1 . A television writer is responsible for writing scripts (剧本) for television shows. There are numerous types of shows to which a TV writer can contribute his or her talents.     1     A scriptwriter often writes stories for television dramas, comedies, and soap operas.

Some television writers start out as assistants before working their way up to filling writing positions on shows.     2     As a television writer, success requires a combination of talent, hard work, and determination.

    3     Depending on their role and the show they are working on, they might work individually in the writers’ room or other remote locations. They also spend time on the set, working closely with the production team and actors to ensure the scripts are brought to life as intended.

A television writer might develop their material using a variety of methods. This involves researching and gathering information to ensure the show is accurate and true. A piece of advice given by professionals is to watch all kinds of TV shows. TV writers should note which ones are successful.     4    

A formal college degree is usually not required to be a television writer as educational requirements vary by positions. Writing talent and practical work experience are generally considered just as valuable as a college degree. There are numerous opportunities to learn how to be a TV writer.     5     Continuing education opportunities are also suggested as well as reading reviews and comments.

A．Job titles of a TV writer can change.

B．The workplace of a TV writer can vary.

C．So they learn from them and accept suggestions to create better work.

D．It’s helpful to be located in cities known for their television production.

E．Many TV writers read books and begin self-study to improve their skills.

F．For instance, a TV writer can be a journalist, focusing on news programs.

G．Others may work in other areas, such as film or theater, before turning to television.

2 . Help us create an eco-paradise

We are Ami + Elise. We live in a little corner of paradise, deep in the forest. We are seeking folks who would like to get involved and help us regenerate this small area of land (19 acres) to support a biodiverse ecosystem, grow food and help people rewild themselves. This project will need lots of help from both “skilled” and “unskilled” lovely people.

Help needed
·Gardening ·Building ·General maintenance
·Farming ·Help with the eco-project
·Help in the house ·Animal care
Working Time & Meals

We ask for a minimum of 4 hours per day of your time in return for free stay and breakfast. We can also offer full board (膳食) for those who want to work a full day. We are very flexible and can adapt days/times for each helper as people will be coming for various amounts of time. We will host you at no cost and provide breakfast (at a minimum) and some vegetables from the garden when available.

Accommodation

We have a few different options for accommodation. Where you will stay will depend on availability at the time as we may have others here. In warm weather, we have a very basic outdoor shower and for the cooler months the shower in our home can be used. We will share some meals together and hope to make new friends and connect with like-minded people in the process, sharing our stories and skills with each other (probably round the campfire when the weather permits).

Getting here

The closest airport is the Birmingham airport.

If you take public transport, our closest train station is Cynghordy (10 mins drive from us) or Llandovery (20 mins drive from us). We are happy to pick you up and drop you off at the station and shops when needed.

If you drive yourself, we’ll provide you with detailed directions as we are deep in the forest.

1. What kind of helpers does the project need?

A．People with various skills.

B．People good at training wild animals.

C．People fond of agricultural work.

D．People aiming to set up eco-projects.

2. How can people get three meals a day for free?

A．By working 4 hours at least.

B．By putting in a full day’s work.

C．By helping with the gardening.

D．By setting flexible working hours.

3. What service can people get from the hosts?

A．They can be dropped off at the airport.

B．They can choose where they like to live.

C．They can share a room with like-minded people.

D．They can be picked up at the train station.

3 . Electric vehicles are the eco-friendly choice for many people when purchasing a new car. But not everyone is in the market for a new automobile. Faced with this choice, many people have started looking for ways to convert (转变) their gas-powered cars and trucks into EVs. This makes sense since gas-powered cars contribute to climate change. But there’s concern about what will happen to all the gas-powered cars already on the road once car companies go fully electric, reported EcoWatch.

Converting gas vehicles to electricity isn’t yet common; however, it can be done, according to the US Department of Energy. It would require removing the entire combustion (燃烧) engine entirely, and replacing it with a battery pack, one or more electric engines, wiring, and more. So, as you can see, it isn’t an easy job. Luckily, according to Ecowatch, there’re companies that specialize in EV conversion, such as Zelectric Motors. The problem is that these companies can charge a lot for their services. EcoWatch reports that conversions can cost more than the price of a new electric car.

