1 . 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.

The Mystery is No Mystery

The area of ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, known as the Bermuda Triangle, is the source of much mystery. Over the centuries, reports of ships and planes disappearing     1     a trace have seized the public attention, leading the zone     2     (nickname) “The Devil’s Triangle.” Suggested causes for these mysterious disappearances range front supernatural powers to underwater alien bases. However, there is a more basic question to ask: Do more craft really disappear in the Bermuda Triangle than in any similarly trafficked area? The answer,     3     it turns out, is no.

The Bermuda Triangle covers a vast 700,000 square-kilometer swathe of ocean. Close to the equator(赤道)and near the United States, it is a particularly busy patch of sea with heavy traffic. According to Lloyd’s of London and the U. S. Coast Guard,     4     you were to compare the number of disappearances to the large quantity of ships and planes that have passed through the Bermuda Triangle, you would find that there     5     (be) nothing out of the ordinary about the area.

These days, new theories are being put forward, with a bit of scientific truth to them. Some have attributed Bermuda Triangle disappearances to explosive releases of methane (甲烷) gas,     6     (trap) as methane hydrate inside water molecules beneath the cold seabed of the deep ocean. Such blowouts could potentially release a giant amount of gas that could cause the sea to bubble like it was boiling, which could possibly sink ships because the resulting bubbles would be much     7     (thick) than the water on which large ships normally float. The gas could also rise into the sky,     8     (produce) a mixture of five to 15 percent methane which could explode on contact with the engine exhaust of a hot airplane.

The only problem with this theory is that scientists won’t be able to tell with much certainty if this is a factor       9     the ocean floor is mapped in greater detail. It remains to be seen     10     they will succeed in their attempt to clear up the Bermuda Triangle “mystery” this time around.

2 . 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. How to Start a New Business

An entrepreneur is a person who creates , launches, and begins a new business, typically in response to a market demand that has not been met. Entrepreneurs are often imaginative, self-motivated individuals who develop full-time, successful, and sustainable businesses. Successful entrepreneurs frequently have relevant insights, expertise, and advice they may offer aspiring on their respective paths. Interviewing entrepreneurs to aid     1     might provide insight into the steps they took     2     (achieve) success. Here is the interview of entrepreneur-related questions , and you will find more preparations for it.

Question: How would you describe an entrepreneur?

Answer: An individual who establishes and expands their own company through innovative strategies     3     (know) as an entrepreneur. During the expansion of their companies, entrepreneurs are responsible for several important tasks in addition to cash generation. An entrepreneur perceives a commercial need in their society,     4     (develop) an idea for a business, and then takes the initiative to start their firm. Suppose a business idea does not center on producing a product that fills a gap in the     5     (exist) market. In that case, it most often centers on applying technical advancements to simplify the process of obtaining a product or service.

Question: How do entrepreneurs identify business prospects?

Answer: Entrepreneurs routinely seek chances to expand or increase their company’s revenues. They determine which product to include and which market to enter. An entrepreneur should listen to prospective customers and look for chances to build items that meet their demands. An entrepreneur can determine     6     other businesses in the area are doing and how they succeed by conducting a competitive analysis. This technique may involve conducting a physical survey or reading industry-specific materials. Conversations with consumers also facilitate the identification of their frustrations and negative experiences,     7     they may use to enhance a firm..

Question: What makes an entrepreneur successful?

Answer:     8     an entrepreneur, you are both your manager and the manager of others. To achieve success, you must possess a wide range of abilities. An entrepreneur must be able to manage people, a budget, operations, and in certain cases , investors. It necessitates a work style     9     (characterize) by multitasking and planning for the firm’s short- and long-term goals.     10     successful entrepreneur must be able to spend his time wisely, regularly analyzing and prioritizing projects based on their relevance and significance. It includes engaging in short- and long-term planning, economic forecasts, and market research.

3 . Directions: After reading the passages 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.

As a liberal arts teacher, it is my more often average to find myself obligated(不得不) to speak to my students about books that I haven’t read,     1     in the strict sense (having never opened them) or the attenuated(宽松的) sense (having only skimmed them or almost forgotten them). I am not sure whether I have dealt with this sort of situations better than my colleagues. But I have often attempted     2     (reassure) myself with the thought that those who are listening to me are no doubt on similar ground and are probably     3     (confident) about it than I am. Of course, there is always a risk that my class will be disrupted and I will find myself humiliated, if even one of my students has read the text I’m discussing.

As a result of such all-too-familiar situations, I believe I am well positioned, if not to offer any real lesson on     4     to talk with others about unread books, at least to convey a deeper understanding of the non-reader’s experience.

Admit it or not, we still live in a society, on the decline though it may be,     5     reading remains the object of a kind of worship. This worship     6     (apply) particularly to a number of books —the list may vary based on the circles one moves in —which it is practically forbidden not to have read if one wants to be taken seriously.

