1 . Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 100, will always be remembered for the key role he played in the normalization of China-US relations.
The secret trip he made to Beijing in July 1971, at the height of the Cold War, paved the way for the historic visit by then US president Richard Nixon to the Chinese capital in February 1972. “The week that changed the world” helped end more than 20 years of estrangement (疏远) between China and the United States, and led to the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979. The following more than four decades of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, although not always smooth sailing, have reshaped the global geopolitical landscape, contributing to peace, stability and the development of the world.
As an diplomat with scholarly understanding of Chinese history and culture, in China Kissinger is heralded for his visionary (有远见的) and insightful thinking on China-US ties. The role he played in bridging the differences between the two countries — as highlighted by the more than 100 trips he paid to China — made him a trusted messenger for successive leaders of both countries.
He was worried by the many US politicians trying to play the Taiwan card to contain China's rise, a situation which, in his view, is against the long-term interests of both China and the US. “Keep in mind that if China and America are in conflict, then the whole world will be divided,” he said. To minimize the chance of the two countries sliding into a serious conflict, Kissinger advised the US “to keep from being adversarial (对抗的) and pursue dialogue instead”. He urged China and the US to cooperate, because “working together, we can achieve great things, not just for our countries, but also for humanity”.
The death of Kissinger is a great loss. But his legacy (遗产) will last forever. What he said and did to help develop a sound and healthy US-China relationship should inspire all those who are working for a better relationship between the two countries. His call for dialogue and cooperation, rather than confrontation and zero-sum competition, should shed light on the course for healthy interactions between the two sides.
1. Why did Kissinger arrive in Beijing in 1972?A.To represent the US to talk about some trade deals. |
B.To have a tour around the city and know more about it. |
C.To deal with some important personal affairs in the city. |
D.To get ready for Richard Nixon's paying a visit to Beijing. |
A.Adapted to. | B.Praised for. | C.Prepared for. | D.Attached to. |
A.That the US and China should make compromises. |
B.That the US and China should go their separate ways. |
C.That the US and China should lead the world together. |
D.That the US and China should communicate and work together. |
A.Kissinger’s legacy needs to be passed on |
B.Kissinger warns America not to contain China’s rise |
C.Kissinger worries about conflict between America and China |
D.Kissinger — an diplomat with scholarly understanding of Chinese history and culture |
2 . What do ballet dancers and short people have in common? They both spend more time on their tip toes than others. I don’t remember when I went from being a
One of the greatest lessons my dad taught me was to do something before somebody else could. If I am going to be a punchline (笑点), I’d rather be the
There was a lot of name-calling (辱骂). Some was cruel
Jokes and nicknames
As I get older, and
A.humorous | B.small | C.handsome | D.strong |
A.preferred | B.copied | C.reviewed | D.heard |
A.author | B.suspect | C.criminal | D.coach |
A.breaking down | B.falling behind | C.rolling in | D.running out |
A.while | B.until | C.since | D.after |
A.taken to | B.blocked out | C.stuck to | D.figured out |
A.him | B.you | C.me | D.it |
A.aboard | B.ahead | C.above | D.aside |
A.hated | B.organized | C.recommended | D.researched |
A.character | B.weight | C.height | D.emotion |
A.shocked | B.puzzled | C.judged | D.inspired |
A.constantly | B.apparently | C.bitterly | D.intentionally |
A.explanations | B.principles | C.misunderstandings | D.benefits |
A.spacious | B.solid | C.occupied | D.steady |
A.stomach | B.shoulder | C.back | D.head |
3 . In the beginning, there was nothing. The vastness of an unborn galaxy was marked by the absence of sound, light and substance. Empty music stood on an empty stage. Then the universe began to form when colors and shapes began to dance across what we would soon come to call the sky, the stars and the planets. Sounds of an orchestra began to play, colorful and clean.
Gustay Holst’s “The Planets, Op. 32”, to put simply, is a magical piece of music. Written between 1914 and 1916, the suite has built a strong legacy. As explained by conductor Peter Bay, Holst found inspiration from a topic that has twisted the human mind for centuries. It cannot be argued how deeply our understanding of the planets has shaped our aesthetics and culture — and Holst takes full creative liberty with this insight.
Each movement proved spectacular. “Clouds” combines a solemn tone with that of peaceful permanence, while “Festivals” follows with blooming joy and loud confidence. “Sirens” features the chorus, with their fascinating calls over the ebb and flow (起伏) of the orchestra itself. Different sections make for an impressive playing and listening experience.
