1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. allowing   B. detectable   C. hazard     D. irresponsible E. linked    F. optimism   G. punishing   H. routes     I. sowed     J. unavoidable   K. widespread

Time for a clean-up

You are probably aware of the term “forever chemicals”, if not entirely clear on the specifics. What they are is a class of around 16, 000 artificial compounds called PFAS that break down very slowly, if at all in the environment and our bodies. They are extremely useful, but also a potential     1     to wildlife and human health. After more than 80 years of     2     and often unlimited use, PFAS pollution is more or less everywhere, from the soil on our farms to the rain that waters them. In all likelihood, you have a(n)     3     amount of these chemicals in your body.

A growing body of research has     4     exposure to some types of PFAS to harmful effects, such as kidney disease, immune dysfunction and certain types of cancer. Just a few parts per trillion of some forms accumulated over time is enough to be damaging. Moreover, exposure is more or less     5    . Skipping greaseproof (防油的) packaging or filtering tap water may limit acute exposure, but there are many other pollution     6    . In any case, for most of us, it is already too late.

How did we let it come to this? To some extent, society is reaping what it     7     by permitting so many novel chemicals to be released without a proper system to test their safety first. That has to change, and not just for PFAS. Time and again we find, too late, that industrial chemicals are harmful—as now seems the case with those in some climbing shoes—while     8     the firms that make them to carry on business as usual. There is nothing illegal in that. Nevertheless, the PFAS industry has been extremely     9    . There is good evidence that some producers have known for decades that the chemicals could cause harm, but actively confuse that knowledge. As the science of PFAS advances, there is     10     that they can be replaced, as well as rounded up (聚集) from the environment and destroyed.

2 . Road traffic accidents are caused by a number of factors which can be grouped into three categories: human factors, vehicle factors and road environment factors. Table 1 explains each factor and gives examples.

Table 1: Factors involved in road traffic accidents

Factor	Description	Example
Human	Things people do or don’t do	Speeding, not obeying traffic rules, using phone while driving
Vehicle	Things that are wrong with the vehicle	?
Road environment	Things outside the vehicle that affect driving	Condition of road, time of day, weather conditions, road repairs

One factor alone or several factors together can cause an accident. However, human actions are by far the greatest causes of car accidents. Diagram 1 shows that human factors are involved in 95% of all car accidents. Although other factors are also involved in 28% of these accidents, in 67% of cases, human factors alone are the cause of the accident.

Although behavior such as not paying attention to road, swerving to avoid an animal and eating while driving causes accidents, most road deaths are caused by speeding, driving after drinking alcohol, driving when tried and not wearing seat belts. As shown in Diagram 2, speeding is involved in more deaths than any other behavior in both city (50%) and country accidents (32%). Drivers and / or passengers not wearing seat belts is the second most common cause of road deaths.

1. Which of the following is best suited in the blank in table 1?

A．Vehicles of this type to be recalled at once.

B．Weak brakes, no seat belts in cars, old tyres.

C．250,000 people killed in car accidents in 2023.

D．Regular car maintenance, professional service.

2. What can be concluded from diagram 2?

A．Speeding kills more drivers in cities than in countries.

B．Two or more factors are combined to cause an accident.

C．Country drivers are more likely to get tired when driving.

D．Drunk driving cause more deaths than not wearing seat belts.

3. The passage is just one section of a larger report. What do you think the title of the larger report is?

A．The dangers of driving a car.	B．The effects of alcohol on driving.
C．Human factors in road traffic accidents.	D．How to prevent deaths on our roads.

3 . I once got lost on East Nanjing Road in a boiling sea of people. Music blared from every store. Having nowhere to sit and nowhere to stand, I was begging to be teleported to some deserted island. Even for extroverts (性格外向者) like me, who get energy from the _________ , Shanghai is overwhelming (令人难以招架的). I can’t imagine what it’s like during the holidays when the party animals, who have a fear of missing out, hit the streets to have fun. 

