1 . In October, Mediterranean fruit flies were discovered in an area of Los Angeles. California is a big farming state, and this was serious news for farmers. The key to the problem may seem a little unusual: releasing millions more of the flies.
The Mediterranean fruit fly, often known as the “Medfly”, is one of the most serious threats faced by farmers worldwide. Once the pest makes its way into an area, it can be very hard to remove. The flies lay their eggs in over 300 kinds of fruits and vegetables. When the eggs hatch, they turn into worm-like larvae (幼虫) that can destroy these products.
Three Mediterranean fruit flies were discovered in a Los Angeles neighborhood called Leimert Park in October. To stop the problem from spreading, the government set up a large quarantine (隔离) area, which means that no produce (fruits, nuts, or vegetables)can be moved out of that area. The quarantine area is 90 square miles.
That may seem extreme, since only three Medflies were found, but experts believe there are probably more out there. “It’s really important to get on top of this fast,” said Jason Leathers. Luckily, California has developed a program to control Medflies, and it’s been working well for 30 years. The plan involves using planes to drop millions of Medflies over the area. That may sound like a bad idea, but it’s actually a good way to make sure that Medfly numbers go down.
The airplanes only drop male flies, and all of them have been treated so that they can’t help produce new fruit flies. The males are sterile (不育的). This means that even though they can mate with female fruit flies, the eggs produced will never grow or hatch. The plan has worked well in the past. The government says that the number of flies has been cut by over 90%. To deal with the problem near Leimert Park, the government will be dropping two airplane loads of sterile Medflies every week.
1. Why is the figure mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．To show farmers require more help. | B．To stress the great harm done by the Medfly. |
| C．To remind people to be particular about health. | D．To appeal for urgent concerns about the Medfly. |
| A．To destroy the native produce. | B．To limit the spread of the Medfly. |
| C．To kill the Medfly completely. | D．To reduce the losses of local farmers. |
| A．California values the control of Medflies. | B．Using planes to drop Medflies saves money. |
| C．Jason Leathers is in charge of Medflies’ study. | D．The public care little about killing Medflies. |
| A．A research article. | B．A short story. | C．A news report. | D．An agricultural research. |
2 . Most of us look forward to the weekend as a time to relax, connect with friends and family, and handle items from a to-do list that gets unnoticed during the work week. But as the weekday does come to an end, many of us are missing out on enjoying the weekend and instead experiencing a sense of anxiety and even fear for the upcoming week. Experts call this phenomenon Sunday scaries.
Sunday scaries, also known as the Sunday blues, arise when individuals expect the upcoming work week with a combination of various factors such as work-related concerns, unfinished tasks, the end of weekend relaxation, and the pressure to start the new week. As a result, individuals may find it challenging to unwind and relax before the new week begins.
A clinical psychologist, Renée Goff, said, “Sunday scaries are more than a physical heaviness for them, but they could even jump out of their skins due to the upcoming week. The negative emotions associated with Sunday scaries can have a significant impact on one’s mental well-being and overall productivity.”
“As a matter of fact, such anticipatory anxiety is a natural response that happens in preparation for anything that can cause pain or discomfort,” explains psychotherapist Angela Ficken. “Sunday scaries might even start bubbling up as early as Saturday, but tend to become less intense by the time Monday morning rolls around when you start your work week. This doesn’t mean we leave them unchecked.”
To battle anticipatory anxiety for the upcoming week, individuals can adopt self-care practices that promote relaxation and stress reduction. This may include engaging in hobbies, spending time in nature, exercising, practicing mindfulness or simply dedicating time to disconnect from work-related thoughts. Additionally, we can organize tasks for the upcoming week in advance to create a sense of control, reduce the Sunday scaries and promote a healthier work-life balance.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To lead in the topic of the text. | B．To tell background for the text. |
| C．To offer suggestions to readers. | D．To stimulate readers to imagine. |
| A．Avoidable. | B．Imaginary. | C．Normal. | D．Harmful. |
| A．They strengthen on Monday morning. |
| B．They tend to die down before Saturday. |
| C．They should be brought to our attention. |
| D．They will in no case disappear naturally. |
| A．Theoretical basis for Sunday scaries. |
| B．Approaches to fighting Sunday scaries. |
| C．Positive aspects of anticipatory anxiety. |
| D．Extreme suffering from Sunday scaries. |
3 . The topic of photo copyright has been widely discussed recently. It started with a photographer called Dai Jianfeng receiving an email from the Visual China Group (VCG), saying that he used photos from VCG without permission (许可). However, the photos were taken by the photographer himself. It turned out to be a misunderstanding. Dai’s photos were then removed from the VCG website.
