1 . Depending on your view, the recorder (竖笛) is an instrument of “incredible functions” or a tool of annoyance that has bothered primary schools for too many generations. But now, it faces extinction, with one of the UK’s top music schools reporting an 80% decline in the number of young people playing it in the last 10 years.

The instrument’s future is so imperilled that the European Recorder Teachers Association is trying to bring it back to life again so it does not go the way of the lute. The ERTA argues that if the recorder was good enough for the Beatles, it has a place in modern music today. Tom Redmond, the principal of Chetham’s school of music in Manchester, said only three of its pupils practised the recorder, compared with 15 a decade ago. “More pupils were taking up the piano or other instruments,” said Redmond. “The ones that became really popular are the ones students spend more time playing alone. With the instruments being more socially or orchestral based, there has been a decline.”

Redmond also said that this problem extended “beyond the recorder itself” and was a mirror of the future of music. “Like removing any plant or animal from an ecosystem, removing the recorder has a huge ripple effect (连锁反应) beyond just the instrument. You need these instruments to create the inspiration for music, and without that, there is less excitement for it and to learn music,” he said. Chris Orton, a recorder tutor and chair of the ERTA, is leading the fight against the instrument’s extinction. He said, “The recorder is increasingly overlooked by students, and yet it has a rich history and incredible attractions. As well as making beautiful sounds, it’s an accessible instrument in that it is low-cost compared to other woodwind instruments, and it’s light and easy to carry.”

1. What does the underlined word “imperilled” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Bright.

B．Distant.

C．Confusing.

D．Endangered.

2. What can we infer from Redmond’s words?

A．The piano is easier to learn than the recorder.

B．Music education is necessary for all students.

C．The recorder plays an important role in music.

D．Nature is a rich source of inspiration for musicians.

3. What does Orton think of the recorder?

A．It needs to be improved.	B．It is very difficult to play.
C．It deserves more attention.	D．It is a top choice for students.

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

A．The Recorder is Heading for Extinction	B．Music is Increasingly Influencing the Youth
C．Technology Brings New Life to Instruments	D．The UK Fights Against the Recorder’s Fate

2 . 在西方许多国家，高中毕业后上大学之前有一年空出来让学生进行社会实践，这一年叫做休假学年(gap year)。请写一篇短文谈谈休假学年的好处和弊端。要点如下：
1.休假学年的好处；
2.休假学年的弊端；
3.假如你有休假学年，你打算做什么?
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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3 . 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。

The tourism phenomenon     1    (cause) by Harbin, in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, shows no sign of fading. Recently, the ice city     2    (lead) to fierce competition among tourism authorities in several cities. More     3    (interesting) , the video of the leaders of local tourism dancing with performers has entertained millions of netizens (网民) .

Diligent     4    (effort) that were made by Harbin     5    (attract) tourists to the city were heads of local tourist joined by netizens across the country, who discussed about the exceptional skills possessed by their own office, all to achieve similar success in their own cities.

Starting from January 9th     6     January 12th, the official account of the Department of Tourism of Henan Province has seen     7     increase in the number of videos being posted, with more than 30 clips released per day. So the tourism authorities in Shanxi and Shandong provinces find     8     a must to promote their tourism resources on social media. Winter, the     9    (tradition) tourism off-season, draws new tourism fever,     10     shows the fast tourism development in China.

4 . Fast food chains have tried for years to appeal to customers who care about their health. They have added lighter food to their menus, such as salads and yogurt. Of course, the lighter food goes with the usual burgers, fried chicken and shakes.

Menus have changed over the past three decades. According to a recent study, fast food menus are less healthy than they were 30 years ago. The study suggests the problem is getting worse. The fat, salt content and size of fast food meals are the problem. They are often the reason for the rising obesity (肥胖) rate among adults in the United States. The researchers found that the average main dish weighed more in 2016 than in 1986. It also had more calories and more sodium (钠). One expert said, “The restaurants have not done enough. The big picture is that there have been some positive changes, but they are small. Overall, the changes have gotten worse.”

The average fast food dessert had more calories in 2016. It also weighed more than the average fast food dessert thirty years earlier. Restaurants are counting on bigger sundaes and cookies to increase the amount spent on each order. For example, McDonald’s recently introduced “donut sticks” dusted with sugar. Six sticks have 280 calories. But you can also order 12 sticks for less than the cost of two single orders.

The researchers found that, over the 30 years, there were more calories in items like chips, soup, and French fries. Sodium content rose even though portion(一份) size did not grow much. When consumed together as a single meal, the study found that the average main dish and side order account for nearly 40 percent of a 2000-calory daily diet.

