1 .        BBC foreign correspondent Jeremy Bowen’s recent assignment — a three-part series on Radio 4 in which he made “a personal journey through Wales”, the country of his birth — must still have left him a little shocked. Bowen, born in Cardiff but living in England and a non-Welsh speaker, did the most dangerous thing — he attacked what he saw as the way the Weish-speaking minority in Wales dominates the cultural conversation. This argument has not gone down well in the land of his fathers.

The Welsh online media has suggested this is the view from Camberwell where Bowen lives, rather than Criccieth — a journalist’s whistle-stop tour of a country he last resided in more than 40 years ago. Fellow BBC journalist Welsh speaker Huw Edwards responded to that criticism: “We are all products of upbringing — this take is 1970s Cardiff.” Edwards was even ruder about an attack on Welsh by Jonathan Meades in The Critic. “So long as it’s a hobby language it is as harmless as a Sunday painter,” wrote Meades. “But in pockets of Snowdonia and mid-Wales it is a tool not only of communication but of identity and exclusivity, thus of self-harm.” To which Edwards responded: “Meades is a brilliant writer and I have enjoyed his work over many years. I can only assume he’s crazy. Nothing else can explain this rubbish.”

Bowen’s argument is that because bilingualism (双语) has become essential for many jobs in Welsh government and media, the English-speaking majority has been disadvantaged. Meades is more concerned with a project to create a million Welsh speakers (a third of the population) by 2050. At present, only a fifth of the population speaks Welsh regularly. Such views are, however, either outdated or exaggerated (夸张的).

Largely rural Welsh-speaking Wales was discovering new confidence, thanks to the start of the Welsh-language channel S4C in 1982 and the growth of Welsh-medium education. But Welsh-speaking Wales is not responsible for the difficulties of English-speaking Wales, and the two have to find a way to coexist. The survival of Welsh is a miracle, and every Welsh person, whether or not they speak it, should celebrate that fact.

1. Why was Bowen recently shocked?

A．He had a narrow escape in Wales.

B．He was refused entry into his fatherland.

C．He was assigned to do a series about Wales.

D．He was criticized for his Radio program about Wales.

2. What was Edwards’ attitude toward Meades’ comments?

A．Disapproving.

B．Supportive.

C．Tolerant.

D．Uncaring.

3. What put the English-speaking majority at a disadvantage?

A．They could not speak two languages.

B．They held outdated ideas about language.

C．A third of the Welsh could speak the native language.

D．The government attached less importance to English.

4. What does the author say about the survival of Welsh?

A．It establishes Welsh dominance.

B．It is unexpected and welcome.

C．It occurs at the cost of English-speaking Wales.

D．It owes to the efforts of Welsh-speaking Wales.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the woman doing?

A．Interviewing an Olympic gold medal winner.

B．Training a group of athletes.

C．Attending a competition.

2. What is the man probably best at?

A．Swimming.

B．Running.

C．Boxing.

3. What will the man probably do next?

A．Talk to his fans.

B．Accept an award.

C．Meet with his coach.

3 . 假定你是李华，最近参加了学校举办的“新时代好少年”(“Model Students in New Era”)主题网络短视频制作大赛活动，请你给学校英文报写一篇短文介绍该活动，内容包括：
1.活动设置目的；
2.你的参与情况和感受。
注意：1.词数100词左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：新时代好少年 Model Students in New Era

An Unforgettable Video–clip Story

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . How does the man get his money?

A．By doing housework.

B．By asking his grandfather for it.

C．By washing dishes in a restaurant.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the main topic of the talk?

A．Different educational systems around the world.

B．The disadvantages of much homework.

C．Children’s mental health.

2. What grade is Younus in?

A．2nd grade.

B．3rd grade.

C．4th grade.

3. Which country has the lowest high school graduation rate?

A．Canada.

B．Finland.

C．The US.

4. What suggestion does the speaker make?

A．The school should give children no homework.

B．The school should improve kids’ performance.

C．The school should work with parents.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the relationship between the speakers?

A．Fellow students.

B．Fellow teachers.

C．Teacher and student.

2. What should be the result of the experiment?

A．The liquid will boil.

B．It should produce a purple gas.

C．It should create a new chemical.

3. What did the woman do wrong?

A．She didn’t heat the liquid.

