1 . Pieces of houses and big trees are tossed around like toys during extreme weather, but palm trees seem able to stand their ground. Given their location they are obviously well suited to stand up to angry storms, but how?

Most palm trees have a large number of short roots spreading across the upper levels of the soil, which work to secure a large amount of soil around the root ball. As long as the soil is relatively dry, this works to create a super large, heavy anchor. As opposed to having just a few very strong roots, this wider network creates a bottom-heavy base that helps keep the tree in place.

The trunk of a pine or oak tree grows in a radial pattern; the annual rings effectively make a series of hollow cylinders (圆柱体) inside each other. Meanwhile, the stem of a palm tree is made of many small bundles of woody material, like the bundles of wires inside a telephone cable. The cylinder approach provides great strength to support weight, which means that an oak tree’s trunk can support a huge weight of branches, but with limited flexibility compared to the bundle approach, which allows the palm stem to bend over through 40 or 50 degrees without snapping (折断).

While most trees rely on their beautiful canopy (树冠) of branches, twigs, and leaves to spread out and grab as much sunlight as possible, the canopy can also grab a lot of wind and water. In a bad storm, the canopy can act as a sail and pull the poor thing over. Branches can easily be torn off, as well as the detachment of the whole canopy.

Meanwhile, think of a palm tree. They have no wide-spreading branches, rather huge leaves with a central, flexible spine— like enormous feathers. In nice weather, the leaves spread out and make a fine canopy, but in instances of strong wind and water, they fold up. With less resistance against the elements, they are much more likely to make it through without much damage. Of course some leaves may suffer and are part and parcel of storm clean-up, but they are much “cheaper” for the palm to replace than a whole canopy of branches would be.

1. The trees with the stems growing in the bundle approach have ________.

A．stronger branches	B．more annual rings
C．more flexible trunks	D．greater weight capacity

2. How do the leaves help palm trees survive a bad storm?

A．By acting like a sail to stand up to wind.

B．By grabbing a lot of wind and water.

C．By spreading out to protect the spine.

D．By folding themselves up to resist bad weather.

3. What does the underlined part “the elements” probably refer to?

A．Strong wind and water.	B．Huge leaves.
C．Enormous feathers.	D．The canopies of branches.

4. Which of the following can best describe palm trees?

A．Rare.

B．Adaptable.

C．Nutritious.

D．Delicate.

2 . Free Summer Concerts in Downtown Gastonia

Gastonia presents 4 downtown concert events. As usual, profits from adult beverage sales support local charities.

May 19: On the Border with Garrett Huffman
Garrett Huffman 6:00 pm

Garrett Huffman entertains audiences with a variety of musical styles, including 80’s hits, country, and alternative pop.

On the Border: The Ultimate Eagles Tribute 7:30 pm

On the Border treats fans to an authentic concert experience while journeying through the Eagles songbook. The band covers every big hit, from ballads such as “Desperado” to rockin’ hits like “Heartache Tonight”.

June 23: The Voltage Brothers with Emerald Empire
Emerald Empire 6:00 pm

Playing all your favorite songs from the 70’s to the 90’s, Emerald Empire will get you dancing all night long.

The Voltage Brothers 7:30 pm

The Voltage Brothers’ repertoire consists of your favorite R & B, Swing, Disco, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Motown, and even Classic Rock hits.

August 11: Caleb Davis with Tangerine Trees
Tangerine Trees 6:00 pm

Tangerine Trees is the Carolinas premier Beatles tribute band, recreating the authentic sounds of the original The Beatles.

Caleb Davis 7:30 pm

Caleb Davis takes crowds to experience a diverse mix of blues, rock, pop, and dance hits from the 60’s through the 90’s.

Sept 15: Kids in America with Akita
Akita 6:00 pm

A funk band, Akita creates a wave of infectious beats that draws a crowd and gets your feet moving.

Kids in America 7:30 pm

Kids in America is a high-energy, power-packed fun band. It covers from new wave, pop, dance, rock, hair metal, and sing along iconic ballads.

New in 2023!

Games, activities, and toys are provided for kids!

Local favorite food vendors (摊贩) are on hand for tasty treats!

In addition to beer, we’ve got seltzers, IPAs, and sodas.

Water is available free of charge.

1. Who originally sings the song “Desperado”?

A．Garrett Huffman.	B．Caleb Davis.
C．Eagles.	D．Emerald Empire.

2. When can people enjoy Motown?

A．May 19.

B．June 23.

C．August 11.

D．September 15.

3. Which concert should The Beatles fans go to?

A．On the Border with Garrett Huffman.

B．The Voltage Brothers with Emerald Empire.

C．Caleb Davis with Tangerine Trees.

D．Kids in America with Akita.

