1 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出 提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

A new study shows rapid decline in insect populations. A growing number of the Earth’s insect population now can     1     (see) only in collections on exhibitions. Nobody’s seen those for 400 years. A new review of over 70 studies of insect populations     2       (suggest) that human pressures are causing insect populations to decrease by as much as a quarter every decade. The loss of species is inevitable (不可避免的) because often we don’t know     3     those species are doing or how other species are depending on them.

2 . Theatre shows for you

The Drifters Girl

Location: Garrick Theatre

Time: May 4, 2022-Jan. 26, 2023

Beverley Knight is back in the West End and she’s found an unlikely vehicle for her talents-anew musical about an all-male singing group The Drifters. The Drifters Girl centres on the woman behind the band, Faye Treadwell, who was the first African-American female music manager and helped push the group to be a hit over three decades.

Love’s Labour’s Lost

Location: Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Time: May 16 - Dec. 30, 2022

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has won applause for its production of Shakespeare’s lighthearted and funny play Love’s Labour’s Lost. With songs by Michael Friedman and directed by Kenneth Branagh, Love’s Labour’s Lost is about young love, with an unexpected ending.

Lost Origin

Location: Almeida Theatre

Time: May 21 - Dec. 4, 2022

This immersive (沉浸式) theatre show from Factory 42 and the Almeida Theatre is hard to entirely understand without actually seeing it. As an exploration of what the future of the performance might be, lost Origin sees audiences tasked with solving a mystery (奥秘) inside a dark web marketplace.

Samskara

Location: Fortune Theatre

Time: May 8-Nov. 26, 2022

Combining physical theatre, hip-hop dance with text, Samshara is a new play written and directed by Lanre Malaolu that describes the lives of four generations of African-Americans, trying to make their way in a world that tells them they must be strong.

1. Where can you enjoy a show on New Year’s Day?

A．Fortune Theatre.	B．Garrick Theatre.
C．Royal Shakespeare Theatre.	D．Almeida Theatre.

2. What do we know about Love’s Labour’s Lost?

A．It’s about Shakespeare’s life.	B．It’s directed by Michael Friedman.
C．It’s likely to be a comedy.	D．It will be shown in the RSC.

3. Which show is about the history of some individuals` struggle?

A．Samskara.	B．Love’s Labour’s Lost.
C．The Drifters Girl.	D．Lost Origin.

3 . When Chase Bailey was found to have autism (自闭症) at 2, his mother Mary Bailey feared he’d never enjoy a typical life. Indeed, he hasn’t. Occupied with appearances with famous people and hosting his own cooking show, Chase’s life is anything but typical. During the past years, the teenager has cooked noodles with food master Roy Choi and baked cookies for guests at a celebration in Los Angeles.

The days when Chase would eat nothing but pizza, chicken, French fries, and chocolate chip cookies almost seem like a distant memory. For him to go from that to cooking and eating all kinds of different things is pretty astonishing.

After the diagnosis (诊断) of Chase’s disease, friends prepared Mary for the worst: He’d never be able to have a job, never learn to socialize, and never be independent. Like many autistic patients, the sight, smell, feel and taste of almost everything on Chase’s plate tipped him over the edge.

However, when he watched cooking shows with his grandfather, he became addicted to seeing people enjoy what they were eating and started asking to try some of the food on the shows. Two years later, he recorded the first episode (集) of “Chase N Yur Face” with the help of his mother, which they posted on social media. The show quickly caught the attention of autism groups. Chase started reaching out to chefs he admired by email to invite them to tape episodes with him.

In the show which has more than 30 episodes, a confident Chase cooks everything from cupcakes to roasted meats. It has harvested tens of thousands of views. He dreams of one day seeing his show on television and wants to open his own restaurant. He hopes his experience can help others with autism. “Don’t be afraid to be yourself,” he said.

1. How is Chase’s life?

A．It is a typical one.	B．It is full of bitter experiences.
C．It is like other autistic kids’.	D．It is beyond his mom’s expectations.

2. What does the underlined part in paragraph 3 indicate?

A．Food was appealing to Chase.	B．Food on Chase’s plate tasted bad.
C．Chase had no appetite for most food.	D．Chase wanted to cook himself.

3. Where did Chase get the inspiration to learn to cook?

A．From autism groups.	B．From his grandfather.
C．From food masters.	D．From cooking programs.

4. Which is the best title of the text?

A．Food Changed Chase’s Life

B．Cooking Is a Treatment for Autism

C．A Cooking Show Cures an Autistic Teenager

D．Chase Turns Food Fear into Love of Cooking

4 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Pandas     1     (live) in China for over three million years. A giant panda has a typical bear’s body but is a distinctive black and white color, with black fur around the eyes and on the cars, legs, chest and shoulders, while the rest of the body is white. Giant pandas are the     2     (nation) treasure of China. A panda’s daily diet consists almost     3     (entire) of bamboo. Sometimes, however, they do not just eat bamboo. Only about 1% of their diet consists of other plants and even meat such as small rodents (啮齿动物).

