1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What did Spanish merchants take to the Americans?

A．Corn.

B．Wheat.

C．Potatoes.

2. Why did Balboa feel surprised?

A．He saw the Pacific Ocean.

B．There were many jungles.

C．Panama was so narrow.

3. When did Francisco Pizarro leave for the Inca Empire?

A．In 1513.

B．In 1524.

C．In 1533.

4. What was the Inca Empire rich in?

A．Wildlife.

B．Rocks.

C．Gold and silver.

2 . 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。

Whether tiny and used for delicate needle work     1     large and employed to make clothing, as well as for other purposes , traditional Chinese scissors are distinctive.

Scissors were once handmade by a Chinese man who also made metal     2    (knife) in his shop. Today’s scissors, often made of steel rather than iron, are produced in larger workshops     3    (employ) a combination of traditional and modern methods. These workshops produce a range of all-purpose scissors capable     4     cutting anything from sheet metal to fine silk.

No scissor producer in China is more famous than the Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors Factory,     5    (found) in 1663 in Hangzhou,     6     currently produces about 45 million pairs of 120 different styles each year.     7    (original), production required 72 steps, but this has been reduced to 24. One unique feature of the Zhang Xiaoquan brand is that beautiful landscapes and images of birds, flowers, and animals are still hand-carved along the surface of each pair. The     8    (company) scissors won various international honors, besides having been designated(指定) as “Imperial Palace Scissors” by the Qing emperor’s court. Up to now, identified as deserving protection along with     9    (diversity) centuries-old craft products, Zhang Xiaoquan     10    (recognize) as a laozihao or “heritage brand”.

3 . While many of us might long to just sleep through this entire winter, humans, unlike a lot of other mammals - don’t have the capacity to hibernate (冬眠). But researchers think they have found some tell-tale marks on the fossils, which suggests that early humans may have survived the harsh winter by hibernating.

Bears have specialized metabolic (新陈代谢的) processes to protect them from this extended sleep, but sometimes this process doesn’t quite go to plan. For example, hibernators can end up with a host of diseases after hibernation if they don’t get enough food reserves before they go down for the winter. The researchers believe this may have been the circumstance of some human ancestors whose remains with deep cracks in bones were discovered in a Spanish cave called Sima de los Huesos. This deep hole is home to an incredible number of fossils, with archaeologists having discovered thousands of early humans’ skeletal remains that are around 430,000 years old and probably the ancestors of the Sima people or others.

In a paper published in L’Anthropologie, two experts argue that the fossils found in Sima de los Huesos show seasonal variations that suggest that bone growth got interrupted for several months of each year. They suggest these early humans found themselves being in metabolic states that helped them to survive for long periods of time in extremely cold conditions with limited stores of body fat.

The researchers admit the idea “may sound like science fiction”, but they point out that many mammals including primates (灵长类动物) do this. “This suggests that the genetic basis and physiology for such slow metabolism could be preserved in many mammalian species including humans," state Arsuaga and Bartsiokas.

However, Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London pointed out that large mammals such as bears do not actually hibernate, because their large bodies cannot lower their core temperature enough. Instead, they enter a less deep sleep known as torpor. In such a condition, the energy demands of the human-sized brains of the Sima people would have remained very large, creating an additional survival problem for them during torpor.

1. Why does the author mention the example in Paragraph 2?

A．To explain the special ability of bears.	B．To provide the background to the research.
C．To show the basis of researchers’ evaluation.	D．To discuss a new cause of hibernating disease.

2. What can we know about the bones found in the Spanish cave?

A．They were badly preserved with deep cracks.

B．Their growth discontinued temporarily for some reason.

C．Their appearances varied from individual to individual.

D．They showed signs of people living in comfort in the past.

3. What is Arsuaga and Bartsiokas’ attitude towards humans’ hibernation?

A．It’s quite possible.	B．It merely appears in science fiction.
C．It’s an exception to human genetics.	D．It solved the mystery of humans’ evolution in Europe.

4. What might the hibernation of the Sima people result in according to Chris?

A．They might have developed smaller brains.

B．Their daily sleep quality might become poor.

C．Their body temperature might increase rapidly.

D．They might suffer from life-threatening starvation.

4 . 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。

A tea bag is a small, porous packet that contains     1     (dry) plant material, which, when soaked in hot water, helps to make tea. Tea bags are     2     (general) made of filter paper.

