听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Why is the baobab’s trunk really fat?

A．It is shaped by people.

B．It stores a large quantity of water.

C．It must be strong enough to support the tree.

2. What is the full height of a baobab?

A．About 12 metres.

B．About 15 metres.

C．About 30 metres.

3. What are baobabs often used as nowadays?

A．Shops.

B．Wildlife habitats.

C．Bus shelters.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where are the speakers?

A．At a travel agency.

B．At a train station.

C．At school.

2. What is the most convenient way to travel around Europe?

A．By car.

B．By plane.

C．By train.

3. Which country are the two speakers both going to visit?

A．Italy.

B．Germany.

C．France.

We The Curious

Formerly known as At-Bristol, this harbourside science museum relaunched in 2017 as We The Curious to better reflect its mission to get kids to ask questions and engage in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Stem subjects) in creative ways.

Best things about it

My kids don’t shy away from telling me if they think a museum is boring but here they were too busy rushing from one hands-on exhibit to the next to have any such complaint. They dressed up as bees to catch pollen (花粉) made cheese, watched ice form, weighed human brains and stretched out strips of DNA to compare the genetic sequence (基因序列) of a monkey and an armadillo.

Value for money?

Given that the science museums in London, Manchester and Newcastle are free, it does jar (不一致) having to pay £14.50 for adults and £9.50 for kids (aged 3—15) to get in. Kids under 3 are free. I did have to push them out the door at the end of the day. Weeks on, they still refer back to things they learnt there.

Getting there

We The Curious is near the National Cycle Network (routes 3, 4, and 33). The museum has lots of bicycle parking. Alternatively, it’s a 10-minute walk from Bristol Temple Meads railway station or a five-minute taxi ride or 17-minute ferry ride. If driving, follow the We The Curious brown signs and park at the Millennium Square car park for free.

Opening hours

Monday to Friday 10 am—5 pm, 10 am-6 pm at weekends and Bristol school holidays; closed 24—26 December.

1. What highlights We The Curious?

A．A long and splendid history.	B．Mental health support for children.
C．Educational and fun activities.	D．A hands-on products exhibition.

2. How much would a couple with their 5-year-old twin sons pay for admission?

A．£29.

B．£33.5.

C．£38.5.

D．£48.

3. What do we learn from the passage?

A．It charges parking fees.	B．It opens all year round.
C．It is conveniently located.	D．It offers many types of bikes.

Having spent more than a decade on the dance floor, ROME — Niccolo Filippi, a 23-year-old Italian dance performer, recently decided to explore Chinese culture and its traditional dance forms and believes that this experience will not only boost his career, but also broaden his horizons beyond the world of dance.

His interest in diversifying his skills grew after he stumbled upon a short video of traditional Chinese-styled dance on YouTube. “I saw it as an art that combines tradition and modernity, which was mostly the reason why I liked it,” says Filippi.

Ever since, he has been closely following Chinese dance performers and watching numerous videos to learn more about the traditional style that he admires. “I prefer the traditional style because of its light movements. It also reflects my personality with elegance,” he adds.

Filippi’s chance came when he was invited to perform for a Chinese New Year celebration in the central Italian city of Florence. He has since fully committed himself to the art form, learning several pieces and putting his newfound passion into practice.

“The biggest difference that I found (compared to other disciplines) is the change of mood and emotional expressions among dances,” says Filippi, adding that he needed to shift from the dynamic moves of hip-hop to the graceful and fluid movements of Chinese dance. Despite various obstacles, Filippi’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Two of his friends shared videos of his performances on social media, and the response was overwhelming. One video garnered 500,000 views, while the other received 200,000 views.

Filippi believes that learning about different cultures is priceless, and he sees it as a means of personal growth. “I like to think of a person as a book,” he says. “Embracing different traditions and cultures, such as Chinese culture and many others, is like adding new chapters to my book, making it more diverse and wonderful.”

1. What is the main reason why Filippi falls in love with traditional Chinese dance?

A．Its potential to boost his career.	B．Its mix of traditional and modern elements.
C．Its graceful and light movements.	D．Its true reflection of his elegant personality.

