2 . A team in Europe are working with wood, but not in the usual ways. They are not carpenters (木匠). Instead, they are scientists exploring how wood can lead to a greener electronic device, a transistor (晶体管) made from balsa wood, whose production releases less climate-warming gas into the air.

Transistors play an important role in computers and other devices. They act like tiny switches to control the flow of electricity. Engineers use them to process and store data. Today’s laptops may host billions of them. So they must be tiny — only a little wider than a strand of DNA.

The new transistor being built by physicist Isak Engquist and his team at Sweden’s Linkoping University isn’t as small as those. Big enough to see and hold, it can stand only an electric pressure that pushes electrons along. And it controls a current using charged particles (粒子) called ions.

This new technology shows a “proof of concept” that the idea can work, even if the new device is not yet ready to put into today’s electronics. “While it seems large by today’s standards, such a transistor still might prove useful for electronics that require low electric pressures,” says Engquist.

“The new transistor suggests that future electronic devices might be made in living plants,” Daniel Simon, a physicist in the team, says. “Imagine peeling away some bark from a living tree,” he says, “and stamping electronic circuits into the living wood.”

In fact, Engquist says, “There are so many ways we can use wood and the components of wood that we would never have thought of.” For instance, he can now imagine a wood-based sensor that could monitor crop health, measure pollution or survey a forest for fire risk.

1. Which can best describe the transistor?

A．Costly.	B．Widely used.
C．Time-saving.	D．More environmentally friendly.

2. What is the new transistor’s disadvantage compared to common transistors?

A．It is much bigger.	B．It can’t stand electric pressure.
C．It can’t be seen.	D．It is made from metal.

3. What is Engquist’s attitude to the new transistor’s future?

A．Uncertain.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Indifferent.

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

A．Wood’s surprising roles in modern electronic design

B．Wood-made transistors: a step toward greener electronics

C．Scientists are researching the history of transistors

D．Scientists are working as carpenters to invent transistors

3 . Young people are spending more time in digital spaces. The Internet allows us to connect with people, share ideas, be creative, have fun and discover new things. Unfortunately, young people also face risks online. Common problems include cyberbullying (网络欺凌), receiving unwanted messages, seeing images and content you don’t want to see, or having your private information or photos shared without your permission.

Safer Internet Day (SID) is organized in the second week of February every year, and over 180 countries take part. The aim is to raise awareness of online issues and make the Internet a safer place. SID invites everyone to be part of a big conversation about online issues. This is particularly important for teenagers because they often experience unpleasant situations online, but they don’t always feel they can talk about them.

Cyberbullying is when someone uses the Internet to embarrass, threaten or hurt another person. If you experience cyberbullying, talk to an adult you trust as soon as possible. Don’t reply to any messages but save the evidence.

Going online often means spending time alone. When you feel down, social media can make you feel lonelier. Using social media might be related to higher levels of depression. So you need healthy social media use.

Whatever app you use, make sure you know who sees your posts and personal information. Limit what people can see, decide who can comment on your content and thwart other users’ comment. It may be illegal to share a photo or video of someone without their permission. The SID’s website has advice about what to do if someone shares pictures of you that you feel embarrassed about.

There is still a lot we don’t know about how time spent online affects people’s well-being. But talking about all the issues helps everyone understand common problems and know how to deal with them.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?

A．The Internet has both good and bad sides.

B．The Internet is a safe place to share photos.

C．Young people should avoid going online.

D．Young people face more risks than adults.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．What we can do on SID.	B．How to take part in SID.
C．The time of organizing SID.	D．Some information about SID.

3. What should you do if you experience cyberbullying according to the text?

A．Use other social media.	B．Turn to adults for help.
C．Reply to the messages.	D．Deal with it with classmates.

4. What does the underlined word “thwart” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Admit.

B．Replace.

C．Prevent.

D．Change.

6 . Before traveling to Lake Tahoe, make sure your plans are in order. Here are several vacation packages to the area offered online. Easily find the perfect route or simply build your own to experience the wonders of Lake Tahoe.

Get Outdoors in Lake Tahoe Package

Get outdoors and explore! With this fun vacation package, you can stay in the Lake Tahoe area for three nights and have a few adventures along the way. This package also features Lake Tahoe Sport Fishing, allowing guests to get out and fish!

Package includes: 3 nights’ lodging (住宿) in your choice of over 33 hotels.

Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package

Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package is perfect for people who want to have a romantic time. It also includes the Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Sunset Cruise on the Bleu Wave, which allows you the chance to see the beautiful surroundings of Lake Tahoe.

Package includes: 4 nights’ lodging in your choice of over 11 hotels.

Lake Tahoe Family Vacation Package

Due to the amazing sights, there are lots of activities in this package to take part in. If your next trip happens to be in the Lake Tahoe area, then consider booking the Lake Tahoe Family Vacation Package. Everyone is suitable to visit.

Package includes: 3 nights’ lodging in your choice of over 11 hotels.

Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package

Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package is great for people of all ages, so this is a great choice for families. It also includes a Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Cruise, which takes place aboard the Bleu Wave.

Package includes: 2 nights’ lodging in your choice of over 22 hotels.

1. Which package should you choose if you like adventures?

A．Get Outdoors in Lake Tahoe Package.	B．Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package.
C．Lake Tahoe Family Vacation Package.	D．Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package.

2. What can visitors do in Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package?

A．Go fishing.	B．Have five full nights at a hotel.
C．Go cycling along the Lake Tahoe.	D．Enjoy the sunset.

3. What do the last two packages have in common?

A．The price.

B．The activities.

C．The customers.

D．The accommodation.

7 . ①The world’s heaviest snake has been hiding a big secret.

② According to a study published today in the open-access journal MDPI Diversity, the animal known as the green anaconda, or Eunectes murinus, is actually two genetically distinct species, despite each species looking so similar that even experts can’t tell them apart.

③“Genetically, the differences are massive,” says Bryan Fry, a National Geographic Explorer, biologist at the University of Queensland in Australia, and coauthor of the new study. “They’re five-and-a-half percent different, genetically. Now, to put that into context, we’re about two percent different from chimps,” he says.

④ To make the shocking discovery, Fry and his coauthors collected blood and tissue samples from green anacondas in Ecuador, Venezuela, and Brazil.The study authors also examined each animal closely to count scales and look for other physical traits that could signal an evolutionary difference. After running the genetic data, they found a clear divide between anacondas sampled in the northern part of the range as opposed to those in the south. And based on those findings, they propose renaming the snakes found in the north as the northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima), while E. murinus will continue to refer to southern green anacondas.

⑤Fry says his jaw dropped when the analyses completed. “I didn’t expect that level of difference,” he says. “It’s just mind-blowing. We were all of us very much doing happy dances.”

⑥While it may seem like splitting hairs to re-classify two populations of snakes that look identical to one another, Fry emphasizes how important such delineations can be for understanding the threats posed to these creatures. Right now, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the green anaconda as a species of least concern when it comes to extinction risk, but this classification is based, in part, on how widely distributed a species is. “It’s important, because the newly described northern green anaconda has a much smaller range than the southern, and so that means it’s much more vulnerable,” says Fry.

⑦Working with giant snakes isn’t easy. The fact that anacondas are massive, powerful predators is just one reason the animals haven’t been more closely studied. However, more work of this kind may be needed to understand how the northern and southern green anacondas started separate evolutionary tracks. After all, the two species appear to coexist in French Guiana, even as close as being found on opposite riverbanks, says Fry. And yet, there’s no evidence of interbreeding in their genetics.

1. W'hy did the author mention “we’re about two percent different from chimps” in paragraph 3?

A．To show how genetically different green anacondas are.

B．To show how distant we humans are from green anacondas.

C．To show how similar green anacondas are in appearance.

D．To show how hard it is for experts to tell green anacondas apart.

2. Based on the context, what does the underlined word “delineations” in paragraph 6 mean?

A．similarity

B．conservation

C．classification

D．extinction

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Experts suggest continuing to refer to the northern green anacondas as Eunectes murinus.

B．Experts are sure of how green anacondas started different evolutionary tracks.

C．The classification of green anacondas helps arouse awareness of its protection.

D．The two species of green anacondas once interbred in their genetics when living close.

4. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Eunectes akayima: splitting hairs

B．Eunectes murinus: the world’s heaviest snake

C．Northern green anaconda: a newly found species

D．Green anacondas: two genetically different species

8 . Talking therapies for anxiety and depression

Talking therapies, or psychological therapies, are effective treatments delivered by fully trained and qualified experts. They can help if you’re struggling with things like feelings of depression, excessive worry, social anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

· You can access talking therapies for free on the National Health Service (NHS) in UK.

· You can refer yourself directly to a talking therapies service without recommendation.

· Help is available in person, by video, over the phone or as an online course.

What can talking therapies help with?

You do not need to have a diagnosed mental health problem first. Getting support as soon as you start having difficulties can help to reduce their impact.

You may be:

· feeling anxious

· feeling low and hopeless

· having panic attacks

· finding it hard to cope with work, life or relationships

· struggling with flashbacks and nightmares about things from your past

· feeling stressed

Other things that talking therapies can help with include:

· worrying a lot

· excessive thoughts or behaviours

· fear social situations

· being afraid of things, such as spiders, flying or heights

Types of talking therapies

There are a range of evidence-based talking therapies. Which therapy you are offered depends on which one has been shown to be most helpful for your symptoms.

Examples of talking therapies include:

· guided self-help-where a therapist coaches you as you work through a self-help course in your own time, either using a workbook or an online course

· cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based on the idea that thoughts, feelings, what we do, and how our bodies feel physically, are all connected. CBT helps you notice and challenge thoughts or behaviours to help you feel better.

· interpersonal therapy (IPT) or dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT)-therapies that look at the link between your depression and your relationships

Talking therapies can also help if you have mental health problems resulting from other conditions, such as diabetes (糖尿病), cancer, long-term pain.

