1 . On a Friday evening in December, I lost my job. That was
Over the next week, I applied for
Back at home, I looked out the window at the heavy snow and
Later on when I opened her card, I was
| A．unexpected | B．unfair | C．unavoidable | D．unnecessary |
| A．forgot | B．refused | C．managed | D．planned |
| A．judge | B．monitor | C．fire | D．charge |
| A．encouraged | B．thoughtful | C．surprised | D．cheerful |
| A．puddings | B．posts | C．shares | D．places |
| A．small | B．safe | C．wealthy | D．unique |
| A．remember | B．afford | C．find | D．appreciate |
| A．spotted | B．felt | C．imagined | D．recognized |
| A．came in | B．walked away | C．settled down | D．got out |
| A．business | B．weather | C．room | D．situation |
| A．company | B．school | C．hotel | D．house |
| A．call | B．drive | C．visit | D．pay |
| A．shocked | B．satisfied | C．confused | D．inspired |
| A．searched | B．counted | C．packed | D．celebrated |
| A．guidance | B．joy | C．care | D．advice |
2 . Today, the world celebrates the United Nations International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) under the theme “Resilience (复原力) of Older Persons in a Changing World”.
The number of older persons worldwide is projected to reach more than 1.5 billion in 2050. All regions will see an increase in the size of the older population between 2022 and 2050. Less developed countries excluding the least developed countries will be home to more than two-thirds of the world’s older population (1.1 billion) in 2050. Yet the fastest increase is projected to take place in the least developed countries, where the number of people aged 65 or over could rise from 37 million in 2019 to 120 million in 2050 (about 225%).
As to the “Silver Generation”, all countries have to bear increased pension (养老金) and healthcare costs as people live longer. But including the elderly in a productive way in the national economy has become a major problem for many countries. Many young families also struggle to care for their elderly parents or give it up altogether. Meanwhile, though older persons continue to meaningfully contribute to their political, economic, social and cultural lives, their contributions and experience are largely ignored.
The 2022 theme of UNIDOP serves as a fillip, something that jogs your memory and makes you think about the significant role older people play in taking up global challenges and contributing to their solutions. UNIDOP 2022 is also a call for action and opportunity to hear older persons’ voices and show their resilience and contributions in society.
Age is just a number and only a state of mind. Indeed, what matters is ageing elegantly, accompanied by good health. It is meaningless to live to 85 or 90 if one is limited to bed, unable to move around. But this could be a thing of the past in the light of rapid medical advances, which will give mobility and a new life to the elderly. I believe there will come a time when one’s actual age doesn’t really matter anymore in both a physical and mental sense.
1. Why are the figures used in paragraph 2?| A．To clarify the gap between rich and poor. |
| B．To show the growth in the older population. |
| C．To explain the correctness of the UN statistics. |
| D．To analyze the reasons for population ageing. |
| A．It is a double-edged sword. |
| B．It is a force to be treated seriously. |
| C．It is a huge burden to young families. |
| D．It is a by-product of the economic development. |
| A．Reference. | B．Guideline. | C．Reminder. | D．Platform. |
| A．Age affects both physical and mental health. |
| B．Age is not a number but a mental state. |
| C．Age does not matter in the medical field. |
| D．Age pales by comparison with health. |
3 . You can study a wide range of topics in an art and design school, from history to sculpting, theater to fashion. Due to the variety, learners remain interested, and a challenging curriculum encourages them to think outside the box. The top art schools in Hong Kong are listed below.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU)
The school benefits from its location as a link between the East and the West, enabling its students to improve their creative skills while also gaining a distinctively global cultural awareness. Practical skills are thought to be a crucial component of the problem-solving process, which students must practise through practical workshop activities. The workshop facilities give students the chance to become familiar with the techniques needed for perfect making.
The University of Hong Kong (UHK)
Study subjects that interest you and select from a large range of beginner arts courses to learn about new themes. You have the freedom to create a course of study that is ideal for you thanks to the program’s adaptable curriculum and inviting dual (双的) degree choices. You will choose your own combination of courses during your first year from a wide range of basic arts and humanities courses.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
The Faculty (系) of Arts at CUHK has always been essential to the university’s commitment to combining Chinese with Western traditions, with bilingual teaching, and with cutting-edge interdisciplinary (跨学科的) research.
