1 . As a professional artist, people ask me all the time where I get inspiration.     1     Favorite artists? Where do you find reference (参考) photos? Whether you’re painting flowers, abstracts or landscapes, staying inspired is the key to always creating new work and discovering your own unique style.

    2     I’ll bring my phone along, and take my own reference photos and videos of flowers I see, interesting color palettes (主要色彩) in the sky or landscapes.     3     While you’re outside, you become more of a discoverer when it comes to colors and subject matter.

If there’s a particular subject I know I need to paint or some color inspiration I can’t find in my local area, I’ll search the Internet.     4     NO. I’m talking about finding travel photos, nature photos, etc. and creating mood boards that evoke (唤起) a certain theme you’re going for. This step is huge for trend forecasting and creating work that’s truly inspired and not a recreation.

Sometimes books are my great inspiration. And my favorite book for digging yourself out of a creative rut (一成不变的状态) is The Artist’s Way.     5     It’s a game-changer! I also love referencing one of my favorites, Flowers of the World. This is a beautiful book that’s opened my eyes to many species of plants that I’ve never even heard of.

A．What are your favorite art books?

B．Why do we need to find inspiration?

C．This will help you keep your eyes open.

D．If you’ve never read this book, I highly recommend it.

E．When I need some inspiration for a new painting, I always go outside.

F．This might seem strange, especially if you’re not familiar with painting.

G．I’m not talking about looking at other artists on the Internet and copying what they paint.

2 . Plants might be able to hear their neighbors, according to a study that suggests plants use the sound signal to communicate with one another.

“We have shown that plants can recognize when a good neighbor is growing next to them,” said study co-author Monica Gagliano, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Western Australia. “We found that this communication can be based upon an acoustic (声音的) exchange.”

The findings suggest that plants can not only “smell” the chemicals and “see” the reflected light of their neighbors, they may also “listen” to the plants around them.

“Plants are more intricate organisms than we’ve given them credit for,” Gagliano said.

In the study, Gagliano and her workmate Michael Renton showed that chili plants sprouted faster and were healthier, compared with those grown in isolation, when they were grown next to “good neighbors”, such as basil.

Remarkably, the scientists got the same result even when the plants were separated by black plastic so that they could not exchange light or chemical signals.

The scientists said the study is groundbreaking but still in its early days, and admitted there are still many unanswered questions. For example, are plants intentionally (有意地) communicating with one another? And if they are, do they all speak in a universal (通用的) “plant language”? To these questions and more, Gagliano said, the answer is “we don’t know”.

Gagliano thinks learning the secrets of plant communication could have practical applications (应用) that could benefit humans. She imagines farmers using music to encourage or discourage the growth of certain plants, reducing the need for pesticides.

Study co-author Renton warned, however, that the effects in their study were fairly small. “Whether it would be economically viable (经济上可行的),” he said, “for a farmer to play music to get that little extra growth speed, I think it’s pointless and costly.”

1. What did the study find out about plants?

A．They have a great influence on their neighboring animals.

B．They can sense their surroundings through sounds.

C．They can control their own growth in the dark.

D．They grow much healthier in isolation.

2. What does the underlined word “intricate” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Endangered.

B．Natural.

C．Complex.

D．Productive.

3. What did the scientists think of their study?

A．It is inspiring but the findings are limited.

B．It is a failure but the methods deserve praise.

C．It can help plants send signals more effectively.

D．It will draw public attention to the protection of plants.

4. What is Renton’s attitude to the idea of using music to influence the growth of plants?

A．Hopeful.

B．Supportive.

C．Uncaring.

D．Opposed.

3 . Four Great Online Art Classes for Kids

Here are four of the best online art classes for kids that are either free or extremely affordable (负担得起的).

Carla Sonheim’s Kid’s Week

Carla Sonheim, the author of Drawing Lab, has a series of free art classes. They are taught not just by Sonheim but also by fellow artists and teachers. The classes, which all last less than an hour,only require a bit of time and basic art supplies. The classes are cool because they combine artist style with fun tasks that kids of any age can finish.   

Thrive Art School

Thrive Art School is an actual art school，but they have a variety of art lessons online for kids of all ages and abilities. The lessons are divided between beginner and intermediate (中级的) artists. The beginner videos help younger kids learn how to draw fish, creative castles, and dogs; the intermediate lessons provide instruction (指示) on how to draw dolphins, deer, and lions.

Udemy

Udemy offers art classes to kids with different skill levels. For around $15 - $20 per course, kids can learn drawing everything, and even drawing on an electronic device. Each course has a series of short lectures that kids can complete at any time, plus articles and downloadable resources.

