1 . Life continually requires that we write down a few words of thanks: for holidays, meals, presents or people’s place in our hearts. However, too often, our messages end up flat or somewhat unconvincing. To make our messages more effective, we might take a lesson from the history of art.

To some extent, what distinguishes great from common art is the level of detail with which the world has been studied. A talented artist is, first and foremost, someone who takes us into the specifics of the reasons why an experience or a place felt valuable. They don’t merely tell us that spring is ‘nice’, they zero in on the particular contributing factors to this niceness: leaves that have the softness of a newborn’s hands, the contrast between a warm sun and a sharp breeze, the soft cry of baby blackbirds....

Some of the reason why great artists are rare is that our minds are not well set up to understand why we feel as we do. But we can be confident if our minds have been affected, the reasons why they’ve been so will be somewhere, waiting to be uncovered. We stand to realise that it wasn’t so much that the food was ‘delicious’; but that the potatoes in particular had a charming rosemary and garlic flavour. A friend wasn’t just ‘nice’; they brought in a hugely sensitive and generous tone to bear in asking us what it had been like for us when we suffered. The details will be there, waiting for us to catch them.

We don’t have to be great artists to send effective thank-you notes. We just need to locate and hold on tightly to two or three highly detailed reasons for our gratitude.

1. What can we infer from paragraph 1?

A．We seldom express gratitude by writing.

B．We usually find messages of thanks touching.

C．We should take a course for message writing.

D．We may draw inspiration for thank-yous from arts.

2. What does the underlined phrase “zero in on” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Leave out.

B．Clear up.

C．Focus on.

D．Hold back.

3. How is paragraph 3 developed?

A．By classification.

B．By example.

C．By definition.

D．By process.

4. Which would the author recommend to express gratitude?

A．I am blessed to have such a wonderful week.

B．Your caring and warm smile lights up my day.

C．Thank you so much for your great present.

D．This is the most delicious dinner I’ve ever had.

2 . CLIP

If you’re looking for an e-bike experience without getting rid of your favorite two-wheeler, the CLIP is for you. It’s a friction-drive (摩擦驱动的) motor that easily attaches to the front wheel of your bike, its roller helping speed you around faster than you can pedal. It’s removable, so you can charge it under your desk or at your destination.

Yakima CBX Solar

Topped with Sunflare solar panels, Yakima’s new CBX Solar rooftop cargo (货物) box is equipped with two USB ports and can power your campsite on an overnight trip or keep your devices charged without having to use your car battery. Plus, the CBX Solar has more than enough room to hold your sports equipment.

Nuheara IQbuds2 MAX

Wireless earbuds (耳塞) are increasingly capable of blocking the noise of the outside world while you listen to tunes. But when you can’t hear the person right in front of you, it’d be nice if they offered a little help. The IQbuds2 MAX are on the case. They are the only wireless buds that feature both active noise cancellation and audio-processing technology capable of identifying human conversations, which tune out everything except the people or sounds you want to hear.

Guardhat HC1 Communicator

Besides head injuries, industrial workers also face other dangers at work sites. Guardhat’s new tech-enabled hard hat, the HC1 Communicator, can help keep those workers safe. The Communicator monitors the wearer’s location in real time; allows them to make hands-free video and audio calls; and detects their nearness to dangerous materials, temperatures and moving equipment.

1. Which of the following can power your Bluetooth speaker?

A．CLIP.	B．Yakima CBX Solar.
C．Nuheara IQbuds2 MAX.	D．Guardhat HCl Communicator.

2. Compared with other wireless earbuds, the IQbuds2 MAX are unique in________.

A．blocking the noise	B．music playing
C．conversation capability	D．sorting out sounds

3. What’s the text mainly about?

A．Introduction of new inventions.

B．Safety rules for workers.

C．Comments on high-tech devices.

D．Advice on vehicle choices.

