1 . Living and studying abroad can be a rewarding and enriching experience. And living with a host family is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in its culture. However, living with a foreign family can be difficult and adjusting to it can take some effort.     1    

Involve yourself in family activities. If you spend all your time in your room, it’s going to be hard to feel like you belong. Getting involved in everyday activities with your host family will help you create a family bond. For example, some families like having dinner together on weekends.     2     Not only will they appreciate it but you will also feel like a part of their world.

Be patient with yourself. Keep in mind that you’ve just left everything you’ve known for years behind to start a new life. It’s okay to be confused.     3     While you may know the language, some expressions and slang can be hard to grasp at first. Take it easy. Remember you will adapt but it will take some time.

Communication is key. If you are unsure about something, ask! It’s normal to know few customs and habits at first.     4     Your host family will understand and help you. It’s also normal not to know a lot about unspoken social rules of the country.

    5     You have to understand that host families are not just providing a roof over your head. They are making significant changes to their daily routines. Thank them for their kindness, patience and understanding. Let them know how much their assistance means to you.

Remember, a grateful heart is a happy heart, and a happy heart will lead you to further success and fulfillment in your life abroad.

A．Be open and respectful.

B．Make time for those moments.

C．The language barrier can also be a struggle.

D．So instead of doing things blindly, just ask!

E．Showing your gratitude will take you a long way.

F．You may well recall the memorable moments with friends back home.

G．Here are some tips on making the most of your host family experience.

2 . New research paints a lifestyle picture of the beloved pandas in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve, and the new study indicates pandas are around others more than previously thought. They use scent (气味) marking to keep track of both family members and friends, leave updates about life events, and check out the dating scene.

Thomas Connor, lead author of the study, spent months watching for signs of pandas. “Once you’ve gotten an eye for it, you can see on hill tops and different trails the scent-marking trees, and the pandas seem to be doing this a lot,” Connor says. “It is pretty evident that they are exchanging information through scent marking behavior.”

To link the marked trees with an understanding of panda’s social structure, the researchers needed to document nearby panda communities. Connor teamed up with coauthor Ken Frank who said, “I told him that once he has data on which pandas are close to each other, we can use the techniques and theories that apply to humans to understand their social networks. And these scent trees are a social media. Like Facebook, you don’t have to be in the same place at the same time. It allows one to broadcast to many, and it’s a record.

Connor dug into a wealth of data he had collected in the form of fresh panda waste, which is the gold standard of panda watching. Information from the waste allowed them to identify specific pandas in the area around the scent-marking trees, and showed if these pandas were related to each other.

The discoveries in this study show that pandas are a part of coupled human and natural systems where humans share their habitat. Anything about how they live and what they need can ultimately help inform good conservation policies and maybe understand our own behavior a little more.

1. Who tend to go around the pandas’ scent-marking trees?

A．Their family.	B．Some strange pandas.
C．Their keepers.	D．Meat-sourced animals.

2. Why did pandas make so many scent markings according to Thomas Connor?

A．Because they need to extend their domain.

B．Because they use them to exchange information.

C．Because they want to expose themselves to others.

D．Because they tend to keep away from humans.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The purpose of the study.	B．The research strategy of the study.
C．The further finding of the study.	D．The influence of the discoveries.

4. What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To introduce a new research on pandas.

B．To explain the pandas’ scent marking behavior.

C．To emphasize the significance of knowing pandas.

D．To call for action to protect pandas.

3 . A Virginia family whose home was destroyed by a fire last week recently received the gift of some old-fashioned Christmas cheer from “Santa Claus” (圣诞老人).

In the spirit of Christmas, the Ferrum Volunteer Fire Department delivered presents to the family who lost their home and belongings in a house fire on Thursday.

“It was a working structure fire and unfortunately the family lost everything. We as volunteers knew that we couldn’t let this mom and her three kids go through Christmas without anything,” the fire station wrote on Facebook. “Yes, they’re OK but it’s Christmas, right?”

The fire station officials delivered Christmas gifts to the mother and her three children the following day at the local church shelter they were staying at, and in photos posted on the site, the children appeared joyful.

“We brought gifts and more gifts! The kids were overjoyed and very grateful.” the station said on its post.

“They were very happy to see all the gifts and the fire trucks that we brought the gifts in,” the department told USA TODAY. The kids received Barbies, Pokémon, artworks, remote control cars, blankets, clothes and shoes. The mother also received a gift card.

