1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The cute “auspicious rabbit” (吉祥兔) figure    1     the first mascot for the “Happy Chinese New Year” celebrations, has arguably been    2    international star. It travelled overseas to various countries, leaping into countless hearts worldwide.    3     (follow) the rabbit’s phenomenal success, the ministry launched the 2024 “Happy Chinese New Year” mascot for the Year of the Dragon global celebrations in Beijing on Oct 7, 2023.

“JiXiang Long”,     4     (literal) lucky dragon, the mascot features a gesture of a smiley face with flame-shaped eyebrows and a gold ingot-shaped(元宝形状) nose. Its body    5     (cover) by yellow and red flame patterns.

Gao Zheng, director-general of the ministry’s Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation, unveiled the mascot alongside UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun. “Dragon is the only animal    6    does not actually exist in the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. The holy animal is a(n)    7     (separate) part of the Chinese civilization, representing our hope for and pursuit of peace, joy, and good luck,” said Lin Cunzhen, the lead designer of the mascot.    8     (come) up with a design that combined the holiness of the divine creature and adorableness    9    (require) for a mascot, she and her team pooled the wisdom of archaeologists, art historians, artists, and designers. They also interviewed people of various age groups to learn about the    10    (prefer) of a dragon mascot. Aside from being widely featured in the 2024 “Happy Chinese New Year” celebrations at home and abroad, “JiXiang Long” will be developed into a host of cultural creative products, ranging from stationery to souvenir statues.

2 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

If a traditional sport bores you, it’s time to try something new! Cycling, but outdoors on city roads; surfing, but on the land; playing frisbee, but with a group of people... New sports begin to thrive with great attention     1     (pay) in support of national fitness. Nearly 1,200 young people participated in a study by Houlang Research Institute, more than 93 percent of     2     born after 2000 are interested in urban sports.

Why do young people favor new sports? Apart from keeping fit as a type of exercise, many young people pick them up to socialize,     3     (allow) them to build up their social circles. Players tend to have online group chats announcing their usual activities and     4     (simple) sharing their lives.

“The new sports are also suitable for taking photos and less restricted by venues”, Zou Qingling, the CEO of Lvmama,     5     tourism website in China,     6     (tell) China News Service. People can enjoy new sports from parks to spacious     7     (sidewalk).

The new sports are easier for new players to start,     8     other traditional sports, such as soccer and basketball, which usually require strict and complicated rules. Thus, the new sports are less     9     (compete) but could bring more fun. People have also gained a stronger passion for outdoor activities and healthier lifestyles.

Urban sports have unlocked new lifestyles in China as they reflect     10     (diverse), youth and fun. This new trend is also proof that more people are exposed to and willing to enjoy sports.

3 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word;for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank

Seeing Math on the Page

Math and literature are probably two of the subjects that bring students headaches. However, scientists wonder     1     the beauty of math can be found in literary works. Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections between Mathematics and Literature, a book published recently by UK mathematician Sarah Hart,     2     (present) some interesting thoughts about "three". She argues that the beauty of this number is indeed evident in many works of western literature and languages in general.

‘Three’ is the minimum number     3     a two-dimensional shape can be defined. For example, three sticks can create a triangle, a stable structure. Many common phrases are in three words, such as “ready, set, go”. Being the first things kids may learn, some nursery rhymes have a word     4     (repeat) three times, such as “row, row, row your boat”. In stories, there are usually three main characters, such as Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter series. For a series of novels, there are usually three books     5     four, according to Hart.

Why is it always the third son who behaves differently from his two older brothers, thus     6     (win) the princess? “The reason for this,” Hart explains, “ is obvious. We require two repetitions to get to know the pattern,     7     the breaking of the pattern in the third character can surprise or amuse us.”

Similarly, another study by researchers at the University of Vermont also connected math and storytelling. They analyzed more than 1, 300 fiction books and arranged for 10, 000 words from the books     8     (rate) by 50 participants on a happiness scale of 1 to 9. Then the ratings     9     (categorize) into different graphs, which showed how the readers' emotions changed while reading. It turned out that each story fit perfectly into one of six basic graphs, a mathematical pattern.

