| A．heard from | B．let down | C．came across | D．put on |
| A．regularly | B．frequently | C．absolutely | D．actively |
Volunteers Wanted English Culture Festival will be held on July 16, 2024. Now we need 28 volunteers to work for English Speech Competition and English Talent Show. If you are interested. please send your email to Mr. Wang@126. com. |
(1)介绍个人基本信息；
(2)说明自身优势(例如：有志愿者经历等)；
(3)希望能被录取。
注意：
(1)词数100左右；
(2)可适当增加细节，使行文连贯；
(3)开头结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
(4)文中不能使用真实姓名和学校名称。
参考词汇：
申请 apply for; 录取 admit
Dear Mr. Wang,
I’m Li Jin,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I’m looking forward to your reply.
Yours truly,
Li Jin
4 . Only positive thinking is not enough to attain our goals. Our
In the 2008 summer Olympics, Michael Phelps was ready to
In psychology, the
Mental contrasting can make sure we consider realistic obstacles when
| A．concepts | B．evaluations | C．dreams | D．wishes |
| A．life | B．night | C．situation | D．path |
| A．break | B．establish | C．hold | D．write |
| A．shut off | B．stood against | C．filled with | D．took on |
| A．neglect | B．adjust | C．update | D．remove |
| A．and | B．but | C．as | D．if |
| A．slow | B．memorable | C．precious | D．short |
| A．prepare | B．rescue | C．refresh | D．control |
| A．contributed | B．discovered | C．kept | D．created |
| A．fact | B．turn | C．detail | D．addition |
| A．partly | B．precisely | C．generally | D．rapidly |
| A．counted | B．imagined | C．designed | D．remembered |
| A．trial | B．task | C．effort | D．practice |
| A．original | B．deep | C．positive | D．strange |
| A．requires | B．allows | C．urges | D．commands |
| A．unrealistic | B．accidental | C．desired | D．delayed |
| A．reforms | B．decisions | C．budgets | D．progressions |
| A．supporting | B．explaining | C．transforming | D．developing |
| A．warm | B．lead | C．remind | D．forbid |
| A．eventually | B．astonishingly | C．abruptly | D．secretly |
5 . What could well extend your life, and might assist you in the life to come? Answer: singing in a choir. It’s not a new discovery: there are endless studies on the subject.
But there was a specific angle to this latest study done by Oxford Brookes University researchers, which compared the collective experience of choral singing to that of taking part in team sports. Choirs apparently win hands down. And as someone who since childhood has used singing as an excuse to stay off the sports field, I take no issue with that.
In fact, I take no issue with any of these piles of research. The only thing I find annoying is that such an endlessly repeated truth results in relatively little action from the kind of people who could put it to good use. Not least, in government.
From time to time I get invited as a music critic to the launch of some program to encourage more collective singing among school-age children. Expert s like Howard Goodall usually turn up. Then, six months later, everything goes quiet.
The hard fact is that most state schools don’t bother much with singing. They say they don’t have the resources or the time. And even when a worthwhile singing project drops into their lap, they turn it down. I know a woman named Golda who’s been trying hard to organize a performance of Benjamin Britten’s The Little Sweep — perhaps the greatest work for young children to sing together. But has she found her local schools responsive? Sadly not: it was all too much trouble.
I got the chance to tour with a choir at age 11. It opened a world to which an 11-year-old from unfashionable parts of east London doesn’t generally get access. It spoke possibilities. All the physical and mental pluses are a happy bonus. But the joy of access to that world of music is what counts.
Just think: if we could finally get Britain’s children singing. we wouldn’t need university researchers. We’d just do it, and be all the better for it.
1. What does the underlined part “take no issue with” in Paragraph 2mean?| A．Feel confused about. |
| B．Make no comment on. |
| C．Get unfamiliar with. |
| D．Have no objection to. |
| A．Most children think little of singing. |
| B．Most children prefer singing to doing sports. |
| C．Most schools attach little importance to singing. |
| D．Most schools don’t have the money or the time to form a choir. |
| A．She couldn’t find a choir to join. |
| B．She failed to win local schools’ support. |
| C．Howard Goodall turned down her invitation. |
| D．The government was unwilling to provide resources. |
| A．Eye-opening. |
| B．Identity-awakening. |
| C．Soul-comforting. |
| D．Character-shifting. |
| A．To review the latest study on singing. |
| B．To advocate choir singing for children. |
| C．To recommend musical works for the young. |
| D．To compare the benefits of recreational activities. |
6 . For too many years now, the teaching of the English language in our grammar and high schools has been uninspiring, leaving an entire generation with only unclear ideas about how to write and speak clearly and well. Now The Handbook of Good English, a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to modern grammar, punctuation, usage, and style, puts the best available advice about writing and using the English language at your fingertips.
Intended to replace Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and a host of other desk-reference books on careful writing, The Handbook of Good English is organized for both rapid reference to check specific points and for leisurely study to improve personal and professional writing.