The Facebook post was flooded with what seemed to be comments from community members touched by the generosity. “The best Christmas gifts are the ones you give! Thank you all for your wonderful service and your big hearts!” one user commented.

“So thankful they are alright! We are truly blessed to live in such a giving and helping community, and our fire department and rescue teams are amazing! Great job! So proud!” another user wrote.

1. What can we learn from the text?

A．The Fire Department provided the family with shelter.

B．The volunteers saved some belongings for the family.

C．The family went through Christmas in sorrow.

D．Receiving a Christmas gift is a traditional joy.

2. What’s the comments’ attitude towards the fire station?

A．Ambiguous.

B．Unconcerned.

C．Appreciative.

D．Sympathetic.

3. How does the author develop his idea?

A．By giving examples.	B．By using quotation.
C．By making comments.	D．By analysing causes.

4. What’s the best title of this article?

A．Firefighters or Santa Claus?	B．Firefighters Safeguarded Us
C．A Fire Brought Gifts	D．Love Can Cure

4 . When floods completely destroyed Bangkok more than a decade ago, Thai landscape architect, Kotchakorn Voraakhom became determined to help her sinking hometown fight this deadly climate threat. “The floods changed my life,” said Voraakhom, who studied at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. “It was the turning point, when I started using the tools of landscape architecture to cope with climate change.”

Voraakhom’s fantastic projects in Bangkok include a park that can hold up to one million gallons of water, Asia’s largest rooftop farm, an elevated walkway installed on a bridge and a lush (草木繁茂的) canal park in the city center.

One of Voraakhom’s most innovative designs is Centenary Park in Chulalongkorn University. The park stores large amounts of rainwater and prevents the surrounding streets from flooding. Built on an incline (斜坡), it directs runoff water through inclined gardens and artificial wetlands. From there, water flows into a retention pond (澄清的) with a capacity of nearly 480,000 gallons. Beneath the soil is an additional water tank which can hold nearly 160,000 gallons. The entire park can store up to one million gallons of water.

Voraakhom also created Asia’s largest rooftop farm, Siam Green Sky, transforming 22,400 square meters (241,000 square feet) into a lush field. The farm, which recycles food waste from restaurants in the building below and uses it as plant fertilizer (肥料), also slows down, soaks up and stores large amounts of rainwater. It is then used to grow vegetables, herbs and fruit, as well as rice.

The architect said she integrates nature and water into her designs to create landscapes that help alleviate flooding and add greenery to densely populated cities. The central question sinking cities like Bangkok need to focus on is: “how are we going to live with the water, without fear?” said Voraakhom. This idea of “living with the water” lies at the heart of her design approach.

1. What did Kotchakorn focus on to cope with flooding?

A．Green coverage.	B．Soil conservation.
C．Architecture design.	D．Alternative resources.

2. Which is not included in the architect’s projects?

A．Centenary Park.	B．Siam Green Sky.
C．An elevated walkway.	D．Chulalongkorn University.

3. What does the underlined word “alleviate” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．Make less severe.	B．Get better.
C．Adapt itself to.	D．Take in.

4. What effect would Centenary Park have on viewers?

A．Calming.

B．Disturbing.

C．Refreshing.

D．Challenging.

6 . The diversity of Australian animals in NSW national parks is extraordinary. Some common species can be found across a range of parks, while others are endemic (特有的) to a specific area. Our national parks are also important shelters for threatened animals, many found nowhere else in the world. The following are some examples.

Albert’s lyrebird

The Albert’s lyrebird is much rarer than the superb lyrebird. Distinguished by its richer brown feather and less delicate tail feathers, it’s protected as a threatened species in NSW.

Cumberland Plain land snail

The endangered Cumberland Plain land snail is only found on the Cumberland Plain, west of Sydney. During drought it digs deep into the soil to escape severe conditions. Its brown shell is thin and fragile (脆弱的).

Australian fur seal The largest fur seal

Australian fur seals are found in isolated rocky outcrops and islands along the NSW coast. They come ashore to form breeding colonies (繁殖地) and can often be seen at Barunguba Montague Island Nature Reserve.

Australian brush turkey

The Australian brush turkey, also known as bush or scrub turkey, can be found in rainforests along eastern NSW. With a striking red head, blue-black feather and booming call, these distinctive Australian birds are easy to spot while bird watching in several NSW national parks.

1. What do Albert’s lyrebird and Cumberland Plain land snail have in common?

A．They live in the soil.	B．They hate dry conditions.
C．They have long feathers.	D．They are species in danger.