“The idea that one would     10     choose between mathematics and literature is something of a tragedy, ”Hart says, “The two fields are fundamentally linked”.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Are you familiar with pop star Jay Chou’s Blue &White Porcelain? Its original lines, just     1     the composer Fang Wenshan described, were inspired by Ru porcelain (汝瓷).

Ranked best among famous kinds during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Ru porcelain is known for its unique pale blue glaze (釉). Oceans     2     Ru porcelain flooded onto the market around the year of 1100, but the     3     (exist) of Ru ware now is actually rare. Thanks to the efforts of Ru porcelain inheritors, people can now appreciate it     4     (close) at hand than before.

Born in Ruzhou, Henan province, Li Chao has spent a decade     5     (better) crafting skills. Ru porcelain goes through 72 steps, the    6     (one) of which is knead (揉) mud. Any small errors could lead to disaster, said the 41-year-old inheritor. He then stressed that a Ru porcelain inheritor must be patient enough. Every item of artwork     7     (full) deserves our admiration.

Techniques of making Ru porcelain will     8     (lose) with senior inheritors gradually passing away. So,     9     Li spares no effort in doing is introducing it to wider masses.     10     (achieve) this goal, he creatively uses Ru porcelain in making daily ware popular among young people. Now he’s aiming to expand the market by introducing it to the whole world.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Buy Now, Pay Later Spending

Buy now, pay later(BNPL) spending is expected to rise to record levels this holiday season. With so many young “buy now, pay later” shoppers already in debt from this short-term financing tool not requiring interest, questions emerge: Why do these shoppers use such a tool? And what risks does it pose to their budgets in the months     1     (come)?

The many Generation Z and millennials (typically around 40 years and younger) tend to use this short-term financing,     2     allows them to buy items and pay for them over time. Offered mostly by financial technologies, BNPL allows these customers to pay back their purchases     3     interest and with the first payment usually made at checkout. The most common “buy now, pay later” plan is     4     customers make four equal payments and pay off the debt in six weeks. It’s been a lifeline for some people, such as a university student     5     weekly income is not big enough. “BNPL provides consumers with flexible payment options so they     6     manage spending,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. That is of great importance for many consumers, especially     7     with a tendency to purchase higher-cost items.

However, since BNPL     8     (appear), warnings from experts have come into our view. They have been indicating that it’s financially unhealthy to form such a spending habit. According to New York Federal Reserve economists, BNPL may encourage debt to increase over time,     9     (influence) a consumer’s ability to meet non-BNPL commitments, or users to over extend themselves. Users should also note that     10     interest is not charged on the loan, they’ll be hit with late fees for missed payments, which can add up quickly, says the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

6 . Directions: After reading the passage below,fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Your Cat Might Not Be Ignoring You When You Speak

Every cat owner has a story to tell of being blanked by their cat. We call to our cat, it turns away, and some of us might be left     1     (wonder) why we didn’t get a dog. But your cat may be listening after all. More than that, it     2     (care) more than you may think.

A study by French researchers     3     (publish) last month in the journal Animal Cognition found that not only do cats react to what scientists call cat-directed speech — a high-pitched (高音的) voice similar to     4     we talk to babies — they react to who is doing the talking.

“We found that hearing their owners using a high-pitched voice, cats reacted more than when hearing their owner speaking normally to another human adult,” said Charlotte de Mouzon, an author of the study. “But it actually didn’t work when it came from a stranger’s voice.”

    5     studies involving dogs, analyzing cat behavior is difficult, which is part of why humans understand them less. Cats are often so stressed by being in a lab     6     meaningful behavioral observations become impossible. And forget about trying to get a cat     7     (sit) still for an M.R.I. scan (核磁共振扫描) to study its brain function.

So the researchers for the latest study went to the cats’ homes and played recordings of different types of speech and different speakers. At first, there was concern from Dr. de Mouzon and her team for lack of reaction from the cats, but upon analysis of the film recordings, delicate reactions     8     (notice). “It could be just moving an ear or turning the head to the speaker or even freezing what     9     were doing,” Dr. de Mouzon said.

