相关试卷

1.比赛时间；

2.活动内容；

3.活动反响。注意：

1.词数 80左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Annual Tai Chi Competition

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Chinese tea ceremony (茶道) is a profound cultural expression that has gone through ages, attracting hearts and minds with (it) beauty and depth.

Tea has a long and storied history in China, (date) back thousands of years. It is said that Shennong, one of the legendary (character) in ancient China, discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree fell into his boiling water. Over time, tea became an important part of Chinese culture, not only as a drink but also as symbol of treat and friendship. During the Tang Dynasty, tea drinking (become) popular among the upper classes, and the art of tea making began to take shape.

Tea is known for its numerous health benefits. Different types of tea, such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and pu-erh tea, have different effects the body. It's believed that green tea is helpful (prevent) cancer, lower cholesterol, and improve digestion.

The Chinese tea ceremony is a rich and diverse cultural heritage that offers a look into the ancient (wise) and modern charm of China. (obvious), through its history, philosophy, art, and health benefits, the tea ceremony continues to inspire and enrich our lives. Let's cherish and promote this wonderful tradition, can help more people experience the beauty and magic of Chinese tea.

To2 the creature, Chloe turned to her family for advice and sought help from the Rabbit Preservation Trust's website.3, she even learned a lot from 18th century poems by William Cowper, who kept rabbits himself back then. Most importantly, she chose to keep the rabbit free, never4 it, as freedom was something she deeply valued.

This small5 changed Chloe. Earlier on, city life had dulled her6, as she was often too busy to be aware of sounds, colors, and movements around her. But with the rabbit, she began to7 its curious eyes, playful jumps, and quiet moments — tiny8 that soon became treasured material for her writing.

When Chloe worked on her book Raising Rabbit, something9 happened: this rabbit gave birth to two babies and left them in her study. So much of her10 time was spent with these tiny creatures hiding nearby; their11 became part of her story.

The book didn't just share her story — it inspired her to do more. Now she is12 to set up a "closed season" for not shooting rabbits in England,13 them during breeding time (繁殖期).

All of this dates back to that simple, kind act: caring for a small creature14 true writing, and that writing has gone on to15 care to more people, one page at a time.

"Truly the whole process starts with menu planning," he said. Creating one dish leads into the creation of many more through the end-to-end use of products. As chefs, they are always searching for the best ingredients. It is then their focus to ensure they appreciate and respect all that go into each and every one of them. For example, they source chicken that is naturally grown and fed on a natural plant forward diet, no hormones (激素) or additives — that's used in many ways throughout menus from a simple grilled chicken breast to bone soup. Nothing goes to waste.

When they do have waste, even if minimal, they shift it from landfills to transform it into compost (堆肥) that's then used across the Walt Disney World property. They also support Second Harvest, a local community food bank where healthy produce, prepared, but not served, meals eatable for human consumption are donated. Disney also works with pig farmers when they can't distribute foods past the point of safety for human consumption. Besides, wildlife reservations love to get the meat because tigers and wild cats can still eat that.

Their operations are "on a path to a sustainable zero waste kitchen of tomorrow" where chefs learn the full-life cycle of plants from seed to plate and gain a better understanding and appreciation for the product and their craft.

Golden Oak at Disney has millions of bees that produce up to 300 pounds of honey per year, plus those bees help with cross pollination (授粉) of their gardens on a daily basis. They advocate a culture that helps develop not only the quality of food, but an appreciation for nature.

Mary Kay struggled for years to take care of her children on her own. But she took on various sales jobs in the direct selling industry, aiming to rise in her career.

However, after many years of selling various products, along with a few middle management and trainer roles, she started to feel like she was being overlooked for more prominent (杰出的) leadership roles because she was a woman. As such, she finally decided to take matters into her own hands.

Once her kids were out of the house and on their own, at the age of 45, Mary Kay Ash decided to become her own boss. She started her own cosmetic (化妆品) company. She started off very small, but in just a few short years, she managed to turn Mary Kay Cosmetics into a multi-billion dollar company that still serves and empowers people all over the world to this day.

Despite her age, Mary Kay went on to author many best-selling books like The Mary Kay Way, Miracles Happen, You Can Have It All, as well as a few others, and she became an inspiration to countless women. Due to the success of her business and her aim to inspire as many people as possible, she became a multi-millionaire and was named as "The Greatest Woman in American History".

Ready-made resources

We teach more than 16,000 words with over 242,000 questions. We've made 13,000 vocabulary lists based on commonly taught curriculum. From social studies textbooks like America: Pathways to Present to classics like The Great Gatsby, our resources supplement whatever you're teaching.

Mastery, not memorization

Our smart award-winning adaptive engine selects questions to systematically challenge students with words they are ready to learn. Our varied question formats teach each word's multiple meanings to help students build a deeper understanding of each word in context, rather than mere memorization.

