1 . There are many learn-to-read apps that can help children get started with reading. The best reading apps make it fun for children to learn this essential skill, and can help give them a head start over their peers.

Farfaria

Farfaria is perfect for children that are fascinated by castles, knights (骑士), fairies and magical folk tales. Readers can explore various subjects and themes through numerous mystical “lands” on a map, which consists of unique stories to develop their reading abilities. Farfaria keeps children engaged through their colorful and mystical stories and instead of games or planned classes, it places reading skills in practical applications.

Hooked on Phonics

With a proven track record extending more than 30 years, Hooked on Phonics is truly the gold standard for education excellence. Along with worksheets, questionnaires (问卷) and stories, children are taught new lessons via entertaining videos, songs and activities. And to motivate children to read, it has the awards and achievements feature. Parents or teachers can also track children’s progress and even add more children.

ABCmouse

This award-winning reading app has been specially designed for young children, and it’s great for helping children learn letters, phonics, sight words and more advanced reading concepts through educational and fun games, books and puzzles. The software’s distinctive “Step-by-Step Learning Path” has over 850 courses across 10 levels. Furthermore, it allows parents to keep a record of their child’s progress.

Noggin

Through fun games, engaging activities and personalized lessons that feature children’s favorite Nick Jr. characters, it helps young children build key foundational skills. Not only does it have a ton of great lessons and games to help children build early literacy, but the app also includes an impressive library of e-books. New books are added each month, so children will never get bored as they enjoy an always-growing library in the app.

1. Which app offers a magic-world-themed learning experience?

A．Noggin.

B．Farfaria.

C．ABCmouse.

D．Hooked on Phonics.

2. What do Hooked on Phonics and ABC mouse have in common?

A．They both have a long history.	B．They both provide rewards for children.
C．They both record children’s learning process.	D．They both divide the courses into different levels.

3. What is special about Noggin?

A．It engages children through fun games.	B．It allows children to build their own libraries.
C．It encourages children to learn from Nick Jr.	D．It has a growing number of e-books available.

2 . The final year of high school is one of the most significant transition periods in a young person’s life.     1    . While there is plentiful evidence to show pursuing goals is associated with well-being, setting goals itself is not a cure-all. How you set goals and pursue them can either promote well-being or worsen anxiety.

● Focus on a positive target

Our goals are set as either “approach-oriented” or “avoidance-oriented”. Approach-oriented goals focus on a positive target. For example, “I want to work hard to get over 80% in biology.”     2    . For example, “I want to avoid getting below 80% for biology.” These two goals are essentially the same in content, but evidence shows people who set approach-oriented goals report better well-being.

● Goals need to be meaningful and freely chosen

    3     Goals that are genuinely meaningful and freely chosen represent internalized self-motivated goals and can promote well-being. On the other hand, goals that are a product of external pressures have been linked with stress and anxiety.

    4    

Compared to overly generalized goals, specific goals are more likely to be achieved. Specific goals provide more mental reminders to keep you on track and help monitor personal progress towards a goal. The more specific a person’s goal plans are, the better.

● Set goals outside of academic achievement

For the final year of schooling, it’s important to set goals that aren’t only linked to academic expectations. Having goals in other aspects such as leisure and recreation, health and relationships will help enhance your sense of well-being.     5    .

A．Flexibility is of vital importance

B．Make sure your goals aren’t too general

C．Avoidance-oriented goals focus on avoiding negative outcomes

D．It’s important to think about why you set and pursue certain goals

E．One of the least enjoyable by-products is the stress associated with the final year

F．These goals will assist you in successfully progressing through the final year and beyond

G．If you’re experiencing severe stress, there are support contacts and resources available

3 . When I looked at my to-do list recently, I noticed that it was all over the place. It’s hard to tell which tasks are a priority. Some are urgent and some can wait.     1    

Is there a more effective way to write my to-do list? I’ve talked to time management experts. Here are some useful tips.

Follow the two-minute rule. If it takes less than two minutes, just do it right then and there.     2     Remember it and do it.

Break each task into smaller ones.     3     And what ends up happening is that we don’t get them done because we aren’t expressing them in a doable form. For example, I want to retile my floor. That’s not a to-do list item because there are too many steps packed into one big goal. Instead, I should break the project into smaller action items like “pick tiles”.

    4     Take one of your existing to-do list tasks and ask “why” repeatedly. For example, why do I want to retile my floor? To make my apartment look better. Why? Because a beautiful space makes me feel good. Finally, you get to something that feels like a bedrock value of your life. And if you don’t, that’s a sign that the task is unimportant.

Try assigning a task to a time of day.     5     For example, you might write your novel from 11 a. m. to 2 p. m., go shopping from 2 p. m. to 3:30 p. m. and do the cleaning from 3:30 to 4 p. m. This method can narrow down how much you can do in a day.