3 . 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。

Hotpot is one of China’s favorite dishes. The recommended place in the country to enjoy the food is Chongqing in Southwest China. Hotpot is not a one-person meal. The atmosphere in hotpot restaurants is     1     (live). People chat while putting meat or vegetables into the pot and waiting for it     2     (boil).

Though the origin of hotpot     3     (be) hard to determine, the current “hotpot capital” is Chongqing. Eating hotpot is part of the city’s culture. The city has more than 20,000 hotpot restaurants     4     own 50,000 franchises around the country, according to the Chongqing Hotpot Association.

It is said that Chongqing hotpot     5     (invent) in the ports along the river by sailors and porters who sought     6     simple and cheap way to cook. This may explain     7     the typical raw ingredients for Chongqing hotpot are animal organs such as duck intestines, tripe and pork arteries—as they were leftovers coming     8     the markets near the ports. For first-timers, the ingredients may be a bit difficult to stomach. But there is no     9     (short) of choices— lamb, beef, seafood, potato, bamboo shoots, lettuce—for today’s diners.

There is a health consideration for eating hotpot in the summer from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. Chongqing is very humid which increases the dampness in the body, so     10     (eat) hotpot can burn off the excessive moisture.

4 . Dmitry was an artist. He lost his sketchbook (速写本) while ________ to meet a friend. Containing a decade of his work and being a visual account of the 40 year old artist’s life, the sketchbook was ________ to him.

Dmitry felt a deep sense of loss when he found his sketchbook missing. ________ the sketchbook must have fallen out of his bicycle’s back basket, he ________ set out to find it but had no luck.

Then he decided to ________ social media. He shared a post to a community group on Facebook, detailing his ________. A few other community-oriented Facebook groups reshared the post.

________, as Dmitry was looking for it, a man named Chris found the sketchbook.   As he looked through the pages, he realized the ________ of the artwork. Because he could find no name or address on it, Chris ________ hanging the sketchbook on the tree near where he found it, but feared rain might ruin it. So he took the sketchbook home, hoping to find a way to ________ the owner. Then he saw Dmitry’s Facebook ________. Chris immediately contacted Dmitry.

“And then I lectured him like his elder,” Chris ________. “I told him, ‘Put your name and number in it!’”

Dmitry tried to present Chris with a finder’s ________ but Chris refused, saying he was simply ________ to complete an act of kindness.

“I am left with a deep sense of ________,” said Dmitry.

1.

A．driving

B．cycling

C．walking

D．running

2.

A．precious

B．accessible

C．favorable

D．visible

3.

A．Hearing

B．Assuming

C．Announcing

D．Predicting

4.

A．temporarily

B．aimlessly

C．secretly

D．hurriedly

5.

A．turn to

B．bring in

C．stand for

D．look over

6.

A．interest

B．principle

C．career

D．trouble

7.

A．However

B．Instead

C．Meanwhile

D．Therefore

8.

A．variation

B．value

C．style

D．content

9.

A．suggested

B．admitted

C．considered

D．enjoyed

10.

A．repay

B．remind

C．thank

D．locate

11.

A．video

B．letter

C．post

D．introduction

12.

A．recalled

B．explained

C．promised

D．reported

13.

A．title

B．reward

C．qualification

D．ceremony

14.

A．lucky

B．shy

C．confident

D．pleased

15.

A．direction

B．achievement

C．gratitude

D．responsibility

5 . 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 could hear one of my classmates expressing her impatience with my slow crawl up the ladder (梯子),“If she’s afraid of heights, why would she sign up for a Bungee Jumping (蹦极) class?” My friend was at the top of the ladder, trying to cheer me up. How did I wind up on a ladder hanging above the Hudson River?

It was my friend who invited me to the Bungee Jumping class. At first, I was doubtful, but her enthusiasm and guarantees of strict safety procedures won me over.

I had been fearful of heights since primary school. Avoiding my fear of heights became second nature. I tried not to look down at balconies or staircases. I avoided traveling by plane as much as possible. I declined invitations from friends to join them on roller coasters (过山车).

But here I was, at age twenty-six, facing my fear of heights in a rather extreme way. I had come around to the idea of trying Bungee Jumping. I figured it wasn’t much different from swinging on the monkey bars as a kid. The one obstacle I didn’t expect was the ladder. In order to reach the Bungee Jumping, I had to climb up a twenty-two-foot ladder.

My friend’s distraction techniques helped to take my mind off my dangerous task. I found a rhythm and kept going. With a slow and steady (稳定的) pace, I made it to the top.

An instructor tied me to a safety belt and told me to step to the edge of the platform. I held the Bungee Jumping bar with sweaty hands, surprised that it was too thick to fix my hand around. Instead of a firm grasp, my hands were in a weak, bear-claw position.

