1 . As a high school student, you’re likely used to learning through reading textbooks.     1     This lies at the heart of “experiential appreciation,” a philosophy that encourages you to engage directly with the world around you. It’s about learning from real-life experiences, and discovering a more profound and engaging way to learn.

To practice experiential appreciation, you can start by getting involved in hands-on activities related to your subjects. They will provide a firsthand understanding of the concepts you’re studying, making learning active and meaningful. So, try joining a sports team, picking up a paintbrush, or taking part in a local charity event.     2    

As you dive deeper, immerse (沉浸) yourself fully in the surroundings and activities. When you’re in nature, don’t just look around.     3     Touching the leaves, feeling the wind and listening to the birds can enrich your learning and make each moment more memorable.

    4     After trying something new, ask yourself what you learned and how it made you feel. Write in a journal or discuss it with friends. This self-discovery turns experiences into life lessons and offers a deeper understanding of the world.

Experiential appreciation transforms learning from a task to be completed into a journey to be treasured.     5     So, explore the world around you, let every experience shape you, and discover the endless possibilities that await. This is the core of true learning, where every moment is a step towards a richer, more enlightened life.

A．It extends learning beyond textbooks.

B．These activities bring learning to life.

C．Mind the impact of your actions on the environment.

D．Instead, activate your senses for a stronger tie with it.

E．Take your experiences further by reflecting on them.

F．Textbooks offer a systematic introduction to essential concepts and principles.

G．Now consider expanding your learning from just reading to actively participating.

2 . TikTok, the widely popular social media platform, has taken the world by storm with its short-form videos and addictive content. But did you know that there is also a Chinese version of TikTok?

The Chinese version of TikTok is called Douyin, and it has quickly become one of the most widely used apps in China. Launched in 2016 by Beijing-based tech company ByteDance, Douyin has attracted an enormous user base and reshaped the social media landscape in China.

So, how did Douyin gain such vast popularity in China?

One of the factors contributing to Douyin’s success is the large population of smartphone users in China. With over 1.4 billion people, China has a massive user base for social media platforms. Additionally, the rise in internet penetration and the availability of affordable smartphones have made it easier for people to access and use Douyin.

Douyin takes advantage of China’s culture of sharing and enjoying bite-sized content. In China. there has always been a strong demand for short-form entertainment, including popular formats like variety shows, quick comedy skits, and music videos. Douyin provides a platform for users to easily create and share short videos, allowing them to express their creativity and talent.

Douyin leverages the power of social network effects. Users can follow each other, like and comment on videos, and engage with a large community of like-minded individuals. This sense of belonging and community encourages them to spend more time on the platform.

Moreover. Douyin continuously improves its features and algorithms to enhance user experience and keep users engaged. The app uses advanced AI technology to analyze user preferences and provide personalized recommendations, ensuring that users see content that is relevant and interesting to them.

Overall, the rise of the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the large smartphone user base, the popularity of short-form entertainment in China, social network effects, and continuous improvements in features and algorithms.

1. How is Douyin different from TikTok?

A．Its algorithms.

B．Its target groups.

C．Its user experience.

D．Its main functions.

2. Which of the following is one of the factors of Douyin’s success in China?

A．The popularity of long-form videos.

B．The low technology requirements to Douyin.

C．The large population of smartphone users.

D．The availability of different brands of mobile phones.

3. What does the underlined word “leverages” mean in Paragraph 6?

A．brings about

B．believes in

C．makes up for

D．makes full use of

4. How is the passage organized?

A．Opinion — Description — Discussion	B．Topic — Argument — Emphasis
C．Introduction — Explanations — Summary	D．Main idea — Supporting examples — Conclusion

3 . When Bella Lin was 12 years old, she noticed that her guinea pigs (豚鼠) seemed unhappy in their small cage with “prison-like” bars. Determining to find an alternative to traditional cages for her pets, the now 17-year-old from Mountain View, US, began her designs.

Lin experimented with many different designs and used around $2,000 (14,400 yuan) from her savings to start her side business GuineaLoft, on Amazon in November 2022. It sold nearly 11,000 cages and brought in more than $410,000 in 2023, according to CNBC Make It.