To speak without shame about books we haven’t read, we would thus need to free ourselves of the oppressive image of cultural literacy     7     (impose) by school and society, for we can strive toward this image for a lifetime     8     ever managing to coincide with it. Truth destined for others is less important than truthfulness to ourselves, something attainable only by those who free themselves from the obligation to seem cultivated, which tyrannizes(欺压) us from within and prevents us from being ourselves.

4 . 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 from of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The fairest woman in the world was Helen.     1     was the fame of her beauty that there was not a single young prince in all of Greece that didn’t wish to marry her. When her suitors assembled in her home to make a formal proposal for her hand there were so many from such powerful families that her reputed father King Tyndareus, was afraid to select one from amongst them, fearing that the others would unite against him. He therefore demanded first a solemn path from all     2     they would stand up for the cause of Helen’s husband, whoever he might be, if any wrong was done to him through his marriage. Then Tyndareus chose Menelaus, the brother of Agamemnon, and made him King of Sparta as well.

So matters stood when Paris gave the golden apple to Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love and Beauty knew very well where the most beautiful woman on earth was     3     (find). She led the young shepherd straight to Sparta, where Menelaus and Helen received him graciously as their guest. The ties between guest and host were strong. But Paris broke that sacred bond. Menelaus, trusting completely to it, left Paris in his home and went off to Crete.

Menelaus returned to find Helen gone, and he called upon all of Greece to help recover her. The chieftains responded     4     they were obliged to do. They eagerly arrived for the great expedition,    5     (cross) the sea and lay mighty Troy in ashes. Two of the first rank, however, were missing: Odysseus. King of the Island of Ithaca, and Achilles, the son of Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. Odysseus, who was one of     6     (shrewd) men in Greece, did not want to leave his house and family to embark on a romantic adventure overseas for the sake of a faithless woman. He pretended, therefore, that he had gone mad, and when a messenger from the Greek

Army had arrived, the King was plowing a field and sowing it with salt     7     seed. But the messenger seized Odysseus’ little son and put him directly in the way of the plow. Instantly the father turned the plow aside, thus     8     (prove) that he had all his wits about him. However reluctant, he had to join the Army.

Achilles was kept back by his mother. She sent him to the court of Lycomedes and made him wear women’s clothing, hiding him among the maidens. Odysseus was dispatched by the chieftains to bring him out. Disguised as a peddler he went to the court     9     Achilles was said to be, with gay ornaments in his pack such as women love, and also some fine weapons. While the girls flocked around the trinkets, Achilles fingered each of the swords and daggers. Odysseus knew him then, and he had no trouble at all in making him disregard what his mother had said and     10     (go) to the Greek camp with him.

So the great fleet made ready.

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.

Lost at sea

Two men from the Solomon Islands have been rescued after spending 29 days lost at sea.

The men     1     (travel) to another island when heavy rain and wind took them out to sea. The two men survived on oranges they had packed, coconuts they found in the sea and by gathering rainwater.

“I look forward to going back home     2     I guess it was a nice break from everything,” one of the men, Livae Nanjikana, told The Guardian.

Nanjikana and Junior Qoloni took off from Mono Island on Sept. 3 in a motorboat to travel 200 km to Noro on New Georgia Island. However, soon after they set out, their boat was hit by heavy winds and rain, which made unclear the coastline they were following     3     a guide. 

“When the bad weather came, it was bad, but it was     4     (bad) and became scary when the GPS died,” he said. “We couldn’t see where we were going and so we just decided to stop the engine and wait,     5     (save) fuel.”

When the rain had finally passed, Nanjikana and Qoloni had already drifted far out to sea. They spent the next 29 days     6     (live) off of limited supplies and by gathering rainwater with     7     they could make use of to keep themselves alive.

A fisherman found and rescued the two men on Oct. 2 off the coast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea, about 400 km from     8     they had started.

Nanjikana and Qoloni     9     (bring) to a local health clinic for treatment and are staying temporarily with a local man, Joe Kolealo, until they     10     return home.

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.

Billionaires Race to Space

In late July 2021, Jeff Bezos achieved an out-of-this-world ambition. The billionaire founder of Amazon     1     (fly) to the edge of space — 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth’s surface — on a rocket designed by his company Blue Origin.

“Best day ever,” Bezos said over the radio to mission control after landing safely back on Earth,     2    others weren’t so impressed. They called the mission an enormous waste of money. Bezos, they argued,     3    be spending his billions to improve things on Earth.

Bezos wasn’t the first billionaire to set his sights on space. Nor was he the first     4     (criticize) about wasting enormous personal wealth. A week     5    the Amazon founder made history, business owner Richard Branson did, too. Branson became the first person to fly to space on a rocket he helped fund,     6     (develop) by his company Virgin Galactic.

Critics say that the money     7     (go) toward commercial space travel would be better spent on     8    they see as more important pursuits. These include working to cure diseases, reducing poverty, and helping to solve the climate crisis. Besides, launching spacecrafts is harmful to the planet, critics declare.     9    naturalist Holly Haworth pointed out in Sierra magazine, “traveling in rockets is arguably the most carbon-emitting thing an individual can do.”

