1 . A recent survey of British parents found that in all, 7% of respondents give their baby a made-up name and 65% are at least willing to consider such a move in new age.

A few examples of these new age baby names include Jaspin, Elisobelle, Wrenlow, and Maevery. Don’t see any names you like? How about Evabeth? Even if they themselves aren’t willing to choose such a name, a surprising 94% of respondents admit that made-up baby names are very much “in” these days.

Apparently, these parents believe they are helping their kids by selecting a rarer name. The survey noted that 72% of all respondents believe a unique name will help their child stand out from the crowd. Another 2% choose a made-up name for their baby with social media in mind, thinking a more unique name means their child’s social media account will be much easier for potential followers to find. But 16% also believe that a strange name may reflect poorly on the parents.

A popular strategy for parents to decide on a name is taking two names that both parents like, and combining them into one name（10%）. Another 9% combine the names of older relatives as a way to honor family. Similarly, many parents（30%） are drawing inspiration from popular movies and books.

However, the majority of surveyed parents（92%） at least admitted that giving their child an odd name is bound to result in a few drawbacks. For example, two-thirds worry that an odd name will be hard to spell and pronounce, and a third worry that their child’s teachers will judge them based on their unusual name. Of course, for those parents who are confident they’ve picked a winning made-up name, 13% actually worry about other parents stealing their child’s name.

1. How does the author illustrate the new trend?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By asking questions.
C．By listing statistics.	D．By stating opinions.

2. Why do most parents give their newborns odd names?

A．To make their children feel less special.	B．To reflect their higher social status.
C．To draw others’ attention more easily.	D．To attract more followers online.

3. What is most people’s attitude towards the new trend of naming babies?

A．It will be advised by teachers.	B．It can actually be double-edged.
C．It should be protected carefully.	D．It surely makes parents confident.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Ordinary Names Are Parents’ New Pursuit	B．An Odd Name Can Influence One’s Life
C．Trendy Names Appear on Social Media	D．Newborns’ Unique Names Are Coming

2 . Organizations design courses to help you learn new skills or improve your current skill set. Here’re the best course providers of 2024.

Codecademy

It provides information technology (IT) and other technical users with courses in coding and other software engineering areas. You can choose from several subscription plans or choose a free option to explore the website’s course collection.

Memrise

It’s a website and an application created to help you learn another language. It’s free to use and offers up to 23 languages to pursue. It aims to work on developing your long-term memory to support your learning journey and make it more effective. Additionally, it provides video examples of individuals using the language’s terms and phrases in everyday life.

Pluralsight

It’s a paid subscription site but offers a free trial, so you can try a few classes to determine if it fits your needs. You can take a Skill IQ assessment to know your skill levels and help you determine a plan to improve your abilities. It employs certified experts as the course instructors, which benefits you as a learner.

Alison

It’s a free learning platform offering classes, including fields such as personal development, health, language, finance and science. It offers learners the flexibility of taking the courses anywhere and anytime, so users can fit it into their schedule. And the platform is for individuals with various skill levels, from beginner to expert. Additionally, the site has two types of courses, allowing you to choose between earning a certificate or getting a diploma.

1. Which is most likely to be the course provided on Codecademy?

A．Computer Science.	B．Drawing for Beginners.
C．Advanced Parenting Skills.	D．Civil Engineering.

2. Which website invites specialists to assist the learners?

A．Codecademy.

B．Pluralsight.

C．Alison.

D．Memrise.

3. What is special about Alison’s courses?

A．They are designed for adults.	B．They require learners to pay.
C．They offer no certificates.	D．They are self-paced.

5 . New scientific research has found that attending live sporting events improves levels of well-being and reduces feelings of loneliness. The study used data from 7,209 adults, aged 16—85, living in England who joined in the Taking Part Survey, carried out by the British Government.

The study found that attending sporting events results in higher scores of two major aspects of subjective well-being—life satisfaction and a sense of “life being worthwhile” —as well as lower levels of loneliness.

Nowadays many initiatives (倡议) promote the benefits of physical participation in sport, but the researchers believe that watching live sporting events can also offer an accessible and effective public health tool for improving well-being and reducing loneliness.

Lead author Dr. Helen Keyes said, “Previous research has focused on specific sports or small population samples, such as college students in the United States. Ours is the first study to look at the benefits of attending any sporting event across an adult population, and therefore our findings could be useful for shaping future public health strategies, such as offering reduced ticket prices for certain groups.”

