1 . People these days are posting about their lives on social media. But what if you’re a private and introverted person like me? What if you want to live in the moment instead of sharing every bit of your life? To be honest, it’s nobody’s business but your own.     1    

Escaping stalkers (跟踪者).

I’ve been a public person as a jazz vocalist for years. It exposed me to stalkers who felt they knew me, just because I was present everywhere. Needless to say, it brought me much anxiety and stress. At some point I asked myself-is being visible more important than my peace of mind?     2     The answer is a clear NO. I just want to spend life doing what I love with the people I love.

Protecting privacy

    3     I need alone time to process what I’m struggling with and honest real talks with the people I trust. I might share a lesson learned from an experience, but now I won’t. I know that by keeping my life private on social media I may miss out on some connections, but I honor and respect the people in my life who value their privacy, so I am being mindful and protect that.

    4    

Another reason I keep my life private is that I prefer to be in the present moment and appreciate it fully. To be on your phone constantly, or to film everything you do, can be quite disrespectful to the people you spend your time with. You lose out on those spontaneous(自发的) moments and a deeper connection. I choose what I share and when I share it, and the rest is for experiencing life without expectations.

Live your life fully, regardless of whether the world knows it or not!     5     I just want you to know it’s OK if you don’t.

A．Experiencing life

B．Living in the moment

C．Don’t I really care about privacy?

D．Are my followers more important than my friends and family?

E．If you feel like sharing your life openly without hesitation, go for it.

F．Here are my reasons for not sharing my personal life on social media.

G．It can be quite challenging to go through tough moments with everyone watching.

2 . Taking a picture of Mars is not easy. Once light bounces off the planet, it can take between 3 to 22 minutes to travel to Earth - so there aren’t truly “live” images of Mars.

But on Friday afternoon, the European Space Agency will offer the closest thing: the first “livestream” of Mars a rare, almost real-time look into space on YouTube, which posts pictures of the planet every 50 seconds as they beam down directly from the camera mounted (安装) on the agency’s Mars Express orbiter (轨道飞行器). We can get a firsthand look at Mars on Friday.

“During Friday’s one-hour livestream, the time between the images being taken from orbit around Mars and appearing on your screen will be about 18 minutes,” James Godfrey, the spacecraft operations manager at the ESA’s mission control center, said in a statement. “That’s 17 minutes for light to travel from Mars to Earth in their current configuration, and about one minute to pass through the wires and servers on the ground. ”

“Normally, we see images from Mars and know that they were taken days before. I’m excited to see Mars as it is now - as close to a Martian(火星人) ‘now’ as we can possibly get!’

In 50-second intervals, the camera shoots across Mars, showing a side of the planet entering night, as well as some clouds billowing out on the comer. The livestream celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Mars Express mission which was launched in 2003 to better understand the planet, as well as search for traces of water.

It’s with this camera, originally meant for engineering purposes, that we’ll get ”live“ images on Friday evening from 18:00 CEST in the first MarsLIVE. What makes this unique, is that it’s a one-hour livestream from Mars   but don’t expect a detailed view of the Red Planet!

1. What can we learn from this text?

A．Watching the MarsLIVE, people will have a completely real-time view of the Mars.

B．The audience can watch the MarsLIVE thanks to the camera on the Mars

C．About 20 years ago, the ESA launched an orbiter to search for Martians.

D．The MarsLIVE is to celebrate the launch of the Mars Express mission in 2003.

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

A．Equipment.

B．Orbit.

C．Planet.

D．Spacecraft.

3. What is the text mainly about?

A．The live images taken from orbit around Mars.

B．The 20th anniversary of the Mars Express mission.

C．The first ”livestream“ of Mars to be shown on YouTube.

D．A rare and almost real-time look into space on YouTube.

4. What does the last paragraph imply?

A．The camera was originally used to shoot the Mars.

B．We can get truly live Mars images in the first MarsLIVE.