The main event of the evening, to no surprise, proved an excellent journey across the planets that we find so familiar, bringing each to life with persistence and passion. In a world so focused on the digital, it is often easy to forget the power of live performance, particularly that of orchestral music. Yet, the richness and energy that flowed throughout the hall again proved the power of this art form and how fascinating collective sound can be.
1. What does the author describe at the beginning of the text?A.The setting of the stage. | B.The origin of the galaxy. |
C.The formation of the universe. | D.The technique of the orchestra. |
A.By listing examples. | B.By analyzing models. |
C.By comparing theories. | D.By presenting arguments. |
A.To praise its integration with music. | B.To reveal the appeal of the live show. |
C.To show the importance of technology. | D.To emphasize its harm to concentration. |
A.A Musical Journey across the Galaxy. | B.A Magical Exploration of the Universe. |
C.A Powerful Piece of Music on the Planets. | D.A Creative Musician with Space Inspiration. |
4 . Four Highly-related Books
Anne of Green Gables.
Anne of Green Gables by Canadian author Lucy Mau d Montgomery has been considered as a children’s novel since the mid-20th century. It states how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts at school and within the town. The novel presents the conflicts between Ann’s more fantastical daily life and that of Marilla, who would rather operate as social convention dictates (规定). Since publication, the book has sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into 20 languages.
First published: 1908
Original language: English
Pride and prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel of manners by the British author Jane Austen. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, norality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry (地主阶层) of England in the early 19th century.
First published: 1813
Original language: English
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis, telling a tale of “pirates (海盗) and buried gold”. The influence of the book on popular perceptions of pirates is huge, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an “X”, sailing ships, tropical islands and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.
First published: 1883
Original language: English
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pen name Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice falling through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by unusual and vivid creatures. The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense type.
First published: 1865
Original language: English
1. What do the four books have in common?A.They are novels written by the authors from the same country. |
B.They were first published in the 19th century. |
C.They were originally written in English. |
D.They are works of children's literature. |
A.Its theme is manners, upbringing and marriage. | B.Its main character is an English gentleman. |
C.It is suitable for both adults and children. | D.It is based on a true and touching story. |
A.Treasure Island. | B.Pride and prejudice. |
C.Anne of Green Gables. | D.Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. |
It was a bright and sunny Saturday when Mr. Jones moved in next door. He is an old gentleman with thick-framed glasses and a wiry beard. I could see his many belongings: antique chests, a large and tattered (破败的) painting of a rainforest, and boxes and boxes of old books. The line of movers bringing items into the house was endless! However, there was one item that Mr. Jones refused to let the movers touch. It was covered in a red velvet cloth and he carefully carried it inside himself.
That night, I heard an odd noise coming from Mr. Jones’s house. It was such a strange noise that I could not sleep at all! To my astonishment and anxiety, every night the strange sound would come up. After much consideration, I decided to investigate this mystery. I wondered what on earth Mr. Jones was? What could this strange noise be? What could he be hiding? Many doubts always echoed in my mind.
The next day, to confirm my guess, I slid into his house. Mr. Jones had left the window of his basement unlocked and I crawled inside without permission. Making several attempts, I made it! I felt around the walls for a light switch and when I finally turned the light on, I was amazed!
The basement was like a museum. There were many exquisite jungles and animals’ models which were often seen in museums. On the bookshelf were some academic books about zoo animals. I also noticed some remaining corns in the corner. When I glanced at the table, there was a first-aid kit on it! Determined to find out the truth, I was making my way across the room when I heard that strange noise again, coming from upstairs! Nervously, I walked up the stairs as quietly as I could but then on the last step… the floor beneath my foot creaked (嘎吱作响)! I paused, hoping no one was home to hear me.
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。
Suddenly, the door opened and there stood Mr. Jones staring right at me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________And then in the other room I saw it-a large cute parrot in a delicate gold cage!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . When she first encountered it, it seemed more like a Western-style dragon than a Chinese one, a(n)
Before heading off to college, Dilsora caught an interview on TV
However, as with many a dragon story, there is a
A.pet | B.spirit | C.angel | D.beast |
A.inspiring | B.threatening | C.comfortable | D.delightful |
A.choice | B.major | C.degree | D.preference |
A.required | B.ordered | C.recommended | D.requested |
A.starring | B.organizing | C.filming | D.featuring |
A.attach | B.know | C.tackle | D.benefit |
A.extremely | B.slightly | C.hardly | D.randomly |
A.at no time | B.by no means | C.to the point | D.in the way |
A.sense | B.spotlight | C.change | D.twist |
A.gave way to | B.held on to | C.got down to | D.lived up to |
A.obtained | B.applied | C.declined | D.failed |
A.Therefore | B.Furthermore | C.Otherwise | D.However |
A.transporting | B.referring | C.transplanting | D.translating |
A.recognition | B.destruction | C.relief | D.shelter |
A.affection | B.effect | C.thought | D.comment |
7 . Kevin Mills grew up in Guelph, Ontario. He was athletic. He enjoyed biking, scuba diving, rock climbing, and track. As an adult on vacation in Cuba, he went swimming in the ocean. A wave pounded him to the ocean floor. The accident injured his spine.
