1 . Confidence helps us take risks and push ourselves to excellence.It can also inspire more trust in other people and open doors that would remain closed otherwise.Here are a few ideas on how to build up your confidence.

Forgive yourself for your mistakes.

Try to remember that you’re only human.     1    . Try to forgive yourself for things you did in the past so you can move on. If you’re having trouble forgiving yourself for something, try asking if you’d forgive a friend for the same mistake.     2    .

Make a list of your positive qualities.

It might seem silly, but sit down and write out a list.Start with five things that you like about yourself and try to add something to the list every day. For example, you could write, “I’m kind, I’m loving, I’m passionate about art, I’m creative, and I’m a good friend.”     3    , try asking your loved ones what they like about you to get you started.

    4    .

Negative people tend to lower your confidence. Instead, spend time with friends and family members who inspire you and push you to be your best self. You’ll know someone is good to be around if you feel excited and happy to hang out with them.

Learn a new skill.

    5    . If you’ve never tried playing chess before, play a few online games to get the hang of it. If you aren’t the best cook, try making a dish you’ve never had. By doing so, you can improve your confidence slowly and steadily.

A．If you can’t think of anything

B．Then,use that forgiveness on yourself

C．Spend time with people who support you

D．Stop undervaluing yourself when you speak

E．When you express your idea in an insecure way

F．Do something outside of your own comfort zone

G．Everyone makes mistakes,and you’re no different

2 . Four Must-visit Campsites in Western Australia

Fair Harvest

Playing host to campers looking for a more environmentally-friendly stay, Fair Harvest has an outdoor kitchen made from wood harvested on site and a farm cafe where you can buy fresh produce and home cooked meals. Guests are free to wander in the gardens, go bushwalking in the private forest, or take a class in the on-site yoga (瑜伽) barn—the only campsite yoga studio in the area.

Lucky Bay

In 2017, a scientific study was carried out to discover which Australian beach had the whitest sand and Lucky Bay, in Cape. Le Grand National Park on the southern coast of Western Australia, emerged victorious. Up close, the beach is often frequented by kangaroos bounding at the sand’s edge. The Lucky Bay campground sits right behind the beach and is well-equipped with toilets, showers, barbecues and picnic tables-though campers do need to bring their own drinking water.

Rottnest Island

More commonly a day trip destination, Rottnest is a car-free island best explored by bike and ringed by glorious Indian Ocean beaches. There are options for luxurious glamping (豪华野营) at Discovery Parks Rottnest Island, but those looking for a more traditional camping experience should head instead to the Rottnest Island campground. Here, you’ll find bathroom blocks, a camp kitchen and barbecues, but the highlight is the site’s large population of quokkas, which are close relatives of the kangaroo.

Imintji

Located at the foothills of the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges, Imintjii is a simple yet well-maintained campground that includes washing facilities, fire pits, barbecue shelters,outdoor seating and water taps. It’s a great base for visiting the dramatic landscapes of Bell Gorge, Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge. It’s also one of the few campsites in the world that are famous for their own art center, with works by local artists on sale.

1. What can campers do at Fair Harvest?

A．See kangaroos.	B．Buy home-cooked meals.
C．Admire the whitest sand.	D．Get works from local artists.

2. Which is the best way to tour Rottnest Island?

A．Walking.

B．Driving.

C．Taking a boat.

D．Riding a bike.

3. Where should campers go if they want to visit Bell Gorge?

A．Imintji.

B．Lucky Bay.

C．Fair Harvest.

D．Rottnest Island.

3 . In a video shared online, a young photographer, Lily, is seen confidently directing a well-known action movie star for a photograph. Even though the actor is very tall, she is not nervous. She tells him what to do like a real professional, even though she’s still quite young.

“Given his size, I asked him to make more pronounced movements,” said Lily, reflecting on the shoot in a recent interview. The young shutterbug (摄影爱好者) has already taken photos of several personalities and has earned a significant following online, with her work receiving millions of likes.

