1 . 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。

I came to know this unique individual in a very simple way. One afternoon, in the little town where I then lived, I was walking my dog when he began to behave strangely, rolling wildly on the ground.

While I was wondering what was the matter with him, I became aware that someone was walking by my side—a man of about 30, poorly dressed, collarless and hatless. A beggar, I thought, and was about to put my hand in my pocket. But the stranger smiled peacefully at me as though we were old friends. “He’s got a tick (扁虱), poor guy,” he said, pointing to my dog. “Come along. We’ll have it out.” There was such warm friendliness in his eyes that I took no offense at his familiarity. I followed him to a park bench and sat down beside him.

Strange to say, my Kaspar, who was usually wary (警惕的) of strangers, responded at once, and put his head on the man’s knee. Searching the dog’s coat with long and sensitive fingers, the stranger finally said “Aha!” and released Kaspar. “Here it is,” he laughed, holding something in the air. As the dog ran hurriedly, the stranger rose with a nod and walked on. His departure was so sudden that it did not occur to me until later that I should have thanked him.

At home, still considering the man s strange behaviour, I reported the adventure to our old cook. “Oh, that was Anton,” she remarked. “He’s got an eye for everything.” I asked what he did for a living. “Nothing,” she said, as if astonished by my question.

“Well,” I said. “Everyone has to have something to live on.”

“Not Anton,” she said. “Everyone is glad to give him whatever he wants. He doesn’t care about money. He doesn’t need it, either.” Well, this was strange.

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。

I resolved to learn more about him.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In later years I have often thought of Anton.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 . A new study finds that less than seven percent of the adult population in the US have what health experts consider good cardiometabolic (心脏代谢) health.

Using information on roughly 55,000 people over the age of 20, the results show just 6.8 percent of American adults reached optimal (最佳的) levels of health in 2018. Moreover, the study found American health has been in sharp decline over the last 20 years. In 1999, one in three adults had a healthy weight. By 2018, that number fell to just one in four Americans. At the same time, three in five people were free of diabetes in 1999. By 2018, however, more than six in ten adults had the condition!

“These numbers are striking. It’s deeply problematic that in the United States, fewer than 1 in 15 adults have optimal cardiometabolic health,” says Meghan O’Hearn, one of the researchers from Tufts University. “We need a complete overhaul (革新) of our healthcare system, food system, and living conditions, because this is a crisis for everyone.”

Instead of just looking for signs of disease, the team focused their study on the signs of good, moderate, and poor cardiometabolic health. “Disease is not the only problem,” O’Hearn explains. “We don’t just want to be free of disease. We want to achieve optimal health and well-being.”

Researchers also found large health gaps between US adults of different genders, ages, and education levels. Specifically, the study found Americans with less education were half as likely to be in peak cardiometabolic health.

O’Hearn adds, “Identifying these individuals and addressing their health conditions and lifestyle early is critical to reducing growing healthcare burdens. Its impacts on national healthcare spending and the financial health of the entire economy are enormous. And these conditions are largely preventable. We have the public health and clinical interventions and policies to be able to address these problems.”

1. What percentage of American adults had optimal cardiometabolic health in 2018?

A．Over 7 percent.	B．Just 6.8 percent.
C．Around 33 percent.	D．About 60 percent.

2. What does O’Hearn think of the results of the study?

A．They’re unreal.	B．They’re acceptable.
C．They’re expected.	D．They’re shocking.

3. What is the purpose of the team’s research?

A．To find the big age gap.	B．To help people keep fit.
C．To develop new drugs.	D．To earn lots of profits.

4. What can we infer from O’Hearn’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Joint effort is needed to improve public health.

B．Economic growth affects personal health condition.

C．America saw a slow decrease in healthcare costs.

D．Rich people tend to suffer from health problems.

3 . As we all know, insects can be remarkably agile (灵活的) in flight. This is really hard to build into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen has developed an insect-sized drone (无人机) that approaches insects’ agility.

