1 . Gossip is the sharing of personal information about someone else who is not present. All of us have probably caught ourselves, from time to time, allowing ourselves to enjoy the pleasure of gossiping more than we would like to admit. Someone says the words, “Don’t tell this to anyone.”     1     We all know that we shouldn’t talk behind someone’s back, but gossip is so common.

Gossip has some characteristics (特点). First, gossip is an activity that is done with other people.     2     Second, the information shared is always about someone who is not present in the conversation, or about someone whom we believe to be absent. Third, when we gossip, we not only share facts, but also make some judgments about the person.

Researchers studied volunteers, including women and men, to find out some facts about gossip. They found that most gossip was neutral (不偏袒的).     3     Most of this gossip was about people they knew of. Negative gossip was twice as common as positive gossip. Over three-fourths of the gossip was simply discussing someone else.

    4     Outgoing people gossip more than quiet people. People who are wealthier and well-educated gossip more than people who have less money and education.     5     On average, people spent about 52 minutes a day gossiping. The study showed that gossip is everywhere.

A．We can’t do it alone or only in our head.

B．Women gossip more than men, but only neutrally.

C．So people express their angry feelings by gossiping.

D．What’s more interesting is who gossips and how much.

E．And the information was interesting for the present people.

F．But moments later, we may tell it to someone else with the exact same warning.

G．It means people were simply sharing information about a person who wasn’t present.

2 . Which of Mary’s arms was hurt?

A．The left one.

B．The right one.

C．Both.

3 . You might have heard of the expression “a guilty pleasure”—maybe it’s the chocolate bar you buy on the way home from work, or the new clothes that you don’t really need.     1     . Perhaps we don’t feel we deserved it, or we don’t think it was a responsible way to spend our money. But should we feel like this? Do we really have to feel guilty about treating ourselves?

Perhaps not. Psychologists have suggested that buying things for yourself can make you feel better as it provides an opportunity to take control of your situation.    2     . It may be that as well as lifting your mood, when you buy a treat, you might just be looking after yourself.

Of course, there are also examples of people turning to destructive behaviour when faced with stressful circumstances. People might spend money that they don’t have or turn to dangerous addictions. Psychologist Leon Seltzer considers the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurturing.    3     , while self-nurturing is taking responsible decisions to satisfy our needs and take care of ourselves in ways that don’t have a significant impact.

    4    . So, many universities publish guides with advice for coping with exam stress. Reflecting the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurture, they recommend rewarding yourself for your efforts, doing things that you enjoy and are good at so that you can feel accomplishment.    5     . Thus, perhaps, as long as we make responsible decisions, we shouldn’t feel guilty about our guilty pleasures.

A．Exams are vital for students.

B．Self-indulgence can have negative consequences

C．The difference becomes evident when students manage exam pressure

D．They also recommend embracing activities that could dampen your spirits

E．Besides, you should avoid things that may make you feel worse afterwards

F．It comes from the idea that when we treat ourselves, it can sometimes leave us feeling guilty

G．It can give you social contact as well as a confidence boost from changes you make to your self-image

4 . Initial conversations can have a huge impact on how relationships develop over time. People are often stuck in the impressions they think they might have made the minute they finish speaking with someone for the first time: “Did they like me or were they just being polite?” “Were they deep in thought or deeply bored?”

To find out whether these worries are necessary, we have conducted nearly 10 years of research. In our studies, participants in the UK talked with someone they had never met before. Afterward, they were asked how much they liked their conversation partner and how much they believed that their conversation partner liked them. This allowed us to compare how much people believed they were liked to how much they were actually liked.

Time and time again, we found that people left their conversations with negative feelings about the impression they made. That is, people systematically underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company — a false belief we call the “liking gap”.

This bias (偏见) may seem like something that would occur only in initial interactions, but its effects extend far beyond a first impression. Surprisingly, the liking gap can constantly affect a variety of relationships, including interactions with coworkers, long after the initial conversations have taken place. Having a larger liking gap is associated with being less willing to ask workmates for help, less willing to provide workmates with open and honest feedback, and less willing to work on another project together.

There are numerous strategies to minimize your biased feelings. One place to start is shifting your focus of attention. Try to direct your attention to your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.

1. Why did the author carry out 10 years of research?

A．To dismiss national concerns.	B．To check out a potential bias.
C．To enhance human communication.	D．To develop harmonious relationships.

