1 . Adding to the achievements of a remarkable year, Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2023.
Already a superstar before 2023, Swift's career has reached new heights thanks to the beginning of her Eras Tour that brought her 3. 5-hour performance to 66 shows in 23 cities across North America, Argentina and Brazil. Promoted by her tour, Swift has been named the most-streamed female artist in the history of Spotify and Apple Music. According to Billboard, the tour made about$900 million (about 6. 4 billion yuan) in 2023. In addition, the tour's movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the biggest concert movie of all time, taking more than $250 million globally.
As she was declared (宣布) a billionaire by Bloomberg in November, a hidden “Taylor Swift economy” also promoted sales for business owners across the U. S. From soaps to a cruise inspired by her different “eras”, interest in Swift-related products went way up.
Apart from her financial contributions, Swift made a significant cultural impact by taking back control of her music. In 2019, her old record label, Big Machine, sold the master tapes of her first six albums (专辑) to Scooter Braun. The sale meant that she didn't have the rights to the albums. In response to this, Swift began re-recording her first six albums, tagging (加标签于) them “Taylor's Version”. This move stressed her belief that artists deserve to own their work. “It's all in how you deal with loss,” she told Time. “I respond to extreme pain by resisting.”
Heading into 2024, Swift will start the Eras Tour again in Japan and Australia. As USA Today noted, “Her current top has been a long time coming, but it may also be just beginning.”
1. What do we know about Taylor Swift?A.She broke a new record on her tour. | B.She toured South America before 2023. |
C.Her achievements received great recognition. | D.Her performance began with the Apple Music. |
A.She proved herself to be an artist. | B.She learned to make some products. |
C.She got rich and regained album rights. | D.She sold her master tapes to a company. |
A.She will end her music career. | B.She will continue her Eras Tour. |
C.She will reach her top in Japan. | D.She will make a record in Australia. |
A.Admirable. | B.Uncaring. | C.Doubtful. | D.Critical. |
2 . Rivers are very important. Humans rely on them for food and water. But rivers can destroy things, too. They can flood, or rise over their banks, making the water run into the nearby land. Floods can also kill humans and wildlife. However, floods are not always bad. Some ecosystems need them every once in a while.
Flooding can not only harm animals but also destroy habitats. For example, a flood in Australia in 2022 caused massive animal habitat loss. Flood waters can pick up dirt (泥土) from riverbanks, which makes the water dirty. Too much dirt will clog rivers and streams, preventing the river from flowing. Sometimes flood waters can carry pollution to the sea and harm marine life. In addition, flood waters can carry disease, including hepatitis A (甲肝) and cholera (霍乱) .
However, not everything about floods is bad. Sometimes they bring new life to ecosystems. Flood waters carry nutrients to the nearby land. Over time, the water dries up and leaves behind particles (微粒) of dirt and mud. The particles are called sediment (沉淀物) which can be good due to its ability to improve the dirt and helps plants grow. Floods are important to some animals as well. For instance, some animals see floods as a sign that it is time to mate or migrate. Floods leave sediment on river beds where baby fish can grow and carry nutrients for small animals in the water to eat. Moreover, in dry seasons, water might dry up, but floods help refill the wetlands, keeping the ecosystem going.
Floods are a part of nature. They can destroy living things and the environment. But some ecosystems need floods to survive.
1. What's the possible meaning of the underlined word “clog” in Paragraph 2?A.Become. | B.Pollute. | C.Block. | D.Develop. |
A.Nutrients carried by floods can make soil richer. |
B.Floods make all the animals migrate more easily. |
C.Tiny fish going with floods feed some animals. |
D.Floods can improve the dirt and help plants grow. |
A.The way in which floods feed animals. | B.The benefits of floods to ecosystems. |
C.An effective means of improving soil. | D.The reason for people's appreciating floods. |
A.The Many Effects of Flooding | B.The Secret of Flooding |
C.Floods-Everything Is So Bad | D.Floods-a Part of Nature |
3 . Gabe and I were taking a road trip from Hamilton to Nelson. At around 5:30 p. m. , we were
When I
I don’t know how long we were unconscious, but I woke up to the
Luckily, four men spotted us and went to our
When the medical team finally reached us, they
We spent weeks in hospital. Even after
Before this all happened, we were happy-go-lucky people. We’re even more
A.cycling | B.hiking | C.driving | D.jumping |
A.aware | B.happy | C.confident | D.anxious |
A.gave in | B.checked out | C.fell apart | D.looked up |
A.dropping | B.erupting | C.crashing | D.sheltering |
A.tapped | B.landed | C.cracked | D.swept |
A.sound | B.behavior | C.company | D.scene |
A.cry | B.wave | C.turn | D.fire |
A.suffer | B.beat | C.shake | D.breathe |
A.site | B.rescue | C.emergency | D.struggle |
A.trouble | B.shock | C.protest | D.demand |
A.honestly | B.obviously | C.responsibly | D.confusingly |
A.treated | B.drove | C.loaded | D.exchanged |
A.exercises | B.restorations | C.operations | D.experiments |
A.determined | B.curious | C.focused | D.positive |
A.injuries | B.ruins | C.sweats | D.traps |
4 . Do you like Chinese traditional painting and dance ? They are two important parts of the traditional Chinese art. But what about when they meet each other?
This year, a dance drama titled Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting (《只此青绿》) was staged on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala and became popular.