This comprehensive book explores syntax, punctuation, style, organization and tone. Edward D. Johnson does more than issue the rules; he gives examples, exceptions, and, more important, clear, easily understood explanations of why grammar has the rules it does. He also gives full attention to styling, the important matter of giving consistent treatment to numbers, abbreviation, generic terms, forms of address, foreign terms, etc., in good writing.
A special feature of this book is the combined Glossary/Index (词汇表/索引), arranged from A to Z, to give instant answers to the most commonly asked questions about misused words, phrases, and constructions, and cross-referenced to the text of a longer explanation is desired. For the novice, the professional, for anyone who cares about the language, The Handbook of Good English is the crucial guide to proper communication.
“The Handbook of Good English fills a real need for a basic and strict handbook of standard English grammar, punctuation rules and conventions of editorial styling. Because grammar has been taught so carelessly for the past 20 years, Johnson takes pains to explain reasons for and relationships between grammatical rules,” comments Booklist, a book-review magazine.
1. What does the author think of classroom English language teaching?| A．Engaging. | B．Time-consuming. |
| C．Creative. | D．Ineffective. |
| A．To list English words commonly used in daily conversations. |
| B．To provide advice on proper English communication. |
| C．To further develop the idea in The Elements of Style. |
| D．To highlight the importance of grammar learning. |
| A．Its diverse content. | B．Its unique organization. |
| C．Its publishing process. | D．Its target readers. |
| A．It has multiple glossaries for different users. |
| B．It has extensive references for further reading. |
| C．It has a section devoted to readers’ frequent confusions. |
| D．It adopts a conversational approach to explaining grammar. |
| A．Effective means of learning standard English. |
| B．A further recommendation for Johnson’s book. |
| C．An expectation of Johnson’s creation. |
| D．An introduction to the history of English grammar. |
请你按照以下提示写一篇英语短文投稿。
内容包括：
(1)表达你对学校的感激；
(2)回顾你在校的生活(如：难忘的时刻，获得的知识，个人的成长等)；
(3)展望学校的未来，表达你的美好祝愿。
注意：
(1)词数不少于100；
(2)可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯；
(3)题目已给出，不计入总词数。
To My Dear School
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________James Warren, a frequent public bus rider in Denver, noticed a significant problem: many bus stops lacked seating. Particularly on a cold morning in January, Warren observed a woman waiting for a bus, with no seating available at the stop and no sidewalk, forcing her to sit in the dirt. Motivated by this sight, Warren took scrap (废料；废品) wood from construction waste bins and set out to construct a bench.
This singular act of kindness evolved into a larger mission when he realized that one bench was far from enough. In the Denver metro area alone, there are more than 9, 000 bus stops, many of which lack seating or shelter. To add a personal touch and spread a message of compassion, he carved “Be kind” into each bench, symbolizing the spirit of the project.
Warren’s initiative resonated with the community, especially among those who benefited daily from the benches. “I met some ladies the other day who talked about how they used the benches every day. It fills me up. It’s air in my tires.” Warren recalled. His enthusiasm increased as more people joined his bench-making efforts. “I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me on Twitter,” he mentioned. “Some people have wanted to come and help me.” Inspired by Warren’s work, others in the local news audience decided to contribute as well, with many donating supplies. “That puts me over the moon,” Warren expressed.
Nica Cave, a 26-year-old mobility advocate (改善交通运输系统的倡导者) from Denver, emphasized the wider impact of the initiative. “The absence of proper infrastructure, shelter, and seating at transit stops, such as bus stops and train stations, disadvantages those who rely on public transportation. People like Warren are encouraging, showing how individuals are willing to use their own time and resources to provide these much-needed services.”
Warren envisions extending his project beyond simply providing benches. He plans to create a bench-building workshop to foster community engagement and support. His ultimate goal is to enhance the quality of life in his community and inspire similar actions elsewhere, emphasizing that small acts of kindness and effort can load to significant improvements in daily experiences.
1. What are Warren’s benches at the bus stops made from? (no more than 6 words)2. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
3. Why did Warren feel happy? (no more than 15 words)
4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about? (no more than 10 words)
5. What can you learn from the story? Please explain in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
9 . Millions of older people, laborers and cancer sufferers could be unable to use their fingerprints to log in online bank accounts. Banks are spending millions of pounds on fingerprint technology to replace passwords. But banks may have to rethink these plans after warnings that the technology flawed （有缺陷）. Representatives of major banks at a London conference were told many older people’s fingerprints are too faded for the machines to recognize.
John Daugman, a professor of computer vision and pattern recognition at the University of Cambridge, says, “Fingerprints can ‘rub off’ for many kinds of laborers—their skin becomes almost smooth. Gardeners often acquire a lot of wounds on their fingers, and people who work with chemicals, such as cleaners, also suffer damage of fingerprints.”
Jean Slocombe, a senior nurse at Cancer Research UK, says, “Some drugs can cause the skin of hands and feet to peel. In severe cases, the fingers can peel, and it’s possible that this could change a patient’s fingerprints. This should improve once treatment ceases, but severe scarring（伤疤） can change fingerprints in the long term.”
