2 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term, reflects the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The fruitful season is approaching. The following are several things you should know about it.

“Autumn Tiger”

Although Start of Autumn indicates the beginning of autumn, hot weather won’t come to an end. The period of hot days after Start of Autumn, is called “Autumn Tiger”. Because of decreasing rainfall, it is even more sweltering (闷热的) during this period than during Major Heat.

Eating longans

The Start of Autumn period is harvest time for Taiwan longan. People believe that eating longan will help their children become senior officials.

Eating red beans

Starting from the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, people in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, have eaten red beans on Start of Autumn day. They take 7 to 14 little beans, swallowing them with well water. When taking the beans, one must face west, it is said, so as not to get dysentery (痢疾) during the autumn.

Eating gourds (葫芦)

During the Qing Dynasty, people would put gourds outside for a day before the Start of Autumn, and eat them on Start of Autumn day to drive off the summer heat.

Today people in Tianjin still keep this custom, believing that eating melons such as towel gourd, white gourd and bitter gourd can prevent diarrhea (腹泻) in autumn.

1. What causes “Autumn Tiger” according to the passage?

A．The reducing rainfall.	B．The ending of summer.
C．The approaching autumn.	D．The beginning of the solar term.

2. What is the common belief for people to eat red beans and gourds?

A．To avoid heat.	B．To keep the custom.
C．To prevent diseases.	D．To help children become senior officials.

3. In which column of a magazine might the passage be taken from?

A．Sports.

B．Culture.

C．Entertainment.

D．Politics.

3 . The world continues to struggle with extreme heatwaves, which are becoming even more regular thanks to climate change.     1     Researchers have found that by wearing appropriate clothes, it is possible to save considerable energy, both saving money and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. So what should you wear?

When it comes to colour, most people wear white in summer, because white reflects the sun’s rays, rather than absorb the light.     2       When that heat from our bodies hits the white clothing, it is reflected back at us. A study of why Bedouins, who live in desert regions in the Arabian peninsula, Middle East and North Africa wear black robes (袍服) in the desert, found that heat exposure was the same whether they wore black or white robes.

How is that possible? Black coloured fabrics absorb heat coming from the body, which plays a role in cooling your body down.     3     The clothes heat up the space between the fabric and the skin, promoting an upward air current like a chimney—and providing cooling relief.     4       

In terms of material, it’s better to have fabrics that allow water vapour (蒸气) to pass through. Cotton absorbs moisture but it doesn’t dry quickly, so if you’re sweating a lot your clothes will stay wet.     5     Linen is widely worn as it has excellent breath ability due to its large fabrics, but like cotton it is slow to dry. Merino wool has been a popular choice for outdoor enthusiasts as it’s breathable.

Therefore, it turns out that picking an outfit to stay cool is more complex than simply throwing on a white T-shirt. But the right fabric and appropriate fit work.

A．It means cotton does not do so great with this.

B．Cotton is considered as the most comfortable material

C．The clothing we wear is a vital component in how we stay cool.

D．So the fit of the clothing is actually more important than the colour.

E．So if you are considering what to wear, then stick with white T-shirt.

F．However, heat doesn’t just come from the sun—it comes from our bodies too.

G．The Bedouin’s secret is wearing loose-fitting black clothing, especially if it’s windy.

6 . Wildlife biologist Purnima Devi Barman remembers the first time she ever saw the nest of a greater adjutant stork (秃鹳) in a tree near her grandmother’s home. Her grandmother would tell her stories about birds and animals under the tree. The love for the natural world developed in those years led Barman to devote her life to saving the endangered greater adjutant stork.

Known as the Hargila in Assam, the greater adjutant stork is the second-rarest stork in the world. Unlike pandas or lions, whose attractive appearances help gain widespread support for their protection, these tall, bald, clumsy birds meet with bias in conservation campaigns.

“Hargilas also bear a reputation of bringing bad luck,” says Barman. “What was the point of writing my paper on them if there was no way of actually saving these birds? I had to start with changing the misconception.”

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Barman put her PhD on hold and set to work. “I started engaging with the women in the village. In our experience, educating and securing the participation of women ensures that the learning passes on to the next generation,” Barman says.

Today, around 400 women have been trained to work on conserving this rare bird. The group’s activities include awareness-building in schools and plantation drives in which 45,000 trees were planted to support the stork’s future populations.