Traditional guinea pig cages typically consist of bars, roofs, and either tarp (防水布) or plastic bottoms, making them hard to clean and often smell bad.

At the beginning, Lin’s glass, open-floor cages offered more visibility and mobility (活动性), with a two-layered bottom. This design allows for the easy removal of soiled bedding by pushing it into a removable plastic tray (托盘). However, due to high shipping costs, the glass material was impractical, and the open floor caused problems for her smaller guinea pigs, as their feet would get stuck.

However, Lin and her six-person team didn’t lose confidence. They dedicated late nights to researching and testing products. Her team handled the sourcing, manufacturing, packaging and photographing of the products.

In the end, they chose acrylic (丙烯酸纤维), instead of glass, and used replaceable bottoms using biodegradable (可生物降解的) paper. The bottoms are easy to throw out, which is good for business: Once customers run out of the bottoms, they have to visit Lin's Amazon store again to buy the new bottoms.

“Witnessing the effects of my products through customer reviews and emails is inspiring,” Lin said. “As someone who once placed great emphasis on academic performance, the success of my side business has boosted my confidence in navigating life beyond high school.”

1. What inspired Bella Lin to create a new type of guinea pig cage?

A．Her observations of her pets ’discomfort.

B．Her ambition to initiate a side business.

C．Her interest in product design studies.

D．Her desire to invest her savings wisely.

2. What problem did Lin discover with traditional guinea pig cages?

A．Limited entertainment features for pets.	B．High prices and lack of durability.
C．Difficulty with cleaning and bad smells.	D．Lack of visual appeal to owners.

3. Lin’s change to acrylic materials was primarily to solve_________.

A．the ease of cleaning the cages	B．the affordability of production
C．the practicality of shipping	D．the safety of the guinea pigs

4. How has the success of GuineaLoft influenced Lin？

A．Strengthened her business drive.	B．Built up her confidence in her future.
C．Enhanced her academic performance.	D．Raised her focus on customer feedback.

4 . During my final year of college, I made two signs that read, “Feeling stressed about exams? Have a free hug!” Then I found a friend and we stood in the campus, held up the signs, and waited. Passersby either quickly looked down at their phones and awkwardly walked by, or their faces lit up as they embraced us. Most people were enthusiastic. Some exclaimed, “You made my day!” or “Thank you. I needed this.”

A study published earlier suggests that, in addition to making us feel connected with others, all those hugs may have prevented us from getting sick. At first, this finding seems incredible, because hugging hundreds of strangers would increase your exposure to germs and therefore the likelihood of falling ill. But the new research adds to evidence for the positive influence of social support on health.

The researchers conducted an interview to find out how often participants experienced conflict with others and how often they received hugs. Then they infected the participants with a common cold virus and, later the researchers found that, regardless of how much conflict they endured, participants with a strong sense of social support developed less severe cold symptoms. Likewise, the more often people hugged, the less likely they were to get sick, even among individuals who frequently had tense interactions. In other words, both social support and hugging prevented against illness.

But their impact is more than a runny nose. On the extreme end, social connectedness seems to play a role in preventing against death. According to a research that examined over 300,000 people around the world, low levels of social support can increase the risk for premature death more than commonly known factors like smoking or alcohol consumption. No surprise that the World Health Organization identifies social networks as a primary determinant of health.

Evidently, just as we prioritize exercise and nutrition, we ought to prioritize quality time with loved ones; just as we avoid unhealthy habits like smoking, we should make effort to avoid isolation and social exclusion. And even if you don’t want to hug hundreds of strangers, don’t underestimate the healing power of touch.

1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic.	B．To amuse the readers.
C．To explain a viewpoint.	D．To quote an instance.

2. What is a common misunderstanding of hugging strangers?

A．It helps to relieve social stress.	B．It increases the risk of getting ill.
C．It prevents against social exclusion.	D．It promotes the feeling of closeness.

3. What does the underlined phrase “a runny nose” refer to in paragraph 4?

A．Death.

B．A virus.

C．A hug.

D．A cold.

