2 . In the fast-paced world of Formula One racing, there was a young driver named Alex who was an ________ boy. From a tender age, Alex dreamed of becoming a Formula One champion. Alex’s family, though ________ at first, recognized his determination and supported him in pursuing his dream.

But Formula One was a very ________ world, filled with talented drivers. Alex faced many challenges and ________ along his journey. He was faced with moments of self-doubt, questioning whether he had what it ________ to succeed at the highest level of motor sport.

Yet, Alex refused to let difficulties ________ him. He knew that true champions were made in the crucible (磨炼) of defeat. With great determination, he pushed forward.

As seasons came and went, Alex’s skill and reputation ________. Some famous teams took notice of his remarkable talent, and he eventually ________ a seat in one of the top Formula One teams. It was the ________ of a lifetime, a chance to compete against the best drivers in the world for the ________ of championship.

Alex faced massive pressure and expectations. The ________ of his dream and the eyes of millions were upon him. However, he resisted the pressure and ________ became the Formula One World Champion.

From that day, Alex’s victory ________ a symbol of courage and resilience. And his story ________ us that in the pursuit of our dreams, there are no ________— only possibilities waiting to be realized.

1.

A．ambitious

B．independent

C．influential

D．honest

2.

A．unfamiliar

B．doubtful

C．inexperienced

D．embarrassed

3.

A．uncertain

B．well-known

C．competitive

D．fast-paced

4.

A．conflicts

B．complaints

C．departures

D．defeats

5.

A．ignored

B．took

C．said

D．acknowledged

6.

A．detect

B．change

C．approach

D．define

7.

A．grew

B．continued

C．failed

D．remained

8.

A．arranged

B．shared

C．secured

D．hired

9.

A．opportunity

B．regret

C．challenge

D．course

10.

A．recognition

B．title

C．support

D．cooperation

11.

A．power

B．benefit

C．appeal

D．weight

12.

A．finally

B．suddenly

C．temporarily

D．apparently

13.

A．pointed to

B．served as

C．accounted for

D．resulted from

14.

A．granted

B．promised

C．reminded

D．warned

15.

A．tricks

B．surprises

C．alternatives

D．limits

3 . 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。

In 2019, an unattractive package arrived at my front door. Inside was a 2-by-4-foot scrapbook (剪贴簿) filled with candy wrappers over 70 years old. It was sent by Jeffrey S. Green, who was a famous candy company’s vice president. After the company closed down, the scrapbook traveled 2,950 miles to La Verne, California, to the farm my family and I call home.

I’m the founder of the online website “Roadside Attraction: Candy Wrapper Museum”, where I share my 50-year collection of little slips of paper, designed to be tom and thrown away. Why? Because these small objects serve as time machines, opening an emotional door to the past.

I was 15 years old when I started collecting candy wrappers, inspired by friends with cool collections like beer bottles from around the world. Some of their collections are classified either by size and color as well as sports or people. Inspired by these novel collections, I wanted to start one of my own, but of what? I usually spent my few coins on candy at the candy shop. The candy shelves were a wonderland of tasty treats with colorful wrappers in different themes, all shouting: Pick me! Big Bears, Milk Duds, Jujyfruits, Choco’Lite, Lemonhead… How could a girl decide?

Then inspiration struck. Instead of throwing away those wrappers, I would save them. I would create a Candy Wrapper Museum. I hoped that the wrappers would one day be enjoyed as art, nostalgia (怀旧) and humor. It was 1977 when I was a teenager. An idea struck me: I would collect these wrappers throughout my lifetime, then open up the museum as a roadside attraction in my old age. I chose my first pieces, Nice Mice and Cinnamon Teddy Bears, and so began this journey.

My family were the first to leave the candy wrappers to me. Then the relatives. My friends caught the spirit of fun and donated pieces. Collecting became an affordable, novel way to explore the world around me, one that could turn even an ordinary shopping trip into a treasure hunt.