Sparketh

Kids aged 6-18 can enjoy up to 1000 free online art classes for 30 days on Sparketh. Kids can take nature or animal drawing classes and upload their art on Sparketh. There are dozens of courses on Sparketh, so any kid could find just about anything they want to create.

1. What do kids need to do to take Carla Sonheim’s classes?

A．Pay tuition fees.	B．Design fun tasks.
C．Prepare art supplies.	D．Finish challenging tasks.

2. Which of the following should a kid choose if he likes to draw on an electronic device?

A．Carla Sonheim’s Kid’s Week.	B．Thrive Art School.
C．Udemy.	D．Sparketh.

3. What is special about Sparketh?

A．Its classes are free.	B．It offers classes to kids of all ages.
C．Its classes are graded.	D．It allows kids to upload their works.

4 . DREAMING OF A NEW OFFICE?

Are you undisturbed by the chill of the Antarctic winds? Can you adapt to near-constant daylight, subzero temperatures and no flushing toilet (抽水马桶) or running water? Ready to take on the challenges of living and working in one of the most remote corners of the Earth? The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust invites passionate individuals to join our team at Base A on Goudier Island, Antarctica.

As a member of our elite team, you’ll manage a museum, post office, and gift shop as well as conducting penguin counts. You will live and work at Base A at Port Lockroy on Goudier Island, which is about the size of a football pitch. Imagine waking to breathtaking landscapes, surrounded by curious penguins and the vast expanse of untouched wilderness. This is not just a job — it’s an expedition, a chance to make history while living among the impressive beauty of Antarctica.

Applicants must possess resilience, physical fitness, and environmental awareness. Training will begin in August, ahead of the working period from late October or November until March, 2025. Interviews and selection events will be conducted to ensure the best fit for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Join us in our mission to preserve Antarctica’s rich heritage and contribute to global conservation efforts. Apply by 25 April at jobs@ukaht.org and become part of an adventure that will leave you forever changed.

1. What’s the challenge of the advertised positions?

A．Extreme heat.	B．Total darkness.
C．Tough working conditions.	D．Drinking water shortage.

2. What might be the duty of those selected?

A．Counting penguins.	B．Maintaining a football field.
C．Opening a gift shop.	D．Appreciating the scenery.

3. How long will a successful applicant work there?

A．5 months or so.	B．Less than 3 months.
C．About 13 weeks.	D．Around 7 months.

5 . 阅读下面材料, 根据上下文填写空白处所需的内容(1个单词)或所提供单词的正确形式。

A young woman has turned her grandfather’s shirts into fashionable tops and is inspiring others     1     (do) the same.

Issy Spurway, a 21-year-old student at Loughborough University, didn’t want to throw away her grandfather’s clothes after he passed     2    . So she decided to transform them into something     3     was wearable while keeping a piece of her grandfather with her. She rearranged pieces     4     (pull) from her grandfather’s clothing into     5     (fair) cool designs to youngsters. She     6     (transform) over 100 pieces on her TikTok channel so far. This creative process has provided Issy with a way to remember her grandfather.

“When my grandpa died, I didn’t want to throw his clothes away. So I decided to change them into something I could wear and take a piece of him     7     me,” said Issy.

Her talent caught the attention of TikTok UK, and she cooperated with them before starting her college year. Now, alongside finishing her degree, Issy works in     8     clothing company in Oxford.

Through her     9     (create), determination, and ability to see the potential in what others might throw away, Issy has not only created unique fashion pieces but also motivated others to find new ways to cherish their loved ones’     10     (belonging).

6 . In the Chinese lunar calendar, Sanfu refers to the three 10-day periods that are predicted to be the hottest days of the year, which are called Toufu, Zhongfu and Mofu.     1     . Let’s take a look at the traditional Chinese ways of spending the dog days of summer.

Receiving the Sanfutie

Sanfutie, or Sanfu medicinal patch, is a bandage made of traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believe that receiving Sanfutie during the hottest summer days is effective for coughs, asthma (哮喘) and arthritis (关节炎); it is a patchwork solution for winter ills in summer.     2    

Eating dumplings during Toufu

When the dog days come, people tend to lose their appetites. Jiaozi, or boiled dumplings, can refresh people’s feelings toward food. Actually jiaozi is an all-time classic, with 2,000 years of history. Besides Sanfu, people eat it at Liqiu, the start of autumn, and Dongzhi, the start of winter.

