1 . Imagine the perfect baguette — a kind of French bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Sri Lankan-origin baker Tharshan Selvarajah made one just like that. He was given the title of “king” of the baguette in Paris, winning the city’s oldest baguette competition in France in May, reported CNN.

At this year’s 30th edition of the contest, 176 bakers came from across the city to enter their tasty baguettes. They faced an 18-person group of judges, which consists of former winners, baking industry officials, food bloggers, and six local citizens.

The loaves must be “traditionally made”, not industrially made. They are judged on their appearance, smell, baking technique and flavor. However, 40 of them were eliminated early. Their baguettes were either too long, short, heavy, light or used the wrong flour, said CNN.

For Tharshan Selvarajah, winning the top prize was extra special. “I cried because we are foreigners and we came here to learn how to make traditional French bread,” Selvarajah told AFP. “I didn’t have the slightest idea that I could win the prize.”

That was not all that contributed to Selvarajah’s emotions. As the winner, he got 4,000 Euros (about 30,380 yuan) in prize money and the right to make baguette for the official home of the Frenchpresident for one year.

Selvarajah who owns a simple bakery in eastern Paris said his bakery’s secret is baking a certain amount every 20 minutes so it’s always hot and fresh, reported CNN.

The baguette is a cultural symbol in France. In November 2022, UNESCO recognized baguette as world heritage, reported AP. French bread can be found in every neighborhood in Paris. Oliver Polski, the mayoral deputy for commerce and artisanship, told CNN. “Industrial baking has pretty much disappeared in Paris.”

1. What does the underlined word “eliminated”in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Chosen as final competitors.	B．Commented carefully.
C．Refused to enter the competition.	D．Given special recognition.

2. How did Selvarajah feel after winning the baguette contest?

A．Shocked.

B．Confused.

C．Overjoyed.

D．Anxious.

3. What does Selvarajah think contributes to the success of his bakery?

A．The use of traditional French flour.	B．The freshness of bread.
C．The support of the local community.	D．The unique taste of fresh bread.

4. What does Olivia Polski think of industrial baking in Paris?

A．It is no longer popular in the city.

B．It has become more common recently.

C．It is being revived due to increased demand.

D．It will continue to exist with traditional bakeries.

2 . David Brunelli has eaten up a huge burger. He starts eating handfuls of French fries. If he eats them fast enough, he could win. The crowd shouts with excitement. Suddenly, a stream of food pours out of Brunell' s mouth. Puking (呕吐) during an eating competition means you lose. So Brunelli catches the food in his hands and pushes it back into his mouth. Welcome to the world of competitive eating.

Thousands of eating competitions take place around the world each year. To win, people like Brunelli eat huge amounts of food as quickly as possible.They eat everything from mountains of hot dogs to hundreds of chicken legs.

Some people say it is time for eating competitions to stop. One reason is that the competitions can lead to serious health problems. These include weight gain, heart disease, and stomach problems. In 2004, a woman died from choking (窒息) during a competition. Eating competitions can make overeating look attractive. This sets a bad example for fans. Also, millions of people in the world go hungry every day. That makes it seem wasteful to eat amounts of food just for fun.

Still, many people love competitive eating. They say it is a fun tradition that goes back many years. Fans point out that the group Major League Eating (MLE) runs professional eating competitions. At these competitions, injuries are uncommon. MLE always has doctors on hand.

Eating competitions allow people like Brunelli to get famous and win money. And the competitions are popular. Each July 4, more than a million people watch Nathan s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on TV. This year, will you be one of them?

1. Why does the author write the first paragraph?

A．To bring up the topic.	B．To introduce Brunelli.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To show some delicious food.

2. What can we learn about eating competitions from the text?

A．They have a short history.	B．They enjoy great popularity.
C．They are attractive to the poor	D．They introduce lots of new food.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The fun of watching eating competitions.

B．The health problems caused by overeating.

C．The difficulties in winning an eating competition.

D．The reasons why eating competitions should be stopped.

4. What can we learn about MLE?

A．It trains many doctors.	B．Its prizes are unusual.
C．Its competitions are relatively safe.	D．It is an organizer of traditional competitions.

3 . “The Worthington Christian defeated the Westerville North by 2—1 in an Ohio boys’ soccer game on Saturday.” That’s according to a story that appeared last month in The Columbus Dispatch. That lead was written not by a sportswriter, but by an artificial intelligence (AI) tool.

Many news organizations are now examining how AI might be used in their work. But if they begin their “experimenting” with high school sports because they are less momentous than war, peace, climate change and politics, they may miss something crucial. Nothing may be more important to the students who play high school sports, and to their families, neighborhoods, and sometimes, the whole town. That next game is what the students train for, work toward, and dream about. Someday, almost all student athletes will go on to have jobs in front of screens, in office parks, at schools, in hospitals or on construction sites. They may suffer blows and setbacks. But the high school games they played and watched, as well as their hopes and cheers, will stay vivid in their memories.

