1 . I’d been exploring the 40-hectare woods around our cottage my whole life and I knew the way well. So it was a
One dull cold February afternoon, I had a sudden
As the shadows started to
I instinctively (本能地) pulled out my phone to get my location, but it
That winter’s day taught me a valuable lesson about habitual reliance on technology. If my phone had
| A．challenge | B．shock | C．reward | D．reminder |
| A．discovery | B．response | C．worry | D．urge |
| A．escaped | B．drove | C．headed | D．looked |
| A．reputation | B．dream | C．day | D．way |
| A．lengthen | B．swing | C．emerge | D．fade |
| A．fuel | B．witness | C．overlook | D．outpace |
| A．original | B．rough | C．offbeat | D．roundabout |
| A．appreciating | B．trusting | C．envisioning | D．assessing |
| A．curiosity | B．comparison | C．doubt | D．anticipation |
| A．died | B．slipped | C．flashed | D．rang |
| A．Reportedly | B．Admittedly | C．Seemingly | D．Surprisingly |
| A．exposed | B．composed | C．defended | D．behaved |
| A．got off | B．laid down | C．came across | D．made out |
| A．worked | B．remained | C．changed | D．overheated |
| A．theory | B．standard | C．practice | D．routine |
The Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, once struggling to sustain its
The man behind
After witnessing the helpless and hopeless expressions of the animals, Shen’s team set about making changes.
This zoo has emerged
3 . Providing feedback is an essential part of personal and career development.
If you are seeking to enhance your career growth, learning about the feedback sandwich can be a game-changer.
The feedback sandwich technique is a highly useful method. It can help soften the blow of criticism. By starting and ending with positive feedback, it’s easier for the recipient to receive the constructive criticism without feeling attacked.
| A．It’s essential to be aware of its limitations, though. |
| B．Similarly, it is also easier for the giver to offer feedback. |
| C．The manager then ends the feedback session with positive feedback. |
| D．The technique may lead to unclear and indirect personal communication. |
| E．Delivering constructive criticism, however, can be challenging if not done correctly. |
| F．It may not be for every situation, but it can make negative feedback more digestible. |
| G．This technique involves using constructive feedback wrapped between two layers of positive feedback. |
The Champion of No Score
Maggie hated Tuesdays—Tuesdays meant gym class, gym class meant picking teams and picking teams meant Maggie would be picked last.
As a newcomer, she’d come up with a special title for each classmate to remember the other kids. There was Kevin, Champion of the Clean Desk. Lynnie, Champion of Knowing the Answer First… Thinking hard, she finally decided her own title: Champion of Quiet.
Maggie felt blue as Tuesday fell again. Mr. Murphy, the gym teacher, asked for volunteer captains to pick their own basketball teams. The usual hands shot into the air. Maggie sighed and glanced to her right. She caught the eye of Jasmine. Champion of Awkward, a girl who was sometimes picked last, too. Then Maggie had an idea. So when Mr. Murphy asked if anyone else wanted to volunteer, Maggie felt her hand slowly rise. Looking again at Jasmine, she took a big breath. Maybe it was time for her to use her voice.
“Maggie?” Mr. Murphy smiled. “You want a turn?”
“Yes,” she said.
The class whispered. Maggie leading a team?
“Yes,” she answered again, louder this time.
Mr. Murphy waved Maggie to the front, where the other three captains—Champion of Jumping Rope, Champion of Never Misses a Shot, and Champion of Doesn’t Know How to Lose—stood, ready to choose their teams.
“Maggie, you get first pick,” said Mr. Murphy. “Jasmine,” announced Maggie. The class snickered. A joke? More than once, Jasmine had tried to score on the wrong basket. Eyes wide, Jasmine took her place beside Maggie. The other three captains called out familiar names—the best players on the basketball court. It was Maggie’s turn again. “I choose Frank.” Frank (Champion of the Untied Shoelace) could not throw, or catch. He knew what it felt like to be the last pick. But not today.
Three very talented teams took shape. And then there was Maggie’s team. Maggie looked at her teammates. There stood Jasmine and Frank, plus Gillian (Champion of Chatter) and George (Champion of Sleepy). “I have chosen the worst team in the history of the world,” Maggie thought to herself.
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。
Hand in hand, the Maggie team walked onto the court.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________They did lose big, but something positive began to unfold in them.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . In 2022, the Nature Conservancy launched two 5-year pilot projects at working ranches (牧场) in Kansas and New Mexico to determine if virtual fences enable land managers to better perform regenerative management practices and to assess potential benefits for biodiversity and for ranchers’ bottom lines, as well as impacts on soil carbon storage.
Applauded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a climate adaption strategy, virtual fencing is an innovative technology that enables ranchers to use a smartphone or web app to remotely monitor and control where and when cattle graze (吃草). Virtual fences can reduce the need for physical fences, which require significant time, expense and labor to maintain. Physical fences also limit land managers in their ability to change grazing boundaries to adapt to seasonal changes in vegetation or to exclude cattle from ecologically sensitive areas.