1. Why do fast food chains provide lighter food?

A．To match the fast food.	B．To attract more customers.
C．To reduce the cost of each meal.	D．To improve the health of customers.

2. Why are more American adults getting fat?

A．They take in more calories from fast food.

B．They have little time to exercise regularly.

C．They eat much more dessert after every meal.

D．They eat fast food more frequently than before.

3. What is the example of “donut sticks” for in paragraph 3?

A．Showing the way of restaurants’ making cookies.

B．Presenting the popularity of restaurants’ new food.

C．Stressing the increase in restaurants’ food varieties.

D．Explaining the intention of restaurants’ adding dessert.

4. Which one could be the best title of the text?

A．Fast Food Is Still Killing Us	B．Don’t Eat Any Fast Food Now
C．Try to Eat More Lighter Food	D．People Are Becoming Fatter and Fatter

5 . In the rich countries of the West, the electric vehicle revolution is well underway. Climate-conscious consumers drive Teslas or Polestars for reasons of morality and fashion. Poorer countries are also experiencing a wave of electrified trend. In Bangladesh, electric three-wheeler taxis, known as tuk-tuks, are rapidly replacing gas-powered ones on the streets. Such electric vehicles are climate friendly, cost effective, and help reduce air pollution.

Yet a glance under the hood (引擎盖) of these vehicles reveals a poisonous secret: each tuk-tuk runs on five massive lead-acid batteries, containing almost 300 pounds of lead in total. Every year and a half or so, when those batteries need to be replaced and recycled, about 60 pounds of lead leak into the environment. Battery recycling, often at small-scale unregulated factories, is a highly profitable but deadly business.

Lead is dangerous, and any exposure to it is harmful to human health. Lead that has entered the environment hurts people on an extraordinary scale. The numerous ways lead enters air, water, soil, and homes across the developing world — and the enormous damage it does to human health, wealth, and welfare — causes one of the biggest environmental crises in the world yet receives little attention.

The World Bank estimates that lead kills 5. 5 million people per year, which would make it a bigger global killer than AIDS, malaria, diabetes, and road traffic deaths combined. On top of the shocking deaths, the social burden of lead poisoning is extraordinary, as is its contribution to global inequality — our research on the cognitive effects of lead poisoning suggests that it may explain about one-fifth of the educational achievement gap between rich and poor countries.

But unlike many challenges faced by developing countries, lead poisoning is a problem that is fixable with some attention and a relatively modest financial investment. Better monitoring, research, and rules can help protect children all over the world from the dreadful effects of lead poisoning and reduce the massive global costs it brings.

1. How does the author describe the lead problem in paragraph 2?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By analyzing hidden causes.
C．By listing convincing numbers.	D．By explaining its working principle.

2. What can we learn from the text?

A．Lead enters rich countries in various ways.

B．Lead poisoning may make poor societies poorer.

C．Exposure to lead doesn’t necessarily harm someone.

D．Lead leaking has caused great panic in both countries.

3. What can be done to solve lead poisoning in developing countries?

A．Fixing these used batteries.	B．Putting certain effort and money.
C．Prohibiting the illegal use of lead.	D．Reducing the cost of recycling lead.

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

A．The Impacts of Lead Poisoning on Human Health

B．The Outcomes of Using Electric Vehicles

C．The Ways to Solve Lead Problem

D．The Global Lead Poisoning Crisis

6 . Individuals tend to befriend others similar to them for a range of physical factors (e. g. age, gender).To test whether friendship is connected with increased similarity of real-time mental responding, researchers used fMRI (功能性磁共振成像) to scan subjects’ brains during free viewing of naturalistic movies.

Forty-two students participated in the study by Professor Carolyn Parkinson of the University of California, Los Angeles. During the fMRI study, each subject watched the same collection of video parts. The videos covered a variety of topics and genres (e.g. comedies, documentaries, and debates).

The current results suggest that nerve responses when viewing audiovisual (视听的) movies are exceptionally similar among friends, and they are quite alike to one another in terms of how they perceive, interpret, and react to the world around them. These data also demonstrate that it is possible to predict whether two individuals are friends based only on the similarity of temporary patterns in their nerve responses during free viewing of complex, real-world scenes.

A follow-up study analyzing the social relationships of 1,186 children in 49 classrooms showed that similarity of the social brain varied by friendship distance: shared friends showed greater similarity in social brain networks compared with friends-of-friends and even more remotely connected peers.

