1 . Self-knowledge is like a compass that guides you through life. It’s crucial not just for our personal happiness, but also for understanding others. Here are 5 areas to get to know yourself better.

Your values

    1    . So knowing the things you value the most can help you stay motivated, even when the going gets tough, and also help you make quick decisions about what to do and what not to do.

Your interests

Everything that naturally inspires you to accomplish or learn something can be considered your interests. They not only add color to your life, but also give important clues about what your true self actually desires.     2    .

Around-the-clock activities

Are you an early bird or a night owl? You may think that whether you’re a day or night person is not that important, but it actually is. This is because your efficiency and performance are greatly affected by your peak-energy time, when you plan activities that need energy and attention.

    3    

Have you ever thought about what gives your life meaning? The most significant events in your life reveal a lot, including what you actually care about and how you should spend the majority of your time in order to live a meaningful life. Finding the life meaning can have a huge impact on your happiness, health, and productivity.

Strengths

We all have strengths and weaknesses.     4    . But this doesn’t mean that you should just ignore your weaknesses. Instead, find ways to admit them and learn from others’ strengths.

Hopefully, all above can help you better understand your own identity. Getting to know yourself can be challenging, and requires effort and courage, but it is highly rewarding.     5    .

A．Your inner motivation

B．Meaningful life mission

C．Trying to fix your weaknesses also matters

D．Our values represent our nature and guide our actions

E．After all, in order to be yourself, you must know yourself first

F．Focusing on your strengths is essential to living a happy and successful life

G．Moreover, they provide you with more flexibility and options to find happiness

2 . Astronauts floating around Earth might soon be able to make their own delicious, creamy breakfast. This is thanks to Australian high school students. They want to see if the astronauts can make yogurt in space!

Six students from Haileybury, a high school in Melbourne are participating in a program led by some scientists. They placed the bacteria (细菌) producing yogurt in a culture (培养菌) and packed 36 containers with frozen milk and the bacteria. Then, they sent the containers to the International Space Station (ISS), where the astronauts defrosted the frozen ingredients. These students are working with the scientists to study how bacteria react to microgravity, which is only a small part of the gravity we experience on Earth.

But how exactly do bacteria make yogurt? It all starts with the bacteria that live in milk. These bacteria eat some of the sugar in milk and create a kind of acid, which makes the milk thick and creamy. This process is fermentation (发酵).

The astronauts will study these containers to see how yogurts change depending on the type of milk — either full cream cow’s milk or soy milk. They will also test different fermentation time — either 24, 48 or 72 hours.

When the yogurts come back to Earth, the students will analyze their nutrients. One Haileybury student, Chiara Sgroi said one goal of the experiment is to figure out which yogurt is the most nutritious. “We can even get to taste them, which is pretty exciting,” said Sgroi.

One day, we might be able to send astronauts with some frozen bacteria and milk. We hope that they can easily make healthful yogurt in space.

1. What will the students study in the program?

A．What bacteria need to survive.

B．How bacteria react to microgravity.

C．Whether microgravity exists in space.

D．Why astronauts can’t make yogurt in space.

2. What do the astronauts need to make yogurt?

A．Bacteria and cream.	B．Milk and acid.
C．Cream and sugar.	D．Bacteria and milk.

3. What may make Sgori excited a lot?

A．Tasting the yogurts made in the ISS.

B．Making the most nutritious space yogurts.

C．Testing the yogurts in different temperatures.

D．Studying the nutrients of the yogurts in the ISS.

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

A．Students Observe the Change of Yogurt in Space

B．Students Send Bacteria into Space to Make Yogurt

C．Students Find a New Way to Make Healthy Yogurt

D．Students Make Good Yogurt for Astronauts in Space

3 . Dormice (睡鼠), which prefer to sleep in the holes of old trees, are losing their tree holes. Centuries of wood harvesting have exterminated many of dormice from countries such as Poland, Belarus, Latvia, and Lithuania. But one temporary solution is helping.