At times like these, I truly envy people who are introverted (内向的) and prefer their own thoughts and _________ world to being around other people. Introverts are self-sufficient and don’t need other people to be happy. They can be happy by themselves. It’s a _________ belief that introverts are lonely or shy, and that they would be much happier if they _________ their comfort zones and became more talkative. 

It is, therefore, fitting that January 2 is World Introvert Day. Following _________ full of glittering lights, bright colors and small talks, introverts might feel in need of some alone time to recharge. The day also _________ the positive points of introverted personalities, emphasizing that being the quiet one is not only acceptable but something to be _________.

Yet, society in general prefers _________ because, among other reasons, they tend to go out more and spend more money, which is good for the economy. For this reason, families often pressure their introverted kids to attend large _________ and fake being social butterflies to improve career prospects (前景). __________ this is sometimes necessary, to be happy, it is essential to be accepted for who we are.

1.

A．street

B．crowd

C．adventure

D．thoughts

2.

A．inner

B．outer

C．material

D．real

3.

A．negative

B．common

C．false

D．true

4.

A．came along with

B．kept staying in

C．looked forward to

D．stepped out of

5.

A．nights

B．holidays

C．weekends

D．weekdays

6.

A．gathers

B．highlights

C．loads

D．prefers

7.

A．discussed

B．criticized

C．praised

D．pursue

8.

A．introverts

B．customers

C．extroverts

D．teenagers

9.

A．schools

B．meetings

C．gatherings

D．lectures

10.

A．While

B．Since

C．If

D．Once

4 .

I offer to pay you $200 in one year if you give me $190 today. Good deal or bad deal? It’s the kind of math problem you might encounter in real life, _________, say, whether the cosecant (余割) of a 30-degree angle is 1 or 2. You can imagine students _________ their spirits and paying attention when they realize that they need to know algebra (代数) to avoid being cheated on a loan. Math and personal finance make a _________ fit. Students grasp concepts in math much better when they see how those subjects _________ their daily financial lives.

A survey in 2022 funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found that 61 percent of parents of students said math education should be “relevant to the real world” _________ that only 21 percent said it was. The drive for relevance goes beyond K-12 education. Some of America’s top universities are _________ personal finance into their curriculums.

Harvard has a personal finance course in the _________ department that’s taught by John Campbell, a past president of the American Finance Association. “_________, personal finance was regarded as a very sort of hands-on skill that you might teach to people who were going to a technical high school,” he told me. “There is, I would say, a modern movement to _________ of personal finance as a subject with actually a lot more intellectual content.”

In most high schools, personal finance classes are light on math, and math classes are __________ in personal finance. The FiCycle curriculum has plenty of each. “The personal finance component is incredibly __________ for our high school students,” Philip Dituri, the director of education at Financial Life Cycle Education, who has a doctorate in math education, told me. He believed that quite a lot of students would be stimulated by the __________.

There is a __________ standard for personal finance education that was put together by the Council for Economic Education and the JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. It emphasizes how to __________ one’s finances. FiCycle focuses more on the underlying concepts. It’s about “how and why individuals and households transfer consumption over time,” Financial Life Cycle Education says.

In conclusion, the integration of math and personal finance in education is not just an academic pursuit, but a __________ necessity for students to guide their real life. It is time for educational institutions to take note and adapt their curricula to better prepare students for the financial challenges of adulthood.

1.

A．similar to

B．as opposed to

C．compared with

D．coupled with

2.

A．lifting

B．lowering

C．forgetting

D．struggling

3.

A．awful

B．forced

C．perfect

D．temporary

4.

A．apply to

B．pass down

C．identify with

D．kick off

5.

A．for

B．but

C．and

D．so

6.

A．breathing

B．rolling

C．quoting

D．introducing

7.

A．politics

B．economics

C．mathematics

D．physics

8.

A．Traditionally

B．Constantly

C．Frequently

D．Thankfully

9.