5 . Bad judgments are meant to feed our own personal ego (自我意识) and put others down, which is not the healthiest thing to do. Here are five reasons why you should stop it now.

You start finding faults in everyone. Judging quickly moves on to more private areas of your life.     1     You fail to appreciate them and start getting dissatisfied with them. You become critical of even those who matter to you.

Judging becomes a habit. If you judge people, sooner or later, it becomes a habit, and you start judging everyone around you for the tiniest of things.     2     And you might dismiss even the best of people through these microscopic judgments.

People begin to distrust you. If you pass judgments about other people in front of your audience, you will lose their trust. As they will begin to feel that if you can judge others in front of them, you can talk about them behind their back.     3    

Judgment is a sign of unhappiness. If you are 100% happy with who you are, you are a lot less likely to feel the need to judge others. If you are self-assured, you will not feel the need to cast a downward glance at others.     4     Either way, it is a negative attitude.

    5     If you’re judging others, you’re probably judging yourself pretty harshly as well. You often tend to think that if you are judging people by what they wear, someone might in turn judge you, which, as a consequence, makes you extremely concerned with your appearance.

A．You are viewed positively by people.

B．You start taking yourself too seriously.

C．Hence, seeing others positively shows we are positive people.

D．You judge their clothing, actions, success, values, and everything.

E．Likewise, you also judge because you feel you are better than others.

F．You start judging your close ones; friends, family members, partner, etc.

G．And no one wants to make friends with someone often talking unkindly about others.

6 . Nature can be unforgiving, especially when it comes to the animal world. As such, squirrels need every advantage they can get in order to protect themselves from a variety of predators that may want to make them their next meal. Squirrels pay incredibly close attention to their surroundings, and they pick up alarm calls from other nearby animals in reference to nearby predators. Now, a new study reveals that squirrels also listen to nearby birds’ conversations to make sure there is no threat close by.

Researchers from Oberlin University say that if the talk from birds is relaxing and normal, the squirrel knows it is not in immediate danger. The authors said that squirrels were listening to bird conversations and sounds to assess their safety, so in order to test their theory they observed the behavior of 54 wild Eastern gray squirrels scattered across various parks and areas in Ohio.

First, a threat was shown by playing a record of a red-tailed hawk(鹰), an animal known to hunt and eat both squirrels and other smaller birds. Then, researchers played one of two different recordings; one recording was of many songbirds chattering among one another happily, and the other was with no bird noises. After playing these recordings, each squirrel’s behavior was monitored for three minutes.

As expected, after hearing the initial record, all the squirrels displayed defensive attitudes, such as running away, looking around, or freezing their movements. Interestingly, the squirrels that heard the happy sounds of songbirds returned back to a normal, relaxed state much faster than the other group that heard the quiet sounds.

The study’s authors say that this indicates squirrels use the sounds of nearby animals to ensure their own safety. This allows the squirrel to either get back to what they were doing in a faster manner, or prepare for potential threats more efficiently.

“Perhaps in some circumstances, cues of safety could be as important as cues of danger,” the study reads. The study is published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

1. What does the underlined word “predators” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Animals that hunt squirrels as food.

B．Animals that make friends with squirrels.

C．Animals that hunt squirrels and birds at night.

D．Animals that steal the food from the squirrels’ nests.

2. What will the squirrels do after hearing the sound of a red-tailed hawk?

A．They will stay and freeze.

B．They will behave normally.

C．They will keep on their guard.

D．They will look around and run away.

3. How did the researchers get the result?

A．By studying the different data.

B．By listing the different figures.

C．By comparing the different responses.

D．By playing different games with the squirrels.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Three interesting experiments.

B．Squirrels listen to birds to stay safe.

C．Judging danger from nearby sounds.

D．Squirrels can record the dangerous sound.

7 . Ecofriendly replacement products for single-use plastics are appearing everywhere. But have you heard of edible (可食性的) straws? Now EQUO, a new eco-friendly company in Vietnam has come up with a natural edible solution to plastic or paper straws.

The edible straws are completely plastic free, nontoxic, chemical free, and 100 percent biodegradable according to a company press release.

“It’s well known that plastic straws are harmful to the environment. Most of the 500 million used every day in America end up in oceans where they pollute water and harm marine life. Currently over eight billion straws pollute the world’s beaches,” said Marina Tran-Vu in the press release. “Although there are some plastic and paper straw alternatives on the market, most are environmentally harmful, and we were also unsatisfied with the quality and lasting of paper straws.”

All of the materials are locally from regions that support sustainable farming according to the company’s website and they struggle to have zero-net influence by” using the power of mother nature”. The name of the company was created by combining “ECO” — meaning environmentally friendly — with “STATUS QUO” — meaning the existent state. EQU stands for creating products that have minimal influence on the environment. The company was first shown on Kickstarter on May 18 and hit their funding goal in only 30 days.

