1 . According to Jessica Hagy, author of How to Be Interesting, it’s not difficult to make yourself interesting at a dinner party.

    1    , if you’re out of your comfort zone or if you’re wandering into somebody’s house for the first time. So the main thing is just to show up and be adventurous, trying different foods and talking to strangers.

People love to talk about themselves. If you can start the conversation with a question other than “What do you do for a living?”, you’ll be able to get a lot more interesting conversation out of whomever it is you’re talking to.     2    , it can bring in “I have this old, broken-down vehicle” or “I rode the bus with these crazy people who were laughing at silly jokes in the back.” It just opens up conversation.

    3    ? If you can’t take their wine away, you should certainly try to take away their soapbox (讲台). If you’re the host, you can ask them to help you in the kitchen with something and just remove them from the situation.    4    .

And what about that other dinner-party killer: awkward silence? If you’re faced with an awkward silence at a dinner party, the only thing that always gets everyone talking again is to give the host a compliment (赞扬).     5    . Just quickly turn around and say, “This cake is extremely delicious and you have to tell me all about it.”

So being interesting at a dinner party isn’t that hard.

A．How do you know the host

B．The first step is to go exploring

C．If you ask the question “How did you get here?”

D．Be prepared to have awkward conversations with strangers

E．Or turn the conversation into a topic where they have little to say

F．What about that person who had too much to drink or won’t stop talking

G．He or she is the person who is feeling the weight of that awkwardness the most

2 . We live in a town with three beaches. There are two parts less than 10 minutes’ walk from home where neighborhood children gather to play. However, what my children want to do after school is pick up a screen — any screen — and stare at it for hours. They are not alone. Today’s children spend an average of four and a half hours a day looking at screens, split between watching television and using the Internet.

In the past few years, an increasing number of people and organisations have begun coming up with plans to counter this trend. A couple of years ago film-maker David Bond realised that his children, then aged five and three, were attached to screens to the point where he was able to say “chocolate” into his three-year-old son’s ear without getting a response. He realised that something needed to change, and, being a London media type, appointed himself “marketing director from Nature”. He documented his journey as he set about treating nature as a brand to be marketed to young people. The result was Project Wild Thing, a film which charts the birth of the World Network, a group of organisations with the common goal of getting children out into nature.

“Just five more minutes outdoors can make a difference,” David Bond says. “There is a lot of really interesting evidence which seems to be suggesting that if children are inspired up to the age of seven, then being outdoors will be on habit for life.” His own children have got into the habit of playing outside now: “We just send them out into the garden and tell them not to come back in for a while.”

Summer is upon us. There is an amazing world out there, and it needs our children as much as they need it. Let us get them out and let them play.

1. What is the problem with the author’s children?

A．They often annoy their neighbours.	B．They are tired of doing their homework.
C．They have no friends to play with	D．They stay in front of screens for too long.

2. How did David Bond advocate his idea?

A．By making a documentary film.	B．By organizing outdoor activities.
C．By advertising in London media.	D．By creating a network of friends.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “charts” in paragraph 2?

A．records

B．predicts

C．delays

D．confirms

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Let Children Have Fun	B．Young Children Need More Free Time
C．Market Nature to Children	D．David Bond: A Role Model for Children

3 . Leslie Nielsen’s childhood was a difficult one, but he had one particular shining star in his life — his uncle, who was a well-known actor. The admiration and respect his uncle earned inspired Nielsen to make a career (职业) in acting. Even though he often felt he would be discovered to be a no-talent, he moved forward, gaining a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse and making his first television appearance a few years later in 1948. However, becoming a full-time, successful actor would still be an uphill battle for another eight years until he landed a number of film roles that finally got him noticed.

But even then, what he had wasn’t quite what he wanted. Nielsen always felt he should be doing comedy but his good looks and distinguished voice kept him busy in dramatic roles. It wasn’t until 1980 — 32 years into his career — that he landed the role it would seem he was made for in Airplane! That movie led him into the second half of his career where his comedic presence alone could make a movie a financial success even when movie reviewers would not rate it highly.

Did Nielsen then feel content in his career? Yes and no. He was thrilled to be doing the comedy that he always felt he should do, but even during his last few years, he always had a sense of curiosity, wondering what new role or challenge might be just around the comer. He never stopped working, never retired.

