1 . 假定你是某国际学校的学生会主席李华。为了迎接第二届“全国生态日(National Ecology Day)”的到来，你校将于2024年8月12日下午4:00-5:30 在学校礼堂开展一次环保知识竞赛。请你用英文写一则通知。内容包括：
1．竞赛主题、时间及地点；
2．报名方法；
3．鼓励大家踊跃报名。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．开头和结尾已为你写好。

Notice

Dear fellow students,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Students Union

2 . 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。

I’ve seen my share of wildfires’     1    (destroy) on communities, but in more than eight years of covering these disasters as a photojournalist, the scene over Hawaii was one of     2     worst.

Based in Las Vegas, I’m used to being sent to wildfires in other places. I flew to Hawaii on Wednesday, and by Thursday morning, I was in a helicopter     3    (fly) over Lahaina, a normally busy west Maui town that draws     4    (visitor) from all over the world.     5    struck me the most was the lack of color of the burned earth sandwiched between the shiny blue ocean and deep green-brown mountains in the distance.

No plants or signs of life in sight. Just gray. Street after street was nothing but ruins. It was hard     6    (imagine) the scenic town that was once here.

One sight     7    (make) me worried and provided a clue of the serious damage of approaching fire: burned vehicles on the road along Front Street. They weren’t parked on the side of the road. They were     8    (obvious) abandoned in a big hurry. What happened     9     their owners? Did they escape or were they     10    (kill)?

3 . Ronald Blythe had not expected his book to be such a success. It had been _________ not only in Britain but also in America. The _________ he wrote in 1967 — 1968 was called Akenfield. It was a collection of conversations gathered from the ordinary people in his _________, Suffolk. Among his major _________ was a shepherd (牧羊人). Although he thought now and then how good it would be to _________ something, rather than looking after the sheep of other men, he firmly believed that he _________ Suffolk.

“Change is not _________ for me,” he once told Mr Blythe. “But it is happening too _________ in the outside world. I prefer to stay in this dreamy town.”

To this view, Mr Blythe was _________. He himself had stayed in Suffolk all his life. His family had been farmers here, and __________ was in his blood. He never saw the point of moving, or __________ jobs far from his hometown, if he could make a(n) __________ in Suffolk. As a boy he would __________ the area on his bike or lie in the grass, __________ clouds. With the encouragement of the artist-and-writer __________ he met in his first librarian job in Suffolk, his desire to be a writer was __________. So he started researching and writing about the __________ folks.

Usually, he chose to be __________. He spent his last four decades by himself in a very old house near a river, where he had a(n) __________ and quiet life. From ten to one, he wrote his books. After work and lunch, he __________ or took care of his farm.

1.

A．forgotten

B．welcomed

C．criticized

D．ignored

2.

A．book

B．person

C．letter

D．case

3.

A．office

B．family

C．library

D．hometown

4.

A．achievements

B．relatives

C．heroes

D．awards

5.

A．own

B．invent

C．find

D．hide

6.

A．focused on

B．relied on

C．referred to

D．belonged to

7.

A．pleasant

B．unacceptable

C．predictable

D．good

8.

A．accidentally

B．hard

C．fast

D．rarely

9.

A．angry

B．disapproving

C．uninterested

D．sympathetic

10.

A．poison

B．ambition

C．agriculture

D．wisdom

11.

A．refusing

B．seeking

C．creating

D．cutting

12.

A．living

B．impression

C．fortune

D．appointment

13.

A．measure

B．manage

C．explore

D．occupy

14.

A．expecting

B．watching

C．classifying

D．gathering

15.

A．students

B．activists

C．doctors

D．friends

16.

A．strengthened

B．satisfied

C．destroyed

D．lost

17.

A．rich

B．smart

C．local

D．lazy

18.

A．proud

B．polite

C．natural

D．alone

19.

A．regular

B．uncomfortable

C．short

D．unrealistic

20.