I have a small idea. If newspapers will no longer send staff reporters to cover high school games, why not hire high school student journalists? News organizations can pay students an hourly wage to cover high school games. The young reporters might learn how to be fair to all sides, write vividly, and attract readers. That’s what some celebrities in sports did, and do.

And think of the great writers who were inspired by sports: Hemingway on fishing, Bernard Malamud and Marianne Moore on baseball, Chen Zhongshi on football, and CLR James on cricket, who said, “There can be raw pain and bleeding where so many thousands see the inevitable (不可避免的) ups and downs of only a game.” A good high school writer, unlike a robot, could tell readers not just the score, but the stories of the game.

1. Why is the lead mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce an original idea.	B．To show AI’s wide application.
C．To bring in the opinion about AI.	D．To stress AI’s importance to news.

2. What does the author think of high school games?

A．Hopeful.

B．Eye-catching.

C．Competitive.

D．Far-reaching.

3. What is good sports news like according to the author?

A．Rich in contents.	B．Fair in comments.
C．Centered on results.	D．Targeted on readers.

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

A．News Organizations Are Abusing AI	B．High Schoolers Can Do What AI Can’t
C．Great Writers Are Crazy About Sports	D．AI Ruins High School Students’ Memory

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who is Dave Godber?

A．A manager.

B．A director.

C．A footballer.

2. How did Dave Godber probably feel about the team' s performance?

A．Surprised.

B．Confident.

C．Upset.

3. What will Dave Godber probably do first?

A．Attend a match.

B．Take a holiday.

C．Look for another job.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．A lecture on success.

B．A graduation ceremony.

C．A school award ceremony.

2. What kind of school is it?

A．A girls’ school.

B．A boys’ school.

C．A mixed school.

3. Who is quoted in the talk?

A．A sportsman.

B．A teacher.

C．A singer.

4. What does the speaker say is the most important?

A．Confidence.

B．Success.

C．Trying.

6 . 听下面一段对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers doing?

A．Doing some exercise.

B．Making a training plan.

C．Attending a sports meeting.

2. How long will the first period of the exercise last?

A．Two weeks.

B．Four weeks.

C．Six weeks.

3. Which sport does the man plan to practice on Wednesday?

A．Cycling.

B．Swimming.

C．Running.

4. How does the man find the second period of the exercise?

A．Interesting.

B．Easy.

C．Stressful.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What does the grand prize include?

A．A job opportunity.

B．A large sum of money.

C．A chance to study abroad.

2. What will be needed to organize the first challenge?

A．Sand.

B．Boxes.

C．Rice.

3. What will the challengers do in the second challenge?

A．Find three boxes.

B．Solve math questions.

C．Stand on a piece of wood.

4. Where will the last challenge probably take place at first?

A．At the seaside.

B．In a building.

C．In a wood.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the topic of the photos of this year?

A．Flowers.

B．Animals.

C．Food.

2. How should the photos be sent?

A．Bye-mail

B．By post.

C．In person.

3. What is the prize?

A．A cup.

B．A camera.

C．Some money.

9 . 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。

Billed as one of the most scenic (风景优美的) and most demanding marathons in the world, the Great Wall Marathon is the oldest of its type, beginning in 1999, with     1     (option) for fun runs and half marathons as well as the full marathon. The fun run       2     (cover) just 8.5 kilometers, the half marathon 21.1 kilometers,     3     the full marathon 42.2 kilometers.

Since this event is so different from a regular city marathon,     4     is smart to follow a training program       5     focuses on both hill training and distance.

The Great Wall Marathon starts from the Huangyaguan fortress (要塞) and heads south, before       6     (turn) left onto the Changcheng Highway, putting runners on the road leading to the Great Wall entrance where a four-kilometer uphill battle awaits. After five kilometers, runners start on the       7     (challenge) part of the journey: the steps and hills of the Great Wall itself.

Marathon runners will come across Duanzhuang village and the township of Xiaying, and will continue onto the Yin and Yang Square and face the steps of the Great Wall once again. Those unable       8     (reach) that stage in six hours shall not       9     (permit) to continue.

The part on the Great Wall is surely the most scenic; however, finishers     10     (equal) enjoy the parts running in the small villages where they give“high fives”to the children living there.

10 . 听下面一段对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did the man get this time?

A．The gold.

B．The silver.

C．The bronze.

2. How did the man feel at the second fence?

A．Quite excited.

B．Rather tired.

C．Absent-minded.

3. What happened at the water jump?

A．The man came off the horse.

B．The water made the horse nervous.

C．Something in the crowd upset the horse.

4. What will the man do tomorrow?

A．Run in another race.

B．Be on a TV show.

C．Visit a friend.