1 . “BARBARA,” my husband, Bill, announced, “your birthday present is in the freezer.” _________ , I went to the freezer—and broke out _________ . Inside was a well-wrapped ice cream container. My _________ of ice cream is well-known in our home.

Then, _________ the wrappings, I laughed even harder. Instead of ice cream, the container _________ four large, hand-crafted wooden numbers. Bill had heard me say months earlier that I’d always wanted easy-to-read house numbers. I was _________ . The fun of his double _________ was what I loved.

The gift _________ me of a conversation I’d overheard at a department store. A woman was _________ a gift from her husband. “Wouldn’t you think that after 20 years George would know I never wear gold?” she joked—but I noted a bit of __________ .

I couldn’t help __________ the two styles of gift giving. George had __________ spent several hundred dollars on jewelry his wife didn’t __________ . Bill had spent perhaps $20, but, thinking carefully, he had chosen a gift that was just __________ for me. This is what gift-giving is all about. The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than its __________ . Choosing a gift needn't be a chore(琐事); it can be fun for both the receiver and the giver.

1.

A．Confused

B．Shocked

C．Annoyed

D．Depressed

2.

A．dancing

B．crying

C．singing

D．laughing

3.

A．choice

B．concern

C．love

D．sense

4.

A．staring at

B．pulling off

C．throwing away

D．putting back

5.

A．held

B．cost

C．shaped

D．counted

6.

A．nervous

B．touched

C．stressed

D．guilty

7.

A．reward

B．character

C．surprise

D．standard

8.

A．reminded

B．convinced

C．informed

D．warned

9.

A．selecting

B．expecting

C．wrapping

D．returning

10.

A．delight

B．hurt

C．envy

D．shame

11.

A．describing

B．sharing

C．comparing

D．displaying

12.

A．probably

B．frequently

C．secretly

D．merely

13.

A．mention

B．like

C．refuse

D．order

14.

A．unusual

B．novel

C．unique

D．right

15.

A．function

B．quality

C．value

D．appearance

2 . Terence Crowster started the Hot—Spot Library, after appealing for donations on Facebook, in Scottsville, South Africa in 2017. Based out of two aging metal shipping containers, it may not look like your conventional library. On winter days, rain leaks through holes in the roof and drips down onto the tables and bookshelves. But for the residents of Scottsville, a neighborhood torn apart by drug abuse and gang violence, it offers a safe space to escape the severe realities of daily life and to explore different worlds in the pages of thousands of donated second-hand books.

What eventually inspired Crowster to launch his project, he says, was visiting schools and witnessing firsthand South Africa’s problem with literacy. While according to UNESCO, nearly 90% of South Africans can read and write, this statistic masks a worrying trend—the percentage of children who can “read for meaning”, instead of simply being able to recognize words, is extremely low. A recent study found that just 22% of Grade 4 students could effectively read for meaning.

At the Hot-Spot Library, Crowster has carried out a system of book reviews to ensure that his young members are indeed reading for meaning. A borrower who returns a volume must fill out a review form, which the librarians store in folders. “I like that Peter saves the people,”wrote one reviewer after returning a copy of Peter Pan. “I don’t like Captain Hook because he is rude with people.”Such are the morals that Crowster hopes his young readers will internalize.

With only a membership of 30 in its first year, today the library has over 700 members. “It takes me to a place in my mind where I can just relax and live in the book,”says Abigail Cloete, who joined in a month ago, “Right now I’m in Hawaii,”she jokes, pulling a small red copy of Heartbeat in Hawaii out of her bag.

1. What's the Hot-Spot Library like?

A．Well-furnished.	B．Poorly-equipped.
C．Specially-decorated.	D．Traditionally-designed.

2. What motivated Crowster to start the project?

A．Severe violence in the schools.	B．UNESCO's inspiring statistics.
C．Donations from local communities.	D．The children's problem with literacy.

3. Why are book reviews required in the library?

A．To help librarians arrange the folders.	B．To collect the borrowers’ information.
C．To lead the readers to read for meaning.	D．To let people know what a book review is.

4. What can be inferred about Abigail Cloete?

A．She finds relief in reading.	B．She is very sociable.
C．She enjoys travelling abroad.	D．She is quite adventurous.

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。

Grandma lives in Hangzhou and enjoys her retirement with her husband. When this 74-year-old woman started sharing     1     （photo）of her daily life, she wouldn’t have imagined becoming     2     safe heaven for many Chinese young people.

At the beginning there were barely 100 followers, but the three meals a day     3     （lay）out on a pink tablecloth quickly appealed to roughly 440,000 users. Now she     4     （refer）to as "Grandma", a warm person they’re willing     5     （talk）with.

In November, Grandma’s account became a hot topic on China’s popular social media network Weibo,     6     the hashtag(主题标签)“Two seniors’ three meals a day”. Many social media users posted, “This is my ideal retired life.”

In the little virtual space, strangers seeking comfort from Grandma’s dining table find an     7     （emotion）connection with each other, too. By scrolling(滚动)down the messages below any of Grandma’s notes, you can experience a range of human feelings,     8     what’s more, how people give each other courage to move on.