A．Decide what’s important.

B．Add big goals to your to-do list.

C．It’s not worth the time to write it down.

D．Choose to write your to-do list on paper.

E．Some are quick to complete, and others take more time.

F．People aren’t specific enough when they write items on their to-do lists.

G．Look at your schedule and figure out when you can get your task done.

4 . In today’s constantly connected world, finding solitude (独处) has become a lost art.     1     But alone time can actually be quite healthy. In fact, there are many benefits about it.

    2     You could try new things, research topics that attract you, acquire knowledge and even practice new methods of self-expression. You can do these things with no need to worry about being bothered.

Alone time can promote creativity.     3     Many creative people find they are at their best when they take a break from their social life. Solitude can also improve the quality of your relationships. For example, by spending time with yourself, you gain a better understanding of who you are and what you desire in life.     4    

Knowing these benefits, you may wonder how to find alone time in a world that seems to never sleep. One practical way is to mark off time in your calendar for spending alone with yourself. It doesn’t have to be long. Any time that you can spend alone with yourself to focus, relax, create, or think deeply is better than no time.     5     Turn off your cell phone. Don’t use the Internet. Turn off your TV. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done when you’re not distracted.

A．Alone time is beneficial not only mentally but also physically.

B．During that time, make good use of the social relationships you have.

C．When the time comes, unplug (拔掉，断开) from all the ways you connect with others.

D．We tend to link a desire for alone time with people who are lonely or antisocial.

E．Being alone means the chance to explore your interests without being disturbed.

F．Therefore, you’re more likely to make better choices about who you want to be around.

G．When you’re alone, you can think freely, letting your imagination fly and producing new ideas.

5 . If you had to use one word to define yourself, what would it be? Imagine trying to summarize your entire being in just one word or two — a challenging task indeed. Labels, like “confident” or “creative”, may suggest certain aspects, but they can never fully capture the richness and depth of a person’s character.

Labels take on an “all-or-nothing” meaning. Someone either is something, or they’re not. The biggest problem with labeling people is that it oversimplifies their complex nature. Using labels infers people’s current behavior is fixed, but people change. As they learn, they grow, and someone we think of in a certain way today might not remain the same in a few months or years. When we label people, we deny their complexity, their right to change, and their richness as human beings.

Furthermore, labels can become self-fulfilling prophecies (预言). When people are constantly told they are a certain way, they may start to remember these labels and act accordingly. This hinders their potential for growth and development, as they may feel trapped by social expectations. For example, if parents label a child as “annoying” or “a complainer”, the child may feel their needs aren’t important. Over time, being ignored for complaining too much can lead the child to believe that expressing their needs is not acceptable. Consequently, their self-perception (自我认知) may suffer, and they may even start to devalue themselves as a result.

Linguist Benjamin Whorf once argued that the words we use to describe what we see are rarely objective, as they carry personally prejudice. Labels can be harmful because they can reduce individuals to a single characteristic or stereotype (刻板印象). Therefore, we should be mindful of the language we use and the labels we attach to people. By adopting a more open view of life, people, and events, we can appreciate the richness and diversity of human experience, and cope with the complexities of our interconnected world.

1. What is the biggest problem with labeling people?

A．It expresses a subjective opinion.	B．It denies the complexity of humans.
C．It overstates people’s shortcomings.	D．It ignores goodness in human nature.

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

A．Exposes.

B．Cultivates.

C．Restricts.

D．Determines.

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

A．To present the bad effects of labeling on people.

B．To show the importance of using language skillfully.

C．To prove people’s natural tendency for being prejudiced.

D．To encourage people to take an open-minded perspective.

4. Which of the following is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Stop Labeling People

B．Define Yourself Objectively

C．Children Suffer a Lot from Labels

D．Different Individuals Diversify the World

6 . An expedition (远行) to Kenya

Schedule

Go beyond the typical safari (旅行) experience, and observe Kenya’s wildlife through the eyes of the conservationists. Spend time in three extraordinary reserves, visit field stations where National Geographic-supported researchers are working to save important species. Watch the elephants of Amboseli in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro and track rare species like African wild dogs and white and black rhinos. Take a deep dive into Maasai culture during a village visit, where you’ll learn about wildlife conservation efforts carried out in partnership with local communities.

Accommodations

Throughout the expedition, you will stay in ideally located hotels, country houses and excellent tented camps.

Expedition team

A National Geographic expert and an expedition leader will accompany this trip, and local guides will join you along the way.

What’s included

◎Transfers (中转) upon arrival and departure

◎Transportation provided during the trip

◎Accommodations indicated in the schedule

◎Meals indicated in the itinerary (行程)

◎Daily activities indicated in the schedule

What’s not included

◎Airfare to and from the destination, as well as internal airfare

◎Trip cancellation insurance or any other travel insurance

◎Visas

◎Alcoholic drinks

1. What can you do on the expedition?

A．Have an elephant ride.	B．Work with local communities.
C．Learn about Maasai culture.	D．Dive at a wildlife reserve.