In the study, there were a few cases     10     cats would approach the speaker playing a voice and meow. “In the end, we had really clear gains in the cat’s attention when the owner was using cat-directed speech,” Dr. de Mouzon said.

7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Reconsidering the Staycation

I’ve always been doubtful of the staycation. The newly-invented word is too cute for     1     feels like a comfort: While other people are off exploring the Blue Lagoon by camper van, you get to stay in your very own home and go to your usual supermarket     2     cookies!

So, I am fascinated to discover, thanks to my colleague Catherine Pearson, that I     3     (understand) staycation in a wrong way. Evidently, my tendency     4     (take) a break without a plan is unlikely to produce a restorative effect. Instead, one should make good preparations for that period of time. Jaime Kurtz, a psychology professor at James Madison University and the author of “The Happy Traveler: Unpacking the Secrets of Better Vacations,” advises     5     (ask) oneself, “If I were moving away soon, what would I most want to do, and who would I most want to spend time with?”

I like this saying “Live every day as if it were your last.” Any reminder that time is flying is a good one     6     it gets you to live better. This weekend, you could, for instance, seek out some vegan ice cream     7     doesn’t taste terrible. You could try running in a pool, which is easier on the joints but as effective as running on land. You could go for a walk or a drive while listening to “Slow Radio,” a very comforting BBC podcast     8     (feature) sounds of the natural world.

Whether or not you have a proper vacation     9     (plan) for the coming weeks, you could envision any coming weekend as its own two-day mini-break, programming it as you would a trip to somewhere new, with a journey     10     (exciting) than just “sleep as much as possible” and “mow the lawn”.

8 . 语篇填空

In one club in Beijing, for example, players enter into a fictional martial arts school     1     they wear costumes and assume roles like a peach fairy or a dragon. The script offers character backgrounds, relationships and potential storylines. The plot develops as the players go around the table, talking in character, taking clues from the script and the host. In the end, they vote on     2     they think the murderer might be.

The whodunits may be imaginary,     3     they provide a real-world alternative for young Chinese people who spend increasing amounts of time on their screens. The country’s one billion Internet users spend much of their time on their phones,     4     (cause) worries from the public and the government alike about too much screen time. The government’s concerns over children in particular     5     (lead) it to restrict video game time for minors recently.

The games also provide free-flowing opportunities for young people to get together, something     6     can be rare in China, according to Kecheng Fang, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The games provide “    7     participatory experience and a way of socializing, which is     8     (miss) from the life of many Chinese young people,” Dr. Fang said. They are     9     (lack) in participation in civic affairs, community     10     (engage) and meaningful socialization.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式

Loulan,    1    ancient city on the Silk Road, brings back    2    (image) of mystery and romanticism even as it disappears into the mists of history.

Shiji,or Records of the Grand Historian, the foundational text of Chinese history    3    (date) back to the first century BC, records that before the 2nd century BC,Loulan was already famous in Xiyu.    4    , it collapsed in about the 5th century. In 1900,Swedish explorer Sven Hedin discovered the site of ancient Loulan.

    5    (locate) in Lop Nur, a former salt lake which    6    (dry) up to a large extent now, in Ruoqiang county, Bayingolin Mongol autonomous prefecture,Xinjiang, the Loulan site covers an area of about 120,000 square meters,    7    extremely harsh environment ensured that few people set foot on this area. In the 1990s, when mummies were discovered in this area, grave robbers noticed the wealth of cultural relics.    8    (tackle)the situation, a Loulan cultural relics protection station was built in 1998. At first it was    9    (season), and later became permanent in 2003.

Over the years, five stations have been built in Lop Nur, and altogether 20 people    10    (work) at them safeguarding heritage, according to Feng Jing, director of Loulan Museum in Ruoqiang.

10 . It wasn’t until the day I set foot into the museum ________I could genuinely comprehend and fully embrace the profound beauty and cultural significance these masterpieces held. (用适当的词填空)