Typically, drones require wide open spaces. “If we look at most drones today, they’re usually quite big,” says Chen. “Most of their applications involve flying outdoors. The question is: Can you create an insect-sized drone that can move around in very crowded and complex spaces?”

According to Chen, he overcame many problems when building the drone. The insect-sized drone requires a fundamentally different construction from a larger one. The large drone is usually powered by a motor, but the motor loses efficiency as you shrink it. So, Chen says, “For an insect-sized drone, you need to look for alternatives.” The principal alternative until now has been employing a small, rigid actuator (执行器) built from new materials. Chen designed a more agile tiny drone using soft actuators instead of hard ones.

Each actuator can beat nearly 500 times per second and weighs just 0.6 gram, approximately the mass of a large bee. It gives the drone insect-like agility. “You can hit it when it’s flying, and it can recover,” says Chen. “It can also turn over in the air.” The drone looks a bit like a tiny cassette tape with wings, though Chen is also working on a new one shaped like a dragonfly.

Chen says his drone can be useful in industry and agriculture. It can perform machinery inspections to ensure safety and function. Its potential applications include completing search-and-rescue missions following a disaster. “All those things can be very difficult for existing large-scale drones,” Chen explains.

1. What can we know about the actuator designed by Chen?

A．It weighs about six grams.

B．It drives the insect-sized drone.

C．It loses efficiency too much.

D．It employs conventional materials.

2. Which word can best describe Chen’s work?

A．Easy.

B．Costly.

C．Fruitless.

D．Challenging.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us about the new drone?

A．Its safety standards.	B．Its flying range.
C．Its possible applications.	D．Its design principle.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．An Insect-like Small Drone

B．The Future of Insect-sized Drones

C．How Drones Will Change the Agriculture

D．What Challenge Drone Development Faces

4 . I have always loved the Arthurian legend (传奇), as there is something quite special about King Arthur, and of course Merlin, my favourite character from the stories.

Death of an Empire is the second volume in MK Hume’s “Merlin” series which details Merlin’s life from birth. Merlin travels across the Roman Empire in search of his father, a voyage of discovery to understand just who he was. Eventually Merlin gets involved in the fight against the Hun’s invasion (入侵) of Europe at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plain.

Serving under the General Flavius Aetius, Merlin builds a reputation by saving the lives of thousands of soldiers. When he finally reaches Rome, he saves many more. But a far deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian and Senator Petronius Maximus is around the corner and Merlin must use all his strength to carry out his work.

If I had to choose just one word to describe this novel, there would be no other choice than “immersive (身临其境的)”. There has clearly been a serious amount of research carried out by the author. Combined with the descriptive prose and imaginative story, the book really does attract you from almost the very start. The story really does feel like you are a part of it as Merlin travels across the Roman Empire.

The author does a great job of mixing the rich history with established Arthurian legend. The battle scene is handled very effectively. The author employs a very effective form to show the main fight and this not only adds a degree of tension and a good level of excitement but almost makes you feel like you are right there hearing about what happened.

Death of an Empire is a very fine novel, a wonderfully rich tale and a rewarding story.

1. Why does Merlin travel across the Roman Empire?

A．To visit King Arthur.	B．To enjoy a nice view.
C．To get a well-paid job.	D．To find out his origin.

2. What can we learn about the novel?

A．It is a mixture of history and legend.

B．It features difficult language.

C．It speaks highly of an emperor.

D．It is a masterpiece of Merlin.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．An effective description.	B．A long-running battle.
C．A wonderful feeling.	D．A well-known legend.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A history story.
C．A book review.	D．A science fiction.

5 . Exploring Wildlife Conservation in Kenya

Day 1: Nairobi, Kenya

Arrive at the airport in Nairobi, where our staff will be on hand to drive you to the hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation: Tamarind Tree Hotel

Day 2: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

A charter flight (包机) brings us to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a 62,000-acre grassland on the north of Mount Kenya. Considered a model in the conservation field, this healthy wildlife habitat is home to a number of rare species, including the giraffe, the Grevy’s zebra, and African wild dogs. Lewa and the neighboring Borana Conservancy also harbor roughly 15 percent of Kenya’s entire rhino population.