2. What can we know about Australian brush turkey from the text?

A．They breed on the sea shore.	B．They are red from head to tail.
C．They adapt to rainforest climate.	D．They are only seen on isolated islands.

3. Where can we read the text?

A．In a science report.	B．In a personal diary.
C．In a tourist brochure.	D．In an educational magazine.

7 . “Palace, Mountain, Moon?” has been selected by NASA as the Astronomical Picture of the Day for December 25, 2023.

The photo was taken by Valerio, a young photographer of Turin, Italy. It was shot on the evening of December 15, 2023. While he knew about NASA’s competition, he hadn’t considered participating until receiving much encouragement from his social media followers. Soon after, he received the message, “Your image has been chosen as the astronomical photo of the day.” It was incredible!

In a photo like this, nothing is left to luck. The concept came to him back in 2017. Walking on the hills north of Turin, he found several spots perfect for including both the Basilica of Superga Palace and Mountain Monviso. After numerous visits over several months, he identified four spots where Superga and Monviso line up just right.

After pinpointing these locations, he experimented with shooting them at different times. “I knew I needed something special to perfect the photo. The Sun was a no-go, so I turned to the Moon. Its various phases and position s reach an azimuth angle (方位角) of 230 degrees,” Valerio said. With this in mind, he researched the Moon’s phases, marked potential dates on the calendar, and planned the exact moments when the moon could join the queue.

It was very successful, especially because the Moon was in a waxing phase. This meant that in the photo, not only was its crescent (新月) lit up, but so was the left part, its shadowed side. That part is lit by reflected light, also known as Da Vinci’s glow, named after him because he was the one who theorized about why the Moon’s shadowed side is brightened. During the early days of the waxing Moon phases, the shadowed part is visible because the Sun’s light reflects off the Earth and hits the Moon’s shadowed side, giving it a greyish, silvery color. This allowed the light to outline Monviso on the left as well.

1. Why did Valerio send the photo to NASA?

A．He took an interest in astronomical advances.

B．He expected to create an impact on social media.

C．He received broad support from enthusiastic fans.

D．He wished to make his hometown a tourist hot spot.

2. In Valerio’s photo, the three objects ______.

A．shine light on each other	B．stand in a straight line
C．fit each other in size	D．vary from usual in color

3. What did Valerio do to prepare for the perfect photo?

A．Studying how the Moon phase changes.	B．Calculating the Superga-Monviso distance.
C．Analyzing when to adjust the camera angle.	D．Measuring the height of the observation point.

4. What was lit up by the Da Vinci’s glow?

A．The outline of the crescent.	B．The outline of Superga.
C．The dark side of the Moon.	D．The shadowed side of the Earth.

8 . What if our bodies had a new way — other than our eardrums — to hear the world around us? That’s what neuroscientist David Eagleman wondered five years ago. Then he looked at the body for answers and saw a huge sound jack (插孔). “We have this huge input channel called our skin,” he says, “and we aren’t using it.”

So Eagleman, along with Scott Novich, his student at Baylor College of Medicine, created the Versatile Extra-Sensory Transducer, or VEST. The VEST is worn like it sounds. Through 32 tiny motors, it translates sound waves into vibrations (振动) on your back.

First, a computer or smartphone picks up sounds from your surroundings and breaks down the sound sample into a set of specific frequencies. Each frequency band in the set sets off one of 32 motors in the VEST. With time and practice, your brain learns to unconsciously interpret the series of vibrations as sound — and individual sounds as words in a language.

“There is no theoretical reason why this can’t be almost as good as the ears,” says Eagleman. So far, he has trained deaf people to recognize single words through the VEST. He hopes to eventually help them understand sentences, and then full conversations. Just like with language, Eagleman discovered, children — whose brains are more shapable — learned to interpret the VEST more easily than adults did.

Eagleman says his device could one day be deployed in dozens of professions to better understand complex environments. A pilot could interpret a plane’s condition through the VEST’s vibrations. An astronaut could literally feel the health of the International Space Station. Eagleman and Novich’s startup, Neo Sensory, plans to develop the VEST for all kinds of uses, so someday we all can experience this sixth sense. “The possibilities are endless for the kind of information we could be streaming in,” says Eagleman.

1. What is the VEST?

A．A huge input channel on the body.	B．A computer-smartphone connector.
C．A processing program with tiny motors.	D．A wearable sound-vibration transformer.

2. What is the working procedure of the VEST?
①motors to be activated                    ②sounds to be decomposed                    ③words to be interpreted

A．①②③

B．②③①

C．①③②

D．②①③

3. What does the underlined word “deployed” in paragraph 5. probably mean?

A．Assessed.

