surprising.

B．Necessary.

C．Funny.

D．Awful.

3. What can we learn from paragraph 5?

A．The goal of wastewater recycling is hard to achieve.

B．The state’s plan will be conducted by water agencies.

C．Southern California will reduce its water production.

D．People in California tend to prefer recycled water.

4. What do the public think of the recycled water project?

A．Many people still disapprove of the project.

B．The public are optimistic about the project.

C．It will never be suitable to use recycled water.

D．The project is the only solution to water shortage.

4 . The ability to walk is the sort of thing many people take for granted, but for Ella Weiske, it’s a monumental achievement. Ella was born with cerebral palsy (脑瘫) and requires a wheelchair to get around, yet she always dreamed of walking across the stage to collect her high school diploma on her own two feet.

In spring of 2023, Ella finally got that chance! The teenager spent months before her graduation from Ripon High School in Wisconsin building strength and practicing walking on an innovative new device called a Trexo. All of her efforts were worth it when she stepped onto the stage to a standing ovation (起立鼓掌) from teachers and students.

Walking on graduation day was important to Ella so her family raised $45,000 with an online fundraiser to buy the Trexo device, which is a wearable robot designed to help children walk. The device is controlled by a tablet, and it helps Ella gently move her legs. She can adjust how much support is needed, walk angles, and speed.

Ella says just the feeling of her feet hitting the floor makes her happy, but it’s the independence the device offers that gets her really excited. She dreams of hanging around downtown, going to her brother’s baseball games, and opening up her world with help from her robotic legs. But first, graduation!

On the big day, Ella was able to use her Trexo device to walk across the stage with the other members of the class of 2023. The entire school body was on their feet, cheering for her, as she collected her diploma with help from her sister, Liz Weiske. It was an emotional moment for the teachers and students who have rooted for Ella for the past 4 years.

Just graduating is an achievement on its own, but Ella’s life-changing walk meant so much to her, and to everyone who knows and loves her. We’re so proud of Ella for working hard to accomplish her goals.

1. What words can best describe Ella Weiske?

A．Caring and responsible.	B．Honest and reliable.
C．Ambitious and hardworking.	D．Intelligent and creative.

2. What did Ella gain from the help of the Trexo device?

A．A responsibility to help others.	B．A sense of living independently.
C．An ability to deliver a public speech.	D．An opportunity for further education.

3. How did the school staff feel about Ella’s walking on the stage?

A．Embarrassing.

B．Doubtful.

C．Inspiring.

D．Romantic.

4. What lesson can we learn from Ella’s experience?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Many hands make light work.
C．Misfortune may be an actual blessing.	D．Everything is possible to a willing mind.

5 . 2024 National Cherry Blossom Festival Student Art Competition

To celebrate the 2024 National Cherry Blossom Festival, National Mall and Memorial Parks is hosting a youth art competition. We need your artistic help to inspire visitors to become Cherry Blossom Protectors! The blooming of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin has come to symbolize the natural beauty of our nation’s capital city. Thousands of people come every year to see the cherry trees and enjoy the festival.

Participants

The contest is open to all Washington, D.C. students, K-6. One submission per student please.

Theme

Artworks should focus on the theme “Cherry Blossom Protector.” Draw or paint a picture that shows what you appreciate about the cherry blossoms, how we can take care of them, and why we should. Submissions must include the words “Cherry Blossom Protector”.

Deadline

Artworks will be accepted starting December 13, 2023. All submissions must be postmarked by February 25, 2024.

Submission requirements

A valid submission will contain the following information:

1. An original copy of the artwork. Each piece must be original, authentic (真实的), unpublished, the sole property of the entrant (参赛者), and not previously submitted in any other contest.

2. Your personal information, printed on either the back of your artwork or on a separate sheet attached to your physical artwork or provided with the e-mail for your digital entry: First and last name, grade/age.

3. A completed and signed entry form. Print out the entry form and send it to us when you send your artwork. Entries cannot be accepted without a signed entry form by a parent or guardian.

Delivery address

Mailed submissions must be sent to:

National Mall and Memorial Parks

c/o 2024 National Cherry Blossom Festival Student Art Competition

1100 Ohio Drive, SWWashington, DC 20242

1. Why do National Mall and Memorial Parks host the art competition?

A．To honor the national heroes.	B．To improve students’ art skills.
C．To protect the cherry blossom.	D．To attract more visitors to the parks.

