1 . A car store in my hometown sold six to eight new cars a day. And 72 percent of this store’s first-time visitors returned for a second ________ . I was curious about how it ________.

On one particular June morning, my wife Jane said to me, “Today’s my fifth anniversary of being ________.” She suffered from it five years ago and had undergone surgery. I was ________ because I had forgotten it. To mark this special occasion, I did the most impetuous thing in my life: I ________ a new car in the car store I mentioned. I didn’t pick the ________ or the model, but I paid cash and told the staff I’d bring Jane to make those two ________. I also told them that it was my ________and hoped they didn’t reveal anything to her. Then one morning, it occurred to me that Jane always wanted a white car. So I called our sales consultant and asked him if he had anything ________ in the store. He said he had one ________ but he couldn’t promise it’d still be ________because they were selling so fast.

After I told Jane the biggest ________ to get her out of the house, we finally made our way to the car store. Jane quickly ________ the little white car. But I told her we could buy the car after our son graduated from college. Hearing what I said, she ________ walked to the front of the car. Then she ________a scream. There was a large sign, which said, “Congratulations, Jane. This car is yours. Five years cancer-free. Let’s treasure life!” I looked around and ________that there was no one in the store. Customers that came to the store were not ________ to enter; instead, the staff took them aside and ________ what was happening. Actually, our sales consultant had arranged it; ________, we could share the special moment alone.

Over the years, I’ve told this story as an example of the legendary ________.

1.

A．visit

B．try

C．chance

D．date

2.

A．arrived

B．ranked

C．happened

D．developed

3.

A．smoke-free

B．rent-free

C．tax-free

D．cancer-free

4.

A．confused

B．embarrassed

C．frightened

D．relieved

5.

A．bought

B．painted

C．borrowed

D．hired

6.

A．brand

B．color

C．number

D．type

7.

A．requests

B．decisions

C．donations

D．promises

8.

A．pleasure

B．opinion

C．secret

D．problem

9.

A．cheap

B．small

C．new

D．white

10.

A．left

B．sold

C．made

D．found

11.

A．available

B．possible

C．popular

D．convenient

12.

A．risk

B．concern

C．mistake

D．lie

13.

A．returned

B．forgot

C．noticed

D．recognized

14.

A．disappointedly

B．hurriedly

C．regularly

D．confidently

15.

A．ended in

B．held back

C．changed to

D．let out

16.

A．believed

B．discovered

C．expected

D．accepted

17.

A．reminded

B．prepared

C．forced

D．allowed

18.

A．guessed

B．presented

C．explained

D．ignored

19.

A．besides

B．otherwise

C．therefore

D．however

20.

A．symbol

B．service

C．design

D．character

2 . The need for new learning opportunities throughout life is recognized throughout society. An initial period of higher education is not always enough in times of rapid social, economic and technological changes. Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education is known worldwide as a leading provider of extended learning programs for personal and professional development.

Day and weekend events

More than 150 day and weekend courses are offered each year. These one or two-day classes on a single topic are designed to bring you the most up-to-date thinking on a wide range of subjects. You can discuss them with lecturers and speakers who are noted authorities in their field of research. Day-long events usually take place on a Saturday, between 9:45 am and 5:00 pm. Weekend events usually start on a Friday evening or Saturday and run until Sunday lunchtime.

For more information, visit https://www. ox.ac. uk/weekly-classes.

Online courses

Structured as weekly online meetings, our online courses take place in a virtual learning environment. Class sizes are kept small (usually 32 students, or 20 for creative writing)to maximize interaction between students and the tutor. Courses are normally 5-10 or 20 weeks in duration.

For more information, visit https:// www. ox. ac. uk/online-courses.

Professional development

Working with academic experts across the university, we offer around 200 professionally oriented courses in videos, from archaeology through medicine to zoology. They are popular among professional learners from over 120 countries and regions.

For more information, visit https:// www. ox. ac. uk/professional development.

Summer schools

Accredited and non-accredited summer courses of between one and four weeks’ duration for adult learners are held at Rewley House and at Oxford’s historic colleges. There are over 100 summer courses offered each year.

