2026 届最新高考模拟三轮冲刺卷（全国通用）
阅读理解15 篇（记叙文）
Passage 1
After ten years in London, I recently relocated to Berlin, and as is customary when making new friends, the
question “Where are you from?” tends to come up. My honest answer would be, “I don’t really know.”
The truth is, most of us TCKs (Third Culture Kids) — a term coined to describe “children who move
between cultures before they have had the opportunity to fully develop their personal and cultural identity” — had
no choice growing up but to follow our parents around the world. We’d often be told, “Pack your bags, kids.
We’re moving!” and in the blink of an eye, everything would change.
By the time I was 18, I had changed schools 10 times, moved countries at least 6 times, acquired a
confusing accent, and developed both a love of travel and a desire for stability.
Being an Indonesian-Italian, I often felt an identity crisis weighing on me in my teens.
Moving to a new country after spending ten years in the UK — the longest I have lived anywhere — has
brought back feelings of this cultural confusion. Growing up as a TCK isn’t as charming as many people would
expect. It is both a blessing and a curse(诅咒), beautiful but unpredictable, and full of adventures. This lack of
roots and stability will likely cause issues later in life.
Yet kids are adaptable. After overcoming culture shock, you start to adjust and see the bigger picture. You
learn that the world is much bigger than you, and that your problems are small. You also learn responsibility,
respect different beliefs, and form your own opinions.Making friends and then losing touch teaches you that
everything is temporary.
Growing up as a TCK, you rarely realize how adaptable you are, until your older friends often comment on
how “wise and mature” you are for your age. Travelling from a young age opens your eyes and teaches that
diversity is nothing to be afraid of. Growing up as a TCK was tough, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It has
shaped me to be the person that I am today — an actual “citizen of the world”.
1．How does the author usually respond to “Where are you from”?
A．By stating her nationality directly.
B．By admitting her uncertainty honestly.
C．By explaining the TCK concept briefly.
D．By describing her experiences in detail.
2．What does the author say about TCKs’ childhood?
A．They enjoyed planning their moves.
B．They resisted their parents’ decisions.
C．They maintained their personal lifestyle.
D．They were forced to adapt to sudden changes.
3．Which of the following can best describe TCKs’ experiences?
A．Easy and fulfilling.
B．Peaceful and predictable.
C．Routine but eye-opening.
D．Adventurous but beneficial.
4．What can be a suitable title for the text?
A．Growing up as a TCK
B．Challenges for Migration
C．How to Become a Global Citizen
D．How to Adapt to Diverse Cultures
Passage 2
The “Global Positioning System”, or GPS, is used by billions of people around the world every day. It
allows users to determine their exact location anywhere on Earth. Until recently, however, very few people knew
that GPS would not exist without the work of Gladys West. Her contributions to the US Navy helped make GPS a
reality.
Ms. West, a black mathematician and computer programmer, grew up working on a farm in Virginia. She
was born in 1930, when Black people in the US were treated as if they were not equal to white people. When it
was time for her to get educated, Ms. West attended a one-room school, a place whose conditions everyone can
imagine, along with other Black children. Nevertheless, the young girl came to realize the vital importance that
education held in one’s life. Having studied with great effort, she eventually won a scholarship to Virginia State
College and obtained her bachelor’s degree in mathematics upon graduation.
In 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower made it possible for Black people to hold US government jobs. In
the following year, she took part in a project designed to determine the precise shape of the Earth. As part of her
work, Ms. West had to program one of the world’s first supercomputers. Her work helped create an extremely
precise mathematical model of the Earth’s shape. The exact model was used to plan the orbits of satellites for the
GPS system. Though GPS was developed for the US military, it has wound up helping people around the world
every day.
Ms. West continued to work at the lab for 42 years, until she retired in 1998. But she didn’t just stay at
home after that. She went back to school and got a Ph.D ．In spite of Ms. West’s success, she wasn’t really
recognized for her work until 2018, when she won several awards — a delay rooted in the gender and racial
discrimination she endured in her career.
1．What can we learn about Gladys West from her early life?
A．She lived a wealthy childhood.
B．She cared about social fairness.
C．She had a hunger for knowledge.
D．She hoped to be a mathematician.
2．Why was Gladys West’s work important for GPS?
A．Because it improved GPS device performance.