B．She added the wrong chemicals.

C．She made a mistake in the order.

4. What will the speakers probably do next?

A．Give up.

B．Ask for help.

C．Repeat the procedure.

7 . On the morning of Jan. 21st, 2023, I was taking the subway to work as usual. A quiet subway ride felt like a mini ________ from my busy life. Yet I found myself spending that ________ time browsing my endless messages on the phone.

One day, I put down my phone and started writing ________ notes to people who had contributed to a donation activity I had ________. When I got off the train, I was in a noticeably ________ mood. Then an idea struck me that I could write one for every day of that year. As an organizer and consultant, I had no ________ of people I could write to, so I picked out a different ________ for each month to keep on task. January was “charity”, February was …, and I thought of ________ names right away.

In July, my “________” month, I had become good at getting my memories back and ________ people to send my notes to. On the top of the list was Jenny, a(n) ________ chef. She had cooked at my favorite restaurant (It is now closed down). I thanked her and specially mentioned her biscuits ________ into the Roman number Ⅵ for our sixth wedding anniversary.

________, I received a note back from her, ________ “I have never received such a touching letter before. It was ________ expectation and unbelievably thoughtful. And so needed at a time when I’m ________ professionally. Your letter was a fantastic reminder that ________ back is a good motivation for moving forward.”

Part of the ________ of what I did was ________ with people like Jenny — people, who weren’t ________visitors in my life but made a lasting impact. And I wouldn’t have known if I had not reached out.

1.

A．activity

B．carriage

C．adventure

D．vacation

2.

A．nervous

B．temporary

C．precious

D．unforgettable

3.

A．apology

B．invitation

C．cheer-up

D．thank-you

4.

A．hosted

B．witnessed

C．attended

D．missed

5.

A．better

B．calmer

C．funnier

D．heavier

6.

A．resource

B．shortage

C．idea

D．awareness

7.

A．person

B．colour

C．theme

D．letter

8.

A．seven

B．twelve

C．thirty

D．thirty-one

9.

A．neighbour

B．family

C．trip

D．food

10.

A．requiring

B．identifying

C．encouraging

D．contacting

11.

A．gentle

B．responsible

C．considerate

D．honest

12.

A．shaped

B．filled

C．drawn

D．developed

13.

A．Luckily

B．Surprisingly

C．Finally

D．Hopefully

14.

A．writing

B．addressing

C．printing

D．reading

15.

A．out of

B．owing to

C．free from

D．up to

16.

A．struggling

B．thinking

C．hesitating

D．progressing

17.

A．moving

B．calling

C．stepping

D．looking

18.

A．task

B．magic

C．concept

D．praise

19.

A．reuniting

B．fighting

C．reconnecting

D．exchanging

20.

A．useful

B．important

C．frequent

D．necessary

8 . Novels. Why do I read them? I was most ____ to read when I was a kid. I suspect this was because my only purpose was ____ and escapism. From all 21 Famous Five stories — in order, naturally — to Anna Karenina, ____ into a basket on a cycling holiday, I was ____ to another world. Then, for A-levels and a degree, I read to pass ____. Slowly, tellingly, the joy ____. And I was no good at the exams either. When those last exams were done, more than 30 years ago, I was done with novels. I had ____ love.

Gradually, it has come back, but it’s all ____ now. I find I’m reading whole novels mainly to ____ intelligence to help understand what I’ve been feeling; feelings that I’ve been ____ to express myself. For some reason I ____ The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. The _____soon starts to fade, and all you are left with is how it made you feel. This is nice, but what makes it all worthwhile is those specific ____ that I make sure to harvest and go back to. ____, Helen says of her new life in the big city: “At first, I was ____ with the novelty and excitement of our London life, but soon I began to be tired of its ____.”

A few months later, I ____ Anne Bronte’s resting place in Scarborough. Standing there, I____ this little passage and appreciated anew how ____ it resonated (产生共鸣) with my own feelings about London. And there the poor young woman lay, gone 173 years and still making ____ friends. That’s quite something.

1.

A．surprised

B．eager

C．qualified

D．welcome

2.

A．education

B．judgment

C．enjoyment

D．family

3.

A．divided

B．turned

C．rolled

D．stuffed

4.

A．transported

B．limited

C．admitted

D．followed

5.

