1 . In the United States alone, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted each year according to the nonprofit organization Feeding America. Yet, over 44 million Americans go hungry every day. If this seems like a huge gap, this is due both to the process of distributing the food and to the food waste that affects the world’s ability to sufficiently raise its entire population. However, several New York City(NYC) communities have found an effective way to reduce food waste—community fridges.

These fridges represent a grassroots way to increase access to food and fight against food waste. The community fridges offer a way for people to give fresh food that they will not eat to others who need it. They first surfaced in New York City in 2020. These community fridges offer a ray of hope to people who were struggling to afford or find food during supply chain issues and rising food prices.

Community fridges offer a way for food that would otherwise be wasted to be redistributed. However, another wonderful effect of reducing food waste is the ability to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. As food gets bad in landfills, it gives off methane, which is the second most common greenhouse gas. This means that food waste is responsible for up to ten percent of global emissions—which is a pretty large number! Placing food that would otherwise go uneaten in a community fridge can help to reduce these emissions.

Although there are some negative side effects of community fridges, their benefits usually outweigh their negatives. Volunteers clean and maintain the fridges. Some community fridge nonprofits even use renewable energy to power the refrigerators. Although the community fridge may be misused by some, these instances are sparse. Now, the idea of the community fridge has spread. These fridges, also known as “friendly fridges”, will be found in cities throughout the United States.

1. Why is “a huge gap” mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To seek for ways to feed the hungry.	B．To lead in the problem of food waste.
C．To point out the population crisis in the US.	D．To show the effect of reducing food waste.

2. What is a benefit of the community fridge program according to the text?

A．It helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

B．It motivates companies to make energy-saving fridges.

C．It is the best solution to global climate change.

D．It brings down food prices by offering more supplies.

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

A．Ordinary.

B．Serious.

C．Reasonable.

D．Rare.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards community fridges?

A．Unclear.

B．Doubtful.

C．Hopeful.

D．Indifferent.

2 . Today, many people are turning to social media for their fitness routines, with TikTok, one of the most popular platforms. Indeed, its fitness category has some 300 billion views. But are the posted works, exercises and challenges really safe and effective?

While fitness influencers can encourage people to become more physically active, which is a positive, the quality and accuracy of their content is a concern, according to a 2023 review in Frontiers in Public Health.

“There are a lot of unsustainable and unrealistic workouts on TikTok, and even some dangerous advice,” said Jess Brown, a certified personal trainer in Westchester, New York. “What’s more, much of the fitness information on TikTok isn’t backed by science or posted by fitness professionals. The workouts are usually generalized to anyone, too, and don’t take into account your health, your family history, your flexibility, your range of motion—the list goes on,” said Monica Jones, a certified personal trainer in Washington, DC.

One of the more popular TikTok fitness trends involves developing your abdominal muscles. These challenges often show an influencer doing one exercise or series of movements that, if repeated daily for a week or two, is promised to result in a sexy six-pack. “No way,” Brown said. “We’ve proven again and again that spot reduction isn’t a thing.”

“Unfortunately, there will always be trends centered around getting fast results, because those grab people’s attention. But it’s important to look at your fitness and health as a lifelong journey, not something you can achieve within 10 to 90 days,” Jones said.

How can you separate quality workouts from dangerous ones? First, check the information of the posters. They should be certified fitness professionals who have experience working with people. You also want a coach who emphasizes improving strength and health, not one who focuses on body type. A quality influencer should encourage mental well-being, self-care and the importance of listening to your body in addition to physical fitness.

1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The problems of fitness content on TikTok.

B．The lack of sustainability on TikTok workouts.

C．The needs for personalized workout on TikTok.

D．The absence of scientific backing in fitness information on TikTok.

2. What do fitness influencers often promise in popular TikTok trends?

A．Sustainable workout routines.	B．Long-term health improvement.
C．Certified fitness professional guidance.	D．Easy exercise with immediate results.

3. Which of the following statements may Jones agree with?

A．Fitness should be a lifelong journey, not a quick achievement.

B．Fitness training should be specific to body type and flexibility.

C．Fitness influencers must prioritize fast results over long-term health.

D．TikTok workouts must promote mental well-being over physical fitness.

4. What does the author think important to evaluate a quality fitness influencer?

A．Personalized workout plans.	B．Paying attention to detail in exercises.
C．Taking a balanced approach to fitness.	D．Certification and reputation in fitness training.

3 . It is natural to compare ourselves to others and to get caught in a mental comparison loop, and yet this seldom is beneficial. You may have heard the expression. “Comparison is the thief of joy. “To me, this rings true as I have found it is quite difficult to compare myself to others and feel joy at the same time.

Comparison not only robs us of joy, but it can also fuel self-criticism and a lack of self-acceptance. Typically, comparison leads to perceiving others as superior to you in some way and feeling inadequate or inferior. “I am not as successful, competent, attractive as they are. “Why don’t I have what they have?” We use comparison as an avenue for self-criticism, “What’s wrong with me? I must be an inadequate loser.” This hinders(阻碍)self-acceptance.

We often tell ourselves we are acceptable only if we meet certain standards, and we evaluate how we measure up by looking at others. The tendency is to conclude that we are not measuring up, particularly if we have a low sense of self-worth, and we worry that others are going to judge or criticize our perceived failures. We don’t just ask ourselves. “What’s wrong with me?” We worry what others will think: “What’s wrong with them?” The looming(迫近的)sense of possible rejection creates uneasiness and anxiety.