“Although the results of the current study suggest that friends have incredibly similar nerve responses to naturalistic stimulation, due to this study’s cross-sectional nature, we cannot figure out, based on these results alone, whether nerve response similarity is a cause or consequence of friendship,” Dr Anna Machin, an evolutionary anthropologist(人类学家)said. She described how two tightly bonded people mirror each other’s behavior. Best friends may have similar heart beats, body temperature and hormonal responses.“ It’s as if every part of your body is engaged in having a relationship with that person,” said Machin. “That for me sums up how important best friends are. We wouldn’t have developed this way if those relationships weren’t critical for survival.”

1. Why did the researchers carry out the fMRI study?

A．To find out the effects of fMRI.

B．To help the students analyze videos.

C．To test whether the students are true friends.

D．To check if friendship goes with nerve responses.

2. What does the underlined word “genres” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Subjects.

B．Types.

C．Results.

D．Responses.

3. What can be learned about the findings of the studies?

A．Friends have the same mental responses.

B．It is impossible to tell whether two are friends.

C．Friendship distance affects similarity of the social brain.

D．Stronger relationships bring about more similar appearance.

4. What can we infer from Machin’s words?

A．Friendship is of great significance in our life.

B．Nerve response similarity is a cause of friendship.

C．Naturalistic stimulation leads to friends’ similar responses.

D．We develop because relationships are unimportant for survival.

7 . A March 2023 report from Goldman Sachs estimated that AI could do a quarter of all the work currently done by humans.     1     It would not just happen to individuals, but it could be pretty systemic.

    2     There are still things AI isn’t capable of. There are generally three categories that are probably going to be relatively secure in the foreseeable future.     3     That means you’re not doing formulaic work, but generating new ideas. For example, in science, medicine and law, where your job is coming up with a new legal strategy or business strategy, there’s going to continue to be a place for human beings.

The second category is jobs that require complicated interpersonal relationships like nurses, business consultants and investigative journalists. These are jobs where you need a very deep understanding of people.     4    

The third safe zone are jobs that really require lots of mobility and problem-solving ability in unpredictable environments. Electricians, plumbers, and the like all fall under this umbrella, where you’re dealing with a new situation all the time. They are probably the hardest of anything to automate.

It’s important to note that an advanced education is not a defence against AI takeover. In many cases, more educated workers are going to be more threatened than then even the least educated workers.     5     It’s really hard to automate that job.

In short, seeking roles in dynamic, shifting environments that include unpredictable tasks is good way to avoid job loss to AI.

A．And that could be terrible.

B．Thankfully, it’s not all bad news.

C．The robots really are coming for some jobs.

D．The first would be jobs that are genuinely creative.

E．Think of the person that works cleaning hotel rooms.

F．That doesn’t necessarily mean all jobs that are considered ”creative” are safe.

G．It’ll be a long time before AI has the ability to really build relationships and interact.

8 . Most of us know what it’s like to get presents. Whether it’s for a birthday or other celebration, it’s hard to beat the excitement of opening a carefully wrapped box to find something that’s both unexpected and suits you perfectly. Now, imagine if you could get the same feeling when you go shopping for yourself. That’s the feeling that mystery boxes hope to reach.

Mystery boxes are not a new idea—they were a feature of department stores in Japan in the early 20th Century. They contain different products sold at a lower price than their combined value. The key thing is that customers don’t know what’s in the box before they buy. All kinds of mystery boxes are available: fashion boxes, food boxes, beauty boxes, even loot boxes, which are virtual items for video games.

The pleasant surprise is not the only attraction of mystery boxes. They also allow people to try things that they otherwise wouldn’t. Seasonal vegetable subscription(订购)boxes might lead people to learn to cook new meals. They can also potentially offer great savings—as the recommended selling price of the contents is often far higher than the purchase price. For sellers and suppliers, the benefits are clear- it allows them to sell unwanted things for a profit. British fashion mystery box businessman Mario Maher highlights how mystery boxes can help reduce the amount of waste in the fashion industry. People might discover product ranges that would otherwise be thrown away.

There is an obvious disadvantage to mystery boxes -when you buy them, you don’t know what you’ll get! It may be that the goods inside are not to your taste, but there is also the potential for cheats to use the unpredictability of mystery boxes to send items that have a much lower value than the price of the box.

So, are mystery boxes a fun way of reducing waste and making shopping more exciting, or more an opportunity for disappointment, or worse—tricks?

1. What do loot boxes probably contain in Paragraph 2?

A．Something unwanted.	B．Gifts received from friends.
C．Virtual prizes for game players.	D．Something best suitable for you.

2. What is the effect of mystery boxes according to Paragraph 3?

A．Helping throw away plenty of waste.	B．Bringing down the prices of products.
C．Encouraging people to try new things.	D．Leading people to gather unwanted things.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward mystery boxes?

A．Subjective.	B．Objective.
C．Concerned.	D．Indifferent.