Many countries are banning single-use plastics. The EU banned 10 single-use plastic products including straws that will take effect in 2021. Other items that will no longer be made of plastic include cutlery (餐具), and balloon sticks. These 10 items make up a large percentage of ocean waste that harms marine life.

So do your part, use biodegradable cutlery — you can carry your own , edible straws, and reusable water or coffee cups. These small items can contribute to reducing plastic waste.

1. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．The popularity of plastic straws.

B．The harm of plastic straws.

C．The pollution of beaches.

D．The necessity of change.

2. What does ECO stand for?

A．It means the original aim.

B．It means the existent state.

C．It means how to create products.

D．It means being good for the environment.

3. What can we expect in Europe after 2021?

A．Plastic straws will be forbidden.

B．Edible straws will be sold cheaply.

C．Ocean waste can be rid completely.

D．Single-use plastic products will disappear.

4. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to biodegradable cutlery?

A．Skeptical.

B．Objective.

C．Tolerant.

D．Approving.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

It is believed that Chinese knotting, also known as zhongguojie, originated for recording information and exchanging messages     1     writing was invented. Over the past thousands of years, knots     2     (play) an important part in the life of Chinese.    3     (initial), Chinese knots acted as good -luck charms to drive away evil spirits. Today, Chinese knots are widely used to decorate homes during festivities.

A major characteristic of Chinese knots is that they are often tied from a single continuous length of string. The knots are commonly named     4     the shape it takes. Chinese knots are created in a     5     (various) of colors such as gold, green, blue, or black, though the most commonly used color is red,    6     symbolizes good luck and prosperity.

Crafting the Chinese knot is a three-step process     7     (involve) tying knots, tightening them and adding the finishing touches. The knots     8     (pull) tightly together and are strong enough to be used for binding or wrapping, making them very practical.

Today, most of such knots are often mass manufactured in factories. Skilled knot artists weave complex knots that you might see     9     (sell) as souvenirs that you can take back with you. If you have time, why not try your hand at it? Perhaps these age-old charms can add     10     touch of good luck to your daily life?

9 . 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。

The Chinese zodiac, also known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, is a     1     (repeat) circle of 12 years. Each year     2     (represent) by an animal. Chinese New Year 2024 is a year of the Loong.

Chinese Zodiac Loong is the     3     (five) of the 12 zodiac animals, following the Rot, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit. People born in the year of the Loong — an animal no one knows if it existed in real world—are enveloped in mystery, and very charming.

Back in the pre-Qin period over 2,200 years ago, there was already the Chinese zodiac signs theory. So it is     4     (reason) that Chinese Zodiac years are in agreement with the beginning of Chinese Lunar New Year. If you have an idea of Lunar Calendar, you will know     5     Chinese zodiac year often starts from late January and ends in middle February of the next year.

Therefore, to see what your Chinese zodiac animal is,     6     to confirm whether you are a Loong, you need to change your Gregorian calendar birthday to Lunar Calendar of the year you were born. For example, if you were born     7     February 16, 1988 (a year of the Loong), the Lunar New Year’s Eve, which was very close to Loong year, but you are a Rabbit.

    8     is also worth mentioning is that if two people were born in the different Loong years, they may have very different     9     (personality), and horoscope, due to the Five Elements, which are Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each element     10     (come) in a 60-year cycle.

10 . Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Science Sunday is for everyone interested in the world around them, whose lectures are designed to make science interesting and “user-friendly” for everyone. Lectures are one hour long. Doors open to the lecture hall at 1:00 pm. Lecture passes are available at the admissions counter at 12:30 pm. Seating is limited and first-come, first-served. No late seating. Lectures include time for a few questions at the end.

Life on the Ranch

Celebrate the warmth of the holiday season with crafts, games, music, and enjoyment from the early 20th century. We’ll busy your hands with holiday wreath-making (花冠), invite you to join in an old-fashioned sing-along around the player piano, and provide you with materials to make Victorian and Mexican holiday crafts. Come play games, take a draft-horse carriage ride, decorate the tree, and create decorations to bring home to your own tree.

Open Studios Tour

Explore the hidden world of art! Visit artists in their studios, learn about their processes, purchase original works of art. Free mobile app and printed guide have artist information and maps. Open Studios is a free self-guided tour, produced by Arts Council Santa Cruz County, which invites the public into more than 300 artist studios across Santa Cruz County.

Roaring Camp

Step into the incredible world of steam power at the Steam & Harvest Festival. Welcome Fall with traditional children’s activities like candle making, and gold panning. See a variety of steam and belt-powered equipment on display. Admission is free for the whole family.

1. What can visitors do if they attend Science Sunday lectures?

A．Show up at 2:30 pm.	B．Explore the hidden world of art.
C．Be able to ask questions.	D．Change attitudes to oceans.

2. What can visitors do at Life on the Ranch?

A．Promote wreath-making.	B．Sing to the piano.
C．Make crafts alone.	D．Get close to Victoria.

3. Which of the following highlights art?

A．Roaring Camp	B．Open Studios Tour
C．Life on the Ranch	D．Seymour Marine Discovery Center