3 . A study by University of Michigan researchers found that about mine out of ten people in New York City were exposed to noises that were high enough to harm their hearing. Some of the risk comes from traffic and other environmental sounds, but we suffer a lot of punishment on our ears by simply attending sports events and concerts. Listening to music through earphones and turning up the volume also do damage.

Hearing aids may have seemed not comfortable to wear for some people. But today, you might not even realize that the person next to you is wearing a pair of earphones so small and thin that they’re mostly hidden inside the ears. You might be even more surprised to discover that the person can adjust those hearing aids on a phone app — to make it easier to hear what you’re saying in a crowded, noisy environment.

“There’s a cool factor for hearing aids,” explains Dr. Hope Lanter. “They’re significantly (显著地) better and smaller.” Lanter is the lead audiologist (听力学家) for hear. com, an online source for hearing aids from various producers, which also offers access to a nationwide network of audiologists who can provide in-person testing and help.

Hear. com has started its own product, which is named the Horizon, together with engineers from hearing aid maker Signia, according to a news report. In addition to producing clear speech, the Horizon is also designed to interact with phones and other tools, make phone calls, stream podcasts, read e-books and so on.

Throughout the United States, the number of hearing aids and earphones is on the rapid increase. Though they have brought much benefit for those who have difficulty in hearing, they really do great harm to people with normal hearing when they listen to music or talk with others.

1. Why did the author mention the study in paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.	B．To show the number of deaf people.
C．To explain the importance of protecting hearing.	D．To tell us the wide use of earphones.

2. What can we infer about hearing aids from Lanter’s words?

A．Many people feel it awkward to wear hearing aids.

B．More and more people are wearing hearing aids now.

C．Hearing aids are getting more and more advanced.

D．It’s easier to stay away from loud noises with hearing aids.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards hearing aids and earphones?

A．Unfavorable.

B．Supportive.

C．Confident.

D．Not mentioned.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．Loud noises in the United States.	B．Different earphones producers.
C．The advantages of hearing aids.	D．The wide use of hearing aids and earphones.

5 . Hotels Where Wild Animals Wander Free

Check in to one of these hotels where wild animals wander free, and you could be sharing your breakfast table with giraffes, relaxing poolside with elephants, or viewing out from your hotel room window penguins.

Makanyane Safari Lodge
Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa

Located within the Madikwe Game Reserve, the Makanyane Safari Lodge offers guests up close views of the surrounding bush and the wildlife that resides within it. The suites have floor- to-ceiling glass windows perfect for watching passing elephants, and the main lodge is conveniently located next to a water hole visited by a variety of wildlife.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort
Orlando, Florida

A stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort in Orlando will feel more like a visit to Africa than Florida. Take a walk around the grounds, and you’re likely to spot more than 30 species of African wildlife. The lodge is home to 200 resident animals and birds, including gazelles, flamingos, zebras, and giraffes.

Giraffe Manor
Nairobi, Kenya

This hotel outside of Nairobi lets you get up close and personal with Rothschild giraffes. The original place was built in 1932 and has served as a giraffe shelter since the 1970s. Today, Giraffe Manor has six bedrooms and offers guests the chance to share their breakfast table with the eight resident giraffes. All of the hotel’s profits go to support the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife.

Sea Lion Lodge
Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands

Despite the name, it isn’t sea lions you should look out for here: A group of Gentoo penguins has been known to set up camp next to Sea Lion Lodge, a comfortable 3-star hotel in the Falkland Islands. Aside from penguin spotting, the lodge offers expansive views of the South Atlantic Ocean where nothing but water separates you from Antarctica.

1. In which hotel can you view elephants through the windows?

A．Makanyane Safari Lodge.	B．Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort.
C．Giraffe Manor.	D．Sea Lion Lodge.

2. What is special about Giraffe Manor?

A．It offers guests free breakfasts.	B．It is home to varieties of wildlife.
C．It has been doing charity for wildlife.	D．It provides a stay like a visit to Africa.

3. What can people see in Sea Lion Lodge?

A．Giraffes.

B．Penguins.

C．Sea lions.

D．Elephants.

6 . A year after he died at 17, a young man’s love of helping others lives on through a foundation. The Benjamin Canlas Courage to be Kind Foundation gives away bikes to Filipinos who are struggling to hold on to jobs in a country undergoing difficult times.

Benjamin Canlas was always warm-hearted. One time, he saw a food seller riding an old bicycle. Its pedals were missing. To help, Benjamin let the man ride his bike and used his own savings to send the seller’s bike to a bicycle shop for restoration.

After Benjamin’s death, his parents George and Glennda Canlas created the foundation in memory of the young man and his kindness, seeing it as a way to connect donors with those in need. In the Philippines, many jobs have been lost this year. This has left thousands of Filipinos taking odd jobs. With restricted public transportation, many people have to walk for hours to do these jobs.