2. How does the author illustrate the popularity of Filippi’s videos?

A．By listing numbers.	B．By giving an example.
C．By sharing a story.	D．By making a comparison.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Filippi thinks little of learning from other cultures.

B．People prefer to write down their past experiences.

C．Accepting various cultures boosts personal growth.

D．A book with chapters on traditions is more wonderful.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Chinese-styled dance videos go viral on social media.

B．An Italian’s dance journey towards specialization starts.

C．Filippi’s desire for Chinese culture extends beyond dance.

D．An Italian dancer shows passion for Chinese-styled dance.

Some talk of building settlements on the moon or mars to help make sure humanity survives long into the future. Others have their sights set closer to home: on future cities under the ocean.

“Technologically speaking, it is absolutely possible to colonize the bottom of the sea,” says Fabien Cousteau, a well-known ocean explorer who once spent 31 days living in what is now the world’s only functioning undersea habitat, Aquarius. It’s about the size of a school bus and located 62 feet below the ocean surface off the Florida Keys.

Just as astronauts test what it would be like to live in space, aquanauts try out undersea living with an eye on the future. Escaping from disasters such as climate change, wars, or pandemics is one reason to live under the sea. Others include studying, exploring, or appreciating the ocean. It’s costly and expensive to constantly keep up an ocean habitat which must pump in or make its own air, electricity, and fresh water. Inhabitants have to deal with high pressure. And infections can develop rapidly due to high humidity.

Despite the challenges, several new ocean habitats and cities are under construction. A series of space station-like undersea living quarters for aquanauts called Proteus are scheduled to be completed by 2025 off Curacao, an island north of Venezuela in South America. An undersea colony called Ven Base Alpha will be built near a hydrothermal vent, which would supply it with energy. Meanwhile, an undersea city called Ocean Spiral in Japan would link its surface to the deep sea, using the difference in pressure to generate energy and produce fresh water. This sounds amazing, but it would be extremely expensive and remains just a design.

Not everyone agrees that building homes in the ocean is a good idea. This type of development could place even more strain on ecosystems that are already struggling with pollution and climate change. It’s important to make sure that any construction is done carefully, says Susanne Menden-Deuer, an oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island. Wild undersea habitats should be treated as “the precious, irreplaceable resource that they are,” she says.

1. What do we know about Aquarius?

A．It is still under construction.

B．It functions as an undersea school bus.

C．It is the only ocean habitat in operation.

D．It only allows a person to live there for 31 days.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The present and future of living under the sea.

B．The reasons and challenges of living under the sea.

C．The purpose and cost of building undersea settlements.

D．The problems and findings of building undersea settlements.

3. What would be the result of building homes in the ocean according to the text?

A．Rapid development of undersea habitats.

B．Protection of irreplaceable ocean resource.

C．Negative impacts on undersea ecosystems.

D．Struggles with pollution and climate change.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A textbook.

B．An exam paper.

C．An academic article.

D．A science magazine.

We may weep for the dodo, but could and should we bring this lovely bird back from the dead? De-extinction is the science of restoring lost species and it has been in the news for decades.

The story in modern times began in 1990 when Michael Crichton published his science fiction novel Jurassic Park, in which he imagined a world where scientists were able to bring dinosaurs back to life. Crichton imagined that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology could be a way to amplify (放大) tiny quantities of dinosaur DNA and thus build a living embryo.

Sadly, biologists soon realized that DNA in fact breaks down super-fast; even after 100 years, DNA from museum skins of dodos was decayed (腐烂) beyond repair. They could be sequenced (测定序列) using massive computational power, but then only with considerable uncertainty. And even if you capture a DNA sequence, there’s still the problem of how you get living cells to read that sequence and express proteins that make the dinosaur or the dodo.

But why would anyone want to see mammoths, or something like them, roaming (漫游) present-day Siberia? Well, they were undoubtedly amazing beasts. As well as hunting them, our distant ancestors painted their likenesses in caves across Europe. Fascinating as they may be, there's some ecological justification for the project too.

It was this diversity of land surface, broken up by heavy limbs and randomly fertilised by faeces (排泄物), that supported so much flora (植物群). Without the mammoths, that diversity disappeared. Return them and landscapes would once again be with a variety of species, including flowers and bushes.