The cheers from my classmates rang out below. An instructor reminded me of the safety rules, including the net below that would catch me at the bottom. He reminded me to listen to the directions while in the air, so I could perform well.

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。

I stood face to face with my fear of heights.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My second round of Bungee Jumping went a bit more smoothly.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . The boulders (巨石) look generally unremarkable, besides the fact that they stretch up and down the ridge in a curved line. Most people who don’t know their story would probably choose to look at the sweeping view of San Jose below them instead.

The timeworn line of boulder, is part of a system of stone walls, the remains of which stretch along the East Bay Hills all the way from Grimly Peak in Berkeley to where I watched a man tie his shoes at the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve above East San Jose.

They exist only in sections, and some are better preserved than others — where I found the man, the walls are short and thick and half-sunk into the earth, hut further north at Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas, they remain almost perfectly assembled and stand several feet tall.

The first recorded mention of the walls is from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle from 1896. “Half a mile east of Grizzly Peak stand the remains of stone walls which have long baffled the researchers. By whom they were built, when and why is an unsolved mystery,” the article stated. The unnamed author went on to write a generally-accepted theory of the walls that they were constructed by “some long-forgotten race, possibly Aztec”.

Of course, the people who originally inhabited the hills and the land surrounding them are far from forgotten. The Ohlone people thrived in the area for thousands of years until they were largely displaced by European settlers — however, there’re no records of them constructing stone walls.

“Some of my colleagues have heard the rocks were placed there by Spanish settlers clearing their fields, and there have been speculations that it could have been part of Indigenous practice,” said Charlotte Graham, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. “We’ve also heard it could be a natural occurrence.”

However, there isn’t enough evidence on the walls to be entirely certain. A study dated lichen (地衣) on the walls in Berkeley as being from 1851 to 1880, though other sections of the walls haven’t been tested, and there’re few historical accounts on their presence.

1. How may most people never hearing about the boulders react when seeing them?

A．Ignore them.	B．Collect them.
C．Post the photos of them online.	D．Report them to the government.

2. Which section of the stone walls is most probably best preserved?

A．The one along the East Bay Hills.

B．The one near Grizzly Peak in Berkeley.

C．The one at Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas.

D．The one at the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve.

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

A．Prevented.

B．Confused.

C．Annoyed.

D．Inspired.

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

A．Functions of stone walls	B．Newly-found boulders
C．The history of boulders	D．Stories behind mystery walls

7 . That dinosaurs ate the mammals (哺乳动物) that ran beneath their feet is not in doubt. Now an extraordinary fossil newly described in Scientific Reports, unearthed by a team led by Gang Han at Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology in China, shows that sometimes the tables were turned.

The fossil -dated to about 125 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period-was formed when a flow of boiling volcanic mud swallowed two animals seemingly locked in a life-and-death fight. The one on top is a mammal. This animal is a herbivorous species closely related to the Triceratops (三角恐龙). Animal interactions such as this are exceptionally cam e in the fossil record.

One possibility is that the mammal was eating something already dead, other than hunting live prey. These days it is uncommon for small mammals to attack much larger animals. But it is not unheard of. And Dr. Han and his colleagues point out that those mammals which eat dead bodies typically leave tooth marks all over the bones of the animals. The dinosaur’s remains show no such marks. There is also a chance the fossil could be a fake. More and more convincing fake s have emerged, as this one did -though Dr. Han and his colleagues argue that the complexly connected nature of the skeletons (骨骼) makes that unlikely, too.

Assuming it is genuine, the discovery serves as a reminder that not all dinosaurs were enormous during the Cretaceous and not all mammals were tiny. From nose to tail, the dinosaur is just 1.2 meters long. The mammal is a bit under half a meter in length. Despite being half the size, the mammal has one paw firmly wrapped around one of its prey’s limbs, and another pulling on its jaw. It is biting down on the dinosaur’s chest, and has ripped off two of its ribs. Before they were interrupted, it seems that the mammal was winning.

1. Which idiom is closest in meaning to underlined part “the tables were turned” in paragraph 1?

A．The fittest survives.	B．The hunters become hunted.
C．Fortune always favors the brave.	D．The truth will always come to light.

2. Why does the author mention the “tooth mark” in paragraph 3?

A．To prove the fossil was fake.	B．To show the forming of the fossil.
C．To illustrate the process of hunting.	D．To suggest the dinosaur was hunted alive.

3. What makes Dr. Han think the fossil is genuine?

A．The size of the fossil.	B．The absence of fake fossils.
C．The complexity of the skeletons.	D．The consistency of the opinions.

4. What is the function of the last paragraph?

A．It offers a cause.	B．It highlights a solution.
C．It justifies the conclusion.	D．It provides a new discovery.

8 . In the world of contemporary art, there are artists whose creativity and originality challenge the established boundaries, attracting the public with their wisdom. One of these innovators is the famous Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, whose art installations (装置艺术) leave everyone speechless.