Leslie Nielsen’s devotion to acting is wonderfully inspiring. He built a hugely successful career with little more than plain old hard work and determination. He showed us that even a single desire, never given up on, can make for a remarkable life.

1. Why did Nielsen want to be an actor?

A．He enjoyed watching movies.	B．He was eager to earn money.
C．He wanted to be like his uncle.	D．He felt he was good at acting.

2. What do we know about Nielsen in the second half of his career?

A．He directed some high quality movies.	B．He avoided taking on new challenges.
C．He focused on playing dramatic roles.	D．He became a successful comedy actor.

3. What does Nielsen’s career story tell us?

A．Art is long, life is short.	B．He who laughs last laughs longest.
C．It’s never too late to learn.	D．Where there’s a will there’s a way.

4 . Last year, my friend, Kydee Williams, and I started a non-profit project because we wanted to do charity work differently. Thus, The Pop-Up Care Shop was _________.

TPUCS is a traveling shop of _________ donated goods for people in need. During the holidays, we _________ clothing drives and then went to women’s shelters. Our main goal was to help inspire women who were _________ with hope as well as bring a little holiday cheer to our local communities. _________ any project or movement wasn’t easy. Brainstorming and coming up with cool ideas was the _________ part, but actually bringing those ideas to life can seem almost _________ at times. However, there were lessons about _________ that we didn’t fully realize until we started this journey.

From our experience, we learned smaller shelters, especially those in less-commercialized areas were often _________ when it came to getting community support. Actually, they were typically more __________ to new and creative ideas and would greatly welcome __________ who offered help. Under our inspiration, many __________ people devoted themselves to non-profit work. Many shelters are understaffed and the staff overworked. Working directly with them helped us __________ the specific needs of the shelter.

While material things like food, clothes, money, and shelter can help people survive, what __________ helps people live is the intangible (无形) necessities like love, presence, patience. Even though we can’t help every single person in the world, we can __________ a world of difference for at least one person.

1.

A．found

B．donated

C．born

D．purchased

2.

A．cheap

B．free

C．value

D．messy

3.

A．quit

B．chose

C．forbade

D．held

4.

A．homeless

B．fearless

C．guiltless

D．restless

5.

A．Ceasing

B．Highlighting

C．Starting

D．Monitoring

6.

A．hard

B．fun

C．odd

D．core

7.

A．crucial

B．unnecessary

C．impossible

D．logical

8.

A．breaking down

B．giving back

C．keeping up

D．pulling through

9.

A．ignored

B．emphasized

C．mentioned

D．estimated

10.

A．harmful

B．relevant

C．opposed

D．open

11.

A．shoppers

B．pioneers

C．officers

D．volunteers

12.

A．reliable

B．selfless

C．creative

D．courageous

13.

A．understand

B．satisfy

C．anticipate

D．illustrate

14.

A．originally

B．slightly

C．truly

D．barely

15.

A．identify

B．detect

C．reveal

D．make

5 . How to Protect Against Undue Influence Online

The potential for undue influence has become increasingly significant in this era of digital interconnectivity. Undue influence can affect our perceptions and influence our decisions. It may even end anger our autonomy (自主) and mental health.     1    

Understand what undue influence is

The first step to protecting yourself is understanding what undue influence is. Undue influence refers to a situation in which an individual or group employs unreasonable control over another person’s behavior information, thoughts, and emotions.     2     Disinformation campaigns, persuasive advertising, and even content designed to cause fear, uncertainty, or dependency may often appear online.

Develop media literacy skills

In an age of fake news, it is crucial to develop media literacy skills.     3     Become a consumer who can tell the quality of information, identify the source, check for credibility, and look for your unconscious assumptions and preferences.

    4    

Delete as much data as you can about yourself. Be mindful of what information you share online, and always ensure that your online activities are secured through reliable sources. Review all policies on platforms, especially “free” ones. If you aren’t paying, then you are the product, as in many cases, they are selling your data.

By including these steps into your digital life, you can protect yourself from undue influence in the online world, ensuring that you can think and act independently, free from ill control.

    5     It is your mind. Only you should control it!

A．Prioritize privacy

B．Be mindful of free ones

C．It’s vital to have a health y Internet and real-life balance.

D．In the digital world, undue influence can take many forms.

E．Everyone deserves the right to live free from undue influence.

F．They involve analyzing, evaluating, and creating media in various forms.

G．Here are some essential strategies for you to protect yourself online from undue influence.