In 2002, inspiration struck again. Why wait until retirement? Why not open the museum right now on the internet, the ultimate “superhighway”?

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。

Building the online museum was a massive six-month, one-person project.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When the museum was launched, I doubted whether anyone would be interested.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

As a centuries-old art form, the popularity of Yingge dance on the streets of London during the Spring Festival was     1     success in terms of traditional Chinese folk art sailing overseas.

Literally     2     (translate) as the “Songs of Heroes” dance, Yingge dance is a 300-year-old folk dance that originated from the Chaoshan area of South China’s Guangdong Province. Dressed in colorful costumes,     3     (energy) performers wave wooden sticks in their hands in orderly formations while dancing to the music.

Based     4     the stories of the 108 Heroes of Liangshan Mountain from the classic novel Outlaw’s of the Marsh, this is a folk art     5     (combine) a variety of forms, from martial arts and Chinese operas to dance.

With its high compatibility (共存) with various art forms and years of inheritance and innovation, this Chaoshan-born dance art has spread to neighboring countries and     6     (region) in the last century.

Yingge dance     7     (bring) to Thailand by Chinese immigrants around a century ago, where it took off     8     expanded to over 10 provinces. For now, this traditional Chinese dance is     9     (wide) known by its inheritance among the younger generations who have     10     (enthusiastic) in practicing kung fu, and trying dragon and lion dances as well as being on the wind of social media.

6 . In-flight announcements can be crucial in providing important information.     1     But beyond the “necessities”, are passengers being flooded with too many announcements?

Imagine boarding an aircraft late in the evening or during the early hours of the day, eager to get some sleep. After forcing yourself to stay awake for the safety briefing, you fall fast asleep.     2     It’s the captain making an announcement. She’s telling you her name, her first officer’s name, the name of every flight attendant, and of course, the cruising speed and altitude. Was this really necessary and was it worth being woken up for?

    3     It’s anyone deep into a film or two passengers trying to talk to each other. In fact, in-flight announcements automatically pause television shows and movies—sometimes coming through your headphones far louder than the volume of whatever you were watching.

Which announcements are necessary? There are many in-flight announcements that are absolutely necessary. Anything to do with safety and security is, of course, essential. Anything to do with delays and scheduling is also important to know.     4     I think most people care about those as well.

However, anything beyond these is questionable. Of course, the additional announcements are meant to better connect passengers to the flight crew, the airline, and the overall experience of flying.     5     But in my opinion, this comes at the cost of the overall flight experience.

So from my point of view, in-flight announcements have gotten out of control and need to be controlled.

A．In-flight meal options?

B．After all, they are rules that should be obeyed.

C．Actually, most of the passengers are likely to feel sleepy.

D．It’s not just passengers trying to sleep that are interrupted.

E．It also seems polite to introduce those who will serve you.

F．Suddenly, you’re in the air and something has stirred you awake.

G．This might include delays, the local time at destination, and of course, emergencies.

7 . Smart accessories are increasingly common. For example, recently researchers introduced the Thermal Earring (热耳环), a wireless wearable device that continuously monitors a user’s earlobe (耳垂) temperature.

The smart earring model is about the size and weight of a small paperclip. A clip attaches one temperature sensor to a wearer’s ear, while another sensor hangs about an inch below it for estimating room temperature. The earring can be personalized with fashion designs in the shape of a flower, for example, without negatively affecting its accuracy.

“I wear a smartwatch to track my personal health, but I’ve found that a lot of people think smartwatches are unfashionable or uncomfortable,” said co-lead author Shirley. “I also like to wear earrings, so we started thinking about developing smart earrings.”

Creating a wearable device small enough to pass as an earring, yet robust (耐用的) enough that users would have to charge it only every few days, presented an engineering challenge.