“The live events covered by the survey ranged from free amateur events to Premier League football matches. Therefore, further research needs to be done to see whether these benefits are more noticeable for high level sport.”

“However, we do know that watching live sport of all kinds provides many opportunities for social interaction and this helps to establish group identity and belonging, which in turn reduces loneliness and makes a difference to levels of well-being.”

1. The new research focused on whether attending live sporting events ______.

A．benefits people of different ages	B．results in higher scores of study
C．improves levels of happiness	D．reduces the harm of working alone

2. We know that Dr. Helen Keyes and her team are the first to ______.

A．promote the benefits of physical participation in sport

B．believe watching live sporting events helps reduce pressure

C．offer reduced ticket prices for a certain group of people

D．study how attending sporting events benefits adults

3. What does the underlined word “noticeable” mean in Paragraph 5?

A．Easy to see.

B．Hard to change.

C．Possible to lose.

D．True to believe.

4. What does Dr. Helen Keyes think of their findings?

A．Useless.

B．Helpful.

C．Funny.

D．Tiring.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Last year, I had the chance to study at a British secondary school as an exchange student. I stayed with     1     lovely host family and went to school with their son, Daniel. We were both     2     year ten and we got on well.

The British school day     3     (begin) at 9 a. m. and ends at 4 p. m. Students usually have to learn nine subjects at secondary school. Every student must study English, Maths and the Science     4     (subject): Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They can also choose     5     (study) other subjects, such as History, Art and Business.

The classes are different from those in China. Each teacher has their own classroom with the students     6     (move) around for every lesson. I enjoyed most of the classes, but some of them were quite challenging. With the teacher’s help, I made a clock in the Technology classes. I like it so much     7     I still use it as my alarm!

However, learning English was a great challenge for me. There were a lot of difficult English words,     8     (especial) in Geography and Biology. Class discussion is very important in the UK, but sometimes I wasn’t able to express     9     (me). Fortunately, my teachers and classmates were always     10     (friend) and helpful. My language skills improved over time.

8 . One day, my children and I found a homeless, small cat trapped in a burning box. She was _________ injured, with most hairs burned. We rescued her and named her Smoky. Back at our ranch (牧场) we _________ her.

Weeks later, Smoky looked better, but was completely _________ due to medicine on her skin. She looked so ugly but we adored her. My husband, Bill, didn’t. Smoky _________ him, too. Why? He was a pipe smoker _________ matches and lighters that _________ and burned. Every time he lit up the pipe, Smoky panicked, _________ his coffee cup before fleeing.

“Can’t I have any _________ here?” he’d complain, instead of quitting smoking though it harmed his health. _________, Smoky became more __________ of the pipe and its owner. She’d lie on the sofa and look at Bill as he smoked. One day he laughed, “Oh, the cat makes me feel __________.” Slowly, Bill __________ smoked in the house, and one night, surprisingly, I found Smoky lying on his lap. Bill started liking her.

During Smoky’s second year, she began growing fur. Tiny white hairs gradually grew long. Bill continued to enjoy her __________, driving around with Smoky. When he got out of the truck to check the __________ on the ranch, he left the cat __________, letting her enjoy the air conditioning.

1.

A．accidentally

B．likely

C．severely

D．lightly

2.

A．treated

B．trained

C．caged

D．entertained

3.

A．homeless

B．hairless

C．cured

D．deserted

4.

A．resisted

B．attacked

C．disliked

D．annoyed

5.

A．particular about

B．independent of

C．full of

D．armed with

6.

A．flashed

B．sounded

C．smoked

D．slipped

7.

A．knocking over

B．turning over

C．taking away

D．picking up

8.

A．coffee

B．peace

C．trouble

D．right

9.

A．Sooner or later

B．So far

C．On occasion

D．In time

10.

A．tired

B．aware

C．tolerant

D．careful

11.

A．sick

B．guilty

C．cheerful

D．content

12.

A．rarely

B．occasionally

C．casually

D．continuously

13.

A．beauty

B．gentleness

C．warmth

D．company

14.

A．cattle

B．engine

C．road

D．weather

15.

A．behind

B．aside

C．inside

D．out

9 . While Instagram’s impact on teenage girls’ body image made the news recently, few have thought about its effect on teenage boys and young men. The masculine (男子汉的) body ideal has become increasingly large and more muscular in recent years. Given these pressures, a third of teenage boys report trying to bulk up (增肌).

