2 . Recent research confirms what our farming ancestors have known for centuries about hedges (树篱). They conserve precious soil by acting as windbreaks and absorbing rainwater that would otherwise wash it from the fields. And hedges store carbon, putting them in the front line of our bi d to tackle the climate crisis.

However, hedges have had a tough time in the poor countryside, with farmers encouraged to tear them down in pursuit of maximum production and larger field s to accommodate ever-larger machinery. What’s more, some hedges have been ignored. If left to their own devices, they’ll eventually become a line of trees. Some hedges each year lose their structures and fail to fulfil the primary duty as a barrier. Around a half of the nation’s hedges have disappeared in the past century.

There are signs that “the tide is turning”. The search for net zero has aroused many organizations’ interest in the humble hedge’s role as a carbon sink. The Climate Change Committee is recommending a 40 percent increase in hedges: an additional 200,000 km. Such recommendations are starting to drive policy. Cash-pressed farmers will be encouraged to create new hedges and improve their management of existing ones under the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, which will replace many of the existing agricultural support payments in coming years. Meanwhile, initiatives such as Close the Gap, led by the Tree Council, is providing funding and support to plug the gaps in existing hedges with new planting. There’s even an app to help time-pressed farmers do a quick survey to spot where their hedges need some help.

This is a good time for hedges. Take some of the most pressing challenges facing the countryside, and indeed, the world as a whole — the climate crisis, soil erosion (侵蚀), insect attack and wider biodiversity loss — and hedges are part of the solution.

1. What does recent research show about hedges?

A．They are unique landscapes in the rain.

B．They act as dividing lines between fields.

C．They have long been helpful to agriculture.

D．They are frequently washed away from the fields.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about hedges?

A．Their suffering.	B．Their production.
C．Their duties.	D．Their structures.

3. What is many organizations’ attitude towards saving hedges?

A．Puzzled.

B．Concerned.

C．Humble.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Hedges: Ancient Resources

B．Hedges: Official Recommendations

C．Restoring Hedges: Bringing Benefits to the Environment

D．Researching Hedges: Originating from Farmers’ Request

3 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Today was Sunday, so I was in no hurry to get out of bed. As I rolled over and stretched, I heard my father shouted, “Oh, dear, fire!” There was unmistakable urgency in his voice. Upon hearing that, I got up and hurried downstairs. And my mother who was preparing breakfast also stopped cooking immediately. My father showed us a video shot by some witness, where we saw a fire inside a building. My mother stood beside him and shook her head.

“What a pity! Is it local?” my mother asked. As a policeman, my father had a keen observation ability. “It’s your hospital!” he watched the screen carefully and said in surprise.

It turned out that a building of the hospital where my mother worked as a head nurse was on fire. We found out later that an old wire first caused the building to catch fire and it began to spread. The camera captured the firefighters’ figures in black and orange uniform as they aimed endless streams of water at the fire.

“I have to get there,” said my mother, feeling anxious. My father and I offered to go with her. She threw on uniform and drove to the site.

Luckily, the fire didn’t spread to the building where my mother worked. After making sure that it was safe, we came to my mother’s office. My mother’s co-workers came to the office off and on as well. They were horrified at the sight of the next building but still thought about how to help.

Through a front window, I suddenly saw the rows of medical records in the next building, and I hurried to tell my mother. She felt really nervous and instantly consulted with her co-workers about how to cope. The situation was very urgent. They knew that if they waited until the firefighters who were busy evacuating (疏散) patients got here, those recordings might burn up. The fire broke out before the records, which were irreplaceable histories of their patients, could be entered into the computer.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

They decided to rescue the records, and my father and I offered to help.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, some firefighters arrived.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 语法填空

Recent videos claiming that a school in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, serves pre-made meals to its students     1     (spark) heated discussions across the country. People doubt if pre-made meals, despite being convenient, are healthy and nutritious enough for growing teenagers.

Pre-made meals refer to half-finished or finished dishes that are already cooked or prepared, according to the China Cuisine     2     (associate). There are several types of pre-made foods, including ready-to-eat food, such as a canned food or cooked food in package and ready-to-heat or ready-to-cook food,     3     requires heating or cooking before being served.

Many people tend     4     (think) that ready-to-heat and ready-to-cook foods are less nutritious because they usually need to be kept in     5     (freeze).

“Actually freezing does not cause a loss of nutrients,” Liu Junya,     6     33-year-old dietitian in Beijing, told Teens. “Nutrient loss     7     (typical) occurs during the heating or frying process. Pre-made foods can be less nutritious than freshly prepared and cooked foods,” Liu said.

