In class, I am sitting next to Mareena. We both have a good laugh. And when we laugh, it’s not small laughs. It’s more like big hair, we twist (扭曲) in laughter on our chairs and we end up under the table so much we are folded (折叠) in two. Sometimes, too, she annoys me a bit, especially when she uses my eraser or my pink pen that writes magic words. But best friends always fight a bit, that’s normal, Mum often tells me.
One morning, I found myself alone at my table. Mareena was ill. I found the day long, but I still laughed a bit. Because when Baptiste meant to say Madagascar (马达加斯加岛), he mistakenly said Madame Gaskal.
The next day, when I saw that Mareena was still away, I asked Mum if I could go to see her at her place. I wanted to bring her homework, but also make her laugh a little, so that she would feel better. Mum made a funny face and told me it was better to wait a few days. I thought maybe Mareena had a contagious (传染性的) disease. But still, it bothered me not to see my best friend. So I asked again. This time mum sat down with me on my bed and held my hands very tight. I realized that something was wrong.
Mum explained to me that Mareena was going to have to stay in the hospital for a while, because of an illness that I didn’t understand. Well, yes, what I understood was that my best friend wasn’t going to be back to school for a long time, and that we wouldn’t be laughing like whales anytime soon because of stupid things.
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。
I still asked to go to see Mareena once at the hospital.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mareena eventually recovered.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Distance learning is a form of education in
However, distance learning has become a (n)
3 . Antarctica (南极洲) is a great, icy land mass, surrounded by the huge Southern Ocean. The ice in Antarctica doesn’t just cover the land. There’s also a huge area of sea ice which floats (漂浮) on the ocean’s surface.
However, scientists have reported that Antarctica’s sea ice is at a record low level. That’s worrying because the sea ice is an important part of the Earth’s cooling system. When it’s frozen, sea ice throws sunlight back out into space. But when the sea ice melts (融化), the water left behind is darker, and takes in and keeps more heat.
Every year, the sea ice at the South Pole goes through a cycle of melting and freezing. In summer, the huge masses of sea ice melt to their smallest point. Over the colder winter months, the sea ice grows and grows until it covers an extremely wide area. For most of this time, Antarctica has seemed to be almost unaffected by the changing weather conditions. In fact, until recent years, Antarctica’s sea ice area mainly set records for growing. That began to shrink.
This year, Antarctica’s sea ice was at a new record low — not just by a little bit, but by a lot. The last time Antarctica’s low sea ice set a record at the end of winter was in 1986. And this year, there’s about 398,000 square miles less sea ice than in 1986.
Scientists are working hard to better understand Antarctica. It’s not yet clear if the low sea ice level is a short-term problem, or part of climate change. The concern is that the melting sea ice could start a cycle that might cause even more ice to melt.
The ice loss problems in Antarctica are fairly recent, but the same is not true at the North Pole. where the low level of sea ice has been a concern for years. But the present situation is now similar in both places.
1. What makes the sea ice important for humans？| A．It helps cool the planet. |
| B．It increases the area of land. |
| C．It affects the height of the sea level. |
| D．It has the cycle of melting and freezing. |
| A．Cooling off. | B．Moving. | C．Breaking up. | D．Reducing. |
| A．It will become a long-term problem. |
| B．It will take time to discover its cause. |
| C．It will lead to rapid changes in climate. |
| D．It will affect its melting-and-freezing cycle. |
| A．the influence of Antarctica’s low sea ice level |
| B．the seriousness of Antarctica’s low sea ice level |
| C．the importance of dealing with climate change |
| D．the differences between Antarctica and the North Pole |
4 . How the economics profession should fix its gender problem
At the heart of economics is a belief in the virtues (好处) of open competition as a way of using the resources you have in the most efficient way you can. Thanks to the power of that insight, economists routinely tell politicians how to run public policy and business people how to run their firms. Yet when it comes to its own house, academic economics could have done more to observe the standards it applies to the rest of the world.
In particular, it recruits (招聘) too few women. Also, many of those who do work in the profession say they are treated unfairly and that their talents are not fully realised. As a result, economics has fewer good ideas than it should and suffers from a skewed (歪曲的) viewpoint. It is time for the dismal science to improve its dismal record on gender.
For decades relatively few women have participated in STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and maths. Economics belongs in this list. And a survey by the American Economics Association (AEA) this week shows that many women who do become academic economists are treated badly.