For more information, visit https:// www. ox. ac. uk/summerschools.
1. What programme offers a chance to have a face-to -face talk with top experts?

A．Online courses.	B．Day and weekend events.
C．Summer schools.	D．Professional development.

2. What is a feature of the department’s online courses?

A．They usually take place on weekends.

B．They aim to improve students’ writing skills.

C．They offer degree certificates to their students.

D．They have a limitation on the number of students.

3. Which website is useful for foreign students majoring in medicine?

A．https://www. ox.ac. uk/weekly-classes.

B．https:// www. ox. ac. uk/online-courses.

C．https:// www. ox. ac. uk/professional development

D．https:// www. ox. ac. uk/summerschools.

3 . 你校英文报最近正在为其中的 “书香校园”(Scholarly School)板块征集文章，请你以“The Scholarly School In My Eyes”为题写一篇文章投稿，内容包括：
1. “书香校园”的内涵和意义；
2.   建设“书香校园”的建议。
注意：
1. 词数：100词左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节, 使行文连贯。
The Scholarly School In My Eyes
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova is a physics professor at Texas A&M who aims to show her students, especially the young women, that there are no limits.

Only 25% of physics undergraduate students are female. Perhaps it is because boys grow up playing with machines and making drawings of fast cars and rocket explosions. But girls are just as curious about the way the world works — they just haven’t jumped into the culture of chemical reactions, energy and magnetic force with as much enthusiasm. That is, until they see one of Tatiana’s videos showing the science behind real life’s magic. Tatiana is really one of the few living female examples they could follow.

Her videos get millions of views. She is a ball of energy with a short haircut, a Russian accent and a lively personality that makes physics accessible to the younger audience. Young girls are attracted to Tatiana’s attractive demonstrations the way they flock to pop concerts. This is real. This is science they can participate in. This is an open door to endless possibilities.

“These short clips are the spark that inspires,” Tatiana says with so much excitement that it lights up the room. Everything she does involves students. She believes the magic in learning is when your peers are part of the demonstration, when you are part of the teaching process.

“She wants everything to be a celebration of science,” says one of Tatiana’s former students. And indeed, the classroom is in a party atmosphere, with students cheering when amazed by Newton’s law of motion, demonstrated by a spinning bicycle wheel held upright by the professor. It’s hard to tell who is more delighted, Tatiana or her students. She is an attraction for female students who are graduating college and working in the sciences in higher numbers than ever before.

Dr. Tatiana’s story began in Russia and her parents were both physicists. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Tatiana moved to Texas with her husband, also a physicist. They both teach at Texas A&M, and when Tatiana isn’t in the classroom, she is doing outreach with schoolchildren, amazing them with spinning lights that soon form words, liquid oxygen that shrinks objects and chemical reactions that expand matter to 10 times its size. But most importantly, she is expanding the audience of female physicists.

1. According to the passage, why do girls sometimes hesitate to jump into the culture of physics?

A．Lack of interest in chemical reactions.

B．Cultural differences in curiosity.

C．Absence of female role models.

D．Fear of liquid oxygen demonstrations.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about the videos mentioned in the passage?

A．They were made by a female physician.

B．They feature engaging demonstrations.

C．They are meant for Tatiana’s homeland.

D．They have received millions of likes online.

3. What is the primary focus of Dr. Tatiana’s outreach activities with schoolchildren?

A．Appealing to students with fascinating demonstrations.

B．Teaching students some difficult physics concepts.

C．Explaining the history of Newton’s law of motion.

D．Encouraging girls to attend parties and pop concerts.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Female Professor Rejecting Gender Barrier

B．Russian Physicist and Female Scientists

C．Physics Professor Stimulating Girls’ Passion

D．The Significance of Online Short Videos

5 . I observed one child hugging her beloved toy dog while reading a book to her friend — both she and her dog were actively turning the pages — and with every page turned, she looked down at her dog, lovingly. As a longtime educator of toddlers and a current PhD student studying transitional phenomena and object relations, I have had the pleasure to witness the presence of transitional objects in the kindergarten.