Meanwhile, “many pre-made food companies prioritize taste over nutrition,” said Liu. This leads to     8     (high) levels of salt and sugar in the food, which may lead to health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes (糖尿病)     9     the long term.

It is hoped that regulations on pre-made meals can     10     (strengthen) to better ensure nutrition and hygiene (卫生).

5 . A recent survey found children would rather be online influencers (网红) than astronauts. It made headlines and led to plenty of complaints about “kids these days”. Is influencing a promising career path? The lifestyles we see advertised on social media are enticing, but under the shining appearance lie uncertain income, pay inequality, disability and mental health issues.

Successful influencers will be the first to claim that anyone can make it in the industry. However, social media economy experts uncovered a huge income gap between successful influencers and everyone else. For most people trying to become an influencer, their passion projects of content creation often become free work for brands.

Most influencers are self-employed, often experiencing inconsistent income and a lack of protection that comes with long-term employment. The risks of self-employment are increased in the influencer industry by an absence of industry standards and little pay transparency. Influencers are often forced to assess their own value and determine fees for their work. As a result, content creators often undervalue their own creative labour, and many end up working for free.

Influencers are also often at the mercy of algorithms (运算法则) — the behind-the-scenes computer programs that determine which posts are shown, in which order, to users. Platforms share little detail about their algorithms, yet they finally determine who and what gains visibility and influence on social media, the threat of invisibility is a constant source of insecurity for influencers, who are under constant pressure to feed platforms with content. If they don’t, they may be “punished” by the algorithm-having posts hidden or displayed lower down on search results.

Constant online presence leads to one of the most common issues in the influencer industry: mental health concerns. Influencers can connect to their platform workspaces and audience at any time of day or night, which can lead to them overworking. Coupled with the fear of online criticism, it contributes to mental and physical health issues.

Although becoming an influencer may look appealing to more and more people, the industry’s dark underside needs to be made visible and improved through enhanced employment regulation and industry-led cultural change.

1. Which of the following words cans replace “enticing” in paragraph 1

A．Imaginative.

B．Similar.

C．Attractive.

D．Traditional

2. What’s NOT the reason for influencers’ undervaluing their creative work?

A．Invisibility of payment.	B．Assessment of own work.
C．Lack of industry standards.	D．Passion for content creation.

3. What may cause the influencers’ stress according to paragraph 4?

A．Being unequally punished by platforms.

B．Having little knowledge of platform algorithms.

C．Finding it difficult to create new content constantly.

D．Having to work out the order of posts to be displayed.

4. Why does the author write this text?

A．To describe the life of self-employed content creators.

B．To stress the importance of visibility in the online world.

C．To reveal relationships between platforms and influencers.

D．To show the dark side of working as an online content creator.

6 . Expecting the worst to avoid feeling bad later is known as “bracing”. It may help them prepare for emotionally challenging situations, particularly in the moments before these situations occur. People brace for the worst while waiting for potentially negative outcomes. Someone might also brace for the worst in anticipation of stressful events like giving a presentation at work.

Some psychological theories suggest that bracing should help. For example, “decision affect theory” proposes that how we feel about a situation is determined partly by comparing what actually happened with what could have happened. Based on this, people should be happy when an event goes beyond their expectations, and disappointed when an event falls behind. Therefore, by anticipating the worst, one can safeguard themselves against future disappointment, as any result is likely to surpass their expectations.

But other psychological theories undermine the idea that bracing will be helpful. It has been theorized and scientifically established – that expectations can powerfully influence reality. There are two key ways that expectations can shape reality.

First, people may behave in ways that fit with their expectations. If you expect to fail an upcoming test or interview, then you might not invest efforts in preparation, which in turn reduces your chances of doing well. Second, people may interpret a situation in line with their expectations. Imagine you believe you are insufficiently qualified for a job you’ve applied for. During the job interview, you’re likely to interpret blank expressions from the interviewer in line with this belief, which could negatively affect your performance. In fact, the interviewer did not want to give anything away.

Drawing together the scientific studies, it seems that expecting the worst is anything but a wise way to prepare for upcoming news or results. It might be better to hold positive expectations than to brace for the worst.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The logic of preparing for the worst.

B．The theory of comparing past and future.

C．The conflict between people’s expectation and reality.

D．The emotions hidden behind anticipating the worst.

2. What does the underlined word “undermine” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Strengthen.

B．Determine.

C．Oppose.

D．Justify.

3. How can negative expectations probably affect people’s performance in reality?

A．By resulting in unnecessary time waste.

B．By promoting people’s ambition and motivation.

C．By giving weight to people’s potential of excellence.

D．By causing less preparation and some misinterpretations.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward bracing for the worst?

A．Unclear.

B．Objective.

C．Negative.

D．Approving.