阅读理解

If you're looking for a new book to read, you're in luck-every October sees the most books published in a single day and this year it falls on October 12. These are some of the biggest new titles to pick up.

●A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett, priced £20. 

It contains 20 short stories written in the seventies and eighties in the last century. This delightful collection is inventive and engaging, often with a twisty end. The comedic fantasies that shape this book make a fun read. 

●A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand, priced £16. 99. Available now. 

It is a read attracting readers' curiosity to the end and the end is beyond expectation. The short chapters, complex characters, and beautifully yet scarily written descriptions make the novel an irresistible page-turner.

●Divine Might by Natalie Haynes, priced £20. Available now. 

You've likely heard their names — Hera, Demeter, The Furies — and you may think you know their stories. But Haynes' manages to give these well-known Greek goddesses a new voice by telling their story from a different view.

●Secrets of the Forest by Alicia Klepeis, illustrated by Kristen Adam, priced £14. 99. Available now. 

American children's author Alicia Klepeis has over 170 works for young audiences to her name, all with an educational angle. Through these delightful bite-sized bedtime stories, readers are guided to learn about the real biology and behavior of the incredible creatures. These stories should be treasured and handed down through generations to come.

1. （1） What do A Stroke of the Pen and A Haunting on the Hill have in common?

   A . Both are realistic. B . Both are scary. C . Both are on sale. D . Both have a surprise end.
3. （2） Which book is more likely to attract parents?

   A . A Stroke of the Pen. B . A Haunting on the Hill. C . Divine Might. D . Secrets of the Forest.
5. （3） Which of the following is true based on the passage?

   A . Elizabeth writes stories for children. B . Alicia is good at writing fairy tales. C . Divine Might tells old stories creatively. D . Every October 12th is the new book day.

 阅读理解

"If you're Italian and Swedish, and Daddy's Italian and Polish, " my 7-year-old daughter asked, "does that mean I'm part Swedish, Polish and Italian?"

"Well, not exactly. . . " I tried to think on my feet. Clearly it was time to explain some complicated things.

My daughter arrived by using a donated egg (卵子). I carried her to term, but she carries all her genes from my husband and the donor. Any similarities we share are a result of nurture rather than nature. I often experienced a sense of shame, as if I had cheated nature. I also feared that my daughter would feel disconnected or pull away from me once she knew everything. 

However, we didn't want the information to come from anyone but us. I had referred to many related researches and results showing such families have better outcomes when parents tell kids about their special arrival early on, ideally by the time they're 7 years old. On the day when she asked the question, I bought a book You Began as a Wish by Kim Bergman, which talks about all the different ways kids come.

After reading together, we talked a little longer about the different kinds of families we knew. I could see recognition in her warm brown eyes. "Could I be French? I love the Eiffel Tower and croissant (羊角面包)", she asked expectantly. I thought back to the information of the donor application. " "Actually, I think you are a little bit French. "

"Yes!" She pumped her fist in the air.

I know this is only the very beginning of these conversations, and things may be more complicated for my family from now on. But we get to work through whatever complications' arise together, without secrecy or shame.

1. （1） What does the underlined phrase "think on my feet" possibly mean?

   A . Lie easily. B . Respond carefully. C . Treat it casually. D . Run away quickly.
3. （2） What does the writer describe in the third paragraph?

   A . Her misfortune. B . Her plan. C . Her upset. D . Her regret.
5. （3） How did the writer possibly get prepared to solve the problem?

   A . Discussing openly. B . Reading widely. C . Waiting patiently. D . Thinking wisely.
7. （4） What kind of family does the writer have?

   A . Open and trustful. B . Happy and hardworking. C . Rich and caring. D . Brave and humorous.

 阅读理解

Since the growth of online streaming services like Netflix, subtitling (加字幕) has become something of an art. 

Subtitles started out as an accessibility feature for deaf audiences, and to translate foreign language films into your own. Of course, it's not just deaf audiences that subtitles help. The translated subtitles of foreign films are great for learning languages, letting you read and hear how it's pronounced at the same time. Movie subtitles are written ahead of time, but subtitling for live TV has to be done in the moment as the person is speaking, so mistakes are likely to happen. But because subtitles can be everything, from monster squelches (扑哧声) to bombs exploding, it's a great way to learn many things, such as new adjectives.