Treehugger recently published some guidelines for buying an EV conversion kit and converting your car yourself. According to the guidelines, the best types of cars to convert with electricity are those that are relatively light and use a manual transmission (手动变速器). Heavier cars can make the electric engine less efficient, and automatic cars use up too much power. Additionally, you also need a car that can stand the weight of the electric battery packs.

Some cars that are mentioned as good candidates are Nissan Sentra, Ford Escort, and Honda Civic. While conversion kits can also be costly, if you have a newer vehicle you want to keep, it’s a viable solution.

Still, perhaps the best thing the world can do to create less environmentally harmful transportation is to move away from cars to begin with. EcoWatch reports that Mark Watts, the director of C40 Cities, a group of city mayors trying to make their cities more eco-friendly, said that active travel, walking, biking, etc. is the way to go. So, the next time you turn the key on your gas-powered car, consider the fact that one day you could be pressing a button on a clean, electric-powered vehicle or walking instead.

1. What does the author think of the practice of changing gas-powered cars into electric ones?

A．It is urgent but successful.	B．It is hard and labor-consuming.
C．It is expensive and unnecessary.	D．It is meaningful but complicated.

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

A．Temporary

B．Practical.

C．Universal.

D．Unique.

3. Which of the following can help create low-carbon transportation according to the text?

A．Maintaining electric vehicles regularly.

B．Prohibiting the use of gas-powered cars.

C．Replacing a trip by car with active travel.

D．Reducing the fuel consumption of vehicles.

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

A．Will electric cars be available to most people globally?

B．Will conventional cars be replaced by electric vehicles?

C．Can conventional cars be converted into electric vehicles?

D．Can electric cars make eco-friendly transportation possible?

4 . I’ll admit it — when someone asks me how I’m doing, the first word that usually comes out of my mouth is “busy”. It seems that “busy” has become the new normal.

According to Emily Fletcher, founder of Ziva Meditation, the desire to keep busy is an essential part of being human. “We love feeling important and needed, which is what ‘busy’ provides us with,” she said, adding that packed schedules are considered a necessary part of achieving big dreams. “It is well known that the intense race has some built-in promises. The harder you work now, the bigger the payoff in the future.” As a result, we fill our days with work and social commitments.

But are you really as busy as you think you are? Most career-driven people would probably guess they spend most of their time at work. But author Laura Vanderkam argues that that’s probably not the case.

In her new book, I Know How She Does It, she asked 143 mothers with six-figure jobs to record what they did for every hour of one week. Surprisingly, she found that these undeniably “busy” women worked only 44 hours a week on average and slept nearly eight hours a night, leaving 70 hours per week for other things.

So what gives? “This is just human nature: we overestimate (高估) the things we don’t want to do — work, housework — and underestimate the things we do want to do,” she says. “Psychologists also have found that negative events tend to stand out in the mind more than positive events.”

Simply tracking how you spend your time, says Vanderkam, is the first step to breaking free of the “busy” trap. “It’s a lot harder to lie to ourselves when we see where the time goes, right there in black and white.”

It is also necessary to recognize that you’re mostly in charge of how you spend your time and that you can choose differently. Another really important thing — Stop telling people how busy you are. Try and take a pause when someone asks “How are you?” to really check in and see what is going on, as opposed to relying on the “busy” line.

1. Why do people like to keep themselves busy?

A．They accept busyness as a normal part of life.

B．They hold that only a busy life is meaningful.

C．They believe that being busy promises success.

D．They just follow the examples of successful people.

2. Why do most people think they spend more time at work than they actually do?

A．They make work the center of their lives.

B．The work they do is relatively challenging.

C．They tend to underestimate their ability to work.

D．Work is something they have a low intention of doing.

3. How does the writer advise us to break the bad habit of busyness?

A．By reducing the time we spend at work.

B．By spending less time chatting with others.

C．By understanding the negative effects of busyness.

D．By avoiding constantly emphasizing busyness.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To get people out of the bad habit of keeping themselves busy.

B．To reveal the different meanings of busyness in different times.

C．To make people understand the harm that busyness can do to us.

D．To uncover why people’s lives are busier and busier these days.