“We have to keep this connection between dormice and the forest,” says Tadas Bujanauskas, senior ecologist at Lithuania’s Neris Regional Park, “because if we let this go, it’s hard to get back.” Neris Regional Park’s dormouse nest box and conservation program began in 2005 as part of a sustainable forestry certification with the Forest Stewardship Council, based in Bonn, Germany. So far, park staff have installed 250 nest boxes throughout the park’s dense, old-growth oak forests.

A dormouse nest box resembles a standard birdhouse tied to a tree trunk. There’s enough space between the trunk and the entrance hole for the rodents, such as rabbits, to move in and out of their artificial lairs (巢穴), but so little that it’s difficult for predators such as owls to attack.

Best of all, nest boxes bring the previously mysterious creatures within reach for scientists. By placing cameras in nest boxes, researchers can check in on the animal whenever they want. As a result, they’ve logged all kinds of ecological data, such as sex, weight, birth rates, and diet of the houses’ inhabitants.

In addition to monitoring nest boxes, Bujanauskas and his colleagues seek out and protect individual trees that could provide habitat for dormice and other species in the future.

The U.K. has placed more than 26,000 nest boxes over 30 years to boost their hazel dormice population, which has fallen by 51 percent since 2000, according to Ian White, the dormouse training officer for the nonprofit People’s Trust For Endangered Species.

“Dormice are cute and they’re a nice animal to work with,” White says, “if we get the habitat right for them, it can actually benefit a broad range of other species.”

1. What does the underlined word “exterminated” in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Wiped out.	B．Popped up.
C．Let down.	D．Put away.

2. What can we know about the dormouse nest boxes from the text?

A．They are installed by ecologists.

B．The U.K. has the most nest boxes on earth.

C．They offered an easier way to study dormice.

D．Dormice take birdhouses as their own nest boxes.

3. What does White suggest in the last paragraph?

A．Living in harmony with dormice.	B．Protecting the habitat of dormice.
C．Installing more nest boxes for dormice.	D．Finding places more suitable for dormice.

4. In which part of a newspaper is this text mostly from?

A．Health and Lifestyle.	B．Sports and Entertainment.
C．Nature and Science.	D．Education and Art.

4 . All day long, at an MSF distribution center, humanitarian (人道主义的) supplies make their way to some of the most dangerous spots on the planet. Specially marked boxes are being packed with medicines and supplies, which are on their way to Ebola-affected Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Kathy Dedieu became a sanitation (卫生设备) and water engineer for MSF a decade ago. She has just returned from Liberia, where MSF is working to help reopen the hospitals. Her job is to make sure that clean parts of the hospitals are kept separate from areas that are polluted. She says the situation there is a complete disaster. “Even during the war, I haven’t seen a health system close so fast. The hospitals are empty because the health staff just aren’t there,” she says. Dedieu was in Liberia during that country’s civil war in 2003.

MSF was founded in 1971 by a group of doctors and journalists. “I remember being criticized in the 1980s as a ‘medical cowboy’,” says Rony Brauman, who headed MSF from 1982 to 1994. “We were blamed for riding in, distributing our pills and creating unreasonable expectations.” But Brauman says that’s the nature of health care. “We raise expectations; we create new diseases by treating old diseases,” Brauman says. “That’s how it works in general. It was a kind of fight. MSF won that fight.”

MSF doctor Cameron Bopp says he’s worked with other humanitarian organizations but always missed the level of devotion and motivation he’s found at MSF. “The main thing that’s different about MSF from the point of view someone like me who goes out and works in the field is that when there’s an emergency, other organizations say, ‘Whoa, this is an emergency. We’re gonna be there as soon as we get funding.’ And MSF has the funding,” he says. “We start right away.” Ninety percent of MSF’s funding comes from a devoted base of five million donors. That gives it the independence to speak out and do what’s really needed.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．Showing the places affected by Ebola.	B．Exploring a distribution center of MSF.
C．Introducing one of the functions of MSF.	D．Encouraging donations to Ebola-affected areas.

2. What can we learn about Kathy Dedieu?

A．She is working in Liberia.

B．She was once a soldier in the civil war.

C．She founded MSF with many other doctors.

D．She helps with pollution prevention in hospitals.

3. What was people’s attitude to MSF in the early years?

A．Optimistic.

B．Uncaring.