Comparison is deceptive(造成假象的). It tells us that if we meet the expectations, lose weight, get a promotion, or buy the house, we will feel better, calmer, more self-assured, and stop comparing ourselves. This may be temporarily true, yet, a comparison is an internal process that is ultimately based on our thoughts and sense of self, not external circumstances. We can always find something else to compare, another expectation we tell ourselves we are not meeting.

To stop comparing ourselves to others, we have to recognize that the comparison game is unwinnable and exhausting and stop playing. We should shift from being guided by comparison to being guided by personal values.

1. What is the author’s attitude towards comparison?

A．Supportive.

B．Tolerant.

C．Negative.

D．Uncertain.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The significance of comparison.	B．The joy of self-acceptance.
C．The necessity of self-criticism.	D．The consequences of comparison.

3. What can be inferred about comparison from Paragraph 4?

A．It is rooted in our inner thoughts.

B．It makes us become better.

C．We will stop it if we achieve our goals.

D．It is a reliable measure of success.

4. What will the author talk about in the following paragraph?

A．How we can change personal values.

B．Why personal values are important to us.

C．How personal values help stop comparison.

D．What impact technology has on comparison.

4 . 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。

On a cold winter day at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort, many skiers and snowboarders were skiing happily in the snow. Janet He and her husband, Joseph Lu, were among them, gliding gracefully through the snowy peaks with joy.

Unexpectedly, things took a scary turn. As they went down the mountain, a loud noise filled the air, making the skiers panic. A huge avalanche (雪崩) was rushing towards them with strong force.

Janet tried hard to keep up with her husband, skiing desperately to find safety. But the avalanche was too strong, and quickly covered her. She was swept down the mountain, unable to control her movements under the heavy snow.

The weight of the snow pressed down on her, ruining her hopes of pulling herself up. She was buried, her face buried in the snow. She was lucky she had the face mask and had some air in the face mask. She fought against the heavy pressure, thinking of her husband and their life together. Just as darkness was about to take over, she found her determination.

She focused on calming herself down, knowing that panicking would use up her air. With every passing moment, she held onto hope and found the strength to endure the cold.

Meanwhile, Joseph crazily looked for his wife, calling her name but with no response. Time seemed to go so slowly as he worried about what would happen if he couldn’t find her in time.

Just when he felt despair, a stranger’s voice cut through the chaos (混乱). The words “Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” filled Joseph with relief and hope.

The stranger fearlessly made his way through the dangerous snow, carrying the heavy responsibility. Guided by determination and skill, they finally found Janet buried in the snow.

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。
The stranger worked quickly to free Janet from the heavy snow.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once she was rescued, the couple walked down the mountain with no injuries.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Schools in England will be offering British Sign Language (BSL) as a general certificate of secondary education(GCSE) subject as a way of boosting life skills and social inclusion (包容). This is something that comes after a decade of efforts that were backed by celebrities including Rose Ayling-Ellis, the stage and TV actor and model Tasha Ghouri, who has a hearing disability.

Ghouri has been encouraging people to learn sign language and told The Guardian that people often feel uncomfortable trying to speak to others who are deaf or hearing impaired (受损的). That’s because, she said, “they don’t know how to communicate”.

One in five people in the UK are deaf or hearing impaired according to the RNID organization. This includes at least 50,000 deaf children. It is estimated that 25,000 people use BSL as their main language.

Daniel Jillings started an activity when he was 12 to allow British Sign Language to be a core subject in school. Earlier in 2023, Daniel spoke to the government about the importance of deaf awareness in schools. Teaching BSL in the schools will allow hearing students to learn and that will lead to more social inclusion. “This is a significant moment in the history of the British deaf community, as it is a powerful step to equality,” he said.

While it is too late for Daniel, who was born without a cochlea (耳蜗), so he cannot use hearing aids and cannot speak, it is a welcome change for other students. The first GCSE courses are set to begin in 2025.

There are concrete benefits for students. Education secretary Gillian Keegan said, “Studying British Sign Language can open so many doors for young people, giving pupils an understanding of how thousands of people communicate and ultimately even expanding job prospects.”

1. Why does Ghouri encourage people to learn BSL?

A．To make people learn more basic life skills.	B．To meet the demands of some celebrities.
C．To make deaf people feel more comfortable.	D．To boost better communication with the deaf.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The situation of deaf people in the UK.	B．The number of deaf children in the school.
C．The worldwide influence of sign language.	D．The survey process of the RNID organization.

3. What do we know about Daniel Jilling?

A．He is a celebrity with hearing disability.	B．He is an advocate for BSL teaching.
C．He revealed the cause of social inequality.	D．He has benefited a lot from modern medicine.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Deaf People Start A 10-year Project

B．Schools Need To Teach Students More Life Skills

C．Sign Language Is To Be Offered in English Schools

D．The Deaf Community Will Be Left Behind In Britain

7 . 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。

South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also     1     early celebration of the 100 days since the twins’ birth.

What to name the twin sisters was widely discussed among netizens after they were born on July 7 in theme park Everland. The names were     2     (ultimate) decided on through two public voting     3     (procedure). One is named Rui Bao, which means wise treasure, and the other is Hui Bao or shining treasure. Half a million panda lovers helped choose their names with a handful of lucky fans     4     (invite) to the ceremony. “They are even     5     (cute) in real life than they appear on screen,” said a college student in attendance.

The baby pandas,     6     have just begun teething and crawling, are very healthy. Everland has shared videos documenting the pandas’ growth online. The twins’ birth has gained 640,000 views since it     7     (upload). “This feels like a great opportunity to call for better     8     (preserve) of pandas,” said Donghee Chung, head of the park’s zoo. Chung noted that between 40% and 50% of panda births result     9     twins.

Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health     10     (determine) when the twins are ready to be open to the public.