Subtitler Karli Witkowska explained how her choice of adjective creates emotion for the audience. Karli belongs to a team of subtitlers who try to make their descriptions as close as possible to the sounds they hear. Karli bases her descriptions on the film's type. The sound effects needed for a thriller like Strange Things-creaking (吱嘎) stairs and sudden screams-are very different from the sounds used in historical period dramas. This influences the adjective Karli chooses to describe a sound. For example, light-hearted and cheerful music might be described as jaunty-full of energy and confidence.

Another time, her team found exactly the right expression "gobsmacked silence". In this scene, the characters were about to gasp-take in a short, sudden, and quick breath of air without speech or sound in the scene, you are able to tell people that atmosphere. "So when my colleague came up with that one, I definitely gave him a big thumb-up", she said.

In fact, the phrase "gobsmacked silence" is so good that it goes viral (走红) and is being used in all kinds of situations.

1. （1） What does the writer want to convey about subtitling in Paragraph 2?

   A . It helps solve learning problems. B . It helps people to stay concentrated. C . It can be important and challenging. D . It improves ability of understanding.
3. （2） Which emotion does "gobsmacked silence" possibly express?

   A . Sad. B . Hopeful. C . Disappointed. D . Surprised.
5. （3） What does Karli think of her teammate's work?

   A . It needs improving. B . It's well done. C . It makes her speechless. D . It's very popular.
7. （4） Which of the following statement will Karli possibly agree with?

   A . Subtitling is difficult but fashionable. B . Subtitlers are often some strange persons. C . Subtitlers are those who create new words. D . Subtitling involves translating sounds accurately.

 阅读理解

Toy giant Lego has given up on plans to make its bricks from recycled bottles, in a blow to its efforts to cut carbon emissions (排放). The company said in 2021 that it aimed to reduce oil-based bricks within two years. But Monday's statement said it had found that using the new material didn't reduce carbon emissions. Lego said it remains fully devoted to developing sustainable materials for bricks.

The toy maker makes about 4, 400 different bricks. Currently, many of them are made using a plastic, ABS, mainly made from oil. The move, which was first reported in Financial Times, will be seen as a setback (挫折) after an open claim by Lego to improve its sustainability. Like many other companies, Lego has been exploring alternative materials to plastic that will be lasting enough for generations. In 2021, it said it had developed bricks made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, with some other chemicals added, to offer an alternative to oil-based bricks. 

But Lego has now discovered that after more than two years of testing, it had found that using recycled PET didn't reduce carbon emissions. It said extra steps were required in the production process, which meant it needed to use more energy. It has decided not to progress with making bricks from the material, and now testing and developing bricks made from a range of alternative sustainable materials.

Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of Lego, told the FT that it was hard to find "magic material" to fix the firm's sustainability challenges. "We tested hundreds and hundreds of materials. It's almost not been possible to find a material like that, " he said.

A spokesperson for the company told the BBC, "We are investing more than $1. 2bn in sustainability move in the four years to 2025 as part of our efforts to turn to more sustainable materials and reduce our carbon emissions by 37% by 2032. "

1. （1） What material has been Lego trying to replace?

   A . ABS.      B . PET.      C . Oil. D . Carbon.
3. （2） What did Lego find after the two-year test?

   A . It failed to achieve its desired goal. B . Carbon emission was under control. C . Pressure from competitors was huge. D . Added chemicals harm the environment.
5. （3） In which part of a newspaper can the text be found?

   A . Entertainment. B . Sports. C . Economy. D . Education
7. （4） What can be the best title of the passage?

   A . A New Announcement from Lego B . More Recycling, More Pollution C . Lego: Dropping Its Low-impact Act D . Lego: Firm Green Goal Despite failure

 根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

How To Be More Attractive

Having a beautiful face is hot but having a kind soul is hotter. Having visible success is hot but having invisible achievement is hotter. . After some research, I find some things that instantly attract me. 

Living with passion and purpose

People with purpose move differently. You can see confidence in their eyes, discipline in their action, and determination in their voice. When you come across such people, you're instantly drawn to them. . It leaves you with a whisper, "You've got this too".