C．Detailed images about the Mars can’t be ensured.

D．The unique MarsLIVE will live up to viewers’ expectation.

3 . World Literacy Conference

WHAT IS WORLD LITERACY CONFERENCE?

It’s the world’s largest gathering of international literacy experts, which focuses on the vital importance of improving reading and writing levels across the globe. It brings together leaders from 85 countries. Over 600 delegates (代表) in the scene and a further 40,000 people via webinars will watch it.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE CONFERENCE?

Anyone who is passionate about education is welcome to take part in the conference. Call for papers and content is open. You can hand in no more than two papers through the Oxford system per person before September 16, 2023. Please click Here for more information

TICKET PURCHASE:

Registration Fees l＄100 per person; 20 percent discount for per group member.

Consumption Tax l Extra 10 percent for each registration fee. Overseas delegates will be charged before attending but can be RETURNED BACK after conference closing.

Pay Channels PayPal or a credit card. (Please email us for other methods)

Refund Policy The Conference ONLY offers refunds when the British Government does not approve you visa, or you need to apply for registration transfers.

Others Accommodation expenses are not covered in the registration fees.

1. Which of the following statements is correct according to the text?

A．The live broadcasting is the only way for participation.

B．Delegates are allowed to submit more than two essays.

C．Accommodation expenses are included in the registration fees.

D．Purchasers can apply to gain other access to official tickets.

2. How much does a 10-person overseas group need to pay altogether before attending?

A．800.

B．880.

C．990.

D．1000.

3. Where is this text most probably taken from?

A．An online website.

B．An educational journal.

C．An activity poster.

D．An economic newspaper.

4 . 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。

For years, my wife Teresa taught physical education at the elementary school level. Travelling on a regular schedule to the six schools in her district, she had a chance to get to know most of the kids in the area and see them at their best and their worst.

One day, in her class, Teresa noticed a third-grade girl, Meagan, who was short and grossly overweight, with a closed and hopeless look on her face. Meagan always sat alone in class, played alone at break, and ate alone from a recycled paper sack at lunch. The teachers and staff were kind to Meagan, but the students were not.

The stories made your shoulders drop. Teresa heard that when the playground supervisors (管理员) turned their backs, kids would run up to Meagan, calling her “Meagan the Fat Pig.” They did far worse than isolate (孤立) her; they filled her school days and walks home with physical and emotional torment (折磨). Also, Meagan’s single mother, a hard-working woman, was trying her best to make ends meet but she had never made it before.

Meagan’s situation disturbed my wife deeply. After talking with the principle and other teachers, Teresa came up with an idea. She knew from talking to Meagan that the child had never had a pet. Teresa was sure a pet would be the perfect way to inject some high-powered love and acceptance into Meagan’s life.

So one Saturday afternoon, Meagan was invited to Teresa’s office. When the door buzzer sounded, a dog engaged in a predictable and vigorous welcome. Getting down on one knee, Teresa introduced herself to Meagan. She told Meagan her thought that she could take away a puppy if she liked. Like any creature that has been cared about, Meagan gleamed in her eyes and playfully lifted the puppy almost off the ground. That day Meagan left the office with the puppy.

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: Now she had a living, breathing friend who wanted to play with her.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: Ten years later, Teresa received an invitation to the high school graduation ceremony from Meagan, where Meagan made a speech.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . 根据短文内容和所给中文提示，在空白处写出单词的正确形式(每空一词)。

With the    1    (发展) of economy, people are    2    (遭受) more and more     3    (自然的) disasters. Due to the strongest typhoon called “Dussuri”, there was a heavy rain in many areas and it caused great losses,    4    (尤其) in the north China. The roads were    5    (覆盖) with water and thousands of houses were     6     (破坏). In case of disasters, we are supposed to keep    7    (镇静的) and try to escape in time.