Vocational Training Council (VTC)
The multidisciplinary program here exposes students to a wide range of modern visual arts mediums and actively involves them in the larger cultural sectors. And the program promotes a dynamic climate where interdisciplinary arts projects grow via cooperation and creativity within the arts sector. Graduates are also encouraged to pursue careers as professional artists.
1. Which school can you choose to learn to make things?| A．The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. | B．The University of Hong Kong. |
| C．The Chinese University of Hong Kong. | D．Vocational Training Council. |
| A．Obtain a global cultural awareness. | B．Choose courses suitable for them. |
| C．Perform cutting-edge interdisciplinary research. | D．Pursue careers as professional artists. |
| A．They all carry out bilingual teaching. |
| B．They all offer interdisciplinary courses. |
| C．They all aim to develop innovative talents. |
| D．They all provide a dynamic learning atmosphere for students. |
1. How old is the speaker’s brother?
| A．15. | B．19. | C．20. |
| A．A police officer. | B．A nurse. | C．A firefighter. |
| A．Her brother has been infected with COVID-19. |
| B．Her brother is in isolation because of COVID-19. |
| C．Her brother is busy helping fight against COVID-19. |
| A．Help more people like her brother. |
| B．Spend more time with family. |
| C．Study in a police training school. |
1. What can kids do through Bryan’s Facebook page?
| A．Listen to stories. | B．Chat with friends. | C．Enjoy nice photos. |
| A．His father. | B．His mother. | C．His grandmother. |
| A．Join him in reading stories. | B．Record kids’ daily life. | C．Spend more time with kids. |
| A．In 1973. | B．In 1975. | C．In 1977. |
“April 23 is English Language Day,” says Melissa, jumping up and down. “What a surprise, dear. What would we have done without you reminding us?” jokes Lindsay.
Melissa burst out laughing loudly. “What I meant was that April 23 is a very special day for all of us and I just wanted to make sure non e of you forgot about it.”
“What are your plans for that day?” questions Rocky. “I want to do something special to promote our beautiful English language,” dreams Jennifer.
“I have an idea,” says Lindsay. “Mango Street’s house No. 10 has been recently occupied (居住) by a family who is not fluent in the English language.”
“Where are they from?” asks Melissa. “I don’t know that but I heard the lady talking to the grocery store owner. She had great difficulty explaining her requirements. Her son and daughter also could not understand much. Why don’t we help them improve their English?” wonders Jennifer.
“It is a wonderful idea. Shall we go and let them know what we think?” asks Rocky. “Not now. We will go to meet them tomorrow,” decides Jason.
The next day, the five friends ring the doorbell of house No.10. A young girl opens the door and smiles at them. “May we come in?” asks Melissa. “We are your neighbors.”
The girl calls her mother. The sweet fat lady invites them inside with a smile. All of them sit on the chairs laid out on the front porch (门廊).
Jason explains their plan of helping them understand and speak English better. The lady seems grateful.
“We will help you in learning how to speak and understand our language,” says Lindsay.
The lady smiles her thanks. She point s to the fruits on the table. Rocky picks up one fruit at a time and names it. Jason asks her to repeat. She tries a few times and is able to call each fruit by its name. Her son and daughter learn the names too.
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。
Paragraph 1:
The friends stay for about an hour.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
On April 23, the new family holds a party for the five children.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Being healthy is important. Often, we’re crazy about articles in health magazines talking about the latest popular diets, or advertisements that offer cures (疗法) for fatness that are often too good to be true. One of the latest crazy phenomena (现象) is intermittent fasting (间歇性禁食).
There are different ways of intermittent fasting.
Some people try intermittent fasting for weight management, and others use the method to deal with some conditions such as high cholesterol or arthritis.