2. What is one effect of people’s liking gap?

A．Fewer chances of new projects.	B．Underestimation of their ability.
C．Bad relationships with people around.	D．Low willingness to interact with others.

3. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．Restate opinions.

B．Deliver warnings.

C．Give suggestions.

D．Make a summary.

4. Which might be the best title for the text?

A．Liking Gap May Influence Work Performances

B．First Impressions Rely On Initial Conversations

C．People Probably Like You More Than You Think

D．How People Like You Matters Less Than You Assume

5 . It’s no secret that reading good news feels a lot better than reading bad news. Like, would you rather bite into a lemon, or sip on a fresh glass of lemonade?

    1    The world is full of problems and conflicts and we need to stay informed and alert (警觉的) to what’s going on around us. While reading traditional, more negative news is important, consuming good news is also part of staying informed.     2    And it also brings meaningful benefits, like reduced stress and anxiety, higher rates of engagement, community building skills, and inspiration for creating a better world. Plus, knowing what to look for in the good news landscape is a key part of improving our media literacy skills and being thoughtful news consumers.

In fact, good news, known as solutions journalism, is becoming more popular, as publishers and news stations discover the benefits of sharing positive stories. Good Good Good is one of them.     3     A team of reporters and editors there work daily to deliver stories that make readers feel hopeful and equipped to do more good with possible solutions.

“If it bleeds, it leads.” has long been a saying used in the media to describe how news stories about violence, death and destruction draw readers’ attention.       4     The thing is, however, there’s also good stuff out there—the delightful and kind parts of humanity. “Beautiful stories are happening worldwide.    5    When you do find them, the world can suddenly feel like a very different place. Good news is a vital part of how we learn about the world and solving the world’s problems.” Hervey, one of Good Good Good’s editors said.

A．Share good news with people around you.

B．It’s just that we don’t hear as much about them.

C．But the “bad news” has its place in the world.

D．It provides a more balanced view of the world.

E．And so, negative news stories are everywhere on news media.

F．Heartwarming stories make you cry and feel good.

G．The news media company is devoted to providing good news intentionally.

6 . For those of us who grew up watching Star Trek, exploring space has been about discovering strange new worlds. And there are plenty of worlds to explore in time, but we still need major technological advancements to reach planets that are light years away.

What we are doing in space today is providing unbelievable benefits right now, right here on Earth. From space, we can monitor, manage and care for our planet. Satellite-based sensors show us the short- and long-term effects of human activity on our environment. Many companies are using their interest in space to help solve problems here, from using hyperspectral imaging(高光谱成像), which enable us to map vegetation(植被) and rain forests, to microsatellites that provide global connectivity for the network of things.

My company, OneWeb, is focusing on what I believe is one of the world’s most important issues: the need for equal access to the Internet. The Internet has become our economic lifeblood. And yet, nearly half of the world’s population doesn’t have Internet access. Space is playing a key role in bridging this digital divide. OneWeb is launching 1,980 satellites to help bring Internet access to people everywhere, and our first production satellites are already flying in space and have shown very high download speeds.

Fiber and cable Internet access technologies already cover most financially viable(可行的) major cities. Similarly, these regions will also be the first to be served with 5G. Poor communities are the last to get connected, and without connectivity, those communities have no chance to lift themselves from poverty. OneWeb’s satellites will reach every community in the world and enable equal access to the Internet for the world’s less developed places.

Fifty years from the day when man first walked on the moon, we are still only approaching the possible. There will be tens of thousands of new satellites, space stations and factories in the coming years to bring advancements in communications, scientific research, monitoring the earth, exploring space and more. This is exciting, but we must take action carefully.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．Benefits space exploration can bring to us.

B．Problems space exploration leads to.

C．Steps of space exploration requires.

D．Equipment space exploration needs.

2. What is OneWeb aiming to do?

A．Increase download speeds.

B．Narrow the gap in Internet learning.

C．Help people set up and maintain a website.

D．Enable people to make use of the Internet equally.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．More than six decades ago, man first walked on the moon.

B．More than half of the world’s people have no access to the Internet.

C．OneWeb’s satellites will make it possible for most people to be served with 5G.

D．Without the Internet, poor communities can hardly help themselves out of poverty.

4. What will the writer probably continue to write about in the following paragraph?

A．The risks of furthering space exploration.

