1 . Have you heard of depression (抑郁)? It’s a mental illness. People who have it may feel sad all the time or do something to hurt themselves. Now, doctors can put a “happy switch” in their heads to help them.

Doctors at Shanghai Ruijing hospital helped a patient Wu Xiaotian. Wu, 31, has had depression since he was 15 years old. The doctor did an operation on Wu. They put two long lines of electrodes (电极) inside his brain. The 16 electrodes are used to let out electricity on different parts of the brain, which can change the patient’s feelings. Wu can control the “happy switch” through an app on his phone. When feeling down, Wu turns on the switch and the electrodes start working. He is soon cheered up. “It feels like there is power rising from the inside of my body,” Wu said.

The hospital has tested the switch on 26 patients since 2020. Up to now, it has helped cut down a patient’s sad feelings by 60%, said the hospital.

But is the switch safe enough? Although patients like Wu feel great using it, the operation is actually a dangerous one. And doctors are still working to improve it. Also, doctors have to make sure that patients don’t rely on it. Healthy people shouldn’t use it, or it may be like a kind of drug for them.

1. What really makes the “happy switch” work?

A．The small “box”.

B．Electrodes.

C．Electricity.

D．An App.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Why people have bad feelings.	B．How the “happy switch” works.
C．How doctors do operations on brains.	D．Who will have the switch on their brains.

3. What do we know about the switch?

A．The switch still needs improving.	B．The switch is a kind of drug.
C．All patients who used it became healthy.	D．It can make all sadness go away.

4. What might the writer agree with?

A．The new operation is safe for humans.

B．Some people may use the switch to sell drugs.

C．Different kinds of people should try the switch.

D．People should also care about the bad points of the switch.

2 . As the world faces extinction crisis and severe climate change, a growing body of scientific research has found that we should set aside more protected areas and manage them well.

Protected areas are extremely important for conservation and can help protect against habitat loss and other human activities. In many areas they may be the only places that can support the survival of some species.

Globally we’ve protected nearly 17% of our lands and 7% of the ocean, but a study published in Nature found that current protected areas on their own are too small or poorly connected to ensure the long-term survival of about half of all mammals studied — between 1,700 and 2,500 species.

If current protected areas don’t do enough, how do we do it better? The researchers suggest that first we need to increase the size and number of protected areas and improve the connectivity between them. But above all, they need to be managed with a clear understanding of the animals’ habitat needs.

In a recent research, after studying 1,500 protected areas with 27,000 waterbird populations in 68 countries, researchers found that areas that were actively managed for waterbirds — such as by preventing hunting or restoring wetlands — were more successful, and often those that were larger had better results, too.

If protected areas are well taken care of, we can not only protect biodiversity (生物多样性) but also achieve other benefits. One of those benefits is to avoid runaway climate change. As we know, the earth is becoming warmer and warmer. Protecting 30% of lands could provide one-third of the reductions needed to limit global warming emissions to under 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Of course, this work won’t be easy. The next step, according to researchers, is to promote understanding and communicating the multiple benefits of increasing protected areas, and drive more support from government and local communities.

1. Why are protected areas of great importance?

A．They contribute to conserving wildlife.

B．They can influence the researches of scientists.

C．They are the only places for species to survive.

D．They strengthen the animal-human relationship.

2. What’s the most important in managing protected areas?

A．Increasing animal species.

B．Connecting with nearby areas.

C．Enlarging the size of protected areas.

D．Knowing the animals’ habitat needs well.

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 5?

A．Protected areas helped avoid severe climate.

B．Suitable measures brought about better results.

C．Waterbirds were protected well in protected areas.

D．Restoring wetland was the best protection for waterbirds.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Measures to be taken.

B．Responsibilities of governments.

C．Benefits to be gained.

D．Support from local communities.

3 . 任务型阅读

After lunch we went out in the playground and ran around. All the boys had a competition to see who could spin around (快速旋转) in circles the longest. Michael Robinson won. Then we all sat down on the grass. That's when Ryan came up with a wonderful idea: we should buy the school. He said we could turn it into a video-game arcade (游乐场) and teach kids how to play video games.

I got all excited, because I like it so much. I started emptying out my pockets. The other boys emptied their pockets too. Then we added up all our money. We had one dollar and thirty-two cents.

“I don’t think it’s enough to buy a school,” said Ryan. We all got very worried.

“Well, how much do we need to buy a school?” I asked.

“I don't know,” said Ryan. “We’d better ask the headmaster, Mr. Klutz.”