A．restore

B．recover

C．reconsider

D．retell

10.

A．lacking

B．sufficient

C．absent

D．present

11.

A．depressing

B．amazing

C．challenging

D．motivating

12.

A．combination

B．separation

C．application

D．publication

13.

A．regional

B．local

C．national

D．individual

14.

A．learn

B．increase

C．examine

D．manage

15.

A．practical

B．regrettable

C．miserable

D．relaxing

5 . The disposable culture

The disposable (一次性的) culture started small. In1892 William Painter, founder of the Baltimore Bottle Seal Company, patented the bottle cap. The bottles were returned and refilled, but the bottle caps were ________. They only worked once. Painter’s chief salesman at the time was called Mr Gillette, who went on to apply the same principle to his own invention, the disposable version-cameras, contact lenses, barbecues- but the ________ has been taken a step further. For ________ reasons, most of the electrical equipment that we buy for the home is effectively disposable. This is because it is usually cheaper to ________ them than to mend them. This applies not just to radios and toasters, but also to fridges, televisions and dishwashers. We now live in a disposable culture.

Most people feel ________ this new trend. We know we should be reducing the amount of waste we produce and recycling as much as possible although despite all our efforts, landfill continues to increase. It’s hard to slip a CD player into the bottom of the rubbish these days without feeling ________ especially if you suspect that all it needs is a simple repair. But who ________ that sort of thing these days? And how much would they charge you?

With persistence, one may still ________ someone out there willing to make the necessary repairs to your broken bread-making machine, but even they will feel obliged to inform you that, given the likely price of the ________, you’ d probably be better off throwing away the old one and buying the latest model. To ________ that something should be mended even though that will cost more than a brand-new replacement is weird, to say the least.

This dilemma (困境) occasionally ________ the possibility of fixing the damaged goods yourself. If something is next to ________ anyway, why not take it apart and see if you can figure out what’s wrong? I have had particular luck with cheap, plastic, battery-operated children’s toys, where bad manufacture is usually the cause of the ________ and some strong glue or tape is usually all it needs to put it right. Small children tend to be impressed by this sort of thing, which is probably the only reason I bother. I wouldn’t suggest you attempt to repair your own microwave, although I managed it once. It was one of the most ________ experiences of my life a difficult success to mention in casual conversation, perhaps, but I’m still trying.

While some repairs are certainly beyond the ability of the ordinary consumer, many are unbelievably simple. Finding willing ________ may be almost impossible, but tracking down spare parts has never been easier now that you can look on the Internet. There are also hundreds of sites offering step-by-step instructions for making repairs.

1.

A．turned out

B．thrown away

C．held out

D．kept away

2.

A．invention

B．concept

C．version

D．equipment

3.

A．historic

B．political

C．cultural

D．economic

4.

A．replace

B．produce

C．maintain

D．launch

5.

A．motivated by

B．accustomed to

C．uncomfortable about

D．independent of

6.

A．wise

B．relieved

C．bored

D．guilty

7.

A．removes

B．discovers

C．fixes

D．adjusts

8.

A．tell

B．miss

C．find

D．affect

9.

A．service

B．machine

C．information

D．part

10.

A．doubt

B．insist

C．know

D．recall

11.

A．takes up

B．puts up

C．makes up

D．opens up

12.

A．worthless

B．familiar

C．priceless

D．unavailable

13.

A．fault

B．stage

C．mistake

D．ease

14.

A．popular

B．disappointing

C．accidental

D．satisfying

15.

A．managers

B．salesmen

C．repairmen

D．deliverers

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Many leaders are anxious about their team’s productivity.

B．Employees are happier when they work from home.

C．More and more people prefer to work at home now.

D．Working remotely improves employees’ productivity.

2.

A．4%.

B．18%.

C．38%.

D．58%.

3.

A．It can strengthen their leadership.	B．It can help them manage their time.
C．It can relieve them of some concern.	D．It can cause them to set higher goals.

