1 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The Day Mother Cried

Coming home from school that dark winter’s day so long ago, I was filled with anticipation. I had a new issue of my favorite sports magazine under my arm. Dad was at work, my sister was away, and Mother wouldn’t be home from her new job for an hour.

I was shocked into stillness by what I saw . Mother pulled into a tight ball with her face in her hands. She was crying. I had never seen her cry.

I approached cautiously and touched her shoulder. “Mother?” I said. “What’s happened?”

She took a long breath and managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing, really. I’m going to lose this new job. I can’t type fast enough.”

“But you’ve only been there three for days,” I said. “You’ll catch on.” I was repeating a line she had spoken to me a hundred times when I was having trouble learning or doing something important to me. She sobbed in silence .

I felt helpless and out of place. At the age of 16 I still assumed Mother could do anything. To provide enough income for my college two years later, Mother was crazy for ways to save money.

A few months ago, Mother arrived home with an old typewriter. It skipped between certain letters. “That’s all we can afford,” Mother said. “It’s good enough to learn on.” And from that day on, immediately after dinner, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight. On Monday, she got a job as a typewriter at a radio station. I was not the least bit surprised but she was excited. But on Tuesday Mother looked drawn. I didn’t care honestly.

My shock and embarrassment at finding Mother in tears on Wednesday showed how little I understood the pressures on her. Sitting beside her on the couch, I began very slowly to understand.

“I guess we all have to fail sometimes,” Mother said quietly. I could sense her pain. I reached out and put my arms around her.

A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station had offered. “It’s a job I can do,” she said simply.

注意：续写词数应为150左右。

But the evening practice routine on the old green typewriter continued.

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The old green typewriter sits in my office now, unrepaired.

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2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Triiiiiingggggggggggg, the bell rang. Suddenly my heart was raising and fear rose within me. I was nervous as I started to feel sick, really sick. I ran to the bathroom and washed my face with water. I felt my heart pound against my chest, hard and loud as I looked into the mirror and whispered “Come on, you can do this.”

Some were looking forward to this moment for ages; but not me. I felt frightened every time I imagine how uncomfortable it would be on a stage, and being the center of attention. If it was a speech, I could manage, but repeating a scene from a movie that has already been done by professional actors is simply hard because we get compared to them. But there was no choice.

As I made it to the assembly hall, I went over the script in my head. Suddenly I tensed as I couldn’t remember all the lines. Once I was there in the assembly hall, my brain literally stopped working because of all the noise and the tension in the air.

As soon as the teachers who were supposed to judge our performance entered, the crowd quieted down and the performances began. I was really nervous until the first performer was called, because I was really tired of being the first in everything as my name is the first in the register. But the more I waited, the more tired I got of waiting. There came a point where I, who once was feeling sick and scared of performing, wanted to go on stage and get my performance done. That’s when I found out that I was arranged to perform the next day. I was quite happy because maybe that would give me some more time to practice and improve the weaknesses that I saw in others.

The bubble burst when the teacher asked us to perform that day. My heart beat raced and as I walked on to the stage, I was shaking. When I got up along with my friend, I had a good look around. There were 50-60 people, which weren’t much. Then I felt really stupid for being scared of having an audience.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I introduced myself and stared to perform what I had been dying for long before.

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After I was done, I looked at the audience, thinking how much I loved doing this.

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3 . 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。

On Nov. 3, 2022, the Mengtian lab module of China’s Tiangong space station carried out a crucial transpositioning operation,     1     (mark) the completion of the Chinese station’s in-orbit assembly.

The lab module is about 17.9 meters long and     2     (weigh) more than 23 metric tons. It has 32 cubic meters of inner space, which can     3     (use) by astronauts. The spacecraft consists     4     four sections-a crew working compartment, a payload section, an airlock cabin and a service module.

Liu Guoning, deputy chief designer of the scientific cabinet system, said the scientific experiments     5     will be carried out inside the Mengtian are expected to enable scientists to conduct cutting-edge studies     6     get world-class findings.

In 2022, China launched two new crewed spaceships-Shenzhou XIV and Shenzhou XV respectively on June 5 and Nov. 29. On Nov. 30, the six Chinese astronauts from the two missions marked a     7     (history) moment as they met inside the Tiangong space station. It was the first time that six Chinese were in a space station at the same time and the first in-orbit gathering of two Chinese     8     (crew).