We all rushed hopefully inside and asked Mr. Klutz how much it would cost to buy the school. Mr. Klutz asked why. I told him we wanted to turn it into a video-game arcade. “I can’t sell you the school, but if you kids read a million pages in books, you can turn the school into a video-game arcade for one night,” Mr. Klutz said. “Would it be okay if some of the other classes helped us out?” I asked. “Certainly,” Mr. Klutz said. “The more, the better.” We all jumped and shouted and couldn’t wait to start.

1. 根据文本内容从方框中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填入文本图示中，每词限用一次，有两词为多余选项。

wonderful        excited        worry        hope        suggest        empty        cheer        play allow        page        curious        cost
After lunch, we ________ on the playground and Ryan came up with a (n) ________ idea to buy our school.		I got very ________.
We started to _______ our pockets.		We felt ________ that we didn’t have enough money.
Ryan ________ asking Mr. Klutz.		We rushed inside with ________.
Mr. Klutz ________ us to turn the school into a video-game arcade for one night if we read a million ________ in books.		We all ________.

根据文本内容回答下列问题。
2. What did all the other boys think of Ryan’s idea and why?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why did Mr. Klutz ask the kids to read a million pages in books?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What do you think the boys will do next?
____________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . How to keep your house clean

Pick up items before cleaning

Before you start deep cleaning, do some basic tidying up. Remember the saying, “    1    .” When everything is where it should be, it saves a lot of time.

You don't need fancy products and cleaning equipment

You just need an all-purpose cleaner, a disinfectant (消毒剂) and a window cleaner.     2    . The disinfectant will attack germs (细菌) in places like inside the toilet or the kitchen. And the window cleaner can make sure there are no marks left on the windows.

Basic rules for cleaning

    3    . For example, in your bedroom, clean the lights before removing the sheets on the bed. If not, all the dust may fall onto the mattress (床垫) directly. Besides, make sure to dry clean before you wet clean. If you start straight with your wet cleaner, you'll end up getting all that sticky dirt on your rags (抹布) and having to change rags more often.     4    .

    5    

Try to set a timetable for daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning. Daily cleaning might include picking things up, cleaning kitchen and doing those dishes. Weekly cleaning might include cleaning the bathroom, washing sheets and towels. Monthly cleaning might include cleaning both the inside and outside of all your glass windows.

A．Do cleaning regularly

B．That will take you more efforts

C．Remember to go from top to bottom

D．The disinfectant can be harmful to your skin

E．A place for everything and everything in its place

F．Create a list of important housework that needs to be done daily

G．That all-purpose cleaner will work on most places in your home

5 . Have you ever seen people swimming dressed like a mermaid (美人鱼)? You may consider it as a show, a game or just for fun. But mermaid diving is a physical activity in which people compete with each other. Now, it is getting more popular. From September 19 to 20, mermaid divers from around the world got together in Sanya to compete in the 2023 China Mermaid Open Championship Atlantis Station and International Mermaid Contest.

Among them, Xiang Lei is a 29-year-old diver and performer in Sanya. Like everyone else, he found it hard to swim in a beautiful way when he first tried on the mermaid tail. “Mermaid diving needs good-looking moves,” he said. It was quite difficult for him to make the moves with his legs tied together. “Although it is not comfortable, you have to keep your face relaxed at the same time,” he said.

Mermaid diving is usually done without glasses and air canisters (气瓶). Divers need strong endurance (耐力), which is the most important. In this way, they can stay in water long enough. However, people can train themselves through running and swimming. Anyone in good health can learn to be a mermaid.

Xiang believes that mermaid diving shows unlimited beauty. “Many people think it’s a girls’ activity. But what truly moved me the first time I watched a mermaid diving contest was that there were mermen!” he said. “The beauty of mermaid diving means a lot. It can also be happy and fit for men.”

1. What is mermaid diving?

A．A show.

B．A meeting.

C．A sport.

D．A performance.

2. What was the difficulty when Xiang Lei first tried mermaid diving?

A．He couldn’t swim at all.	B．His face was not good-looking.
C．Mermaid diving hurt his eyes and nose.	D．It was hard to swim well with his legs as a tail.

3. What is the most important for mermaid diving?

A．Having strong endurance.	B．Being young.
C．Owning glasses and air canisters.	D．Living near the sea.

4. What does the underlined word “mermen” in the passage refer to?

A．Beautiful mermaid divers.	B．Girls who like diving.
C．The first mermaid divers in the world.	D．Men who are mermaid divers.

6 . I published my newest novel, Haven Lake, in May, and I have another book ready for publication in October. I have experienced more success as a writer than I ever imagined. So why is writing every new book harder than the one before? And how do I keep going despite my fears?