Accommodation: Elewana Lewa Safari Camp

Day 3: Amboseli National Park

Fly by private charter to Amboseli National Park, where vast grasslands are irrigated by underground runoff streams from Mount Kilimanjaro. These landscapes provide a habitat for hundreds of elephants, making the park one of the best places in Africa to spot these large creatures. The travel begins on the drive to Tortilis Camp, set within view of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Accommodation: Tortilis Camp

Day 4: Masai Mara National Reserve

At first light, head out to track the animals that crossed the area during the night. This area has one of the highest concentrations of large predators (捕食性动物) in all of Africa. Then watch large groups of hippos in the Mara River and crocodiles sunbathing on the shore.

Accommodation: Kichwa Tembo Camp

1. On which day will you visit Lewa Wildlife Conservancy?

A．Day 1.

B．Day 2.

C．Day 3.

D．Day 4.

2. Which is the best place to watch African elephants?

A．Tamarind Tree Hotel.	B．Kichwa Tembo Camp.
C．Amboseli National Park.	D．Borana Conservancy.

3. What is special about Masai Mara National Reserve?

A．It provides the best sunbath.

B．It features the Grevy’s zebra.

C．It is located near an airport.

D．It is home to large predators.

6 . It is so easy to just go home and shut your door without getting to know your neighbors. But being an active neighbor will turn your living place into a kinder and more caring neighborhood.

    1    . You don’t have to show up with a fresh apple pie or anything like that. It’s truly as simple as saying hello, introducing yourself and asking a few open-ended questions. But they are the first step to becoming a kind neighbor.

Then get out of your comfort zone and make efforts to know more about your neighbors.     2    . And if you feel comfortable, let them know that you’re there to help, if they ever need another hand.

Another way to show your neighbors that you care is by making your small acts of kindness a regular practice. This can be cleaning up the litter or even cleaning up after the pets have made a mess on your block.     3    , you can ask your partner or kids to pick a bunch of flowers from the garden to give your new neighbor.     4    .

Remind yourself that being connected feels good and boosts your mood in the long run. If you take the first step, your small acts of kindness can encourage others to pay that kindness forward.     5    . Challenging as they are, reaching out to your neighbors is worth the efforts.

A．Or if you have an amazing garden

B．Remember, every small gesture counts

C．If you want to be respected and cared by your neighbors

D．For example, ask for their names and learn what they do for work

E．Your attitudes towards your friends also set an example for your kids

F．It doesn’t take a lot of money or a generous gesture to be an active neighbor

G．In the end, more and more people in the neighborhood will feel much better

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。

More than one century after being unearthed, hundreds of pieces of oracle bones (甲骨)     1    (keep) in a top university in Jiangsu province now have the chance to be decoded (破解), thanks to a new academic project. In early November, Nanjing University in the provincial capital made an    2    (announce) of the launch of a comprehensive study and categorization of the bones that date back to the late Shang Dynasty ( 16th century-11th century BC). Systematic recordings of these pieces through traditional ink rubbings (拓片) and digitized     3    (approach) will also begin.

    4    (present), about 600 pieces of oracle bones are now housed at Nanjing University Museum,     5    (make) it the third-largest collection of its kind among Chinese colleges after Peking University and Tsinghua University.

According to Shi Mei, director of the museum and host of the academic program, the about 3, 300-year-old bones were owned by some well-known collectors around 1900. Some of the bones     6    (donate) by John Calvin Ferguson, an American Sinologist, who was president of the University of Nanking, a predecessor of Nanjing University that was formed in 1952. “However, due to the lack of enough     7    (talent) scholars, detailed studies on the bones hadn’t started for a long time,” Shi says.

