1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where was Mr Taylor’s latest book set?

A．In Egypt.

B．In Morocco.

C．In South Africa.

2. What was the worst thing that has ever happened to Mr Taylor?

A．Some wild animals attacked him.

B．His car broke down in a desert.

C．He almost died from lack of water.

3. What does Mr Taylor usually do in his free time?

A．He writes novels.

B．He relaxes at home.

C．He socializes with friends.

4. What is Mr Taylor’s plan for the future?

A．Keeping writing novels.

B．Working on a history book.

C．Traveling around the world.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How long did Roger Federer’s professional career last?

A．24 years.       .

B．17 years.

C．20 years.

2. What motivated Federer to keep on playing tennis?

A．The pressure from his competitors.

B．The high expectation from his parents.

C．The unforgettable matches he played on court.

3. Why was the 2017 Australian Open most unforgettable to Federer?

A．Because his belief and desire to win worked and helped.

B．Because he didn’t have enough rest before the match.

C．Because his family and team gave him a lot of support.

4. Which of the following best describes Federer?

A．Talkative and inspiring.

B．Talented and determined.

C．Modest and humorous.

3 . The Space-Time Painter, written by Chinese writer Hai Ya, won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette recently. Hai became the third Chinese winner of the world’s top award for science fiction writing, following sci-fi writers Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang.

The Space-Time Painter was inspired by a painting masterpiece, Qianli Jiangshan Tu by Wang Ximeng from the Song dynasty. Modeled on the life of Wang, Hai Ya has created the character of painting talent Zhao Ximeng. Zhao painted for an emperor more than 1,000 years ago.

After much pain and suffering, the painter’s mind abandons his physical body and enters a space. In the space, a modern police officer is investigating a case involving an ancient painting. The story exposes the social phenomenon of the period during which the painting was created.

Hai shared his source of inspiration for the award-winning book. “I watched a program named National Treasure and the detailed information of the painter of Qianli Jiangshan Tu was introduced. This interested me,” he said. He added that the painter was a gifted young man but was never seen again in history, which was an idea that could be explored with science-fiction. In this story, Hai did his best to balance the relationship among the plot, characters and history. He hoped to bring readers a mature work.

Hai, also a financial worker, thought himself more a sci-fi lover than a writer. “I write while doing my job, so I have very little time to write every day,” he said. “But I think as long as I love it and am willing to put effort into it, I will see hopes.”

1. How many Chinese writers have won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette?

A．1.

B．2.

C．3.

D．4.

2. What was the inspiration for Hai Ya’s The Space-Time Painter?

A．Qianli Jiangshan Tu.	B．Hai Ya’s sufferings.
C．A TV programme.	D．Zhao Ximeng’s experiences.

3. Which is the closest in meaning to “exposes” in paragraph 3?

A．Studies.

B．Uncovers.

C．Recalls.

D．Advertises.

4. What is Hai Ya’s attitude towards the science fiction writing?

A．Uninterested.

B．Disappointed.

C．Doubtful.

D．Positive.

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据上下文填写空白处所需的内容(1个单词)或所提供单词的正确形式。

It has been over 500 years     1     the first journey around the earth in 1521. Long before the invention of trains and planes, many thought it was impossible. It nearly was. The journey     2     (start) by a Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, but he never saw it finished.

Magellan was following in the footsteps of explorers like Christopher Columbus. He’d traveled from Spain to America in 1492 and encouraged others     3     (take) to the seas. But Magellan’s journey was even more daring. It was a journey around the whole world that would     4     (complete) show the still-questioned idea that the world was not flat, but round.

In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain,     5     he got support from the Spanish King, Charles V. But Spanish sailors didn’t feel like     6     (lead) by a Portuguese man.

After fighting storms, losing ships and many of his men turning against him and returning home, Magellan was killed in the Philippines by local people.

After Magellan’s     7     (die), his group continued in the only ship that was left. Along the way, they traveled across a new ocean and     8     (map) new paths for European trade. For better or     9     (bad), they had made the way for modern world trade and proved that the earth was round.

The passage Magellan’s team went through, between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was named after him: the Strait of Magellan, which is 570 kilometers long. His influence on the world did not end there. In 1989, NASA named     10     spacecraft after the explorer and sent it to Venus (金星).

