1 . Google is the most popular Internet search engine in the world. It was invented by two students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They met in 1993, when they were studying computer science at Stanford University, USA. They dreamed of producing something that could also answer any question in seconds.
Internet search engines at that time were slow and gave many websites that weren’t useful. In January, 1996, Page and Brin decided to make a better and faster search engine. They thought the results should be based on the most popular websites.
Nobody would give them money for their project, so they used their own money.
They also borrowed money from family and friends. Then, in 1998, they were given a cheque (支票) for $100,000, and they started their own company. Their first office was in a friend’s garage. The company’s name is Google, a word which comes from mathematics. A “google” is a very high number — 1 followed by a hundred zeros.
The Google search engine was soon used by thousands of people worldwide because it was fast, easy and correct. By 2002 it was the biggest search engine on the Internet. Now, more questions have been answered by Google than any other Internet service, from sport to science, and from music to medicine. Google hopes that in the future all the world’s information will be put on the Internet, so that everybody can find everything.
1. Who invented the search engine Google?| A．Two college students. | B．Two college teachers. |
| C．Two high school students. | D．Two high school teachers. |
| A．In 1993. | B．In 1996. | C．In 1998. | D．In 2002. |
| A．The Google search engine was invented by two students. |
| B．The company of Google was in a garage at first. |
| C．The name of Google comes from biology. |
| D．The service of the Google search engine is very popular. |
| A．A geography text. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．A travel advertisement. | D．An environmental report. |
2 . Ancestors left us many valuable things and intangible cultural heritage is one of them. It includes things like music, art, sports and other social practices.
With a knife, scissors and a comb, people in Shanxi can creatively turn the dough (面团) into different characters. The common ones are babies and animals. During many festivals, even now, they are sent to friends and family as gifts. But few young people can make them.
More than 1,000 years ago, the Bai people used Tie-dye (扎染) to make colorful clothes. During the Tang and Song dynasties, it was popular. In the 1960s, it became a fashion in the US. Now some children learn it in their art classes. Hope more of them can join.
As one of the most famous styles, Shu Embroidery (蜀绣) is known for its smooth needlework (针线) and beautiful colors. However, because of cheaper products made by modern machines, fewer people buy handmade embroidery products, so the skill is in danger. Luckily, some young people are learning it.
West Lake Longjing Tea Roasting Technique (炒茶技术) is an important part of Chinese tea culture. Although machines can do the job now, the quality is not good. Only by hand can we make tea leaves have the best color, shape and taste. We need to pass it down and let more young people learn it.
1. Which is the intangible cultural heritage in Shanxi?| A．Tea Roasting Technique. | B．Dough Sculpture. |
| C．Tie-dye. | D．Shu Embroidery. |
| A．Different characters. | B．Colorful clothes. |
| C．Smooth needlework. | D．Roast tea. |
| A．By using the Internet to spread them. |
| B．By introducing the art forms to foreigners. |
| C．By encouraging young people to learn them. |
| D．By using more new skills to make the products. |
The 2024 Dongpo Culture and Art Week is underway in Yixing, Jiangsu province, aiming to draw attention to the preservation of cultural relics and enhance the
Su Dongpo,
Su’s values of practical patriotism, broad-mindedness, cultural emphasis, deep affection and pastoral interests
Jason had a reputation as the messiest kid at Greenwood High School. His room was like a junkyard, with clothes tossed everywhere, empty chip bags on the floor, and half-finished sodas scattered across his desk. His mom, Susan, had stopped nagging (唠叨) him to clean up, hoping he himself would eventually get the hint. But instead, the mess just got worse.
Greenwood High School was famous for its creative projects, so when the headmaster Mr. Thompson declared a new “Labor Education” project, no one was too surprised. The idea was simple: teach students about hard work through real tasks. Jason wasn’t excited—he would rather play video games all day—but the project was a must; he had no choice.
Finally, the day of the project came. It was gray and overcast, matching Jason’s mood as he dragged himself into the school’s lecture hall with his classmates, yawning and complaining. Mr. Thompson stood on stage with a speaker. “Today, we’re going to learn the importance of labor!” he exclaimed. Jason rolled his eyes when he was assigned to the gardening group with his best friend, Mike. Their job was to clear out the school’s overgrown front lawn and plant new flowers. They shared a look that said it all—this was going to be a long day.
As they started weeding, Jason quickly discovered how hard physical labor could be. The weeds were stubborn, and the leaves seemed to multiply every time he raked (耙) them. His back ached, his arms felt like jelly, and his hands blistered. While stretching, eager to sneak in a break, he spotted Mr. Thompson standing afar with a big smile from across the yard, giving him a big thumbs-up.