Motivating student learning

With every activity, students gain points and achievements so they can level up in our ranks while building their word learning! Our gamified approach encourages students to strengthen their vocabulary muscles with daily exercise and inspires them to master more words, above and beyond what their teacher has assigned.

Detailed teacher dashboard

The teacher dashboard provides educators with comprehensive reporting and actionable data. Follow each student's performance individually and see classroom trends to shape instruction decisions.

Contact us

The Vocabulary.com team is available Monday through Friday, from 9 a. m to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, except on holidays. Call us at 1-888-606-0846.

Sign up here now!

Whether you're a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.

Get started.

Tom Perry concentrated hard. The rocket competition would begin shortly. He had never lost a contest, but that didn't calm him. Being on top counted, and he pushed himself to remain there.

The other kids, however, rarely came over to him. No way was he going to let them ignore that he'd win again. Still, he often wondered: why didn't winning make people like him better?

He opened his toolbox and began assembling (组装) his launch pad. Then he checked his rocket again.   It looked perfect — especially compared to the others.

But one caught his eye. A thin boy named Ed lifted it carefully. Its paint shone in the sunlight, and its parts fit perfectly. His critical eye detected that this rocket could beat his.

"Nice rocket," said the boy nervously. "Thanks," Tom replied flatly, and then regretted it. "Where do you usually launch it? I've never seen you here." "In the field behind my house."

"You don't care for these contests?"

"I never really thought about them. I keep pretty much to myself."

The announcer explained the competition. Tom barely listened, his gaze constantly drifting to Ed's rocket. Suddenly his heart did a leap — as Ed lifted the rocket to place it on the launch pad, his fin (翼) had caught against something, pulling it away from the fuselage (机身) — not enough to break it off, just enough to loosen it.

But Ed hadn't noticed. He glanced back at Tom and gave a thumbs-up. Tom felt a surge of guilt but decided he wasn't going to say anything. Anyway, it was up to Ed to keep checking his rocket.

Then the competition began. Most rockets gained respectable heights, while a few shot wildly. Tom watched, but the knowledge he had about what was wrong with their rockets soured within him. It was like something he had stolen.

"Ed Malovich will be our next contestant," the announcer said, interrupting Tom's daydream.   Immediately Ed lifted his rocket and headed to the launch area.

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。

Paragraph 1: Without thinking, words flowed from Tom's mouth, surprising even himself.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2: Minutes later, Ed's rocket blasted (轰鸣) skyward, shooting up as if unstoppable.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

China has scaled up policy to protect and restore the environment around the Yangtze River, putting measures place to treat industrial and agricultural pollutants and protect grasslands and wetlands.

A policy document (release) by 17 central government departments promises to prioritize effort and adopt a (comprehension) way of conserving the Yangtze River Basin area. The policy document follows a 10-year fishing ban in the Yangtze enacted by the government in 2020 in response to (decline) biodiversity.

Despite improvements to the Yangtze's water quality, the rise of non-point source pollution (emerge) as a major problem in recent years. The document stresses the need for a systemic approach, will require the establishment of long-term mechanisms to prevent the return of polluted water bodies.

The treatment of pollution is another priority, as the government looks to install tighter controls over pollutants discharged by chemical factories and promote (high) efficiency in the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

(restore) the diversity of aquatic (水生生物) life in the Yangtze, the document says that the country will establish a monitoring system for endangered animals and make action plan to save them and that more work (do) to enhance the connectivity of rivers.

Fancy an evening at the theatre but can't face sitting there for hours? Theatre companies will happily offer live performances online. Want to see a band but1by the high ticket prices? No worries. Many mainstream bands allow their concerts to be2free of charge. Now galleries are getting3too, enabling sofa-bound art lovers to wander around the world's greatest art institutions, all in high resolution(分辨率) and without fear of getting sore feet. But is it really the same as seeing paintings in the flesh? I decided to find out.

I head to the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, one of my favourite galleries. I enjoy myself racing past sculptures and staring at various portraits in a manner that I would disapprove of were I actually there. There's a lot to be said for4art this way. Admission is free and there aren't any queues.5, you won't have to tolerate the noise of fellow visitors as they loudly broadcast their knowledge of the oil paintings on exhibit.

But it's no6for the real thing. Billions of pixels(像素)7to accurately transmit the scale or colour or atmosphere of a painting or convey the sense of wonder you feel when standing in front of it. And only in a gallery do you have the opportunity to8the rest of the world, engage with a work and view it in context. My enduring thought, while I am walking around the Museo Reina Sofia9, is how much nicer it would be if I were literally in Madrid.

10in almost all its forms is meant to be a shared experience, whether you are sitting in an opera house or wandering around a gallery. It is also a ritual, one that is about so much more than the cultural event itself. Often the pleasure is as much in the11as the execution (执行). Remove the preparation part where you imagine how it will be, and you12a vital part of the experience.