Lily’s journey into photography began when she was just four years old, with a simple point-and-shoot camera. Her father, recognizing her natural ability to connect with people, encouraged her to explore street photography. At the age of five, she captured a portrait of a renowned musician-turned-actress during a chance encounter in a store, which quickly went viral on the social media.

Since then, Lily has been receiving numerous requests to photograph top talents. “The more I photograph in public places, the more recognition I get, which in turn leads to more chances to work with well-known figures,” she explained.

Because of her young age, some have questioned how she manages to secure such high-profile shoots. Her father, who assists with minor post-production edits, explained that her unique perspective was what attracted the attention of talent agencies. “Through Lily’s lens (镜头), subjects show a different side,” he said. “Her photos capture a softer, gentler aspect of people, celebrity or not.”

Addressing concerns about the use of filters and heavy editing, Lily insists that her images are minimally processed. Her ultimate goal is to evoke (唤起) emotions through her photography and, eventually, to become a full-time portrait photographer. For now, she continues to hone (磨炼) her craft and enjoys the present moment.

1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?

A．A girl is directing a film.	B．How a girl is photographing.
C．Children need social activities.	D．How a short video is produced.

2. What made Lily gain more attention?

A．She photographed many action movies.	B．A famous actress offered to help her.
C．Her father made her skills known.	D．Social media played a significant role.

3. How does Lily differ from professional photographers in photographing?

A．She is good at adjusting lens.	B．She constantly learns from others.
C．She photographs from a special angle.	D．She gains recognition from celebrities.

4. What is Lily’s attitude to improving her skill?

A．Hesitant.

B．Determined.

C．Pessimistic.

D．Negative.

4 . Southern Africa is home to most of the world’s black and white rhinos. Because of global warming, the weather in this area is changing quickly. People have worked hard to protect rhinos from being hunted, but until now, no one has really looked at how the changing weather might hurt these animals.

A research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has recently reported that the area will be affected by both higher temperatures and changing precipitation (降水) and the rhinos are more sensitive to rising temperatures, which will quickly increase above the animals’ acceptable maximum threshold.

Over the last 100 years, Africa’s average monthly temperatures have gone up by 0.5℃ to 2℃. Scientists think that in the next 100 years, it might get even warmer, up to 2 more degrees. This change in weather might also change how much rain we get. But here’s the thing：For animals like white and black rhinos, which people have been trying to protect for a long time, will the heat or the rain changes hurt them more? This is a big question because rhinos don’t have sweat to cool down. They stay cool by taking baths and staying in cool shady spots.

To understand how changing climate will affect rhino populations, lead author Hlelowenkhosi S. Mamba and his colleague, focused their efforts on five large national parks representing diverse landscapes in southern Africa that are home to most of the rhinos. They have found that temperature conditions in all study parks will become increasingly unsuitable for both species, but it is predicted that white rhinos will be affected earlier than black rhinos.

“This research highlights the importance of using climate predictions for both park and rhino management,” says Randhir. “We propose that park managers now think about increasing water supplies, tree cover, watching for stress and planning to allow rhino migration as the world warms.”

1. How are rhinos traditionally protected?

A．By building their living habitats.

B．By saving them from illegal hunt.

C．By monitoring their physical health.

D．By removing their breeding surroundings.

2. Which can best replace the underlined word “threshold” in paragraph 2?

A．range

B．register

C．average

D．content

3. What is a means for rhinos to fight against heat?

A．Cooling heat off by sweating.	B．Drinking much water.
C．Migrating to other places.	D．Bathing in the water.

4. What is the key suggestion for park managers to help rhinos adapt to climate change?

A．Predicting the weather.	B．Buying new species.
C．Boosting habitats.	D．Restricting visitors.

5 . More than 1 billion children, teenagers and adults live with obesity (肥胖) around the world, making it the most common form of malnutrition in many countries, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal The Lancet.

“Previous estimates by the World Obesity Federation suggested that there would be 1 billion people living with obesity by 2030, but that number was already overtaken in 2022,” Dr. Majid Ezzati, senior author of the study and professor at Imperial College London, said in a news conference on Thursday. “We hadn’t expected that the things happened so fast.”