B．Because it designed early man-made satellites.
C．Because it discovered rules of space movement.
D．Because it supported GPS satellite orbit planning.
3．What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．Female efforts deserve more recognition.
B．Great achievements can be easily ignored.
C．Science shapes the progress of modern society.
D．We need more outstanding female researchers.
4．What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A．To honour an unsung pioneer.
B．To stress the importance of education.
C．To introduce the development of GPS.
D．To describe the US working conditions.
Passage 3
Frida Kahlo remains one of the most iconic and influential artists of the 20th century — not merely for her
paintings, but for the extraordinary life she lived. With her traditional Mexican dresses, and a resolute gaze that
meets viewers, she created art that was deeply personal yet universally resonant ( 产生共鸣的). “My painting
contains in it the message of pain,” she once said.
Kahlo’s childhood was marked by adversity. At six, she was infected with polio, which caused her right leg
a slight limp. Yet the young Frida was spirited and unbowed. Her life transformed at 18 when a bus accident left
her seriously injured: her spine was broken in three places, her pelvis crushed, and her right leg shattered in eleven
places. She would later remark with characteristic dark humor that the accident “took my virginity ( 贞洁)”.
During months in bed, her mother placed a mirror above her and gave her paints. “I paint myself because I am
often alone and because I am the subject I know best,” she explained. Painting became both a lifeline and a means
of documenting her reality.
Frida Kahlo produced around 200 paintings, most of them self-portraits. Though some called her a
Surrealist, Kahlo fiercely rejected the label. “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality,” she insisted. Her
work mixed Mexican folk art with raw honesty about her suffering. In The Broken Column (1944), she showed
herself with a cracked spine held together by nails. Even her medical corsets ( 束身衣) that limited her body
became canvases — she painted butterflies on them. André Breton, the leader of the Surrealist movement,
described her work as “a ribbon around a bomb’’.
Kahlo transformed suffering into art and personal tragedy into universal statements about the human
condition. More than six decades after her death, she continues to attract audiences because she remains utterly
herself.
1．What makes Frida Kahlo an influential figure?
A．Her personal paintings.
B．Her art and life story.
C．Her traditional dresses.
D．Her pain and struggle.
2．Why did Kahlo reject the Surrealist label?
A．Because her art was based on her real life.
B．Because she preferred to be called a folk artist.
C．Because she claimed to be a painter of dreams.
D．Because her work was too universal for the label.
3．What does Andre Breton imply by describing Kahlo’s work as “a ribbon around a bomb” in paragraph 3?
A．Kahlo’s art shows more pain than beauty.
B．Kahlo’s art turns bombs into ribbons.
C．Kahlo’s art combines beauty with suffering.
D．Kahlo’s art features ribbons and bombs.
4．Which of the following best describes Kahlo?
A．Tough and creative.
B．Humorous and easy-going.
C．Dynamic and generous.
D．Optimistic and self-centered.
Passage 4
If there’s one sound which represents everything there is to fall in love with on safari (观兽旅行), it’s the
roar of a lion at nightfall. I heard it one evening in the Qwabi Private Game Reserve, where the Waterberg
mountains spill outward like an unfolding story.
We’d just watched a remarkable stand-off: lionesses baring teeth and muscle to a dominant male who’d
wandered too close. The roars came first, then a sudden, striking charge. Paws (爪子) flew and their breath hung
in the air over the grasslands, before the male eventually turned and dropped to the ground in frustration. It was
pure theatre, to which we had front-row seats.
The Waterberg is a place of quiet success. A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2001, this 654, 000-hectare
region is one of South Africa’s best-kept safari secrets. It’s a region where conservation feels like a lived value.
Thanks to collaboration between private reserves, landowners and anti-poaching units, the region has recorded
some of the lowest rhino poaching statistics in the country.
Head guide Damien Fourie was extensive in his knowledge and boyishly excited about every sight and
sound. After careful tracking, we came across a group of lions resting beneath a thorn tree, their bodies exposed
only by the swinging of a tail. And when we spotted a two-week-old white rhino walking unsteadily beside its
mother later on the drive, he was as thrilled as we were.