According to CCTV, this poetic dance program was inspired by the 900-year-old Chinese painting A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains (《千里江山图》). Created by Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng at about 18, the painting is amazing in its sweeping size, rich coloration and the expressive details, reported CCTV. It shows a Chinese blue-green landscape: “mountains and groupings of infinite (无限的) rise and fall between cloudless sky and rippling (涟漪的) water”.
When the dancers moved elegantly, audiences seemed to be looking at the moving mountains and rivers. “It brings me a pure experience of beauty. It is not only a drama but also an exhibition. Vast mountains and rivers are coming to life!” Internet user Mo Weisha wrote in a review. “More than a thousand years later, green mountains and rivers still impress people as they did long ago.” Some people even decided to watch the dance again when it was staged in the theaters later. In fact, in recent years, more and more modern shows feature Chinese traditional culture and have received warm welcome. As for the reason, it is due to people’s great love for traditional culture.
“The younger generations have grown up with a more open mind. They accept Chinese culture and are proud of it.” Yao Wei, director of Henan TV Station’s Innovation Center, told China Daily.
1. What’s the writing purpose of Paragraph 1?A.To show a doubtful attitude. | B.To introduce the topic. |
C.To describe the art world. | D.To raise a question. |
A.Wang xizhi. | B.Zhao mengfu. | C.Wang Ximeng. | D.Not mentioned. |
A.CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala. | B.Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng. |
C.A Chinese blue-green landscape. | D.An ancient Chinese traditional painting. |
A.Traditional culture is accepted and loved by people. |
B.Green mountains and rivers greatly impress people. |
C.The poetic dance can be staged in the theaters later. |
D.Increasing modern shows feature Chinese traditional culture. |
Not only did Michelle Yeoh claim her first Oscar win for the hit film Everything Everywhere All At Once, but she did it while making history as the first Asian woman
Yeoh took the stage to deliver a
7 . Many people spend weekends doing meaningless things, which is a complete waste of our life. However, successful people make the best use of their weekends differently. Here are some things they may choose to do.
●
Successful people don't go into the weekend with no plan.
●Get up early.
Of course, it feels good to sleep in. However, it's actually quite refreshing (使人精力充沛的) to get up and move early on days when you don't have to get up early.
●Put the phone aside.
In today's busy world, most of us never truly leave work. Our phones are likely connected to our emails and Twitter accounts, meaning we may deal with a work-related task even after 5 p. m.
●Follow hobbies.
A.Make a plan. |
B.Prepare for the week carefully. |
C.But successful people need time to let work go. |
D.The weekend is the perfect time to make up for it. |
E.They plan their day out just as they would on any other day. |
F.Successful people start their Saturday off by hitting the gym or reading a book. |
G.Successful people use every minute of their free time to do something they love. |
8 . Li Jing, 29, is a native of Cuijiaba, a small town in Hubei Province. She was one of the first people from her community to go for higher education. After graduation, she worked in Wuhan first, and then she changed her decision last year to return to her village.
“I want to be a part of my hometown’s development and bring about real changes to our villagers while realizing my own personal value,” Li said.
After returning to her hometown, Li received strong support from her family, while there were some villagers who questioned her decision. She decided to show her love to the hometown through action.
Her job included a great deal of communication with the villagers mainly to increase potato production. “We regularly hold meetings in the village square, where we share ideas on potato planting skills, selling methods, market changes and more,” Li said.
To increase sales outside the village, the young workforce in the village chose to go into the world of livestreaming (直播). This new marketing method has produced satisfying results. Together with other methods like doing online business on websites and apps, the money that a family can get from potato sales in a year has risen sharply from 1,000 yuan to the present number of 20,000 yuan, according to Li.
However, the road to success is not always easy. “At first, some people were not willing to accept the new ideas,” Li said. But Li didn’t force them. Instead, she chose to communicate with effort. Li and her workmates would also search online for other villages’ success stories about the application of livestreaming, and shared them with villagers. She knew communications took a lot of time and energy, but she believed it’s all worth it. Li said, “True smiles on the faces of the villagers are the best gifts for me.”
In the near future, Li hopes to continue helping her villagers raise their potato production and earn more money. Her long-term goal is to help rural areas further develop and integrate with the city. She said hopefully, “We will continually find ways to bring happiness to the villagers and the long-term development to the countryside.”
1. Li Jing returned to her hometown mainly to ________.A.work in the government | B.bring great changes to her family |
C.realize her dream of being a farmer | D.contribute to the local development |
A.putting up ads on TVs | B.taking up livestreaming |
C.producing satisfying results | D.communicating with other villagers |
A.Promising. | B.Doubtful. | C.Challenging. | D.Fearful. |
A.All good things come to an end. | B.Where there is a will, there is a way. |
C.You cannot eat your cake and have it. | D.A single flower does not make a spring. |
1. What did the speaker do in the past few days?
A.He was on a business trip. |
B.He did sightseeing in New York. |
C.He attended an international meeting. |
A.Leave New York. | B.Go to Manila. | C.Write a report. |
A.To sleep better. | B.To kill time. | C.To keep himself relaxed. |
A.Come to the meeting. | B.Finish the report today. | C.Send part of the report. |
1. Which chess class does the man choose?
A.The Friday class. | B.The Saturday class. | C.The Sunday class. |
A.Once a week. | B.Twice a week. | C.Three times a week. |
A.From 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. |
B.From 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. |
C.From 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. |
A.He can get some money off. |
B.He can get help with his homework. |
C.He can have the second class for free. |