2. What should you do if you attend the contest?

A．Volunteer as a cherry blossom protector.	B．Choose your own theme for the contest.
C．Email all your artworks to your school.	D．Summit artworks before February 25, 2024.

3. What should be included in the submission entries?

A．Personal information.	B．A previous submitted copy.
C．A guardian’s recommendation.	D．An electronic application form.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How many times did the Mediterranean diet win the Best Diet?

A．3.

B．4.

C．5.

2. What does the Mediterranean diet put great emphasis on?

A．High-quality olive oil.

B．Fruits and vegetables.

C．Whole grains and seeds.

3. What do people often do in Mediterranean areas?

A．Eat at small tables.

B．Eat out alone.

C．Have a meal for hours.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the man close his Wechat Moments?

A．He didn’t like the posts on Wechat.

B．He tried to focus on the real world.

C．He didn’t want people to know anything about him.

2. How did the man communicate with his friends in the past?

A．Through emails.

B．Through instant messages.

C．Through face-to-face conversations.

3. What has changed in the man’s life?

A．He pays more attention to work.

B．He spends more time with his family.

C．He communicates more with old friends.

4. What’s the possible relationship between the two speakers?

A．Boss and secretary.

B．Old schoolmates.

C．Waiter and customer.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did the speakers do last year?

A．They went to Thailand.

B．They held a wedding ceremony.

C．They bought a beach house.

2. How will the speakers celebrate their wedding anniversary?

A．By traveling abroad.

B．By holding a party at home.

C．By having a big meal in a restaurant.

3. What is the man going to do next?

A．Go to a school.

B．Buy some food.

C．Play the guitar.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where will Annabel’s husband work this year?

A．In Queens.

B．In Brooklyn.

C．In Manhattan.

2. What does Jerry think of the neighborhood?

A．Quite noisy.

B．Very inconvenient.

C．Generally quiet.

3. What do we know about Annabel?

A．She has a dog.

B．She lives with her family.

C．She will teach in St. John’s University.

10 . Amphibians are animals that can live both on land and in water. A new global assessment has found that 41% of amphibian species that scientists have studied are threatened with extinction. That’s up from 39% reported in the last assessment in 2004.

The study, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, found that the loss of habitat from the legal and illegal expansion of farming and ranching (放牧) contributes most to the extinction risk of amphibians worldwide. But a growing percentage of amphibian species are now also pushed to the edge of extinction by novel diseases and climate change, the study found.

Amphibians have distinct life stages that each often require separate habitats, so they can be disturbed by changes in either water or land environments, said University of Texas biologist Michael Ryan, who was not involved in the study. They are also at risk because of their delicate skin. Most amphibians absorb oxygen to breathe through their skin, and so they do not have scales (鳞), feathers or fur to protect them. Chemical pollution, bacteria and fungal (真菌的) infections impact them quickly, as do heightened swings in temperature and dampness levels due to climate change.

For example, frogs are active usually at night. If it’s too hot, they won’t come out even at night because they would lose too much water through their skin, said co-author and researcher Patricia Burrowes. But remaining in sheltered resting places limits frogs’ ability to eat and to produce.

Juan Manuel Guayasamin, a frog biologist at the University San Francisco of Quito, Ecuador, said that advances in technology to track animals and climate variations allowed the new study to use much more precise data than the 2004 assessment. “We have a much better understanding of some risks,” said Guayasamin.

The study identified the greatest concentrations of threatened amphibian species in several biodiversity hot spots, including the Caribbean islands, the tropical Andes, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Other locations with large numbers of threatened amphibians include Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, southern China and the southeastern United States.

1. What has the new study found?

A．Amphibian populations are now extinct.

B．The number of amphibians is rising slightly.

C．The extinction risk of amphibians has declined.

D．More amphibian species are endangered than before.

2. Which of the following is the single biggest threat to amphibians?

A．Habitat loss.

B．Illegal hunting.

C．Novel diseases.

D．Climate change.

3. What does the author want to show by the example in paragraph 4?

A．The unusual living habits of frogs.	B．The unique features of the frog skin.
C．The effect of climate change on amphibians.	D．The urgency of protecting amphibians’ habitats.

4. What does Guayasamin think of the new study?

A．Its methods are debatable.	B．Its findings are more reliable.
C．It needs to be better organized.	D．It covers wide geographical areas.