After lunch, the group moved to build simple things like birdhouses for the garden in the school’s maintenance house. Jason had two left hands at first—his hammering was a mess— but he slowly got better. By the end of the session, he managed to make a crooked but decent-looking birdhouse. Carrying his newly-made birdhouse around, Jason proudly showed it off to his classmates.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The last task of the day was to plant new flowers.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the day ended, Jason walked back to his room.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Sometimes it is almost impossible not to feel hopeless and broken,” said the climate scientist Ruth Cerezo-Mota. “After all the flooding, fires and droughts of the last three years worldwide, are all related to climate change, and after the fury (袭击) of Hurricane Otis in Mexico, my country, I really thought governments were ready to listen to the science, to act in the people’s best interest.”
Instead, Cerezo -Mota expects the world to heat by a catastrophic (灾难性的) 3℃ this century, soaring past the internationally agreed 1.5℃ target and delivering enormous suffering to billions of people. This is her optimistic view, she said. “The breaking point for me was a meeting in Singapore,” said Cerezo-Mota, an expert in climate modelling at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. There, she listened to other experts spell out the connection between rising global temperatures and heatwaves, fires, storms and floods hurting people -not at the end of the century, but today. “That was the time when everything clicked (恍然大悟).”
“I got upset,” she said. “It was a very dark point in my life. I was unable to do anything and was just surviving.”
Cerezo-Mota recovered to continue her work: “We keep doing it because we have to do it, so the powerful cannot say that they didn’t know. We know what we’re talking about. They can say they don’t care, but they can’t say they didn’t know.”
In Mérida on the Yucatán peninsula, where Cerezo-Mota lives, the heat keeps rising. “Last summer, we had around 47℃ maximum. The worst part is that, even at night, it’s 38℃ , which is higher than your body temperature. It doesn’t give a minute of the day for your body to try to recover.”
She said record-breaking heatwaves led to many deaths in Mexico. “It’s very frustrating because many of these things could have been avoided. And it’s just silly to think: Well, I don’t care if Mexico gets destroyed? We have seen these extreme events happening everywhere. There is not a safe place for anyone.
“I think 3℃ is being hopeful and conservative (保守的). 1.5℃ is already bad, but I don’t think there is any way we are going to stick to that. There is not any clear sign from any government that we are actually going to stay under 1.5℃ .”
Cerezo-Mota is far from alone in her fear. A survey of hundreds of the world’s climate experts has found that:
●77% of interviewees believe global temperatures will reach at least 2.5℃ above pre -industrial levels, a disastrous level.
● Almost half-42% —think it will be more than 3℃ .
●Only 6% think the 1.5℃ limit will be achieved.
1. The flooding, fires and droughts of the past three years worldwide is connected with __________.| A．climate change | B．heatwaves | C．high temperature | D．extreme events |
| A．except for | B．by accident | C．on the spot | D．far beyond |
| A．Subjective | B．Concerned | C．Indifferent | D．Grateful |
| A．What led to the increase in global temperatures? |
| B．Why is Ruth Cerezo-Mota in despair? |
| C．What did a survey of the world’s climate experts find? |
| D．What caused deaths in Mexico? |
Eva knew she’d have to swim on the “goat” again. The thought made her want to turn her bicycle around and head home, but she didn’t. She kept riding along the river toward Mr Kovar’s house for her swimming lesson.
Eva’s town had no public pools. The university had a pool, but it was only for swim teams. Eva had seen the pool when her brothers had been on the school swim team, and she is eager to swim in its blue water. But now, Eva and the other students had to learn to swim by lying on a piece of wood fixed on a sawhorse (锯木架). The sawhorse looked like a goat.
After Eva reached Mr Kovar’s house, he began his class. “Tell me the basic swimming way I have aught you!” Mr Kovar said. “Lie on my front; swing one arm over my head, and then the other arm. Meanwhile, kick the water,” Eva replied. Mr Kovar said, “OK. Now, practice. One hundred strokes (划水)!” Eva climbed onto the sawhorse and lay on her stomach but there was no water around.
Mr Kovar walked around Eva as she practiced her strokes. “Fingers together,” he said and tapped her hand. Next he tapped her head, saying, “Breathe only when you turn your head.” Finding Mr Kovar often looked unsatisfied, Eva became nervous. “Thirty-seven, thirty-eight,” Mr Kovar said, counting her strokes. Week after week, Mr Kovar counted and tapped. Each week, Eva tried to break her record for fewest taps.
One day, Mr Kovar said, “You’re ready to swim in the water.” “The university pool?” Eva asked happily. Mr Kovar said, “You cannot swim there unless you’re on a team. You cannot be on a team unless you pass my class. I cannot pass you until I see you swim in the water. You must first swim in the river.” “Is it safe?” Eva asked. The river was cold and muddy. “It’s safe if you’re a good swimmer,” said Mr Kovar. The next day Eva and her mother met Mr Kovar at the river.