Eating noodles during Zhongfu

    3     They are believed to help people sweat and relieve internal heat. Some time-honored noodle restaurants around China have increased their supply and launched new products.

Eating Chinese egg pancake during Mofu

As Mofu comes, the weather turns cool. And it is easy to get cold if a person keeps eating noodles drenched in sweat. People, especially those living in North China, customarily eat the Chinese egg pancake.

    4    

As the weather in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, is hot with heavy rainfall in summer, people there eat rooster during Sanfu, especially during Toufu. They believe that it can clear the damp. There is an old saying that goes “A rooster at the start of Sanfu, a healthy body the whole year.”

Drinking mutton soup

There is a custom in Southern Shandong province where people drink mutton soup during Sanfu,     5     Many people go to local restaurants to drink mutton soup, which is called “summer mutton soup”.

A．Eating rooster.

B．Clear the damp.

C．Sanfu usually comes between mid-July to mid-August.

D．Sanfutie is believed to be a supportive therapy to diseases.

E．The second phase of Sanfu is traditionally a time for consuming noodles.

F．People assume that mutton which is hot in nature can relieve internal cold.

G．It has enjoyed a revival in recent years as more patients turn to TCM treatment.

7 . It is a great challenge of descriptive writing: finding that balance between using enough details to bring your description to life, but not so much that your readers are fed up with it.     1    

Remember, you’re writing a description, not taking a photograph.     2     If you were photographing a tree, you would still make choices — lighting, framing, focus — that would capture the essence of the tree, but not its exact image.

Trust your readers. Stephen King says in On Writing, “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the readers.”     3     If you offer an exactly right description — rather than a complete description — the readers’ completion of your description will be close enough to what you want them to “see” in the picture.

    4     If you write this: “Wind stirred (吹动) the maple’s boughs, spurring leaves to wavelike a million green hands greeting them to hurry to its shady embrace”, you have created a real description, and you don’t need to write that the tree is big.

Let actions take the place of description. This can be effective in describing emotions. Instead of “Sue felt sad as she stared at their wedding photo.”, try “Sue stared at their wedding photo until her stinging eyes could no longer focus. She turned the photo face down on her nightstand.” We now know, through her actions, that Sue is sad.     5     That is because we’re experiencing her physical reactions (stinging eyes) and actions (turned the photo face down) along with her.

A．Focus on readers’ emotions.

B．Readers can fill in the picture.

C．Describe facts instead of actions.

D．Embrace the use of metaphors and similes.

E．It is not necessary to document every detail.

F．Besides, we now feel more connected with her in that sadness.

G．Fortunately, there are techniques you can use to find that balance.

8 . Little Ali was a child born in a family with unimaginable _______ . He and his sister had only one pair of _______ .

Every day, her sister would put on the shoes they _______ in gym class, and after class, she would quickly run to their agreed spot, _______ the shoes and give them to him so that he could wear them to class. When they both had PE classes at the same time, only one of the two could wear shoes. Both his sister and he were punished more than once for not wearing sneakers. _______ their biggest dream was to have a pair of sneakers that didn’t need to be too beautiful, so that _______ of them would have to go barefoot during class.

For this dream, Ali _______ in the long-distance race, only because the prize of the third place was a pair of sneakers. He just wanted to finish _______ so he could get the shoes he wanted.

The competition was tough and Ali was _______ over more than once. But in order to win the race, he endured the pain to get up and run again, with only the shoes he had to get in his eyes. The rapid breathing made his chest ache and he was even __________ , but he knew he had to persevere, and __________ by persevering to the end could he get his sister to put on her shoes.

He __________ one person after another, and in desperation, he won first. When all the teachers were ecstatic to __________ him, and the organizer arranged for famous people to take photos with him, he was sad and shed tears. Although he got a __________ prize, that was not what Ali needed most.

Not only did he miss the shoes of his dream, but he found the only pair of shoes on his feet __________. Ali had mixed feelings. Deep inside, he knew the bottom line for his happiness was a much-needed pair of shoes.

1.

A．wealth

B．sadness

C．poverty

D．illness

2.

A．glasses

B．shoes

C．pants

D．gloves

3.

A．bought

B．liked

C．found

D．shared

4.

A．take off

B．put on

C．pick up

D．tear open

5.

A．But

B．Yet

C．So

D．Because

6.

A．both

B．neither

C．either

D．none

7.

A．absorbed

B．gave

C．caught

D．participated

8.

A．best

B．first

C．last

D．third

9.

A．pushed

B．moved

C．looked

D．handed

10.

A．out of breath

B．in one breath

C．out of reach

D．within reach

11.