The term transitional object, coined in 195l by D.W. Winnicott, refers to any material to which a child attaches a special value and by means of which the child is able to make the necessary shift from the earliest oral relationship with mother to genuine object-relationships. It is typically something soft, such as a blanket or a soft toy, that is similar to the mother’s warm arms.

It may also be the subject of the child’s fantasies, for example where a teddy bear is spoken to, hugged, punished, etc. It thus becomes a tool for practicing interaction with the external world. Moreover, the transitional object supports the development of the self, as it is used to represent ‘not me’. By looking at the object, the child knows that it is not the object and hence something individual and separate. in this way, it helps the child develop its sense of ‘other’ things.

If the object is denied in any way, attachment difficulties may arise later in life. The object allows for and invites emotional well-being, and without such an object, true feelings may be hidden or dismissed as the child has no other means to cope with and comprehend the world. Worse still, the object is intimately bound up with the identity of the child. Taking away the object is also taking away something of the child itself.

Winnicott noted that transitional objects continue through the course of our lives, as “sacred monuments” which pull us back to “a place and time of great comfort and memory”. The attachment to certain objects like self photographs defines both memorials, and more importantly a state of connection and presence in the world.

1. How does the writer introduce the topic?

A．By sharing feelings.	B．By illustrating a term.
C．By relating an experience.	D．By providing background information.

2. What does the term “transitional objects” refer to according to the passage?

A．Tools used by educators to aid teaching.

B．Items to which a child becomes deeply attached.

C．Toys designed to amuse kids in the kindergarten.

D．Expensive personal possessions gifted by parents.

3. What might happen if a child’s transitional object is denied?

A．Ho might lose his imagination.

B．He may become more independent.

C．He is less likely to share personal feelings.

D．He probably distances himself from his mother.

4. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To introduce how to develop a sense of ‘other’ things.

B．To do research on the psychological development of kids.

C．To show how to enhance the bond between mother and child.

D．To stress the importance of transitional objects to children.

6 . The more you meditate and achieve mindfulness, the better you’ll feel. There are many free meditation apps that offer guided sessions, calming playlists.

Headspace

This app is simple and approachable for meditation beginners. Most of the free sessions focus on teaching the users how to meditate and easing them into the practice, while also acknowledging that meditation can be difficult. Yet to get into the really good stuff, you need to pay for the full membership.

Insight Timer

The app offers a multitude of meditation bells and calming musical notes during self-guided meditations. Featuring a variety of professional instructors and courses, Insight Timer also offers more contents for free users than other apps. Although the free option is extensive, the premium version (高级版) offers courses, downloadable meditations, night mode, and daily insights.

Meditation Studio

The app groups all its free meditations together, so it’s easy to use it without paying. These meditations run from 5 to 30 minutes and are available for download, a feature that other apps typically reserve for premium members. The number of free contents, however, is limited and included mostly basics. The design of the app is also relatively plain.

Breethe: Meditation & Sleep

A nice feature about Breethe is the calming background music that plays while the app is open, even without opening a meditation or music. Breethe offers a lot of sleep contents, including visualizations and bedtime stories. The app does offer a few 7-day courses for free, but the majority (1,000-plus meditations) is locked behind the paywall.

1. Which app is completely free of charge?

A．Headspace.	B．Insight Timer.
C．Meditation Studio.	D．Breethe: Meditation & Sleep.

2. What is special about Headspace?

A．Courses from professional coaches.

B．Advanced instructions of meditation.

C．Bedtime stories and calming background music.

D．Guidelines on how to get into meditation at the beginning.

3. What do Insight Timer and Breethe: Meditation & Sleep have in common?

A．They have a night mode set.	B．They provide contents on sleep.
C．They have calming background music.	D．They offer free contents of the same period.

7 . From Assyrian to Irish Gaelic, Britain’s National Poetry Library is launching a major project to collect the poetry of thousands of languages in danger of dying out, and preserve them for future generations.

According to UNESCO, of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world more than half are endangered, with one dying every two weeks. For the library, Chris MoCabe said, “By the end of the century, UNESCO estimates that half of our languages will be lost, and when languages go, their poetry goes too.”

The library marked Thursday’s National Poetry Day with the launch of an international appeal for well-known poems in endangered languages.

