1 . Every time the holiday season approaches, my agony begins. Shall I go to Rome, Paris, the Andes, or Brighton beach? There is no lack of places, the difficulty is, shall I ever be able to decide? It is December now, but no sooner is Christmas over than the advertisements, the brochures, the Special Offers will start dropping through my letter-box. The media—television, radio, the newspapers—will be doing their best to attract me and my money, to lure me far-off places with high-sounding names or cozy farmhouses in the Cotswolds or steamer trips down the Rhine. The trouble is always that bewildering.

Psychology, too, will play its part. In case I am one of the those who feel guilty when I am lazy, I shall receive too many offers from travel agencies and associations of all kinds to improve my physique by hill-climbing, playing golf, surf-riding and a host of other activities. On the other hand, if I feel educationally at a disadvantage, I shall no doubt receive pressing invitations from Summer Schools to improve myself, study languages, ancient civilizations, lectures on music, drama, stamp-collecting. As a modest shorthand typist who spends her days pounding a typewriter in a quiet office, I’m afraid I shall become more and more distracted by these delights, more and more unable to choose.

Fortunately I shall not have to decide this year. I have just received notice of an increase in my rent and rates. Unless I get a rise in salary, it seems highly likely that I shall not be able to afford to go to anywhere.

1. What is the author’s “agony” when the holiday season approaches?

A．She can never make up her mind to decide where to go.

B．She doesn’t know how to deal with the advertisements.

C．She has to spend more money on rent and rates.

D．She hasn’t had enough money to do anything.

2. What do we learn about the author’s job?

A．Well-paid.

B．Professional.

C．Permanent.

D．Comfortable.

3. Why does the author feel lucky this year?

A．She has no interest in any advertisements and offers.

B．She will have a good rest at home because of her hard work.

C．She doesn’t worry about being blamed by any travel agencies.

D．She needn’t care about any holiday attractions for lack of money.

4. We can learn from the passage that the author _______________.

A．is expecting a rise in salary to pay for her daily life

B．often feels ashamed to reject various holiday offers

C．usually shows great interest in educational activities

D．has travelled some famous places like Rome and Paris

2 . My birthday present came in the mail a little early this year and my children are the sweethearts. They let me go ahead and open it. It was a new record player to play my old records on. I set it up in my bedroom. It looked like a black briefcase but it had speakers built into the sides. I went over to the record collection that I had kept since childhood and pulled out a 35-year-old record. I placed it gently on the record player. I pushed on the power button. Then I carefully picked up the needle and placed it on the spinning (旋转)record. Then the sweet sound of music flowed from the record player into my ears and down to my soul. It was one of those moments of pure joy that makes life so wonderful. I closed my eyes and danced to the sound. In my mind I was fourteen years old again, singing and dancing to the music in my mom’s living room.

I opened my eyes again and smiled. My young puppy, however, jumped up and down around my feet and barked happily while I danced with delight to the sweet sounds coming from my birthday present.

I have been thankful for so many sweet sounds in my life. I have heard the first birds singing in the spring. I have heard the wind whistling through the trees. I have heard my newborn babies’ first cries. I have heard children laughing and playing. I have heard the wonderful words, “I love you.” I have heard beautiful, glorious music. I hope to keep adding the sounds of my own love, laughter, kindness, and joy to them too. I hope to do all I can to make this earth sound a little more like Heaven. May you do so as well.

1. What was my birthday present in the passage?

A．A new speaker.	B．A record player.
C．A black briefcase.	D．A record collection.

2. The underlined word “glorious” in Paragraph 3 probably means_________ .

A．attractive

B．modern

C．classic

D．loud

3. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．My Own Love	B．Sweet Sounds
C．My Birthday Present	D．Unforgettable Memories

3 . The environmental practices of big businesses are shaped by a fundamental fact that offends our sense of justice. A business may maximize the amount of money it makes by damaging the environment and hurting people. When government regulation is effective, and the public is environmentally aware, environmentally clean big businesses may out-compete dirty ones, but the reverse is likely to be true if government regulation is ineffective and the public doesn’t care.

It is easy to blame a business for helping itself by hurting other people. But blaming alone is unlikely to produce change. It ignores the fact that businesses are not charities but profit-making companies, and they are under obligation to maximize profits for shareholders by legal means.

