1 . 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.

2 . 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.

3 . If you struggle to meet new people or join in a conversation at social events, it might be that your body language is sending the message to others to stay away.     1    ? Below are some tips to get you started.

Smile. Although it is possible to overdo smiling, generally it is better to smile than frown (皱眉). Try to find things that really make you happy or laugh and your smile will come across as natural rather than forced.

    2    . Make sure that you aren’t using objects to shield (遮住) yourself from others. At a party, hold your drink at your side instead of close to your chest (胸膛). Keeping objects between you and others makes you appear guarded and closed.

Use eye contact. When you do end up talking with someone, be sure to maintain eye contact. Avoiding eye contact makes you appear untrustworthy or disinterested. If direct eye contact feels hard, try looking at only one eye at a time, or at a part between a person’s eyes.     3    

Avoid nervous habits. Even though you might be nervous, avoid the habits that go with it.     4    . Don’t play with your pen or the change in your pocket. Keep your hands relaxed at your sides or use them to gesture (做手势) when making conversation.

    5    . Say nice things about other people instead of mean things. Approach others and include those who seem to be left out. Be a positive person and you will attract other positive people to you.

Although it may feel unnatural at first, with time you should start to feel more open and confident as a result of changing your body language.

A．Avoid blocks

B．Use objects on hand

C．They won’t be able to tell the difference

D．Apart from body language, always be positive

E．Stop touching your face or playing with your hair

F．How can you read different types of body language properly

G．How can you improve your body language to appear more approachable

4 . Have you ever sent a text or shared something online that you immediately regretted? Most of us have. Now a growing number of apps and services are offering users the attractive ability to edit those messages.

In September alone, Twitter and Apple introduced editing features. Twitter kicked off September by announcing it would test an edit button (按钮). Within two weeks of that move, Apple introduced its new iOS 16 operating system, which lets users-for the first time-edit and unsend iMessages.

Users can now edit an iMessage up to five times within 15 minutes after sending it and unsend any message up to two minutes after it’s sent. To do this, users need only tap and hold their sent message, then choose “edit” or “undo send.” On Twitter, the edit button will give people a “generous” time, says Christina Wodtke, a lecturer in computer science at Stanford University. Users will be able to edit a tweet (推文信息) up to five times in the 30 minutes after it’s posted. Once a change is made, a tweet will be marked with a time stamp, and a label (标签) that says “Last Edited.”

“What they’re doing is creating an edit button that allows the Twitter audience to be your personal editor,” Wodtke says. “So if you say something that is difficult to believe, you could quickly change it to be clearer or less open to being misunderstood.” Wodtke does warn that especially on Twitter, editing could be used for harmful purposes. Someone looking to spread disinformation, for example, could edit their originally harmless tweet to make it false or harmful after it’s already started reaching an audience.

To ensure edit tools are used for good purposes, experts say, tech companies must take certain safety measures. “The importance of an ‘edit trail (痕迹)’ that prevents the spread of mis-and disinformation can’t be overstated,” says Wodtke, “especially when the information is part of the public record.”

Twitter says the feature was designed to be transparent (透明的) and protect the integrity (完整性) of the conversation. “We’re purposely starting this test with a smaller group to learn and deal with possible issues before bringing it to more people,” a Twitter spokesperson says.

1. How is Apple’s edit button different from Twitter’s?

A．It offers its users less time to regret.

B．It offers its users fewer chances to edit.

C．It allows its users to tap more words into a message.

D．It allows its users to label the message they have edited.

2. What does Wodtke think of Twitter’s edit button?

A．It can make its users more organized.	B．It can be used to spread wrong messages.
C．It can help messages reach more audiences.	D．It can cause people to take messages lightly.

3. What can we learn about Twitter’s editing feature from the last paragraph?

A．It is still being tested.	B．It will add more functions.
C．It should be more transparent.	D．It has led to unexpected issues.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A growing need for an edit button	B．The deep thinking behind the edit button
C．The past and present of the edit button	D．Promises and risks of a new edit button

5 . Rumble

In a world where monster wrestling (怪物摔跤) is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes, teenage Winnie tries to follow in her father’s footsteps as a manager by coaching a loveable but inexperienced monster named Steve into a champion.

Release date (上映日期): December 15,2021

Runtime:1 hour 44 minutes

Ron’s Gone Wrong

It is the story of Barney, an awkward middle-schooler and Ron, his new walking, talking, digitally-connected device (数字连接设备), which is supposed to be his “Best Friend out of the Box.” Ron’s failure to work leads them on a journey to learn about true friendship.

