1 . Self-improvement doesn’t have to be a terrifying task. It can be a fun and exciting adventure that takes you on a journey of discovery and growth. With some simple tricks, you can transform yourself into a better version of you.

First off, remember that self-improvement is a marathon, not a dash.     1     Take it one step at a time, and enjoy the ride. Think of it like climbing a mountain: you take one step after another, admiring the view as you go, until you reach the summit.

Start with small, achievable goals. Whether it’s reading a book a week, going for a daily walk, or learning a new skill, these little milestones will help you stay motivated and feel accomplished.     2    

Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is part of the learning process. If you stumble or fall short of your goals, don’t beat yourself up.     3     Keep in mind, failure is just a temporary setback — it doesn’t define you.

    4     Share your goals with friends or family, and ask them to hold you accountable. Join a self-improvement group or find someone who can guide and encourage you on your journey. You’ll find that makes the process even more enjoyable.

And finally, don’t forget to celebrate your progress.     5     Whether it’s a small accomplishment or a major milestone, take a moment to appreciate your efforts and feel proud of yourself. You can even create a reward system for yourself — maybe a delicious treat or a fun activity for every goal you achieve.

A．Choose your circle wisely.

B．Seek support and inspiration.

C．Instead, dust yourself off, and start out again.

D．Make time for activities that will fuel your soul.

E．No one can expect to change everything overnight.

F．Remember, every step counts, however small it is!

G．Every little win is well worth acknowledging and rewarding.

6 . The Academy Awards are fast approaching and we’ve got you covered. Before you head off to an Oscars party, check below for details and coverage of four films nominated (提名).

Past Lives

Celine Song’s film about a woman, played by Greta Lee, who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and tries to understand both the path she took and the many paths she didn’t.

Nominations: Best picture, original screenplay

Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Amazon

Review: Past Lives is the most affecting love story in ages.

Poor Things

Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark comedy about a young woman in Victorian London, who is found and experimented upon by a twisted scientist.

Nominations: Best picture, costume design, film editing, makeup and hairstyling

Where: In theaters

Review: Poor Things built its weird, unforgettable world from scratch.

The Color Purple

Blitz Bazawule’s adaptation of the Broadway musical is based on the Alice Walker novel. It tells the story of Celie, who survives the abuse by the men in her life and longs to be reunited with the sister who was taken from her.

Nominations: Supporting actress

Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Google Play

Review: The new Color Purple exudes (散发) joy, but dances past some deeper complexities.

Anatomy of a Fall

Directed by Justine Triet, this French drama follows a wife who becomes the chief suspect (嫌疑人) when her husband is found dead, and rifts (关系不和) in their marriage are exposed.

Nominations: Best picture, director, actress, original screenplay

Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on YouTube

Review: If you love courtroom dramas, this is not to be missed.

1. Which film gets the most nominations?

A．Past Lives.

B．Poor Things.

C．The Color Purple.

D．Anatomy of a Fall.

2. What do the movies have in common?

A．They are tragedies.	B．They are nominated for best picture.
C．They are all lady-related.	D．They can be viewed both in theaters and on media.

3. Who is the passage intended for?

A．Critics who will comment on the films.	B．Movie-goers who are hunting for films.
C．Celebrities who will attend the Oscars.	D．Audience who have watched the films.

7 . The Mediterranean (地中海的) diet is the No. 1 Best Diet Overall. It’s also a top-rated diet for those looking for a heart-healthy and weight-friendly diet.

Don’t confuse Americanized Mediterranean menus -which often feature too much refined pasta, beef and cheese-with healthy eating. The food and eating habits of the Mediterranean region are undoubtedly both delicious and healthful. However, the “Americanized” version of Mediterranean food, deep-fried cheese and falafel, heavy pasta dishes and a lot of beef and pork is anything but healthy.

Though people living in the diverse Mediterranean region eat different types of food, their diet mainly consists of plant-based foods -whole grains, beans, nuts and unsaturated (不饱和的) fat from olive oil. A small amount of lean poultry (家禽肉) and plenty of seafood is also allowed.

The nutritional value and health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were first documented in the Seven Countries Study, which investigated the relationship between diet and heart diseases among roughly 13,000 men from 1958 to 1999. The study indicated that the type of fat affects cardiovascular (心血管的) health more than total fat intake does. Although standard nutrition advice calls for a 30% limit on total calories from fat, even up to 40% may be heart-friendly, if most of the fats consumed are unsaturated.

Since the Mediterranean diet focuses on nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and health y fats, it spares little room for the saturated fat, extra sugars and sodium. As a result, people who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have longer life spans, report a higher life quality and suffer from less chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. Also, Mediterranean diet offers an upper hand in weight loss as a further research suggested.

1. Which food is typically included in the Mediterranean diet?

A．Deep-fried cheese.	B．Heavy pasta dishes.
C．Refined beef.	D．Seafood.

2. What can we learn about fat intake according to the Seven Countries Study?

A．Total fat intake matters more.	B．Type of fat is more significant.
C．We should take in no more than 30% fat.	D．Taking in up to 40% fat is unhealthy.

3. What will the author probably talk about in the following paragraph?

A．The methods researchers conducted the study.

B．Additional benefits of Mediterranean-style diet.

C．Suggestions on weight losing with Mediterranean diet.

D．How the Mediterranean diet promotes weight loss.

4. Where does the passage most possibly come from?

A．A scientific report.	B．A local newspaper.
C．A food fair guidebook.	D．A food magazine.

8 . Most people fail to achieve their goals because somewhere along the line, they lose focus.     1     And eventually, they give up on their goals. Does this sound familiar to you? Don’t worry. Here are 3 simple techniques you can use to prevent yourself from losing focus on your goals.

