1 . I was standing in front of a stranger’s house, rescue box in hand, my head full of instructions to follow. It would be my first test as a volunteer wildlife rescuer. A call had come through that afternoon from a man: an unknown bird was attacked by other birds. He saved the victim. Could someone please help to transfer it?

I was anxious even at the door: would I be able to transfer it neatly into my rescue box? I entered the house, lifted a shoebox and saw a bird standing on thin legs, shaking. Hesitating for quite a while, I decided to transfer the whole shoebox into my rescue box.

Back home, I could see no obvious sign of injury, but it refused to eat the bird food I provided. I phoned a specialist. She told me this species hunts insects on the wing, so keeping it longer than overnight would make it starve. I released it and it flew high immediately. “What would be different for this delicate creature this time around?” I wondered. Nothing. But at least it would win its life again.

That was in 2009. My first rescue was a second chance for the bird as well as for me. Five months earlier, I’d received a cancer diagnosis. After the treatment, I recovered but was told I couldn’t take on my former work, which would worsen my physical condition. I was at the point where I didn’t know how to schedule my days. Then I heard about a wildlife rescue group that was seeking volunteers and holding a course. I’d been attracted by animals ever since I was a young girl but had always thought that I’d missed that boat. Then I found the boat again.

I did the course and acquired qualifications. All I had to do was wait for a rescue call. And it came: it was in a box waiting, just for me.

1. What can we learn about the author in her first wildlife rescue?

A．She forgot rescue instructions.	B．She experienced high pressure.
C．She lacked proper tools for rescue.	D．She was skilled in doing the rescue.

2. What would probably happen to the bird after the release?

A．It would die from the injuries.	B．It would find the food it desired.
C．It would seek someone for adoption.	D．It would be too weak and get starved.

3. Why did the author take on bird rescue?

A．To try a new hobby.	B．To relieve her work stress.
C．To find life’s meaning again.	D．To cure her disease completely.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．The Skills of Rescue	B．Wildlife Protection
C．Our Second Chance	D．Thoughts after Cancer

2 . Some people today might be early risers because of DNA they take after Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago, suggests new research.

When early humans migrated from Africa to Eurasia roughly 70,000 years ago, some of them mated with Neanderthals, who had already adapted to the colder, darker climates of the north. The ripple (涟漪) effects of that intermating still exist today: Modern humans of non-African ancestry (血统) have between 1 and 4 percent Neanderthal DNA. Some of that DNA relates to sleep more specifically, the internal body clock known as the circadian rhythm.

For the new study, researchers compared DNA from today’s humans and DNA from Neanderthal fossils (化石). In both groups, they found some of the same genetic variants involved with the circadian rhythm. And they found that modern humans who carry these variants also reported being early risers.

For Neanderthals, being “morning people” might not have been the real benefit of carrying these genes. Instead, scientists suggest, Neanderthals’ DNA gave them faster, more flexible internal body clocks, which allowed them to adjust more easily to annual changes in daylight. This connection makes sense in the context of human history. When early humans moved north out of Africa, they would have experienced variable daylight hours — shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer-for the first time. The Neanderthals’ circadian rhythm genes likely helped early humans’ offspring (后代) adapt to this new environment.

Notably, the findings do not prove that Neanderthal genes are responsible for the sleep habits of all early risers. Lots of different factors beyond genetics can contribute, including social and environmental influences. The study also only included DNA from a database called the U.K. Biobank—so the findings may not necessarily apply to all modern humans. Next, the research team hopes to study other genetic databases to see if the same link holds true for people of other ancestries. If the findings do apply more broadly, they may one day be useful for improving sleep in the modern world, where circadian rhythms are disturbed by night shifts and glowing smartphones.

1. What does the new research focus on?

A．DNA’s dramatic changes.	B．Genes’ influence on early risers.
C．Neanderthals’ sleeping patterns.	D．Ancestors’ environmental adaptability.