After accomplishing many “firsts” during their six-month space station mission, three Chinese astronauts on board the Shenzhou XIV manned spaceship returned to Earth     9     (safe) on Dec.4. The Shenzhou XV astronauts are scheduled     10     (stay) in orbit for six months to carry out a number of assignments.

4 . Mexico is a very colorful country, which is located in the south of North America. It combines a relaxing beach holiday, unusual mysterious excursions and an energetic nightlife. If you happen to visit Mexico, be sure to visit at least some of its attractions.

CHICHEN-ITZA

This is a sacred village located on the Yucatan Peninsula, in which the ancient Mayan people lived. The combination of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico make Chichen-Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan civilization in Yucatán. Chichen Itza is considered the best preserved Mayan city, so it is highly popular. The most famous structure of the city is the temple of the god Kukulkan, a 30-meter-high pyramid.

PALACE OF FINE ARTS

The Palace of Fine Arts, which is considered a symbol of Mexico city, is one of the most spectacular buildings in the heart of the city. Situated at one end of the Alameda garden, it offers visitors endless architectural, artistic and historical facts, inside and out. On the top floor, you’ll find the National Museum of Architecture, which showcases the work and lives of famous Mexican architects, and multiple art museums and galleries.

PARK SHKARET

This is a natural amusement park with a zoo and a botanical garden, waterfalls and underground rivers, caves, bright evening shows (for example, dance and horse shows, and other performances). The territory of the unique park is huge, so it is unreal to bypass it in one day. Here you can also visit the buffet restaurant, which is included in the ticket price.

HIERVE EL AGUA

Hierve el Agua is an unforgettable destination in the mountains of Oaxaca. It is a set of stunning travertine rock formations that appear like a frozen waterfall from a distance. The hot springs on the top, as with many other mineral-rich springs around the world, have a reputation for supposed healing qualities. Swimming here, at the same time enjoying the mountain scenery around, is an absolute pleasure and, besides, the recovery of the body.

1. Why is Chichen Itza so popular?

A．It is the most sacred village.	B．It is a well-preserved Mayan site.
C．It is famous for god Kukulkan.	D．It is a symbol of Mexico City.

2. Where would you prefer to go if you want to know the history of Mexican architecture?

A．PALACE OF FINE ARTS.	B．CHICHEN-ITZA.
C．PARK SHKARET.	D．HIERVE EL AGUA.

3. What is special about HIERVE EL AGUA?

A．There are many waterfalls.	B．Visitors can enjoy horse shows here.
C．It is rich in rare mineral resources.	D．Its spring water has health benefits.

5 . 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。

South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also     1     early celebration of the 100 days since the twins’ birth.

What to name the twin sisters was widely discussed among netizens after they were born on July 7 in theme park Everland. The names were     2     (ultimate) decided on through two public voting     3     (procedure). One is named Rui Bao, which means wise treasure, and the other is Hui Bao or shining treasure. Half a million panda lovers helped choose their names with a handful of lucky fans     4     (invite) to the ceremony. “They are even     5     (cute) in real life than they appear on screen,” said a college student in attendance.

The baby pandas,     6     have just begun teething and crawling, are very healthy. Everland has shared videos documenting the pandas’ growth online. The twins’ birth has gained 640,000 views since it     7     (upload). “This feels like a great opportunity to call for better     8     (preserve) of pandas,” said Donghee Chung, head of the park’s zoo. Chung noted that between 40% and 50% of panda births result     9     twins.

Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health     10     (determine) when the twins are ready to be open to the public.

6 . Scientists have been experimenting with playing sounds to plants since at least the 1960s, during which time they have been exposed to everything from Beethoven to Michael Jackson. Over the years, evidence that this sort of thing can have an effect has been growing. One paper, published in 2018, claimed that an Asian shrub known as the telegraph plant grew substantially larger leaves when exposed to 56 days of Buddhist music — but not if it was exposed to Western pop music or silence. Another, published last year, found that marigolds and sage plants exposed to the noise of traffic from a busy motorway suffered growth difficulty.