With an imaginative mind and an unconventional approach, Cai Guo-Qiang has become a master of fireworks display, employing the gunpowder of fireworks in his art in a truly extraordinary way. Through the mastery of said material and the explosions controlled, Cai creates installations that go beyond expectations and take the public on an unforgettable journey.

One of his most important creations is the installation titled “The rise of butterflies”. In this work, Cai uses a combination of gunpowder and paper to create a striking cloud of flying butterflies. The delicate winged creatures move back and forth in the air, creating a magical and ephemeral effect that goes against the laws of gravity.

But perhaps one of the most curious and daring installations of Cai Guo-Qiang is “The garden of ephemeral sculptures”. In this work, the artist uses controlled explosives to sculpt shapes in huge blocks of ice. As the explosions occur, the icy figures gradually transform, creating an ephemeral and ever-changing scene. It is as if the sculptures come alive for a brief moment before disappearing completely.

Cai Guo-Qiang is an artist who breaks the limits of imagination. His installations transport us to a world of magic, where fire and gunpowder become tools for creation. He combines aesthetic (审美的) beauty with unusual elements, making his works unique and fascinating. Without a doubt, Cai’s impact on contemporary art is undeniable. His installations have attracted audiences around the world and will inspire future generations to break free and find beauty in the unpredictable (不可预测的).

1. Which might be the best title for Cai Guo-Qiang?

A．An explosive genius.	B．A creative sculptor.
C．A traditional painter.	D．An artistic pioneer.

2. What does the word “ephemeral” mean in the passage?

A．Unique.	B．Short-lived.
C．Unconventional.	D．Breath-taking.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Cai’s impact on art is unpredictable.

B．Cai’s success results from global recognition.

C．Cai’s art changes traditional concept of beauty.

D．Cai’s art inspires artists to think outside the box.

4. What is the text most likely to be?

A．A diary entry of Cai Guo-Qiang.

B．A profile of celebrity in a magazine.

C．A scientific research paper on fireworks.

D．An advertisement for a fireworks company.

9 . 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。

Nowruz, also known as the Iranian New Year or the Persian New Year, is a holiday     1     (wide) celebrated in Asian countries like Iran. The holiday is believed to have been celebrated since 555 BC. But it was not until 2010 that the United Nations General Assembly officially     2     (recognize) it as a holiday.

Being     3     holiday marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature, Nowruz usually falls around March 20th on the Gregorian calendar. As with most     4     (holiday), it comes with its own set of traditions. They include the “Haft Sin” table,     5     is made up of seven symbolic items starting with the Farsi letter “S”, all representing a     6     (vary) of hopes for the new year, including health, wealth and prosperity. People also welcome the new year     7     sparkling (闪亮的) homes and new clothes. They visit friends and neighbors and share meals and host parties. Communities come together     8     (celebrate) the beginning of spring and do so in hopes they will be surrounded by healthy and clean surroundings in the new year.

Nowruz plays a significant role in     9     (strengthen) the ties among peoples. Its traditions reflect the ancient and     10     (culture) customs of the civilizations of the East and West, and they’ve influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values for thousands of years.

10 . Gesturing is powerful and important to our conversations. The challenge is to use it to good effect. Here are some tips that can help you take advantage of gesturing.

Encourage gesturing in your children, students and anyone else you are trying to teach.     1     Gesturing while learning will also make them more likely to solve the same problem in a new way. That is important because being able to generalize what we learn is essential to acquiring new knowledge.

    2     While learning to talk, children typically convey sentence-like meanings in a combination of gesture and speech before using words alone -- for example, pointing at a box and saying “open”. If a child fails to produce these gesture-word combinations, it may be a sign that their spoken language development will be delayed, allowing you to intervene and help.

Pay attention to other people’s gestures. These offer a window into the speakers’ thoughts. These thoughts are often at the cutting-edge of their knowledge or address issues that are uppermost in their minds.     3    

Be careful that your gestures say what you want them to. Those you talk to will pay attention to your gestures, so choose them wisely.     4     And if you are questioning someone, be aware that a gesture may unintentionally influence them to tell you what you want to hear rather than give their own fair answer.

Gesture more when you speak. It will help you learn and understand more. If you gesture while talking, you will remember more of what you have said.     5     This can give you a way of seeing what others are thinking but not saying.

A．Observe the gesturing of kids.

B．Remember, gestures can reveal what you might want to hide.

C．This will help them understand the material you are conveying.

D．Whether we realize it or not, gestures are a part of our communication.

E．What’s more, when you gesture, the people around you tend to do so too.

F．Noticing and responding to such gestures will help you understand their thoughts.

G．Knowing how to use gestures effectively can make you a better communicator.