Still, even if you see nothing but sky and silence, the Waterberg delivers. On our final morning, after a
night of rain, I skipped the game drive in favor of a coffee on the deck. I watched the steam rise as the morning
sun warmed the valley. The end of my time in the bush came with no distant lion roars, no whispering packs, no
newborn rhino. Not every safari needs a drumroll ending. Sometimes, a slow, misty morning and a quiet deck tick
all the boxes.
1．What did the author witness about the lions?
A．Their playful race.
B．Their staged show.
C．Their fierce conflict.
D．Their hunting attempt.
2．What do the underlined words “a lived value” in paragraph 3 mean?
A．A key concept.
B．A public image.
C．An ignored idea.
D．An active practice
3．Which of the following best describes Damien?
A．Calm and distant.
B．Informed and passionate.
C．Dynamic and creative.
D．Adventurous and visionary.
4．What does the author think of the safari?
A．It displayed racial harmony.
B．It had a disappointing ending.
C．It revealed why she loved nature.
D．It satisfied what she could hope for.
Passage 5
Last April, after I published an essay about poetry as part of National Poetry Month, an editor told me he’d
often thought that the world would be a better place if we had a poem delivered to our doorstep each morning
instead of a newspaper. As a newspaperman, I’m not ready to discourage readership of each day’s edition, but
maybe there’s something to be said for reading a newspaper and a poem each morning.
All of that has led to a small experiment. In an effort to keep a little poetry in my life long after National
Poetry Month had passed, I decided to read at least one poem a day after reading through the newspaper over
breakfast. Thanks to two digital services that deliver poetry right to my email inbox, it’s been an easy decision to
keep.
Many public radio listeners are familiar with The Writer’s Almanac, a five-minute broadcast hosted by
Garrison Keillor that airs on lots of stations around the country. Each day’s edition includes a handful of facts
about literary anniversaries, along with a short poem that Keillor recites. Fans can also have the text of each
program emailed to them every day, along with a link to the broadcast recording.
The Academy of American Poets has its own poem-day feature, called “Poem-a-Day”. Launched during
National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day highlights new and previously published poems by contemporary
poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends.
Since subscribing to both services last April, I’ve enjoyed receiving poems each morning. Reading at least
one poem a day has also been like an intellectual vitamin, giving me a brief taste of literature even on busy days.
Last April, I wondered if I could remind myself to read a poem each morning. Now, deep in summer, I wonder if I
could ever do without it.
1．What did the editor think of poetry?
A．It could improve our daily life.
B．It was as important as newspapers.
C．It had a small but faithful readership.
D．It should be composed in the morning.
2．How did the author conduct his experiment?
A．By listening to radios and writing emails.
B．By contributing poems to a newspaper.
C．By creating resolutions over breakfast.
D．By making use of online services.
3．What can be learned about The Writer’s Almanac?
A．It is available nationwide on radio stations.
B．It mails paper poems to its fans daily.
C．It provides recordings of classic poems only.
D．It focuses on introducing new poets daily.
4．What does the last paragraph reveal about the author?
A．It has taken years for him to love literature.
B．He is wondering how to continue his conduct.
C．He has developed a deep appreciation for poetry.
D．It has benefited him a lot as a newspaperman.
Passage 6
Dr. Marie-Luce Chevalier, a Belgian/French geologist ( 地质学家), has been working as a research
professor at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing since 2010.
For the past 14 years, she has been studying active faults (活断层) in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and how
they move. In 2021, Chevalier was presented with the Chinese Government Friendship Award in appreciation of
her contributions to the development of China’s disaster assessment system of earthquake and the promotion of
cooperation and exchanges between China and other countries.
Chevalier’s choice of China as a research destination was not made by chance. Her research has primarily
focused on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. She had also collaborated ( 合作) with Chinese scientists from the
beginning of her master’s program. “When they asked if I wanted to join their team after my post-doctorate, I
gladly accepted and have no regrets. My fourteen years in China have provided me with a constant source of fresh
personal and professional experiences,” she said, adding that her mother’s interest in Chinese culture contributed
to her decision to work in the country.
Chevalier will continue to research active faults in and around Xizang actively and contribute to our
understanding of how past climate developed to work towards predicting future climate change, another topic near
and dear to her heart. She will accomplish this by conducting field research, sharing her findings with scientific
community, teaching students who will become tomorrow’s scientists, and raising awareness among local
populations about the risks they may face in their lifetime.