3 . 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。

Many buildings along the Yangtze River have been destroyed during the flood season,     1     the Guanyin Pavilion (亭子) in the middle of the river has continued to stand tall even after more than 700 years. How does this ancient pavilion make     2    ? Described as “the first pavilion on the Yangtze River”, the Guanyin Pavilion     3     (build) in the Song Dynasty and then rebuilt in the Yuan Dynasty. Today, the pavilion     4     (sit) on a piece of dragon-shaped rock in the middle of the Yangtze River. Located outside the city of Ezhou, Hubei Province, the pavilion was constructed on a huge rock about 30 meters from the bank of the river.     5     (face) west, the pavilion is 24 meters long, 10 meters wide and 14 meters in     6     (high) . The base is made with a one-meter- high stone pile. The entire base is     7     (beautiful) combined with the rock, and the whole building is shaped     8     a boat in the direction of the flowing water. More importantly, a very strong stone wall was set up     9     (protect) the main body from the floods. The ancient pavilion is still standing more than 700 years later,     10     shows the wisdom of ancient Chinese people.

4 . Twins are supposed to have a lot in common. However, my twin sister and I can't be more ______.I'm louder, taller and sharper while she's quieter, shorter and sweeter.

While most of the time we could get along, our relationship didn't enjoy the usual ______between twins. For years we spoke only when necessary. Twelve years ago, our mother   ______lung cancer. Because I lived closer to my parents, I ______ all the day-to-day caretaking. Meanwhile,   my sister ______ gave suggestions that felt like criticisms, which ______ our already delicate relationship, especially after our mother died.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I turned to Chinese dramas to ______ my anxiety. That felt ______-my mother also loved watching Chinese dramas, even in a hospital bed. Perhaps these dramas were her only ______ to her childhood in China.

As I watched, I found myself missing my mother more than ever. Suddenly, I had a（n） ______to text my sister what I might have normally told my mother--that she had better watch Chinese dramas.______, she agreed to watch along with me. Soon we were livetexting enthusiastically as we watched. The more dramas we watched, the more______our conversations became. We couldn't help______what it would be like to grow up in China with Chinese people like us.

I could never have imagined how Chinese dramas could fill my mother's absence, leading me to ______my Chinese roots and how dramas would help me ______ my sister.

1.

A．serious

B．familiar

C．identical

D．different

2.

A．success

B．closeness

C．responsibility

D．admiration

3.

A．beat

B．ignored

C．developed

D．found

4.

A．managed

B．rejected

C．divided

D．encountered

5.

A．simply

B．also

C．never

D．still

6.

A．brightened

B．softened

C．worsened

D．strengthened

7.

A．witness

B．ease

C．cure

D．wrap

8.

A．impossible

B．ridiculous

C．strange

D．natural

9.

A．connection

B．regret

C．adaptation

D．answer

10.

A．ambition

B．urge

C．schedule

D．attempt

11.

A．Understandably

B．Hopefully

C．Interestingly

D．Surprisingly

12.

A．involved

B．embarrassing

C．irrelevant

D．boring

13.

A．concluding

B．analysing

C．wondering

D．realizing

14.

A．make up

B．long for

C．pick up

D．give away

15.

A．save

B．shape

C．recall

D．regain

5 . With the start of university coming into view, for people who have a child that is getting ready to leave home for the first time, you may be feeling more than a little nervous.     1     Fortunately, there are several steps that you can take to help prepare your child for this important occasion in their lives.

Teach them how to budget. If your child has not yet been taught how to budget their own money, then now is the ideal time for them to learn. It can also be a good idea to try and determine how your child will deal with having their own money at university.     2    

Offer them cooking lessons. Your child might already be able to cook a few simple meals that will stop them from surviving on noodles for the foreseeable future.     3     So why not spend the next week or so teaching them a few nutritious meals.

    4     If you are worried about your child’s departure, then this is probably nothing compared to how your child is feeling. Not only are they leaving home for the first time, but they will also be starting a new life and having to make new friends.Therefore, just before they leave, it can be really helpful to sit down and talk to them about any concerns or worries they may have.

Get the missing link.     5     What memory or association between the two of you stand out the most? Find a present that is symbolic of this. Thus, every time your child sees it, he or she will be reminded of you and the love that you share.

A．Have an open discussion.

B．But you may even feel terrified.

C．All of this is normal and understandable.

D．However, there is always room for more recipes.

E．It’s helpful to think of the connection you share with your child.