The bad weather may have something to do with the worsening of environment. People may think that big things must be done to protect the environment. Many forget protecting it begins with small things. For example, it’s a good idea to use reusable bags instead of     8    (塑料的) bags. You can also save electricity by turning off lights before leaving a room. Never use    9    (木制的) chopsticks when you buy takeaway food. All these small things can add up and make a big     10    (差异).

6 . 用方框中所给单词的适当形式填空，每词仅用一次。

down        base            concerned       stick       win

1. We should ________to our dream no matter how difficult it is.
2. The _______of the speech competition has been decided by the five teachers.
3. Tim has been feeling _______because of his low test scores.
4. Lucy hasn’t been back home and the family are all______about her safety.
5. The film that is _____ on a true story is popular with young people.

7 . Studies show that females usually have better handwriting than males. University of Warwick researchers note that “Girls are generally better handwriters than boys. Girls also usually write faster than boys”. But why do females have better handwriting than males? There are a number of reasons.

Handwriting differences may be because of cultural label. Researchers asked boys and girls aged 7 and 8 to model after each other’s handwriting. When modeling after writing, boys tried to make theirs “smaller and neater” while all the girls said that they had made their handwriting larger, and half of them said they had made it less tidy. Do females work hard to write neater because there is an expectation that they have neat handwriting? Are females encouraged to write better because there is an expectation?

Handwriting may be influenced by the writer’s female hormones (激素). Babies before they are born receive various amounts of female hormones with males receiving less and females more. One sign of female hormone effect is the relative length of a person’s index finger to ring finger (called the “2D: 4D rate”). This study found that the higher the 2D : 4D rate for right-handed female writers,the neater their handwriting is.

Neural development differences between males and females may be the reason for the differences. During the early school years, when kids are learning to shape letters, the neural fibers that control fine motor skills in boys’ brains usually haven’t matured (成熟) as much as girls’ have. Boys’ brains finally catch up and their handwriting gets better than before, but it’s still usually not as neat as that of the girls. That’s because women usually have more neural connections between the two sides of the brain, which also helps with correctness.

1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the topic.	B．To list some reasons.
C．To summarize the text.	D．To provide examples.

2. According to paragraph 2, compared with girls’ handwriting, boys’ handwriting is         .

A．neater

B．larger

C．more correct

D．longer

3. Why is boys’ handwriting second to girls’ even when their brains mature?

A．Boys’ handwriting is too large to be neat.

B．Boys’ 2D: 4D rate becomes higher and higher.

C．Boys’ brains don’t get enough exercise like girls do.

D．Boys usually have less neural connections inside the brain.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．Who perform better in handwriting?

B．Is handwriting well a difficult task?

C．Are girls cleverer than boys?

D．Why do we need to write well?

8 . A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without travelling very far.

There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, parks, beaches and so on.

Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together, or spending all day at a pool.

Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has both its advantages and risks. Since you are not travelling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably cheap. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really expensive, so the farther you go, the more expensive it is. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distance or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.

1. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce the general information on staycations.

B．To compare staycations with other vacations.

C．To provide different ways of staycations.

D．To advise people to have staycations.

2. When taking staycations, people         .

A．usually travel to cities far away

B．spend all day eating and sleeping

C．visit famous attractions of different cities

D．either relax at home or travel near their homes

3. What will probably be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．How to have a staycation safely.	B．Why people prefer a staycation.
C．What risks a staycation has.	D．When to take a staycation.

9 . In the hospital the lift opened and I saw my dad in a stretcher (担架), his eyes closed and an oxygen mask over his mouth. He was fastened (固定) _______to the stretcher so that he would not _______.Then, all I wanted was to_______him, wake him up, take him home and want him to_______me with chocolates and kiss me on my forehead.

My dad had an accident in the building site, which caused _______damage to his spinal cord (脊髓).The doctor told me there was almost no_______that he could ever walk again. I was_______.The thought of the pain from which my father, who was so kind, helpful and caring, greatly suffered during the_______made me really sad.