The new global study, conducted by more than 1,500 researchers from the Non-Communicable Diseases Risk Factor Collaboration and the World Health Organization (WHO), analyzed the height and weight measurements of over 220 million people from more than 190 countries.

The study focused on rates of underweight and obesity, both forms of malnutrition that are harmful to people’s health. Adults were regarded as obese if their body mass index (指数) (BMI) was greater than or equal to 30 and considered as underweight if their BMI was below18.5. Children and teenagers were defined as obese or underweight based on age and sex, according to the study.

“Undernutrition and obesity are two faces of the same problem, which is the lack of access to a healthy diet,” Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, said in the news conference. “Public policy must aim to improve monitoring of food producers and ensure fair access to healthy and nutritious food for everyone. Over 3 billion people in the world still cannot afford a healthy diet.”

France, which saw a steady level in its obesity rates in the study, has carried out a national plan called Programme National Nutrition Santé that sets objectives for nutritional policy at the industry, consumer and research levels. Countries in South America have begun carrying out front-of-package nutritional labelling that includes clear warnings about fat, sugar and salt levels. Mexico has led the way on taxation of sweetened drinks, and in Chile, processed foods cannot be marketed to children.

1. How does Ezzati feel about the number of obese people worldwide in 2022?

A．Disappointed.	B．Astonished.
C．Amused.	D．Relieved.

2. How did the researchers conduct the new study?

A．By asking questions.	B．By analyzing data.
C．By making observations.	D．By carrying out experiments.

3. For adults, which BMI means normal weight according to the study?

A．33.	B．30.
C．20.	D．18.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The good habits of teenagers in South America.

B．The differences in diet among different countries.

C．The problems of rising obesity rates faced by France.

D．The measures taken by several countries to address obesity.

6 . Information from this year’s IQAir World Air Quality Report showed only seven countries met the World Health Organization’s pollution recommendations in 2023, which were Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand. Of the 134 countries and regions measured, 124 had higher levels than called for in the WHO pollution guidelines.

The report said the five countries with what it called the lowest air quality had particle (颗粒物) levels at least nine times higher than what the WHO recommends. Three South Asian countries — Bangladesh, Pakistan and India — had the world’s lowest air quality. In 2022, India was eighth and Bangladesh was fifth.

The information came from the Swiss company IQAir. The report used measurements from over 30,000 stations across 134 countries. IQAir used the WHO standard of PM 2.5 to measure the size of breathable pollutant particles in the air. The PM2.5 measurement means the particles are 2.5 microns (微米) or less in diameter (直径). The diameter of human hair, for example, is about 30 times larger than a particle of 2.5 microns.

In Bangladesh, the concentration of PM2.5 particles reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. In Pakistan, the number was 73.7. India’s level was 54.4, Tajikistan in Central Asia was 49 and Burkina Faso in West Africa was the fifth-most polluted nation at 46.6.

Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, said 20 percent of the early deaths in the country were caused by air pollution. He added spending on pollution-related healthcare was equal to four to five percent of the nation’s economy.

Christi Chester Schroeder oversees air quality science for IQair. She said South Asia’s geography and climate conditions influence its air quality. “The pollution has nowhere to go,” she added. “Because of agricultural practices, industry and population density, it really does look like it is going to get worse before it gets better.”

1. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Bangladesh’s air quality may have decreased in 2023.

B．India’s air quality was greatly improved in 2022.

C．Mauritius had the fifth-worst air quality in the world in 2022.

D．Pakistan’s air quality was the third-worst in the world in 2023.

2. Why does the author mention “human hair” in paragraph.3?

A．To demonstrate how to use hair products.

B．To offer suggestions to people with hair problems.

C．To emphasize the difficulty of measuring pollutant particles.

D．To explain the size of breathable pollutant particles in the air.

3. Which statement will Christi Chester Schroeder probably agree with?

A．Developing agriculture will help improve air quality.

B．Geographical conditions have little influence on air quality.

C．The future of air quality in South Asia does not look bright.

D．South Asian countries should try to increase their populations.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A report on global air pollution.	B．Plans to fight against air pollution.
C．The harm of air pollution to humans.	D．Advice on cutting air pollution.