As with many diets, it’s always wise to speak to your doctor or weight-loss professional before changing your eating habits. And, at the end of the day, it could just come down to what lifestyle choice suits you.
| A．But what is intermittent fasting? |
| B．However, this diet isn’t for everyone. |
| C．Intermittent fasting has two main origins. |
| D．Let’s look at some of the possible benefits. |
| E．The idea of this is to reduce calories over a period. |
| F．In a word, you should avoid turning to intermittent fasting blindly. |
| G．You can eat normally on five days of a week and reduce calorie intake on the other two. |
9 . Taking exercise in a crowded, noisy gym will improve your muscle but may not make much difference in your stress level. By contrast, hiking improves not only your physical fitness level, but your mental health as well. “I hike with friends every week. Whether I am wandering down a flat path along a river or climbing a rock y mountain in the wilderness, hiking can be beneficial to me because it exposes (使接触) me to outdoor scenes such as mountain s and rivers, which can always offer me good ideas about paintings and music,” Marry Copper, a hiker said.
Experts agree that hiking reduces stress. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA), hiking increases the body’s production of endorphins, a type of chemical that improves mood (情绪). Endorphins also help you sleep more soundly, which will lower your stress level. However, not all scientists agree that hiking raises your endorphin level. Instead, some researchers believe that hiking causes the release of the chemical norepinephrine, which helps make you less excited or upset.
The controversy (争议) is ongoing, but it is clear that however it happens, hiking is useful when you are feeling anxious. Hiking can also help improve your confidence. Walking down a path is a repetitive motion, which can lead your brain into relaxing; you may “zone out” to the point where you won’t be thinking about anything in particular. Being outside in the open air may also help you exercise better because most people do indoors; getting out from under a roof can lift your spirits.
Hiking may improve your mood more than a gym workout will, but your risks are also greater. People sometimes try to make their own way rather than stick to established paths. They are proud to say they like to have an adventure. However, people who try to do something new could be attacked by wildlife and get hurt and lost. So stick to the known roads and bring a cellphone with you, and always tell someone where and when you are going hiking, even if you have a partner going with you.
1. Why does Marry Copper like hiking?| A．She dislikes exercising in the gym. | B．She can meet new friends when hiking. |
| C．She can draw inspiration from nature. | D．She has the spirit of adventure in the wilderness. |
| A．Scientists have reached an agreement. |
| B．Sound sleep can increase the body’s endorphin level. |
| C．Stress is caused by the body’s production of endorphin. |
| D．The chemical norepinephrine could make people calm. |
| A．Negative | B．Positive | C．Objective | D．Unclear |
| A．How can hiking cause controversy? | B．Why do people like exercising outdoors? |
| C．What do hikers like to do in the wilderness? | D．What benefits can hiking bring to people? |
10 . This is the last Christmas that Faye and Matthew have spent in their house, which has already been sold. Faye and Matthew Gooding and their five young sons appear to have perfect lives. For the couple themselves, however, this “materially perfect world” was lacking in something—so now they are giving up all their possessions to travel around the world with their children. Most of their belongings have been given to their neighbors. Faye said, “It is a relief to get rid of so many possessions. Thankfully, our parents understand and support us.”
“I hesitated for a while because some friends think Faye and I are mad to give up so much. When we told the older boys, they were so excited that they were going to have so much time as a family. It made me realize the amount of toys or material possessions can’t replace time spent with our children. They’ve had to give away so many toys, bikes and books. My wife Faye was so determined to keep to our plan,” said Matthew.
They will leave this month and plan to start their travels in Sweden where they have friends. Faye said, “My older boys plot where we go next but we hope to see Europe and over two years travel as far as Japan, America, Bali and Thailand. We don’t plan to hire any tour guides. We just depend on a compass and local people to move in the right direction.”
Faye, who posts on Instagram as a mother of five boys, added, “It is a risk because we are giving up so much. I, however, even plan to quit my job after the travel. We can’t wait to spend more time with our sons without the stresses of everyday routines. We don’t know what will happen, but we do know if we didn’t do this we would always regret it.”
1. How will Faye and Matthew cover the travel costs?| A．By selling their house. | B．By doing part-time jobs. |
| C．By asking parents for help. | D．By borrowing from neighbors. |
| A．Worried | B．Excited | C．Uncertain | D．Firm |
| A．Faye | B．Matthew | C．The children | D．The tour guide |
| A．A travel guidebook | B．A life journal | C．A paper | D．A diary |