5 . Street lights can change the amount and quality of sleep that pigeons (鸽子) get at night, affecting their energy in the morning. “More and more studies show how light pollution is affecting animal behavior,” said Anne Aulsebrook, a researcher from the University of Melbourne. “One of the most common and well-documented things light pollution seems to do is cause animals, particularly birds, to change the timing of their behavior.”

Aulsebrook said she chose pigeons because so much was already known about their sleep compared to other birds’, and plenty of them were in captivity (圈养) to study. They set up experiments exposing the birds to darkness one night, switching on the lights the next night and turning them off the following night.

Using sensors that recorded brain and muscle activity, the team found that the pigeons slept for about 10 hours with the lights off. With the lights on, their sleep dropped to about six hours. Quality of sleep was also affected. The pigeons didn’t seem to recover from the loss of rapid-eye movement sleep the night before, slept less intensely the following night and woke up more often. Comparing amber (琥珀色) light to white light, the team found the tone made no difference in sleep patterns.

“If we had to choose, I’d still go with warmer, amber colors,” she said. “The other simpler solution is to turn the lights off.” Other efforts to reduce light pollution include shielding (给……加防护罩) lights, directing them, dimming them or using sensors to turn them on only when people are around.

“More research needs to be done to understand the effects of sleep loss on birds,” Aulsebrook said. “We know that sleep is really important to humans. We experience how important sleep is when we don’t get enough of it,” she said. But there hasn’t been much research in this area on birds. “I think the next big step is looking at whether we can measure these costs of reproduction (繁殖) in these birds if they’re not getting enough sleep,” she said.

1. Which is a proven influence of light pollution on birds?

A．Making them more active.

B．Changing their biological clock.

C．Increasing their tendency to attack.

D．Improving their environmental adaptability.

2. Why did Aulsebrook choose pigeons as research subjects?

A．There is a personal preference for them.

B．There’ll be easily available data on them.

C．They are the most commonly seen birds in life.

D．They have typical sleep patterns for research.

3. What did Aulsebrook’s team find from their research?

A．Lights’ influence on birds’ sleep varies from color to color.

B．Birds tend to be more nervous in the light conditions.

C．Lights do great harm to pigeons’ sleep.

D．Pigeons have an irregular sleeping habit.

4. What is Aulsebrook’s attitude towards the effects of birds’ loss of sleep?

A．Objective.

B．Doubtful.

C．Optimistic.

D．Subjective.

6 . A visit to Antarctica is much more than a holiday. Remote and undamaged, any journey there is a unique adventure you’ll find nowhere else on earth.

As you cruise in style aboard Discovery, you will gaze upon majestic, icy peaks, giant icebergs and diverse wildlife that includes whales, seals, penguins and birds. You will sail through glassy bays and have the opportunity, weather permitting, to set foot on Antarctica’s shores and volcanic beaches. On all cruises, you will get as close to nature as you would on smaller ships, while enjoying a higher class of Discovery’s 4-star comforts.

Exciting cruises aboard Discovery

No single supplement on cabins

Voyage to Antarctica
20 Days, departing 16 November 2023
From Lisbon across the Atlantic Ocean to Buenos Aires with stops in exotic settings like Funchal, Rio de Janeiro and Ushuaia
Now from £3575
Antarctica, Chile &Patagonia
18 Days, departing 16 December 2023
From Buenos Aires sail to Antarctica and depart the ship in Santiago
Now from£3145
Note: some sailings might be in reverse, from Santiago to Buenos Aires
Cape to Cape
23 Days, departing 7 February 2023
Leave from Buenos Aires and sail around Cape Horn, visit Antarctica and make your way to Cape Town, South Africa
Now from£2995
What’s included:
●All meals, entertainment and tips on board. Return flights to /from UK. Overseas transfers between airports, hotels and ship. Hotel stays in Buenos Aires and Santiago. Informative lecture programme, Landings ashore and small boat sightseeing.
●PLUS—Save an extra £500 per couple on early bookings before September 2023.

The priority of the cruises is to provide you with opportunities to learn about Antarctica’s fragile ecosystem. Lectures given by Dr. Peter Carey and his team will bring Antarctica to life. They will accompany you on your landings ashore and on small boat field trips （depending on ice and weather conditions）.

1. What activity is included on Discovery cruises?

A．Camping on the volcanic beaches.

