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.

Imagine you are out fishing on the high seas - the wind and water are clean and comfortable and you begin bringing up your first catch of the day. That's when everything goes wrong. Your fishing nets are tangled up (缠成一团) in older, abandoned fishing tool, and you're unable to untangle them. Your equipment    1    (ruin), and all of the fish you have worked so hard to catch are trapped. They will die    2    you are unable to draw or free them. Ghost fishing has claimed yet another victim.

Ghost fishing is what abandoned fishing tool does. It still catches fish, but no one benefits. Trapped fish die and attract scavengers (清道夫)    3     also get caught, creating a vicious cycle. In fact, lost fishing tool, or "ghost tool," is among    4    (great) killers in the oceans. This tool further reduces the already declining number of fish.

Environmental agencies estimate that 10 percent of all seawater litter is lost or deserted fishing tool    5    (equal) 640,000 tons every year. Fortunately, these agencies are asking why this is happening and what    6     be done to stop it.

It's not the intention of the majority of fishermen to lose their tool. In most circumstances bad weather is to blame. But in other cases fishermen throw their tool in the ocean on purpose, risking expensive fines. But to them, it's worth the risk    7    (free) up space onboard, cut fuel costs or avoid paying handling fees.    8     equipment loss is accidental or not, a strategy involving tool identification seems to be a practical solution.

By marking tool with electronic tags and utilizing GPS technology, owners are more likely to recover lost tool and less likely to abandon it. Currently, ownership regulations are reportedly very weak. Leading the effort for tagging fishing tool and creating accountability is the GGTI (Global Ghost Tool Initiative).    9     (launch) in 2015, the GGTI is the first organization of its kind. It's brought together an organization of governments, fishing-industry executives, seafood companies and non-profits. Their efforts to get back and recycle the tool    10    (improve) marine environment, protecting fish and fishermen's way of life.

Ghost fishing poses a serious threat to the fishing industry worldwide, and a global effort is needed to solve it.

2 . 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.

Remote Work Slows Senior Housing Market Recovery

With the rise of remote work, the market for senior housing has met with problems in its recovery. Only a few old people choose to live in senior-living communities     1     the growing senior population and the cancelation of COVID-19 restrictions once making family visits difficult.     2     this trend suggests is that people’s shift to remote work contributes to the slow rebound of the senior housing market. That is, remote work is keeping many older Americans from moving into senior-living communities once warmly     3     (welcome).

When more adults began working remotely during the pandemic (流行病), they were able to check in on aging parents easily — they     4     take care of their parents’ issues on short notice.

Experts have been analyzing the phenomenon in different ways. Some found that the greater flexibility to care for parents     5     (mean) people’s delay in sending aged parents to expensive senior-housing accommodations. Therefore, markets with high levels of people working from home usually have lower senior-housing occupancy rates. Others said remote work might have some effect but also pointed to different factors. For instance, many seniors think that their family wallets are getting thinner, making some of them reluctant     6     (send) to senior-living communities.

The age at which people enter senior housing is also increasing,     7     serves as another sign that shows people are choosing to delay transitioning. The rising cost of senior living weighs heavily on that decision. The CPI (consumer-price index) for nursing homes and adult day services rose 4.5% last May compared with     8     in May, 2022.

Still, many senior-housing operators are optimistic. When     9     (illustrate) their point, they showed an increase in the number of people turning 80 years old over the following years and the actual wealth they have collected. Moreover, they find remote work arrangements are decreasing in some parts of the country,     10     employees there have seen their lowered productivity while working from home.

3 . 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.

No Filming at Concerts and Movie Theaters on Phones

“Please, no flash photography.”

Polite requests like this can be found in museums all over the world, but they generally don’t discourage people from taking photos of     1     they feel like. The same goes for concerts, movie theaters and other places     2     people routinely ignore filming restrictions. A new patent from Apple may block that rule-breaking feature—on phones at least.