Tea bags range from a square or rectangular shape to a tetrahedral (四面体的) and even circular shape. There’s typically     3     small string attached to each tea bag with a paper label at the top.

Tea bags     4     (use) since the 8th century — in the era of the Tang dynasty. In those days, paper was folded and sewn into square bags so that tea flavors could be preserved for a long time,     5     (lay) the foundation for modern tea bags.

The modern version of tea bags first appeared in the Western World as early as 1903. Commercially, however, tea bags made their appearance around 1908,     6     coffee importer Thomas Sullivan shipped his silk tea bags all over the world. Those tea bags were supposed     7     (tear) before use, and their loose contents were then poured into hot water to brew tea.

However, people found that it was more convenient to brew tea     8     the tea leaves still enclosed in the bags. Since dipping tea bags into water didn’t seem to cause any change in the taste, people gradually did away with the practice of     9     (remove) the tea bag, and started dipping it directly into hot water instead.

It’s generally advised to not squeeze a tea bag soaked in hot water. When you squeeze a tea bag, more tannins (鞣质) are released into the liquid. The result of this is that the drink becomes too bitter, or     10     some call it, “too strong”.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where is the line painted on ships?

A．At the bottom.

B．On the side.

C．At the top.

2. What do we know about the line painted on ships?

A．It became law in the 18th century.

B．It was named after a 12th century lawmaker.

C．The water level can’t go above the line for the safety of the ships.

3. Why does the speaker give the talk?

A．To introduce.

B．To advise.

C．To inspire.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where did the woman find the old medicine bottle?

A．In a shop.

B．In a hole.

C．Near the village gate.

2. What did the woman find in the sports ground?

A．A teapot.

B．Some coins.

C．A metal horse.

3. How old are the coins?

A．About 50 years.

B．About 100 years.

C．About 200 years.

7 . A Michigan farmer Bristle was digging with a backhoe (反铲挖土机) in one of his wheat fields when — bang — it struck a large bone.

Bristle contacted Fisher, a paleontology (古生物学家) professor at the University of Michigan. Fisher rushed to the farm and identified the bone as a fossil of an Ice Age mammoth (猛犸象). Since it was harvest season, Bristle gave Fisher and his students only one day to remove the rest of the fossils from the ground. The team found 20 percent of the animal’s bones, including its skull, tusks, pelvis, and shoulder blades as well as some teeth, ribs, and other bones.

The age of a mammoth can be determined by counting the rings in one of its tusks. Like the rings in a tree trunk, each ring stands for one year of a mammoth’s life. Fisher thinks that the bones are supposed to belong to male mammoth around forty years old. It was probably a rare hybrid of a woolly mammoth and a Colombian mammoth that lived between 11,700 and 15,000 years ago during the Pleistocene lee Age, when ice sheets covered much of Earth’s land.

The bones appeared to have been cut up and some of them were missing, leading Fisher to conclude that early humans must have killed the animal and stored its meat so they could return to it at a later time. Some other indications of human activity include a stone flake (薄片) that might have been from a cutting tool and the arrangement of the neck bones in order. If the mammoth had died naturally, its bones would have scattered randomly.

In the US, fossils found on private property belong to the owner of the land. However, Bristle donated the fossils to the University of Michigan for further study. Fisher hopes to display the bones at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, possibly combined with fiberglass models of bones from other Michigan mammoths to form a complete Mammoth skeleton (骨架).

1. Why was Fisher’s time limited to one day?

A．Because the mammoth was a small one.	B．Because it was easy to remove the bones.
C．Because it was the time of gathering crops.	D．Because Bristle was busy planting in the field.

2. How did Fisher infer the mammoth’s age?

A．By counting the bones.	B．By judging the living age.
C．By measuring the ice sheets.	D．By numbering the tusk rings.

3. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How the mammoth died.	B．Where the missing meat was.
C．How the stone flake was made.	D．Whether the neck bones scattered.

4. What is Fisher’s wish according to the last paragraph?

A．To own the fossils.	B．To study the mammoth.
C．To complete the skeleton.	D．To promote the university.

8 . Researchers have found a group of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest. The cities were home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.

Stéphen Rostain, one of the researchers, first noticed the earthen mounds (土墩) and buried roads in Ecuador more than twenty years ago. But at the time, he wasn’t sure how it all fitted together. Recent mapping using laser (激光) technology revealed those locations to be part of a group of settlements in the forested areas near the Andes mountains and connecting roads.

