1 . As a worrying number of youngsters take up vaping (电子烟), the Government has announced a crackdown on laws to stop kids from becoming addicted to the dangerous habit.

Disposable (一次性的) vapes are now set to be banned in the UK as part of the Prime Minister’s new legislation (立法) to “stop youth vaping in its tracks”. Recent research shows that one in five teens has now tried vaping, despite it being illegal for under-18s, and half of those who vape between 18 and 24 do so despite having no history of smoking.

Last year, figures showed the number of adults using e-cigarettes in the UK had risen to the highest rate on record at roughly 4.3 million Brits. According to the charity Action on Smoking and Health, almost 1,000 serious adverse reactions to vapes were logged, including five deaths linked to e-cigarettes in the last decade.

And it’s not just over-the-count er vapes at the center of the country’s vaping crisis — fake e-cigarettes with deadly chemicals have sparked concerns. An investigation by the Mirror in 2023revealed one man’s fears for his life after he suffered a collapsed lung as a result of a fake, unlicensed pack of vapes purchased from a corner shop in County Durham.

Alex Gittins,31, thought he bagged himself a bargain but ended up in hospital just hours later. He said: “I noticed an awful chemical taste in the back of my throat, then five to 10minutes later I felt what was like a stitch. I’m lying in A&E thinking I was going to die.”

A regular vaper was told he had just a one percent chance of survival after being left in need of a double lung transplant. Jackson Allard, 22, underwent the life-saving operation on January 1, putting an end to a series of serious health issues.

Medical expert Stephanie Hansen has voice d concerns about the unknown long-term effects of e-cigarettes. She said: “Vaping or e-cigarette use is relatively new, so we don’t necessarily know a lot of the long-term effects of vaping and that’s honestly one of the scariest things about it.”

1. What has the recent research found?

A．20 percent of UK teenagers have once vaped.	B．It’s against the law for teens to buy vapes.
C．Vaping is commoner than smoking in the UK.	D．5 people died because of vaping last year.

2. Why are two examples given in Paragraphs 5 and 6?

A．To suggest it’s easy to be addicted to vaping.	B．To state vaping ruins people’s health seriously.
C．To indicate it’s illegal to buy fake e-cigarettes.	D．To show the number of people vaping is on the rise.

3. Which of the following might Stephanie Hansen agree with?

A．It remains to be seen in what way vaping affects people.

B．It will be long before people know the bad effects of vaping.

C．It matters to inform people of the potential danger of vaping.

D．It is difficult to prohibit adults from buying e-cigarettes.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Research into the habits of smokers in Britain.	B．Causes of teens’ addiction to vaping in Britain.
C．British health issues drawing public attention.	D．British government prohibiting disposable vapes.

2 . It has become easy for students to find and copy published material. But copying another person’s writing without giving them credit can get students and other scholars into big trouble.     1    

American copyright law protects original works of authorship including books, movies, music, images and artworks.     2     The owner can sell a copyright or permit others to use it because it is property and property ownership is protected by law in the U. S.

The idea is that copyright helps society. If people can gain from their own creations, which are called their intellectual property (知识产权), then more people will want to create original works. The law, however, permits the unlicensed use of copyrighted works under what is called fair use. Fair use can include criticism, comment, news reporting, education and research.     3     In education, students can include small parts of copyrighted work in their writing and research. But they must provide credit to the original creators through a citation which gives details about the source.

Just as it is easy to copy, it is also easy for professors to know if a student has plagiarized. First, there are computer programs and artificial intelligence, tools that compare students’ papers to large databases of published writing.     4     Second, if English is not a student’s first language, a professor might recognize a change in wording and writing style. This could bring more attention to the student’s paper.

    5     Professors could simply warn a student not to do it again, lower their grade, or they might fail the student in that class. In more extreme cases, a student may be temporarily banned or expelled from school.

A．This behavior is called plagiarism.

B．However, there are some limitations.

C．Plagiarism is punished in different ways.

D．Students must follow university policies on academic behavior.

E．They can identify whether students have copied published writing.

F．For example, it can automatically create citation s and combine them into a list.

G．The protection extends to computer software and the design of buildings and structures.

3 . Generally, most people feel delighted when birthday comes, especially children. They count the days and can’t wait to send ________ to their friends, in hope of getting together and enjoying a birthday cake. ________, not everyone is excited about birthday. There are many people out there who never ________ to celebrate it. They find the day as ________ as any other day. Nothing in their routine changes in the name of ________.

This may be common in those who are in their 50’s or older. For some people in this age, life becomes a ________ that is going on and on and at a ________ pace. They feel like losing control of their time and every passing year ________ the fear of dying soon. This is not good as it stimulates negativity. But some people do so and they can’t ________ it. Their birthday is nothing more than ________ news for them.

Some people do not like to come to the notice of others due to any possible reason on this earth. They just don’t want to be the ________of others. You may feel surprised about this nature but they like to remain as part of the crowd. Birthdays are ________ to this feeling as they bring sudden ________ to people.

There is also another part of the population that thinks it is a ________ of money. Their logic is, why lose the hard-earned ________ for the pleasure of three to four hours?