Oracle bone inscriptions (铭文) compose the oldest-known Chinese writing system. The findings,     8    are mostly from the Yinxu site in Anyang, Henan province, not only prove that Shang Dynasty history is more than myth, but also indicate the beginning of Chinese language, as present-day written characters can trace their history to the inscriptions. Owing to the high status of oracle bones, relevant studies to decode the writings were    9    high demand.

Scattered fragments of oracle bones first began to emerge around Anyang in     10    late 1890s. In 1924, the University of Nanking became the first Chinese university to include a course on oracle bone inscriptions in its subjects. Four years later, the first linguistics (语言学) essays on the inscriptions was also published in Nanjing.

8 . Last term, I read the book The Book Thief. It is a story about a 9-year-old girl named Liesel Meminger and her _________in Nazi Germany in 1939. In this book, Liesel’s father is taken away by the Nazis. Her mother___________and never returns and her brother dies. Then she is sent to a foster family (寄养家庭) in a poor area of Munich.On the way,she _________a book named The Grave Digger’s Handbook, which becomes the first book she “steals”. It’s her___________foster father Hans who helps Liesel to read, and the 14 books she steals provide her with___________comfort. She manages to___________the war and___________helps the people around her who are also _________.

As I _________each page, I found myself absorbed in the____________created by the author. The light but lingering (绵长的)__________made me hold my __________, as if I had the same experience as Liesel.

Every time I __________this book, what comes to mind is not the __________of the Nazis or the despair in the face of a very difficult and unfavourable situation. All I can think of is the resilience (韧性), sincerity and kindness of__________in such a(n)__________cruel period.Despite the fact that it is not easy for foster parents to __________themselves, they still choose to foster Liesel when she is__________. They also save and hide a Jewish girl in their basement when the Nazis start to kill the Jews.

All these details make me feel that __________we keep the most __________thing inside our hearts, even in despair, we still have the ability to walk toward the brightest future in front of us.

1.

A．interview

B．schedule

C．responsibility

D．experience

2.

A．struggles

B．disappears

C．remains

D．hesitates

3.

A．comes across

B．puts away

C．turns over

D．leaves behind

4.

A．selfish

B．narrow-minded

C．kind-hearted

D．wealthy

5.

A．endless

B．instant

C．little

D．physical

6.

A．enter

B．forget

C．describe

D．survive

7.

A．sadly

B．readily

C．suddenly

D．unfortunately

8.

A．travelling

B．operating

C．suffering

D．recovering

9.

A．turned

B．tore

C．covered

D．struck

10.

A．world

B．house

C．street

D．field

11.

A．complaint

B．sorrow

C．delight

D．regret

12.

A．position

B．record

C．view

D．breath

13.

A．make room for

B．take advantage of

C．think back on

D．get rid of

14.

A．madness

B．tiredness

C．sickness

D．awareness

15.

A．literature

B．humanity

C．competition

D．hardship

16.

A．eventually

B．initially

C．extremely

D．slightly

17.

A．tolerate

B．represent

C．support

D．treat

18.

A．abandoned

B．observed

C．controlled

D．trained

19.

A．for fear that

B．in order that

C．even if

D．as long as

20.

A．similar

B．precious

C．serious

D．natural

9 . Shortly after 6 am on Monday, buses carrying 200 immigrants rolled into Midtown Manhattan from Texas, Most of them, including young children, wore lightweight sweaters or blankets to keep out the cold. Mayor Eric Adams’ administration warned that 10 to 15 busloads of migrants were expected to arrive this week due to the lifting of Title 42, a Trump-era public health rule passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from ending the pandemic-era Title 42 immigration policy, leaving in doubt whether officials will continue to drive off migrants over concerns about public health risks. Title 42 is set to expire (期满) on Wednesday.

“We have been told in no uncertain terms that, beginning today, we should expect an influx (流入) of buses coming from the border and that more than 1,000 additional asylum (政治避难) seekers will arrive in New York City every week,” Adams said in a statement released on Sunday. “We need help from Washington.”