A key component allowing Barman to successfully integrate conservation efforts into the village cultural life was her idea of building related livelihoods. Weaving (纺织) is a long-standing craft in Assam, so Barman created a self-help group employing women to weave stork patterns on textiles. This innovative idea was highlighted at the UN Champion of the Earth Awards she won in 2022.

Currently the number of greater adjutant nests in Assam’s Kamrup district has grown from 28 in 2010 to more than 250. The once unlucky stork is now a symbol of community pride, its pictures appearing on bags, blankets and celebration decorations.

1. What motivated Barman to save the greater adjutant stork?

A．Her interest in observing nests.	B．Her passion for doing research.
C．Her love for nature from childhood.	D．Her grandmother’s encouragement.

2. What does the underlined word “bias” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Prejudice.

B．Support.

C．Danger.

D．Success.

3. What was a major challenge Barman faced in conserving the greater adjutant stork?

A．The stork is common in appearance.	B．The stork was believed to be unlucky.
C．She had not finished her paper for PhD.	D．She lacked experience in wildlife conservation.

4. How did Barman make conservation efforts part of the village cultural life?

A．By creating related jobs.	B．By teaching women to weave.
C．By planting trees in the village.	D．By advertising local products.

9 . 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。

Billie Jean was always full of energy (精力)! One morning, Billie Jean’s friend Susan asked her: “Do you want to play tennis? You’ll love it!”

Tennis sounded exciting! That evening, Billie Jean asked her father, “What’s the best sport for a girl?”

Her dad had a think. “Tennis, of course!”

She felt excited. Maybe this “tennis” was the sport for her!

The next weekend, Susan took Billie Jean to the Virginia Country Club. It was a really great place!

There were beautiful gardens and ladies wearing white tennis dresses. She felt quite out of place in her baggy T-shirt and shorts!

But her nervousness disappeared when she got out onto the sunny tennis court (网球场). Susan handed her a strange thing that looked like a net.

“This is a racket (球拍). You hit a ball with it!”

Susan lobbed (发高球) a yellow ball at her. Billie Jean hit her racket as hard as she could. Her friend showed her how tennis should be played. They did their best to hit the ball over the net in the middle of the court. Billie Jean spent more time hitting the air than she did hitting the ball — but she loved playing tennis anyway!

Buying a racket was unaffordable for her family. From that day on, Billie Jean asked people in the neighborhood about any jobs she could do. Finally, Billie Jean bought a little wooden racket.

“Can we go to the Virginia Country Club to play?” she asked.

Her mom said, “We can’t afford it, love. What about the public courts at Houghton Park?”

Billie Jean quickly agreed! When she arrived at the park, she saw an old man waiting by the tennis court.

“I’m Clyde!” he said. “Do you want some tennis lessons?”

Billie Jean was worried. “Yes...but I don’t have any money.”

The man just smiled. “It’s free! Come on in!”

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

This was only the second time that Billie Jean had tried to play tennis.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Clyde said with a smile, “Billie Jean, with hard work, you can be a champion.”

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10 . 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。

It is not every day that scientists explore a beautifully protected ancient forest deep inside a sinkhole (落水洞).

Such a     1     (discover) was made in a wonderful karst mountain range in Guangxi when a team of explorers     2     (enter) the 192-metre-deep sinkhole on May 6 and found a forest that had towering trees.

The sinkhole also had other plants     3     were “shoulder-height”, said Chen Lixin, the leader of the research team, in an interview. Chen added that he would not be     4     (surprise) if undiscovered plants and animals lived in the sinkhole.

Apart from being deep, the sinkhole is 306 metres long     5     150 metres wide, meaning it can     6     (see) as a large sinkhole.

The scientists said the forest was an ancient woodland and it had probably never been disturbed (打扰) by human activity. These types     7     woodlands can be extremely important because they form an ecosystem (生态系统) without human influence.

China is home to the world’s deepest sinkhole, Xiaozhai Tiankeng, which is 662 metres deep and was     8     (main) caused by a great underground river that still runs below the natural wonder.

In the Bahamas, Dean’s Blue Hole is another sinkhole famous for     9     (it) natural environment, making it one of the world’s top tourist     10     (destination).