Copyright protects an author’s original works. Works are original when they are independently created by a human author and show creativity.
“In a sense, companies like VCG protect photographers’ rights,” said Shen Ran, a 26-year-old photographer who knows Dai. After signing with photographers, these companies sell the rights to use the images on their platforms. They may keep up to 70 percent of the pictures’ proceeds (收益). Users also need to follow certain rules when using the images.
If companies find out that people are using their copyrighted images without permission, then “they can file lawsuits (诉讼),” Shen said. In this way, the platforms enforce (执行) photographers’ ownership rights. Without the help of these companies, it can be difficult for photographers to know if their pictures are being misused and even harder for them to take legal (法律的) action in response.
Meanwhile, there are many cases of people using photographers’ pictures without permission on online platforms. And the platforms’ attitude sometimes makes it worse. “There used to be a fake (虚假的) account claiming to be me on Douyin,” said Ji Zixuan, a 17-year-old photographer in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. “Because I don’t have an account there, Douyin refused to remove the fake account at first.”
A lack of effective online content moderation (内容审核) means it can be time-consuming for photographers to defend their rights. It leads to many photographers feeling apathetic (无动于衷的) about the copyright of their pictures.
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the VCG company. | B．To defend Dai’s photo copyright. |
| C．To lead in the topic of photo copyright. | D．To warn people to use photos legally. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Subjective. |
| A．The permission of using images. | B．The lawsuits of the platform. |
| C．The function of companies like VCG. | D．The legal actions of photographers. |
| A．By giving explanations. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By showing data. | D．By raising examples. |
1. What happened when the man was climbing mountains?
| A．He had a cold. | B．He got stuck in a hole. | C．He was lost in bad weather. |
| A．Low temperature. | B．A bad fall in the mountain. | C．An unsuccessful operation. |
| A．Design new climbing shoes. |
| B．Set up a club for the disabled. |
| C．Use technology to fight for his disability. |
5 . Jeff Ohs is a California firefighter. About more than twenty years ago, he rescued a two year-old Xavier Huber from an extremely hot house fire. Today, in an amazing
It seems as if that wasn’t special enough. What makes this even more incredibly
Posting a photo of him as a toddler (学步的儿童)in Jeff’s arms side by side with a present
Jeff
Over the years he has never forgotten what the firefighter did for him. And while he couldn’t
As for Jeff, it’s a day
| A．accident | B．game | C．joke | D．moment |
| A．trusted | B．saved | C．taught | D．refused |
| A．generous | B．obvious | C．disappointing | D．unexpected |
| A．plan | B．image | C．document | D．imagination |
| A．school | B．earth | C．life | D．reality |
| A．changed | B．discovered | C．adopted | D．caught |
| A．water | B．smoke | C．wind | D．air |
| A．rushing | B．driving | C．following | D．inviting |
| A．position | B．answer | C．desire | D．chance |
| A．recovered | B．agreed | C．retired | D．prepared |
| A．call | B．challenge | C．persuade | D．repay |
| A．living up to | B．paying attention to | C．going back to | D．giving way to |
| A．family | B．hospital | C．camp | D．school |
| A．traditionally | B．unluckily | C．completely | D．badly |
| A．research | B．membership | C．friendship | D．education |
6 . Georgianna McKenny’s award-winning podcast (播客) begins with a blaring alarm. It’s an alarm clock, waking her 17-year-old cousin, Mariah. Back in January, living in Jackson meant waking up without access to clean water. No showers, no drinkable water out of the tap, and, for a few days, no school.