“It’s a tricky balance,” said Shirley. “Typically, if you want power to last longer, you should have a bigger battery. But then you sacrifice size. Making it wireless also demands more energy.”

The team made the earring’s power consumption as efficient as possible, while also making space for a Bluetooth chip, a battery and two temperature sensors. Instead of pairing it with a device, which uses more power, the earring uses Bluetooth advertising mode—the transmissions a device broadcasts to show it can be paired. After reading and sending the temperature, it goes into deep sleep to save power.

In a study of six users, the earring outperformed a smartwatch at sensing skin temperature during periods of rest. It also showed promise for monitoring signs of stress, eating and exercise. But they need more data to train their models for each use case and more thorough testing before the device might be used by the public.

For future versions of the device, Shirley is working to integrate heart rate and activity monitoring. She’s also interested in potentially powering the device from solar or kinetic energy from the earring swaying.

1. What can be learned about the smart earrings from paragraph 2?

A．Its target users.	B．Its design.
C．Its energy consumption.	D．Its application.

2. What difficulty did the researchers meet when inventing the earrings?

A．Selecting a light material.

B．Testing out wireless connection.

C．Charging the smart earring quickly.

D．Balancing the size and the energy capacity.

3. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 6?

A．How the earrings read and send the temperature.

B．What the researchers did to save energy of the earrings.

C．How the researchers paired the earrings with bluetooth.

D．What principles the researchers used in the invention.

4. What is Shirley working on?

A．Putting the smart earrings into market.

B．Testing the smart earrings on the patients.

C．Adding more functions to the smart earrings.

D．Comparing smart earrings with other smart products.

8 . As dawn breaks over the Rockies, the streets of Colorado awaken, walkers and cyclists moving through the city’s streets. But beneath this lies a growing concern: the safety of these road users is increasingly under threat.

Recent statistics reveal a reality, with fatalities (死亡) rising, casting a shadow over Colorado’s busy streets. Among these fatalities is the story of Nick Cordova, a cyclist whose life was cut short, becoming a catalyst for change and a symbol of the urgent need for safer streets.

In the wake of these accidents, the community has found a discomforting way to remember and advocate: the “ghost (幽灵) bike”. Painted white and chained near the site of fatal accidents, these bikes are used to remind people of the lives lost and the critical need for change. The recent rescheduling of a “ghost ride” memorial for Nick Cordova emphasizes the community’s resolve.

Janice Jim, vice president of CycleWR, emphasizes that while some cities have excellent bicycle infrastructure (基础设施), the battle is far from over. Areas like Victoria St in Kitchener, known for accidents, are in great need of attention and improvement. Jim’s words mirror a view shared by the majority: the infrastructure can and must be better, for the sake of all who share the road.

The concept of Vision Zero, an initiative aimed at getting rid of all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, fair mobility for all, has found a foothold in Colorado. However, the journey towards this ambitious goal is faced with challenges. Funding and policy changes are the foundations upon which this vision rests.

Advocates argue that investment in cyclist safety isn’t just a matter of public health; it’s an investment in the very fabric of the community, an acknowledgment that every life is precious and deserving of protection. As Colorado stands at this crossroads, the push for more funding and policy changes continues, fueled by stories like Cordova’s and the unyielding spirit of those left to carry the torch.

1. Which word can best replace the underlined word “catalyst” in paragraph 2?

A．Barrier.

B．Fuel.

C．Fear.

D．Link.

2. Why are “ghost bikes” placed in the street?

A．To serve as a reminder.	B．To mark dangerous areas.
C．To add to shared bikes.	D．To prove the government’s action.

3. What can we know about Vision Zero?

A．It is put forward by Cordova.

B．Its realization needs policy support.

C．Its aim is to get rid of all traffic accidents.

D．It has been achieved in Colorado.

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

A．The Story of Cordova	B．The Concept of Vision Zero
C．Colorado’s Ghost Bikes	D．Colorado’s Call for Street Safety

9 . Phil Gibson didn’t set out to revolutionize how seniors record their life stories. He was just having a dinnertime conversation.