Our blaming of businesses also ignores the ultimate responsibility of the public for creating the conditions that let a business profit through destructive environmental policies. In the long run, it is the public, either directly or through its politicians, that has the power to make such destructive policies unprofitable and illegal, and to make sustainable environmental policies profitable.

The public can do that by accusing businesses of harming them. The public may also make their opinion felt by choosing to buy sustainably harvested products; by preferring their governments to award valuable contracts to businesses with a good environmental track record; and by pressing their governments to pass and enforce laws and regulations requiring good environmental practices.

In turn, big businesses can exert powerful pressure on any suppliers that might ignore public or government pressure. For instance, after the US public became concerned about the spread of a disease, transmitted to humans through infected meat, the US government introduced rules demanding that the meat industry abandon practices associated with the risk of the disease spreading. But the meat packers refused to follow these, claiming that they would be too expensive to obey. However, when a fast-food company made the same demands after customer purchases of its hamburgers dropped, the meat industry followed immediately. The public’s task is therefore to identify which links in the supply chain are sensitive to public pressure.

Some readers may be disappointed or outraged that I place the ultimate responsibility for business practices harming the public on the public itself. I also believe that the public must accept the necessity for higher prices for products to cover the added costs of sound environmental practices. My views may seem to ignore the belief that businesses should act in accordance with moral principles even if this leads to a reduction in their profits. But I think we have to recognize that, throughout human history, government regulation has arisen precisely because it was found that not only did moral principles need to be made explicit, they also needed to be enforced.

My conclusion is not a moralistic one about who is right or wrong, admirable or selfish. I believe that changes in public attitudes are essential for changes in businesses’ environmental practices.

1. The main idea of Paragraph 3 is that environmental damage__________.

A．is the result of ignorance of the public

B．requires political action if it is to be stopped

C．can be prevented by the action of ordinary people

D．can only be stopped by educating business leaders

2. In Paragraph 4, the writer describes ways in which the public can__________.

A．reduce their own individual impact on the environment

B．learn more about the impact of business on the environment

C．raise awareness of the effects of specific environmental disasters

D．influence the environmental policies of businesses and governments

3. What pressure was given by big business in the case of the disease mentioned in Paragraph 5?

A．Meat packers stopped supplying hamburgers to fast-food chains.

B．Meat packers persuaded the government to reduce their expenses.

C．A fast-food company forced their meat suppliers to follow the law.

D．A fast-food company encouraged the government to introduce regulations.

4. What would be the best heading for this passage?

A．Will the world survive the threat caused by big businesses?

B．How can big businesses be encouraged to be less driven by profit?

C．What environmental dangers are caused by the greed of businesses?

D．Are big businesses to blame for the damage they cause to the environment?

4 . Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended the British throne at 25, has passed away at the age of 96.

On Sept. 8, the official Twitter account belonging to the royal family confirmed the news, writing, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”

The news comes hours after Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Sept. 8, sharing that doctors were “concerned” with the Queen’s health and recommended she “remain under medical supervision.”

While Her Majesty stayed busy with a variety of royal engagements even in the final years of her life, some royal watchers grew concerned about her heath after the Queen started using a cane and was briefly hospitalized in October 2021 for an undisclosed ailment.

In February, the fears grew stronger after she tested positive for COVID-19, just weeks after she celebrated 70 years on the British throne to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history. However, the Queen would make a rare appearance a little over three months later in May at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

But after the first day of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, the Palace shared at the time that she experienced “some discomfort,” leading her to miss the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral on June 3.

Back in 1952, Elizabeth became queen upon the death of her father, King George VI. In 2015, she surpassed the previous longest-reigning British monarch, her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, and also became the longest-serving female head of state in world history.

Her extraordinary reign included countless overseas visits with world leaders, but the Queen always viewed public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her work.

According to the Palace, Elizabeth had links — as President or Royal Patron — with over 600 charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organizations.

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service,” Elizabeth shared on her 21st birthday, back when she was still known as Princess Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was married to the late Prince Philip for 73 years before he passed away in April 2021 at the age of 99.

At the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, a card was seen atop of the late royal’s coffin. The note, written on the Queen’s stationery and placed alongside flowers, appeared to read in part, “I love you”.

The Queen carried out all of her duties while raising four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. During her incredible life, she would also welcome eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren to the Royal Family.

At the time of Philip’s passing, Prince Harry reflected on his grandparents’ incredible love story.