Chevalier’s mother went to Xizang once, realizing her lifelong dreams. Chevalier keeps raising her
daughter in this safe and highly international environment, Beijing. When people ask her daughter where she is
from at four years old, she proudly answers, “China!” Chevalier wants to learn more about the Chinese language
and culture, continue to enjoy the happiness of the Chinese people, and look forward to seeing what China
achieves next!
1．What achievement did Chevalier get?
A．She established the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
B．She launched the research on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.
C．She developed earthquake prediction system for China.
D．She won the Chinese Government Friendship Award.
2．What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A．When Chevalier began her master’s program.
B．What Chevalier experienced in China.
C．Why Chevalier bases her research in China.
D．How Chinese culture has affected Chevalier.
3．Which of the following best describes Chevalier?
A．Professional and devoted.
B．Sympathetic and open minded.
C．honest and careful.
D．Innovative and modest.
4．Why does Chevalier mention her daughter in the text?
A．To highlight China’s secure environment.
B．To prove her close family connections.
C．To advocate Chinese learning.
D．To emphasize her bond with China.
Passage 7
It was in my second year in college. One day, Dr Simpson was lecturing, and we were dutifully taking
notes. Suddenly he stopped and fixed a cold stare on a student in the second row. The student stared back, crossed
his arms over his chest, and lifted his chin.
“What is your problem, young man?” the professor demanded. “You,” the student replied. “Me?” “Yeah,
you and the boring course you’re teaching.” I sat in terror and surprise. I had never seen such a scene.
“Get out of my class!” Dr Simpson thundered. The student snatched up his books and headed toward the
classroom door. The door slammed shut, and Dr Simpson continued his lecture. I didn’t hear a word he said. My
complete attention was on the student who had stormed out of the room.
Five minutes or so went by; Dr Simpson stopped his lecture. He scanned the class and asked, “What have I
been lecturing about for the last five minutes?” I didn’t know. Nobody knew. The class was silent. Then, Dr
Simpson said, “John, go tell Fred that he can come back in.”
As Fred was making his way back to his seat, Dr Simpson thanked him and complimented him on an
excellent acting job. As it turned out, they had cooked it up ahead of time.
We sat in stunned silence.
And then, Dr Simpson said something I would never forget. “You weren’t listening to my lecture. None of
you were. You were all thinking about Fred and our little dust-up. Remember that when you start teaching, any
time there is a disruption in class, you lose your students’ attention.”
It was one of the most useful lessons I ever learned in college. Over the years, my class was interrupted by
fire alarms and other distractions. Every time I lost the class’s attention, I flashed back to the lesson Dr Simpson
taught me that day. I gave my students five minutes to discuss what had happened and then said cheerfully, “Let’s
get back to today’s lesson plan!”
1．What did Dr Simpson do right after Fred left the classroom?
A．He stopped the lecture immediately.
B．He continued his lecture as if nothing had happened.
C．He apologized to the whole class.
D．He asked the students to discuss the incident.
2．Why couldn’t the author remember what Dr Simpson had lectured about in the five minutes after Fred left?
A．Because the lecture was too boring.
B．Because he was too scared of Dr Simpson.
C．Because his attention was fully on the incident with Fred.
D．Because he was busy taking notes about the argument.
3．What does the underlined phrase “cooked it up” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean?
A．Solved a difficult problem.
B．Prepared a meal together.
C．Cooked a delicious dish.
D．Invented a false story or plan.
4．What does the author want to share by writing the text?
A．A way to deal with a disruption.
B．A strategy to handle a conflict.
C．A way to discipline students.
D．A strategy to attract students.
Passage 8
When a powerful snowstorm buried parts of the Wildwood Zoo under more than two feet of snow, a
dedicated staff member refused to leave his post. Kyle Kirk, the zoo’s manager in Marshfield, Wisconsin, spent
three straight nights at the facility, making sure every animal — across all 27 species — was safe and cared for
during the extreme weather.
“This is the most snow I think I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” said Kirk, describing the intensity of the
storm. At one point, conditions were so severe that he was completely trapped inside the staff building. “There
was a solid hour that I really couldn’t help anybody because I was completely trapped by snow.”