My dad_______ a lot of weight after the operation (手术) and then he was ________ to ICU. But he was sent back home two weeks later because of our __________ of money. At home he was confined (限制) to his chair and my heart hurt so much __________I saw this.

One day two months later, I heard my dad call my name. I rushed out of the room and was surprised to see him __________there, holding the wall, like a__________.Therefore, just as he taught me to__________ in my childhood, I was teaching him. I supported him and __________him to be brave as I was there. At last he moved the first step with great __________.

With three months passing, my dad got better again and my joy was __________.I trust my father because in my eyes he’s really an iron man who __________loses hope. His spirit of perseverance (毅力) will always be a great__________ to me!

1.

A．suddenly

B．tightly

C．slowly

D．differently

2.

A．take off

B．put off

C．turn off

D．fall off

3.

A．free

B．ask

C．touch

D．move

4.

A．charge

B．raise

C．surprise

D．upset

5.

A．emotional

B．slight

C．enough

D．great

6.

A．reality

B．possibility

C．condition

D．suggestion

7.

A．cold-blooded

B．absent-minded

C．heart-broken

D．badly-wounded

8.

A．accident

B．mistake

C．situation

D．position

9.

A．carried

B．gave

C．gained

D．lost

10.

A．led

B．abandoned

C．sent

D．promoted

11.

A．lack

B．care

C．use

D．value

12.

A．whichever

B．however

C．wherever

D．whenever

13.

A．lying

B．sitting

C．standing

D．crying

14.

A．hero

B．child

C．friend

D．stranger

15.

A．walk

B．study

C．speak

D．read

16.

A．forced

B．encouraged

C．urged

D．persuaded

17.

A．ambition

B．intelligence

C．confidence

D．difficulty

18.

A．necessary

B．important

C．boundless

D．meaningless

19.

A．never

B．seldom

C．always

D．sometimes

20.

A．creation

B．decision

C．invitation

D．inspiration

10 . At twenty-three, I had no idea that a summer class I feared would change my life and help me achieve dreams.

The class focusing on literature centered on _________ and illness. A few weeks into the course, I realized I was changing my opinion about it _________ feeling scared. It was _________ me to go after my dreams and stop waiting for tomorrow to work towards my _________. As I drove to school one day, I _________ my wish list and realized l wanted to see my name on the _________ of a published book. Thus, I went home, sat down, and _________ what story I would tell.

Recently, I’d had _________ to several news stories about wrongful conviction (定罪). Inspired by them, l _________ I wanted to write about that topic and explore it more __________. Therefore, I __________ a green notebook, where I set out to write the first page of what would become my first novel. Four years later, my manuscript (原稿) was __________ by a small publisher. The moment I received the e-mail, I told my husband the __________ news, trembling and crying.

Even bigger __________ were brought to life after that. I wrote more books and got picked up by one of the five publishers. Life may bring us a big surprise. Sometimes, the things we fear the most will eventually become the things that change us for the __________.

1.

A．evil

B．kindness

C．despair

D．death

2.

A．instead of

B．due to

C．except for

D．less than

3.

A．discouraging

B．amusing

C．inspiring

D．disappointing

4.

A．goals

B．sites

C．class

D．adventure

5.

A．remembered

B．reviewed

C．recovered

D．reserved

6.

A．page

B．edge

C．back

D．cover

7.

A．relied on

B．reflected on

C．carried on

D．insisted on

8.

A．access

B．limit

C．clue

D．evidence

9.

A．ensured

B．attempted

C．confirmed

D．protested

10.

A．carefully

B．definitely

C．fully

D．independently

11.

A．explored

B．revised

C．preferred

D．chose

12.

A．rejected

B．unearthed

C．received

D．accepted

13.

A．upsetting

B．unbelievable

C．embarrassing

D．alarming

14.

A．dreams

B．legends

C．beliefs

D．memories

15.

A．worst

B．least

C．best

D．most