1 . Top Tips on Staying Warmer in Colder Months

With the rising cost of living affecting all of us, staying warmer this winter feels like it’s going to be a difficult task. The government has already brought in measures to help with the cost of living.     1    . Read on for some small tips that could make a big difference and help you stay warmer in colder months.

Love layers

Rather than snuggling into one big jumper, think about wearing plenty of thin layers instead.     2     It acts as an insulator(绝缘体)-keeping you warmer than if you just wore one thick one. Don’t forget the thermal underwear when it’s really chilly. Clothes made from wool and cotton are the warmest.

Warm from the inside out

Winter is a great time for rustling up soups and stews, but even a bowl of hot porridge can set you up from breakfast onwards. Eating hot, nutritious dishes can keep you warm and healthy.     3    

Heat carefully

If you’re able to heat all of your rooms, keep your main living room at 18-21 ℃(64-70℉F) and the rest of your house around 16 ℃(61°F).     4    Heat the living room during the day and the bedroom just before you go to sleep. And don’t forget to have your heating system serviced regularly to make sure it’s working well.

    5    

Staying active is good for your health in general, but if it is too cold to walk outside, then catching up on the household chores is a great way of making sure you’re getting up and about. Even light exercise can keep you warm, so grab that vacuum cleaner or duster, get moving and make your house shine.

A．Do the housework

B．Exercise regularly

C．Given the price of fuel, if this isn’t possible, be selective

D．However, there are still other things you can do to keep the heat in

E．Therefore, try to eat at least one hot meal a day with regular hot drinks

F．Multiple thin layers allow warm air to become trapped between the layers

G．Along with layers, make sure you wrap up in a scarf, hat and gloves when you are outside.

2 . Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Japanese composer who died on March 28, 2023, was a talented musician. For many, his combination of noisy notes and joyous ones made him timeless and avant-garde (前卫的). But for me, Sakamoto was first and foremost a creator of complex emotions.

Before I learned to love Sakamoto, my mother loved him. After her days studying textiles (纺织) at a women’s college in our hometown of Nagoya, Japan, she would come home and play the Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence theme over and over. When she sat at her piano bench, she was trying to mold herself into the most attracting woman that she could be. Still, her childhood desire for a bigger life never died. Years later, when she played it again on that same piano, now transported to our Chicago home, her hands would crash down on Sakamoto’s drumming and upset bridge. It seemed that she buried herself in her younger dream and at the same time got lost in the reality of living away from her home and family. Both the joy of a fulfilled dream and the sorrow of its harsh realities mixed in Sakamoto’s score, pervading (弥漫) our living room.

Following in my mother’s footsteps, I too learned to play Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. I played it in an open music room at college, where I was quite depressed under the gaze of strangers as well as excited about becoming my own adult. I played Sakamoto again in my then-boyfriend’s grandparents’ sitting room, the piece now reflecting my struggle to see how my Japanese and American self could fit into this white family, even though I was in love.

Sakamoto’s genius for telling the contradictions (矛盾) of existence arises again and again. I’m still playing Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, now at the electric piano in my living room, as I puzzle through becoming a new mother, frightened and thrilled at the same time. Maybe someday my daughter will play Sakamoto’s music, and it will help her understand her life too.

1. The author loves Sakamoto for_________.

A．his Japanese identity

B．his talent as a composer

C．his way to combine notes

D．his creation of mixed emotions

2. How did the author’s mother feel when she played Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence in Chicago?

A．Contented with her current life.

B．Joyful and sorry at the same time

C．Annoyed with the difficult bridge

D．Lonely and upset away from home.

3. What is this passage mainly about?

A．The life and accomplishments of Ryuichi Sakamoto.

B．The challenges of being a Japanese-American woman.

C．Contradicting emotions aroused by Sakamoto’s music.

D．A mother and daughter’s shared love for playing the piano.

3 . How Can You Create Luck in Everyday Life?

What is luck? It is agreed that more good things happen to some people. Let’s just call that luck. Now would you like to be one of these lucky people?     1    .

Feel lucky about what you have

    2     . A but they just don’t know it. Instead of giving all your attention to what you are short of, look at how lucky you are already. No doubt you have some wonderful friends, and a roof over your head.

    3    

Luck doesn’t just happen to you — it comes to you when you’re open. Learning a new skill, visiting a new place and trying a new hobby are great ways of creating your chances.

Do it right now

You’ll never create any luck if you sit there waiting for it to fall into your lap (大腿).     4    .   You will find you create more luck in everyday life.

Ask for help if necessary

Sometimes people would be ready to help you out.     5     , don’t wait for others to offer you help but go and ask them if they will give you a hand.

A．Try something new

B．Try some special things

C．If you are in trouble

D．When you are busy

E．Some people are already lucky

F．Act towards your goals at once

G．Here are four top suggestions for creating your own luck

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。

I jumped into my mother’s car and threw my cross-country (越野) team bag into the backseat. “I’m so sick of it!” I said, “Training is less tiring than dealing with Jenny and her feelings.”