2. What is paragraph 2 intended to show concerning the new research?

A．Historical context.	B．Additional proof.
C．Sample analysis.	D．Studying process.

3. What is the real benefit of carrying Neanderthal’s DNA for modern humans?

A．Getting up earlier.	B．Having healthier daily routines.
C．Being more flexible in their work.	D．Possessing a better circadian rhythm.

4. What can be inferred about the findings from the last paragraph?

A．They get proof from other studies.	B．They are confirmed by early risers.
C．They suggest potential applications.	D．They reveal factors in sleeping disorders.

3 . Why is a compliment so impactful? One of the most important things to humans is to feel valued and respected by others, says Vanessa Bohns, a social psychologist, who has researched compliments. According to her research, people feel “significantly better” after both giving and receiving a compliment.     1    

“You handled that situation so well.”

Bohns recently used her favorite compliment when she saw a server address a difficult situation with a customer at the bar. “I like it so much because you use it in anxious moments where the other person is often unsure of whether they handled a situation OK,” she says. In situations that call for a compliment, don’t second-guess yourself. Give your compliments generously.     2     That concern is unfounded.

“    3    ”

This compliment — one of Bohns’ favorites — works well among romantic partners and close family members. “It’s a beautiful way to highlight how their presence turns life into something meaningful, despite boring routines of our everyday lives,” she says. If you’re afraid that giving a compliment like this will feel strange, you’re not alone.     4     If it makes you personally feel like the bar is lowered for you to give a compliment if you write it down, or if you practice saying it out loud or giving your pet cat the compliment first, do that.

“Hey, great dress!”

Feel free to compliment strangers. In Bohns’ research, students on a college campus were told to approach a stranger of the same gender and compliment them-about, for example, their nice shirt. Before heading out, the study participants tended to underestimate their positive effect while overestimating how annoying it would be. Across all contexts, strangers are more likely to be pleased than confused. Plus, who knows?     5    

A．I love the way you bring out the best in people.

B．Respect is essential when you deliver compliments.

C．One way to overcome this fear is to do a practice run.

D．You make even ordinary moments feel extraordinary.

E．You might make a new friend in addition to making someone’s day.

F．With that in mind, we asked her to share some of her favorite compliments.

G．People sometimes worry that they’re going over and will start to sound insincere.

4 . “Palace, Mountain, Moon?” has been selected by NASA as the Astronomical Picture of the Day for December 25, 2023.

The photo was taken by Valerio, a young photographer of Turin, Italy. It was shot on the evening of December 15, 2023. While he knew about NASA’s competition, he hadn’t considered participating until receiving much encouragement from his social media followers. Soon after, he received the message, “Your image has been chosen as the astronomical photo of the day.” It was incredible!

In a photo like this, nothing is left to luck. The concept came to him back in 2017. Walking on the hills north of Turin, he found several spots perfect for including both the Basilica of Superga Palace and Mountain Monviso. After numerous visits over several months, he identified four spots where Superga and Monviso line up just right.

After pinpointing these locations, he experimented with shooting them at different times. “I knew I needed something special to perfect the photo. The Sun was a no-go, so I turned to the Moon. Its various phases and position s reach an azimuth angle (方位角) of 230 degrees,” Valerio said. With this in mind, he researched the Moon’s phases, marked potential dates on the calendar, and planned the exact moments when the moon could join the queue.

It was very successful, especially because the Moon was in a waxing phase. This meant that in the photo, not only was its crescent (新月) lit up, but so was the left part, its shadowed side. That part is lit by reflected light, also known as Da Vinci’s glow, named after him because he was the one who theorized about why the Moon’s shadowed side is brightened. During the early days of the waxing Moon phases, the shadowed part is visible because the Sun’s light reflects off the Earth and hits the Moon’s shadowed side, giving it a greyish, silvery color. This allowed the light to outline Monviso on the left as well.

1. Why did Valerio send the photo to NASA?

A．He took an interest in astronomical advances.

B．He expected to create an impact on social media.