B．The value of setting up space stations.

C．The way we could monitor our earth.

D．The features of microsatellites.

7 . 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。

It was a hot day. The sun scorched (炙烤) down and everywhere you looked, you could see the heat waves blowing above the sand. John rolled over, realizing that half of his body was well and truly burnt. He had not meant to sleep in the sun but the heat and late nights studying for his examinations made him miserable. Stretching, he got to his feet, picked up his surfboard and looked around. The beach, which had earlier been crowded in the sun, was now comparatively empty. Seagulls flew down to clean up the food of people’s picnic lunches.

The ice-cream van had gone, and so were the lifeguards who were doing first aid on the beach. John looked up to where the sun was and estimated it was about five o’clock. Time to head home. It was “Mum’s Kitchen Rule” that had him moving homewards. If he did not get home in time for dinner, he would go hungry. Wandering along the water’s edge, he happened to glance out to sea. What made him look up at that particular moment, he never knew, but it was the right time for the swimmer he spotted. His hand was up, signaling distress (险情) and he was calling out something.

Quickly John glanced around the beach — no one else was close enough to help the man, and crucially, no one had noticed. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he shouted “Help” to get the attention of other people on the beach. Someone waved back to him and John pointed to the swimmer. “Get help,” he shouted. Then without hesitation, he jumped into the sea with his surfboard. John was a strong swimmer and had a good skill for distance swimming. His coach had tried hard to persuade him to go into competitions but he was not interested.

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

Now he was swimming for more than enjoyment or medals.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fortunately, the sea was not rough and there was no wave.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . On June 14, 2022, Mia Samolinski was driving a Subaru Outback in the parking lot when she stepped on the gas pedal (油门) instead of the brake (刹车) and drove into the water. It _______ just after 10 pm at Patchogue Bay A brave boy, Anthony Zhongor, _______ the incident and dove into the water after making an emergency call.

Samolinski was at risk of _______. The 18-year-old high schooler was desperately banging (猛敲) on the door and window with all the _______ trying to break the window.

“_______ that got me nervous, scared for her,” said Zhongor, “so I just dove into the water.” He swam to the car, but with no time to spare, he had to _______ how to get Samolinski out of the vehicle. They both tried to unlock the door, but with no _______, they had to find another way. That was when Zhongor realized he could use his own _______. His body successfully made the _______ of the car go deeper into the water, which helped ________ the back end. Samolinski opened the back door and managed to ________. They swam to shore together. Samolinski was so ________ that she couldn’t help crying, but luckily, they both weren’t injured.

“It doesn’t matter who it was, they were in an ________ situation,” said the 17-year-old hero. “I couldn’t watch anybody ________ in front of me.”

________, it turned out they both attended Patchogue-Medford High School, but they had no idea they were schoolmates.

1.

A．happened

B．appeared

C．changed

D．turned

2.

A．reported

B．prevented

C．witnessed

D．recalled

3.

A．starving

B．dying

C．escaping

D．bleeding

4.

A．confusion

B．passion

C．quality

D．strength

5.

A．At last

B．As usual

C．Of course

D．For example

6.

A．worry about

B．talk about

C．speak out

D．figure out

7.

A．aim

B．luck

C．proof

D．secret

8.

A．weight

B．enthusiasm

C．imagination

D．height

9.

A．bottom

B．window

C．nose

D．wheel

10.

A．reach

B．balance

C．protect

D．lift

11.

A．stand

B．escape

C．hide

D．participate

12.

A．frightened

B．excited

C．ashamed

D．disappointed

13.

A．unavoidable

B．similar

C．alarming

D．embarrassing

14.

A．suffer

B．cheat

C．relax

D．complain

15.

A．Confusingly

B．Obviously

C．Responsibly

D．Interestingly

9 . Rescue teams desperately sought survivors on August 6th after two boats carrying migrants sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa.

In the immediate aftermath of the boats’ loss on August 5th, Italy’s coastguard said it had rescued 57 people and recovered two dead bodies— those of a woman from Ivory Coast and her 1-year-old child. Local media reported on Sunday that at least 30 people remained missing and were feared dead.

Italy’s Ansa news agency said survivors described how the two boats carrying people trying to illegally enter the European Union had set off from the Tunisian port of Sfax on Saturday. One boat was thought to have had 48 people on board and the other 42. Most were reportedly from sub-Saharan Africa.