A．inspection

B．exams

C．messages

D．time

6.

A．declined

B．arose

C．remained

D．gathered

7.

A．sought for

B．suffered from

C．fallen out of

D．broken away from

8.

A．different

B．wrong

C．difficult

D．normal

9.

A．prove

B．unearth

C．explain

D．untie

10.

A．unwilling

B．unhappy

C．unprepared

D．unable

11.

A．identified

B．selected

C．wrote down

D．took back

12.

A．plot

B．memory

C．reputation

D．vision

13.

A．fruits

B．happenings

C．insights

D．characters

14.

A．In addition

B．In short

C．At random

D．For instance

15.

A．content

B．familiar

C．bored

D．occupied

16.

A．misfortune

B．beauty

C．authority

D．unrest

17.

A．lost sight of

B．sorted out

C．chanced upon

D．kept track of

18.

A．let out

B．made up

C．edited out

D．looked up

19.

A．intensely

B．simply

C．possibly

D．gradually

20.

A．lifelong

B．personal

C．new

D．local

9 . My family went to London for visiting specialists. The day before we _______ the ship, Father said goodbye gently to his five-year-old “friend”, an Australian cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. Father’s friend Sandy kept him _______ while we were overseas.

Six weeks later, a _______ arrived from Sandy, giving my father the news that Spider had _______ just two weeks after we had sailed. I will always remember my father’s face _______ and his eyes filled with sadness as he read the letter. Sandy has _______ constantly on ABC radio and other local newspapers. _______ , the dog was never found later. Spider seemed to decide to _______ us elsewhere.

Finally, we made a _______. We sailed back and did everything that we could do ________ waiting. Several months passed but there was still no news concerning. My father took the ________ and kept looking for him.

One cold morning eight months after, my father had a call from an old lady who said she was putting food out “for a very old dog”. My father’s eyes were lighted up with ________. That was enough for my father to ________ immediately. When we arrived at the old lady’s house, she showed us the dog. It was Spider! My father did his special whistle (口哨) for Spider. “Woof!” he barked. Spider was capturing (捕捉) the ________ feeling that occurred when he first locked eyes with my father. To Spider, our ________ and love are the inspiration.

1.

A．sailed

B．parked

C．boarded

D．camped

2.

A．alive

B．away

C．accompanied

D．apart

3.

A．letter

B．story

C．service

D．test

4.

A．fallen ill

B．got stuck

C．lost life

D．run away

5.

A．confusing

B．shocking

C．moving

D．touching

6.

A．announced

B．advertised

C．posted

D．blogged

7.

A．Unfortunately

B．Luckily

C．Hopefully

D．Eventually

8.

A．attend to

B．take over

C．look around

D．search for

9.

A．decision

B．discussion

C．advice

D．plan

10.

A．as to

B．except for

C．instead of

D．due to

11.

A．lead

B．place

C．risk

D．pace

12.

A．silence

B．dissatisfaction

C．excitement

D．praise

13.

A．pulled up

B．drove off

C．stepped in

D．calmed down

14.

A．special

B．familiar

C．painful

D．empty

15.

A．expectation

B．creativity

C．generosity

D．determination

10 . 语法填空

As a game of     1     (wise), Go is a legacy of traditional Chinese arts, considered one of the most important qualities of ancient Chinese literati (文人学士).

Appearing over 4,000 years ago in ancient China, Go was first introduced into Japan during the Sui and Tang Dynasties and into Europe in the 19th century. To date, it     2     (spread) to more than 40 countries.

The traditional game of Go also boasts a number of legends about its origin. It’s said that Emperor Yao became very disheartened when his son behaved     3     (bad). So Yao made the game of Go     4     (cultivate) him morally and intellectually.

It is     5    exciting and intense game and the situation on the board keeps changing and unpredictable. Players have to turn to all sorts of tactics in order to defeat their opponents.

Wu Qingyuan, a Chinese Go legend,     6     (regard) as the greatest Go player ever, once said, “Although Go is a     7     (compete) game, winning should never be seen as the final goal. It will teach you to think through things     8     to remain calm in the face of defeat”.

Go can take     9     other meanings to its players: a mirror of one’s personality, a mental “workout” and a beautiful art in     10     black and white pieces dance in balance across the board. Therefore, Go has become more and more popular among young people.