C．He received broad support from enthusiastic fans.

D．He wished to make his hometown a tourist hot spot.

2. In Valerio’s photo, the three objects ______.

A．shine light on each other	B．stand in a straight line
C．fit each other in size	D．vary from usual in color

3. What did Valerio do to prepare for the perfect photo?

A．Studying how the Moon phase changes.	B．Calculating the Superga-Monviso distance.
C．Analyzing when to adjust the camera angle.	D．Measuring the height of the observation point.

4. What was lit up by the Da Vinci’s glow?

A．The outline of the crescent.	B．The outline of Superga.
C．The dark side of the Moon.	D．The shadowed side of the Earth.

5 . 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。

In a heartwarming turn of events, giant panda Fubao has finally returned home to China. Fubao was born in South Korea in July 2020 and quickly gained a     1    (mass) following due to its lovely appearance and appealing personality.

The journey to bring Fubao back to China was a long and challenging one, but it was made possible through the     2    (cooperate) of both Chinese and South Korean authorities. On April 3, Fubao boarded a plane from South Korea and arrived safely in Chengdu, China,     3     it belongs. There, it was greeted by a group of fans who were     4    (eager) waiting for its arrival.

Fans of Fubao have been visiting the Everland theme park in South Kore a every month to catch sight of     5     beloved panda. The Chinese media has been closely following Fubao’s journey back to China, with many netizens     6    (express) their excitement and happiness. Some have even gone so far as to set up advertisements     7     (welcome) Fubao back home.

Fubao will now be able to live in its natural habitat,     8    (surround) by other pandas and receiving the care and attention it     9    (deserve) . A special quarantine (隔离) area has been set up for Fubao at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where it can adjust     10     its new surroundings.

6 . “It’s not unusual for guests to feel emotional when they discover the story behind our food,” says Patrick Navis. “Not to mention when they taste it. One even cried with happiness.” The setting for these tearful scenes? Navis’s restaurant in a Dutch city. Here, the owner and his team create experimental food using herbs, roots, flowers and nuts — some common, others less so.

Most of these ingredients (食材) come from the Ketelbroek Food Forest nearby. To the untrained eye, it’s like an ordinary wood. But there’s one key difference: everything in it is edible. It was set up in 2009 by Dutch botanist and environmentalist Noah Eck as an experiment in slow farming, to see what would happen if the right combination of food plants were left to grow together like a natural forest, without chemicals.

“It’s the first ‘food forest’ of its kind in Europe and we’re one of the few restaurants around the world cooperating in this way,”says Navis.“We have over 400 different species of edible plants we plan our menus around, including some we previously knew little about.” He harvests the ingredients and, with his fellow chefs, works them into beautifully presented tasting menus, served in a dining room hidden in the backstreets of the city,

“To us, fine dining is not about the fame of a restaurant, its location, expensive decoration, fancy cooking and wine list,”says Navis.“It’s about adding value through creativity and using ingredients nobody knows of, which are grown with great attention.” However, he adds, luxury cooking can be about enhancing everyday ingredients, too.

“When looking at cooking in this way, who can argue that caviar (鱼子酱), for example, is more valuable than a carrot grown with specialist knowledge?”

Experimentation is extremely important to Navis. In the next five years, he hopes to open an outdoor restaurant. But for now, the most important thing is to continue focusing on how plants are being grown and the perennial system used in the Food Forest, reducing the need for replanting each season.

1. What can we learn about Navis’s restaurant?

A．It is well received by its guests.	B．It serves food with moving stories.
C．It offers experimental food for free.	D．It is known for its rare food sources.

2. How is Ketelbrock Food Forest different from ordinary woods?

A．It is a natural forest.	B．Diverse plants coexist in it.
C．Plants there take longer to grow.	D．It provides safe food ingredients.

3. What is the key element of fine dining according to Navis?

A．Convenient locations.	B．Expensive ingredients.
C．Innovative menus.	D．Fancy cooking techniques.

