1 . Chinese athlete Zhang Weili gave the world something to remember at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 292 in Boston. She kept her strawweight (草量级) champion title with an outstanding performance over Brazil’s Amanda Lemos, setting many striking records in the process.
Zhang, the women’s pound-for-pound number one fighter in the world, arrived on the east coast of America as the favorite against the dangerous Brazilian striker, Lemos.
The superior advantage for Zhang began in the opening round. She landed an early strong low kick to put Lemos down. But just as Lemos appeared close to being stopped, she surprised Zhang with a D’Arce choke (达斯绞). When everyone thought it could be the end for Zhang, the champion’s strength carried her through, taking her out of the choke and into position to deliver a quick beating on the ground.
At the end of the battle, Lemos even got a second chance in the fourth round. But in the end, it was business as usual for Zhang, who nearly ended the fight with a knockdown in the final round, finishing as the winner with a scorecard of 50-43, 50-44, and 49-45.
During the exciting match, Zhang set many new records in women’s Mixed Martial Arts(MMA). She finished with 296 strikes, breaking the previous record of 249 held by Valentina Shevchenko. And with Lemos only connecting 29 times, Zhang also set the record for the largest striking differential in women’s MMA by 267 strikes.
In a post-fight interview, Zhang spoke through a translator to thank the Boston crowd for their energy. “My name is ZhangWeili,” then she said in English, cupping her hand to her ear to raise cheers from the crowd. “I’m from China. Do you remember me?”
1. What made Zhang Weili spotlighted by the world?| A．She donated all she had to UFC292. |
| B．She won world champion titles in a row. |
| C．She set many extraordinary records in UFC292. |
| D．She represented China to participate in the game. |
| A．She called for a time out. | B．The referee stopped Lemos. |
| C．She used a special technique. | D．She used her strength to get out. |
| A．By listing statistics. | B．By explaining reasons. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Easy-going. | B．Strong-willed. | C．Hard-working. | D．Warm-hearted. |
At the age of 73, Chen Shaoqin from Beijing has shown the world
3 . “He is a giant of the 20th-century art, but that doesn’t mean he only did big paintings, said Lynn Miller, director of Rochester Central Gallery, in an interview last Thursday.
Entitled “Picasso and His Drafts”, a special exhibit marking 50 years since the death of Pablo Picasso is held at the gallery this month. Instead of his paintings, the notebooks on which the Spanish legendary artist drew drafts are shown to the public for the first time.
Matchbox covers, postcards, restaurant napkins all served as drafting notes for the artist at moments of inspiration. It is important to know that each of the 14 notebooks presented reflects what was going on in his life.
For example, a tiny notebook whose size is just 3 by 5 inches stands out among the exhibits. Inside the little book was a self-portrait of the artist finished roughly in pencil, with deep and thoughtful eyes. It was done in 1918 and Picasso, then in his mid-30s, had just got married. He produced big-sized artworks but he also kept this tiny notebook around, filling it with scenes of his wife, their friends, the beach and the town, and drafts of upcoming paintings. Actually, many of the draft drawings are early versions of famed paintings like Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) and Dora Maar in an Armchair (1939).
“He is a great artist of the modern period, and we see practice and determination in his notebooks,” said Lynn Miller, referring to Picasso’s efforts in improving his skills through copious drawing. Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, a grandson of Picasso’s, remembered him always drafting until the last piece of paper available. “My grandpa was permanently drawing something,” Ruiz-Picasso said.
In a documentary film shown at the gallery, Picasso, shirtless and in shorts, was standing on a ladder to reach the top of his canvas (画布). It reminds visitors of the real size of his masterworks.