The cows are outfitted with battery-operated, GPS-enabled collars that send out a radio frequency to communicate with reception towers, creating virtual grazing boundaries set by a rancher. When a cow approaches the edge of the virtual boundary, the collar produces a sound signaling it to turn around. If the cow proceeds to cross the boundary, it receives a momentary mild shock, signaling that it’s gone too far and should rejoin its group.
Grasslands are the least protected habitat on earth and one of the most effective carbon sinks, storing up to 20% of the world’s soil organic carbon. Unfortunately, grasslands are continuing to rapidly disappear for several reasons. For ecological health, most grassland ecosystems need periods of disturbance to aerate (使透气) the soil, stimulate plant growth and recycle nutrients into the soil. Ranchers complete this disturbance-rest cycle by managing the timing, location, herd size and intensity of grazing activities, all of which can be time-consuming and painstaking.
“Currently, the costs of virtual fencing are still high, but in the long run it can help land managers better carry out management practices that regenerate land health, help address climate change and biodiversity loss,” said William Burnidge, director of the Nature Conservancy.
1. What’s stressed concerning virtual fencing in paragraph 2?| A．Its smart design. | B．Its major advantages. |
| C．Its wide application. | D．Its working principles. |
| A．It’s time to return. | B．It’s time to graze. |
| C．It’s in danger. | D．It’s in a wrong direction. |
| A．Intense efforts. | B．Polluted soil. | C．Financial failure. | D．Ecological imbalance. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Objective. | C．Doubtful. | D．Conservative. |
6 . Over the past few months, I’ve been invited to speak with well-known writers, musicians and film producers regarding my recent book, Extraterrestrial. Prior to these conversations, I was on the receiving (and admiring) end of their artistic work, but now they were curious about my own research as a scientist. The reverse led me to recognize the similarities between innovation in the arts and the sciences.
In sciences and arts alike, creativity appears magically as an unpredictable fountain of inspiration from the subconscious (潜意识). Its unexpected content breaks routines within traditional thinking. It delivers something new that is distinct from common practices, often taking people out of their comfort zone because it is ahead of its time. As a result, many innovators are laughed at and denied the recognition they deserve when they need it the most.
There are many examples of such circumstances. In 1933 Fritz Zwicky inferred the existence of “dark matter”, but it took four decades for this concept to gain recognition within the astronomy community. Vincent van Gogh was considered a madman and a failure throughout his life. Today, his paintings are among the most expensive ever sold, though.
Typically, life offers two ways of acquiring objects. One is by collecting available items, and the other is by creating things that never existed before. Whereas most items on the shelves of supermarkets are mass-produced, products that are newly created by artists or scientists are originally unique. Just like aging wine, a product of creative work acquires quality over time. It is colored by the response of the audience as well as by imitations. The initial circumstances are a reminder of an admirable baby. It is fascinating for a scientist or an artist to watch the interaction of their creation with the world, just as it is for parents to watch their children.
Creativity in arts and sciences establishes a backdrop for human existence, as the content it invents gives pleasure and meaning to our lives. The human act of creation is an infinite-sum game, from which all of us benefit. And we can all participate in the creative process.
1. Which can best replace the underlined word “reverse” in paragraph 1?| A．Priority. | B．Assumption. | C．Shift. | D．Preference. |
| A．It tends to be forecastable. | B．It mirrors common beliefs. |
| C．It usually leads the times. | D．It enjoys instant acceptance. |
| A．Creative works withstand the test of time. |
| B．Mass-produced items are preferable. |
| C．Old wine can’t be put into new bottles. |
| D．Inventiveness starts from childhood. |
| A．To clarify a concept. | B．To launch an appeal. |
| C．To offer an entertainment. | D．To advocate a lifestyle. |
7 . Travelling seemed like falsehood to me. I grew tired of backpackers expressing too much praise about how petting a baby elephant in Thailand “transformed” them. Globe-traveling to me held no more promise than finding a few bills in the pocket of an old coat. I needed something deeper than an Eat, Play, Love moment.
One day, Vasilis, my Greek best friend, reminded me of our decade-old promise: after our final exams, I would visit his hometown in Athens. Maybe, it was time to make good on that promise.
I finally boarded the plane. Vasilis picked me up at the airport. I smiled, thinking how improbable this moment seemed all those years ago.
The decade-long wait proved to be well worth it. Every step through the ancient streets revealed new wonders. However, none of them truly mattered. What would forever alter my perception of travel was a chance encounter with a local.
Vasilis and I were wandering Athens when a special sound caught our attention — a rhythmic clinking disturbing the quietness of the residential street. Curiously, we followed the sound to a humble workshop. Inside, a welder (焊工) gave no mind to our presence behind him. He wore no flashy protective suit — this was just another day for him, another dance with fire and metal that had become second nature. Under the sunshade, his orange cat rested in the comforting warmth...
As the man continued welding, I felt a bit of envy. I envied his peace and contentment. I admired the simplicity he embodied. I imagined the welder happy, finding fulfillment in his craft (手艺) and returning to his loving family...The moment moved me to tears. Leaving the workshop, rain blending with tears, I realized how easily life’s poetry could pass unnoticed.