4. What does “the perennial system” in the last paragraph probably refer to?

A．The sustainable farming practice.	B．Farming with proper use of chemicals.
C．Natural farming without human intervention.	D．An experimental farm for an outdoor restaurant.

7 . It was dinner time, yet I hadn’t finished my work for the day. Cheery people who were enjoying their holiday time buzzed around me. But with my head down and headphones in, I had interacted with very few of them. The day passed more like a fast-forwarded video than something that I actually fully experienced.     1    

This was my first week living the digital nomad lifestyle. I had left my corporate role and found freelance (自由职业的) writing work online to afford me the freedom to travel.     2     With enthusiasm, I expected my attitude would also change. Instead, the first surprising realization of my travel journey had hit: despite changing my formal suits to casuals, I was the exact same person I had been at home.

I had prepared excitedly, surfing online about digital nomadism.     3    While you might expect finances to be the biggest killer of this lifestyle, unrealistic expectations are the death blow that I hear about most often. After six years abroad, realism is now the primary message I share.

    4     Instead of an office room, you’ll work from a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean or a sunny rooftop in the heart of Marrakesh. Instead of waiting at the coffee machine next to complaining colleagues, your daily coffee run will lead you down dusty cobblestone streets into tiny cafes. These dreams exist and are waiting for you once you clear customs.

But that’s not all that’s waiting for new digital nomads.     5     At-home life and life on the road can at times feel shockingly similar, or, if bad work habits take over, even worse. It’s an important expectation to understand before you set out on your digital nomad lifestyle: your surroundings will change, but you take you everywhere that you go. No matter how ultra-light you pack.

A．And my surroundings looked different.

B．But this wasn’t at a tiring nine-to-five office job.

C．This was a typical day back in my office I managed to escape.

D．New surroundings may also make you fully engaged in your work.

E．Should you choose to become a digital nomad, your environment will change.

F．You’ll still wake up with emails in your inbox and to-dos begging to be handled.

G．Yet somehow I unknowingly over-consumed expectation and under-consumed realism.

8 . Are you an early bird or a night owl? Our activity patterns and sleep cycles could influence our risk of heart disease. New research published in Experimental Physiology found wake/sleep cycles cause metabolic (新陈代谢) differences and change our body’s preference for energy sources.

Researchers from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA classified participants into two groups(early and late) based on their natural tendency to seek activity and sleep at different times. The participants were monitored for a week to assess their activity patterns across the day. They ate a calorie and nutrition-controlled diet and had to fast overnight to minimize dietary impact on the results. To study fuel preference, they were tested while at rest before completing two 15-minute period of exercise: one moderate and one high intensity session on a running machine. Aerobic fitness levels were tested through an incline challenge where the incline was raised 2.5% every two minutes until the participant reached a point of exhaustion.

The researchers found that those who stay up later have a reduced ability to use fat for energy, meaning fats may build up in the body and increase the risk of heart disease. People who are ‘early birds’ rely more on fat as an energy source and are more active during the day with, higher levels of aerobic fitness than ‘night owls’. On the other hand, ‘night owls’ use less fat for energy at rest and during exercise.

Researchers also found that early birds use more fat for energy at both rest and during exercise than night owls. Professor Steven Malin from Rutgers University said, “We found that early birds are more physically active and have higher fitness levels than night owls. Farther research is needed to examine the link between exercise and metabolic adaptation to identify whether exercising earlier in the day has greater health benefits.”

1. What does the underlined word “fast” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Move quickly.	B．Go without food.
C．Exercise regularly.	D．Fall sound asleep.

2. How was the research conducted?

A．By making a survey.	B．By making contrasts.
C．By providing examples.	D．By introducing a concept.

3. What is the characteristic of the “early birds”?

A．Having lower fitness level.	B．Using less fat during exercise.
C．Consuming more fat at rest.	D．Being more active during the night.

4. What is Malin’s attitude to the result of the research?

A．Tolerant.