C．Disapproving.

D．Curious.

4. How is MSF different from other organizations according to Cameron?

A．It has a lot of faithful donors.	B．It involves many journalists.
C．It is operated by doctors themselves.	D．It obtains funding from the government.

5 . Fiji is one of the world’s top five honeymoon destinations according to a CNN.com travel poll (民意调查).

Nisa Bula — Welcome to Fiji. This heartfelt greeting is your warm invitation to visit a undiscovered paradise! More than anything else, the Fiji Islands are a unique destination, a South Pacific tropical island paradise of charm and cultural diversity. Its miles of unspoiled beaches, sparkling lakes and shining sunsets offer an experience you’ll never forget.

From giant mountains to tiny atolls (环礁), Fiji’s 300 tropical islands are as richly varied as the diverse friendly people who inhabit them. They equally welcome the couple in search of privacy or the group on the trip of a lifetime.

Year-round warm weather, a stress free environment and world-class facilities with first class service make Fiji as near as possible to paradise — a truly great escape.

TOP FOUR THINGS TO DO IN FIJI:

●Snorkel (潜泳) and dive on large coral reefs

●Visit a traditional Fijian village

●Swim in the warm, crystal clear water

●Sail around the Yasawa Islands

A Few Facts:

Population: A mere 750,000 people inhabit the Fiji Islands — the majority of whom live on the two larger islands. Time Zone: Fiji is 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Electricity: 240 volts — most resorts and hotels have 110-volt converters (转换器). Taxes: Currently, the rate of tax is 10%, which is applied to all goods and services supplied. Climate: Now you have found paradise! Fiji enjoys the perfect climate year round. November to April 86℉, May to October 79℉.

1. What can we learn from the CNN.com travel poll?

A．The heartfelt greeting is unique.	B．There live friendly people in Fiji.
C．Fiji is one of the top five attractions.	D．Fiji is popular with newly married couples.

2. Which of the following activities is recommended in Fiji?

A．Wandering around a traditional village.	B．Going skiing on the Yasawa Islands.
C．Swimming in the cold and clear water.	D．Collecting living coral.

3. What kind of fact do we know from the last paragraph?

A．Fiji is 12 hours ahead of Beijing Time.	B．10% tax will be paid for the services.
C．December is the hottest month in Fiji.	D．People rarely live on the two larger islands.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the new research about?

A．How a remote control affects you.

B．How to keep in shape with a chair.

C．How little activities can make you fitter.

2. Where is the research done?

A．At the Mayo Clinic.

B．In a TV studio.

C．Online.

3. How much weight might thinner people lose per year?

A．5 pounds.

B．40 pounds.

C．10 to 30 pounds.

4. If you want to keep fit, what should you do?

A．Go out a lot.

B．Run ten miles every day.

C．Do any little activity every day.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the woman’s topic?

A．Health.

B．Food.

C．Drinks.

2. Who is Roger Sabata?

A．A chef.

B．A scientist.

C．A doctor.

3. What’s the biggest change in eating habits?

A．The nutrition of food.

B．The changes of drinks.

C．The amount of eating out.

4. How do changes in habits affect people?

A．People drink more milk.

B．People drink more soda.

C．People drink fewer soft drinks.

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。

Already famous at home, now China’s wandering elephants are becoming international stars. Major global media are recording     1     group more than yearlong, 500-kilometer walk from their home in a wildlife reserve in mountainous southwest Yunnan province to the outskirts of the provincial capital of Kunming.

The fifteen elephants     2     (catch) at night trotting(疾走) down urban streets by security cameras over the past months, followed by those     3     (seek)to minimize damage and keep both elephants and people out of harm’s way.     4     no animals or people have been hurt, reports put damage to crops at more than $1 million.

    5     exactly motivated them to make the epic journey remains a mystery, although they appear to be especially attracted to corn, tropical fruit and other crops, tasty and     6    (plenty) and easy to obtain in the lush tropical region. Others have speculated their leader may be simply lost.

Asian elephants, the continent’s largest land animal, are     7     decline overall. Habitat loss and resulting human-wildlife conflict     8     (be) their biggest threats. Elephants are given the top level of protection in China, allowing their numbers to       9     (steady) increase even as their natural habitat shrinks, and requiring farmers and others     10    (exercise) maximum restraint when encountering them.