But as soon as he was able to get outside, Kirk got to work. He began digging out smaller animals that had
been buried under the snow, including quail, prairie dogs, and skunks ( 臭鼬). “I was able to dig them out. Our
skunks were completely snowed in,” he said. Despite the serious situation, there was even a moment of humor. “It
was hilarious because I think our skunks thought that I brought the snow. They were stomping (跺脚) angrily as
if to say, ‘Oh, you can take away the snow now.’”
Kirk carved pathways through enclosures (围场) so animals like porcupines and skunks could move around
again, and he made sure foxes — who had already shed their winter coats — were warm enough to handle the
sudden freeze. Meanwhile, some of the zoo’s larger residents took the storm calmly. The Kodiak bears hung
around comfortably, and the lynx seemed right at home in the deep snow.
For Kirk, staying through the storm wasn’t a question-it was part of the job. “A lot of other people can call
in sick or get snowed in, but simply, I can’t,” he said. “There’s really no reason to have these animals if we’re not
going to care for them in the best possible way.”
1．Why did Kirk spend three nights continuously in the zoo?
A．To wait for the rescue team.
B．To ensure the safety of the animals.
C．To repair the damaged staff building.
D．To study the behavior of the animals.
2．What does the underlined word “hilarious” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．Amusing.
B．Confusing.
C．Frightening.
D．Embarrassing.
3．What kind of picture does paragraph 4 describe?
A．Animals’ fear and Kirk’s worry.
B．Kirk’s efforts and animals’ reaction.
C．Kirk’s loneliness and animals’ anger.
D．The storm’s damage and animals’ suffering.
4．What do Kirk’s words in the last paragraph highlight?
A．Harmony.
B．Confidence.
C．Reputation.
D．Responsibility.
Passage 9
Growing up in Norway, I had heard a lot about polar exploration. As a child, I spent a lot of time outdoors
building bonfires (篝火), camping and skiing in the mountains.
Aged 14, seven years before my South Pole exploration, I set my sights on becoming the youngest woman
to ski across Greenland. At that age, several guiding companies were unwilling to take me on because I was so
young. Then I met Lars Ebbesen, an experienced polar guide. Straight away, I felt he respected my ambitions. But
I had to go on an exploration to Finnmark first — a county in northern Norway — to prove I was capable. It was
dark and cold but I fell in love with the challenge. That experience prepared me for Greenland, where the crossing
took 28 days due to terrible weather.
It was on my 15th birthday that I decided to go to Antarctica ( 南极洲). I didn’t tell my mum about my
plans at first. I just told my dad, who is like me, a big dreamer. My mum is more pragmatic. My dad and I
contacted Lars to work out the details of the trip. When I told my mum, she realized I had already made up my
mind and agreed.
When I began the exploration last November, I was 21. During the exploration, I was surprised that there
was so much snowfall. On the hardest days, I was in fresh snow up to my knees and could only go 9.5km in 10
hours. Towards the end, my lungs were painful, and I struggled to breathe.
When I crossed Greenland, Lars nicknamed me “the polar egg”. The idea was that one day I would
hatch(破壳)and do a bigger exploration on my own. When I reached the South Pole I sent him an emoji of a chick
breaking out of an egg. Though with everything I’ve experienced, I feel much older than that.
1．Why did the author go on a journey to Finnmark?
A．To show her abilities.
B．To explore a remote area.
C．To escape her everyday life.
D．To meet an experienced team.
2．What does the underlined word “pragmatic” in paragraph 3 mean?
A．Flexible.
B．Accessible.
C．Athletic.
D．Realistic.
3．What can be inferred about the author during her South Pole exploration?
A．She braved the physical challenges.
B．She enjoyed the landscape most.
C．She gained several survival skills.
D．She adapted to the environment soon.
4．What did the author want to say by sending Lars the emoji?
A．She was ready to take on a new task.
B．She made his expectations come true.
C．She was worthy of what she achieved.
D．She did more than he believed possible.
Passage 10
A Chinese motorcycle manufacturer ( 生产商), ZXMOTO, made history at the World Superbike
Championship Portuguese round, which ended on March 29. The relatively new team secured victories in both
races of the World Supersport category, marking the first time a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer has won at this
global competition.
Behind the breakthrough is Zhang Xue, whose journey from a workshop to the global racing stage has
drawn widespread attention. Driven by his love and passion for motorcycles, Zhang, who was born in a small
village in Huaihua, Central China’s Hunan province, began to learn to repair motorcycles at the age of 14.
