4 . Wang Xiaojun is twelve years old. He lives in the country in Hunan. Today is his birthday. His parents prepare a nice dinner for him, but the boy says, “I won’t have the dinner, today is over, and my parents are going to Shenzhen tomorrow. I don’t want to let them go.”

Wang Xiaojun has the birthday with his parents for the first time in the past three years. Three years ago, his parents went to Shenzhen to work. They stayed and worked there for three years. Tomorrow they have to go back to Shenzhen. Wang is not the only stay-at-home child. In the country of China, there are many children staying at home without their parents. Stay-at -home children have a lot of problems. Most of them stay with their grandparents. Some of them don’t study well because their parents can’t help them with their study. The Chinese government (政府) now is trying to solve their problems.

1. When was Wang Xiaojun born?

A．In 2010.

B．In 2011.

C．In 2012.

D．In 2013.

2. Wang Xiaojun won’t have the birthday dinner because ___________.

A．there isn’t a birthday cake	B．the food isn’t delicious
C．his parents are going to Shenzhen tomorrow	D．he doesn’t like the dinner

3. The “stay-at-home child” means ___________.

A．爱家儿童

B．顽皮儿童

C．留守儿童

D．离家儿童

4. The stay-at-home children can’t get help for study from their parents, so some of them ___________.

A．don’t study well	B．don’t like to stay with parents
C．don’t love their parents	D．don’t have dinner with their parents

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．There are a lot of children like Wang Xiaojun in China.

B．The Chinese government is trying to solve these problems.

C．Wang Xiaojun’s parents go to Shenzhen to make money.

D．Stay-at-home children don’t have any problems.

5 . 请先阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后用方框中所给词的适当形式填空，并将其填到答题卡的相应位置，每个词限用一次。

popular   know       like          difficulty        course       their        how        ability        early        get          new

Social media posts (上传) about a cooking    1     for school kids, as part of a life skill program carried out in 2022, are increased. They become     2     on the Internet and cause a lot of discussion.

According to a(n)     3     document on compulsory education (义务教育), first and second graders should learn     4     to peel fruits and make tea and get basic knowledge of nutrition (营养). Besides, they also need to develop the     5     to take part in basic cooking at home. Students in grades five and six are expected     6     basic cooking skills such as boiling. They are also required to be able to prepare a good meal for     7       own families.

Many people     8     the life skill program. “This should have been done     9    . Children nowadays are short   of physical activities and none of my students     10     the difference between wheat and rice,” said a user on the Internet. “Life is about learning. Children’s wisdom and character are shaped (塑造) as they face       11       again and again,” another user said.

6 . Movie stars might think their lives are private after leaving the acting location, but they ought to know that they have much power over their audience. The power gives them an ability to change people, events, even history, making them to have the responsibility of being good role models.

With time going on, movie stars become celebrities (名人) and in the process get a large number of fans. Some of them follow their deeds, dress, and act like them. In reality, they want to be like their favorite movie stars. If a movie star engages in acts that the society does not approve, those who look up to them, especially the teens, will do the same. Movie stars should be responsible for what they do and say as following the actions is now simpler because of social media. It is important to behave like a role model even when they think no one is watching.

Nobody is perfect, and movie stars also have had their down moments. They may not have been good role models at the time, but they can change the narrative by doing the right things. They can also turn the past shortcomings into positives by opening up about problems and how they overcame the challenges. And their audience can learn to discuss their problems and seek help.

People starring in movies are the target of companies to promote their products or services for a fee. Their celebrity status is a reason enough to think beyond the payment. A movie star should not recommend something that will influence the way teens live negatively. It would be wrong to promote something like sweetened drinks or foods without health benefits. Movie stars face problems like other people, but because of their influence, they have a responsibility to be role models in the public eye.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．Fans often follow their stars’ dress and hobbies.

B．Celebrities’ actions spread fast on social media.

C．Movie stars should be responsible for their fans.

D．Movie stars’ acts have a great impact on their fans.