F．A fun way to do this is to get them to take a money management quiz.

G．Now it is also a good time to take them out shopping for basic daily appliances.

6 . 语法填空

The movie “Hi, Mom”     1     （bring）in more than 5 billion yuan at the box office since its release in early February. It is     2     （current）the second highest box-office film ever released in the country, and may vet overtake “Wolf Warrior 2”.

Written and directed by Jia Ling, the film     3     （adapt）from her comedy routine which explored her relationship with her mother,     4     died in an accident when Ms Jia was 19. At a time when many people were separated     5     their families, the themes of sorrow and filial piety（孝道）in “Hi, Mom” resonated（共鸣）.

    6     （compare）with Hollywood，the film's impressive box office is also     7     obvious reminder of the health of the industry in China. In the     8     （west）countries cinemas remain closed due to lockdown while in China between 50% and 75% of seats are available     9     （book）. During the Spring Festival, Chinese cinemas made an estimated $ 1.5 billion in ticket sales—71%of takings at the American box office in all of 2020.

The success of “Hi, Mom” also shows the increasing     10     （popular）of domestic productions.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Ellen Kalish runs the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in New York. She is used to getting calls about taking in wild animals. When a man called asking if she could rescue an owl（猫头鹰）, she was happy to help. Then, the caller told her where this tiny owl was hiding out. It was found inside the Christmas tree in the Rockefeller Center, where it is a yearly tradition to decorate trees. But this year，the tree looked a little worse. Many people made fun of its sagging（低垂的）branches. They called the tree a “symbol of 2020”, meaning its sad look reminded them how tough the past year was.

The tale of the owl's rescue quickly became the highlight of this year's tree. Before the tree was put up to decorate, one of the workers spotted the creature. It was buried in the base of the tree. The owl most likely traveled with the tree on its journey to Manhattan. So, how did it end up stuck in the tree in the first place?

Kalish offered a few possibilities. The owl could have flown to the tree to hide there because it was injured and then got trapped later. Or maybe once the tree was loaded onto a truck, the branches squeezed it into the trunk. The bird may have just been too scared to move. Actually, there is no proof about where it came from. “That would be the last place it would want to go. Why would it pick that tree if it had a choice not to? It's smart and it wouldn't do that. ,” she explained.

In that case, the worker had to bring the owl home. He decided to find a place that rescues wildlife animals. That was why he called the Center. After Kalish got the full story about the bird. she met the man at a gas station. Then the man handed her a box with the owl inside.

Paragraph 1:
Kalish opened the box gently.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Several days passing, the owl looked in good shape.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Fatima grew up in rural Gohr Province, where there was no schooling available to girls. But she insisted on listening to BBC radio, which she could ________ when high enough in the hills.

“My sisters were forced to get married. I decided that I would not continue in their ________. That was why I decided to ________,” Fatima says.

She joined Facebook groups for history fans. ________ of people who only related Afghanistan to conflicts, Fatima started writing ________ about places that foreigners might not know about. Fatima started getting ________ from online friends. A man reached out to her saying he was going to be________ in Afghanistan and asking whether she was interested in showing him around in Herat. She said yes. Later, he recommended her to someone else and ________ Fatima came to the attention of a travel agency. The company ________ her in late 2020, and she became her country’s first female ________ tour guide.

Of course, being a ________ is never easy. Fatima says many people have told her that it’s too dangerous for a woman to work, especially if it means ________ with men one-on-one. Fatima says that the ________ of her employers and the people she has met through giving tours is what keeps her ________. There’s also the implication（暗示）of what could happen if she does________:“If I give up, then other women will never start.”

1.

A．take up

B．pick up

C．turn up

D．build up

2.

A．life

B．choice

C．tradition

D．business

3.

A．work

B．live

C．study

D．travel

4.

A．Afraid

B．Convinced

C．Certain

D．Tired

5.

A．posts

B．letters

C．novels

D．speeches

6.

A．responses

B．donation

C．lessons

D．guidance

7.

A．teaching

B．settling

C．travelling

D．serving

8.

A．similarly

B．obviously

C．hopefully

D．eventually

9.

A．promoted

B．instructed

C．hired

D．trained

10.