7 . Despite his slim body of work, J. D. Salinger was one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century. His short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker, inspired the early careers of writers such as Phillip Roth, John Updike and Harold Brodkey.

Born on January 1, 1919, in New York, Salinger was a restless student, attending New York University, Ursinus College and Columbia University. While taking classes at the latter, he met Professor Whit Burnett, who was also the editor of Story magazine. Burnett, sensing Salinger’s talent as a writer, pushed him to create more often and soon Salinger’s works were appearing not just in Story, but in other big-name publications such as Collier’s and the Saturday Evening Post.

His career had started to take off, but then, like so many young American men around that time, World War II interrupted his life. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Salinger was drafted into the army, serving from 1942 to 1944. During that time, however, Salinger kept writing for a new novel whose main character was a deeply unsatisfied young man named Holden Caulfield.

When Salinger returned to New York, he quickly set about resuming his life as a writer and soon found his work published in his favorite magazine, The New Yorker.

He also pushed on with the work on his novel about Holden Caulfield. Finally, in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye was published. The book earned its share of positive reviews, but some critics weren’t so kind. But over time the American reading public ate the book up and The Catcher in the Rye became an essential part of the academic literature course. To date, the book has sold more than 65 million copies.

In 1953, two years after the publication of The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger moved from New York City to Cornish, New Hampshire. There, Salinger did his best to cut off contact with the public and significantly slowed his literary output. He only published one new story, the 25,000-word Hapworth 16, 1924, before his death on January 27, 2010, in Cornish, New Hampshire.

1. Who had a great influence on J. D. Salinger?

A．Phillip Roth.	B．Whit Burnett.
C．John Updike.	D．Harold Brodkey.

2. What does the underlined word “resuming” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Continuing.	B．Saving.
C．Wasting.	D．Risking.

3. What can be learned about The Catcher in the Rye from paragraph 5?

A．It was published during World War II.

B．It has sold less than 65 million copies.

C．It was well received by American readers.

D．It features an old man as the main character.

4. What do we know about J. D. Salinger?

A．He stopped writing when he was in the army.

B．He wrote lots of short stories in his later years.

C．His literary output was very low in his later years.

D．He had moved to New York City just before he died.

8 . Smiling’s A Stress Reliever

A University of Kansas study found that participants who were asked to smile during stressful tasks had lower heart rates during stress recovery. So it seems even forcing yourself to look happy helps manage tricky situations.

    1     The fact smiling reduces your heart rate when you’re stressed is also likely to have a knock-on effect on blood pressure. Other research has shown blood pressure doesn’t rise when people are exposed to humour.

Beaming (笑容满面) boosts immunity. A smile releases certain hormones in the brain, including serotonin (血清素), which is associated with an improvement in immune function.     2     Depression, on the other hand, can weaken your immune system.

A smile can relieve your pain. Being amused also prompts the release of endorphins (内啡肽) in the brain.    3     In one study, participants who smiled while being injected reported 40% less pain than those holding a neutral expression.

Looking happy encourages positivity.     4     A 2022 study of 3,878 participants in 19 countries found people’s happiness rating was higher when they smiled.

Smiling makes you welcome to others and helps you connect with them. Fortunately, with enough practice, smiling can become an automatic behavior. You can use certain situations as cues to smile. You might remind yourself to smile when you hear someone laugh or while you’re in the process of making tea. You could set a note on your phone to help remember to smile.    5    

A．Smiling can reduce heart rate.

B．Smiling may lower blood pressure.

C．They are the body's natural painkillers.

D．Study found that smiling can make one live longer.

E．So, if you want to stay well, you should smile more.

F．Smiling can boost mood, not just a response to happiness.

G．Thinking of a favorite person or happy memory can make you smile too.

9 . While there are already apps that guide blind users to a bus stop’s approximate location, those people may unknowingly end up standing too far away from the actual stop. A new app addresses that shortcoming by letting the smartphone’s camera in on the act.