4. What does the author suggest in the last paragraph?

A．Getting socialized.	B．Doing more exercise.
C．Giving up smoking.	D．Valuing your time.

5 . On August 15,a team of researchers and conservationists set off on a two-year voyage from Plymouth, England,on board the Dutch tall ship Oosterschelde. They will sail more than 46,000 miles(74,000 kilometers)and drop anchor in 32 different ports across four continents,before ending their journey in Falmouth,U.K.

The expedition, named Darwin200,comes more than 190 years after Charles Darwin sailed the globe collecting specimens and shaping ideas of his theory of evolution. The team will closely follow Darwin’s original voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, which set off on Dec.27,1831,and returned to England on Oct.2,1836.

Darwin was 22 years old when he joined the expedition with the intention of seeing the world before joining the church. But during the trip, Darwin became fascinated by the wide range of different species he encountered, which eventually led to him creating his theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin’s account of the journey, published after his return, also helped him establish his reputation as one of Victorian Britain’s academic elite.

The main aim of the new expedition is to train and inspire 200 young environmentalists, between 18 and 25 years old, who will each spend a week on board the Oosterschelde studying threatened species that Darwin encountered on his voyage.

“We wanted to create a similarly transformative experience(for the young naturalists),”Stewart MePherson, mission director of Darwin200,said in a statement. They have” the potential to be the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)and conservation leaders of tomorrow,” he added.

Every week, the team will broadcast interactive “nature hour” sessions live from the ship for people across the world. They will also collect important data on ocean plastics and coral reef health,as well as survey seabirds, whales and dolphins.

1. What can we learn about Darwin200 from the first two paragraphs?

A．It takes along 200 naturalists.	B．It takes a shortcut for the journey.
C．It is to mark Darwin’s Beagle voyage.	D．It lasts longer than Darwin’s voyage.

2. How did Darwin’s voyage affect him?

A．It established his writing style.	B．He gained a sense of adventure.
C．He earned great fame and fortune	D．It changed the direction of his life.

3. What is Stewart McPherson’s wish for the young naturalists?

A．To be more creative.	B．To keep an open mind.
C．To develop scientific skills.	D．To challenge Darwin’s theory.

4. What does the team’s research work focus on?

A．Ocean conservation.	B．The exploration of ocean.
C．The art of navigation.	D．Scientific education.

6 . Hillier Gardens School Holiday Program

The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are open year-round offering opportunities to view interesting plants and flowers and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Throughout the Easter school holidays, we have various events for children, which are fun and educational and give them interesting ways to interact with nature.

Self-Guided Easter Trail

The Gardens feature a regular trail throughout the year. For the Easter school holidays children will pick up their maps and follow clues left by the Easter Bunny. The family trails are a great way to explore the gardens with a little bit of guidance. Children who finish the trail will also be able to collect a small prize at the end. Trail maps can be picked up from the ticket desk.

Cost: E1.50 per child

All ages

Pond Dipping

The Education Garden ponds at Hillier Gardens are filled with all sorts of interesting creatures you might never think to look at. Keep an eye out for beetles, skimmers and more creatures living in the ponds. All materials are provided and bookings are not required. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: E2 per child

All ages

Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club

The Outdoor Learning Company will be running their popular Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club for four days throughout the Easter break. Children will experience a range of different outdoor skills and activities, including campfire cooking, bush craft tools, and den building. There’s also plenty of time to just enjoy the outdoors running around, tree climbing and exploring. Bookings are essential and can be made on the Outdoor Learning Company website.

Cost: E22

Ages 5-11

Family Bushcraft Cooking

One of the last activities of the holiday period is a campfire cooking session. You’ll make warm fruit puddings and cook other things on the campfire, while also learning essential bushcraft skills for cooking and safe fire handling. The price is for one adult and one child. Tickets can be booked online or by calling 01794369318.

Cost: E12.50

Ages 4-12

1. What good will the holiday events do to children?

A．Enjoying the festive leisure.	B．Improving self-care abilities.
C．Bringing them close to nature.	D．Strengthening the family ties.