9 . In the far North, fire season usually doesn’t start until June, when snow has melted away and summer lightning storms sweep into the region. So scientist Sander Veraverbeke was confused when in May of 2016 he saw little patches of fire on some satellite images from Alaska and the Northwest Territories.

“I was like, what the hell is going on?” says Veraverbeke, an Earth scientist at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

What he saw on the satellite images were “zombie fires,” remains of burns from the previous year that somehow stayed alive, smoldering underground, through the long, cold winter.

Zombie fires aren’t an entirely new phenomenon in the Arctic; fire managers have noted occasional flare-ups in past decades. But Veraverbeke’s team found that their occurrences are tightly linked to climate change, happening more often after hot, long summers with lots of fire and suggesting that these still-rare events could become more frequent.

“The sheer fact that this is happening is evidence for how quickly the region is changing,” he says.

Like all forests, the wooded stretches of the Arctic sometimes catch on fire. But unlike many forests in the mid-latitudes, which thrive on or even require fire to preserve their health, Arctic forests have evolved to burn only infrequently.

Climate change is reshaping that mode. In the first decade of the new millennium, fires burned 50 percent more acreage each year in the Arctic, on average, than any decade in the 1900s. Between 2010 and 2020, burned acreage continued to creep up, particularly in Alaska, which had its second worst fire year ever in 2015 and another bad one in 2019. Scientists have found that fire frequency today is higher than at any time since the formation of boreal (北极的) forests some 3,000 years ago, and potentially higher than at any point in the last 10,000 years.

1. Why did Sander Veraverbeke feel puzzled?

A．Because he saw something unusual from some newspaper pictures.

B．Because he didn’t realize there were zombie fires in the Arctic.

C．Because the fires started burning earlier than he previously expected.

D．Because there was much snow in Alaska and the Northwest Territories.

2. What does the underlined word “smoldering” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Burning

B．Releasing

C．Exploding

D．Weakening

3. What can we know about the fires in the Arctic?

A．They play a role in preserving the forests.

B．Zombie fires are a new discovery of Sander Veraverbeke.

C．Zombie fires tend to happen after hot summers with lots of fire.

D．They burned 50 percent of the area in the Arctic between 2000 and 2010.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To help readers learn about the Arctic.	B．To show concern about climate change.
C．To call on people to control zombie fires.	D．To warn readers of the dangers of zombie fires.

10 . 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。

A Community Puts on a Dazzling Display of Support

In Sara’s family, putting up Christmas lights was always a big day of celebration. Every year, just after Thanksgiving Day, her dad Anthony, 70, would visit local stores to check out new decorations and then excitedly string lights and hang decorations in and out of the house. The dazzling (绚烂的) display made him a hit in the community.

On 2020 Christmas Eve, as usual, the whole house twinkled with lights, and gifts were piled under the tree. While everyone was looking forward to enjoying another Christmas together as a family, Sara, got a call: the whole family had tested positive for COVID-19. Their Christmas celebration had to be canceled.

At first, everyone’s symptoms (症状) seemed manageable. But right after the new year, Anthony started having trouble breathing and unfortunately passed away two weeks later, though the rest had recovered from COVID-19. The following week of planning the funeral was the worst for Sara and her husband, Frank. Sorrow left them doubled over in pain. The saddest of all was that no neighbours attended her father’s funeral. Only the twinkling Christmas lights at night brought them a little bit joy. The lights were one of the last moments they had of their beloved father, so they kept them up.

One morning in February, Sara received an envelope. “Take your Christmas lights down! It’s Valentine’s Day!!!” the unsigned letter read. Sara looked at the paper in shock. Then she got angry. She could have bottled up that anger, but she decided to write about it instead. She logged on to a local community Facebook group and shared the letter. She ended the post with this: “We all had a tough year. Be kind to people because you never know what they are going through.”

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Half an hour later, Frank rushed into the room excitedly, with his phone in the hand.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When night fell, Sara and Frank were surprised by what they saw outside.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________