    2     All too often, many people make the mistake and believe that the more goals they have, the better. This is wrong. Once, researchers conducted an experiment about the choices of jams and the number of sales. They discovered that the more choices of jams they provided for shoppers, the fewer sales they got. The more options you have, the less likely you can focus better. Therefore, focus on just ONE.

The second technique you can use is this - commit to taking small steps. Success isn’t going to happen overnight. Success is the accumulation of many small steps.     3     It will only make you suffer. Instead, commit to doing a minimum number such as 30 push-ups every day, and then increase gradually.     4     it lowers the resistance, and you are more likely to take action.

The third method is to focus on progress, not results. This is one of the most important distinctions between someone successful and someone who is not. Successful people understand that progress is key, not results.     5     On the contrary, unsuccessful people focus only on getting the result. Whenever they don’t get the result they want, they feel bad, frustrated, and lose their motivation, which eventually makes them give up on their goals.

If you apply these methods, you too, can maintain your focus and reach your goals, slowly, but surely.

A．Dream big and set big goals to inspire you.

B．They get distracted and then they stop taking action.

C．Make sure you focus fully on just ONE goal at a time.

D．They just want to get the work done and push forward.

E．When you make an effort to develop your ability to focus,

F．When you focus on getting started and taking small steps,

G．You don’t have to commit to doing 100 push-ups every day.

9 . The Arctic Could be Practically “ice-free”

The Arctic could have summer days with practically no sea ice within the next decade due to emissions (排放) from fossil fuels (化石燃料), a study has found.

This would transform the unique habitat, home to polar bears, seals and walruses, from a “white Arctic” to a “blue Arctic” during the summer months, scientists said.

The report defined (定义) “ice-free” as less than 1m sq km of ice, in which case the Arctic Ocean would be mostly water.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, suggest the first ice-free day in the Arctic could occur more than 10 years earlier than previously predicted.

The authors said continuously ice-free Septembers could be expected by 2035 to 2067, depending on fossil fuel emissions. By the end of the century, there was potential for ice-free conditions between May and January under a high-emission scenario (可能发生的情况), and August to October under a low-emission scenario.

Alexandra Jahn, a lead author of the research, said: “This would transform the Arctic into a completely different environment. But even if ice-free conditions are unavoidable, we still need to keep our emissions as low as possible to avoid prolonged (长期的) ice-free conditions.”

There was, however, potential to fix this issue, she said. “Unlike the ice sheet in Greenland that took thousands of years to build, even if we melt all the Arctic sea ice, if we can then figure out how to take CO₂ back out of the atmosphere in the future to reverse (逆转) warming, sea ice will come back within a decade,” Jahn said.

1. According to the study, when could the Arctic experience its first ice-free summer day?

A．By the end of this decade.	B．Within the next 10 years.
C．From 2035 to 2067.	D．By the end of the century.

2. What would happen if the Arctic became ice-free during summer months?

A．The Arctic habitat would remain unchanged.

B．The Arctic would still be friendly to polar animals.

C．The Arctic would be a “blue Arctic” in summer.

D．The Arctic would remain frozen throughout the year.

3. What would Alexandra Jahn probably agree with?

A．Ice-free conditions are avoidable.

B．The Arctic would under go no transformation.

C．Emissions ought to be reduced.

D．Prolonged ice-free conditions are certain to occur.

4. How does Alexandra Jahn feel about dealing with the Arctic warming?

A．Hopeful.

B．Indifferent.

C．Pessimistic.

D．Uninterested.

10 . Coined by domestic (国内的) media as “deliveryman by day, poet by night,” 55-year-old Wang Jibing brings home the bacon by working as a delivery person in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Meanwhile, his passion for poetry has driven him to write over 4,000 poems. He also came under the spotlight as his name was on the 2023 list of new members for the Chinese Writers Association.

Born in a rural area, and dropping out of secondary school, Wang tried various jobs, from a construction worker, working on sand mining boats to a garbage collector, yet he never stop reading and writing. While Wang gained likes from readers of the same mind, it wasn’t until ChenZhaohua, the former CEO of sohu. com, shared one of his poems on China’s social media plat form Sina Weibo that he gained wider popularity.

“The ones that race with time don’t have four seasons. They have one station and the next. The world is only the name of a place. Wang Family Village is the same.” read the poem shared by Chen. Titled “People in a Hurry,” it gathered more than 13 million views within a week.

Wang gained inspiration for the poem from an unpleasant food delivery experience in 2019. Due to a wrong address given by the consumer, he had to rush several times to get the food delivered on time, leading to delays with other orders, as well as penalties (处罚) and a decrease in his earnings.

Reflecting memories of his family and hometown, observations of society and life while working as a laborer (劳动者) and conveying simplicity, reality and sincerity, Wang’s poems capture the simple joy and sadness of common people, tugging at the heartstrings of tens of thousands of ordinary people just like him.

1. What is Wang jibing’s job to earn a living?

A．A poet	B．A delivery man
C．A writer	D．An Internet influencer

2. What makes Wang popular overnight?

A．He received a good education.

B．He gained tons of likes from readers.

C．He became a member of the Chinese Writers Association.

D．His poem was shared by Chen on Sina Weibo.

3. What does the impact of the order delay imply?

A．There’s unfairness in food delivery industry.	B．The delivery person is irresponsible and slow.
C．The effect of an order delay is severe.	D．The consumer should take the blame.

4. What do the underlined words “tugging at the heartstrings” mean in paragraph 5?

A．Arousing strong feelings.	B．Creating smooth music.
C．Pulling on ordinary people’s hearts.	D．Causing tension among people.