B．Employed.

C．Detected.

D．Invented.

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

A．Listen with Your Skin	B．Hear Your Sixth Sense
C．To Listen or Not	D．Here to Hear.

9 . For eight years, Sophie created realistic-looking limbs (肢) for those who wanted to fit in. But she longed to work on more odd designs that would stand out. Then she met Pollyanna Hope, a young amputee (被截肢者).

“She wanted something a little different on her leg: pictures of a cartoon she loved, Peppa Pig,” said Sophie, who is now based in London. So she designed a unique leg covered in tattoo-like images of Peppa and other pigs riding a bicycle and eating ice cream. Working with Hope made Sophie realize there was a potential market for limbs.

Since then, Sophie founded the Alternative Limb Project (ALP) to make artistic limbs. Her work includes an arm wrapped in sculpted snakes and a leg that looks like porcelain (瓷器) covered in a painted flowery vine. She makes about six limbs per year, always including clients’ ideas so that they receive a personal piece they can celebrate rather than hide.

Of course, a fancy-looking limb won't suit everyone. For Sophie, the basis is that each limb must satisfy a combination of comfort, beauty and functionality, and pushing too hard in one direction can weaken other areas. But for amputees who appreciate novelty, Sophie has some amazing ideas.

“I’d really like to make a candy-dispenser leg with colorful candies inside it” she says. “Or a cuckoo-clock leg with a wooden bird that pops out every hour.” Her goal is to fashion a striking limb.

“It’ll transform the limbs from an elephant in the room into a conversation piece.”

1. Why did Pollyanna Hope come to Sophie?

A．She hoped to have a tailored limb.

B．She intended to design a cartoon figure.

C．She longed to expand the market for limbs.

D．She expected to sell Sophie some odd ideas.

2. According to paragraph 3, ALP aims to ______.

A．boost users’ confidence	B．sharpen users’ creativity
C．improve Sophie’s sculpture skills	D．extend Sophie’s art business

3. What is the basis for Sophie's works?

A．The novelty of the pattern tops the list.	B．The balance of multi-needs comes first.
C．Fashion is the best policy.	D．Functionality is the key.

4. What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A．Sophie resolves to lead the fashion of limbs.

B．Sophie plans to further transform artistic limbs.

C．Amputees will feel at ease to talk about limbs.

D．Amputees will have easy access to artistic limbs.

10 . In the beginning, there was nothing. The vastness of an unborn galaxy was marked by the absence of sound, light and substance. Empty music stood on an empty stage. Then the universe began to form when colors and shapes began to dance across what we would soon come to call the sky, the stars and the planets. Sounds of an orchestra began to play, colorful and clean.

Gustay Holst’s “The Planets, Op. 32”, to put simply, is a magical piece of music. Written between 1914 and 1916, the suite has built a strong legacy. As explained by conductor Peter Bay, Holst found inspiration from a topic that has twisted the human mind for centuries. It cannot be argued how deeply our understanding of the planets has shaped our aesthetics and culture — and Holst takes full creative liberty with this insight.

Each movement proved spectacular. “Clouds” combines a solemn tone with that of peaceful permanence, while “Festivals” follows with blooming joy and loud confidence. “Sirens” features the chorus, with their fascinating calls over the ebb and flow (起伏) of the orchestra itself. Different sections make for an impressive playing and listening experience.

The main event of the evening, to no surprise, proved an excellent journey across the planets that we find so familiar, bringing each to life with persistence and passion. In a world so focused on the digital, it is often easy to forget the power of live performance, particularly that of orchestral music. Yet, the richness and energy that flowed throughout the hall again proved the power of this art form and how fascinating collective sound can be.

1. What does the author describe at the beginning of the text?

A．The setting of the stage.	B．The origin of the galaxy.
C．The formation of the universe.	D．The technique of the orchestra.

2. How does the author develop the writing in paragraph 3?

A．By listing examples.	B．By analyzing models.
C．By comparing theories.	D．By presenting arguments.

3. Why does the author mention the digital in the last paragraph?

A．To praise its integration with music.	B．To reveal the appeal of the live show.
C．To show the importance of technology.	D．To emphasize its harm to concentration.

4. What can be the suitable title for the text?

A．A Musical Journey across the Galaxy.	B．A Magical Exploration of the Universe.
C．A Powerful Piece of Music on the Planets.	D．A Creative Musician with Space Inspiration.