1. What are the key features of the recent exhibit at the gallery?| A．Notebooks for sale. | B．Picasso’s artworks. |
| C．Priceless artistic drafts. | D．Masterpieces of the 20th century. |
| A．His life experience. | B．The love for his country. |
| C．The content of his books. | D．His education background. |
| A．Creative. | B．Diligent. | C．Optimistic. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Picasso used to mind his appearance. | B．The gallery exhibits real masterworks. |
| C．The documentary movie is worth seeing. | D．Picasso’s artworks are actually of great size. |
1. What interested Walt Disney about Clarence Nash?
| A．His character. | B．His appearance. | C．His voice. |
| A．Hard-working but bad-tempered. |
| B．Kind but impatient. |
| C．Lazy and greedy. |
| A．In the 1950s. | B．In the 1960s. | C．In the 1980s. |
| A．He became famous in 1933. |
| B．He only made Disney cartoons. |
| C．His image is still popular nowadays. |
5 . In February of 2022, Walter Orthmann was officially included into the Guinness Book of Records for having the longest career in the same company. On April 19, he turned 100, but the loyal (忠诚的) employee doesn’t plan to retire from the only company he has ever worked for.
Walter began working for Industrias Renaux S.A., a textile company in Brusque, when he was only 15 years old. He began as an assistant in the shipping department, but over the years, he was raised to the sales manager. During his 84-year-long career, Walter went on sales trips all over the world.
“You have to like to work. I started to work with that willingness and fighting spirit,” Walter Orthmann said, when asked what kept him going for over eight decades. “You can’t just do any job to say that you are working. That doesn’t work. You’re not going to be able to stand it.”
Recalling his beginnings with his company, Orthmann said that there were no computers, phones weren’t used at the company, and texts had to be typed on a typewriter and mailed. There was no public lighting, the streets were just dirt, which became muddy when it rained. There was no running water, and each house had its own well.
Everything is much easier today, Orthmann admits. All you need is a mobile phone and an internet connection, and you can do business from anywhere in the world. It’s thanks to technology that he is able to continue working, as he no longer travels like he used to.
Asked what advice he would give people dreaming of staying active and working late into their lives, Orthmann told Brazilian news site Globo: “Don’t be angry, do everything laughing. Just do what you like to do. Don’t have enemies. Apologize. Live calmly. Life is just a passage here on Earth, enjoy it and do what you want.”
1. What made Orthmann get the Guinness record?| A．His great contribution to Guinness. | B．His career time in one company. |
| C．His sales trips around the world. | D．His influence in business. |
| A．He always recalls the past. | B．He is tired of sales trips. |
| C．He keeps up with the times. | D．He started to work in the 1940s. |
| A．Positive and philosophical. | B．Moody and outspoken. |
| C．Ambitious and stubborn. | D．Hospitable and considerate. |
| A．A Forever Dream-Chaser | B．The World’s Most Loyal Employee |
| C．A Man Who Never Retires | D．The Oldest Employee in the World |
6 . From a young age, Allison Gilbert loved to write-and now the award-winning
Gilbert, 52, got
Gilbert was
The advice for aspiring writers Gilbert
| A．worker | B．farmer | C．gardener | D．journalist |
| A．empty | B．new | C．brave | D．tidy |
| A．Became | B．Pushed | C．Counted | D．Checked |
| A．in | B．at | C．about | D．after |
| A．pianists | B．columnists | C．patients | D．players |
| A．dressed | B．started | C．washed | D．killed |
| A．throw | B．stop | C．cover | D．bury |
| A．told | B．allowed | C．served | D．hugged |
| A．putting off | B．going through | C．turning down | D．taking up |
| A．pen | B．glove | C．poem | D．coin |
| A．money | B．soup | C．relief | D．research |
| A．empire | B．family | C．farm | D．factory |
| A．confused | B．terrified | C．inspired | D．relaxed |
| A．dream | B．book | C．friend | D．letter |
| A．taught | B．opened | C．trapped | D．attained |
| A．or | B．so | C．and | D．but |
| A．fixed | B．sent | C．given | D．lost |
| A．wasted | B．carried | C．guessed | D．shared |
| A．so that | B．until | C．because | D．whenever |
| A．write | B．avoid | C．sing | D．laugh |
7 . The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Louis E. Brus of Columbia University, and Alexei I. Ekimov of Nanocrystals Technology Inc. in New York for the discovery and development of quantum dots (量子点).