But supporters of commercial space travel argue that it does benefit humanity. Personal funds     10     (put) toward high-paying jobs and a new industry. That’s money they could have spent on new limousines or villas for themselves, supporters say. Plus, their companies are investing in new technologies that increase access to space and drive innovation in other areas as well.

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.

Charles Dickens

It has been 150 years since Charles Dickens died, 184 years since his first work was released to the public and 156 years since his last completed book came out. In all of this time, these novels have never been out of print. Dickens may have left us, but his work remains timeless,     1     (fascinate) the majority of those who open their pages.

Most people have read, watched or at least heard of Dickens’ stories, but what makes him and his work so popular? Since he began novel writing in his 20s, Dickens constantly produced quality classics. Year after year his awaiting fans were not left     2     (disappoint) as their minds were fed with complex tales of romance, crime, hope and despair.

In the Victorian era he lived in, much of the work Dickens produced     3     (model) on the literature before him. He was one of the first writers of the time     4     (portray) honest examples of working-class people, giving many something to relate to. He focused on unfolding the good and bad qualities of characters which allowed his readers to follow their journeys and understand     5     they may have acted in the unusual or shocking ways that they did.

Any Dickens fans will know the diverse and outrageous (耸人听闻的) characters coming to life between the pages.     6     was special about this novelist’s ability in imagining these characters’ stories is that it comes from his own life’s path.     7     a young boy left to take care of himself in a workhouse to the wealthy figure he became through his writing successes, he knew what it was like to see in different lights. This deep understanding of his characters gave his fictional stories the strong element of believability     8     is needed in a good novel.

Over a century and a half later, Dickens’ themes can be relevant to today’s world problems. His words and imagery have been transformed further into the media of modern film, television and even musical adaptations.     9     set in a time unfamiliar to readers today, his work still enables everyone to relate to the love, hardship and sense of family that pours from the narratives. It is this aspect     10     has carried Charles Dickens into the 21st century.

8 . 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。

Natural early risers are less likely to develop mental health problems than night owls, according to scientists.

    1     (program) biologically to wake up early is linked to greater happiness and a lower risk of schizophrenia (精神分裂症) and depression. Evening types may be at greater risk     2     mainly early start times at work.

Prof Mike Weedon, of the University of Exeter, said, “    3     large number of people in our study means we have provided the strongest evidence to date     4     ‘night owls’ are at higher risk of mental health problems, such as schizophrenia and lower mental well-being,     5     farther studies are needed to understand this link.”

The study     6     (use) genetic data from 250^000 participants signing up to help the research and 450,000 people in the UK Biobank study Participants were asked whether they were “a morning person” or an “evening person”, and their genomes (基因组) were analysed,       7     (reveal) genes that people shared that appeared to influence sleep patterns.

The number of areas of the genome known to influence     8     someone is a riser has grown from 24 to 351. “This study highlights a large number of genes which can be studied in more detail to work out how different people can have different body clocks,” said Weedon.

The evidence suggested evening types were roughly 10% more likely to develop schizophrenia while morning people were also at lower risk of depression and reported     9     (be) happier in well-being questionnaires.

Samuel Jones, the paper’s lead author, said that the current hypothesis is that evening types have to work     10     their natural body clock in the world of work, which may have negative consequences. Another possibility is that the body-clock genes have a more direct influence on vulnerability to certain conditions.

9 . 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.

Why modern music should quieten down

Quietness may be underestimated values in pop music.     1     (look) up “the loudest band in the world” and you will be confronted with a large number of rock giants from Manowar who proudly achieved a sound pressure level of 139 dB to Motor-head. The pickings are slim     2     we substitute “quiet” for “loud”.

In a way, increasing the volume of a song makes biological sense, something the music industry       3     (exploit) since the jukebox era. There is an organ in the inner ear called sacculus that in linked to a region of the brain     4     (associate) with pleasure and react to low-frequency vibrations over 90 dB.

On the other hand,     5     (focus) sorely on loudness ignores the infinitely more subtle appeal of being quiet. A French band called “Air”,     6     twenty-years collection was released on June 10, are masters of the art. As any teacher knows, quietness can be more effective than shouting to make people pay attention. Air employed this gentle persuasion on Moon Safari, an album that attracts the listener       7     the peaceful sound of rain and muted drums. Even when Air do increase the volume, the vocalist's voice remains one of     8     (gentle) noises in pop. Given its warmth and peacefulness, it is no coincidence     9     the album was a favourite among clubbers after a night out. It is a time when the desire for kindness, companionship and warmth prevails.

So forget the “loudness war”. Manowar     10     be happy with their 139 dB, but they are comprehensively defeated by fireworks, which reach 145 to 150 dB when they explode, and the call of the blue whale, which goes all the way up to 188 dB. Now that' something to shout about.