5 . 听下面一段独白,回答以下小题。
1. When did Helen become deaf and blind?

A．In 1880.

B．In 1882.

C．In 1887.

2. How did Helen lean to say?

A．Miss Sullivan told her.

B．Miss Sullivan sat next to her.

C．Miss Sullivan spelled words in her hand.

3. Which is Helen’s most famous book?

A．Braille.

B．The Story of My Life.

C．Three Days to See.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Helen’s achievement.

B．Helen’s difficulty.

C．Helen’s life.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How did Sharapova tell the world she would leave her sporting world?

A．Through a friend.

B．Through an interview.

C．Through a magazine.

2. What caused Sharapova to stop playing tennis?

A．Her physical condition.

B．Her business.

C．Her age.

3. When did Sharapova win the US Open?

A．In 2004.

B．In 2006.

C．In 2012.

4. What is Sharapova like?

A．She’s humorous.

B．She’s self-centered.

C．She’s hard-working.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Which subject was Napoleon good at?

A．Painting.

B．Mathematics.

C．Physics.

2. When did Napoleon became famous?

A．At 16.

B．At 24.

C．At 19.

3. What did the soldiers think of Napoleon?

A．They wouldn’t die for him.

B．They disliked and were afraid of him.

C．They were willing to do everything for him.

4. In which war did Napoleon lose most of his army?

A．The war against Russia.

B．The war against England.

C．The war against South East Asia.

8 . Singer-songwriters write songs, but how do they do it? Where do musicians get their inspiration from? What comes first — the music or the lyrics (歌词)? It turns out that everyone has their own way of writing which works for them.

Bob Dylan

He is a musician with a unique musical style, which has been described as folk rock, gospel, country and jazz. He told the BBC that he gets a lot of his writing inspiration from novels like Don Quixote and Robinson Crusoe. He said “They give you a way of looking at life and understanding of human nature and a standard to measure things by.” He has had a career spanning six decades and has won many songwriting awards.

Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim, a musical theatre composer who died in 2021, said in an interview with The New Yorker that, when it comes to songwriting, the stress in a phrase is very important for him. “You can start writing a lyric, and then the inflection (变音) of the lyric suggests a tune.” Therefore, in his way of writing, the music and lyrics come at roughly the same time.

Taylor Swift

In 2022, Taylor Swift won a Songwriter-Artist of the Decade Award. In her speech, she said lyrics are her favourite part of songwriting. She describes the majority of her songs as having a “modern storyline or references, with a poetic twist” and commonly uses real life experiences and conversations as influence.

John Denver

Denver earned international reputation as a songwriter, performer, actor, environmentalist and humanitarian. John said, “I obtain endless muse from my experiences in environmental and humanitarian work.” John was one of the first artists to share an environmental message through his music.

1. What type of music does Stephen Sondheim compose?

A．Folk rock.

B．Musical play.

C．Country music.

D．Jazz.

2. Whose music conveys the message of nature protection?

A．Bob Dylan’s.

B．Stephen Sondheim’s.

C．John Denver’s.

D．Taylor Swift’s.

3. In which part of a newspaper can the text be found?

A．Culture.

B．Art.

C．Literature.

D．Language.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does John think of Amy’s poetry?

A．It is very classic.

B．It is very romantic.

C．It is very unique.

2. What day is the conversation probably taking place?

A．On Monday.

B．On Tuesday.

C．On Thursday.

3. What topic of poetry will the speakers read about this Thursday?

A．Love.

B．Nature.

C．Friendship.

4. Whose works will the speakers read this week?

A．Edgar Allen Poe’s.

B．Emily Dickinson’s.

C．Maya Angelou’s.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How many brothers and sisters did Grandma Moses have?

A．Five.

B．Ten.

C．Nine.

2. What did Grandma Moses spend most of her life doing?

A．Farming.

B．Painting.

C．Working at a drugstore.

3. Why did Grandma Moses paint at her old age?

A．To exhibit her artworks

B．to make money.

C．To pass the time.

4. When did Grandma Moses hold her first exhibition?

A．In 1930.

B．In 1940.

C．In 2000.