Talking therapies are oftered in different ways, including:

· using a self-help workbook with the support of a therapist

· as an online course

· one-to-one sessions either in person, over the phone or as a video consultation

· in a group

1. You are recommended talking therapics if you are________.

A．feeling optimistic about the future

B．suffering from diabetes or cancer

C．lacking in thoughts or behaviours

D．afraid of getting along with others

2. During the therapy, which of the following might happen?

A．You conduct a self-help course all by yourself.

B．Your thoughts and how your body feel disconnect.

C．You feel better after noticing and challenging thoughts.

D．You have to work in a group to receive talking therapies.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To inform people of talking therapies.

B．To persuade people to take talking therapies.

C．To call for donation for talking therapies.

D．To describe the history of talking therapies.

9 . It is certainly difficult to make money. But should money be difficult to give away? In The Gilded Age, industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller worried about waste and misuse; Carnegie wrote in 1889 that $950 of every $1,000 that went to charity was “unwisely spent”.     1     Donors ran lengthy application processes, provided funds and fulfilled painstaking reporting requirements. In 2006 The Economist called it “philanthrocapitalism (慈善资本主义)”.

    2     The 400 richest Americans have given away just 6% of their combined fortunes, according to Forbes. At the last count in 2022, almost $1.2 trn was sitting in American private foundations and $230bn in donor-advised funds, a sort of savings account for donors. Plenty of money is being marked for charity. But it is not getting to worthy causes fast enough.

Fortunately, a new generation of donors is once again shaking up the world of big philanthropy (慈善事业). Leading the mission is MacKenzie Scott, who simplified the process of giving and is donating billions of dollars a year with few conditions. This “no-strings giving” is changing mega-donors’ long-held assumptions.     3    

One is the recognition that philanthropists do not have to do everything themselves.     4     An upside of a decades-long trend for businesslike philanthropy is that armies of consultants have emerged to help donors draw up a strategy and conduct due diligence on potential recipients. Donors can team up and share the work, too.

Another lesson from the no-strings crowd is that philanthropists can trust recipients to put money to good use once the proper due diligence is in place. That means analyzing a nonprofit organization’s annual reports and interviewing its leaders and other funders.

A．It offers lessons for those struggling to get money out of the door.

B．In addition to that, her charity work is too numerous to mention.

C．However, this idea that charities’ money is wasted has been proven wrong by evidence.

D．Mega-donors no longer need to endure the trouble of setting up a foundation and hiring staff.

E．Two decades on, however, it’s become clear that all this paperwork puts the brakes on giving.

F．Around the turn of the millennium donors looked to data and rules as a way to stop waste.

10 . Adapted from Shanghai writer Jin Yucheng’s Mao Dun Literature Prize winning novel, Fan Hua (Blossoms), the series — which primarily takes place between 1993 and 1994 — follows the jouney of Ah Bao, an ambitious everyman who takes every chance and rises to become a legendary figure in the city’s most upper-class commercial circles. Aside from emphasizing his ability to seize opportunities in the stock and foreign trade markets, the plot also follows his delicate, and romance-like relationships with three women.

The enthusiasm the drama has stirred up has led to tourists flooding to the show’s locations, such as the Fairmont Peace Hotel, which is where he rents a luxurious room to do business, and Huanghe Road, which was lined with the most high-end restaurants in the 1990s. Other examples include fans waiting in long queues outside restaurants to order a plate of fried pork chops with rice cakes, a traditional Shanghai dish that Boss Bao always orders. The drama’s popularity even extends to its soundtrack. Steal One’s Heart, a song used to set the heartbreaking atmosphere in a particular scene gains newfound popularity.

Considered by some critics as a love letter from the director to Shanghai, the city shot through the lens arouses a feeling that is both familiar and fresh. While showing landmarks like the Bund and the Oriental Pearl Tower, the drama also presents Shanghai’s cityscape in a brighter and warmer manner, as if the city has been polished by the memory of someone who loves it deeply.

Buxiang, a phrase that means “keeping silent” and which represents the concept of keeping a low profile in the Shanghai dialect, is one of the most frequently heard phrases in the drama. However, the show’s popularity has caused the phrase to become a hit, as some fans on major review sites like Douban, where the drama has received a rating of 8.5 out of 10, have commented.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the book Fan Hua?

A．The novel once won Mao Dun Literature Prize.

B．Its hero Ah Bao born from a wealthy family became a legend.

C．The novel focuses on Ah Bao’s ability to catch opportunities.

D．Ah Bao’s relationships with other female characters are vividly described.

2. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?

A．Why is the drama so popular among tourists?

B．What do some critics think of the drama?

C．How do people show their love for the drama?

D．What kinds of food are mentioned in the drama?

3. Which of the following can be used to describe Shanghai presented in the drama?

A．Popular but hard to understand.

B．Familiar but somewhat different.

C．Bright but dark at heart.

D．Warm but distant in some way.