2. Which of the following would be at your own expense?

A．Meals.

B．Travel insurance.

C．Accommodations.

D．Daily activities.

3. Who might be most interested in the expedition?

A．Historians.

B．Extreme athletes.

C．Mountain climbers.

D．Animal lovers.

7 . My initial exploration of the world of comic books happened through the comic strips (连环漫画) in newspapers. It began with a fondness for Garfield and his adventures, and led to the discovery of a range of comic books like Champak, Tintin, and Archie. They enabled me to enjoy myself in a world without iPads and the Internet — just like so many of my friends who were fond of reading.

While my access to comics as a child was limited to what was printed in the newspaper, this changed once I grew older and started visiting bookstores to buy the books that I wanted to read. Having grown up on a diet of image-heavy books, I found the idea of reading text-only novels quite formidable. As I searched for books that lay somewhere in between, I came across a copy of Bhimayana — a graphic novel (漫画小说). It felt familiar due to its comic-like theme and design. Plus, understanding complex narratives through pictures was relatively easier and more fun. And so, as I grew older, I found myself changing towards graphic novels from childish comic books.

Graphic novels dealt with serious topics in a more interesting manner. They would truly show me what was going on. For example, when I was reading Joe Sacco’s Palestine, I did not have to imagine the ruin caused by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I could actually see it while reading about it.

Fast-forward a few years to when I was given a copy of Jonathan Bloomfield’s Palestine: A Novel. Though I was impressed by the compelling (扣人心弦的) nature of storytelling in his book, I am not sure if I would have been able to visualise and enjoy his text-only version so much had I not read Sacco’s Palestine first. Thanks to the graphic novel, I had a “picture” of whatever had happened, and that made it easier and more fun to understand the details of the overall story.

From black and white strips and colourful comic books to illustrated graphic novels, this type of storytelling has come a long way. While my romance with comic books is still ongoing, in the long run, my love for graphic novels is stronger and here to stay.

1. Why did the author turn to comic books as a child?

A．He found comic books interesting.	B．He had limited access to other books.
C．He wanted to be accepted by his friends.	D．He had difficulty reading text-only books.

2. Which word can best explain the underlined word “formidable” in paragraph 2?

A．Acceptable.

B．Natural.

C．Appealing.

D．Scary.

3. What does the author say about reading Sacco’s Palestine?

A．It encouraged him to read more text-only novels.

B．It introduced him to a compelling style of storytelling.

C．It helped improve his understanding of Bloomfield’s book.

D．It changed his attitude towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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

A．How picture books shaped my life	B．Why I love reading graphic novels
C．What made comic books special to me	D．Why I turned to serious novels eventually

8 . As I stand in my favorite craft store, I’m faced with choices that mirror the world outside. You see, I love my foam (泡沫橡胶) board, which has foam inside and is sandwiched between two layers of paper or plastic. It’s easy to work with and affordable, but not friendly to the environment. Or take a look at the paintbrushes. The plastic handle brushes are cheap while the brushes with wooden handles cost a fair bit more.

Glues are the unsung heroes of my art, yet their plastic containers are far from eco-friendly. And don’t get me started on the packaging that these art supplies come in. It’s all plastic, and it’s a reminder that even in the art world, being green isn’t always easy.

As an artist, I’m not exactly rolling in profits. Most of what I earn goes right back into my materials, leaving little room for choosing green materials. Fresh out of university, I am still searching for a job. Since I currently don’t have a regular income, I’m living with my family to save costs and paying careful attention to what I can afford. But I also care deeply about climate change, since I’ve seen its impact and can’t bear the thought of it getting worse.

So, to reduce my personal impact on climate change while also living within my means, I make full use of my brushes until they’re on their last hair, and I’ve become a master at repurposing cardboard boxes and various packing materials. The firm plastic packaging that once housed my paints finds a second purpose as glass in my miniature (微型的) windows. The cardboard from those boxes’ serves as bases for a range of miniatures. I don’t waste a bit of foam board either; it’s kept for crafting mini-books for my sets.

It’s an ongoing process — a journey of give and take. While I try to reduce my ecological footprint, I am also learning to balance practicality while enjoying creating my own art.

1. What does the author find in the craft store?

A．Most materials aren’t as green as required.

B．It is difficult to buy cheap and green materials.

C．The prices of some green materials keep going up.

D．Her favorite green materials are always very popular.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．The author is a struggling artist.	B．The author likes working at home.
C．The author mainly uses green materials.	D．The author creates art about climate change.