A．chatted

B．wandered

C．drew

D．danced

4 . Creativity is advocated everywhere these days. But most of us don’t know how to set it off. Here are some ways to start the process.

Work in a blue room. As we grow up, colors take on specific associations. Red means danger, and blue relates to peace.     1    . In one experiment, people facing a red computer screen did better at detail-oriented tasks like proofreading. Volunteers who faced a blue screen did better at creative tasks. That study appeared in 2009 in the journal Science.

Why the difference?     2    . Blue, on the other hand, tells us we can relax and let the imagination run free.

Sleep on it. Sleep helps generate new ideas in several ways. During sleep, the brain strengthens memories. That act of strengthening actually reorganizes thoughts, much like reorganizing books on a shelf.     3    . And that half-awake period right before we fall asleep or when we wake up may also help us focus on a problem.

    4    . The sleep-on-it solution only works best when people feel that they are getting close to an answer that is most likely to be solved by waiting a day.

Live in a foreign land. People who had lived abroad performed better on creative problems and tasks. A week in Paris isn’t enough to light the creative spark, delightful though that trip may be.     5    .

A．Watch a funny video

B．Such associations affect how we think

C．However, don’t expect this to work every time

D．Red makes us anxious, and anxiety causes us to focus

E．The new arrangement can help generate new associations

F．If we can let our mind wander, we are more likely to solve the problem

G．It has to be long enough to challenge our habitual ways of thinking and living

5 . The Zero Energy Building in Singapore, which has been entirely powered by sunlight since it began operating in 2009, is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. Transformed from a former workshop, the three- story building may hold the key to the island’s effort to reduce its dependence on imported fuel.

Generally, green building strategies can be categorized into passive and active solutions. Active solutions involve improving lighting and the HVAC(Heating, Ventilation (通风) and Air-conditioning)systems that consume most of the energy in buildings. Passive solutions aim to provide more energy-efficient architectural improvements (such as building envelopes and roofs) to reduce the reliance on active solutions. Research has shown that passive strategies are much less costly compared to active solutions. Therefore, passive design is recommended in many green and sustainable design guidelines.

“However, passive solutions, such as daylight and natural ventilation, are sensitive to climatic and outdoor conditions and therefore have their limitations of application,” said project officer Letchimi Palanisamy. “For example, buildings in the tropics (热带) usually have a North-South direction to avoid facing the sun directly. But the Zero Energy Building has an East-West orientation, which made the task more challenging.”

Innovations that are being tested at the Zero Energy Building include personalized ventilation and a new air-conditioning system patented by the National University of Singapore (NUS). Different plants have also been planted on the roofs and along the walls of the building to reduce heat absorption, yet allow maximum natural ventilation and daylight into the building to lower the need for air-conditioning and artificial lighting. The biggest improvement is the addition of a new roof that can turn sunlight into 500,000KWH of electricity each year.

“The Zero Energy Building is a test bed for the green building technologies in the tropics,” Letchimi Palanisamy said. “If they are successfully commercialized, they will help Singapore cut its energy consumption in the buildings by 50%.”

1. What does the second paragraph mainly focus on?

A．Methods to improve the HVAC systems.

B．Ways to classify green building strategies.

C．Major innovations adopted in green buildings.

D．The benefits and limitations of green technologies.

2. What can we learn from Letchimi Palanisamy’s words?

A．Buildings in the tropics usually face the sun directly.

B．Passive designs depend heavily on the natural conditions.

C．Active strategies are much less expensive than passive solutions.

D．The energy consumption in the Zero Energy Building is cut by 50%.

3. Which of the following is an active strategy?

A．Natural ventilation.	B．Plants grown along the walls.
C．Innovations for maximum daylight.	D．NUS’s air-conditioning system.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A project profile.

B．An on-site test.

C．An advertisement.

D．A government plan.