“The two of them together were just the most adorable couple,” he shared. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever described them as adorable but, to me, knowing the cheekiness of him and knowing that behind what the world sees you have two individuals who were very much in love, and both at a very young age, dedicated both of their lives to service. The places these two travelled, the things they saw, the experiences they went through. That is an incredible bond between two people.”

1. What is the best title of this article?

A．The love story between Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

B．The Queen’s legacy would live on

C．Long live the Queen

D．Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96.

2. Which the follow statement is NOT TRUE?

A．The Queen has become the longest reigning monarch in British history.

B．The Queen was forced to miss several events in the final stage of her life due to some health issues.

C．The Queen reigns longer than her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria and even longer than any other leader in the world.

D．The Queen is always dedicated to public and voluntary service, even at the end of her days.

3. What can be implied from the last paragraph?

A．The Queen and her husband both dedicated their lives to service.

B．The Queen and her husband forms a special bond and shared a lot of common experiences.

C．The Queen and her husband’s love story has become an exemplar for the whole royal family.

D．The only person who understands Prince Philip is the Queen.

5 . The benefits of walking to school

Encouraging your child to walk to school has many benefits.     1    

The rates of childhood obesity and illnesses such as type II Diabetes (糖尿病) can be prevented by a healthy dose of walking.     2     On average around half of all children do not do the minimum one hour a day of physical activity advised by the Health Education Authority. A quick walk to school can help them get their daily exercise and arrive at school or home, refreshed and energetic.

    3    There was very strong evidence that walking to school improves children’s social development. This related to social contacts, independence and road sense. The walkers reported a happy social experience. It is believed that getting a lift to school each day can lead to a child becoming lethargic (无生气的).

According to research, the average drive to school and back releases 800g of CO₂ into the air.     4     If walking to school once a week can save 20 per cent of CO₂ gas produced by driving every day, how much CO₂ can be saved a year!

Last but not least, encouraging your child to walk to school will save you money.     5    

Since walking to school has so many health, social, environmental and economical benefits, why not let your child walk from now on?

A．The following are some of them in different aspects.

B．You will spend less money on transport fares or petrol, of course.

C．Furthermore, 50 per cent of children still don’t regularly walk to school.

D．It is enough to blow over 60 balloons.

E．Walking can have a positive effect on a child’s emotional health.

F．Parents, children and teachers are asked to think about the benefits of walking to school.

G．In fact, walking helps protect the body from many serious illnesses later on in life.

6 . The history of inventions leading up to the modern computer is a story of people trying hard to create machines that complete many tasks automatically, such as adding up large numbers, controlling airplanes in flight, etc. Many of the earliest methods of recording and counting data still remain mysteries (something that is not understood).

In England you can visit Stonehenge, where a mysterious collection of large stones has stood since 1,500 BC. Scientists have never discovered the stones’ purpose. However, by observing the way the sun shines between the stones, many people believe Stonehenge was used to predict the seasons and eclipses (蚀) of the sun and the moon.

Another early method of computing was a brass calculator, which existed in Spain nearly 1,000 years ago. The machine was shaped like a human head, with numbers instead of teeth. The shape became its undoing; some people were afraid the machine was supernatural, and destroyed it. In early recorded history, calculators that used the sun, or objects in the night sky, were developed to be used on ships to explore the world beyond the Tigris-Euphrates Valley of southwestern Asia. One such device, dating from the first century, worked with a system of gears designed to track the orbits of stars and planets. These orbits became the marked routes for ships.

In ancient Rome and Greece, one of the earliest machines ever used for processing numbers was the abacus. This simple collection of beads has been used for centuries in China and other Asian countries. The abacus is built with columns of beads attached to a rectangular wooden frame. Inside the wooden frame is a crossbar that separates each column of beads into two sections. In the Chinese version there are two beads above the bar and five below. Each column of beads means a different range of numbers. The first column from the right represents ones, the second tens, the third hundreds, etc. By moving beads, calculations are quickly completed. Because values are shown by positions, the abacus is very valuable in teaching arithmetic to blind students.

Experienced users operate the abacus very quickly. After World War II, a speed competition was arranged in Japan between the fastest calculator operator in the US Army and an employee of the Japanese Post Office using an abacus. The American was defeated easily by the moving beads of his opponent.

1. What does the author mainly talk about in this passage?

A．Old methods to manage data.	B．The great inventions in science.
C．The mysterious historical events.	D．Theory and practice in computing.