Plants have been evolving (进化) alongside the insects that eat them for hundreds of millions of years. With that in mind, Heidi Appel, a botanist now at the University of Houston, and Reginald Cocroft, a biologist at the University of Missouri, wondered if plants might be sensitive to the sounds made by the animals with which they most often interact. They recorded the vibrations made by certain species of caterpillars (毛毛虫) as they chewed on leaves. These vibrations are not powerful enough to produce sound waves in the air. But they are able to travel across leaves and branches, and even to neighbouring plants if their leaves touch.

They then exposed tobacco plant — the plant biologist’s version of the laboratory mouse — to the recorded vibrations while no caterpillars were actually present. Later, they put real caterpillars on the plants to see if exposure had led them to prepare for an insect attack. The results were striking. Leaves that had been exposed had significantly higher levels of defensive chemicals, making them much harder for the caterpillars to eat. Leaves that had not been exposed to vibrations showed no such response. Other sorts of vibration — caused by the wind, for instance, or other insects that do not eat leaves — had no effect.

“Now speakers with the right audio files are more often being used to warn crops to act when insects are detected but not yet widespread,” says Dr. Cocroft. “Unlike chemical pesticides, sound waves leave no dangerous chemicals.”

1. What can we learn about plants from the first paragraph?

A．They may enjoy Western music.	B．They can’t stand Buddhist music.
C．They can react to different sounds.	D．They can make different sounds.

2. What’s the basis for Appel and Cocroft’s research?

A．Plants can make a cry for help.	B．Plants evolve alongside insects.
C．Plants are sensitive to the sounds.	D．Plants have been studied for years.

3. What can we infer about plants from Paragraph 3?

A．They can recongnize harmful vibrations.	B．They look like laboratory mice.
C．They can threaten the caterpillars.	D．They can release poisonous chemicals.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Disadvantages of chemical pesticides.	B．Application of the experimental results.
C．Interaction between plants and insects.	D．Warning system of widespread insects.

7 . 为了让学生全面发展，你校在课外活动中，举办了主题为“Life Skills Show”比赛，你赢得了一等奖。请你就你的参赛经历写一篇短文向校英文报投稿，内容包括：
1. 活动目的；
2. 介绍你参赛的生活技能（烹饪或手工等）；
3. 个人感受。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Life Skills Show

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8 . When we are married and have promised to live together, we may not even think about what that might mean in the future. We start a ________ new part of a journey, enjoying the good times and ________ each other through the bad times.

Sometimes life ________ us a curve ball. For example, one of the partners is ________ with a life changing illness. This changes a relationship in ways we cannot know until we ________ it. Each partner adapts to the situation and faces the new ________ together.

It is not always easy. There will be days when they ________ each other the most. They walk together as well as walk their own path. They have ________ in that the other is there to support.

When my husband was first diagnosed with MS (a serious disease of the nervous system),we had no idea how it would all ________. Over twenty years later we are still meeting each day, knowing we have each other’s ________. Indeed, life doesn’t require that we be the best, only that we try our best. Sometimes we do have ________, and we even have arguments for a very long time, because we’re humans and we would never be ________. After my husband’s diagnosis, someone asked me if I was going to ________ and 1 answered “Yes. I would never abandon him”.

Life is ________, but together we meet its challenges to the best of our ability, some days being better than others. The true ________ of any relationship is being able to survive hard times.

1.

A．completely

B．repeatedly

C．fortunately

D．respectively

2.

A．teaching

B．comparing

C．persuading

D．supporting

3.

A．throws

B．shows

C．promises

D．serves

4.

A．identified

B．diagnosed

C．determined

D．recognized

5.

A．shape

B．force

C．experience

D．doubt

6.

A．alternatives

B．fortunes

C．challenges

D．opportunities

7.

A．guide

B．blame

C．need

D．admire

8.

A．courage

B．insight

C．excuse

D．faith

9.

A．break up

B．work out

C．take over

D．carry out

10.

A．opinion

B．thought

C．front

D．back

11.

A．plans

B．solutions

C．arrangements

D．differences

12.

A．normal

B．perfect

C．patient

D．brave

13.

A．stay

B．recover

C．defeat

D．protest

14.

A．interesting

B．tough

C．ordinary

D．confusing

15.