Release date: October 22, 2021

Runtime:1 hour 47 minutes

Luca

A young boy experiences an unforgettable seaside summer on the Italian Riviera. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, Alberto, but all the fun is threatened (威胁) by a deeply-held secret:

he is a sea monster from another world just below the ocean’s surface.

Release date: June 18,2021

Runtime:1 hour 35 minutes

Onward

Two teenage elf (精灵) brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, go on a journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him. Their journey is filled with magic spells, impossible challenges and unimaginable discoveries.

Release date: March 6, 2020

Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes

1. Who is one of the main characters in the latest movie?

A．Alberto.

B．Barley.

C．Barney.

D．Steve.

2. Which movie would Tom like if he is interested in the robot?

A．Luca.	B．Rumble.
C．Onward.	D．Ron’s Gone Wrong.

3. How long is the movie about finding magic?

A．1 hour 35 minutes.	B．1 hour 42 minutes.
C．1 hour 44 minutes.	D．1 hour 47 minutes.

6 . Childhood can bring a lot of awe (敬畏). Research also suggests that awe is important in promoting well-being beyond our individual lives — it can encourage our children to care for others.

A recent study by researchers Eftychia Stamkou, Keltner, and their colleagues invited children aged 8-13 to take part in an experiment. In the awe group, children were offered a short part of a movie that features a child transformed into a seal (海豹) and exploring the sea while in the joy group, children were offered a short part of another movie where friends were celebrating.

Researchers measured children’s kindness toward poor families by inviting children to support their food drive by spending as much time as they wanted in counting donated things, to make sure the poor got access to the donated food as quickly as possible. They also invited children to donate the reward they earned from taking part in the research (e.g., a snack or a museum ticket) to a poor family.

The results? Children who watched the awe-inspiring video spent more time counting food donations and donated their rewards to poor families more often compared to the children who watched the joy-inspiring video. These findings highlight that awe-inspiring art can motivate children to be sympathetic toward people who have been forcibly displaced (离开家园) from their countries of origin.

As parents, we can also seek out everyday experiences of awe in our communities to share with our children, like wall paintings of the city scenery and folk art. Awe can be inspired by music, like the harmonious sounds of a wooden guitar and the beat of a drum. Awesome architecture, like symphony halls, museums, and even features like staircases, can be a way to experience awe with our children.

1. What does the research find?

A．Awe should be inspired early.	B．Awe helps kids be more generous.
C．Individual lives affect kids’ health.	D．Training awe gives kids excitement.

2. What do we know about the children in the experiment?

A．They watched different movies.	B．They commented on the videos.
C．They were asked some questions.	D．They donated money to poor families.

3. Why did the awe group support the food drive more?

A．They learned this from a video.	B．They were motivated by the movie.
C．They liked to contribute to charity.	D．They were reminded by the homeless.

4. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．Give reasons for feeling awe.	B．List experiences of awe.
C．Show benefits of awe to kids.	D．Appeal for developing awe in kids.

8 . Magic Milk Experiment

This fun experiment is a classic for a reason! In the magic milk experiment, kids learn about simple chemical reactions and physical features using only a few materials. Read on to see how to do the experiment.

How does the magic milk experiment work?

In this experiment, you pour some milk in a shallow dish. You then add drops of food coloring to the surface of the milk. Using a cotton swab (棉签) dipped into dish soap, you lightly brush the surface of the milk. The dish soap breaks the surface tension of the milk, and the soap molecules try to attach to the fat molecules in the milk. This leads to swirls (漩涡) and bursts of fun rainbow colors.

What does the magic milk experiment teach?

This experiment teaches us about the science of molecules and how matter interacts. The soap breaks down the fat molecules and makes them move apart, showing us a simple but interesting example of chemistry in action.

Materials needed:

To do the magic milk experiment, you will need a shallow bowl or plate, milk, blue dish soap, cotton swabs, and food coloring. Be sure to use the more inexpensive food coloring as opposed to gel (凝胶) coloring, which does not work as well.

Magic milk experiment steps:

·Pour milk into a shallow dish or bowl, just enough to cover the bottom.

·Add drops of food coloring all over the surface of the milk.

·Dip the end of a cotton swab into a separate dish of blue soap.

·Lightly brush the top of the milk with the cotton swab, and watch what happens.

1. What causes swirls and bursts of fun rainbow colors in the experiment?

A．The overuse of dish soap.	B．The temperature of the milk.
C．The food coloring left in the shallow dish.	D．The interaction between dish soap and milk.

2. Which material has special requirements in the experiment?

A．Milk.

B．Coloring.

C．Dish soap.

D．The cotton swab.

3. What can kids learn from the experiment?

A．Good eating habits.	B．Useful painting skills.
C．Basic scientific concepts.	D．Important statistical methods.