2. Which event might be more attractive to the children fond of insects?

A．Pond Dipping.	B．Self-Guided Easter Trail.
C．Family Bushcraft Cooking.	D．Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club.

3. What can children do in the Outdoor Adventure Holiday Club?

A．Have a self-guided walk.	B．Learn outdoor survival skills.
C．Enjoy a family picnic.	D．Take care of small animals.

7 . “Anxiety.” The very word invites discomfort. Its effects—shortness of breath, pounding heart, muscle tension—are outright upsetting. But, as a clinician, I find that we tend to miss out on many valuable opportunities presented by this human emotion. In and of itself, anxiety is not deadly, nor is it a disease. Quite the contrary: it is an indicator of brain and sensory health. Once we accept that it is a normal, though uncomfortable, part of life, we can use it to help us.

We all know working out at the gym is hard. By nature, a “good workout” is uncomfortable, since it involves pushing our physical strength past what we can easily do. The sweet spot of exercise is always a somewhat challenging experience. Similarly, if you want to be emotionally stronger, you need to face some tension. For example, one effective treatment for fear is exposure therapy (疗法), which involves gradually encountering things that make one anxious, reducing fear over time.

Humans are social creatures. When my patients learn to open up to their partners about their anxieties, they almost always report a greater sense of emotional closeness. Also, as international relationship expert Sue Johnson teaches, when we express our need for connection during challenging moments (e.g., “I’m having a hard time right now and could really use your support”), it creates greater connection and turns our anxiety into love.

From time to time, we find ourselves at the end of our rope. Our responsibilities pile up, our resources break down, and we feel uncomfortably anxious—what we’re experiencing is called stress. Simply put, the demands placed upon us outweigh our available resources, just like a set of scales (天平) going out of balance. Focusing on work and pretending everything is OK only leads to disastrous results. Medical treatment for stress may function for a while, but it tends to make things worse in the long run. The only solution to deal with stress is to do the mathematics to balance the scales.

1. What does the author say about anxiety?

A．It is an invitation to diseases.

B．It indicates stable mental health.

C．It costs us many valuable chances.

D．It is a natural emotional expression.

2. Why does the author mention “good workout” in paragraph 2?

A．To prove how exercise influences emotions.

B．To suggest an effective way to challenge limits.

C．To explain how anxiety builds emotional strength.

D．To show a positive connection between mind and body.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The key to closeness is partners’ support.

B．Sharing anxieties improves relationships.

C．Humans are defined by their social nature.

D．Expressing feelings keeps us off anxieties.

4. According to the last paragraph, how can we deal with stress?

A．Devote more energy to our work.

B．Increase resources available to us.

C．Seek professional medical treatment.

D．Master advanced mathematical skills.

8 . It’s been estimated that people touch their cell phones hundreds of times every day. That means plenty of opportunities for germs to move from our fingers to our phones.

    1     But a recent study found more than 17,000 bacterial gene copies on the phones of high school students.

One of the worst places to use cell phones is in the bathroom.     2     Studies   have   found that our mobile phones are much dirtier than toilet seats. Just as an expert puts it, taking a phone into the bathroom and then leaving with it is kind of like going in, not washing your hands and then coming back out.

While many of us wash our hands regularly after going to the bathroom, we seldom consider washing our hands after touching our phones.     3    

You can use alcohol-based wipes or sprays to clean your phone regularly. They need to contain at least 70% alcohol to disinfect phone casings and touch screens.     4     Remember to sanitize (消毒) your phone charger occasionally when you are cleaning your phone. And wash your hands thoroughly after you’ve finished cleaning.

    5     Get in the habit of putting your phone away when it’s not in use, then cleaning your hands. When not at home, keep your phone in your pocket or bag. Use a disposable paper list of to-do items, rather than constantly consulting your phone.

Do not share your phone with others if you have not first sanitized it. If children are allowed to play with your phone, sanitize it as soon as possible afterward.

A．Do it every day if possible.

B．How you handle your phone will also be critical.

C．So it’s clear that you keep away from your phone.9125

D．When toilets flush, they spread germs everywhere.

E．The more germs they collect, the more germs you touch.

F．Research has varied on how many germs are on an average phone.