To deal with its gender shortfall (缺口), economics needs two tools that it often uses to analyse and solve problems elsewhere: its ability to crunch data and its capacity to experiment. Take data first. The AEA study is commendable, but only a fifth of its 45,000 present and past members replied to its poll. Better data are needed to capture how work by female economists is discriminated against. The more comprehensive (全面的) the picture that emerges, the sooner and more easily action can be taken to change recruitment and to reform professional life.
The other priority is for economists to experiment with new ideas, as the AEA is recommending. For a discipline that values dynamism, academic economics is often conservative, sticking with teaching methods, hiring procedures and social conventions that have been around for decades. The AEA survey reveals (显示) that 46% of women have not asked a question or presented an idea at conferences for fear of being treated unfairly, compared with 18% of men. Seminars could be organised to ensure that all speakers get a fair chance. The way that authors’ names are presented on papers could ensure that it is clear who has done the intellectual heavy lifting.
Instead of moving cautiously, the economics profession should do what it is best at: recognise there is a problem, measure it objectively and find solutions. If the result is more women in economics who are treated better, there will be more competition for ideas and a more efficient use of a scarce (稀缺的) resource. What economist could possibly object to that?
1. Why does economics have fewer excellent ideas than it should?| A．Economical environment isn’t good enough. |
| B．Professionals in this field are treated unjustly and their gifts are not fully recognized. |
| C．Too many women are employed. |
| D．Women do worse in economics than men. |
| A．Data to capture how work by female economists is discriminated against. |
| B．Its ability to process data quickly and its capacity to experiment. |
| C．Action to change recruitment and professional life of female economists. |
| D．Seminars organised to ensure that all speakers get a fair chance. |
| A．The result of the AEA survey is that there is better treatment to women. |
| B．More women in economics will bring more competition of scarce resource. |
| C．A balanced sex ratio will do good to the development of economics. |
| D．Men in economics can’t make this discipline better. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Positive. | C．Objective. | D．Indifferent. |
During the 2023 Lanzhou International Marathon, all eyes were on the elderly couple—Hu Yingfu, 86, and his wife Wang Zhangmin, 77. Many doubted their ability to finish the race,
Against initial struggles, Hu found a way to motivate himself by counting electric poles while running. “The distance between each electric pole is 50 meters. I run as fast as I can, passing a dozen or so poles.” said Hu.
The couple’s love for running started as a way
Since then, the elderly couple have become regular
With a
6 . The World-Famous Nine
By Ben Guterson, illustrated by Kristina Kister
Zander’s grandmother owns the most incredible department store in the world. When a string of mysterious accidents start happening at the store, Zander’s grandmother tells him that a monster called Darkbloom may have returned. The monster, which can control people, wants a magical object that disappeared from the store decades ago. Zander notices that walls on many floors contain mysterious symbols and takes them down in his notebook. Will the 11-year-old boy be able to solve the puzzle and secure the object before Darkbloom does? Packed with suspense, fascination, and a family drama, this mystery may remind you of a cross between Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Ask the Author
The Week: What inspired this book?
Ben Guterson: When I was growing up, Seattle had two big department stores. Something about these big buildings held many possibilities for mystery and discovery to me.
The Week: Why is Zander close to his grandmother?
Ben Guterson: I didn’t want Zander to be alone, so he’s got his loving grandmother there to give him some guidance and keep him safe.
The Week: Do you enjoy mysteries?
Ben Guterson: Yes, I like stories with a mysterious feel to them. I don’t think I have ever been drawn to straightforward realism.
1. What can we learn about Zander?| A．He grows up in Seattle. | B．He lives alone at a store. |
| C．He wishes to be a magician. | D．He wants to defeat Darkbloom. |
| A．A kid loving true-life stories. | B．A kid enjoying fictional works. |
| C．A kid interested in grandma’s dishes. | D．A kid drawn to online store shopping. |
| A．A writer’s profile. | B．An interview outline. |
| C．A children’s story. | D．A book recommendation. |
7 . For eight years, Sophie created realistic-looking limbs (肢) for those who wanted to fit in. But she longed to work on more odd designs that would stand out. Then she met Pollyanna Hope, a young amputee (被截肢者).
“She wanted something a little different on her leg: pictures of a cartoon she loved, Peppa Pig,” said Sophie, who is now based in London. So she designed a unique leg covered in tattoo-like images of Peppa and other pigs riding a bicycle and eating ice cream. Working with Hope made Sophie realize there was a potential market for limbs.