2. How does the author try to prove his point?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By analyzing the cause.
C．By telling a true story.	D．By giving examples.

3. The underlined word “undoing” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A．cause of bad luck	B．reason for change
C．way to escape	D．loss of power

7 . Wilson Middle School

To: All students
From: Agnes Smith, Secretary of the Computer Club
Date: 8th September
Subject: A New Year for the Computer Club

Welcome back to school. It is a new year for the Computer Club, and there are lots of things to tell you about, so here goes.

First of all, we have redesigned the school website home page. It is now more interesting, and contains information about updates to the school website. You can now click on the right places to see our new school motto, the information about our 25th School Anniversary and a Chinese version. Why not have a look at it, and tell your friends about it, as well? The school website address is http://school.web/wms/index.html.

Secondly, the 15th Joints Schools Computer Exhibition will be held from the 3rd to the 10th of July next year. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Computer Technology 20 Years from Now’. All participating schools must submit a project proposal (方案) by the 28th of April next year. We want our school to participate in the exhibition, and we will prepare a project proposal for the school to submit before the deadline. If you have an idea for a proposal, please e-mail Kevin Shum or Amy Yale.

Finally, the Computer Club will hold a Get-Acquainted lunch on Saturday, the 20th of September, at 12:30 pm in Room 12. We invite you all to the lunch, and we welcome you to come whether you are interested in joining the Computer Club, or you just want to learn something about computers.

We look forward to seeing you there!

1. You can go and enjoy the 15th Joints Schools Computer Exhibition on ________ next year.

A．April 28th	B．July 3rd
C．September 8th	D．September 12th

2. What will the Computer Club do on September 20th?

A．Redesign a home page.	B．Hold a computer exhibition.
C．Offer a special lunch.	D．Submit a project proposal.

3. What is the purpose of the letter?

A．To report what the Computer Club did last year.

B．To tell about the activities of the Computer Club.

C．To teach the students how to learn computer well.

D．To persuade the students to join the Computer Club.

8 . Dog adoptions, and sales of supplies like dog food and dog toys, soared during Covid-19. For a lot of people, knowing they’d be working from home for months made the idea of adopting a dog much more attractive.    1    , here are some tips to try.

Research dog food

People or pets, feeding someone is a great way to not only show love, but to feel love. Anyone who has invested time in creating a great meal for their family knows that the experience of cooking helps them feel closer to the people eating.    2    . Instead, you should spend some time researching the best kinds of dog food for your pet. The more time you spend looking into what kind of dog food will help your buddy thrive, the more connected you’ll feel. Feeding your dog healthy food will also help her stay healthy and comfortable.

Work with a trainer

    3    . Working with a professional trainer, in person, or even over Zoom, can help you get a better understanding of who your dog is. This can be especially helpful if you adopted an older dog that already has certain habits. The more comfortable and secure you feel with your dog, the more you’ll come to love them.

    4    

Sometimes loving a specific dog is about getting into dogs in general. Reading dog stories, looking at dog pictures, watching dog shows and videos can all make you feel more loving towards dogs in general, which will in turn help you feel better about your own dog. Instagram is an easy way to get your cute dog fix!

Give it time

We all love the stories about the person who walks into a shelter and falls in love with a dog. But, just like with people, it’s not always love at first site. Sometimes, we think that if we don’t love a dog right away, it’s a problem    5    This can be especially true of rescue dogs. Rescue dogs who have been moved around from house to house or shelter to shelter may take longer to trust you. But once your dog trusts you, you’ll find them harder to resist.

A．Play with your dog

B．Read about other dogs

C．If you’re having trouble connecting with your new dog

D．In reality, some relationships just take more time to build

E．When you find your friendship needs more time to develop

F．You could make your own dog food, but most people don’t

G．Sometimes we have trouble bonding with a dog because we don’t understand that dog

9 . Imagine a friend has just asked how you’re feeling. “I’m fine,” you protest. You’re clearly anxious but respond in this way, unable to express how it is you really feel. Try as you might, you can’t quite understand your emotions, and truth to be told, you’re not sure whether you really want to.

Research shows that being aware of your emotions is hugely beneficial and people with high emotional awareness have better social and emotional functioning. “Emotional awareness is being able to identify and make sense of not only our own emotions but those of others, ”explains Rachel Vora, psychotherapist and founder of CYP Wellbeing. “It’s absolutely essential in maintaining good mental health. When we are able to identify and reflect on our emotional responses, we can understand how this influences our behaviours and in turn, change the way we respond to challenging situations.”