Reuters said the coastguard rescued the survivors from the water about 46 kilometers southwest of Lampedusa, which is about halfway between the North African nation of Tunisia and the larger Italian island of Sicily. The island has become a major destination for migrants from Africa wanting to enter the EU and claim asylum (政治避难) .

Italy’s interior ministry said 92, 000 people have arrived in Italy irregularly by sea so far this year to apply for asylum in the EU. During the same period last year, 42, 600 made the very dangerous journey.

The ministry said at least 2, 000 migrants have turned up on the island of Lampedusa in the past few days alone. Most had been rescued by the coastguard and by various charities from small boats in the Mediterranean Sea.

The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, which is the United Nations’ migration agency, said on Sunday both boats that sank on Saturday had been hit by major storms.

Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the IOM, told the Agence France-Presse news agency an official examination had been launched into the circumstances surrounding the loss of the boats. He said the probe will be conducted from the town of Agrigento, on the island of Sicily. “Whoever allowed them, or forced them, to leave with this sea is equal to a mad criminal,” he said. “Rough seas are forecast for the next few days. Let’s hope they stop. It’s sending them to slaughter (屠杀) with this sea.”

Emanuele Ricifari, the chief of police in Agrigento, said the people-traffickers (人贩子) would surely have known rough seas were expected.

1. What happened to the two boats and people on them?

A．Up to 42 people were supposed to have been dead.

B．The two boats set out from the Italian island of Sicily.

C．The rescue was carried out to the southwest of Lampedusa.

D．The destination of the two boats was the Tunisian port of Sfax.

2. How did the two boats sink according to the text?

A．The boats knocked into each other.	B．The boats hit a reef and began to leak
C．The boats were caught in strong storms.	D．The boats couldn’t bear the weight of the people.

3. Which can replace the underlined word “probe” in paragraph 8?

A．Interview.	B．Experiment.
C．Discussion.	D．Investigation.

4. What can serve as a suitable title for the news report?

A．Italy’s coastguard recovers two dead bodies.

B．Dozens lost at sea as migrant boats go down.

C．Two boats carrying people try to enter European Union.

D．Sicily becomes major destination for migrants from Africa

10 . People who cross the street while looking at their phones may be fined in the city of Xiamen, Fujian province, as traffic police officers are enforcing (施行) a local regulation that was put into effect on August 1st.

A pedestrian who was crossing the street on Tuesday while looking at their phone was given a warning, becoming the city’s first to receive a reprimand (训斥) for the behavior.

The Traffic Safety Regulation on Zebra Lines in Xiamen Special Economic Zone, made into a law on Tuesday, states pedestrians should not browse their electronic devices or engage in other activities that may end anger traffic safety while using crossing lanes. Those who violate this rule and delay or stop the progress of the normal passage of vehicles are supposed to be given a warning or a fine of 50 yuan($7).

The regulation was made in response to motions by legislators (立法委员) to the Xiamen people’s congress. “Through putting uncivilized behavior right via legal means, we hope to create a better environment for drivers and pedestrians to better understand and interact with each other,” said Wu Tao, an official at the local congress.

Su Guoqiang, a deputy to the congress among those who raised the motion, said more than 20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happened on crosswalks. “We hope to use the punishment of the ‘small’ act of browsing phones as something to prevent people from doing such a thing,” he told China Central Television.

Peng Chong, a traffic police officer in Xiamen, told CCTV for the time being they will mostly educate and warn violators and make everyone involved in traffic aware of the rules.

1. What does the underlined word “motions” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Formal invitations.	B．Formal features.
C．Formal proposals.	D．Formal apologies.

2. What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?

A．The concrete contents of the punishment.

B．The reason why the motion was put forward.

C．The reason why people browse phones on crosswalks.

D．The factors that have an influence on traffic on streets.

3. How do police officers punish people violating the law at present according to Peng Chong?

A．Mostly by giving them a ticket.	B．Mostly by giving them a warning.
C．Mostly by making them recite the law.	D．Mostly by making them catch another violator.

4. What can serve as the best title for the news report?

A．Pedestrians on crosswalk warned not to end anger traffic safety in Xiamen

B．Xiamen expects drivers and pedestrians to better understand each other

C．20 percent of traffic accidents in Xiamen happen on crosswalks

D．Xiamen regulation on crosswalk behavior enters force