A．risk

B．cheek

C．test

D．chance

9 . How Taking Short Vacations Can Improve Your Well-Being at Work

Without doubt, the nonstop demands of work and life can be bad for your well-being, exhausting your physical resources and cognitive capacities-and possibly resulting in adverse health and performance results.

    1     Research emphatically shows that vacations improve our physical and mental health while also boosting our performance at work. Perhaps surprisingly, they can even increase the likelihood of receiving a pay raise or promotion.

    2     In fact, nearly half of U.S. workers take less time off than their job allows, leaving an average of 9.5 days of paid time off (PTO) on the table, according to a 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center. And for 30 percent of employees, this unused vacation time doesn’t roll over to the next year.     3     taking mini-vacations throughout the year can improve their overall well-being. That means you can just use a long weekend to explore a new small town in your state, go camping in a national park, or do a biking tour of your local wineries.

We know that being on vacation feels good and that it’s good for us.     4     Naturally, there is the expense, and the bill involved in long trips-room, board, airfare, rail, sightseeing, everything-can be daunting.     5     The Pew survey of over 5,900 U.S. workers found that 49 percent of participants indicated they worried they might fall behind at work if they take more vacation time.

No wonder, then, that most people don’t use all their vacation time. And over half (52 percent) of U.S. employees work while on vacation.

A．If working hard is the way to earn more bread,

B．Even if many workers don’t use all their PTO,

C．Taking a real break is important for so many reasons.

D．But that doesn’t mean we always use our vacation time.

E．So why do we neglect to take all the time we’ve earned?

F．Do you know why people like to take vacations whenever possible?

G．It also turns out that taking extended time away from the office causes a lot of stress.

10 . Ugandan student’s study and adaptation of traditional Chinese craft helps build bridges through art. With its balanced, rounded pot and cups, the tea set seems like Chinese ceramic (陶瓷) at first glance. But closer inspection of its pattern reveals an ancient Ugandan design. “My projects always aim to join some aspects of Chinese and Ugandan culture together,” says the tea set’s creator, Ocen Robert.

In 2015, Robert arrived in China from the East African nation to pursue a higher education in ceramic arts at Jingdezhen Ceramic University in East China’s Jiangxi province. The Ugandan is also enrolled in a PhD program focusing on design, with his art pieces sold at national-level exhibitions in China.

He says, “I love it here not only because of its safety, but the raw materials and the production techniques for ceramics here are also among the best in the world.” During his time in China, Robert was given many opportunities to participate in ceramic production, exhibitions and even access to experts-all helping to grow the space where he could express his creativity.

To deepen his understanding and passion for traditional Chinese culture, Robert spends most of his free time in local museums’ culture and history sections. He also gets to know Chinese professionals inside and outside the ceramic world. “I would love to solidify my career as an artist here while helping to link Uganda and China,” Robert says.

“Ugandans are thankful, curious, and passionate about Chinese culture. I would love to introduce the artists back home to study and create ceramic artworks in China and promote them to the world.”

Robert says, “To be a modern artist in Chinese ceramics, one needs to comprehend the full flow of production, which requires years of practice and learning.” One of the most challenging areas of creating his pieces involves creating the “ideal shape and thickness”. He says “I fail at times, but I always practice and try again and again.” Robert has attained the essential spirit of Chinese ceramic arts——accepting and integrating the differences.

1. What is the goal of Robert’s art projects?

A．To promote traditional Chinese ceramics in Uganda.

B．To combine elements of Chinese and Ugandan culture.

C．To compete in the international exhibitions.

D．To restore and preserve ancient Ugandan arts.

2. Why did Robert choose to study ceramic arts in China?

A．He intended to earn money in China.

B．He desired to achieve a doctoral degree abroad.

C．China has the best ceramic materials and craft.

D．China is safer than any other country.

3. How does Robert deepen his understanding for traditional Chinese culture?

A．By visiting famous masters of Chinese history.

B．By comparing it with Ugandan traditions and customs.

C．By acquiring related knowledge from local museums.

D．By participating in art festivals and academic meetings.

4. What words can best describe Robert?

A．Creative and perseverant.	B．Kind and knowledgeable.
C．Humorous and passionate.	D．Courageous and intelligent.