6 . Tourists at the Acropolis this holiday season can walk around the ancient Greek site to see how it looked like 2,500 years ago. They will even see a collection of sculptures that were removed from the site more than 200 years ago and are now on display at the British Museum in London. All they need is a smartphone and an app called Chronos.

They can just point their phones at the Parthenon, and then the sculptures housed in London will app ear back on the temple. Other less widely known features also appear: Many of the sculptures on the Acropolis are painted in striking colors. A statue of Athena in the main hall also stands over a shallow pool of water.

“The only time I’ve seen this kind of technology before was at the dentist,” Shriya Parsotam Chitnavis, a tourist from London, said after checking out the app on a hot afternoon at the hilltop Acropolis. “I’m more of a visual person, so this app has really helped me appreciate it.”

The app employs augmented reality (AR) to place the ancient impression of the site onto the screen, matching the real-world view as you walk around the temple. The app also covers three other monuments at the Acropolis, a neighboring Roman theater and parts of the Acropolis Museum built at the foot of the hill.

Greece’s Culture Ministry is enthusiastic to adopt the AR technology. Another company, Microsoft, partnered with the ministry two years ago to launch a digital tour at ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games in southern Greece.

“The software will offer tourists a more immersive experience, allowing them to share photos and videos from museums and other sources as more content becomes digitized,” said Maria Engberg, co-author of the book Reality Media.

1. How is Shriya Parsotam Chitnavis’s reaction to the software?

A．Positive.

B．Dismissive.

C．Skeptical.

D．Scared.

2. Which attraction is unable to be seen with Chronos?

A．The ancient Roman theater.	B．The birthplace of the Olympic Games.
C．Parts of the Acropolis Museum.	D．Three other monuments at the Acropolis.

3. What does the word “immersive” underlined in the last paragraph mean?

A．Unnatural.

B．Adventurous.

C．Painful.

D．Vivid.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A tourist’s experience at the Acropolis.

B．A new way to restore ancient cultural sites.

C．A very helpful app to be introduced at the Acropolis.

D．The popularity of AR technologies at ancient attractions.

7 . In spring 1955, Rosalynn Carter was doing what she had been avoiding since she married Jimmy Carter: keeping house and raising children in the same tiny town where they grew up.

But her husband called for help from his family’s farm one day and said that he couldn’t manage the farm on his own. So Rosalynn Carter gathered their sons and returned to the tiny town. Soon she was managing finances and handling customers. “Finally, I got used to our new life and knew more about the business than he did, and he would take my advice about things,” Rosalynn Carter told The Associated Press in 2021.

Their marriage was almost a decade old when she went to the farm, but that was perhaps the true beginning of a partnership that helped Jimmy Carter win the Georgia governor’s office in 1970 and then the White House in 1976. Six years later, they co-founded The Carter Center and committed themselves to charity work for four decades in more than 145 countries, where many children, now adults, were named Jimmy or Rosalynn or Carter. Along that path was a small-town love story that included 77 years of marriage and two decades of family friendship before that. Their shared journey ended on November 19, 2023, with Rosalynn’s death at the age of 96.

“It’s hard to think of one of them without the other,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend who saw the couple often during Rosalynn Carter’s last months. “When Jimmy was president. she even attended all White House meetings and discussed what she heard with him at home. They had nightly phone calls when they traveled separately.”

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished.” Jimmy Carter said in a statement released upon her death. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

1. How did Rosalynn Carter probably feel when she was asked to work on the farm?

A．Interested.

B．Unconcerned.

C．Proud.

D．Unwilling.

2. What did the Carters do in the early 1980s?

A．They bought a new farm in a small town.

B．They ran for the Georgia governor’s office.

C．They started to do charity work in the world.

D．They traveled in different countries as tourists.

3. What did Jill Stuckey say about the Carters?

A．Rosalynn Carter was an ambitious woman.

B．The couple were very attached to each other.

C．Jimmy Carter was not a qualified president.