In the summer of 2006, Gibson’s mother-in-law Jane mentioned that she had recently visited a friend in a rest home. She was disappointed that the woman had faded so much.

“People didn’t recognize how active this woman had been when she was healthy,” Gibson recalls. “My mother-in-law told me she wished there was a board attached to her friend’s bed that could display her poems, stories and artwork so people could realize the passion this woman had had when she was younger.”

Shortly after this conversation with his in-laws, Gibson, 48, made another unexpected discovery.

“I was at dinner with a group of business friends and was shocked by the fact that every one of us had experienced a major life-changing event with one of our parents or in-laws passing away in the last three months,” Gibson said. “In conversations, it was clear that none of us had prepared for losing that valuable connection to our histories and these very important people in our lives.”

So Gibson began to create a new, easy-to-use website to collect senior and family stories. After nearly a year of development and testing, he launched a free online service called GrearLifeStories.com. The site guides anyone through the process of capturing, sharing and preserving the life stories of previous or current generations before they are lost forever.

These new technologies are the latest developments to give seniors, family members, and caregivers tools to help improve the mental, emotional, and physical health of older adults. As tools, they offer seniors a structured way of telling their life stories and passing their legacies along to future generations. And they often enable family members to be more compassionate, informed and effective in providing care.

Recording the life story of a senior can often be an activity that benefits both the young and the old and actually, everyone can benefit from the process of helping a senior recall treasured life memories.

1. What made Gibson’s mother-in-law feel let down?

A．Her friend couldn’t recognize her.

B．Her friend went to live in a rest home.

C．Her friend’s health condition was worsening.

D．Her friend lost talent for literary creation.

2. Why did Gibson mention his dinner with friends?

A．To prove how valuable friendship is.

B．To indicate anyone is likely to experience loss.

C．To show friends’ attitude toward the changes in life.

D．To explain how he got the idea of collecting stories.

3. What is the significance of GreatLifeStories.com?

A．It teaches the old advanced technology.

B．It provides a tool for the old to earn money.

C．It promotes the general well-being of the old.

D．It offers seniors a platform to interact with each other.

4. In which section of a website might this text appear?

A．Society.

B．History.

C．Literature.

D．Technology.

10 . One of the best essay contests of 2024, this competition sponsored by the Writer’s Digest promotes nonfiction of all kinds: “personal or political, traditional or experimental”, but your essay should be at least 1,000 words and 1,500 words at most.

Eligibility (资格):

Students are eligible to participate if they are in grades nine through twelve in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or if they are U. S. citizens/lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas. Students may be attending a public or private school. Entries from home-schooled students are also accepted.

Submission:

Fill out the online registration form. All fields on the online form are required, including uploading a Microsoft Word (doc. or docx.) file of your original work with a title in English which should include a comprehensive list of sources consulted. Entries must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman.

Teacher or parent: Student registration forms must have a teacher or parent name. That person may review the submitted essay and act as the key contact.

Do not place your last name or your school’s name on any of the pages of the essay.

Your essay will be disqualified if it does not meet the requirements or is submitted after the submission date of 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 1, 2024.

Prizes:

$1,000 to the writer of the winning essay, in addition to an all-expense paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference! The runner-up wins a writing coaching package valued at $650 and the third, a diversity editing package valued at $350.

1. Who can participate in the contest?

A．A Chinese teenager.	B．A high school teacher.
C．An American tenth-grader.	D．A professional writer.

2. What is a requirement for the entry?

A．Uploading a Word version of the original work.

B．Writing personal name on the first page of the entry.

C．Filling in the application form and posting it in time.

D．Making sure of the words of the entry beyond 1,500.

3. What will be the second prize?

A．A free trip.	B．A cash prize.
C．A diversity editing package.	D．A writing coaching package.