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。

Plastic pollution at sea is reaching     1     (worry) levels. According to a review of hundreds of academic studies, it will continue to grow even if significant action is taken now     2     (stop) such waste from reaching the world’s oceans. The review by Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute examined almost 2, 600 research     3     (paper) on the topic to provide an overview ahead of a United Nations meeting later this month.

As plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, it also enters the marine food chain,    4     (take) in by sea creatures from whales to turtles. What’s worse, some regions already contain dangerous levels of plastic, and others risk becoming     5     (increasing) polluted in the future. Getting that plastic out of the water again is nearly impossible,    6     policymakers should focus on preventing any more of it entering the oceans in     7     first place. Matthew MacLeod, a professor of environmental science at Stockholm University,    8     (involve) in a separate study not long ago,    9     also concluded effective measures are required immediately because of the possible global impacts.

While consumers can help reduce plastic pollution by changing their behavior, governments have to step up and accept     10     (responsible) for solving the problem. It’s a global problem and it needs global solutions.

5 . It happens to all of us and can be beyond annoyance, so why do we itch? You know the feeling: There’s that spot on your arm, leg or back that just itches and begs for a deep, satisfying scratch.     1     No matter how much you scratch, it just can’t be satisfied.

As we all know, itchy skin is a sensation that makes us want to scratch—but as soon as you satisfy that need, you set off something called the itch-scratch cycle.    2    

The main reason that you feel itchy is that the skin cells or nerve endings near your skin have become annoyed.     3     When you itch, you give yourself a scratch, the area of the body that you have scratched releases chemicals including histamine, and it makes you itch more. That’s why we use antihistamines for allergic reactions but they can also help for insect bites and things like that.

    4     The drier your skin becomes, the more likely the skin gets itchy. However, it is sometimes caused not from the skin, but from what you see or hear. When you hear someone else scratching their skin, or when you see images that suggest itch, like a picture of being bitten by a mosquito, you get the urge to scratch. People with the allergic condition seem to be more easily affected than those without the condition.    5    

A．Causes of itchy skin.

B．It is usually caused by dry skin.

C．It means you are going to end up feeling itchier.

D．Fortunately, there are ways you can get rid of it.

E．Being aware of this phenomenon can help interrupt its effect.

F．But you know giving in to that desire will only result in more problems.

G．Once you start scratching, your body creates a chemical reaction that makes you itchier.

6 . Livestream through channels such as Amazon Live and QVC is a popular way to sell goods online. In a session that lasts between 5 and 10 minutes, someone promotes a product. Viewers can then readily buy it by clicking on a link.

Researchers analyzed 99, 451 sales cases on a livestream selling platform and matched them with actual sales cases.

To determine the emotional expression of the salesperson, researchers used two deep learning models: a face detection model and an emotion classification model. The face detection model discovers the presence or absence of a face in a frame of a video stream. The emotion classifier then determines the probability that a face is exhibiting any of the six basic human emotions： happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, fear or disgust.

We wanted to see the effect of emotions expressed at different times in the sales cases, so we counted probabilities for each emotion for all 62 million frames in our database. We then combined these probabilities with other possible aspects that might drive sales —such as price and product characteristics—to judge the effect of emotions…

We found that, perhaps unsurprisingly, when salespeople convey more negative emotions—such as anger and disgust—the volume of sales went down. But we also found that a similar thing happened when the salespeople display high levels of positive emotions, such as happiness or surprise.

A likely explanation, based on our research, is that smile can be disgusting because it lacks true feelings and can reduce trust in the seller. A seller’s happiness may be taken as a sign that the seller is gaining interests at the customer’s expense.

We also found that the negative effects on sales are the strongest when people express emotions in the middle rather than at the beginning or the end of sale. A potential reason for this finding is that the middle is typically when the salesperson offers more details about the product, and it’s likely that viewers are turned off by emotions at this point.

1. What can we know about the livestream selling goods?

A．It challenges the family business.

B．It only helps big company sell goods.

C．It is very convenient for the buyers.

D．It helps the sellers develop fixed expressions.

2. How did the researchers get the findings?

A．By referring to a theory.

B．By concluding different views.

C．By giving some examples.

D．By analyzing previous data.

3. Why do customers dislike seller’s smiles during livestream?

A．They hate seller’s look.	B．They prefer complex emotions.
C．They feel cheated.	D．They are so tired.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Livestreamers Sell Products Successfully

B．Expressions Affect Selling Products Online

C．Emotions and Faces: What’s the Difference

D．Smiles Can Increase the Sales in Reality

7 . A study from the University of California, Davis is the first to document personality in golden-mantled ground squirrels, which are common across the western US and parts of Canada, The study found the squirrels show personality for four main aspects: boldness（大胆）, aggressiveness, activity level, and sociability. The findings suggest that understanding how an animal’s personality influences the use of space is important for wildlife conservation.