Empathy & compassion (同理心)

The most attractive people are kind and ask for nothing back. It tells you a lot about a person when they help a stranger with directions, a homeless person with a meal, a friend with an immediate move and a family member with a listening ear. . 

People who are kind but say yes to everything are not kind. They are just people-pleasers who are constantly seeking agreement and have a hidden motive most of the time. They are never afraid to say no to unhealthy relationships and self-doubt. 

A sense of humor

You know that kind of person, right? The one who doesn't take themselves too seriously. . When talking with them, you'll find your guard naturally comes down, and that you're transported back to that childlike state. It's like that they accept you with all your flaws (瑕疵). This sense of comfort and acceptance is attractive.

A. Having bottom lines

B. Thinking before acting

C. These little things make a big difference

D. Charm is all about the treasure that lies within

E. Friendship is built on trust and help from one another

F. The one that can make you laugh until your stomach hurts

G. Their energy is so powerful that it lights up your own ambitions

 阅读下面短文, 从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中, 选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

In the vast ocean, nature wonders never stop to amaze us. On October 18th, in Australia, some beach goers 1  a mother humpback whale (座头鲸) and her kid too close to the beach, letting out loud screams, possibly getting 2 . They reported it to the rescuers 3 . 

Malcolm Smith and his rescue team 4  soon. They found the report was true — the two were far from their 5  route. During this time of every year, Antarctica 6  plentiful sources of food. The humpback whales 7  along the Western Australian coast, heading for 8  food in Antarctica. Smith tried a lot to guide them back but in vain. Suddenly, a group of dolphins came 9  through the water. They took the task upon themselves to 10  the hopeless situation. 

The amazing 11  was caught on video and shared on social media, leaving hundreds and thousands of viewers 12  the cooperation between these beautiful animals. In the video, as the dolphins 13 , the two whales follow willingly, gracefully swimming straight out, to their 14 . 

The remarkable sight reminds us of the unbelievable 15 that exist in the animal kingdom. "The clever dolphins must have heard the whales' helpless calls. " Smith said, "It is the 16 day of my life. " Smith said. The Dolphin Discovery Centre expressed their heartfelt 17 on social media to those who reported the 18 whales. This kind 19 is a reminder of the importance of working together in 20 the sea ecosystem and its brilliant animals.

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Shenzhou XVI crew returned to Earth on Tuesday morning, (conclude) a historic, five-month mission that also involved China's first civilian astronaut.

The spaceship's reentry capsule, carrying mission commander Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao, (touch) down at 8: 11 am at the Dongfeng Landing Site, where they received a brief interview. Jing, (seat) inside the capsule, said they were excited to return to our motherland that the orbital stay inside the Tiangong space station was a "very cool journey". He said his teammates performed excellently and managed (honor) their commitment to the motherland and the people. The mission was Jing's fourth spaceflight, making him China's (experienced) astronaut among all. Zhu said they co-worked well in completing various tasks (success). China's space station is always worth looking forward . Gui said he expected to return to the space station to continue his scientific explorations.

After the interview, the astronauts were transported into special vehicles for detailed (assess) of their health, after which they were to start their medical quarantine (隔离), health observation and recovery. 

For the next six months, Tiangong will be manned by the Shenzhou XVII staff,  arrived at the space station on Thursday evening. 

 第一节短文改错(共10小题;每小题1分, 满分10分)

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误, 每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(^), 并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2. 只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起)不计分。

Anyone who is on the way to success will be faced with difficulties. The key point is not to make complaints and to find a properly way out. My best friend, Tom, is a excellent example. In Senior One, nobody knew that the difficulty he had working out math problems. To tell you the true, more often than not, he feels math was too hard to learn well. With great determination, she went to his math teacher, Jackson, to help. Jackson did what he could help him out of trouble. We can see what determined and diligent a boy Tom is. Now math has become a piece of cake for him. 

 第二节书面表达

入冬以来，很多同学因为寒冷或者忙于学业，久坐不动。假设你是校报专栏"English Corner"的记者李华，你决定写一篇英文倡议书，呼吁大家做一些方便简单的运动。内容主要包括：1. 目前现象；2. 具体建议；3. 发出倡议。

注意：1. 词数：100词左右。2. 可以适当增加细节, 使行文连贯。

Dear fellow students, 

Li Hua