Since then, Sophie founded the Alternative Limb Project (ALP) to make artistic limbs. Her work includes an arm wrapped in sculpted snakes and a leg that looks like porcelain (瓷器) covered in a painted flowery vine. She makes about six limbs per year, always including clients’ ideas so that they receive a personal piece they can celebrate rather than hide.
Of course, a fancy-looking limb won't suit everyone. For Sophie, the basis is that each limb must satisfy a combination of comfort, beauty and functionality, and pushing too hard in one direction can weaken other areas. But for amputees who appreciate novelty, Sophie has some amazing ideas.
“I’d really like to make a candy-dispenser leg with colorful candies inside it” she says. “Or a cuckoo-clock leg with a wooden bird that pops out every hour.” Her goal is to fashion a striking limb.
“It’ll transform the limbs from an elephant in the room into a conversation piece.”
1. Why did Pollyanna Hope come to Sophie?| A．She hoped to have a tailored limb. |
| B．She intended to design a cartoon figure. |
| C．She longed to expand the market for limbs. |
| D．She expected to sell Sophie some odd ideas. |
| A．boost users’ confidence | B．sharpen users’ creativity |
| C．improve Sophie’s sculpture skills | D．extend Sophie’s art business |
| A．The novelty of the pattern tops the list. | B．The balance of multi-needs comes first. |
| C．Fashion is the best policy. | D．Functionality is the key. |
| A．Sophie resolves to lead the fashion of limbs. |
| B．Sophie plans to further transform artistic limbs. |
| C．Amputees will feel at ease to talk about limbs. |
| D．Amputees will have easy access to artistic limbs. |
On the second floor of the Zitong Art Gallery, 43-year-old Jiang Xiaoqi n is working on her painting in a studio,
Around her are five other men and women,
Only they aren’t. They are farmers from Dujing village, the administrative seat of Zitong township, Chun’an county
Starting to learn painting only three years ago, Jiang has already made
“Look!” I said to my husband, Roger, pointing to the branches. “The doves (鸽子) have built a nest.
On a chilly April day, we watched with horror as a hawk dived down and took one of the doves. By the next morning the other parent was gone too. Roger climbed up a ladder to take a look into the nest. Was it possible the hawk had spared the young? Yes, there sat a newly hatched baby dove! We brought him inside and set up the nesting box with the heat lamps we had used for raising chickens. Then we rushed to the pet shop to buy the formula (配方奶) which needed to look like the mother’s milk. But even with our care and prayers, we knew that the dove’s chances were slim. We were especially worried that our little bird, whom we’d named Hawkeye, hardly cooed (咕咕地叫) at all. That had to be a bad sign.
But to our surprise, Hawkeye not only survived but also thrived. Within a month, he was able to stand on the edge of a bowl and eat out of a baby spoon. And before we knew it, he was eating the seeds we gave him. Having the opportunity to nurture this new life brought me a greater measure of peace with each passing day.
As Hawkeye grew, we noticed that unlike all the other doves in our yard, he had a double breast with a line dividing it. When I did some research on the doves, I found out that females don’t often coo.
“We got it all wrong,” I told Roger. “Hawkeye is a girl!”
We realized that we’d have to teach her to fly. First, we urged her to fly from a finger to the bottom rung (梯子的横档) of a six-foot ladder, and in no time she was moving quickly to the top. She lit out (逃走，溜掉) for the kitchen whenever she heard the click of the spoon on her bowl. By mid-June she’d gained full confidence in her wings.
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。
Paragraph 1: At that time, we knew it was time to set our Hawkeye free.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: But one May morning, Hawkeye and the other dove landed on the rooftop.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . Keeping your weight within the ideal range for your height is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints. It is healthy to keep your weight below a certain level.
Calculate your BMI
A good way to work out whether you need to lose or gain weight is to calculate your body mass index (BMI).
Your weight is a reflection of the balance between your energy intake and energy consumption. If your intake exceeds expenditure, the excess energy is stored on your body as fat. To lose weight you simply need to tip the balance in the other direction, by increasing your consumption, decreasing your intake, or a combination of both.
Develop a good eating habit
Exercise regularly
Losing weight is not difficult — it is keeping it off that is the real challenge.
| A．Keep a balance |
| B．Don’t skip breakfast. |
| C．More than half the UK population is overweight. |
| D．But it is also important not to go too far the other way. |
| E．The most effective way to lose weight is plenty of exercise. |
| F．The safest way to lose weight is to do it slowly and steadily. |
| G．A BMI between 18.5 and 25 is associated with the lowest health risks. |