A．hardly

B．heavily

C．only

D．slowly

12.

A．surpassed

B．failed

C．hit

D．dropped

13.

A．celebrate

B．congratulate

C．comfort

D．confirm

14.

A．smaller

B．further

C．bigger

D．worse

15.

A．went out

B．burned out

C．taken out

D．worn out

9 . Qingming Festival, which falls on April 4 this year, is also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day. It’s a time for people to not only remember the dead, but also get out and enjoy nature. Here the following destinations are all highly recommended.

The Jiuzhaigon Valley-Sichuan Province

Located in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the Jiuzhaigou Valley is known for its magnificent beauty. Its fairyland landscape of numerous lakes, waterfalls with clear, mineral-rich waters are set in spectacular mountains with a highly diverse forest ecosystem, demonstrating (证明) remarkable natural beauty.

In spring, the sight of the Jiuzhaigou Valley is refreshing. The ice and snow begin to melt, water and streams begin to flow and mountain flowers blossom. The air is filled with the fragrance of spring. The soft and lazy spring sun kisses the surface of the lake and nurtures new growth.

Ili-Xinjiang

Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is the largest center of apricot (杏树) cultivation in western China. It mainly covers the area of the Tianshan Mountains and Ili River in Xinjiang.

In the early spring of each year, apricot blossoms are everywhere, with pink petals hanging all over the branches. The grasslands under the trees are wavy, and cattle and sheep are scattered over the landscape, just like a paradise.

Dali-Yunnan Province

Dali, a charming ancient town in Southwest China’s Yunnan province, is always an attractive destination in spring, especially for those interested in exploring nature and the area’s considerable historical and cultural heritage. It is famous as a land of wonders, both natural and man-made, and it inspires visitors with its grand beauty.

1. In which section is the article composed in a newspaper?

A．Entertainment

B．Business

C．Travel

D．Technology

2. The three destinations have much in common EXCEPT_________.

A．They are all famous for waterfalls

B．They are all recommended to visit in spring

C．They are all blessed with fantastic natural scenery

D．They are all located in western or southwestern China

3. What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To introduce the three tourist attractions to foreign guests.

B．To raise public awareness of protecting the environment.

C．To compare the beauty of the three highly recommended places.

D．To recommend the three resorts in spring to readers.

10 . A new study finds that getting a family dog is linked with a big jump in physical activity in younger kids — especially in young girls.

In the study, Australian researchers followed 600 children over a three-year period, starting at preschool age. They tracked the kids’ physical activity and surveyed parents about their children’s activities — and whether they had a family dog. Half of the children didn’t have a dog. About 204 kids had a dog the entire time, while 58 kids got a dog during the study period — and sadly, 31 kids lost a dog.

Both boys and girls in the study engaged more frequently in activities like dog walking and playing in the yard after getting a dog. But the impact was pronounced in girls in particular. It showed that adding a dog to the household increased young girls’ physical activity by 52 minutes a day — or almost an hour. In contrast, girls whose dog died during the study saw a big drop in their daily physical activity — by 62 minutes a day.

Katie Potter, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who led the study notes that while the body of research is limited, other studies have also suggested that dogs may have a bit more of an impact on girls’ activity levels. “We’re not sure why — if it’s something about how girls and boys differently communicate with or connect with their dogs. So we certainly want to learn more about this,” Potter says. Studies show girls experience a bigger drop in physical activity as they get older than boys do. “If researchers can find ways to use dogs to get — and keep — girls moving more, that could have a real impact on public health.”

Dogs are a big responsibility, and owning one is not for everyone. But for dog lovers, welcoming a furry friend into the family could have many benefits. “There’s just something about the connection between humans and animals that I think people just can’t get enough of,” Potter says.

1. How does the study get its finding according to the passage?

A．By comparing boys’ school activities with girls.

B．By tracking kids’ long-term physical activity levels.

C．By studying the number of owning dogs in children.

D．By observing the relationship between kids and dogs.

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

A．Noticeable.

B．Accessible.

C．Measurable.

D．Reliable.

3. What does professor Potter suggest about the dog ownership?

A．It can reduce girls’ physical activity as they get older.

B．It can help drive girls to be more physically active.

C．It would help strengthen boys’ sense of responsibility.

D．It would make more and more girls ready to buy dogs.

4. Why do the researchers make the study according to professor Potter?

A．To encourage more families to adopt dogs as pets.

B．To understand the effect of dogs on public health.

C．To figure out the different effects on boys and girls.

D．To prove that dogs are important for physical well-being.