7 . Everyone knows that running is a good way to stay in shape. The simplicity of running appeals to many people. You don’t need a lot of complicated or expensive equipment; you just need a good pair of running shoes. Well, that idea is changing.     1    

This is not a surprise to the Tarahumara Indians, who live in northwest Mexico. The rough terrain (地势) in their area makes it easier to travel on foot than by horse or by car. Traditionally, the Tarahumara were hunters. They follow their prey over long distances, sometimes, for days, until the animals became exhausted.     2     They are known for their endurance, running races of 50 miles or longer. When Tarahumara athletes ra n in the marathon at the 1968 Olympics, they didn’t understand that the race was over after only 26.2 miles, so they kept running. “Too short, too short,” they complained.

But here is the amazing part: Tarahumara runners don’t wear running shoes. Tarahumara shoes are very simple. The sole (鞋底) is a piece of rubber held to the foot with homemade belt. These rubber soles protect against sharp objects, but they don’t provide any support or cushioning.

How is it possible that some of the best runners in the world don’t wear running shoes? Scientific studies are beginning to point to something the Tarahumara have known for centuries: Human beings are built for running barefoot. In a recent study, researchers used a video camera to examine how athletes run when they are barefoot.     3     When they do this, the arch (足弓) of foot absorbs the impact. Then that force is redirected back up through the leg.

    4     Walk into a sporting goods store today and you will find sections that are devoted to the shoes using the simplest structure. With a thin sole and heel, they are designed to be the shoes that feel like no shoes. The increasing number of these shoes on the market is evidence of this new trend. It is clear that shoe companies and runners are beginning to accept the wisdom of Tarahumara — barefoot may be the best.

A．The study revealed that barefoot runners land on the middle of their foot.

B．Some researchers suggest that perhaps you do not need shoes at all.

C．As a result, for the Tarahumara, running very long distances became part of daily life.

D．Many of these shoes have higher heels that are equipped with special materials.

E．As the force of impact drives the foot toward the ground, the arch flattens and expands.

F．In response to this research, shoe companies started to reconsider the design of running shoes.

8 . ChatGPT, as a large language model, learned to generate human-like text based on a given context. It can do most of the text-generation tasks that involve natural language for communication. Examples of these tasks are text completion (e.g. email and report writing), paraphrasing, text summarization, machine translation, and question-answering. In addition, it can also be used for conversational AI applications, such as chatbots and virtual assistants.

While the ChatGPT platform has a wide range of applications related to text generation, outputs should be evaluated critically and used with caution, as they may contain false, biased, or outdated information.

The use of homework aids in higher education is not new. For years, students have used sites like Quizlet to cut comers as they complete homework assignments or take online quizzes. In response, teachers have had to adapt to these challenges and design assessments that can avoid the use of these tools.

I view ChatGPT in the same light. Essentially, ChatGPT collects information readily available online to form a response to a given prompt (提示). The AI has no capacity for critical thinking and often misses the mark whenever a prompt requires any critical or abstract thinking If university teachers want to avoid the threat of ChatGPT, then perhaps the strictness of their assignments needs to be increased.

While there are many concerns that ChatGPT harms academic assessment, it and better versions may force us to shift our curriculum to higher levels of critical thinking. Beyond this, we may discover ways it can be used to enhance the learning process. If students focus on advanced aspects of their schoolwork, chatbots could assist with more menial (微不足道的) educational tasks. For example, some instructors are experimenting with new forms of student engagement, including project-based learning. Perhaps a chatbot could be used to brainstorm on these projects. Learning effectiveness could be enhanced by customizing the learning process at an individual level to better match a diversified student body.

1. What’s the common point between ChatGPT and Quizlet according to the passage?

A．They should both be assessed objectively and used carefully.

B．They are both widely used by teachers, instructors and faculty.

C．They are both sites provided for students to take an online quiz.

D．They can both help students take a shortcut when doing homework.