Fingerprints are generally considered more secure than passwords for several reasons. Unlike passwords, fingerprints cannot be easily copied, written down, shared, or guessed. Additionally, it is impossible to forget one’s fingerprints. Currently, banks offer customers the option to use a password or PIN (personal identification number) for online access to their money. However, technology experts have predicted that companies might do away with passwords entirely to decrease the risk of fraud （诈骗）. Should this transition to fingerprint technology occur, there is a potential risk that millions of bank customers could find themselves unable to access their accounts.
Banks have tried other security measures, such as facial recognition—but fingerprint technology is often the best one, as it is fast and people are more familiar with it. Nick Dryden, a chief executive of technology company Sthaler, says, “Businesses like fingerprint technology because it’s fast.”
“There must always be a back-up so that if it doesn’t work, there is another way of paying, such as with a password.” Dryden adds that using the veins（静脉） in someone’s fingers to identify them is more secure and means people with faded prints will not be left behind as technology advances.
1. Which of the following is the critical flaw of using fingerprints to log into accounts?| A．Fingerprints can be easily stolen from photos. |
| B．Fingerprint recognition adapts to medical changes. |
| C．The application of fingerprint technology costs too much. |
| D．Elderly people’s fingerprints may be too faint for detection. |
| A．Excessive use of technology. | B．Physical labor and natural aging. |
| C．Environmental exposure process. | D．Lack of proper fingerprinting equipment. |
| A．Experts recommend replacing passwords soon. |
| B．Fingerprints can totally avoid the risk of fraud. |
| C．Switching to fingerprints might lock out many customers. |
| D．Passwords and PINs are preferred by banks due to their simplicity. |
| A．Using veins instead of fingerprints isn’t workable. |
| B．There must be other ways to get into bank accounts. |
| C．Its greatest advantage is its high speed of recognition. |
| D．Passwords are still the most reliable security measure now. |
| A．Comparing password and fingerprint security. |
| B．Enhancing and upgrading bank security measures. |
| C．Presenting fingerprint technology challenges in banking. |
| D．Advancing fingerprint and facial recognition technology. |
10 . In my senior year of high school, while living with my grandparents, I discovered a unique talent: perfect timing. This discovery of my perfect timing was so astonishing that I kept it to myself, thinking no one would believe my ability to time my arrival at school with extraordinary precision.
My mother passed away when I was 13, leaving me, the oldest of four, in the care of our grandparents. Our father was absent, so financial challenges were part of our daily life. This prompted my grandfather to work as the janitor (门卫) of our school—a large building for grades 1-12. To help out, I started assisting him after school to ease his burden, such as sweeping rooms and emptying wastebaskets, earning a small wage in the process. I continued this work until my final year of high school.
By that time, Grandpa was eight years past retirement age. When the first cold snap of that year arrived, he fired up the school’s furnace (火炉). He quickly realized how difficult it had become for him to shovel the huge pile of coal chips required to fill the hopper (漏斗) of the furnace’s stoker (司炉).
I volunteered to take on that job, a commitment that required me to set my alarm clock an hour earlier each morning. I’d fumble into coal-darkened jeans, go over to the school, and shovel a half-ton of coal into the hopper, enough to keep the fire blazing for 24 hours. The next morning, I’d fill it again.
After finishing that chore, I’d go home, clean up, change clothes, and eat breakfast. I’d pace my preparations by glancing at the clock in the dining room—it would be years before I’d have a watch. Then I’d head back to school, always at the last minute. It was during those morning rushes to school that I discovered my superpower.
What initially seemed like mere coincidence—arriving at the exact moment the first bell rang—quickly became a deliberate challenge. I meticulously (小心翼翼地) planned each morning to maintain this precise timing, revealing in the master y of my routine.
Years later, at a school reunion, I recounted this story to Harold Spiry, the school headmaster during my time. I boasted about my perfect timing, recalling with pride how I had mastered my mornings to the second. ‘Oh that,’ he said, his eyes narrowing as he thought back to that time. ‘Do you recall that my desk and office windows looked out over the front of the building? I often saw you coming. And when you hit the sidewalk, I’d ring the bell.’ Oh, my ‘perfect timing’ was actually his doing.
1. What can we infer about the author’s character from his perfect timing?| A．He lacks confidence. | B．He is naturally lucky. |
| C．He prefers to work alone. | D．He values precision and discipline. |
| A．He was passionate about cleaning. |
| B．He found it was the only job available. |
| C．He needed the job to support the family financially. |
| D．He wanted to stay close to his grandchildren at school. |
| A．He wanted to learn a new skill. |
| B．He needed extra money for personal expenses. |
| C．He wanted to relieve his grandfather’s workload. |
| D．He was interested in the mechanical operation of the furnace. |
| A．The author’s devotion to aiding his grandfather with coal shoveling. |
| B．The author’s daily routine of waking up early to attend school. |
| C．The author’s development of a new skill in coal shoveling. |
| D．The author’s realization of the importance of punctuality. |
| A．Our accomplishments are often supported by unseen kindness. |
| B．Challenges can only be overcome through personal hardships. |
| C．Personal talents bring pride and joy to an individual’s life. |
| D．Perseverance leads to the development of unique skills. |