The patent,     3     (award) to Apple today, outlines a system which would allow venues, like concert halls or theaters, to use an infrared emitter (红外发射器) to remotely disable the camera function on smartphones. According to the patent, infrared beams could be picked up by the camera, and interpreted by the smartphone as a command     4     (block) the user from taking any photos or videos.

Many musicians and performers have banned cellphones from their shows     5     they object to the free footage circulating around the web.     6     this, images still manage to leak out. Prince’s last concert before he passed away in April was supposed to be cellphone-free—it apparently wasn’t. If Apple’s patent     7     (introduce) into iPhone software, with venues putting infrared emitters around their stage, leaks like this could potentially stop happening.

But the patent also raises questions about the sort of power that this technology would be handing over to     8     with more immoral intentions.

Given the company’s rigid support of personal privacy when it comes to police requests to break into users’ devices, it’s possible that Apple just     9     (patent) the technology so that no one else will use it. But who knows, if it does intend to introduce this feature to future operating systems, sales of camcorders, or even GoPros, could get a much-needed boost, as people try to avoid     10     (use) the prohibitive software.

4 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.

DNA analysis reveals two waves of migration

The results of the study, published in the Science Bulletin, revealed two major migration waves in history. In this pioneering study, scientists from Fudan University     1     (dig) into the ancient DNA of individuals buried in Gansu province, revealing interesting insights into the genetic makeup of Hexi Corridor residents dating back over 12 centuries. The research employed ancient DNA data     2     (explore) human migration along the Hexi Corridor.

The Hexi Corridor, was a narrow yet crucial link     3     (connect) the heartland of ancient China to the Western Territory. Characterized by its lofty mountains and deserts, the ancient pathway was dotted with cities     4     (found) along short rivers.

Historical documents attest (证实) to the Hexi Corridor’s significance as a crossroads     5     Western and Eastern civilizations mixed through trade, religion and occasional conflicts following the establishment of the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty.

    6     technological advances in biology open new avenues for exploration, archaeologists are increasingly drawn to analyzing DNA samples. Led by Wen Shaoqing from Fudan University’s Institute of Archaeological Science, the team successfully extracted DNA data     7     the teeth and bones found at two sites near Dunhuang.

The DNA analysis pinpointed two outliers (异常样本) dating to the Wei Dynasty and the Tang. Further examination revealed one had approximately 50 percent western Eurasian ancestry and       8     30 percent, suggesting the individuals were likely descendants of unions between western Eurasian women and local men.

    9     the team concluded was that the genetic mix could be partially attributed to those migrations. Experts said the second major migration period       10     (mark) by a significant shift in the gene pool. Historical records say migration facilitated by Chinese explorer Zhang Qian’s visit to the Western Territory from 138 BC resulted in the creation of the Silk Road.

5 . 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.

Walking and Using a Phone is Bad for Your Health

Spend time on any crowded sidewalk and you’ll see heads bent over and eyes cast downward. One recent study of college students found that a quarter of people crossing intersections     1     (absorb) in a device. That screen in your hand isn’t just distracting your attention. It also changes your mood, your manner of walking and etc. — and affects your ability to get from point A to point B     2     running into trouble.

When you walk and use a phone at the same time, you automatically adjust     3     you move. Video footage of walkers has shown that people on phones walk about 10 percent slower than those undistracted ones. These changes can block traffic on the sidewalk. And     4     walking makes up a big portion of your daily physical activity, walking more slowly may have impacts for your fitness.

Looking down at a smartphone while walking can also increase the amount of force     5     (place) on the neck and upper back muscles, which could reduce balance and increase the risk of falls.

It’s now widely accepted that walking in natural spaces is good for your mental health. It appears that     6     (get) these benefits, it’s important that your attention is on the environment, rather than on your phone.

Most of us understand that walking and using a phone can be risky. Some cities, like Honolulu,     7     (pass) laws to control distracted walkers. But research on those dangers has turned up some surprises. One study has looked at the connection between “phone-related distracted walking” and emergency department visits. Using government data     8     (extend) over the years 2011 to 2019, the researchers turned up nearly 30,000 walking injuries occasioned by phones.