When I published my first book, I had become used to failure. I wrote many unpublished novels for over 20 years before selling the first. Now I'm here. My books have all sold out their advance (预订). The reviews have been largely positive. At the same time, I am still troubled by doubt.

I'm not alone in that. At a lecture I attended recently by Wally Lamb, he talked about how difficult it was to write the next novel after his novel, She's Come Undone, was brought into spotlight. Elizabeth Gilbert received over nine million views for her TED talk, where she admitted that she was afraid to write after the success of her book, Eat, Pray, Love. I don't have as many readers to disappoint as Lamb and Gilbert have, of course, but I worry about disappointing them all the same.

So I am afraid every day I write. I fear writing a book that isn’t interesting to readers. The only thing that keeps me going is this: I write because writing is the thing I love to do. My passion to tell stories makes me create characters. That‘s when I know the writing is true and good, whether readers find the book and love it or not.

1. What feeling does the author mainly express in Paragraph 1?

A．Thankfulness.

B．Interest.

C．Stress.

D．Impatience.

2. What can we learn about the author’s books?

A．They have been as successful as imagined.	B．They were difficult to sell out their advance.
C．Most of them have received negative reviews.	D．Many of them were not able to be published.

3. What is the author’s main worry about writing?

A．Creating popular characters.	B．Disappointing the readers.
C．Finding proper publishers.	D．Failing to get success.

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

A．Writing forward.	B．Writing for publication.
C．What makes a good writer.	D．What to think when writing.

7 . Swimming is one of the few exercises people can do to work all parts of their body.     1     However, swimming has many more benefits than those obvious advantages. Its improvements to overall health go much deeper. Here are four reasons for you to dive in!

Swimming can strengthen your lungs.

You might hear that lungs benefit from swimming most.     2     For this reason, swimming can increase lung volume and aid breathing technique. Plus, if you have asthma (哮喘), the pool provides an ideal exercise setting, as it’s humid and usually, a low dust environment.

Swimming may boost brain power.

Swimming has unique benefits in improving cognition (认知). In one study, participants who did a 20-minute swim responded faster on cognitive tests conducted immediately after their swim.     3    

Swimming may put you in a better mood.

All exercise can be a mood booster.     4     But a study published in the Journal of Psychology found that a 40-minute swimming improved mood even more than an aerobic dance of the same time. In the meantime, swimming can reduce stress, lower anxiety, and fight depression.

    5    

If the previous reasons aren’t enough to convince you of the benefits of swimming, perhaps this one will: It can keep you from early dying. According to a report conducted by Swim England, swimmers had a 28 percent lower risk of early death compared with those who don't swim.

A．Swimming may enrich your life.

B．Swimming may lengthen your life.

C．The water workout trains the muscles involved with breathing.

D．All of the muscle groups work at the same time.

E．The happiness is due to the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain.

F．It will help you to keep in good shape, lose weight and look younger.

G．Another study linked swimming with improved short- and long-term memory in mice.

8 . A group of Chinese language students from Spain visited Malta for three days. They had a chance to enjoy themselves in the amazing Chinese cultural experiences there.

At the Confucius Institute of the University of Malta on Saturday, the students from the Official School of Languages were attracted by traditional Chinese flute (长笛) performances, and Chinese tea making. Each of them was photographed trying on Hanfu, a form of traditional Chinese clothing. Despite their age differences, they all proved their dexterity (灵巧) at traditional Chinese works such as paper-cutting and knot-weaving. Maria Nieves, a group member, expressed her strong interest in Chinese culture, after two years of learning the language. “Despite the challenges, Chinese characters are truly beautiful,” she says.

On Sunday, the group visited the Mediterranean Regional Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine in Paola, Malta. Under the guidance of a doctor, they practiced Ba Duan Jin, a set of exercises whose name translates as “eight steps to healthy living”. A lecture on TCM introduced them to treatments like acupuncture (针灸) and cupping, and some of the students had the chance to personally experience a treatment. Feng Hua, leader of the Chinese medical team, says that the TCM center is planning to host more students, who are interested in TCM and Chinese culture to take part in cultural exchange, and learn more about Chinese medical practice.

During their visit to the China Cultural Center in Valletta on Monday, the students were drawn to the traditional Chinese lanterns hanging in front of the entrance, and also to the beautiful tea sets in the main hall. Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Center in Malta, highlights the importance of cultural exchange in promoting friendship between nations.

1. What is the first destination of the students’ study visits?

A．University of Malta.