The fact that ground squirrels have personalities may not seem surprising. But the scientific field of animal personality is relatively young, as is the recognition that there are ecological consequences of animal personalities. For instance, bolder, more aggressive squirrels may find more food or defend a larger area, but their risky behavior may also make them easily hurt by predators（捕食者）or accidents. Lead author Jaclyn Aliperti conducted the study while earning her PhD in ecology at UC Davis.

Scientists have been studying golden-mantled ground squirrels at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado for decades. It was established as a long-term study site more than 30 years ago by Aliperti’s advisor, Dirk Van Vuren. Aliperti drew from this powerful data set for her study, while also starting a series of experiments there over the course of three summers to observe and quantify the squirrels’ personalities. Overall, the study, published in the journal Animal Behaviour, found that bolder squirrels had larger core areas where they concentrated their activities. Bold, active squirrels moved faster. Also, squirrels that were bolder, more aggressive and more active had greater access to habitats, such as rocks. The location of the habitat is important because it can provide a belter point for observing and evading predators. Interestingly, habitat is also associated with sociability.

“Animal personality is a hard science, but if it makes you relate to animals more, maybe people will be more interested in conserving them,” said Alipcrti.

1. What’s the significance of the findings in paragraph 1?

A．To better protect wildlife.

B．To know more about space.

C．To observe squirrels’ behavior.

D．To explore squirrels’ personalities.

2. What do bolder squirrels tend to do in paragraph 2?

A．Hunt for more food.	B．Work against each other.
C．Show their personalities.	D．Attract less predators.

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

A．Keeping.	B．Refusing.
C．Killing.	D．Avoiding.

4. What’s Aliperti’s attitude towards doing research on animal personality?

A．Skeptical.	B．Supportive.
C．Worried.	D．Tolerant.

8 . On January 9, 2022, it was another cold morning. Temperatures reached lows of 17. 6 °F (-8℃). Dusti Talavera, a housewife in the south suburbs of Denver, was washing dishes in her kitchen when she witnessed a frightening scene outside her kitchen window. Glancing out her kitchen window, she noticed a group of young children playing on an icy pond. Moments later, the children fell through the ice.

Dusti’s heart raced as she saw the children fall through the ice, and she immediately grabbed her shoes to run outside. Submerged（淹没）in the freezing water, the children had lost the strength to stay above the surface. Their fingers were only visible as they desperately tried to grab onto the edges of the ice.

Without hesitation, Dusti placed her own life at risk by stepping on the thin, unstable ice to try to reach the three children. As she reached her hands out to grab them, she also broke the ice and fell into the 15-foot deep pond.

Dusti was first able to reach and pull out the 4-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy. She struggled to reach the last child, a 6-year-old girl. After hearing the loud screams for help, the young girl’s 16-year-old cousin suddenly arrived on scene. He threw Dusti a rope, which she used to drag herself and the young girl out of the water.

All three children were pulled out of the icy water as first responders arrived on scene. The 6-year-old girl was not breathing and had no pulse after being submerged in the icy water for two minutes. First responders performed life-saving CPR. Once the girl was able to breathe on her own, the EMTs (emergency medical technicians) rushed her to the hospital.

1. What did Dusti witness outside her kitchen window?

A．The pond was frozen overnight.	B．Her children fell into the icy pond.
C．A couple of kids were in danger.	D．Temperatures reached a new low.

2. Which of the following best describes Dusti?

A．Generous.	B．Brave.
C．Demanding.	D．Impatient.

3. What did the 16-year-old teen do according to the text?

A．He cried out for help,	B．He called the EMTs.
C．He performed CPR.	D．He got a rope to come to the rescue.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Three children were found playing on the ice.

B．A woman risked her life to save three children.

C．EMTs did a great job at the moment of truth.

D．Life-saving CPR got spread everywhere.

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1. What do we know about Compressa Knee Compression Sleeves?

A．They can reduce blood pressure.

B．They are made of recycled flexible fabric.

C．They are easy to wash after they are used.

D．They won’t slide out of place while worn.

2. How much can you save if you purchase four knee sleeves at a time?

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C．68%.	D．75%.

3. Which of the following is unbelievable to Lisa R about the product?

A．The price.	B．The effect.
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