3. How does the author deal with her packing materials?

A．She sells them to buy books.	B．She exchanges them for paints.
C．She gives them to a recycling company.	D．She tries to reuse them in her artworks.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．My journey as a green artist	B．My expectations of a green artist
C．My experience of picking green materials	D．My exploration in crafting green artwork

9 . Blood may be thicker than water when it comes to human relationships and it appears that the same is true of jackdaws (寒鸦) after scientists found they readily switch friends to gain food but stick with family even at the risk of going hungry.

Alex Thornton, a professor of cognitive evolution, said, “We monitor hundreds of wild jackdaws, each of which is fitted with a tiny PIT tag like the chips (芯片) used for pet cats and dogs — embedded in (嵌入) a leg ring. In this experiment we randomly divided jackdaws into two groups — A or B — and programmed a pair of automated PIT tag-detecting devices to provide worms only if individuals from the same group(AA or BB) visited together.” If birds from different groups arrived together — A with B — the feeders would remain closed. Single birds would get grain, but not the more desirable worms.

Thornton said, “The idea was to find out if jackdaws could readjust their social associations. They might have friends in the wrong group. Do jackdaws ditch them and start to hang out with individuals who are in the right group? The jackdaws turned out to be very strategic, quickly learning to abandon friends from the other group so they could get the best rewards. However, they made an exception when it came to their close relations even if they got nothing. What we were able to do here was test the idea: can individuals keep track of the outcomes of past interactions and update their relationships? It turns out they can.”

Thornton said jackdaws were an excellent subject matter as they were clever and had dynamic social networks. “You’ve got individuals coming and going so beyond their strong relationships, and they have lots of other associations. They are similar to human society.” Michael Kings, of the University of Exeter, said, “These results help our understanding-of the evolution of intelligence as they show that being able to track and remember information about social partners can bring benefits.”

1. Which of the following matters most for jackdaws according to the experiment?

A．Their family.	B．Avoiding going hungry.
C．Staying away from risks.	D．Their friends.

2. What can be learned about the jackdaws in the experiment?

A．Jackdaws on their own got worms.	B．Jackdaws with their family got grain.
C．Jackdaws from the same group got worms.	D．Jackdaws from different groups got grain.

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

A．Reward.

B．Abandon.

C．Destroy.

D．Believe.

4. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To encourage further research.	B．To give possible reasons for the results.
C．To explain the significance of the research.	D．To summarize the findings of the experiment.

10 . Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands are remote, rocky and endlessly fascinating. The wildlife encounters are quietly breathtaking and the scenery is amazing. The chance to experience this special region on an adventure voyage is both an advantage and an inspiration, and now also an opportunity to give back by getting involved in scientific research.

Citizen science — where you help scientists collect data that feeds into important research projects — gathers valuable data for making informed decisions about urgent issues like climate change and wildlife conservation. “It gave the trip more purpose.” is in the words of one citizen scientist.

Becoming a citizen scientist is simple. All of our polar voyage partners operate citizen science programmes on their ships. Fun, interactive and informative, they are completely voluntary and no prior scientific knowledge is required. It’s about sharing new discoveries and deepening your connection to the natural world with small groups of like-minded people.

On a typical citizen science programme, you will usually be invited to participate in at least one session on most days. A typical day might involve a seabird count at 14:00 and a cloud survey at 18:00. Or you might be photographing whales and noting their unique markings. In addition, a citizen science coordinator (协调员) will arrange short lectures.

Take two examples from Polar Latitudes (the first to offer citizen science projects in the polar regions), and their ship the Seaventure: citizen scientists studying cloud formations in Antarctica have provided a great deal of information about how global warming is deeply impacting climate change. Just a few readings taken during the course of each voyage have resulted in a wealth of data. Thousands of whale tail photos taken by citizen scientists, meanwhile, provided data that was crucial to the creation of a 20,000-sq-km slow-down zone to reduce ship strikes.

There are often multiple chances to collaborate (协作) on different projects during your voyage and on-board citizen science coordinators will keep you posted on the projects you can participate in each day.

1. What is an adventure voyage in Antarctica now special for?

A．The chance to contribute to scientific studies.

B．The opportunity to experience wildlife encounters.

C．The possibility of visiting remote and rocky regions.

D．The availability of interactive entertaining programmes.

2. How can a visitor become a citizen scientist?

A．By presenting short lectures on the ship.	B．By passing a basic scientific knowledge test.
C．By making a citizen scientific research plan.	D．By volunteering to attend a citizen science project.

3. What is a typical activity for a citizen scientist during their voyage?

A．Conducting field experiments.	B．Analyzing historical weather data.
C．Organizing book sharing meetings.	D．Assisting with animal conservation efforts.

4. What does the last but one paragraph imply about citizen science programmes?

A．They require broad scientific knowledge.

B．They make a great difference to scientific research.

C．They are available on every voyage in the Antarctic.

D．They mainly focus on global warming and its impact.