Spending a long time studying engines, he developed technical skills, bringing him a step closer to his racing
dream. He worked hard and saved to buy a rickety second-hand motorbike to practice skills.
In 2006, at just 19, Zhang did what many considered “crazy” — riding more than 100 kilometers in the rain
for a chance to appear on television and show his riding skills. Although his initial attempt fell short, his
persistence paid off, eventually earning him an opportunity with a professional racing team. He later worked as
both a stunt (特技) rider and technician.
However, years of high-intensity training led to injuries, while limitations in China’s motorcycle industry
exposed a significant technological gap with global leaders. Realizing this, Zhang shifted his focus from racing to
manufacturing.
Between 2009 and 2012, he worked at a motorcycle factory in Zhejiang province, mastering the full vehicle
development process. In 2013, he moved to Chongqing, a major center of China’s motorcycle industry, where he
began his own journey of motorcycle manufacturing. In 2024, he founded ZXMOTO, aiming to develop fully
independent engine technology.
His efforts contributed to the launch of the 820 RR, a mass-produced civilian motorcycle powered by a
domestically developed engine. Adapted for racing, the model delivered the team’s historic double victory in
Portugal.
1．What does the underlined word “rickety” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Fast and smooth.B．Old and shaky.
C．New and expensive. D．Large and heavy.
2．What did Zhang Xue do to appear on TV?
A．Cycle far in the wet.
B．Compete for a prize.
C．Work as a technician.
D．Show off his riding skills.
3．Why did Zhang Xue found ZXMOTO?
A．To expose an obvious technological gap.
B．To introduce more advanced technologies.
C．To master the vehicle development process.
D．To develop engine technology of their own.
4．Which words best describe Zhang Xue?
A．Flexible and generous.
B．Adaptable and demanding.
C．Organized and dynamic.
D．Determined and hardworking.
Passage 11
Jensen Huang has worked hard, overcome challenges and used his life experiences to build one of the most
important tech companies.
Huang was born in Tainan in 1963, but his father's work took the family to Thailand when he was a child.
Then, when Huang was 9, his parents sent him and his brother to the United States due to political tensions in
Thailand.
Unexpectedly, Huang was sent to a reform school for troubled youth. This may not sound beneficial, but
Huang appreciated it. He says, "We worked really hard, and the kids were really tough." The toughness and work
ethic (道德) he developed have served him well.
After graduating from college, Huang earned a master's degree in electrical engineering. While being a
student, he worked as a waiter. Before he took the job, he was very shy, but waiting tables forced him to speak to
people. That helped him to get over his shyness. He also learned the importance of admitting mistakes.
On his 30th birthday, Huang and two engineering friends founded his company, NVIDIA．They thought it
was likely that computers would soon need more powerful technology to display graphics ( 图像). So NVIDIA
produced such hardware: the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in 1999. The first application of this technology
was to video games, but it has also been used in other areas. Recently, GPUs have played a key role in the
development of AI.
Huang's success is attributed to a number of factors including hard work and refusal to give up. But the
most important characteristic is his willingness to take risks and learn from failure. This requires humility (谦逊)
and honesty, which enables him to recognize and correct mistakes. Huang encourages these attitudes in his
employees, which are partly responsible for the company's success.
Today, at the age of 62, Huang is the longest - serving CEO of a major technology company. He does not
intend to stop anytime soon.
1．How did Huang react to being admitted to a reform school?
A．He was shocked at first but settled for it.
B．He set a goal to get prepared for his tech career.
C．He took it seriously and made full use of it.
D．He regretted the reform school but didn't say so.
2．Which may replace the underlined part "attributed to" in paragraph 6?
A．due to
B．essential to
C．identical to
D．compared to
3．What is the text mainly about?
A．GPU technology's invention and wide application.
B．Huang's experiences and qualities leading to his success.
C．NVIDIA's development and impact on the tech industry.
D．The significance of hard work and risk - taking for a firm.
Passage 12
Ethan Shaw devotes his career to recording urban sounds in a time-honored city blessed with profound
history and distinctive culture. Distinct from photographers who capture moments with images, he dedicates
himself to collecting daily sounds from streets and communities to preserve the warmth and memory of the urban
area. “Many people regard a city as a visual space, but I hold the view that it is heard rather than merely seen,”
Shaw states. “Sounds carry more precious memories than we can imagine, and they help people feel connected to
their roots.”