Social media use is linked to muscle and height dissatisfaction in young men. Boys using social media are more likely to think about using harmful muscle-enhancing products. The pressure to become muscular can lead to muscle dysmorphia (健身成瘾症), which is when individuals become absorbed in the idea that their bodies are too small and not muscular enough. Like common eating disorders among teenagers, muscle dysmorphia can significantly worsen a teen’s physical and mental health.

Because of social media, boys’ bodies are on display now more than ever, especially through influencers’ accounts. Compared to female selfies (自拍照) which are more likely to feature faces, male selfies are more likely to be full-body photos: An analysis of 1,000 male full-body Instagram posts showed that a majority portrayed muscularity, and that images featuring this body type received significantly more likes and comments. Boys who view or post content related to fitness or muscularity on social media are subsequently flooded with other images of bulking teens, leading to an unhealthy cycle of constantly comparing their body with others and possible social media addiction.

While lawmakers debate potential government regulation of social media, concerned parents can start having conversations with their teens and discourage content that makes teens feel worse about themselves. They can also help relieve social media addiction by encouraging their kids to turn off updates, by having social media-free time (such as during family meals) and by having teens keep phones away from their beds while sleeping. Boys suffering from body image anxiety often experience delays in diagnosis and treatment. Parents need to be aware that the negative impact of social media isn’t only impacting their daughters but their sons as well.

1. What is the influence of social media on teenage boys?

A．Their dissatisfaction with their look.

B．Their wish to be covered by the media.

C．Their falling victim to eating disorders.

D．Their addiction to using harmful products.

2. Why is the analysis mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．To showcase the popularity of Instagram.

B．To compare the gender differences on selfies.

C．To illustrate features of some desirable body types.

D．To explain boys’ motivation for posting full-body photos.

3. What is the author’s key message in paragraph 4?

A．Parenting matters more than law-making.

B．Boys’ body shame requires parents’ attention.

C．The use of social media does no good to boys.

D．The appearance anxiety is not easy to be cured.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Ideal Body Shape Is Not Built In One Day

B．Selfies Out Of Sight, Anxiety Out Of Mind

C．To Be Muscular Or Not. That Is The Question

D．Muscular Body Figure, Poisonous Social Media

10 . As the sun sinks towards the horizon, casting long shadows across the dusty football pitch (足球场) in Kakuma refugee camp in north-western Kenya, one player — Abdirahman —   _______ not just for his skills but because most of the other players tower over him.

“When I play with kids my age, I don’t feel _______. However, I gain a lot of skills playing with older players,” _______ Abdirahman.

At just 14 years old, Abdirahman’s _______ to compete against older boys_______ his ambition and passion for the beautiful game. With incomparable skills, his feet move _______ across the dry, uneven ground, and _______ defenders, leaving clouds of dust behind. His coach proudly gives him a(n) _________.

Abdirahman was born in Kakuma in 2010, just two years after his parents and older siblings _______ the border into Kenya ________ conflict in Somalia.

“In Kakuma, we all have ________: some want to be great footballers and relocate to other places; some want to be great musicians,” he said. ________, they do not get the opportunity to ________ their talents.

Football has become an important part of Abdirahman’s life and a(n) ________ force among the diverse communities in the camp where he lives, bringing together players from different cultures and backgrounds.

“When I play football, I feel ________, I feel famous, and I feel like I’m the best in the game.”

1.

A．breaks out

B．stands out

C．calls out

D．drops out

2.

A．integrated

B．separated

C．challenged

D．qualified

3.

A．explained

B．accused

C．complained

D．appealed

4.

A．courage

B．responsibility

C．curiosity

D．pride

5.

A．reconstructs

B．prevents

C．replaces

D．reflects

6.

A．awkwardly

B．slowly

C．elegantly

D．nervously

7.

A．trick

B．kick

C．approach

D．attract

8.

A．approval

B．example

C．apology

D．warning

9.

A．built

B．crossed

C．broadened

D．removed

10.

A．scheduling

B．joining

C．fueling

D．escaping

11.

A．gifts

B．concerns

C．achievements

D．dreams

12.

A．Nevertheless

B．Instead

C．Besides

D．Therefore

13.

A．classify

B．showcase

C．estimate

D．notice

14.

A．expanding

B．directing

C．uniting

D．urging

15.

A．seen

B．lost

C．exhausted

D．alerted