True, it’s not de-extinction in the sense of bringing a long-dead species back to life. Instead it’s more like making a “dodo” by engineering a modern pigeon, its closest relative, to become huge and flightless. The result would be a big, fatty pigeon that, whether it looked like a dodo or not, would probably fulfil some of its ecological roles.

As a palaeontologist, I would of course love to see living dinosaurs, mammoths and dodos. In some ways, though, I am relieved that the optimistic claims for cloning and genetic technologies have not been borne out. The slowdown gives us time to consider the outcomes—and hopefully avoid some of Michael Crichton’s more fevered imaginings.

1. What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about?

A．A science fiction review.	B．The development of DNA.
C．An inspired guess of de-extinction.	D．The application of PCR technology.

2. What’s the barrier to cloning a living embryo?

A．DNA is hard to keep for long.	B．Computational power is limited.
C．Biologists are opposed to it.	D．Living cells can􀆳t be sequenced.

3. Why are people interested in cloning extinct species?

A．They expect to seek hunt fun.	B．They lack sources of modern art.
C．They need them for research.	D．They want to see biodiversity.

4. What’s the author’s attitude toward cloning extinct species?

A．Cautious.

B．Unclear.

C．Dismissive.

D．Approving.

Adaptations are currently popular in the movie industry. We’re all familiar with film adaptations of books.     1     Book adaptations of films aren’t that common, but it’s a medium that certainly takes skills to master.

The most well-known version of a film being adapted to books is via the novelisation (小说化). Movie novelisations went through a boom period before the internet era. Fans wanted to know more about the fictional worlds and experience the story again in a new way.     2     Thus, the novelisation was a great solution.

Meanwhile, the screen to page process has also opened up the possibility of sequels (续篇). Perhaps there simply wasn’t financial investment to create a follow-up to a film. Maybe a sequel idea simply felt more appropriate for a novel.     3     In recent years for example, the film Heat, released in 1995 has received its own novel. ET: The Book of the Green Planet continued the extra-terrestrial’s journey after the completion of the film’s narrative.

But what are the benefits of reading a novel instead of waiting for the big screen version? Well, a novel can take its reader deeper into the mind of the characters that the film had to represent in a more visual way.     4     Although a film might characterize a fantastic scene or a specific costume choice, it doesn’t always tell why those things are important. Novelisations and sequels can take that extra step and shine a light on some of those movie-making choices.

Book adaptations of films obviously won’t ever replace cinema, and there’s no need to choose one or the other.     5    

A．But what about book adaptations of films?

B．Besides, descriptions can be more detailed too.

C．For a time, they were everything for cinema lovers.

D．Films being adapted to books has been talked repeatedly.

E．But they couldn’t simply google it, or immediately purchase the production on tape.

F．Regardless, some terrific films have been expanded upon thanks to this medium.

G．Actually, these two mediums are considerably interdependent and complementary.

Jen is a 39-year old community dancer with Down’s Syndrome(唐氏综合征). She is the founder of Dance Syndrome, a nonprofit organization that brings together _______ dancers and make them feel equal to everyone.

Dancing has always been in her veins. As a young girl, Jen seized every opportunity to dance with full _______ both in the morning and during her 10 minutes of _______ before bedtime. The dynamic workout would keep her _______ all day long.

Life hasn’t been straightforward for Jen. She was _______ by a number of dance clubs in primary school and encountered numerous _______ while pursuing her passion for dance. Despite these challenges, her ambition to share her love for dance and _______ disabled individuals in the art grew stronger.

After leaving school at 18, Jen spent over 10 years searching _______ for opportunities to be trained as a dance leader. Eventually, she had to give up and decided to try her own way, not knowing where it might lead!

Despite the _______, Dance Syndrome was established in 2009. Jen and her fellow disabled dance leaders took ________ of the charitable organization, working alongside non-disabled dance artists who helped them work more professionally.

Over the decade, Dance Syndrome has ________ thousands of disabled dancers, cultivating an environment where every person is recognized as equal, ________ and accepted for who they are. The year 2019 witnessed Jen ________ for the third time as a member of Shaw T rust’s Disability Power 100. She is a living proof that ________ can come from unexpected places and that disabled individuals can ________ society in extraordinary ways.