Georgianna is the newly-announced high-school winner of NPR’s fifth-annual Student Podcast Challenge. In a year with more than 3,300 entries from middle and high schoolers in 48 states, her winning entry tells the story of the toll that Jackson’s water crisis has taken on the city’s students.
Georgianna struggled, at first, to settle on a subject. Then she mentioned the water crisis, which has troubled Jackson for years, while texting with a friend from another state. “She lives in Georgia,” Georgianna remembers. “I texted her, and she was like, ‘What is that?’ Like, she didn’t know about it. I was really shocked.”
Once she settled on the Jackson water crisis, and specifically, on her cousin Mariah’s experience of it, Georgianna had something just as powerful as experience. She had purpose. “No water comes from the tap.” Georgianna’s podcast is about a few tough days in January, when low water pressure across the city hit families and schools hard.
“Something so simple as using the bathroom has become difficult,” Georgianna says. “They ended up shutting down some of the bathrooms because the toilets could no longer be flushed (冲洗),” says Mariah. The school administrator told Georgianna, the water problems even affected what students were given to eat. If there was enough water，the cafeteria could prepare full, hot meals. If not-sack lunches. Mariah, Georgianna’s cousin, was not a fan. “Imagine getting turkey and ham-and-cheese sandwiches for seven days straight. It felt like we were in prison.
NPR judges loved Georgianna’s entry because she took on a major story in her community, conducted in-depth interviews and made excellent use of sound. Now, in winning NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge, Georgianna Mc Kenny is getting exactly what she wanted: A platform to sound the alarm on behalf of the kids of Jackson.
1. What does the underlined word “toll” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Benefit. | B．Potential. | C．Influence. | D．Change. |
| A．She talked about it with her composition teacher. |
| B．Her cousin Mariah shared the experience with her. |
| C．The school administrator told her about the water problems. |
| D．She got the idea while texting with a friend from another state. |
| A．She likes to eat sack lunches. |
| B．She experienced the water crisis in Jackson. |
| C．She edited the podcast together with Georgianna. |
| D．She was really shocked to know the water crisis in Jackson. |
| A．Students’ Living Problems | B．Water Crisis About Jackson |
| C．The Award-winning Podcast | D．NPR’s Podcast Challenge in Jackson |
1. 表示支持；
2. 介绍利弊。
注意:1. 词数80 左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Jack,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Li Hua
Life is wholly unpredictable. No one can be entirely sure what will happen from one moment to the next. Sandy, a US policewoman, was on the high way in Hanover County, Virginia, traveling to the airport. She was going to take on a fight to Ohio, where she was looking to carry out a special duty.
While Sandy drove her car smoothly, something unexpected happened. The vehicle in front of Sandy, for some unexplained reason, ran out of the roadway at full speed. With the brakes never hit, the car hit a tree badly. Sandy, who witnessed the crash, stopped and approached the vehicle. She wondered whether the driver was OK in such an accident. From the broken window, Sandy saw there were three persons in the vehicle: a mother and her two young children.
“As I approached the car, I could hear a lady screaming, ‘Help! Help! My children are there!’” Sandy recalled. The car was damaged seriously and Sandy found it really hard to open the door of the vehicle. Some smoke began to appear. It seemed that the vehicle might get on fire or, even worse, explode at any moment. After she was finally able to open one of the vehicle’s doors in the back, Sandy noticed the two children totally panicked, shaking all over. And the mother who was stuck in the seat was still screaming, “Help please! Get my babies out of the car.”
Sandy sprang into action. She freed the two children from the vehicle and got them to a safe area, away from the crash scene at once. When she was sure that the two children were not injured so seriously, she let out a deep breath.
Paragraph 1
One of the children asked Sandy, “Are you going to save my mommy?”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
“Don’t panic! Calm down!” Sandy shouted.
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9 . Environmental groups have long criticized the private jets(喷气式飞机) for being a large contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions, and last week, environmentalists made headlines by interrupting a private jet trade show in Switzerland.