B．Official School of Languages.

C．Mediterranean Regional Center.

D．China Cultural Center.

2. How long had Maria Nieves been studying Chinese?

A．Six months.

B．One year.

C．Two years.

D．Three years.

3. How many activities were experienced by the students in Paola, Malta?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

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

A．Wisdom of Chinese People

B．An Amazing Language Learning Tour

C．The Importance of Cultural Exchange

D．Spanish Students Visit Malta for Cultural Experience

9 . Roadkill is a worldwide problem. Every year: About 340 million birds are killed on roads in the United States; around 9 million mammals (哺乳动物) of average size are killed on Brazilian roads; and China is no exception.

To deal with this, a study of “roadkill” has been conducted by Professor Li Zhongqiu and his team from Nanjing University. The study was conducted in Nanjing, which has more than 9,700 km of well-built roads. Li and his teammates ran 26 roadkill monitoring (监测) activities over 224.27 km of roads, totaling 5,831 km during the research period. The nine roads chosen for the team’s research were monitored every two weeks over the course of a year.

The team recorded a total of 293 dead bodies. Among them, birds made up nearly half the total. As a main bird species in East China, blackbirds are usually attracted by flies or other insects to dead bodies of roadkill along the roads. “Specifically, cats, dogs and blackbirds were the three most commonly killed animals,” Li said. “This may be due to the large number of homeless cats and dogs in city areas. Pets thrown out of their homes are more likely to run into traffic.”

According to the report, roadkill happened a lot from May to September. The animal’ increased reproductive (生殖) activity in summer and autumn is a possible reason. Besides, roadkill issues also topped in November and January. This may be due to the need to search for food during winter when food resources are few, Li said.

“There is no doubt that roadkill has contributed to the decrease of animal populations and must be taken seriously,” Li said. “We call on related departments to take measures such as speed limits and necessary traffic controls during top periods of animal activities. For animals such as cats and dogs that usually use the roads, fences can prevent them from entering traffic.”

1. What is paragraph 1 of the text mainly about?

A．The purpose of the study.	B．The method of the study.
C．The result of the study.	D．The background of the study.

2. How often were the chosen roads monitored during a research year?

A．Once every two weeks.	B．Once a week.
C．Three times every two weeks.	D．Twice a week.

3. What is the possible reason why roadkill accidents happen the most in November and January?

A．Large animal birth rate.	B．Busier traffic.
C．Few traffic controls.	D．Animals’ demand for food.

4. What can policymakers do to reduce cat roadkill incidents according to Professor Li?

A．Having speed limits.	B．Taking traffic controls.
C．Building fences.	D．Setting warning signs.

10 . Thanks to its proximity (邻近) to England, its successful tourism industry and its multicultural population, Edinburgh is quite a special city in Scotland.

Edinburgh simply makes it with culture during its long holiday season. It is not just its famous festivals in the summer but its Christmas and Hogmanay (除夕) celebrations, which fill the city with tourists from all over the world. Along with the tourists, Edinburgh has lots of students. They bring energy and variety to the culture of the city. Although this can be overwhelming (令人不知所措) at times, if you open your arms to the good that it brings you can get so much out of the city.

The Cycling Gardeners are a part of the local community. By being totally dependent on bikes for transport, we are limited to working within the city centre. We have made life a bit easier on ourselves by using electric bikes, and we often beat cars in traffic and have no problem finding place to park.

We have a great collective team spirit which is very important. Whenever you go there from May to September, you will likely meet both sunshine and rain. But the wet weather can be dealt with by helping each other out, spending time in the many local cafes, catching up with your friends and having a good discussion about the rain!

Without doubt my favourite place in Edinburgh is the Meadows Park. I was born in the hospital overlooking it and grew up in buildings around it. Much of my childhood days were spent there. I met my wife there and it is where I take my young son to play. I have the happiest memories of building snowmen when the snow comes down. I really hope that this winter brings good snow so I can review my own childhood with my son!

1. What does Edinburgh attract visitors most?

A．Its successful industry.	B．Its famous festivals.
C．Its rainy seasons.	D．Its beautiful view.

2. Compared with driving cars, what’s the advantages of riding electric bikes for Cycling Gardeners?

A．Speed.	B．Comfort.
C．Convenience.	D．Expense.

3. What does the underlined phrase “catching up” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Getting up.	B．Meeting up.
C．Showing up.	D．Picking up.

4. Why is the Meadows Park the author’s favorite place in Edinburgh?

A．He has good memories there.	B．He was born there.
C．He played with his young son there.	D．He met his wife there.