If you’re distracted by a phone, you’re definitely putting     9     at some risk. So how do you stay safe? If you do walk and use your device at the same time, stop when you’re around stairs, crosswalks and messy or uneven ground,     10     accidents are more likely to occur.

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.

What If You’re Not Good at English?

Researchers whose first language is not English can spend around twice as long reading an English scientific journal article as native speakers. For a PhD student, that can mean     1     (spend) up to 19 additional working days per year just reading papers.

These statistics,     2     (publish) today in PLOS Biology, might not be shocking, researchers say, but it’s important to measure the effects of language barriers on the careers of academics       3     are not fluent in English. “It is the first step for the scientific community       4     (make) more efforts to solve this problem”, says Tatsuya Amano, a biodiversity researcher at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and a co-author of the study.

The team found that among scientists who had published only one paper in English, scientists from countries       5     English is generally poor spent 29.8 percent more time writing papers than native English speakers;     6     from countries with moderate English proficiency (能力) spent 50.6% more time. Similarly, the researchers found that people from countries with low English proficiency spent an average of 90.8 percent more time reading scientific articles       7     native English speakers.

At conferences, even those who overcome obstacles face difficulties in presenting their work in English. Germana Barata, a researcher who     8     (specialize) in science communication at the State University of Campinas in Brazil, says that despite being fluent in English, she still feels uncomfortable at times. “We       9     (give) the same amount of time to present, but all that we can say in 10 minutes is different from       10     a native speaker can say,” she points out.

7 . 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.

The Day I Survived

It had been raining buckets that week, and authorities had issued a flood warning, though not for where I was. Still, I had placed sandbags on the floor outside my garden door just in case.

As I was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly heard the sound of rushing water,     1    I were lying beside a waterfall instead of in my bedroom. When I     2    (swing) my legs off the bed, I was shocked by the sensation of cold water lapping against my knees and rising fast.

    3    (feel) my way in the darkness, I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight. As I stepped out of my bedroom, water was shooting through the gaps of the garden door. The water     4    have gone over the sandbags, I thought. All around me, my things began to float: chairs, bookshelves, and pieces of my drum set.

I heard the garden door starting to break down     5    the pressure of the flood, and the water was now up to my waist. I began to panic. In bare feet and with my shorts     6    (glue) to my body, I started to walk to my only escape: the door that leads upstairs.

I struggled to the door and tried to pull it open, but the force of the water wouldn’t let me do so. I looked around and grabbed a broom     7    was floating behind me. Using it to pry (撬) open the door, I managed to make a gap of about a foot, just wide enough     8    (force) myself through. Finally, I made it outside. If I had woken up just a few minutes later, I would have drowned. The entire neighborhood was destroyed by the flood.

Later, we     9    (assure) that something like this happens only once every 100 years. I hope so. It pains me to see     10    was once a lovely, cozy street now turns into a waterscape.

8 . 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.

A French bakery has become a tourist attraction in Nanping township, which is part of Zhuhai, a coastal city in Guangdong province.

Papa Romantic, located in Beishan community, attracts a large number of Chinese and foreigners alike. After     1     (taste)the bakery’s bread, some Chinese students who have returned from abroad have expressed admiration, while foreigners who lived in Zhuhai but moved to other Chinese cities such as Beijing     2     (continue) to have bread and pastries from the shop     3     (ship) to them.

The bakery is a welcoming environment for those who want to sit and enjoy authentic French cuisine.

On one side is a well-preserved old ancestral hall, and on the other side are lush trees that provide shade     4     the sun. The shop has a bright storefront, and the aroma of the bread, the aluminum tables and the chairs under sun umbrellas display a peaceful atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle.

At Papa Romantic, the best-selling items include baguettes, croissants, sandwiches, crepes and cookies. In addition, some unique treats such as fig bread and colorful macrons are also popular among young customers.

Owner and baker Ronan Salaun,     5     comes from the Brittany region of France, said the ingredients at his bakery     6     (import), and he refuses to use chemicals or additives in his food.