The Canlases had the idea to give away bikes to individuals nominated (提名) by their peers or loved ones. When the giveaway contest was announced on social media, they did not know how much interest there would be and planned to give away seven bicycles at first. But they received over 50 nominations. “We didn’t expect that, uncertain whether what we do is of any practical value,” said Glennda. “But now we’re determined.” One bike owner is Camilla, a mother of a 2-year-old. When her husband’s work was put on hold, she started selling and delivering food. Camilla said the bike was a big help and she was “so happy” that she didn’t have to walk so far anymore.

Even as the contest ended, nominations continued to pour in. The foundation said there are people still in need. Now it is working on launching more sustainable projects that will help more while also inspiring others to pay it forward. “We live in a world where it takes courage to be kind,” said Glennda. “Our goal would be from ‘courage to be kind’, and create a world where kindness does not require courage—it is simply the thing we all do.”

1. What did Benjamin do after seeing the seller riding an old bike?

A．He sent money to the seller.	B．He had the old bike repaired.
C．He gave his own bike to the seller.	D．He bought a new bike to the seller.

2. The Canlases set up the foundation to ______.

A．continue their son’s wishes	B．memorize Benjamin Canlas
C．connect donors with the poor	D．help the unemployed get jobs

3. Why does the author mention Camilla?

A．To show impacts of the country’s tough situation.	B．To appeal for attention to the people in need.
C．To illustrate being kind does require courage.	D．To state the difference made by the good deed.

4. What is the foundation aimed at now?

A．Providing more bikes to the people in need.	B．Encouraging everyone to be courageous.
C．Initiating other sustainable organizations.	D．Turning kindness into a usual thing.

7 . Self-discipline is the ability to control your behavior in a way that leads you to be more productive and have better habits. Whether you are trying to study for a test, lose weight, or kick a bad habit, self-discipline always plays a part. Wondering how to develop it? Here are some tips for you.

    1    

Figuring out what does and does not work for you is key to understanding how to be more self-disciplined. Some people succeed when working around others, while others do better working alone. Some people are motivated by rewards, while others prefer consequences to keep them in line.

Share your goals with someone

Telling your goals to people you respect is directly related to a better chance of achieving them. You can simply let your friends know that you have decided to work on your self-discipline in general, or you can share some of your goals with them.     2    .

Start small

Don’t begin your daily work with self-discipline by trying to achieve something huge.     3    .   Instead, work on daily, weekly, and monthly goals. You just need to make sure that they are moving you in the right direction.

Forgive yourself

    4    . We all make mistakes, and that’s okay! When you behave in a way that cannot realize your pursuit of self-discipline, forgive yourself.     5    . And if possible, change your environment so that it doesn’t happen again.

A．Find a partner

B．Recognize how you struggle

C．Self-discipline requires lots of effort

D．Review why and where things went wrong

E．The act will help you achieve them more easily

F．We are all humans, so perfection isn’t possible

G．This will take too much time to keep you on track

8 . Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’re talking to someone but they keep looking at their phone? This is called “phubbing” — a mix of the words “phone” and “snubbing”, which is the act of ignoring someone in favor of the phone. It can happen in any conversation — whether it’s with a friend, family member, or even a business associate. When someone is “phubbing”, they’re using their phone to look through the online news, check messages, play games and so on, instead of focusing on the conversation or spending time with the people they’re with.

The word was first used back in 2012, when fewer people had smartphones. And now that most people have smartphones, phubbing is a common problem. Most people would agree that it’s rude to be focused on your phone when you’re spending time with another person. The expert William Hanson thinks so, too. “Phubbing is a no-no!” he says. “If you have planned to go out with friends, focus on them and not your friends on your phone.” Studies have found that phubbing can damage your relationships with others. Eye contact is super important in bonding and developing oxytocin, the chemical that builds trust and connection. A lack of eye contact due to phubbing can make people feel like you don’t care about them or value their time.

Phubbing can make people feel disregarded, and those who “phub” are thought of as less polite and caring. So science has shown that phubbing is not good for us — but why do we do it? It might be because we are feeling bored, worried or stressed. Or it might be because we are addicted to checking our phones, especially social media. Whatever the reason may be, phubbing is a bad habit and can make us miss out on real moments with the people around us. So the next time you’re spending time with a friend or family member, try and keep your phone out of sight!

1. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Phubbing dates from 2012.

B．Phubbing means using phone when necessary.

C．Phubbing only happens in business associates.

D．Phubbing is the act of focusing on people instead of phones.

2. Which of the following states would William Hanson agree with?

A．Phubbing would benefit relationship.

B．It is polite to phub when meeting friends.

C．People don’t need eye contact to show their caring.