B．Interacting with seals and penguins if possible.

C．Swimming through the waters filled with icebergs.

D．Setting foot on Antarctica’s shores if the weather allows.

2. Which month’s cruise plan offers the possibility of sailing in the opposite way?

A．February.

B．December.

C．November.

D．September.

3. A major focus of Discovery cruises is ______.

A．extending luxury hotel stays

B．small boat sightseeing and landing ashore

C．learning about the environment of Antarctica

D．providing free meals and entertainment on board

7 . Every year people retire (退休) to Florida, but there’s one retired couple from Michigan who said they are working harder than ever, and that they’re loving every minute of it. That’s because they’re impacting (影响) the lives of hundreds of children in their new community.

John and Karan Byrd decided to start their own sports camp, Amazing Athletes and Super Soccer Stars.

“We were so excited to keep busy, healthy, keep our energy flowing, and do something instead of just coming down to Florida and playing golf,” said John.

“It’s bringing longevity (长寿) to our lives. I do believe that,” said Karan.

They even brought in a secret weapon (武器), their daughter Lauren. “Growing up with them, I was always doing something with them. We were at the park. We were at the pool. We were outside in the backyard jumping on the trampoline (蹦床),” said Lauren. “I mean you’re looking at two of my best friends here. These are my heroes in life.”

The Byrds visited up to seven Child Development Centers throughout Bradenton and Sarasota, and most recently Discovery Point.

“Once in a while at 6:30 in the morning Karan asks if we’re really teaching again and says, ‘I thought today was a day off,’” joked John.

The camp focuses on the fundamentals (基础) of 10 different sports and continues to build on them each week. “Some of the kids didn’t even feel comfortable with the ball coming toward them and now they want to be the first in line to catch the ball,” said John.

The Byrds hope to inspire other retirees moving to Florida to make an impact in their new community. “We will stay healthier and we hope to live longer while we are doing this and being retired so we really aren’t retired anymore,” said John.

1. What did the Byrds do after they retired?

A．They often played golf.	B．They went to Michigan.
C．They set up a sports camp.	D．They learned to play soccer.

2. What can we learn from Lauren’s words?

A．Longevity is connected to exercise.	B．The Byrds are busy with their work.
C．Lauren agrees to her parents’ decisions.	D．The Byrds are very good with their daughter.

3. What did John mean by his words in the last but one paragraph?

A．Exercise can make kids healthy.	B．The kids are showing positive changes.
C．Good habits don’t develop quickly.	D．The camp needs more forms of sports.

4. What is the Byrds’ hope?

A．They will never really retire.	B．They will get a new job soon.
C．They will be an example to others.	D．They will not be afraid of getting old.

8 . Diet can influence a person’s height, but only during childhood-until the age of 2 years. From the age of 2 to 12 years, stunted growth (发育不良) can be modified in some children, but not all of them. There is no scientific data currently available to suggest that an adult’s height can be increased through diet.

Calorie intake (热量摄取) from birth to about 2 years of age will influence the height of children. An article in The Journal of Nutrition monitored diet and socio-economic factors in more than 2,000 children, aged 2 to 12 years of age. The researcher found that each additional 100 calories in the diet was associated with an increased height of 0.13 inches in boys and slightly less in girls. The study concluded that beyond 2years of age, socio-economic status could have an impact on the height of children.

Malnutrition (营养不良) in children younger than 2 years old will cause stunted growth in comparison with their parents and well-fed brothers and sisters, but malnourished (营养不良的) children can “catch up” with proper nutrition (营养). The researcher found that about 63 percent of the children were classified as “stunted” based on height-for-age measurements set by the World Health Organization. With increased calorie and vitamin intake, 30 percent were no longer stunted by the age of 8.5 years, and 32.5 percent were no longer stunted at 12 years old.

Drinking milk has the greatest impact on the cognitive (认知的) and physical development of babies in their first year. A study examined the effects of drinking milk on the height and weight of 6,669 babies from six countries and found that drinking milk contributed to an increase in height of children.

1. What does the underlined word “modified” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Measured.

B．Experienced.

C．Improved.

D．Accepted.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A．Boys grow at a higher speed than girls on average.

B．Keeping a balanced diet is important to children’s health.