This LIDAR image provided by researchers in January 2024 shows complexes of rectangular (矩形) platforms arranged around low squares along wide dug streets at the Kunguints site, Upano Valley in Ecuador. “It was a lost valley of cities, and it’s incredible” said Rostain.

The Upano people lived in the settlements between around 500 B. C. and 300 to 600 A. D. That was around the same time period as the Roman Empire in Europe. Ancient people built on over 6,000 earthen mounds in an area surrounded by agricultural fields with drainage (排水) canals. The largest roads were 10 meters wide and went for 10 to 20 kilometers. While it is difficult to estimate populations, the area was home to at least 10,000 people, and possibly about 15,000 or 30,000 at its highest point. That is comparable to the estimated population of Roman-era London, then Britain’s largest city. The Amazon is often thought of as a wild area with only small groups of people. But recent discoveries have shown us how much more complex the past really is.

Scientists have recently also found evidence of complex rainforest societies that came before European contact elsewhere in the Amazon, including in Bolivia and Brazil. “There’s always been an incredible diversity of people and settlements in the Amazon, not only one way to live,” said Rostain. “We’re just learning more about them.”

1. What does Rostain think about the finding?

A．Unreasonable.

B．Understandable.

C．Unforgettable.

D．Unbelievable.

2. What’s paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The lost cities’ long history and complex civilization.

B．The lost cities’ relationship with the Roman Empire.

C．The Upano people’s similarities in lifestyle with London.

D．The Upano people’s advanced agriculture and transport.

3. What can be inferred from Rostain’s words in the last paragraph?

A．People have learned enough about the complex societies.

B．Much remains to be discovered about the lost societies.

C．The rainforest societies are as complex as ever thought.

D．European contact with the lost cities dates from long ago.

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

A．The Loss of Complex Rainforest Societies

B．The History of Complex Old Settlements

C．Researchers Discover Lost Cities in Amazon

D．Scientists Find Incredible Diversity of People

9 . Walt Disney: A Legacy of Dreams

The name “Disney” evokes a rush of images: from the enchanted kingdom of Disneyland to the heartwarming tales of Bambi and Simba. For almost a century, Disney, initiated by Walt Disney himself, has been synonymous with storytelling, imagination, and dreams-come-true. But what’s the journey behind this global empire of happiness?

Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company started as a small animation studio in the back of a real estate office in Los Angeles.     1     The creation of the beloved Mickey Mouse in 1928 marked the beginning of Disney’s ascent to fame. This iconic character not only helped the company regain its footing after a business setback but also paved the way for the world of animation as we know it.

Disney’s first full-length animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiered in 1937.     2     Its success proved that storytelling combined with animation had the power to touch the hearts of audiences worldwide, setting the foundation for a series of masterpieces that followed.

Disneyland, opened in 1955, was Walt’s most ambitious venture (经营项目).     3     Termed as “The Happiest Place on Earth”, this theme park was built upon a narrative, each attraction telling its own story, making it a pioneering effort in the world of amusement parks. It wasn’t just about rides, but an experience of stories coming to life.

With Walt’s death in 1966, there were doubts about the future of the company.     4     Today, Disney is not just about animation or theme parks. With its acquisition of entities like Marvel and Lucasfilm, it’s a major player in global entertainment.

Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”     5     Disney remains a testament to the power of dreams, imagination, and pursuit, lighting up lives across generations and geographies.

A．The transformation from a humble beginning to a global business came with both achievements and challenges.

B．Each turn in the park promises a leap into fantasy, ensuring the magic is felt at every corner.

C．This venture greatly changed the landscape of cinematic history.

D．Though faced with initial skepticism, the park became an instant success.

E．Over the decades, it has redefined entertainment, proving that stories have no boundaries.

F．However, despite initial uncertainties in leadership and direction, the enterprise continued to grow.

G．It’s a universe of stories, where every character, every song, and every ride have a heart and soul.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know about Beowulf?

A．Its writer is unknown.

B．It is a famous novel.

C．It is easy to understand.

2. When was Middle English used?

A．Between about AD 800 and AD 1066.

B．Between about AD 1066 and AD 1150.

C．Between about AD 1150 and AD 1500..

3. Who is Geoffrey Chauncer?

A．An English historian.

B．A Middle English poet

C．A modern English writer.

4. What will the speaker talk about after the break?

A．Modern English.

B．Middle English.

C．Old English.