Seeking to draw the Biden administration’s attention to the growing immigrant crisis, Republican governors of border states such as Texas and Arizona have been shipping migrants to Democratic-controlled cities such as New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

New York has received more than 31, 000 migrants and has opened 60 emergency shelters, mostly in hotels, as well as six other centers. New York City’s school chancellor (校监) said in October that the school system has enrolled more than 5, 500 new migrant students, most of whom came from Latin America.

Adams, who declared a state of emergency over the migrant influx in October, said in a statement on Sunday that if nothing changes and the policy expires, the cost of absorbing new migrants was unsustainable and could lead to cuts to existing city programs.

“Our shelter system is full, and we are nearly out of money, staff, and space. To be honest, if corrective measures are not taken soon, we may very well be forced to cut programs New Yorkers rely on,” he said. Adams accused the federal government of ignoring the city’s pleas for aid and accused Republicans and Democrats in Congress of failing to “raise their hand” to help.

1. Why are so many migrants supposed to arrive in New York City?

A．New York City faces a major labor shortage.

B．The immigration policy is to be no longer valid.

C．Washington has announced a new immigration rule.

D．New York City provides them with better living conditions.

2. Which might be a Republican-controlled place?

A．Washington, DC.	B．Philadelphia.
C．New York City.	D．Texas.

3. What does the underlined phrase “pleas for” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Supplies of.	B．Benefits of.
C．Rewards for.	D．Demands for.

4. What is the most suitable title for the news report?

A．New York opens 60 emergency shelters

B．New York City hit by new immigrant flow

C．New York City needs help from Washington

D．New York City’s school system enrolls many migrant students

10 . A new study suggests that smoke from wildfires can change how clouds store water and could lead to less rainfall. The research comes as western parts of the United States are currently experiencing drought conditions after several years of intense wildfire activity.

Clouds contain a collection of water droplets (微滴) that form from vapor in the atmosphere. When these droplets condense (凝结) onto each other within a cloud，they become heavier and eventually fall as rain. But the water condensation process requires a solid substance for the vapor to attach to. Different kinds of particles rising up from the Earth’s surface can reach clouds and make this process possible.

The new study found that smoke from wildfires contains small particles that affect the way droplets form in clouds. The main effect was the number of water droplets formed. The team reported that smoky clouds contained about five times the number of droplets as non-smoky clouds. But data also showed that the droplets in smoky clouds were much smaller, about half the size of those in the clouds without wildfire smoke.

It is that size difference, the researchers say, that could reduce the amount of rainfall. This is because small droplets are less likely to grow and eventually fall to the ground as rain. “Because of their small droplet sizes, these smoky clouds are expected to reflect more light and produce less rain than clouds in clean air,” the study states.

The findings could mean that active wildfire seasons in the western U. S. may in fact lead to less rain and more drought, the researchers said. “We were surprised at how effective these primarily organic particles were at forming cloud droplets and what large impacts they had on the microphysics (微观物理) of the clouds,” said Cynthia Twohy, leader of the new study.

Twohy also noted that different kinds of clouds behave differently. The current study examined changes in small cumulus clouds. Other kinds that sit much higher in the atmosphere can cause heavy storms, she said. Twohy added, “I am hoping these results will lead to detailed regional modeling studies that will help us understand the actual impact of smoke on clouds and climate.”

1. Why did the researchers conduct the study?

A．They aren’t sure how water droplets form from vapor.

B．There is a great climate change in America.

C．The US has serious drought after wildfires.

D．They wonder how smoky clouds appear.

2. What is a characteristic of smoky clouds?

A．They tend to reflect more light.

B．They often have lower temperatures than others.

C．They contain more droplets which are larger in size.

D．They have fewer particles for the vapor to attach to.

3. What could smoky clouds lead to according to the text?

A．Less rainfall.

B．Much cooler weather.

C．Fewer windy days.

D．More storms.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．There are many reasons for the US drought.

B．Wildfire smoke can make clouds produce less rain.

C．Organic particles play an important role in forming clouds.

D．Humans have to face the serious consequences of wildfires.