    7     his friends return to France, they know they need to bring him some crystal salt from a natural salt pond in France. The black pepper he uses comes from Madagascar.

“Simple things are important, and the quality of salt and pepper makes a big difference,” Salaun said.

While remaining true to his French roots, he has also taken into consideration the dietary habits of Chinese people. “Chinese locals prefer soft crust bread, while French like the crusty one. I sell both kinds. I can’t just maintain the original characteristics; I must adapt to locals’ preferences,” he said.

A former mechanical engineer, Salaun, was sent by a Hong Kong company to work at a furniture factory in Wanzai township, Zhuhai, in November 2000. He said he couldn’t have imagined how much his life would change with that move.

At that time, Wanzai was a tiny town     8     (border) Macao known for its flower trade.

For Salaun, life in Wanzai seemed simple and rustic. He remembers    9     when he wanted to take a bath, he had to heat the water up with firewood and then transport the water in a bucket to the bathtub.

Although the living and working conditions were not as favorable as     10     abroad, Salaun grew to love Zhuhai, which is located at the mouth of the Pearl River.

9 . 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.

Are You Ready to Hug a Robot?

Getting hugged tends to be a powerful positive emotional experience. Hugs have been shown to enhance social bonding and emotional well-being. However, not everyone can get a hug     1     they need one. Some people are lonely and do not have anyone to hug them. Others may be in long-distance relationships     2     it is not easy to get physical affection from their partner. In this case, they     3     receive fewer hugs than they like.

How can this problem be solved?     4     scientists have proposed is to develop hug robots. This could offer lonely people the positive effects of getting hugged without the need     5    (seek) a person who could hug them. Nevertheless, designing a hug robot is not an easy task. For example, if the robot is very large and made mostly of metal, people might be frightened of it,     6     happily hugging it. Therefore, psychological research is needed.

A new study, which     7    (publish) in International Journal recently, focuses on the development of Moffuly-II, a newly developed hug robot, which can move its arms to perform different small gestures during the hug. When two people hug, they often do specific things with their hands, such as clapping the     8    (hug)person on the back to signal sympathy. It is important that a hug robot can perform similar gestures, too. In the study, the scientists wanted to know whether these gestures would make a robot hug     9    (appealing). Volunteers who Moffully-Il hugged generally preferred hugs with gestures to gesture-less hugs. They felt that the robot was more friendly when    10    (perform) gestures.

The findings of the study indicate that it is possible to design a robot that people enjoy to hug. Details matter here, as the intra-hug gestures played a significant role in determining how much the human volunteers enjoyed the hug.

10 . 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.

Number of Steps a Day It Takes to Cut Risk of Early Death

New research suggests exactly how many steps you need to take each day to reduce the risk of heart disease and early death. If you     1     (fail) in your pursuit of walking 10,000 steps a day — researchers have some good news for you.

They found walking up to 10,000 steps a day reduces these risks. The lowest risk of early death was     2     people who took 9,000 to 10,500 steps a day. When it came to avoiding heart attack, people     3     (manage) around 9,700 steps a day had the lowest risks.

Experts have previously found people who spend a lot of time sitting while awake are more likely     4     (suffer) an early death and develop heart disease. It has been unclear     5     walking can balance out the effects of sitting down for most of the day — until now.

A study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, analysed data from 72,174 people     6     (age) around 61 from UK. Participants wore a device for seven days to measure their exercise levels. After a seven-year follow-up, 1,633 deaths and 6,190 cardiovascular (心脏血管的) events, such as heart attack, were recorded. The results showed any amount of daily steps above 2,200 a day were linked to lower death and heart disease —    7     the rest of the day was spent being inactive.

Julie Ward, a senior nurse in the U.K., said, “We encourage people to stay active for     8     heart and circulatory health by doing 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. “This can be any activity     9     fits into your lifestyle, such as taking regular walking breaks away from your computer screen, going to the gym, enjoying exercise classes, or even getting off the bus one stop     10     (early) to get more steps in.”