It will collect the works sent in by members of the public for its archives, working with SOAS University of London to preserve at least one poem from each language, alongside an English translation.

The appeal coincides with a more local conservation effort from National Poetry Day, which has partnered with the local radio to find distinctive regional words from around the U. K.

From Berkshire’s “cheeselog”, or woodlouse, to the West Midlands’s “bobowler”, or large moth, the words have been used as inspiration for new commissions, which are being broadcast by the media.

“It’s such a beautiful word,” said Liz Berry, who took on bobowler. “I think of dialect words as pieces of treasure, which can carry history—they really can conjure up (使想起) the lives of those gone before us in one utterance. It’s a beautiful, magical thing.”

“If we lose these regional and national differences in languages, we will lose so much more than just the words,” said Hollie McNish, a Ted Hughes award winner, who wrote about cheeselog. “It would be like what happened with tomatoes once the supermarkets took over: They all started being forced to conform—the same color, shape, size—and all the diversity was lost. I hope, and think, the opposite is happening with regional languages now, and we’ve appreciated the diversity.”

1. Why does Britain’s National Poetry Library start the project?

A．To make the celebration more meaningful.

B．To collect the works of some famous poets.

C．To preserve poems in endangered languages.

D．To ease UNESCO’s worry over endangered languages.

2. What is the function of dialect words according to Liz Berry?

A．It can bring our ancestors back to life.	B．It can connect people in different areas.
C．It can make people learn about the past.	D．It can add beauty to lives of ancient people.

3. Why does Hollie McNish mention tomatoes in the last paragraph?

A．To show diversity of language should be maintained.

B．To complain about the supermarkets’ strict sale rules.

C．To praise the efforts made to protect regional languages.

D．To stress the differences between regional and national languages.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Severe Situation—Thousands of Languages Are Dying Out

B．Poetry Collection—The Best Way to Preserve Endangered Languages

C．Dialect—One of the Treasures in Human Civilization

D．National Poetry Day—to Save Endangered Languages

8 . Many got sleepless nights after Sora amazed the world with its remarkable ability of creating videos directly from text instructions. Discussions about what the artificial intelligence model can do and make a difference continue.

Some said it could give a huge blow to traditional industries such as film and television making, looking forward to the day when a movie can be created right after a novel is put into the model. But others remain skeptical about how powerful the model can be in changing the landscape of AI application.

Developed by a group of young talent from Microsoft-backed company OpenAI, the text-to-video model can generate videos up to a minute long while maintaining visual quality and adherence to the user’s prompt.

Shen Yang, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University , said, “Sora represents a revolutionary leap in the field of AI-generated content (AIGC).”

As one of the leading scholars in AI research in China, Shen leads a team that studies the philosophy of AI. Until he learned about Sora on February 16, Shen was quite satisfied with his team’s AI-generated videos. A two-minute video on the Spring Festival produced by Shen’s team have recently won many likes on social media platforms. “Compared with the new model Sora, what we used are tools of the previous generation. There’s a huge gap in between," said Shen.

As a frequent user of AI, Shen said the technology not only helps improve his productivity, but also benefits his daily life. His wife was suffering from cancer and many complications, and he used AI to assist in finding treatment, which has remarkably prolonged her life. He even wrote an award-winning science fiction novel using AI.

However, new technologies do not mean good news to everyone. Many also concern about AI models’ safety issues since related regulations are lagging behind. 

Sora is going to bring changes in many fields, including short video, film and television, news, games, advertising, education, and even industrial manufacturing, according to Shen. There is still much room to improve AI models. For instance, current AI models are not capable of drawing characters accurately and quickly. Shop signs lack meaning in Sora’s demo video showing a woman walking down a street in Tokyo. But these problems are believed to be solved as models update.

1. Which of the following might have similar meaning to the underlined word in Paragraph 2?

A．push.

B．strike.

C．warning.

D．bonus.

2. What can we know from the passage?

A．All people can not benefit from the new AI technologies.

B．AI model’s safety isn’t concerning despite lagging legal restrictions.

C．The AI-generated videos by Shen Yang’s team were better than those created by Sora.