1.

A．confusing

B．disabled

C．talented

D．clumsy

2.

A．energy

B．fear

C．speed

D．courage

3.

A．concentration

B．imagination

C．relaxation

D．celebration

4.

A．exhausted

B．astonished

C．motivated

D．refreshed

5.

A．held back

B．left alone

C．looked after

D．turned down

6.

A．consequences

B．barriers

C．friends

D．experiences

7.

A．discover

B．employ

C．engage

D．entertain

8.

A．in particular

B．in return

C．in vain

D．in advance

9.

A．frustration

B．progress

C．curiosity

D．uncertainty

10.

A．possession

B．charge

C．advantage

D．control

11.

A．supported

B．praised

C．paid

D．added

12.

A．valued

B．envied

C．united

D．rewarded

13.

A．regarded

B．listed

C．interviewed

D．expected

14.

A．inspiration

B．friendship

C．teamwork

D．leadership

15.

A．contribute to

B．adapt to

C．belong to

D．live up to

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。

Known as the roof of the world, the Tibet Autonomous Region has witnessed steady progress in economic and    1    (society) development.

To promote    2    (it) splendid natural scenery and rich cultural heritage,    3    5th China Xizang Tourism and Culture Expo was held from June 16 to 18 in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet and was attended by 612 companies from home and abroad. Xizang is the name of Tibet in Chinese.

“This international tourism and cultural expo aims to build a professional and international exhibition platform to showcase the    4    (beautiful) of Tibet’s ecology, culture, history and the new achievements of socialism modernization of the region,” Hu Heping, minister of culture and tourism, said when addressing the opening ceremony of the expo.

    5    (host) by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the government of Tibet Autonomous Region, various activities    6    (launch) including a keynote forum and a tourism marketing promotion conference.

At the event, six scenic counties—Markham, Bomi , Metog , Tsona, Dingri and Burang—were highlighted, offering a diverse range of natural    7    (wonder) in the region, such as snowcapped mountains, vast grasslands, deserts, lakes and glaciers. All are along the national highway G219, the    8    (long) such route in the country,    9    covers more than 10,000 kilometers.

Tibet welcomed 288.4 million visitors from all over the world from 2012 to 2022,    10    (generate ) tourism revenue of nearly 375.3 billion yuan.

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。

Mohan was excited. His father had finally declared him old enough to help take the sheep to herd. It was no ordinary herding, though. Mohan and his father and other shepherds (牧羊人) moved high up into the mountains and stayed on the pastures (牧场) with their flocks for six long months.

It was not an easy life. Far away from home, the men were surrounded by forests that were filled with dangerous animals, such as bears, tigers, and leopards (豹) .

As Mohan bid his mother and sister goodbye, he tried to look as grown-up as possible. Mohan, his father, and their sheepdog, Sona, set off along the dusty track with their sheep. Soon they were joined by other shepherds and their flocks. The group climbed for three days until they reached the half-dry bed of a river. “Let’s part up here,” said the oldest shepherd.

Mohan and his father, along with Kishan, a neighbor, took their sheep northward. As night fell, everything seemed peaceful. Mohan sat closer to Sona for warmth. His father and Kishan had taken their flocks to different ends of the pasture.

Suddenly, Sona started to bark. Mohan looked up to see his father’s sheep rushing down the slope. Something was wrong. He waited for the sheep to reach him. Then he turned to Sona and said, “Stay and guard the sheep. I must look for Father.”

Mohan picked up a lantern and his shepherd’s stick and hurried in the direction from which the sheep had come. “Father, where are you?” he called out. Then came another sound that froze Mohan’s blood. Mohan shouted,” Father!” A steady voice answered, “I’m here.”

Mohan rushed up a slope and almost fell into a ditch (沟) on the other side. He stopped just in time and found himself looking straight into the eyes of a snow leopard. Mohan was frozen with terror.

“Mohan, use your lantern.” His father’s voice shook Mohan’s fear out of him. Mohan looked down and saw his father lying in the ditch, holding a lamb.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Mohan knew he had to act fast.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mohan put out the fire and then climbed into the ditch.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________