C．Economic conditions have decisive effects on a person’s height.

D．Ensuring children under 2 enough calories is important for their height.

3. How does the author make the statements more convincing?

A．By quoting data from studies.	B．By analyzing possible causes.
C．By explaining scientific terms.	D．By sharing his personal experiences.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Nutritious diets for children’s health y growth.	B．Instructions on how to raise children properly.
C．The determining factors in a person’s height.	D．The influence of diet on children’s height.

9 . With a leather book cover, a golden overhang, made from colored paper and edges of the book painted red, the French version of An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius《论语入门》is a classic from the Age of Enlightenment in France. The book is about the political ideas, ethical thoughts and moral concepts of China more than 2,000 years ago. Francois Bernier, the author of the book, would never have expected that the French version of the Chinese classic translated by him could be brought to China more than 300 years after he finished it.

The French version of An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius is a national gift. 2019 marked the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties. On March 24 of that year, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Nice, France. Before their meeting, Macron presented Xi with the original French version of An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius published in France in 1688.

As a classic of traditional Chinese culture, The Analects of Confucius《论语》was introduced to Europe as early as the 17th century. Commenting on the influence of Chinese culture in France, Macron said the thoughts of Confucius had deeply inspired French thinkers such as Voltaire and had a long-lasting influence on the French Enlightenment (启蒙运动).

After hearing Macron’s introduction, Xi said he would take this precious gift back to China’s National Library. President Xi once said that the rich philosophical ideas, humanistic spirit, edifying thoughts (教化思想) and moral concepts of China’s fine traditional culture can provide useful inspiration for understanding and transforming the world, for governing the country, and for moral construction.

1. What does An Introduction to The Analects of Confucius mainly deal with?

A．Music history, ethical thoughts and folk songs.

B．Political ideas, ethical thoughts and fairy stories.

C．Moral concepts, classic works and military ideas.

D．Ethical thoughts, moral concepts and political ideas.

2. What did Macron think about the thoughts of Confucius?

A．Macron saw them as an inspiration to many French inventors.

B．Macron saw them as guidelines for the French Enlightenment.

C．Macron considered them great valuable to French in some ways.

D．Macron considered them the best way to spread Chinese culture.

3. What is the passage most probably chosen from?

A．Science.

B．Travel.

C．Culture.

D．Technology.

10 . I had gone into a chief’s office to talk about a couple of issues that needed to be addressed. She, like all of the men and women in her department, had been through the well-known ‘ringer’. The stress was so intense, one could almost taste it.

I had been assisting the department during a crucial period of being very short-handed, and was watching everyone get close to burn-out. When I inquired about her state of mind, she admitted that her home life was almost non-existent, because she was ‘zombieing through the evening’. The next words out of her mouth expressed a frustration of my own: “This work is not my gift from God. My family is!”

I had heard of hanging all of one’s problems from the office on a“Trouble Tree”while driving home, to be picked up on the way back to the office in the morning, and for a brief second thought about suggesting that scenario to the chief.

But what came out was:“Why don’t we do something different? Let’s have a Blessing Tree. On the way home in the evening, we could pull down a blessing to write a character we adore in our spouse, a particular reason we love them, the love they or our children have for us. The list could be endless.”

When I tried it on the way home that night, the stress seemed to melt away. There was a ‘spring in my step’ and when I arrived, a smile of joy was bubbling up from within! For the first time in 2 weeks, I was overjoyed to greet my wife and children!

The Blessing Tree could make a major difference in your evenings, especially after those REALLY tough days.

1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．The stress of the author.	B．The staff’s stress in the department.
C．The issues requiring addressing.	D．The famous ringer of the chief.

2. What do the underlined words “zombieing through the evening” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Becoming a zombie in the evening.	B．Being extremely tired in the evening.
C．Spending the evening in confusion.	D．Feeling like a zombie during the day.

3. How were the author’s problems solved?

A．By talking about them in the office.	B．By sharing them with family members.
C．By making use of a “Trouble Tree”.	D．By making use of a “Blessing Tree”.

4. What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To show the pressure in modern life.

B．To persuade readers to pray for blessings.

C．To introduce stress — relieving approaches.

D．To share how to raise suggestions for the chief.