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。
When Mr Kovar gave the signal, Eva rushed into the brown water.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing Eva’s excellent swimming, Mr Kovar asked her to swim back to the bank.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I’ve seen my share of wildfires’
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
No plants or signs of life in sight. Just gray. Street after street was nothing but ruins. It was hard
One sight
8 . On Nov 7, 52-year-old French author Jean-Baptiste Andrea secured the famed Goncourt Prize for his novel Watch Over Her. With a history of 120 years, the Goncourt Prize stands as one of the most important literary awards in France.
Described as “extremely refreshing”, the book offers readers a break from a sad new cycle, according to Didier Lecoin, the jury (评委会) president of the Goncourt Prize. Philippe Claudel, another member, said it was “high-quality popular literature”. “And that is what the Goncourt is about,” he added.
Watch Over Her develops as a love story between a young poor sculptor and a local noble young woman in 20th -century Italy, during the rise of fascism (法西斯主义). The account skillfully combines their story of love with explorations of Italian history and political structures.
Andrea mentioned that he crafted the story of Watch Over Her because he desired to reconnect with Italy, “the country of my ancestors”, and because he firmly believed in the power of popular fiction.
Andrea, a former screenwriter and director who turned to novel writing in his 40s, expressed that writing novels allowed him to rediscover the joy of writing lost in filmmaking. For him , writing is a means of taking control of his life, representing a return to his childhood passion for storytelling.
While some critics suggested that Watch Over Her might challenge the traditionally elite (精英) image of the Goncourt Prize, Andrea thought differently in an interview with France Inter, stating, “I feel that today we’ve left the privilege of telling stories to cinema... as if telling a story excluded depth. But I think we can be popular and at the same time deep, and give different levels of reading to different types of readers and generations.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To lead into the topic of the passage. |
| B．To introduce a new literary award. |
| C．To present one of the major views of the society. |
| D．To draw readers’ attention to writing. |
| A．It is highly thought of by all. | B．It offers an escape from sorrow. |
| C．It elevates high-quality literature. | D．It provides access to science fiction. |
| A．He is interested in exploring storytelling methods. |
| B．He hopes to find a sense of inner peace. |
| C．He needs to seek further inspiration for filmmaking. |
| D．He wants to fulfill his childhood dream. |
| A．It is a short story set in 19th-century Italy. |
| B．It is a historical exploration of French politics. |
| C．It represents Andrea’s way of revisiting his roots. |
| D．It involves a young sculptor and a poor woman. |
Heritage professionals
Despite progress
According
He mentioned two technological
“Yungang Grottoes are a treasure of traditional Chinese culture,” said Hang. “We will give priority to protection and add more technological measures
10 . Philippine pineapple farmers used to be bothered by pineapple leaves. Fortunately, their trouble has been removed by Carmen Hijosa, a Spanish researcher who spent eight years developing a new textile (纺织物) she calls Pinatex. This kind of new cloth materials, made from pineapple leaf fibres which are harvested and stripped from pineapple leaves by farmers, are very fine and strong and flexible. These characteristics make them quite popular.
Since launching commercially in the mid-2015, Pinatex has been used by about 500 producers including a recent cooperation with fashion house Hugo Boss on a pair of vegan sneakers. Smaller fashion companies have been inspired by its unique look and feel.
Timothy Turner, creative director for fashion brand Altiir whose entire collection of biker style jackets are made from Pinate x says, “it’s got a unique texture. I’ve worn this for about a year, and it ages to your body really gracefully and shapes to your body when it gets wet; it dries like leather, and it behaves like leather in every way except it’s completely sustainable.”
The long fibre is pulled out through a process called decortication (去皮), which is done at the plantation by the farming community. Ananas has developed the first automated decorticating machine to assist with this process, allowing farmers to use greater quantities of their waste leaves. Once the leaves have been stripped of fibre, the leftover biomass can be used as a nutrient-rich natural fertilizer or a biofuel, so nothing is wasted. The fibre then gets degummed (脱胶) and undergo an industrial process to become a non-woven material, which forms the base of Pinatex.
The rolls of non-woven materials are then transported to Spain for specialised finishing. This unique process is what gives Pinatex its leather-like appearance, creating a textile that is soft and flexible, yet very strong. The finished textile is distributed to designers directly by Ananas Anam, who uses it as a sustainable alternative to leather in footwear and fashion accessories, clothing, interior furnishing and automotive cushions.
1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?| A．To promote a new product from Hugo Boss. |
| B．To call for cooperation between companies. |
| C．To provide evidence of Pinatex’s popularity. |
| D．To inspire smaller fashion industries. |
| A．It’s stronger and more flexible. | B．It is environmentally friendly. |
| C．It is more popular in industries. | D．It consumes more pine leaves. |
| A．How is the machine developed. | B．How is the leftover dealt with. |
| C．How is the new textile produced. | D．How is fibre stripped from leaves. |
| A．A Textile Made from Leaves | B．An Annoyance of Farmers |
| C．A Low-carbon Lifestyle | D．A Revolution in Agriculture |