Of course, finding out how we feel can often prove difficult. It’s the very reason we turn to general phrases like ‘I feel blue’ or I’m not myself today’. It’s not always easy to put a finger on exactly what’s wrong, without digging a little deeper. Vora says this is often because on some level we don’t want to know how we really feel. “We can often try to numb or suppress because they feel overwhelming or distressing and this can often lead to a lack of emotional awareness as we feel disconnected from ourselves,” she explains.

Without emotional awareness, we can also develop emotional blind spots: unhealthy thoughts, behaviours and coping mechanisms that are hidden from our view. Perhaps you lash out or withdraw when you feel overwhelmed or go into criticism and self-doubt when you receive negative feedback. Unless you take time for self-reflection, you’ll remain unaware of these habits and continue to repeat the same destructive patterns again and again. Vora says tuning into your emotions and honestly reflecting on how you feel is the key. “When we do this, we are more able to work with our emotions and put strategies in place to improve our mood,” she points out. “By identifying our emotional blind spots, we can feel more in control of our emotions, and also how we respond in challenging situations.”

1. Why can’t you express your true feeling according to paragraph 1?

A．You want to keep it a secret.	B．You are absent-minded at that time.
C．You are unable to grasp your feeling.	D．You are unwilling to share it with your friend.

2. How does emotional awareness benefit us?

A．It’s easy for us to respond politely.	B．It can identify our emotional responses.
C．It can contribute to our mental health	D．We can identify our emotions and those of others’.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．People tend to lie to their friends.

B．People often doubt about themselves.

C．People should communicate with each other frequently.

D．People sometimes avoid their true feelings consciously.

4. What is Vora’s suggestion according to the passage?

A．Thinking over what is your true feeling.	B．Hiding you from the negative feedback.
C．Criticizing bravely when you are anxious.	D．Remaining unaware of the destructive patterns.

10 . Massive snowstorms and a blast of chilly air swept across northern China in the first week of November, leaving many people shivering(颤抖)in the freezing cold.

At the same time, a global conference on climate change-COP 26-was held in Glasgow, Scotland, where the key topic was how to curb(抑制)the trend of global warming. So why are we experiencing such a frigid(寒冷的)winter on a warming planet? The cold snap(寒潮)and global warming, two seemingly opposing forces, are not contradictory, Zhou Bing, chief expert at the China Meteorological Administration’s National Climate Center, told China Daily.

Against the backdrop of a warming planet, China has seen a growing average temperature in winter, which has increased by 0.41°C every decade since 1961, according to Zhou. But in some cases, the country has also experienced freezing cold-for instance, the icy weather that hit the country in early 2008. Global warming does not appear evenly, but triggers more extreme heat and cold, Zhou explained. Global warming has changed the patterns of Earth’s atmospheric circulation, affecting the local climate via sea-air or land-air interaction. In October, La Nina, the periodic(周期的)cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial(赤道的)Pacific, started to affect China, bringing more cold air to the country, said the National Climate Center. Between 1951 and 2020, a total of 15 La Nina events occurred in China. Ten of them brought lower-than-average winter temperatures, according to the National Climate Center.

Another reason for the chilly weather is the warming Arctic, according to the BBC. The Arctic is warming two to three times as fast as any other place on Earth, said Zhou, adding that the polar vortex, a rotating(旋转的)pool of cold, dense air weakens as the temperature goes up, pushing the cold Arctic air southward. So will this winter be particularly cold? Unlike a series of cold waves that cool down the nation gradually, people will experience the quick-freeze effects several times, and a cold winter is likely, a Beijing-based climate expert told the Global Times.

The official forecast also said that northern China will see more snow than average and southern China less rainfall than average.

1. Why is global warming mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To illustrate its relationship with chilly air.	B．To introduce the climate expert Zhou Bing.
C．To describe the weather condition in the world.	D．To stress the importance of the conference-COP26.

2. What does the underlined word in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Prevent.

B．Affect.

C．Cause.

D．Recover.

3. What’s the result of the fast warming of the Arctic?

A．Our country will be cooled down slowly.	B．The south of our country will see more snow.
C．The whole world will become extremely warm.	D．There will be sudden drops in air temperature in our country.

4. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A textbook.

B．A news report.

C．A review.

D．A travel brochure.