1.

A．blessings

B．greetings

C．invitation

D．gratitude

2.

A．Anyway

B．Besides

C．Therefore

D．Nevertheless

3.

A．long

B．refuse

C．remember

D．manage

4.

A．normal

B．active

C．exciting

D．busy

5.

A．leisure

B．celebration

C．sympathy

D．admiration

6.

A．reality

B．dream

C．story

D．journey

7.

A．consistent

B．slower

C．faster

D．steadier

8.

A．cuts up

B．builds up

C．takes up

D．breaks up

9.

A．help

B．get

C．make

D．put

10.

A．wonderful

B．awful

C．unexpected

D．rare

11.

A．pride

B．example

C．focus

D．burden

12.

A．familiar

B．fundamental

C．similar

D．contrary

13.

A．shelter

B．attention

C．sign

D．appearance

14.

A．budget

B．collection

C．waste

D．lack

15.

A．reputation

B．rest

C．time

D．salary

4 . People don’t usually become homeless suddenly. It’s a chutes-and-ladders (阶梯状) process. A large new statewide study takes a closer look at the period just before homelessness, by asking a representative sample of almost 3,200 homeless people from all over the state about the dilemma they fell into, and what would have helped.

Some of the findings were unsurprising: in the state with the nation’s largest homeless population, people are unhoused because they don’t have enough money, or have experienced trauma (创伤). A quarter of all survey participants had experienced family violence, and their lives and health get much worse once homelessness strikes. But some of the report’s data run counter to popular perception: for example, most homeless people are not from out of state, contrary to the common belief that homeless people move to California for the weather and policies.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Margot Kushel, says there’s a “doom loop” of homelessness, where people have jobs that don’t cover living expenses, so they lose their homes, and the resulting instability makes it harder to keep their jobs.

Kushel points to really exciting models of homelessness prevention, where in low-income communities, they’ll have subway and bus posters saying, “Are you at risk of becoming homeless? Call us.” These programs might offer anything from cash to finding landlords or roommates. “What was really striking to us was how little money people thought it would have taken,” says Kushel. Most participants suggested that less than $500 a month, or a onetime payment of $10,000, would have kept them housed. Kushel cautions that the vast majority of mental health issues among the study participants are anxiety and depression. It’s likely that the lack of resources results in those conditions, rather than the illness causing the homelessness. “The driving issue is clearly the deep poverty,” Kushel says.

1. What does the study focus on?

A．The homeless’ nationalities.	B．The current situation of the homeless.
C．Homeless people’s previous experiences.	D．The solution to wiping out homelessness.

2. Which of the followings surprised the researchers?

A．Deep poverty gives rise to homelessness.

B．Most participants have experienced domestic violence.

C．The majority of homeless people are native Californian.

D．Homeless people move to California for the weather and policies.

3. What does the underlined phrase “doom loop” probably mean in paragraph 3?

A．A terrible circle.	B．A different situation.
C．An improved condition.	D．An unpredictable future.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Anxiety and depression caused homelessness.	B．People expected a very low charge of housing.
C．Homeless prevention exists in all communities.	D．The program offers accommodation free of charge.

5 . 在西方许多国家，高中毕业后上大学之前有一年空出来让学生进行社会实践，这一年叫做休假学年(gap year)。请写一篇短文谈谈休假学年的好处和弊端。要点如下：
1.休假学年的好处；
2.休假学年的弊端；
3.假如你有休假学年，你打算做什么?
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How many people were there on the train?

A．17.

B．18.

C．20.

2. Why did the bus lose control?

A．It had a fault.

B．It caught fire inside.

C．The road was wet.

3. What was the result of the car accident?

A．The car’s fuel tank exploded.

B．The car crashed into water.

C．Franc broke his arm.

7 . 听下面一段对话，回答以下小题。
1. What happened to the speakers?

A．They got lost in Stanton.

B．Their car broke down.

C．They got stuck in traffic.

2. What do we know about the man’s phone?

A．He forgot to charge the battery.

B．It is out of service.

C．It has no signal now.

8 . “Her Education, Our Future” is a documentary film produced by CGTN in partnership with UNESCO. It tells the story of four girls on three continents. All the girls have been involved in UNESCO programmes aimed at widening their access to education, enhancing their skills for life and work, and expanding their educational and career opportunities.

Anee is from Gilgit-Baltistan, a remote area in the north of Pakistan. She dropped out of school as her parents couldn’t afford her education — only that of her brothers. Her father also didn’t believe that girls should be educated but rather stay home and help their mothers. Anee was reached out to through UNESCO’s Girls’Right to Education programme, originally funded by the Government of Pakistan with additional support from Italy, Korea, Norway and the Qatar Foundation, which is UNESCO’s largest programme on girls’ education, and has covered 19 of Pakistan’s most isolated districts. UNESCO assisted Anee’s family to overcome the financial barriers to her education. Her parents have re-enrolled her in school, and are supporting her to continue her education.

