1 . 听下面一段对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the woman mainly talking about?

A．A foreigner.

B．A hobby.

C．A report.

2. What percentage of people consider it useless to learn a foreign language?

A．Around 15%.

B．Around 21%.

C．Around 35%.

4 . Every 40 days a language dies. This “catastrophic” loss is being intensified by the climate crisis, according to linguists. If nothing is done, conservative estimates suggest that half of all the 7,000 languages currently spoken will be extinct by the end of the century.

Speakers of minority languages have experienced a long history of persecution (迫害), with the result that by the 1920s half of all indigenous (土著的) languages in Australia, the US, South Africa and Argentina were extinct. The climate crisis is now considered the “final nail in the coffin” for many indigenous languages and the knowledge they represent.

“Languages are already endangered,” says Anastasia Rachel, director of the Strathy language unit at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Huge factors are globalization and migration, as communities move to regions where their language is not spoken or valued, according to Rachel. “It seems particularly cruel,” she says, “that most of the world’s languages are in parts of the world that are growing unpleasant to people.” Vanuatu, a South Pacific island nation measuring 12, 189 km², has 110 languages, the highest density of languages on the planet. It is also one of the countries most at risk of sea level rise. “Marty small language communities are on islands and coastlines easily subject to hurricanes and sea level rise,” she says. Others live on lands where rising temperature threatens traditional farming and fishing practices, leading to migration.

In response to the crisis, the UN launched the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL) in 2022. Promoting and conserving languages of indigenous communities is “not only important for them, but for all humanity”, said Csaba Korosi, the UN general assembly president, urging countries to allow access to education in indigenous languages.

1. Which statement best describes the facts of languages?

A．Climate change is the only challenge for minority languages.

B．Half of all the languages spoken will be extinct in the future.

C．Climate crisis is a huge threat to many indigenous languages.

D．Poor education is the direct cause of disappearing languages.

2. Why is Vanuatu mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．To explain the main reason for language density.

B．To show the common features of endangered languages.

C．To stress the impact of geographical position on migration.

D．To illustrate the situation of minority language communities.

3. What is the aim of the IDIL?

A．Support migrants to access local education.

B．Discourage people from massive migration.

C．Protect the environment to reduce the temperature.

D．Preserve the languages of indigenous communities.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Faced with Disasters: Communities Have to Leave

B．Upset at Extinction: UN Urges International Cooperation

C．Lost for Words: Climate Crisis Brings Threat of Catastrophe

D．Involved in Action: Experts Seek Solutions to Climate Crisis

5 . 每到暑假，很多家长不惜重金，把子女送到国外参加国际游学项目。最近，某英语报社通过网上论坛举办了一场讨论，话题为“Should high school students be encouraged to travel abroad?”。你作为读者参与了此次讨论，请你根据此次讨论的结果用英语写一篇短文。内容包括：
1.参加国际游学的好处;
2.可能遇到的问题;
3.你的看法。
注意：
1.词数100左右;
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

It is increasingly popular for parents to send their kids to travel abroad recently.

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6 . Pickled sides are Chinese people’s solution to tasteless food. Just a spoonful of sauce or pickled vegetables over rice can make a meal taste a million times better.

During busy work schedules, many young people in China don’t have the luxury of enjoying insightful conversations with friends and family at the dinner table. Instead, they find themselves eating alone.

Chinese youth are kept company during these 20-to-30-minute windows by TV shows or short videos, which they stream on their phone, tablet, or television. On the Internet, such content has been called “digital pickled vegetables”.

Some popular picks include classic Chinese dramas and situation comedies (sitcoms) like Empresses in the Palace and My Own Swordsman. American sitcoms such as Friends and How I Met Your Mother are also favored for their amusing jokes and simple story lines. You don’t need to know anything about either to get a good laugh from a random episode.

Some have questioned the value of such videos, pointing out that some explainers ruin good films and books and that no-brainer mini-series aren’t informational. On the other hand, we see nothing wrong with some harmless fun to accompany a lonely meal after a long day of work. Instead of being accompanied by friends and family during meal my young people in China are kept company by TV shows or short videos.

Can this habit affect your diet? According to a research paper published in 2019, you may eat more unconsciously. An international research team asked 62 volunteers to follow different eating patterns on four different days. The patterns included eating while looking at the mobile phone, reading magazines and without distraction (分心). After analyzing their diets, the team discovered that eating with a distraction increased intake of calories by about 15 percent.

To explore the reason, the team also invited two groups of people: one group ate while listening to a recording about another person eating and the other listened to a clip that helped them imagine themselves eating. The results showed that the second group ate less since they were more focused on their meals. When eating with the “digital pickles”, our attention can be distracted, which leads to eating more than expected.

1. Why do many Chinese young people eat alone?

A．They hate to share food with workmates.	B．They fail to have the luxury of dining space.
C．They tend to have busy work timetables.	D．They prefer not to talk with strangers.