Known as All_Aboard, the AI-based app was developed by a team of scientists at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear treatment and research center. It’s made to be used along with a third-party GPS-based online navigational (导航的) map.

Users start by using other apps to get to a bus stop’s location. They then open All _Aboard and proceed to hold their smartphone up so that its back camera can “see” the surrounding street. Drawing upon a deep learning neural network which was trained on around 10,000 images of bus stops within that city, the app is reportedly able to visually identify the target stop’s sign if it’s within a range of up to 15 meters away. Once the sign has been spotted, the app guides the user via sonar-like beeps (哔哔声) which change pitch and speed as the person gets closer to the bus stop.

In field tests, 24 legally blind volunteers used both online maps and All _Aboard to locate 20 bus stops—10 in an urban setting and 10 in a suburban environment.

When it came to getting close enough to those stops, online maps alone had a success rate of just 52%, whereas All _Aboard boosted the number to 93%. Additionally, while the average distance between the map’s endpoint and the actual bus stop was 6.62 meters with online maps, it was just 1.54 meters with All _Aboard.

“Our findings suggest that the All _Aboard app could help travelers with visual impairments (视力受损) in navigation by accurately detecting the bus stop, and therefore greatly reducing their chance of missing buses due to standing too far from the bus stops,” said Massachusetts Eye and Ear’s Assoc. Prof. Gang Luo. “This study indicates that computer vision-based object recognition capabilities can be used in a complementary (补充的) way and provide added benefit to purely mapping-based, macro-navigation services in real-world settings.”

1. What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic.

B．To highlight other apps.

C．To show the new app’s shortcomings.

D．To detailedly compare the new app with others.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The importance of camera in smartphones.

B．The potential advantage of the new app.

C．How the new app All _ Aboard works.

D．Why users get closer to the bus stop.

3. What can we infer about All _ Aboard from the data given in paragraph 5?

A．High accuracy.	B．Good reputation.
C．Perfect property.	D．More application.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Blind Users Benefiting From Science

B．A New App Is In The Charge Of Its Users

C．Online Maps Needing Improvement To The Bus Service

D．All _ Aboard Making Navigation Efficient For The Blind

10 . Singapore is a lively island country known for a mix of cultures and tastes. Here are four popular dishes that offer a true taste of Singapore.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

This dish is a favorite and is very simple yet very tasty. The chicken is cooked in water to be very soft and is served with rice that has been cooked with chicken soup, along with a bit of spicy sauce. Each part of this dish is carefully made to make the eating experience even better.

Bak Kut Teh (Pork Ribs Tea)

A strong and healthy breakfast choice, Bak Kut Teh is a dish that warms you up. Even though tea is in the name, it's not a drink. It's a tasty soup made by cooking pork bones with Chinese herbs and spices. The soup is usually eaten with rice and has a bit of a spicy taste that wakes up your taste buds, a great way to start the day.

Katong Laksa

Laksa is a hot noodle soup that shows Singapore's mix of cultures. The soup has a thick coconut milk(椰奶) base with a strong smell of spices like lemongrass and tamarind. It's often filled with things like shrimp, fishcakes, and soft tofu, making it a full and satisfying meal that pleases your mouth with each bite.

Char Kway Teow (Stir-Fried Rice Noodles)

If you like food that's a bit smoky and tasty, try char kway teow. This noodle dish is a must-eat at Singapore's food stalls. It's cooked in a wok(炒菜锅) with things like clams, Chinese sausage, and long beans, then flavored with a sauce that is both tasty and a little sweet. The last step is to add a bit of chopped chili, which gives the dish a nice little spicy taste.

1. How is the chicken in Hainanese chicken rice typically prepared?

A．It is roasted in an oven.	B．It is cooked to be very soft.
C．It is cooked with a sour sauce.	D．It is roasted with herbs and spices.

2. What is Bak Kut Teh?

A．A kind of cattle bone.	B．A kind of drink.
C．A kind of rice.	D．A kind of soup.

3. Which of the following dishes is described as having a smoky and tasty flavor?

A．Char kway teow.	B．Bak Kut Teh.
C．Katong laksa.	D．Hainanese chicken rice.