Shaw’s city boasts ancient lanes, traditional stores and vibrant local markets. Every dawn, he heads out
with a professional microphone and a digital recorder. He records doorbells of historic residences, shouts of street
vendors, laughter from community parks and the soft rustle of leaves in historic gardens. These ordinary but
invaluable sounds are gradually fading away amid the rapid modernization of the city.
For Shaw, preserving sounds is far more than recording casual noises. He considers himself a custodian of
collective city memories. Many elderly locals mention that certain sounds instantly bring their cheerful childhood
days back to them, while younger citizens, in turn, gain a deep insight into the city’s past through these vivid and
lively recordings.
Cooperating closely with local museums and schools, Shaw spares no effort to promote his collection. He
organizes offline sound exhibitions and leads immersive workshops for teenagers, and some schools even employ
his recordings to instruct students in local history and traditional culture. “I refuse to let these meaningful sounds
vanish quietly,” Shaw explains. “I expect them to exist permanently and bond the different generations.”
A city culture expert comments, “These sound recordings are not meaningless noise. They are living history
that helps citizens cherish their homeland and pass on the unique spirit of the city. “
1．Who is Ethan Shaw?
A．A museum keeper.
B．A professional photographer.
C．A city sound collector.
D．A school teacher.
2．What does the underlined word “custodian” refer to in paragraph 3?
A．Traveler.
B．Competitor.
C．Journalist.
D．Guardian.
3．What do the recordings help the young do?
A．Record daily sounds.
B．Know the city’s past.
C．Learn to take photos.
D．Attend teenage workshops.
4．What can be inferred from Ethan Shaw’s efforts?
A．History relies on photos.
B．Sounds bridge generations.
C．Modernization saves sounds.
D．Museums guide exhibitions.
Passage 13
Back in 2003, Erica Fernandez was just a kid helping 20 adults take care of the beach. They overheard a
plan to build a processing station for natural gas 14 miles off the coast of Oxnard. The plant would send over 200
tons of air pollution per year to Erica’s community. Not only that, the station would take in millions of gallons of
seawater per day to cool its generators, and discharge the water more than 15 degrees centigrade hotter than the
surrounding ocean. This hot wastewater would cause serious harm to the surrounding ecosystem, killing tiny
creatures and small fish critical to the survival of marine mammals and fisheries.
Erica cared too much to stay silent. She joined her friends in weekly protests at the office of the natural gas
company. Prospects of stopping the project did not look good. The governor was in favor of it, and so were the
powerful state commissions that would have to approve it. “The word on the street was that there was nothing we
could do.”
Behind the scenes, however, opposition was growing, so Erica became the spokesperson for the youth of
the town. She regularly walked her neighborhood along the route of the proposed pipeline, using a hula hoop to
show people the size of the pipe that would pass by their houses. She talked to the media, and stories about the
dangers of the proposed facility began appearing in the press. “We made thousands of phone calls and sent
thousands of postcards telling the governor why this facility was a bad idea.” In July 2007, the governor made an
unexpected move: He turned down the project. Erica and her friends won!
As only the second person in her family to go to college, Erica wants to become an environmental lawyer
so she can fight for the environment and for the rights of communities. She wants other young people to speak out
when they see something wrong, even if they feel shy about it at first. She likes to quote the words of her role
model, César Chávez: “We are the future. The future is ours.”
1．What can be learned about the to-be-built processing station?
A．It is well-equipped.
B．It is energy-saving.
C．It is climate-damaging.
D．It is ecologically-unfriendly.
2．Why does the author mention the authorities’ response in paragraph 2?
A．To express Erica’s desperate mood.
B．To show the great barriers Erica faced.
C．To illustrate the power of public voice.
D．To stress the support from the government.
3．Which of the following can best describe Erica?
A．Determined and responsible.
B．Pioneering and curious.
C．Adventurous and aggressive.
D．Creative and industrious.
4．What message is mainly conveyed through Erica’s story?
A．Teamwork leads to success.
B．Bravery eventually pays off.
C．Speaking out makes a difference.
D．Actions speak louder than words.
Passage 14
On a quiet block in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, a bright orange refrigerator sits in Keegan Stephan’s front yard. It
is not decoration. Every morning Stephan stocks it with fresh fruit, bread and canned goods. By noon, the shelves
are bare. By evening, neighbours have filled them again.