Mr. Mills was paralyzed below the neck.
Ms. Davenport suggested biking across Canada. “It’s something I always wanted to do,” Mr. Mills says. He just didn’t think it was possible On May 24, Mr. Mills dipped (浸一下) his tires in the ocean in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
In his public speaking, Mr. Mills said he had a big fear around the trip — the Rockies. Climbing mountains with his bike was difficult. He was also worried about the descent (下坡). However, he forced himself to overcome the fear. At last, Mr. Mills said modestly, “
A.That was the start of his journey |
B.He tried to move his arms and shoulders bit by bit |
C.I want to raise money and awareness for cancer and other diseases |
D.He learned to steer a motorized wheelchair using tiny head movements |
E.I want people with disabilities to see me out there biking and maybe get inspired to do something |
F.One is a backup in case something breaks down |
G.Still, the pair has faced challenges |
8 . In summer, Stefano Piraino was stepping along the rocky shoreline, when he spotted a washed-up jellyfish. Later, he tore off a piece and popped it in his mouth. It was salty, crunchy and crispy from the sun. “It was very tasty,” remembers Piraino, a zoologist. After a few days of lying on the shore their stinging (刺) cells are deactivated, Piraino explains. Still, he prevented anyone from eating jellyfish straight out of the sea, because raw jellyfish contains germs that can cause food poisoning.
Recently, there have been numerous reports of jellyfish blooms—seasonal events where there is a large and sudden increase in jellyfish numbers. These population explosions destroy the balance of ocean ecosystems, and have the potential to harm biodiversity and reduce fish stocks.
Some scientists, such as Piraino, believe one solution is broadening our ability to appreciate the taste and flavor. He suggests that since the world is in urgent need of sustainable food resources, one way to achieve this is to attempt to integrate new foods into traditional recipes and local cuisine. Jellyfish is already eaten across Asia. In China, Jellyfish have been eaten for more than 1,000 years, with jellyfish salad a popular delicacy. Not only are they high in protein, but the microalgae (海蜇) inside the cells of some jellyfish are rich in fatty acids.
However, despite their appeal to adventurous Western diners, jellyfish are not a straight substitution for fish, or other sources of protein. For one thing, jellyfish are 95% water, with the remaining 5% containing the nutritious essentials. Their nutrition to mass proportions means they’re a fairly inefficient source of protein. “There is probably more functional in them as a type of collagen (胶原蛋白) rather than protein,” says Jonathan Houghton, a senior lecturer in marine biology. “But certainly not as a replacement for fish, as that is several orders of magnitude greater as a potential food source.” There are a number of companies already using jellyfish as a substitute for cow and pig collagen, which is often used in medical treatments for humans. One British company says collagen from jellyfish offers a better alternative, because their collagen is in harmony with a wide variety of human cell types.
1. Why does Piraino warn people not to eat jellyfish directly from the sea?A.Because they are too salty to digest. | B.Because their stinging cells are still working. |
C.Because they contain harmful bacteria. | D.Because they are tasteless when raw. |
A.irrelevant | B.ineffective | C.immature | D.unavailable |
A.Reducing the reproduction of jellyfish. |
B.Combining the jellyfish food with traditional diet. |
C.Substituting for fish or other sources of protein. |
D.Limiting urgent need of sustainable food resources. |
A.Having a seafood feast? Here is the recipe. |
B.Unhealthy! Raw jellyfish contains bacteria! |
C.Crispy and tasty! The jellyfish is a replacement for fish! |
D.Solving the world’s jellyfish problem? Just eat them! |
9 . Have you ever pressed the pedestrian button at a crosswalk and wondered if it really worked? Or hit the close-door button in an elevator, while suspecting that it may, in fact, have no effect whatever? You’re not alone, and you may be right. The world is full of buttons that don’t actually do anything.