4. What can we learn about mystery boxes?

A．They can be invaluable.	B．They are a modern trend.
C．They can change our lifestyle.	D．They are a double-edged sword.

9 . Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest power on earth. It is cleaner than any energy source except wind. But that doesn’t necessarily mean nuclear is the long-term solution for the world because nuclear material is perhaps the most poisonous matter on earth. In addition, uranium, the element most commonly used in nuclear reactors, is not in limitless supply. But the biggest problem is nuclear waste.

How can we deal with nuclear waste? The answer is simple—put them somewhere where they can stay, undisturbed, isolated, forever. Finland is building just that. This region is largely lacking in natural disasters. It really doesn’t encounter any natural phenomenon that could damage a nuclear waste storage site, especially if it’s 1, 500 feet underground. Beneath an island on the Finnish Baltic Sea coast, the country is digging. They’ re building the very first permanent nuclear waste storage facility in the world in the stable bedrock 1,500 feet below.

Currently they’ re just finishing their dig down, then very soon they’ll start filling the facility with nuclear waste. They’ll dig long tunnels with small holes in which they’ll place nuclear waste then backfill the tunnels with clay to be left forever.

With this system, there’s near zero risk of nuclear material leaking out into the groundwater and, once it’s filled in the year 2120, it can just be left, forever. Because the material will be so far down and so difficult to get to, no human management will be necessary once completed.

No security, no maintenance, nothing which means it should be truly secure, but before leaving it, Finland needs to fight against one thing—human nature. As curious beings, it’s hard to fight a person’s urge of discovery. If someone finds a mysterious structure from thousands of years ago, it’d just be natural to want to open it up, and that’s a problem for nuclear waste sites.

We essentially did just that with the pyramids in Egypt. These structures were built as the final, permanent resting places and we opened them up because we were curious. Opening the nuclear storage facilities would release radiation into a future civilization, so we have to tell them to leave the sites alone, but that’s easier said than done.

1. Why is Finland building a nuclear storage site deep underground?

A．The tunnels there are easy to dig.	B．The supply of uranium is limited.
C．Modern technology makes it possible.	D．No natural disaster can influence the site.

2. What human nature does the author worry about?

A．Being curious.	B．A desire for security.
C．Being adventurous.	D．A desire for control.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward Finland’s action?

A．Supportive.

B．Tolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Pessimistic.

4. Why are the pyramids in Egypt mentioned?

A．To arouse people’s curiosity.	B．To predict the site’s development.
C．To illustrate the author’s concern.	D．To stress the importance of the project.

10 . Children and teens in China do not get enough sleep, which can put their health at risk. Nearly 63 percent of Chinese youths at 6 to 17 sleep less than eight hours a day. Among 13- to 17-year-olds the figure is more than 81 percent, according to a survey covering nearly 70,000 children and teens across the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The report found that the heavy school homework and the use of electronic devices (设备) were the two top causes for the lack of sleep. From Monday to Thursday, 8.4 percent of the group would still be busy with their homework after 11 pm. More than 41 percent of children and teenagers who sleep too little use electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones. Other than that, youths whose parents use smartphones in front of them are more likely to have less sleep. Other factors, such as noise and increasing light pollution, contributed to the problem, the report said.

The survey also suggests that good sleep results in higher efficiency (效率) in study. Students who sleep longer generally finish homework in two and three hours per day, while those who sleep less require four to six hours.

Gao Xuemei, vice-president of Chinese Sleep Research Society, said studies have shown that decreasing sleeping time for children and teenagers has been a global trend in the past 10 years, but the problem appears to be worse in East Asia, including China, largely due to a heavier load of school homework. Besides, the overuse of electronics devices in China is responsible for teenagers’ sleeping problems as well.

“Lack of sleep among children and teenagers needs more attention, because it can seriously affect their health and growth,” Gao said. She also suggested that local education officials take measures to help students get more sleep, including putting off the start of morning classes by half an hour.

1. Which factor leads to the sleep problem of Chinese youths?

A．Increasing Air pollution.	B．Low efficiency in study.
C．Too many school activities.	D．Overuse of smartphones.

2. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Those who study efficiently can sleep well.

B．Parents may affect children’s sleeping time.

C．Chinese kids’ sleeping problem is the worst.

D．Chinese students stay up on weekends to do homework.

3. How to help teenagers get more sleep according to Gao Xuemei?

A．By rescheduling the morning class.	B．By paying high attention to the problem.
C．By quitting the use of electronic devices.	D．By cutting down the amount of homework.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Too much homework results in the lack of sleep.

B．Electronic devices lead to serious health problems.

C．Chinese kids are suffering from sleeping problems.

D．Measures should be taken to help teens get more sleep.