2. How should movie stars deal with their down moments?

A．Lie to fans by making up a story.

B．Do the right things to overcome the problems.

C．Cover their problems with good movies.

D．Post their problems online to seek help.

3. Which is the author’s advice to celebrities?

A．Don’t tell problems to the public.

B．Don’t play roles that have a negative impact on teens.

C．Don’t ask for payment when promoting products.

D．Don’t recommend unhealthy drinks or foods.

4. What is the author’s purpose of writing this article?

A．To tell movie stars how to help people in need.

B．To stress movie stars’ impact on teens.

C．To call on movie stars to be good role models.

D．To advise movie stars to open up about their problems.

7 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.

Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.

Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”

Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.

Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”

Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”

1. What can we say about the new research?

A．It started in 2013.	B．It is the first of its kind.
C．It was carried out by AIS.	D．It covers the whole Atlantic.

2. What do the underlined words “This change” in paragraph 3 refer to ?

A．Rapid population growth.

B．Rising global temperatures.

C．The huge increase in shipping.

D．The disappearance of marine life.

3. What does Dr. Sarah Marley want to tell us in paragraph 5?

A．Shipping plays an important role in the local economy.

B．Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment.

C．Noise pollution is closely related to human activity.

D．Marine areas should be monitored more carefully.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．New waterways across the Atlantic

B．The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic

C．New research opens windows into life under the water

D．Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping

8 . While screen time is known to affect sleep, new research suggests that interactive (互动的) activities, such as texting friends or playing video games, put off and reduce the time spent asleep to a greater degree than passive (被动的) screen time like watching television, especially for teens.

The team studied the daytime screen-based activities of 475 teenagers using daily surveys. They asked the teens how many hours they had spent that day communicating with friends through social media and how many hours they spent playing video games, surfing the internet and watching television or videos. Finally, the researchers asked if they had joined in any of these activities in the hour before bed.

Next, the team measured their sleep time for one week. The researchers found that the teens spent an average of two hours per day communicating with friends via social media, about 1.3 hours playing video games, less than an hour surfing the internet and about 1.7 hours watching television or videos. For every hour throughout the day that they used screens to communicate with friends, they fell asleep about 11 minutes later averagely. For every hour to play video games, they fell asleep about 9 minutes later. Those who talked, texted or played games in the hour before bed lost the most sleep: about 30 minutes later.

Interestingly, David, lead author of the study, said the team found no obvious relations between passive screen-based activities and sleep. “It could be that passive activities are less mentally exciting than interactive activities,” said Anne, co-author of the study. “It’s a tricky situation,” she said. “These screen tools are really important to everyone nowadays, so it’s hard to put a limit on them, but if you’re really looking out for a teenager’s health and well-being, you might consider limiting the more interactive activities, especially in the hour before bed.”

1. Which of the following belongs to interactive screen activities?

A．Seeing movies.	B．Watching videos.
C．Texting friends.	D．Surfing the internet.

2. Who might lose the most sleep according to the text?

A．Lucy who watched a three-hour movie before going to bed.

B．Jack who had a 30-minute video chat with his brother before bed.

C．Sam who played computer games for two hours throughout the day.

D．Amy who chatted with her friends on WeChat for one hour in the morning.

3. What does the underlined word “tricky” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Frightening.

B．Awkward.

C．Hopeless.

D．Encouraging.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Screen time activities cut down our sleep hours

B．Interactive screen use reduces sleep time in teenagers

C．Passive screen use is better than interactive screen use

D．Parents should prevent children from using social media

9 . My phone was an extension of myself. I couldn’t go anywhere _________ it. I scrolled through my friends’ _________ into late night and turned my phone on before my eyes were fully open. I enjoyed having it until that day when I realized that what had started as a useful tool had turned into a(n) _________. So, I made a _________ decision to turn off that smartphone and _________ my old dumb phone out of hiding.

When I was watching TV shows or movies and there was a boring part, I _________ picking up the phone and checking out “what everyone else was doing.” Now I had to pay attention or find a way to _________ myself with my thoughts instead. When I visited New York City, I had to write out _________ and ask people where an intersection (十字路口) was _________ pulling out my phone.