2. What do the underlined words “digital pickled vegetables” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Videos you watch while eating.	B．Sauce you choose while eating.
C．Vegetables you like while eating.	D．Games you play while eating.

3. Why do we eat more with “digital pickles”?

A．They increase our feeling of hunger.	B．They make the food more delicious.
C．They draw our attention to the diet.	D．They shift our attention from the meals.

7 . Restaurants, farmers and food businesses are turning to chemistry and physics to deal with the problem of food waste. Some companies are testing coverings to slow the fruits’ ripening(成熟) process and packets to keep food fresh. Others are developing digital sensors that can tell when meat is safe to eat.

Experts say growing awareness of the costs of food waste has led to more efforts to deal with the problem. ReFED is a group that studies food waste. It estimates 225,000 kilograms of food can be kept out of waste areas each year with special high-tech coverings.

But the cost can be a barrier for some companies and shoppers. Kroger, the largest food-store company in the US, ended its deal with Apeel Sciences in 2022. The deal ended because Kroger said shoppers were not willing to pay more for fruits with Apeel’s special covering to keep them fresh.

Many companies are working on ways to help reduce food waste. A Sweden-based company is trying developing a sensor that can show if meat is safe to eat by measuring the buildup of bacteria inside its container. And Ryp Labs, based in the US and Belgium, is working on a sticker for fruits and vegetables that would release(释放) gas to slow ripening.

Some companies find it better to use proven technology in new ways. For example, Chicago-based Hazel Technologies has been trying selling a chemical compound(化合物), called 1-MCP, which is used in a room to slow the fruits’ ripening process. The company now sells packets that can slowly release 1-MCP into small containers of fruits.

“The science is promising, but it is only part of the solution,’” said Yvette Cabrera. She is the director of food waste for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Most food waste happens at home. Reducing food sizes, buying smaller quantities or improving the accuracy of freshness date could have even more effects than new technology. Overall as a society, we don’t value food as it should be valued,” Cabrera said.

1. How does the author start paragraph 1?

A．By showing experiments.	B．By quoting experts’ words.
C．By listing data.	D．By giving examples.

2. Why did Kroger give up Apeel’s products?

A．They were not convenient to use.

B．Food stores found them ineffective.

C．Customers disliked paying extra money.

D．They might cause pollution to the fruits.

3. What do Ryp Labs and Hazel Technologies both try doing to slow fruits’ ripening?

A．Building storage rooms.	B．Using chemical methods.
C．Making packets.	D．Developing a sensor.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Ways of reducing food waste.

B．Benefits of saving food at home.

C．Kinds of fresh food in the market.

D．Funds of dealing with food waste.

9 . Lithium (锂) is called “white gold” for good reason. The metal’s value has been growing sharply over the last several years, in a large part because it is an essential part of batteries as well as several key sustainable technologies where energy storage is of huge significance. As electric cars, wind and solar power have grown into major players in the energy industry, lithium has become key to engineering a future free of fossil (化石) fuels.

But acquiring lithium comes at an enormous cost. It often works like this: Water containing lithium is delivered to the surface from underground and mixed with fresh water. The mixture then sits in pools to get rid of water, leaving the rest of its contents behind as brightly colored “mud”. Then heat and chemical reactions are used to get lithium from that, changing it into powder which is then packaged and shipped to buyers around the world.

Any accident that releases mine contents into surrounding communities or the groundwater supply could have unimaginable long-term impacts. To be specific, indigenous (土著的) communities often bear the damage, and political leaders have typically given little weight to their concerns. In Arizona, for example, an expanding lithium mine is threatening the Hualapai Tribe’s cultural and historic sites. Recently, mining lithium and other precious metals has brought about conflict: How do you ensure the availability of materials essential to the future of renewables while protecting those communities’ rights?

Mining of the metal is expected to increase dramatically in coming years. Over time, experts say, that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放) by making electric cars more affordable and, therefore, more popular. As environmentally conscious consumers buy electric cars in ever-greater numbers, it’s important to be aware of the dirty process that powers those clean air vehicles.

1. What does the author’s intention of writing Paragraph 1?

A．To introduce the background of an event.	B．To explain a complex industrial theory.
C．To describe a noticeable recent tendency.	D．To predict the future of a main technology.

2. Which may cause enormous environmental damage?

A．Unexpected material leak.	B．Violent chemical reactions.
C．Wrong political decisions.	D．Lithium mine expansion.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards mining lithium?

A．Intolerant.

B．Uncaring.

C．Favorable.

D．Objective.

4. What’s the most suitable title for the text?

A．High Expense of Lithium Mining	B．Potential Benefit of Using Lithium
C．Hidden Threat behind Clean Energy	D．Bright Future of Renewable Resources