6 . Animals can adapt quickly to survive unfavorable environmental conditions. Evidence is mounting to show that plants can, too. A paper published in the journal Trends in Plant Science details how plants are rapidly adapting to the effects of climate change, and how they are passing down these adaptations to their offspring(后代).

Plants are facing more environmental stresses than ever. For example, climate change is making winters shorter in many locations, and plants are responding. “Many plants require a minimum period of cold in order to set up their environmental clock to define their flowering time,” says Martinelli, a plant geneticist at the University of Florence. “As cold seasons shorten, plants have adapted to require shorter periods of cold to delay flowering. These mechanisms allow plants to avoid flowering in periods when they have fewer opportunities to reproduce.”

Because plants don’t have neural(神经的) networks, their memory is based entirely on cellular(细胞的),molecular(分子的),and biochemical networks. These networks make up what the researchers call somatic memory(体细胞记忆). “It allows plants to recognize the occurrence of a previous environmental condition and to react accordingly,” says Martinelli.

These somatic memories can then be passed to the plants’ offspring via epigenetics(表现遗传). “Several examples demonstrate the existence of molecular mechanisms modulating plant memory to environmental stresses and affecting the adaptation of offspring to these stresses,” says Martinelli.

Going forward, Martinelli hopes to understand even more about the genes that are being passed down. “We are particularly interested in decoding the epigenetic alphabet without changes in DNA sequence(序列),”he says. “This is especially important when we consider the rapid climate change, we observe today that every living organism, including plants, needs to quickly adapt to survive.”

1. What adaptations have plants made to shortened cold seasons?

A．They have shortened their flowering time.

B．They have got more chances to reproduce.

C．They have avoided flowering in cold seasons.

D．They have adjusted their environmental clock.

2. What can we learn about somatic memory?

A．It is entirely based on neural networks.

B．It can help the plants’ offspring to survive.

C．It can help relieve environmental stresses.

D．It disturbs the plants’ biochemical networks.

3. What does the underlined word “modulating” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Adjusting.	B．Treasuring.
C．Recording.	D．Sharing.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Plants are smart about flowering time

B．Plants can also adapt to climate change

C．Environmental stresses challenge plants

D．Mysteries of plant genes are to be unfolded

7 . The Music Educator Award, this year, went to Annie Ray, an orchestra(管弦乐队)director at Annandale High School.She was recognized for her efforts to make music accessible to all students, particularly those with disabilities.Ray got to attend the awards ceremony in Los Angeles and bring home a $10,000 prize.

Ray created the Crescendo Orchestra for students with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as a parent orchestra that teaches nearly 200 caregivers a year to play the same instrument as their child.Ray also works with a local charity to give damaged instruments a second life in her classroom.

The orchestra is about much more than just making music.The most important is to give students a chance to develop their cooperation skills, make mistakes and learn the art of refining something.Ray pushes her students to be brave, go outside their comfort zone and realize they have to learn how to make bad sounds before learning how to make good sounds.And they teach her a lot in return.” They changed my educational philosophy.I understand what it truly means to meet a student where they’re at and apply that elsewhere,” she said.

The warm reception on the ceremony was meaningful.Actually, not many people understand what exactly music educators do or how much their work matters.While her administration is supportive, that lack of understanding is a problem facing the profession in general.Another is resources.She says her school “desperately” needs new instruments.She will use some of her prize money to buy more.

Ray also plans to put some of the money towards an ongoing scholarship for students who want to pursue music when they graduate.She knows of several, those particularly interested in music, and aims to offer financial support needed to realize their musical dreams” It is hard but truly satisfying,” Ray said.“And there’s nothing else like it for them.”

1. What can we learn about Ray from the first two paragraphs?

A．She hosted the award ceremony.	B．She brought music to more people.
C．She gave away instruments to the poor.	D．She founded a local charity for children.

2. What do students benefit most from the orchestra?

A．They acquire in-depth musical knowledge.	B．They make friends with the like-minded.
C．They gain personal growth from playing music.	D．They improve their connections with educators.

3. What is paragraph 4 of the text mainly about?

A．The reception on the ceremony.	B．Importance of music education.
C．Challenges for music educators.	D．Plans to obtain resources.

4. What does Ray find satisfying according to the last paragraph?

A．Winning a scholarship.	B．Developing interest in music.
C．Making musical achievements.	D．Transforming dreams into reality.