Home again in Montreal, I stop simply pursuing better things, better experiences and better people that are never grasped. I realize the real journey is inward — to appreciate life’s ordinary magic. That sure beats petting any baby elephant. I may not have returned home “transformed,” but I’ll always think of the welder and his cat.
1. Which aspect of travelling makes the author feel uneasy?| A．Shortage of adequate funds. | B．Discomfort in dietary habits. |
| C．Overstatement of travel’s effects. | D．Danger of petting baby animals. |
| A．Meeting a commitment. | B．Exploring a unique landscape. |
| C．Receiving further education. | D．Escaping from the current life. |
| A．Poems written by masters. | B．Peace and simplicity. |
| C．Spirit of craftsmanship. | D．Special sound in the street. |
| A．Friendship Lasts Forever | B．Travelling Shapes a Better Self |
| C．Pursuit of Happiness Never Stops | D．The Ordinary Makes Extraordinary |
8 . For the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition, the Musée d’Orsay, which houses the world’s largest collection of this current, is offering a major retrospective (回顾展) of this artistic trend with Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism from March 26 to July 14.
150 years ago, on April 15, 1874, in a luxurious photographer Nadar’s studio in northern Paris, Berthe Morisot, Edouard Degas and Claude Monet came together as a cooperative limited company to open the first Impressionist exhibition, a movement that would forever change the course of art history.
The retrospective will take visitors on a virtual tour to the very moment 150 years ago. During the 40-minute immersive (沉浸的) tour, visitors will spend a virtual evening with the famous impressionists and travel by steam train to Bougival, west of Paris, where many of them worked. Visitors will then tour the main exhibition, which opens into a gallery with Renoir’s La Parisienne and La Danseuse that featured in the 1874 exhibition, and other impressionist paintings, drawings and sculptures.
“The immersive experience is unique and innovative. You can go into this exhibition and relive the evening with the artists and discover the origin of this movement. We want to recreate the emotion for visitors of the 1874 exhibition.” said Abastado, director of digital development at the Musée d’Orsay.
Guidelines:* The experience is suitable for children of 11 y/o and above; children under 8 y/o are prohibited.
* We remind you that, in view of the technology used, virtual reality experiences are not recommended for people with balance or vision disorders.
* Walkers and motorized wheelchairs are not permitted in the space, but manual wheelchairs are accepted.
1. What’s the retrospective mainly aimed at?| A．Protecting cultural diversity. | B．Fueling people’s love for art. |
| C．Showing honor to late artists. | D．Marking the birth of a movement. |
| A．Painting a picture on the spot. | B．Driving a steam train in person. |
| C．Meeting famous impressionists. | D．Staying overnight in the gallery. |
| A．An eight-year-old boy. | B．An adult with a walker. |
| C．A visually-challenged girl. | D．A teenager in a manual wheelchair. |
“I’ll bet Anjali knows. Right, Anjali? Why don’t you show us since you’re the star student,” Deepak taunted (奚落).
Anjali was confused. She wasn’t trying to show off. She was just playing tabla (印度塔不拉鼓), like everyone else. And why was Deepak being so mean lately? Is it because tabla is a boy’s thing? She didn’t care that people thought it was a boys’ instrument. Anjali knew there was no such thing. She danced her fingers across the tabla to perform the composition in confusion. “Ugh!” Anjali heard someone groan, and she stopped playing.
“I guess I don’t know it that well after all,” Anjali said sheepishly to the teacher, Mr. Zakir. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. That wasn’t true. Not even a little. Mr. Zakir’s eyes narrowed. He looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind. “The recital (演奏会) is next week, everyone. Keep practicing. I will be announcing who will get to perform onstage with me at my next concert!” Anjali had dreamed of a moment like that. She wanted to win the opportunity, but she needed to sort things straight with Deepak first.
As the class was dismissed, Anjali hurried over to Deepak. When she finally made eye contact with him, he purposely looked away and walked off. The next day at school, Anjali overheard Deepak whispering to Mary. “People are only interested because she’s the only girl in tabla class and they want her to feel special. She’s not that good—” Anjali was furious. She excused herself and went to the bathroom. She took some deep breaths but couldn’t relax. Her heart was pounding:
“It’s not my fault that people make a big deal about a girl playing tabla. I make mistakes too, but I work really hard. Maybe he should too. He should be less mean and practice more.”
“If I play in this concert, no one will talk to me again. He will turn everyone against me.”
“I don’t want to see a tabla or hear a tabla or play a tabla EVER AGAIN!!” Anjali yelled at the mirror. It was quiet for a moment. She believed it was one of her darkest days ever.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Stepping out of the bathroom, Anjali saw some inspiring posters on the wall.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the recital, Deepak walked up to Anjali.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The market for wearable technology in the past few years has been on a rapid rise. We seem to have too much attachment to data accessible on those devices.
The challenge for athletes
Earlier this month, Sara Hall, a professional marathon runner competing in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials, actually