The training has been going for weeks: stretching, running, pacing, lifting weights and making u into a team. Jenny is always the goddess of cross country. She is a coach’s dream. She helps all of un faster by upping the pace. She cheers us on. She trains harder, but so do we. We are co-captains. However, this week, Jenny keeps saying she won’t run with the team. She has all sorts of reasons from leg cramps (抽筋) to a headache. I have to beg her all day, between classes, at lunch, on the way to practice. She really wears me out.

“What’s her deal? We’re all tired of it. She’s so needy.” I complained.

Mom pulled into our driveway and shared with me Jenny’s story. Jenny and her little brother have been together all this time in foster care (寄养). They’re really close. But his father, Jenny’s stepfather, came for him this week. He had gifts and hugs and big plans for the boy’s future. But Jenny got nothing. She wasn’t even a little part of the big plans.

“Poor Jenny, not to have a family. Not to feel wanted or needed.” I was close to tears. My mother patted my knee. “That’s it, honey. You got it.”

The next day, I was the last one to get on the team bus. Then I spotted Jenny. She was sitting in the back, alone. “Can I sit by you?” I asked Jenny. She shrugged her shoulders. I took it as a yes. “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it today.”

“I didn’t think anyone would notice if I made it or not.” Jenny said.

I looked at Jenny. I understood what she was really saying. “We would have noticed if you weren’t here, Jenny. We want you to run with us. The team needs you.” “Isn’t that right?” I called to the team. There was silence.

Please, I thought, give Jenny what she needs.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
She ran with us that day.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . A phrase “less screen time and more green time” is popular now. A study from the University of Adelaide found that more time outside and less time spent watching TV is connected with better psychological (心理的) results and school achievements among teenagers. Gardening is a great way to do so.

Jim Carter, a psychologist of America, is asking for teenagers’ return to traditional values of gardening, and thinks that they need to turn off the TV and go outside to do something healthier instead. Carter even considers it important to put gardening as a usual course because it is proven to be good for mental health.

“It’s physical exercise, and it teaches patience,” Carter explains. “The wait for a small sunflower seed (葵花籽) to become a six-foot plant is long.”

“I’m hearing that teenagers are struggling to deal with stress, and every time they open Gardeners’ World, they talk about how gardening helps them deal with stress. They learn so much about life, and so much about themselves through gardening,” said Lee Connelly, a teacher who is carrying out his own green school programme—Gardeners’ World. “The join of gardening into the class course for schools presents a remarkable chance to change education and the benefits are far beyond the classroom, influencing mental health, behavior and developing a lifelong love for horticulture (园艺).”

1. What does Carter suggest teenagers do?

A．Do exercise at home.	B．Go back to gardening.
C．Turn on the TV at night.	D．Pay attention to psychological courses.

2. Why does Carter mention the sunflower seed?

A．To prove gardening is easy.	B．To say dealing with stress is difficult.
C．To show green time is hard to find.	D．To explain gardening develops patience.

3. What can we say about Lee Connelly’s green school programme?

A．It is meaningful.

B．It is useless.

C．It is costly.

D．It is challenging.

4. What is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Time to Get Close to TV

B．Being Sporty, Being Healthy

C．Less Screen Time, Better School Achievements

D．Gardening: A Good Green Moment for Teenagers

6 . If you’re worried about being a self-centered person, that concern shows you’ve already taken an important step towards change.     1    

Focus on listening instead of talking. Give others your full attention and really hear them out. Self-centered people often make conversations center around themselves and they tend to get bored when the focus isn’t on them.     2     Give others a chance to speak their minds and do your best to show that you’re really listening.

    3     Imagining yourself in their situation helps you understand them better. If your friend is telling you about something that happened to him or her and you just don’t feel engaged (吸引住), it can help to imagine how you would feel in his or her situation. Try asking yourself how you would feel and what you would need if you were him or her. Then, keep those things in mind when you respond to your friend.

Use fewer “I” and “me” statements. Fight the strong wish to talk about yourself in every conversation. It’s an easy habit to get into, but you can’t focus on anyone else if you’re always talking about yourself. Try to actively reduce the number of “I” and “me” statements you make in daily conversation. Studies show that talking about yourself less often can make you happier and healthier.     4    

Learn how to compromise (妥协).     5     Compromising means choosing to believe another person’s needs and desires are just as important as your own. Instead of demanding your way during a disagreement comes, try meeting the other person halfway so that each person gets some of their needs met.

A．Let someone else be in charge.

B．Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

C．If this sounds familiar to you, you can break that habit.

D．If there are other solutions, don’t always have to add yours.

E．Self-centered people want everything to go their way all the time.

F．Try reminding yourself to do that when you are not having a good time.

G．Change can be tough, but there are still useful tips you need on this journey.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the woman talk to the man?

A．To borrow a disk.

B．To open up a program.

C．To get some help.