B．Pessimistic.

C．Indifferent.

D．Uncertain.

9 . Torrie, 16, and her friend Azarria were driving back home when another car hit them. When Torrie opened her eyes, she _________ their car had been pushed into a tree. There came _________ from the gathering crowd as the car was smoking. Torrie’s door wouldn’t open, but her window became an escape _________.

“Everyone ran away, fearing the car was going to _________. But turning around, I didn’t see Azarria. I ran back and saw she was _________ in the back seat. I decided to help her out of the _________.”

“I didn’t know how I made it. I just became stronger at that moment,” she says. She _________ a bystander to call 911 and started CPR.

After 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths, Azarria began to show _________ of life. Just then, the paramedics _________ to rush Azarria to the nearest hospital.

__________ for both girls, their Lakewood High School offers a First-Aid Skills class taught by Erika Miller. Torrie had earned her __________ in the class just the day before this accident.

“I was absolutely astonished,” Erika says. “In my years of teaching, I never __________ a student would finish the course and in 24 hours have to __________ CPR on her friend.”

“I was grateful to Torrie, but I wasn’t surprised.” Azarria says. “She would have done that for anyone. That’s just __________ of her.

“First-aid training should be a(n) __________ in schools,” Torrie says. “It can make a difference between life and death.”

1.

A．examined

B．recognized

C．determined

D．panicked

2.

A．antiques

B．breakthroughs

C．refreshments

D．screams

3.

A．route

B．frame

C．release

D．motion

4.

A．proceed

B．explode

C．slip

D．crash

5.

A．noble

B．humble

C．swollen

D．unconscious

6.

A．highlight

B．duration

C．chaos

D．insight

7.

A．instructed

B．stimulated

C．alarmed

D．disturbed

8.

A．symbols

B．routines

C．luxury

D．signs

9.

A．blew up

B．relied on

C．rolled up

D．carried on

10.

A．Fortunately

B．Literally

C．Particularly

D．Urgently

11.

A．barrier

B．certificate

C．deadline

D．living

12.

A．defended

B．grasped

C．anticipated

D．dominated

13.

A．perform

B．cast

C．cite

D．expose

14.

A．awesome

B．elegant

C．fond

D．typical

15.

A．intervention

B．requirement

C．exception

D．perspective

10 . 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 didn’t like Del so much. He always called me the nickname “Germy”, which meant “dirty”, instead of my real name “Jamie”. Besides, he was known as a trouble-maker in school. So when the head teacher Mr. Smith asked Del to come to his office, I naturally thought that Del had done something mean to someone. Through the window, I caught sight of a smaller boy crying. Del seemed unhappy, too.

He did not return to class that day. All of us were discussing what had happened to him. What else could such an annoying boy do? “He must have hit the boy and was sent home,” I whispered to my friends. Their eyes widened. It felt good to see them so interested in what I said.

The next morning, the whole school was talking about Del being expelled(开除) for beating up a kid. I was surprised that my assumptions were passed on so quickly. So when Del walked into the classroom, all the kids were shocked. The kids next to him shift ed their desks away. “What’s your problem?” Del asked. “I don’t want you to attack me,” one kid said. Some laughed. “Yeah, I might,” said Del. I could tell he was joking, but many kids thought he admitted he did beat up someone.

During recess(课间休息), Del tried to join the kickball game. “Neither team wants you,” one of the players said. “Why?” Del asked, looking confused. “I always play with you guys.” They ignored him and went on playing. Del sat by himself while the rest of the school enjoyed their recess away from him. Del looked lonely and sad, much different from before. I started to feel sorry for him.

Later that day, I learned what really happened. The kid was Del’s little brother and he was crying because their mother fell ill and was sent to hospital. I felt even sorrier for what I said before. I started a rumor(谣言).

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。

At recess the next day, I saw Del sitting alone watching the kickball game.

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Now that Del had forgiven me, I decided to do more before the recess was over.
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