2. What’s the main drawback of ChatGPT according to the passage?

A．It can only be used for traditional AI applications.

B．It’s not accurate or unbiased enough when generating text.

C．It cannot the level of critical thinking as high as that of humans.

D．It cannot be widely used in higher education or diversified learning.

3. What’s the new challenge that teachers are facing with the rise of ChatGPT?

A．They have to meet the diversified demands of students.

B．They have to deal with the cheating problem of students.

C．They have to design more strict and precise assignments.

D．They have to make the class more effective through advanced techs.

4. The author holds a(an) ________ attitude towards the emergence of ChatGPT.

A．indifferent

B．critical

C．objective

D．supportive

9 . Human Being or Human Doing?

During my seemingly-endless career as a high school teacher, not even once have I woken up in the morning, realizing that it’s the beginning of a new week, joyfully posted a Wechat Moment and said “Thank God! It’s Monday again!”

    1    . I learned this through a series of recent events where some people of my age whom I have known for years all bragged about their being super busy and took huge pride in working all the time. Although I can relate to their ambition to change the world, I am not quite sure whether that world in their mouth will change for the better or the worse.

Welcome to hustle culture (过劳文化). Now we all live in a society that encourages us to equate our work with our intrinsic value as human beings.     2    . Workers should love what they do and then promote that love on social media, thus taking the standard of a qualified employee to a whole new level.

It is not hard to view hustle culture as a swindle (欺诈行为).     3    . And the vast majority of people beating the drums of hustle-mania (狂热) are not the people who do the actual work. Sooner or later, employees will have to decide for themselves if they embrace or reject this culture of overwork.

    4    . It is no longer considered embarrassing to re-post whatever their companies have posted on Wechat. On some level, one has to respect the hustlers who see a dismal (令人沮丧的) system and understand that success in it requires total, shameless buy-in.

If we are doomed to overwork until we die, we may at least die with dignity. Stop pretending to love Mondays!

A．However, the gloomy employment prospect in recent years has significantly reduced the bargaining power of workers.

B．Apparently, that makes me slightly different from people of my generation.

C．After all, persuading a generation of workers to work their heads off is convenient for those at the top.

D．Hustle culture can negatively affect people’s personal relationships as they favor the hustle over the connections with others.

E．In this new work culture, enduring or even merely liking one’s job is no longer enough.

F．Furthermore, all that nonstop work will lead to exhaustion and burnout, which can have lasting harmful consequences.

10 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Just as people have altered their skin’s color to indicate wealth and beauty, so have cultures around the globe marked their skin to show cultural identity or community status. Tattooing (纹身), for example, has been carried out for thousands of years. Leaders in places     1    (include) ancient Egypt, Britain, and Peru wore tattoos to mark their status or bravery. Today, among the Maori people of New Zealand, full-facial tattoos are still used     2    (identify) the wearer as a member of a certain family.

In Japan, tattooing had been practiced for a long time     3     it was outlawed in the 19^th century. Despite the fact that there are no laws against it today, tattoos are still strongly associated with criminals — particularly the yakuza known for their full-body tattoos. The complex design of a yakuza member’s tattoo includes symbols of character qualities     4     the wearer wants to have. The process of getting a full-body tattoo is both slow and painful and     5     can take two years or more to complete.

In some cultures, scarring — a marking which     6    (cause) by cutting or burning the skin — is a practice, usually among people who have darker skin on which a tattoo would be difficult to see. For many men in West Africa, scarring is a ceremony of passage —     7     act symbolizing that a male has matured from a child into an adult. In Australia, among some native people, cuts     8    (make) on the skin of both men and women show that they reach the age of 16 or 17.     9     these, they were traditionally not permitted to trade, sing ceremonial songs, or participate in other activities.

Not all skin markings are permanent, though. In countries such as Morocco and India, women     10     decorate their skin with colorful henna designs for celebrations such as weddings and important religious holidays. The henna coloring, which comes from a plant, fades over time.