9 . I’ve received dozens of these emails throughout my experience as a writer: “Thank you so much for taking the time to submit your work to us. However, this piece is not right for our magazine”; “Thank you for submitting your story to our magazine. Unfortunately, we are unable to publish it”; “We appreciate the chance to read your story. Unfortunately, the piece is not for us”; etc.

Nobody likes getting such emails. They are painful and can often be demotivating. However, one day I received a beautiful rejection letter. The editor wrote that he enjoyed my non-fiction article. He also wrote, “I like your writing style. It is very engaging. Nevertheless, I did find a few spots in your story where the wording seemed a little foreign or unusual to me. Not that it was wrong but that it tended to draw my attention away from the story. You should read as much English (British and/or American English) as you can to build a vocabulary and usage that draws our attention to feelings, not words.”

As a non-native English speaker, I often found it challenging to write in English. But the editor’s letter is of great help to me as it elucidated where and how I should improve my writing. I read Ernest Hemingway’s books and Jane Austen’s classic novels in order to improve my language skills. I read English newspapers and magazines and learned at least three new words every day. I listened to talk shows on the radio.

After eight months of this process, I went back and read the essay I had originally sent to the editor. I rewrote the story and sent it to the same editor who congratulated me and accepted it for publication. What I took away from this experience was that I should never be satisfied with just okay results. I need to keep working on myself and to try to constantly expand my knowledge by taking advantage of every single moment, advice, comment, and review. I do feel uncomfortable sometimes, but I am not scared. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity to learn and grow.

1. What did the editor find unsatisfying about the author’s essay?

A．The story was too complicated.	B．Some unusual feelings were expressed.
C．Some language was not natural enough.	D．The writing style was far from engaging.

2. What does the underlined word “elucidated” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Clarified.

B．Proved.

C．Supported.

D．Confirmed.

3. What did the author learn from her experience?

A．Great minds usually think alike.

B．Someone always sees the good in you.

C．One should always work towards improvement.

D．We shouldn’t be ashamed to seek advice from others.

4. What would be the best title of the text?

A．How I dealt with a rejection letter.

B．How a rejection letter made me a better writer.

C．How an honest editor stimulated my interest in writing.

D．How I benefited from constant communication with my editor.

10 . The ocean, with its vast mysteries hidden in its depths, has long excited human curiosity. From ancient maps decorated with dragons and sea monsters to modern-day technology, we’ve made limited progress in uncovering the secrets of the deep blue. Despite the technological advancements to date, only around five percent of the world’s oceans have been mapped.

The power of underwater exploration is currently the biggest obstacle we face. While technologies like wave and tidal power show promise, they are often location-dependent. Solar power, on the other hand, offers an ever-present and powerful energy source, even beneath the ocean’s surface. Sunlight can penetrate (穿透) waters up to 50 meters deep, providing sufficient energy to operate basic appliances. And in recent research conducted by a team from NYU Tandon School of Engineering, solar cells successfully powered AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) and communications equipment, demonstrating its enormous potential for undersea exploration.

However, some challenges remain. One lies in the design of existing silicon (硅) solar technology, which is ill-suited for underwater environments. Beyond moisture and salt content harmful to electronics in general, silicon solar cells are optimized (使优化) to absorb red and infrared light, which do not penetrate water effectively.

Another critical issue underwater solar cells face is biofouling — the gradual gathering of organic substances on the cells. This buildup blocks light. Furthermore, it affects the underwater vehicles themselves, increasing their weight. Previous experiments revealed that biofouling covered over 50 percent of the surface after just 30 days underwater, significantly hampering solar cell operation.

In the research, the team also tackled practical challenges in designing and testing underwater solar cells. They created innovative solutions, such as using LED lights to copy the light spectrum (光谱) at various depths, removing the need for water during testing.

These experiments demonstrated that silicon-based solar cells performed better in shallow depths, while other cell types proved more efficient below two meters. Although these specially designed underwater solar cells are still in their early stages of development, these contributions could lay the foundations for groundbreaking technologies that reveal both the potential of solar energy and the mysterious depths of our unexplored oceans.

1. What does the author intend to tell us in paragraph 1?

A．The ocean is mostly unexplored.

B．The sea has shaped human civilization.

C．Marine exploration technology is urgently needed.

D．Technology promotes humans’ underwater exploration.

2. What is the advantage of solar power according to paragraph 2?

A．It is affordable.	B．It is eco-friendly.
C．It is location-independent.	D．It is efficient in generating electricity.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards the underwater solar cells designed by the researchers?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Favorable.

C．Doubtful.

D．Disapproving.

4. In which section of a magazine may this text appear?

A．Health.

B．Education.

C．Society.

D．Nature.