D．Phone should be put aside when they meet their friends.

3. Which is NOT a reason for people’s phubbing according to the passage?

A．They are bored.	B．They think it a fashion to phub.
C．They are addicted to their phones.	D．They want to check their social media.

4. What does the underline word “disregarded” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Concerned.

B．Protested.

C．Focused.

D．Ignored.

9 . Jon Fosse has won the 2023 Nobel Prize in literature, “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”. The 64-year-old playwright is not well-known outside his home country of Norway. But the author is internationally celebrated in literary circles and has been called “the most produced living playwright”.

Fosse grew up on a rural farm near Strandebarm, Norway, where his grandparents lived in one house while he, his parents, and two sisters lived in another. His father worked as a manager of Strandebarm Cooperative, a local grocery store, and his mother was a caregiver. Fosse started writing at age 12 or 13, first composing song lyrics and later trying poems.

In 1979 Fosse graduated from high school and moved to Bergen, where he began working for the newspaper Gula Tidend. That same year he became a father, and the following year he married the mother of his child. In the next decades he married twice more and had five additional children. Meanwhile, throughout the 1980s he studied at the University of Bergen, receiving a Master of Art in comparative literature in 1987.

Also during the 1980s, Fosse published his first novels, namely Red, Black, whose topic is suicide, and Stringed Guitar, about a mother in a difficult situation after locking herself out of her house where she has left her baby.

The playwright began as a novelist, and did not break through as a theater writer until he was in his 40s. His international reputation as a playwright was confirmed in 1998, with a Paris production of his first play Someone Is Going to Come, which had been written in 1992. Since then, his work has been performed in more than 60 countries around the world, according to his translator, Ann Henning Jocelyn. According to his publisher, Fosse’s work has been translated into more than 40 languages, and there have been more than 1,000 different productions of his plays.

1. When did Jon Fosse get married to his first wife?

A．In 1979.

B．In 1980.

C．In 1981.

D．In 1987.

2. What can we learn about Jon Fosse?

A．He started writing in 1979.

B．His first novel is Someone Is Going to Come.

C．He gained international popularity as a playwright.

D．He worked as a theater writer when he was in his 30s.

3. What’s the best word to describe Jon Fosse?

A．Talented and productive.	B．Positive and ordinary.
C．Hardworking and considerate.	D．Imaginative and selfish.

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

A．Jon Fosse and His Novels

B．Jon Fosse and His Awards

C．Jon Fosse: The Greatest Norwegian Writer

D．Jon Fosse: Wins 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature

10 . Cats and many other animals, including most dogs, can reflect light from their eyes. That’s why cats’ eyes will usually shine brightly in photos taken in a dimly lit room or glow when lightened in the dark by a flashlight or a car’s headlights.

Species whose eyes glow have evolved to see better in low light because they either forage or need to look out for predators (天敌) throughout the night, or they do most of their hunting at dawn and dusk. In fact, domesticated cats can see in conditions that are only 16% as bright as what people require.

Cats accomplish this because their pupils (瞳孔) — the openings that appear black in the middle of their eyes that widen and narrow in response to light conditions—are special. Pupils operate like windows, with bigger ones letting more light into the eye. And a cat’s pupils can become up to 50% larger than human pupils in dim light. They also have a higher number of a specific type of light-sensing cell in the back of their eyes than we do. These cells, called rods (杆细胞), catch low-level light. In addition to having large pupils and lots of rods, cats have something people don’t: a tapetum lucidum (荧光膜), a Latin medical term that translates to “bright or shining tapestry”. The tapetum lucidum is also known as “eyeshine”.

It’s located in the back of the eye behind the retina (视网膜) — a thin layer of tissue that receives light, converts the light to an electrical signal and sends this signal to the brain to interpret the image．

A cat’s tapetum lucidum is made up of cells with crystals that, like a mirror, reflect light back to the retina. This gives the retina a second chance to absorb more light.

In cats, the tapetum most often glows yellow-green or yellow-orange, but the color varies, just like their irises (虹膜) — the colorful part of their eye, which can be green, yellow, blue or golden. Variation in tapetum color is not unique to cats and can be found in lots of species.

1. The underlined word “forage” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “______”.

A．perceive	B．hunt
C．sign	D．assess

2. According to the passage, a cat’s pupils ______.

A．can reflect lights	B．can absorb more light
C．can widen and narrow	D．can convert light to a signal

3. What’s the best title for the text?

A．How do Cats’ Pupils Work?

B．How do Cats’ Eyes Reflect Light?

C．Why do Cats’ Pupils Appear Black?

D．Why do Cats’ Eyes Glow in the Dark?

4. We can probably find this passage in ______.

A．a travel journal	B．a science magazine
C．a technology report	D．an admission guide