Stephan, a civil-rights lawyer, launched the community fridge in January 2025 after he witnessed a sharp
rise in food prices which resulted in widespread hunger across New York City. Official data showed that visits to
the city’s food pantries (食品分发站) hit 8.4 million in the last quarter of 2024 — a record. “The numbers floored
me,” he said. “I had to act.”
The rules are simple: take what you need; give what you can. Nobody is asked to show identification, and
there is no charge. The fridge runs on a current of goodwill rather than funding. Local bakeries donate day-old
bread; a nearby farm stand drops off vegetables every Wednesday. Stephan shoulders most of the daily
maintenance himself, cleaning the fridge, checking dates and removing spoiled items.
What strikes Stephan most, however, is not the food. It is the conversations. “A retired teacher and a college
freshman met at the fridge last month,” he recalled. “Now they champion a weekend reading group for children on
the block.” Such connections, he believes, are the fridge’s true harvest.
The idea has spread. Three more fridges have appeared within a ten-block radius, each tended by different
volunteers. Collectively, they serve roughly 200 households a week. Stephan hopes the model will travel even
further. “You don’t need money or a title,” he said. “You just need a spare plug and a heart that refuses to look
away.”
Food insecurity is a complex challenge, and one fridge cannot solve it. But for the families on Stephan’s
block, that bright orange box is proof that a single act of generosity can plant the seeds of something much larger.
1．What happens to the fridge by the middle of the day?
A．It is locked up by Stephan.
B．It is moved to another block.
C．It is restocked by bakeries.
D．It has been emptied by people.
2．Why did Stephan set up the community fridge?
A．He wanted to reduce food waste.
B．He received a government grant.
C．He was alarmed by growing starvation. D．He witnessed a sharp rise in food prices
3．What can be learned about the fridge from Paragraph 3?
A．It offers only home-cooked meals.
B．It is maintained by a team of workers.
C．It is financed by a charity organization. D．It depends on neighbourhood generosity.
4．Which of the following can best serve as the title for the passage?
A．How to Start a Food Bank
B．One Fridge, A Whole Community
C．Brooklyn’s Fight Against Rising Prices D．New York’s Hunger Crisis in Numbers
Passage 15
There are decisions we take on instinct (本能), without even realizing we are taking them.
Two years ago, I left Germany to do volunteering work. I had a couple of disappointing experiences and a
boring job in front of me. It was time to go. I found an interesting contact in a small village in Portugal. In
exchange for room and board, I would be working with animals in a residence that hosted families with disabled
people. And there I went, with just a backpack I was ready to jump into a new adventure.
There, I cared for the pets living next to the residents, cleaning their yard, preparing food and caring for
them. Within a month I was in charge of all the other volunteers and the organization of the daily work. After 5
months, I left again and moved to Catalonia, in Spain, to live with an Irish family. They offered a roof and food on
the passage of their house for abandoned animals I helped care for.
During both experiences, I had the chance to discover beautiful little towns and lovely villages. In Portugal,
I walked on the coastline and explored those little towns on the top of the dry hills. In Spain I visited Barcelona
multiple times, discovering little by little all its corners. Sometimes, my volunteering experience was challenging.
I didn’t speak any Portuguese and only a bit of Spanish. But life out there was simple. It was so different from
what I used to call “home” before! Going back to previous habits took me time.
If you’re wondering if an international volunteering year gap is worth it, despite the uncertain future and
the social pressure, I say: go for it. Believe me, in various ways, you will be sure to return transformed, perhaps
even improved to a better self. With a bit of luck, you may also discover a new career path.
1．Why did the author choose to leave Germany to do volunteering work?
A．To make a change.
B．To gain living skills.
C．To broaden his views.
D．To add working experience.
2．What did the author mainly do during his trip?
A．Running an organization.
B．Attending to animals.
C．Taking care of the disabled.
D．Preparing food for volunteers.
3．Which of the following can best describe the author’s trip?
A．Simple.
B．Romantic.
C．Adventurous.
D．Rewarding.
4．What can we learn from the author’s experiences?
A．Instinct is a key step for new career.
B．Backpacking brings us new adventures.
C．A gap year helps us escape from reality.
D．Volunteering is a journey of self-discovery.