“Talking with these kids is     9     （true）my great pleasure. I hope my posts can serve as tree holes     10     they can talk about their everyday life as well as their pains, sorrows and happiness,” Grandma said.

4 .

●Social Justice Book Club The purpose of our club is to build community by reading a variety of literary types such as poetry, fiction and nonfiction that reflect social justice. Our mission is to highlight literature and authors that promote overall social justice. The book selected for our next meeting, 11:00 a. m.—12:00 p. m. on May 17, is Asian Dreams by Helen Zia. Zoom links will be emailed to registered participants prior to time. ●PenumbraOnline's Book Club We are excited to announce that PenumbraOnline will be hosting a summer book club. We will be reading a book that spotlights PcnumbraOnline's summer theme of self-love. Join us as we spend the summer reading and rediscovering the love we have for ourselves. We will be discussing our first book, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, by Crystal Maldonado via Zoom on August 10th at 6 p.m. Grab a snack or a drink, and join us as we explore this fun summer read! ●UndocuBook Club The purpose of our UndocuBook Club is to expand our community's personal literature experience by reading and discussing works that reflect themes such as personal and professional growth. The mission is to bring accessibility to literature to our community and promote acceptance. The specific book will be Born a Crime by Trevor Noah on our next meeting date, Thursday, September 16th. If the time conflicts with your schedule, you can still be part of our club by sharing your thoughts via Zoom chat.

1. What is required to attend the meeting on May 17?

A．Selecting a book.

B．Signing up first.

C．Sharing thoughts.

D．Sending an email.

2. What's the book Fat Chance, Charlie Vega probably about?

A．Self-love.

B．Social justice.

C．Personal growth.

D．Literature experience.

3. What do the three book clubs have in common?

A．They offer summer activities.	B．Their meetings are held online.
C．Their members are all students.	D．They focus on the same theme.

5 . From various competition gears (用具) that accompanied athletes from Team China winning medals to the huge traffic and exposure brought by Chinese 18-year-old skier star Gu Ailing who wore Anta items in her room on social media, Chinese domestic sports brands have emerged (显露) on one of the world’s largest sporting stages, and Anta has turned out to be the clear winner.

Anta has been the sportswear partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee since 2009. As the official sportswear provider of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Anta used its smart technology to equip 12 event teams of Team China in events including short track speed skating, skeleton and curling. Some of Anta’s Olympic licensed products have also become targets of Chinese social media users to snap up, especially the hats and shoulder bags in the shape of Bing Dwen Dwen, with the strong recommendation from foreign athletes, which sold out quickly on Anta’s online flagship store.

The Chinese sports equipment maker also owns brands such as Fila, Salomon and Descente. According to a ranking by sports new media sportsmoney, Fila and Descente held the first two positions in terms of the number of individual or team medal winners wearing the brand’s clothes when competing and receiving the awards as of February 18.

Phenix, a long established technical Alpine skiwear brand that has been acquired by China Dongxiang Group, enjoyed an outstanding performance as the sponsor of Team Norway uniforms, which won its 16^th gold medal of the Beijing Games on Sunday, a record for a single country at a Winter Olympics.

The Winter Olympic Games has promoted many home-grown brands like Anta, Li Ning and Peak to global star brands and they emerge more strongly in competing with foreign sports competitors, industry analysts told the Global Times. With advanced technology and a promising future after the Beijing Winter Olympics, domestic sports brands are set to see huge growth opportunities on global markets with stronger brand awareness, they said.

1. What can we learn about Anta from the passage?

A．Chinese athletes are all fans of the brand.

B．Some of its licensed products have been a hit online.

C．It owns brands such as Fila, Phenix, and Descente.

D．It has sponsored the Chinese Olympic Committee for a decade.

2. Which of the following statements will the industry analysts probably agree with?

A．The foreign sportswear competitors remains competitive.

B．The homegrown brands need to grow stronger brand awareness.

C．Anta, LiNing and Peak are long established global star brands.

D．There will be a great potential for national sports brands to realize.

3. What is the main idea of the text?

A．National sportswear brand Anta has turned out to be the winner.

B．Domestic sports brands gain great popularity home and abroad.

C．Winter Olympics pored to have promoted domestic sports bands.

D．Winter Olympics witnessed fierce competition between different brands.

4. In which pant of the newspaper can we probably find the passage?

A．Culture

B．Entertainment

C．Science

D．Business

6 . Ever keen to keep you saving, we’ve come up with three more great ideas to keep money in your pockets.

Pay in cash

Pay in cash rather than stick everything on a card to worry about later — that way, money seems more ‘real’. By doing this, you can actually get a sense of what you’re spending. But don’t make repeated trips to the cash - point every day, consuming randomly your hard - earned money bit by bit. Instead, make one withdrawal at the start of the week, then put your cards away and set yourself a cash budget.

DIY

Fancy making your own bookshelves or turning a scarf into a skirt? There are plenty of sites that will teach you clever new tricks with old junk, from threading a string bracelet to building your own shoe containers from recycled tins. These enlightening ideas will transform your home and wardrobe and, even if you’re usually all fingers and thumbs, this can be done easily in less than an hour. A few minutes exploring for ‘DIY crafts’ online provides plenty of cheap creative ideas.