G．Fortunately, there are easy ways to avoid your phone collecting germs.

9 . Even if you haven’t held a conversation with Siri or Alexa, you’ve likely encountered a chatbot online. They often appear in a chat window that pops up with a friendly greeting: Thank you for visiting our site.How can I help you today? Depending on the site, the chatbot is programmed to respond accordingly and even ask follow-up questions.

Chatbots are a form of conversational AI designed to simplify human interaction with computers. They are programmed to simulate human conversation and exhibit intelligent behavior that is equivalent to that of a human.

Chatbots communicate through speech or text. Both rely on artificial intelligence technologies like machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), which is a branch of artificial intelligence that teaches machines to read, analyze and interpret human language. This technology gives chatbots a baseline for understanding language structure and meaning. NLP, in essence, allows the computer to understand what you are asking and how to appropriately respond.

With developments in deep learning and reinforcement learning, chatbots can interpret more complexities in language and improve the dynamic nature of conversation between human and machine. Essentially, a chatbot tries to match what you’ve asked to an intent that it understands. The more a chatbot communicates with you, the more it understands and the more it learns to communicate like you and others with similar questions. Your positive responses reinforce its answers, and then it uses those answers again.

From customer service chatbots online to personal assistants in our homes,chatbots have started to enter our lives. In almost every industry, companies are using chatbots to help customers easily navigate their websites, answer simple questions and direct people to the relevant points of contact. Personal assistants like Siri and Alexa are designed to respond to a wide range of scenarios and queries, from current weather and news updates to personal calendars, music selections and random questions.

1. Why does the author mention Siri and Alexa in Paragraph 1?

A．To explain how a chatbot works.	B．To show where to find a chatbot.
C．To give examples of chatbots.	D．To compare different chatbots.

2. What is the basis of chatbots?

A．Language study.	B．Data transmission.
C．Social interaction.	D．Natural language processing.

3. What does the underlined word “reinforce” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Inspire.

B．Strengthen.

C．Organize.

D．Match.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The future trend of chatbots.	B．The author’s predictions.
C．The effects of chatbots.	D．The applications of chatbots.

10 . Watford and her family have lived in Curtis Bay, Baltimore for generations. Her community has faced environmental injustice. Heavy industries continued to move in her community. As a result, her neighbors have had to live with serious respiratory (呼吸的) problems.

When she knew a plan to build the nation’s largest trash-burning incinerator (焚化炉) less than a mile away from her high school, she realized she had to take action. The incinerator was being sold wrongly as clean, renewable energy equipment but actually it would be a source of brain-damaging chemicals and would release 200 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, both worse than coal burning. Watford felt she had a responsibility to warn her community to work together to shut this plant down.

She co-founded Free Your Voice (FYV), a 10-person student organization devoted to community rights and social justice. Together, they decided to start a campaign to take down Energy Answers, the incinerator’s developer. They went door-to-door talking to neighbors and organizing protests.

When it was discovered that Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) was going to be a customer of Energy Answers, the organization fought with the board and presented their case, urging BCPS to withdraw from the project. BCPS was convinced to cancel their contract, which in turn inspired 22 other customers to do the same. Without any financial gain, Energy Answers had no market to move forward with its plan.

Watford continues to work with Curtis Bay residents toward fair development. They have a vision for the future which includes building a zero-waste movement, a solar farm, and green jobs. She wants the entire human family to join the fight for environmental justice because survival as a species depends on our ability to take action.

1. What caused respiratory problems in Watford’s community?

A．Poor medical care.	B．Terrible environmental conditions.
C．Constant bacterial infection.	D．Unbalanced distribution of resources.

2. What is Watford’s attitude to building the incinerator?

A．Unfavourable.

B．Doubtful.

C．Unclear.

D．Indifferent.

3. What was the result of their campaign?

A．BCPS lost financial support.	B．Energy Answers stopped its plan.
C．The investors found new market.	D．Many customers revised their contracts.

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

A．A teenage hero against urban pollution

B．A teenage hero fighting for an advanced city

C．A battle for Baltimore’s sky by a teenage hero

D．The social justice challenge for a teenage hero