The three scientists each contributed to a fundamental discovery, according to officials from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards several of the prizes each year. The work they’ve done has already led to new technology in television screens and bio-imaging.
Reached by phone during a press conference early Wednesday morning, Bawendi offered a stream of reactions: “Shocked. Sleepy. Very unexpected. And very honored.”
In a rare event, the winners’ names were leaked to the Swedish media before the official announcement. But Bawendi said he’d been sound asleep, so he didn’t hear anything about it.
Quantum dots are particles (粒子) that are so incredibly small that their size actually starts to affect their properties. For example, blue quantum dots and red quantum dots can be made from the exact same material, with the only difference being the size of the particle itself. (The blue quantum dots are smaller than red ones.)
In fact, changing the size can alter (改变) many different properties beyond just color, which means that quantum dots could be useful for a variety of applications, including building better solar panels and perhaps even creating fuel by using sunlight.
The three scientists will share the prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor (close to$995,000) in equal parts. This is the third science-focused Nobel Prize to be awarded this week. On Tuesday, the physics prize was awarded to Anne L’ Huillier, Pierre Agostini and Ferenc Krausz. And on Monday, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman won the prize in physiology or medicine.
Officials plan to announce the literature prize on Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday. The economics prize will be awarded on Monday.
1. How did Bawendi feel when receiving the call early Wednesday morning?| A．Angry. | B．Surprised. | C．Bored. | D．Sorry. |
| A．The size of the particles. | B．The difference in materials. |
| C．The change in shapes. | D．The variety of applications. |
| A．The 2023 Nobel Prize in physics. | B．The 2023 Nobel Prize in medicine. |
| C．The 2023 Nobel Prize in literature. | D．The 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry. |
| A．A short story. | B．A diary entry. | C．A news report. | D．A research article. |
8 . Though Marley has loved soccer for as long as she can remember, her involvement in the game didn’t extend beyond kickabouts with her father and brothers. But that all changed in 2014 when one day her son came home from school and handed her a flier (传单), saying that his soccer coach had asked him to deliver it to her. “I’m reading it... like ‘Wait, Jamaica has a women’s football team? Where did this come from?’” she said.
Six years earlier, in 2008, underfunding had led to the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) disbanding the women’s national team program. The flier Marley’s son brought home was a fundraising request from the JFF to help restart the program. Marley got to work almost immediately, calling the JFF the following morning to ask what it needed.
“The needs were many,” Marley said, repeating the sentence as if to stress how dire the situation was. From travel and nutrition to accommodation and training camps, every area of the national team’s setup was in need of funding.
A skilled musician and multiple Grammy award-winning artist, Marley put her considerable musical talents to work. “My family came together with me. We recorded a song Strike Hard to raise funds,” she said.
Her efforts—and the work of countless others who were equally as committed to the cause—paid off as the women’s national team became the first Caribbean country to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.
Marley’s work has helped not only improve standards and conditions for players, but also shift the country’s attitude towards the women’s national team. “These girls have been told for a long time that women in sports, especially football in Jamaica, really weren’t that important,” Marley said. “Nobody wants to give us brand deals because it’s the female team. It’s so good now to see how all of that has changed dramatically, not just for our women, but around the world... and that makes me excited.”
1. How did Marley probably feel while reading the flier?| A．Astonished. | B．Disappointed. | C．Grateful. | D．Regretful. |
| A．Its coaches left the team. | B．Its players were unskilled. |
| C．It failed the football fans. | D．It lacked sufficient funds. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Terrible. | C．Fresh. | D．Stable. |
| A．Short-lived. | B．Negative. | C．Far-reaching. | D．Unidentifiable. |
9 . Located at the foot of the Wudang Mountains in China’s Hubei Province is the home of 64-year-old Marc Verlant, which possesses a fascinating collection of Chinese artifacts. The artfully arranged decorations such as miniatures (微缩模型) of ancient Chinese towers, traditional wooden carvings and Chinese paintings clearly convey that the house owner is trying to creatively explore and develop a better understanding of Chinese culture.