Cut back online shopping

We’ve all done it, surfed the net at lunch or late at night, aimlessly dropping virtual bargains in our virtual basket and hitting the virtual checkout button. However, the resulting damage to your bank balance is all too real. Why do you think online retailers (零售商) keep your credit card details on file? So you can just press ‘Buy’ and they’ve got your cash. Again and again. But all you end up with is loads of stuff you wouldn’t otherwise have bought. If you’re tempted (诱惑), be strict, put the mouse down and ask yourself: “Do I really need this?” The answer is most probably: “No”.

1. Which of the following can help save your money?

A．Visiting a bank constantly.	B．Limiting visits to cash - points.
C．Surfing DIY sites for old junks.	D．Relying on a card while shopping.

2. What does the underlined words in the idea of DIY mean?

A．Busy.

B．Careless.

C．Nervous.

D．Creative.

3. What may aimless virtual shopping result in?

A．Saving money.	B．Making a good deal.
C．Making ends meet.	D．Piling up unwanted items.

7 . 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。

Jiang Yufan, 21, was inspired for the original design of the Olympic Winter Games’ mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon. She was brought up in a small town with red lanterns hanging everywhere, leaving it bathed     1     a strong festive atmosphere.

The past four years witnessed the most significant period of her life. It was in 2018     2     the then junior student at the Jilin University of Arts presented     3     design - a Chinese knot and a dumpling.     4     (feel) they didn’t go together well, her teacher urged her to revise her design again. Later, she     5     (submit) the first draft of her now winning entry, a Chinese knot and a red lantern. Jiang and her teacher travelled between Changchun and Beijing more than 30 times     6     (polish) the design. Many former mascots had been     7     (animal), so Jiang was required to make hers more lively and dynamic. For 300 days, Jiang and her team worked on the design, but she never thought of giving     8     (she) up. Their hard work had     9     (eventual) paid off, and Shuey Rhon Rhon was chosen to be the official mascot for the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games.

Jiang said the process helped her grow and she hoped her lantern would bring     10     (warm) to the world and light up people’s dreams.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Why should the dirt be loose?

A．To fill the pot more.

B．To let the seed spread.

C．To let more sun in.

2. How does the speaker measure the water?

A．By counting up.

B．By using her finger.

C．By checking the pot.

3. What is the talk about?

A．Protecting a tree.

B．Growing a plant.

C．Preserving some apples.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What impresses the man most about the house?

A．The bathrooms.

B．The gym.

C．The kitchen.

2. How many people will be living in the house?

A．Three.

B．Four.

C．Six.

3. What is the name of the man's wife?

A．Remy.

B．Ella.

C．Linda.

4. Why does the man hesitate to buy the house?

A．It's too large.

B．It has a small yard.

C．It's too far from the city.

10 . Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent a lifetime flourishing (茁壮成长) in the face of misfortunes before being appointed a Supreme Court justice. She was born on March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. Ginsburg's mother implanted a love of education in Ginsburg through her devotion to her brother. She graduated first in her class at Columbia Law in 1959.

Even her exceptional academic record was not enough to shelter her from the gender - based discrimination women faced in the workplace in the 1960s. She had difficulties finding a job until a favorite Columbia professor directly refused to recommend any other graduates before U. S. District Judge Edmund L hired Ginsburg as a clerk for two years. After this, she was offered some jobs at law firms, but always at a much lower salary than her male colleagues. She instead took some time to pursue her other legal passion, civil procedure, choosing to join the Columbia Project on International Civil Procedure.

In 1963, she accepted a job as a professor at Rutgers University Law School. And in 1972, she became the first female professor at Columbia to earn tenure (终身职位). Ginsburg also directed the influential Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union during the 1970s. In this position, she led the fight against gender discrimination and successfully argued six landmark cases before the U. S. Supreme Court. Ginsburg took a broad look at gender discrimination, fighting not just for the women left behind, but for the men who were discriminated against as well. Ginsburg accepted Jimmy Carter's appointment to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980. She served on the court for thirteen years until 1993, when Bill Clinton nominated (提名) her to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Ginsburg began her career as a justice where she left off as an advocate fighting for women's rights. Overtime, Justice Ginsburg proved time and again that she was a force to count until her death in 2020.

1. What can be learned about Ginsburg from the first paragraph?

A．She was a successful lawyer.	B．She was a top student of law.
C．She got inspired by her brother.	D．She studied law due to her mother.

2. What is true about women in the workplace in the 1960s?

A．They faced racial discrimination.	B．They were offered legal guidance.
C．They loved to teach at a law school.	D．They got less paid than male colleagues.

3. Which of the following can best describe Ginsburg?

A．Devoted and competent.	B．Organized and tolerant.
C．Skilled and independent.	D．Determined and imaginative.

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

A．A Promising Chief Justice	B．An Influential Legal Figure
C．An Inspiring Political Power	D．A Courageous Freedom Fighter