Private jets often cover shorter distances than commercial ones. They are generally less efficient(高效的) and their emissions per passenger are much higher. According to data from European non-profit Transport and Environment, private jets can be 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes, and 50 times more polluting than trains. Research made by Greenpeace showed that private jets in Europe alone emitted 3.39 million metric tons of CO2 in 2022, nearly equal to the emissions from 753,000 gas-powered cars in the US driven for a year.
But experts say the private aviation(航空) industry can still play a role in the global fight against climate change, and some in the industry are looking at creative ways to diminish its environmental impact.
As a member of the International Air Transport Association(IATA), along with other major commercial airlines, Dubai-based private aviation company Jetex launched the 2050 Project: the zero carbon emissions.
“Jetex is always thinking about how to cooperate with everyone to deal with climate change,” said Dr. Suzanne, a professor of aviation at the University of Waterloo. “And now it is working on changing all of its locations into fully green ones in the future. Once it succeeds, it will offer a new approach to the environmental protection.”
Through a partnership with oil company Neste, in 2021 Jetex started offering sustainable aviation fuels(SAF), made from renewable waste, to passengers at its Helsinki Airport. That same year at its Paris Le-Bourget Airport, it began offering SAF produced by French company TotalEnergies, made from used cooking oil. A limited supply of SAF means it isn’t available at every airport, but the company says it wants to make SAF a fuel option to its travelers across all its locations worldwide.
1. What do we know about private jets according to the first two paragraphs?| A．They enjoy great popularity. |
| B．They charge passengers more. |
| C．They give off more carbon dioxide. |
| D．They travel farther than commercial planes. |
| A．Expand. | B．Present. | C．Overlook. | D．Reduce. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Carefree. | C．Tolerant. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Private Jets’ Green Path. | B．The Birth of SAF. |
| C．The Future of Commercial Planes. | D．Jetex’s Cooperation with Others. |
10 . The dog Pooch Chi Chi managed to open the door and let a fire crew in after his owner collapsed on the kitchen floor.
Responders were searching for another entrance when they heard a “click” as the dog managed to unlock the door to let them in. They found the man, named only as Mr Green, collapsed on the floor in the kitchen as the fire took hold on the hob. Firefighters then swiftly put out the fire and carried out first aid until paramedics (急救医士) arrived.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said “a potential disaster” was avoided with help from the dog. They said they were called to the scene after a smoke detector was activated and a Careline alarm was sounded.
Mr Green initially answered the call but operator at Careline lost communication. Within six minutes, the crew was on scene and investigating. They could hear the alarm but were unable to establish contact with the man inside. With curtains drawn, the crew could not see inside but could hear a dog barking. They tried the front door, but it wouldn’t open. As the crew looked for another entrance, they heard a “click” and the front door opened. The crew went inside to find a man collapsed on the floor in the kitchen when a fire was beginning to take hold on the cooker. They contacted the ambulance service, put out the fire and allowed fresh air in. Firefighters then carried out first aid and established the man until paramedics arrived. It wasn’t until later in the incident that they discovered that Chi Chi had managed to open the front door and let the crew inside.
Ian Bolton, Crew Manager for Home and Partnerships at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service added: “Having monitored diction in people’s homes means the fire service are only minutes away from providing lifesaving assistance. This is a real success story and highlights the importance of Careline and the fire service. Careline’s system, combined with the speed of our crews getting to the incident, saved Mr Green’s life. The cherry on the cake, however, was Chi Chi letting the crews in before they had to force entry to the property.”
1. How did the firefighters get into the kitchen?| A．They broke the door. | B．They unlocked the door. |
| C．The dog opened the door. | D．They found another entrance. |
| A．The operator lost his senses. | B．The system broke down accidentally. |
| C．The man fell down and couldn’t move. | D．The crew couldn’t see inside. |
| A．The dog unlocking the door. |
| B．The use of the smoke detector. |
| C．The swift reaction of Mr. Green. |
| D．The joint work of Careline and the fire service. |
| A．Discouraging. | B．Competent. |
| C．Considerate. | D．Energetic. |