A．intelligent

B．devoted

C．efficient

D．professional

11.

A．researcher

B．pioneer

C．specialist

D．celebrity

12.

A．playing

B．interacting

C．exploring

D．cooperating

13.

A．support

B．patience

C．protection

D．contribution

14.

A．refreshed

B．recognized

C．informed

D．motivated

15.

A．relax

B．skip

C．quit

D．insist

9 . Michael S. Megonigal wanted to help people who lost their jobs but wasn't sure about how to do it. When he shopped at the supermarket in a blue-collar community where many people live in poverty, an opportunity _______: A customer couldn't _______ everything and was about to put an item back. Megonigal _______ paid for her groceries. Then Megonigal told the rest of people in line he would pay, too.

At first, some customers were _______ or disbelieving. Some tried to pay until Megonigal explained what was going on. Some, who had _______ only a few items they needed, returned to the shelves for more at Megonigal's _______. An hour passed—until the _______ bill came to $ 2,523.32. All _______ and applauded as Megonigal's free-for-all ended. At least 30 people received free groceries that day, moved by the _______ of generosity, for their source of __________ had possibly dried up.

Megonigal has found other ways to help people in his neighborhood— __________ money, bicycles and the like. The __________ pleasure he felt in laying down his credit card for others almost took him by surprise, as did the depth of people's __________.

“It was enjoyable to watch the people when they didn't realize it, and they were looking around, going, ‘What?’” Megonigal __________. “It was __________. I can't wait to do it again.”

1.

A．waited

B．escaped

C．returned

D．came

2.

A．find

B．afford

C．carry

D．order

3.

A．secretly

B．proudly

C．immediately

D．excitedly

4.

A．disappointed

B．embarrassed

C．confused

D．frightened

5.

A．selected

B．exchanged

C．listed

D．accepted

6.

A．convenience

B．mercy

C．service

D．request

7.

A．total

B．additional

C．original

D．detailed

8.

A．celebrated

B．cheered

C．nodded

D．shouted

9.

A．explanation

B．fun

C．display

D．duty

10.

A．energy

B．information

C．wisdom

D．income

11.

A．preparing

B．donating

C．receiving

D．borrowing

12.

A．great

B．expected

C．limited

D．brief

13.

A．trust

B．admiration

C．passion

D．gratitude

14.

A．guessed

B．answered

C．recalled

D．imagined

15.

A．reasonable

B．awesome

C．romantic

D．challenging

10 . Things to do in Las Vegas

Explore the food and drink scene in Chinatown

It’s a bit of a secret, but Las Vegas has one of the most amazing Chinatown dining scenes in the country. There is incredible variety to be enjoyed throughout the district, such as roast meats at Raku, spicy Sichuan at Chengdu Taste, etc. Chinatown is about two miles of Spring Mountain Road easily reachable by taxi or rideshare.

Compete in esports

We already know video games are big business. Now they’ve become their own form of competitive sport. Las Vegas is fast becoming a centre for esports. Visit the HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor, a multi-level venue that hosts tournaments, special events and stations for anyone to play.

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden at the Mirage allows guests to enjoy an up-close experience will nature’s most charming creatures. Take a tour and mix with bottlenose dolphins, white tigers, white lions and so on. You can even upgrade to a VIP package and work alongside dolphin trainers.

Soak in the views at the Eiffel Tower

The centerpiece of the Paris Las Vegas is a half-size replica (复制品) of the Eiffel Tower. Take a lift to the observation platform to be absorbed in the views 46 stories above the Las Vegas Strip. Don’t forget to take a few photos. A new light show lightens the tower every 30 minutes after dark. If you’re hungry, try distinctive cuisine at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, which has its：own mid-level views of the Strip.

1. Where can visitors enjoy various food?

A．At Chinatown.	B．In the HyperX Esports Arena.
C．On the top of the Eiffel Tower.	D．At Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Carden.

2. Who is most likely to be interested in Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden?

A．Food lovers.

B．Animal fans.

C．Came players.

D．Bird watchers.

3. What is newly added to the Eiffel Tower?

A．A light show.	B．A sight-seeing lift.
C．A 46th-story restaurant.	D．An observation platform.