As a keen enthusiast of martial arts, Chinese architecture and history, this Frenchman is currently savoring his 19th year of living in a rural Chinese-style environment and finds it pleasant to live here. “Wudang is like my second home, and some locals say that I am almost a native of Wudang,” said Verlant.
The Wudang Mountains, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, are considered “the cradle of Tai Chi” and are home to numerous palaces and temples that show the wisdom and beauty of ancient China’s architecture. In 2004, to treat his body after an accident, Verlant moved here to learn Chinese martial arts, and gradually fell in love with martial arts as well as Wudang’s culture. For him, it all started when his French-language student, who was a local tour guide, aroused his interest in local culture. For years, he volunteered as a foreign-language interpreter and tour guide in the Wudang Mountains, sharing Wudang’s culture with tourists from across the world. During the past two decades, he has witnessed and experienced the rapid development of this mountainous region. “When I first arrived in Wudang, there was neither the high-speed railway nor the shuttle bus, and many foreigners didn’t know how to come here, ” he recalled.
The Frenchman’s enthusiasm inspired those around him. “I learned a lot about Wudang from Marc, and his positive attitude toward life also influenced me to be more outgoing and energetic,”said his wife, who is a native of Shiyan City, where the Wudang Mountains are located.
1. Why does the author mention the decorations of a house?| A．To sing the praises of traditional Chinese artifacts. |
| B．To highlight its owner’s insights into Chinese art. |
| C．To show its owner’s passion for Chinese culture. |
| D．To suggest the perfectly-matched decorating style. |
| A．Adjusting. | B．Exploring. | C．Rebuilding. | D．Enjoying. |
| A．He worked as a tour guide while teaching. |
| B．He contributed to the promotion of Wudang’s culture. |
| C．He became energetic under the influence of martial arts. |
| D．He offered great help to the development of the local economy. |
| A．A tourist attraction—Wudang. |
| B．An encounter with martial arts. |
| C．A journey of intercultural communication. |
| D．A French enthusiast of Wudang’s culture. |
10 . Debinha means “little Debs” in Portuguese (葡萄牙语) and she’s 1.57 metres tall. But she has no intention of getting too big for her football shoes. “Never go above someone else.” is her philosophy (人生哲学). Instead, she says, it’s better to be a mirror for someone else, and to always be learning from your teammates in whatever you choose to do. After all, she says, “I didn’t get here alone.”
From street football in a provincial town in southeast Brazil to one of the stars of the US National Women’s Soccer League and a mainstay of the Brazilian women’s team, Debinha, 31, has come a long way. She has appeared for her country more than 130 times and in 2022 was shortlisted for the Best FIFA Women’s Player award, the only South American to be nominated (提名). In addition to Brazilian clubs, she has played for teams in Norway and China, and is now with the Kansas City Current in the US. The greatest moment of her career so far has been standing for Brazil in the 2016 Olympic Games, when they were held in her home nation. This summer she was working hard for her second World Cup.
“I always liked to play ball,” says Debinha, who first started playing it at eight in the square outside the candy factory where her mother worked in their home town of Brasópolis. If she wasn’t playing in the street, she was taking extra physical, education classes after school. Her mother always supported her. “Today, as always, my mother is my number one fan. Seeing my family cheering for me on the field, and seeing my family experiencing that along with me, you couldn’t put a price on it,” she said.
1. What can we know about Debinha in paragraph 1?| A．She always wants to beat others. | B．She is open-minded and likes to learn |
| C．She is very proud and goes above others. | D．She has too big football shoes on matches |
| A．By space. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By comparing. | D．By listing reasons. |
| A．Her strong interest in ball. | B．Her family’s suggestions. |
| C．Her strong wish to win. | D．Her love to her motherland. |
| A．The difficulty Debinha met. | B．Support from a player’s mother. |
| C．A short introduction of Debinha. | D．The secret to success. |