D．The text-to-video model was developed by a group of young talent from Tsinghua University.

3. What kind of attitude does Shen have towards Sora?

A．Favorable.

B．Objective.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Reserved.

4. Which of the following is the best title?

A．Sora: An AI video.	B．Video Making: AI Models.
C．Sora: A Powerful AI Tool.	D．Video Making: Future of AI.

9 . Starting to write short stories: An online workshop with Stuart Evers

This is an online paid event organized by The Guardian

Award-winning writer Stuart Evers leads a highly practical and confidence-building master class in writing short stories.

Regardless of your experience, under Stuart’s expert guidance, you will take the first crucial steps in short storytelling, with a special focus on coming up with ideas, so that you will have a newfound confidence in your ability to continue crafting short stories, far beyond the course.

Course content

●What makes a short story?

●How to generate ideas for short stories

●Writing techniques that can be put into practice instantly

●Writing exercises that allow different ideas to spark off one another

This course is for…

▲A Writers who want to learn the fundamentals of the short story form and develop their skills through practical writing exercises

▲Anyone looking to build their confidence in storytelling

Course Details

★Date: Tuesday 31 June 2024

★Time: 6pm-9pm (GMT)

★A catch up recording will be shared after the class and will be available for two weeks.

You will be sent a link to the webinar 24 hours and 30 minutes before the start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you do not receive it.

This event will be hosted on a third-party live streaming platform Zoom, please refer to their privacy policy and terms and conditions before purchasing a ticket to the class.

Once a purchase is complete we will not be able to refund you if you do not attend or cancel your event booking. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.

1. What does the course pay more attention to?

A．Creating characters.	B．Writing techniques.
C．Forming creative ideas.	D．Writing exercises.

2. What makes you have to send an email?

A．Not receiving the access link.	B．Learning the online workshop.
C．Getting some learning materials.	D．Purchasing a ticket to the class.

3. What service is guaranteed for the participants?

A．Unconditioned refund.	B．A recording of lectures.
C．Free booking on Zoom.	D．24 hours of broadcasting.

10 . Last May, my 15-year-old son Ben, informed his mother and me that he would like to attend an upcoming rap concert of Kendrick Lamar. We told our son that he was too young to go to a concert in Toronto alone. But my son refused to take no for an answer.

A few weeks later I happened to be in Ottawa visiting my mother and her sister, Martha. I complained to them about the absurdity (荒唐) of my situation: a man in his fifties attending a rap concert so that his son could go! Then they told me a story.

In the summer of 1964, my aunt Martha, then an 11-year-old girl begged her father, Cuthbert, who was 61, to attend a concert of the Beatles. Cuthbert had to drive Martha from Ottawa to Montreal to see the Fab Four. Once the band came on the stage, the crowd exploded. Poor old Cuthbert didn’t know what had hit him. But as the band started to sing, Cuthbert found he was getting into it. His foot was tapping (轻拍). By the time McCartney started to sing, Cuthbert appeared to have forgotten that he was a respected lawyer.

If Cuthbert could attend a Beatles concert without embarrassing his daughter, I could do something similar for my son. The first thing to do was to learn something about Mr. Lamar and his music. I downloaded and listened to all his albums. I even had some discussions with Ben about what to wear.

The truth is the concert was great. While Kendrick Lamar may still not be my favourite, I’m glad my son introduced me to him, and I’m glad I went.

Often, we don’t keep an open mind to new things and new experiences. Fortunately, we have children, like Ben and Martha, to help us do that.

1. What did the author complain about to his mother and aunt?

A．He was too old to go to a rap concert.

B．His son argued with him again.

C．His son was so crazy about travel.

D．He had too many questions to answer.

2. What happened to Cuthbert when McCartney started to sing?

A．He got a bad headache.

B．He began to enjoy the concert.

C．He forgot the time for his work.

D．He was knocked off his feet.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The Beatles concert.

B．The author’s feelings about the concert.

C．The author’s preparation for the concert.

D．Differences between the two concerts.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．New Information About My Family

B．How a Rapper Lifted My Day

C．What My Grandfather Did for His Kid

D．How My Son’s Determination Changed Me