Mkasi is from Pemba, a Tanzanian island. Mkasi is the sixth of eleven children. She left school in 2014, as she didn’t score well enough on her exams to continue to high school. Mkasi was connected by a District Social Welfare Officer to a UNESCO program, funded by Korea. She enrolled into a community-based entrepreneurship (企业家职能) and alternative (可供选择的) education programme supported by UNESCO that enabled her to gain new vocational (职业的) skills. She now works as a seamstress (裁缝), and makes handicrafts and soap which she sells at the market. Economically independent now, She wants to become a designer and to open a clothing store — the first in her area — and sell her soap locally and abroad.

Fabiana and Taina are from Brazil. They both have a keen interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education but have faced different barriers to pursuing (追求) studies in these fields. Fabiana must rise at four every morning to go to school on a road which is bothered with robberies targeting students and passengers. Taina has faced racism and discrimination, and went through a rebellious phase (叛逆阶段) in her teenage years which took her away from her studies and down a harmful path before finding her way back. Both have been engaged in UNESCO’s EDUCASTEM2030 programme, which aims to close gender gaps in STEM education. Through this initiative (倡议), Fabiana and Taina have expanded their skills and gained confidence in their abilities. Fabiana has a full scholarship to study production engineering in the Fall — the same studies that Taina is currently pursuing. Tania is also a student leader now, sharing her own story and building more pathways for girls in STEM in Brazil.

1. What is the purpose of UNESCO’s EDUCASTEM2030 programme?

A．build more pathways for girls in STEM in Brazil

B．enlarge gender gaps in STEM education

C．fight against racism in STEM education

D．widen girls’ access to STEM education

2. The underlined word “re-enrolled” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced with ________.

A．reminded

B．re-registered

C．recalled

D．reopened

3. The following statements are true EXCEPT ________.

A．Anee dropped out of school for financial reasons

B．Mkasi enhanced her skills for work with the help of UNESCO

C．Fabiana and Taina faced similar barriers to pursuing studies in STEM fields

D．Tania is making efforts to help girls in STEM in her motherland.

4. What is the best title of this passage?

A．The future of girls’ education	B．The transformative power of education
C．The shooting of a documentary film	D．The course of UNESCO programmes

9 . In a fast developing world, many old-fashioned skills seem to be disappearing. It’s hard to find people who know such skills as sewing, but a few decades ago, it was common for every person to learn them.

Now many would think sewing isn’t as useful today. The garment (服装) industry is producing clothing that is cheaper, faster and more fashionable than ever, making it possible to buy a suit for less than $10 at home.

However, that doesn’t mean clothing isn’t indestructible (破坏不了的). Garments with simple tears that could be fixed in seconds with a needle are just thrown away. This causes more than 26 billion pounds of garbage and millions of dollars wasted because of a tear. Even dirty or worn clothing that still has plenty of usable cloth is being thrown away.

The ability to create hand-made clothes doesn’t only reduce waste. It is also tailor-made just for you. Most buy clothes made for a general body type, and to get it tailored by a professional is expensive. So why not do it yourself?

Perhaps the greatest problem of sewing is simply the time involved. Buying a skirt online takes a few seconds. Making a skirt can take weeks. But learning to sew doesn’t always involve complicated projects. Instead they might just be simple adjustments to help the garments fit or match your style.

Schools could easily teach sewing. Yet, they focus more on college preparations, ignoring traditional skills. Actually sewing is a valuable skill to be used in daily life. It wouldn’t take much time to teach children how to sew.

So, instead of letting old things die in this new age of the Internet, how about learning some of the lost skills that helped us for so long?

1. Why do some people think the sewing skill is less useful?

A．Because cloth is too expensive.

B．Because sewing is a bit boring to learn.

C．Because hand-made things are easily broken.

D．Because clothes are cheaper and convenient to buy.

2. Which benefit of sewing is talked about in Paragraph 3?

A．It contributes to creativity.	B．It’s environmentally-friendly.
C．It pushes the garment industry.	D．It gives costumers a typical look.

3. How do schools treat traditional skills?

A．They make the skills easy to learn.	B．They set the skills as basic subjects.
C．They make every effort to teach the skills.	D．They fail to give the skills enough attention.

4. What’s the author’s attitude to the old-fashioned skills?

A．Supportive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Uncaring.

D．Opposing.

10 . 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。

The tourism phenomenon     1    (cause) by Harbin, in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, shows no sign of fading. Recently, the ice city     2    (lead) to fierce competition among tourism authorities in several cities. More     3    (interesting) , the video of the leaders of local tourism dancing with performers has entertained millions of netizens (网民) .

Diligent     4    (effort) that were made by Harbin     5    (attract) tourists to the city were heads of local tourist joined by netizens across the country, who discussed about the exceptional skills possessed by their own office, all to achieve similar success in their own cities.

Starting from January 9th     6     January 12th, the official account of the Department of Tourism of Henan Province has seen     7     increase in the number of videos being posted, with more than 30 clips released per day. So the tourism authorities in Shanxi and Shandong provinces find     8     a must to promote their tourism resources on social media. Winter, the     9    (tradition) tourism off-season, draws new tourism fever,     10     shows the fast tourism development in China.