They’re sometimes called “placebo buttons” — buttons that are mechanically sound and can be pushed, but provide no functionality. Like placebo pills, however, these buttons may still serve a purpose, according to Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist who pioneered a concept known as the “illusion of control”. “They do have a psychological effect,” she said. “Taking some action leads people to feel a sense of control over a situation, and that feels good, rather than just being a passive bystander.”
In an essay on this topic, the author David McRaney observed: “If you happen to find yourself pressing a nonfunctional close-door button, and later the doors close, you’ll probably never notice because a little surge of happiness will run through your brain once you see what you believe is a response to your action. Your behavior was just restrengthened. You will keep pushing the button in the future.”
Langer called it the “illusion of control”. Langer described the effect as a positive thing. “Feeling you have control over your world is a desirable state,” she explained. When it comes to those deceptive traffic light buttons, Langer said there could be a whole host of reasons why the placebo effect might be counted as a good thing. “Doing something is better than doing nothing, so people believe,” she said. “And when you go to press the button, your attention is on the activity at hand.”
Placebo buttons are a lot like superstitions, or ancient rituals (宗教仪式) . You do something in the hopes of an outcome if you get the outcome, you keep the superstition. Dancing to the sky brings the rain, sacrificing a goat to get the sun to rise—it turns out these are a lot like pressing the close-door button in the elevator over and over again. Your brain doesn’t like randomness, and so it tries to connect a cause to every effect; when it can’t, you make one up.
1. What might be the function of “placebo buttons” according to Ellen Langer?A.Providing comfort. | B.Generating sound. |
C.Adding decorations. | D.Saving time. |
A.To make comparisons between placebo pills and placebo buttons. |
B.To illustrate the presence of the placebo buttons has a similar effect. |
C.To point out that they provide no functionality but still exist. |
D.To describe how they make people feel a sense of control over a situation. |
A.Having the rain-seeking ritual. |
B.Pressing the pedestrian button. |
C.Pounding on the keyboard when playing computer games. |
D.Reading the books on ancient rituals. |
A.Ironic. | B.Appreciative. | C.Critical. | D.Objective. |
10 . Upon first listening, Laufey’s smooth jazz music might sound nostalgic (怀旧的), but without doubt: The Icelandic 24-year-old isn’t some retro-revivalist (复古主义者) who was born in the wrong era. She’s a musician who could only exist in this generation. The 24-year-old just took home her first Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Born in Reykjavik to Chinese mother who played the violin in the local symphony, Laufey was raised on a rich musical diet. By age four she was playing the piano, soon preparing days and nights for cello band camp in Beijing. “I’m so grateful that my mom pushed me to practice and taught me that kind of discipline.” she says.
Her parents gifted her a violin practically as soon as she could walk, but Laufey says she didn’t discover her distinctive voice until she was around 12 years old. “I already had quite a low tone in my voice at that age, and I remember feeling a little off about it,” she says. Despite her affection for singers of a past era, Laufey’s approach to jazz — not to mention her millions of TikTok followers — has helped draw younger audiences to the jazz.
Laufey’s nostalgic sound combined with her off-hand (即兴的) phrasing gives her a charming character. She throws in modern-day expressions such as “awkward silence” and “blah blah blah” on her most-streamed song. From the start. “My songs are old sounds with modern lyrics,” she says. “At the end of the day. I’m making music for Gen Z. A lot of jazz standards have very casual language of that day, and I write with the casual language of my day.”
There is something rather significant about what Laufey represents. “How many mainstream artists play the cello?” asks Derrick Gee, a Chinese-Australian radio host. “The fact that she can stand in front of a microphone with a guitar wearing a formal dress and making young people cheering for old songs like Misty is already a minor miracle,” he says. “Whether she’s plucking a cello or playing a guitar, she has a multidimensional and visual appeal that extends beyond the tradition.”
1. What can we learn about Laufey?A.She was born in the wrong era. | B.She is in favor of retro-revivalists. |
C.She was greatly influenced by her mother. | D.She only wins an award for her music. |
A.Her parents discouraged her from pursuing music. |
B.Her passion for jazz music made her famous on TikTok. |
C.She has been a natural singer since she was 12 years old. |
D.She discovered her unique singing voice during adolescence. |
A.Laufey’s representative works. | B.The musical characteristics of Laufey. |
C.The music styles of Generation Z. | D.The standard of jazz music. |
A.Laufey focused on traditional music without the influence of the modern era. |
B.Derrick Gee was attracted by Laufey’s multidimensional opinions. |
C.Derrick Gee highly recognized Laufey’s talent and performance. |
D.Many artists prefer to perform with instrumental accompaniment. |