I have welcomed silence into my life with open arms and am enjoying the increased __________ from not constantly having to fight with the __________ to check my phone while I’m trying to get something done. I am allowing my thoughts to speak to me instead of my phone. I am connecting with others in a __________ way that isn’t all about me. Instead of always posting about what’s going on in my __________ perfect life, I am connecting with my friends one-on-one, talking about the reality of our lives and being there for them from a place of __________.

As much as having a smartphone was __________, not having one is freeing on a much bigger level.

1.

A．through

B．without

C．despite

D．upon

2.

A．updates

B．instructions

C．assessments

D．decisions

3.

A．symbol

B．responsibility

C．reality

D．addiction

4.

A．conscious

B．shameful

C．foolish

D．random

5.

A．sell

B．pull

C．throw

D．mind

6.

A．avoided

B．denied

C．missed

D．allowed

7.

A．assist

B．improve

C．associate

D．occupy

8.

A．requests

B．thoughts

C．directions

D．comments

9.

A．instead of

B．regardless of

C．but for

D．apart from

10.

A．creativity

B．productivity

C．knowledge

D．independence

11.

A．routine

B．necessity

C．loneliness

D．temptation

12.

A．genuine

B．grateful

C．direct

D．desperate

13.

A．naturally

B．certainly

C．seemingly

D．gradually

14.

A．wonder

B．imagination

C．interest

D．authenticity

15.

A．depressive

B．comfortable

C．stressful

D．boring

10 . Janet, now 37, was playing with her new pet dog, Stitch, who jumped up, grabbed her sleeve, and tore several holes in her sweater with its sharp teeth. Instead of throwing the sweater away, Janet decided to repair it.

She turned to “visible repairing,” an idea of repairing clothes that leaves an obvious fix. She added bright flowers and other small designs to damaged clothes. “Every time you do a repair, it’s like having bought a new piece of clothes,” says Janet.

Actually, repairing is a great opportunity to realize the urgent (迫切的) need to reduce waste. Sadly, we have become used to replacing things instead of repairing them — and the rubbish is piling up. Worldwide, we throw away 92 million tons of cloth every year. Electronic waste is another growing problem: About 50 million tons of it is created each year around the world.

The good news is that fixing things can help deal with the waste problem. There are some solutions. Due to information online, the popular how-to site iFixit.com , a database (数据库) with nearly 100,000 repair brochures for everything from electronics to clothing, has promoted more than 100 million repairs. In addition, since the first Repair Café opened in2009 in Amsterdam, more than 2,700 cafés have been set up to offer in-person fix-it help in various countries. Organizers set up events, and volunteers with repair knowledge bring their tools. They will try to fix whatever people bring in, for free, and teach visitors how to do repairs themselves.

Fixing things is part of a larger change toward a circular economy —the idea that instead of throwing away things once they are broken or out of date, we reuse or repair them, keeping them out of the landfill (垃圾填埋场) for as long as possible. According to a 2023 report from Circle Economy, a Netherlands-based NGO, if the world changed to a circular economy, we could lower the amount of waste by a third.

1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Janet?

A．To praise her way of protecting pets.

B．To introduce special clothing designs.

C．To call for attention to repairing things.

D．To market the products of fixed clothes.

2. What can we learn from the numbers in paragraph 3?

A．The action of replacing things is wise.

B．The behaviour of repairing things is popular.

C．The need for reducing clothes is urgent.

D．The problem of producing waste is serious.

3. How do people deal with the waste problem according to paragraph 4?

A．By teaching volunteers repair knowledge.

B．By sharing tips on opening repair cafés.

C．By providing information to the repair database.

D．By offering online and off line help to encourage repairs.

4. Which of the following behaviours contributes to the circular economy?

A．Jim threw away a used bike.	B．Jackson mended a torn sofa.
C．Sue replaced a worn carpet.	D．Windy removed a broken vase.