2. What is wrong with the woman’s computer?

A．It keeps shutting down.

B．It has a strange sound.

C．It can’t be connected to the Internet.

3. Where will the speakers meet?

A．At the man’s home.

B．At the woman’s home.

C．At the repair store.

8 . Look around you — how many plastic things can you find in your house? Most homes today are almost full of plastic, from water bottles to clothes, chairs, and even computers. Regretfully, so are our rivers and oceans.

According to research, about 583 billion plastic bottles were produced in 2021. That is 100 billion more than just five years ago. In 2022, five trillion (万亿) plastic bags were used. That was 160,000 every second. Americans alone used half a million drinking straws (吸管) every day.

However, very little of the plastic that goes into recycling (回收利用) bins can make it through the recycling process. Experts think that only around 9 percent of plastic is recycled. About 16 percent is burned for electricity or heat. The rest ends up in landfills (废物填埋地) or bodies of water.

So how do you make sure plastic things you use are recycled? Begin by making sure the things you put in your recycling bin can be recycled. And in most cases, plastic things can’t be used again if they have more than one kind of plastic in them. That’s because some plastics can’t be mixed together.

How about those plastic things that are able to be recycled at a recycling center? First, workers make sure that each plastic is clean. After that, the plastic things are made into small pieces. At last, they are melted (熔化) and used to create new things. One of the commonly seen products is new plastic bottles. Recycled plastic can also be used to make clothes, pens, pencils, and building materials!

1. What does the author want to tell us in paragraph 1?

A．We can’t live without plastic.	B．We shouldn’t make plastic things.
C．We should worry about plastic.	D．We are making more and more plastic things.

2. How does the author show plastic is a problem in paragraph 2?

A．By telling a story.	B．By listing numbers.
C．By asking questions.	D．By describing a scene.

3. According to paragraph 3, how much plastic can be reused?

A．About 9%.	B．About 16%.
C．About 25%.	D．About 75%.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．How people create plastic things.

B．What happens to recycled plastic things.

C．Why plastic things have to be recycled.

D．Where plastic things go after they are thrown away.

9 . One day a man was traveling on a train. All of a sudden, he felt very ________ and got off at the next station to look for water. No sooner had he reached a(n) ________ when he heard the train whistle. He ran back but ________ the train.

He waited and waited for another one to come. It was getting ________, and he decided to spend the night at the station. The next morning he asked about the next ________. He was told that there would not be another one until the next ________. He decided to find a place to ________ for the night. He went to a nearby ________ to ask for a room, but they were full.

________ he reached a small house belonging to a local villager. He asked the owner of the house whether he could stay for a day. The owner readily ________. That day the owner ________ him food and gave him a room and did not ask or expect anything ______.

At 7 pm that night the man heard a knock on the door. When the owner ________ the door, there was a man dressed in colorful, fancy clothing. He entered the room and _____     that the villager pay his debts immediately. The man ________ that his host was in desperate need of money. The next morning he left a(n) ________ on the table in the room and left.

When the villager found the envelope, he was ________. He looked inside and found a note with his name on it. The note read, “Yesterday you ________ me when I was in need, and you asked for nothing in return. I would like to show you how ________ I am.” Much to the villager’s ________, money fell from the envelope. He smiled and sighed with relief.

1.

A．tired

B．hungry

C．sick

D．thirsty

2.

A．platform

B．classroom

C．water fountain

D．information desk

3.

A．passed

B．missed

C．saw

D．stopped

4.

A．dark

B．close

C．scary

D．crowded

5.

A．ride

B．station

C．train

D．timetable

6.

A．hour

B．day

C．week

D．month

7.

A．stay

B．wait

C．prepare

D．enjoy

8.

A．village

B．household

C．hotel

D．apartment

9.

A．After all

B．Even so

C．Once again

D．At last

10.

A．insisted

B．agreed

C．decided

D．obeyed

11.

A．sent

B．shared

C．served

D．ordered

12.

A．in return

B．in addition

C．in secret

D．in fact

13.

A．locked

B．answered

C．pointed to

D．returned to

14.

A．commented

B．presented

C．predicted

D．demanded

15.

A．noticed

B．argued

C．realized

D．reminded

16.

A．envelope

B．check

C．bill

D．note

17.

A．afraid

B．moved

C．annoyed

D．curious

18.

A．helped

B．saved

C．impressed

D．guided

19.

A．kind

B．rich

C．worried

D．thankful

20.

A．anger

B．surprise

C．puzzlement

D．disappointment

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where did the woman lose her phone?

A．In a cafe.

B．At her office.

C．In a movie theater.

2. What did the guy do when he found the phone?

A．He called the police.

B．He called the last number on it.

C．He called one of the woman’s friends.

3. What does the man advise the woman to do?

A．Buy the guy some food.

B．Give the guy some money.

C．Invite the guy to see a movie.

4. When does the conversation probably take place?

A．At night.

B．Around midday.

C．In the early morning.