8 . 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。

I was eight years old and wasn’t aware of all the arrangements being made for our journey as a family to London in 1950. My mother was in great pain and wished to visit specialists in London. My father reluctantly had to sell our property in Queensland. The day before we boarded the ship, Father unwillingly said goodbye to his five-year-old cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. Father’s friend Sandy was to be his guardian while we were overseas, as he had been getting to know Spider for many weeks.

Six weeks later, an airletter arrived from Sandy, giving my father the news that Spider had run away just two weeks after we had sailed. Sandy had advertised constantly on ABC and other regional newspapers. Despite many “sightings”, the dog was never found. It seems Spider just kept running and searching for us. As he was cattle dog, my father thought he would shoe or dingo-trapped, because of his appearance. But our family thought that Father held a secrets hope that Spider was still alive.

We sailed back to Australia two years later and re-established our home. My father immediately began his own search for Spider. One cold winter’s Saturday morning eight months after our return, my father had a call from an elderly lady living on her own on the outskirts of the town. As she told my father on the telephone, it was “just glimpses of a dingo-type dog in the shadows” of her disused tennis court. That was enough for my father to interrupt my homework.   

We set off in his blue and black Jensen car which he had brought back from England. It was hardly the right vehicle for the rough roads we travelled that day. Five and a half hours later, we found the run-down old property. Sadly, she told my father that the “dingo dog” hadn’t been around for a few days. My father had a strange look in his eye. He put two fingers to his lips and did his special whistle for Spider.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Suddenly there was a sound in the bush.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once home we had the task of getting all the prickles (刺) off him.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . At The Rachael Ray Foundation^TM (RRF), we’re pretty big animal lovers. As a part of our work, we support a wide variety of organizations that do good for animals, from rescue to care and more. Get to know a few of them and the work we do together.

Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team

RRF helped enable Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) to purchase a new and bigger plane for its rescue missions which bring animals from danger to safety. Whether it be flying dogs in overcrowded shelters to new homes, saving animals caught in the path of natural disasters, or bringing supplies to shelters in need, the brave PAART pilots are always ready to help.

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) works to find and train shelter dogs who have the talent and drive to become search and rescue animals. RRF supports SDF’s efforts to identify and transform rescued dogs into rescuers, to provide lifetime care for these dogs and to find homes for all dogs who enter the SDF training program.

Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants

This is a program administered by Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) to support Best Friends’ network partners in their lifesaving efforts. The money has been awarded to organizations across the country to fund initiatives such as adoption drives and shelter intake prevention efforts.

North Shore Animal League America Disaster Relief Grants

This program, administered by North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), provides money for animal welfare organizations impacted by disasters. RRF is proud to help NSALA in its efforts to identify needs in disaster situations and provide targeted, effective relief.

1. What is special about PAART?

A．It provides necessities for-animals in need.	B．It conducts animal rescue missions by plane.
C．It is supported by the Rachael Ray Foundation.	D．It assists in finding adopters for rescued animals.

2. Which organization is devoted to training shelter animals to do rescue work?

A．SDF.

B．BFAS.

C．PAART.

D．NSALA.

3. What do the last two programs have in common?

A．They both strongly promote animal adoption.

B．They are both in charge of Best Friends Animal Society.

C．They both provide financial assistance to animal welfare initiatives.

D．They are both administered by welfare organizations impacted by disasters.

10 . 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。

Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang province. Harbin is now a large and open city,     1     (influence) deeply by Russia, Europe, and Japan in     2     (it) culture, architecture, and lifestyle. Harbin is one of the most popular destinations for winter tours,    3    (host) the world’s biggest ice and snow festival.

Harbin     4     (become) world-famous for having the largest ice and snow festival. The opening ceremony is held     5     January 5 every year. Lasting for more than two months, Harbin Ice and Snow international festival is also     6     longest snow festival in the world.     7     (near) all the ice for the festival is cut from the Songhua River in Harbin.

The most popular place is the Harbin Ice and Snow World,     8     is like a frozen Disneyland, and you can see the big ice and snow castles, carto on sculptures and enjoy the biggest     9     (vary) of snow sports and activities in the world.

There are also ice and snow sculptures exhibitions on Sun Island and an ice lantern show in Zhaolin Park.

Harbin has long been a popular winter destination for snow tourism and skiing experiences. If you are skiing lovers, Yabuli Ski Resort and Jihua Ski Resort     10     (recommend).