D．They should not share the secret information.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Young Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter’s Love Stories

B．The World’s Responses to Rosalynn Carter’s Death

C．The Close Bond Between Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter

D．The Lasting Relationship Between the Carters’ Families

8 . Here are trips near Beijing for every age, taste, and budget.

Badachu

Badachu takes its name from the eight temples that make up the area’s main attraction. Its history as a religious site goes all the way back to the Tang Dynasty（618-907AD).   The first of the eight temples, Chang’an Si, is actually located right outside the park. The second temple, Lingguang Si, is Badachu’s main attraction and the only one that still has monks inside. Take the nearby chairlift（RMB 30）or continue exploring the other temples on foot.

Admission: RMB 10.

Longqing Gorge

Longqing Gorge is known for the Longqing Gorge Ice Sculpture Festival in winter and peaceful mountain views in summer. Often compared to the Yangtze River’s famous Three Gorges, Longqing Gorge also ranks favorably with Guilin’s mountain and water views. Besides sightseeing, tourists can go boating, rock climbing and horseback riding here. Baihua Dong is best avoided, as the only signs of “flowers” are made with plastics.

Admission: RMB 40.

Shang Fang Shan

As a national forest park, Shang Fang Shan is known for its diversity of plants and ancient trees that are over a thousand years old. There are nine caves in the mountain. The best-known one is called Yunshui Cave, meaning “the cave of clouds and water”.

Admission: RMB 40.

Huanghuacheng

If your idea of relaxation is losing yourself in hiking along the wild Great Wall, then Huanghuacheng, which is named after the yellow flowers that blanket the site in summer, is for you. Here you can explore the Great Wall at any time for free. The exploration starts at Jintang Lake and the moon-shaped Huanghuacheng Reservoir, which breaks the Great Wall into three sections. Huanghuacheng is also known as “Water Great Wall” because part of the wall is underwater.

1. How much should you pay if you visit the temples by chairlift in Badachu?

A．RMB 10

B．RMB 20

C．RMB 30

D．RMB 40

2. What are visitors recommended to do in Longqing Gorge?

A．Go for a sculpture festival in summer.	B．Visit a cave with beautiful flowers.
C．Enjoy pretty mountain and water views.	D．See various plants and ancient trees.

3. What is special about Huanghuacheng?

A．It can be visited free of charge.	B．It is best-known for its natural beauty.
C．It is famous for yellow flowers in spring.	D．It offers free access to many religious sites.

9 . 从上个世纪50年代起，围绕“太空探索的巨大开支是否值得”的争论就不曾休止。有人辩称太空探索改变了我们的生活，但也有人说我们更应该用这些资金去应对气候变化，贫穷，饥饿等国际问题。请写一篇议论文表明你的观点，并给出相应的理由。
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Since 1950s, there has been a debate about whether the money spent on space exploration is worthwhile. I

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

Beijing roast duck

Beijing roast duck, known for its unique taste and rich historical significance,     1     (refer) to as a “delicacy among all delicacies”. This famous dish traces its roots back     2     the Ming Dynasty and has become synonymous (等同于) with Beijing’s rich cultural relics. To create this masterpiece, chefs start with a selection of fine ducks,     3     (careful) cleaned and inflated to stretch the skin. The duck is then roasted over an open flame     4     (fuel) by fruit woods, such as peach or date,     5     contributes to the distinctive aroma and flavor.     6     sets it apart is the thin, crispy skin that crackles under the     7     (tooth) and the tender, succulent meat beneath. Served with thin pancakes, green onions     8     sweet bean sauce, each bite of the Beijing roast duck is an explosion of taste that embodies centuries-old tradition meeting modern culinary artistry.

The Beijing Duck Museum, founded by Quanjude,     9     Chinese restaurant that has served duck for more than a century, is welcomed by customers during summer vacation because of its free tickets and cozy environment. With high temperatures     10     (heat) Beijing, museums provide welcome relief.