Lying on the sofa, with computers, phones and remote controls readily13, is something I routinely do. But when it comes to art appreciation, even a lazy man like me can recognise the basic14to leave the house. Ultimately it's a bit like watching holidays on TV. Yes, you can cut out the sweat and the aching legs. By staying at home, you can stare at the locals without embarrassment and15the finest views. But it's just not the same if you can't feel the sun on your face.

First is the element of surprise. The timing could be a surprise, but the animal should absolutely not be a surprise. The decision should be based on many conversations. Everyone involved should understand the long term consequences, children included.

Next, you'll choose whether to adopt from a shelter or rescue. They are across the country flooded with lovable animals. They also offer physical locations where you can meet a lot of animals at once. On the other hand, rescues are smaller and funded by donations. They often rely on fosters to house animals.

Applications and their processing times vary and can include tasks like proving that your landlord allows pets. Check to see if applying online is possible. If you're applying in person, make sure you know what to bring.

If you're worried about the huge responsibility of choosing the pet for your child, you can wrap a leash (牵引绳) or a pet bag as the gift, and then take the future pet owner to the shelter. This step will be more meaningful and memorable than just having an animal show up at your door.

A. Now, you can welcome the lovely one with open arms.

B. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing your child smile.

C. Shelters tend to be larger and quicker to process applications.

D. Whichever you choose, apply and become approved as an adopter first.

E. While it is sweet, giving a living creature as a gift isn't a light decision.

F. Involving your child in the selection process adds to the whole experience.

G. Responsibilities can be assigned to them even before their new pet arrives.

It was only years later that I realized I'd been to the peak of Mauna Kea and I hadn't looked up at the night sky with my eyes even once. I now see this disappointing situation was representative of a deeper state of mental difficulty that had affected me like a long, slow sunset.

Over my years of immersion (沉浸) in the academic environment, I'd become lost in the world of ideas, disconnected from an emotional, direct experience, and from the wonder and passion that had drawn me into astronomy in the first place.

I've come to understand that this situation isn't unique to me. These are typical symptoms of the modern world. So many of us live increasingly disconnected from nature — in the day and nighttime — often lost in the world of ideas, plans or anxieties, with our attention rarely in the here and now.

Astrophysics was what led me into the world of ideas and facts, but it was ultimately stargazing in a mindful way that showed me the way back to a more balanced state of mental wellbeing and the wonder of my subjective, very human perspective.

When we look with wide-eyed curiosity, rather than being preoccupied with facts and expectations, it encourages a state of wonder, which leads to awe. Studies have shown feeling awe on a regular basis is deeply beneficial to our mental health, because it helps us feel connected to something bigger than our everyday view of ourselves. Suddenly, our worries aren't quite so all important and we start to see ourselves from a different perspective.

It's so easy to think that we're looking up at the stars. But the truth is we're in them — made of them, inseparable from them. You have grown out of, and are living as part of, this Universe. True, looking at it one way you're a tiny, seemingly insignificant piece of dust on a remote planet in an unremarkable solar system. But from another perspective, you're an integral part of the Universe experiencing itself through you own eyes, ears and thoughts. For me, this view has facilitated a complete transformation of my mental health and whole life.

This breakthrough is part of a larger movement in neuroscience. In 2025, researchers in Japan introduced "mind captioning," a technique that uses AI and non-invasive brain scans to describe what a person is seeing or picturing. While these technologies are currently focused on helping patients with communication disabilities, such as those with ALS (渐冻症), they could eventually transform how all humans interact with each other and the world.

The journey to this point has been long. Scientists have studied brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) since the 1960s, initially focusing on physical movements. Early BCIs allowed users to control prosthetic (假体的) limbs or computer cursors, but decoding speech proved much harder. As neuroengineer Maitreyee Wairagkar explains, much of the early research was conducted on monkeys, who, despite being able to learn to move objects with their brain signals, simply cannot speak.

Recent progress, however, has been rapid. In 2021, a study showed that a paralyzed man could "write" 18 words per minute by picturing himself drawing letters in the air. By 2024, Wairagkar's lab trialled a new technique that translated attempted speech directly into text at 32 words per minute with 97.5% accuracy. Although this is still slower than natural human speech — which averages 150 words per minute — it marks a significant step toward everyday communication for those who have lost their voice. With companies like Neuralink seeking to bring these "brain chips" to the mass market, the era of commercialized BCIs may be just a few years away.

Fast forward to now. After seeking guidance from my family and watching beginners' gardening videos, I spend hours a week sowing, weeding, watering and harvesting. My summer at the plot has so far offered countless lessons, but the most important one has been learning more about how food actually grows. Take the humble cauliflower — a common sight in the supermarket, yet it demands patient tending for up to six months, all for a short moment on the plate. Seasonality has also taken on a new meaning. I knew that all fresh food has its "season" but it was only when I was overwhelmed by an endless supply of courgettes that I really understood I could be eating them for months.

Yet abundant harvests come with a lesson in impermanence. Fresh produce goes off quickly once ripened and picked. And so I've turned to the old craft of preservation — learning what to boil and freeze, or make into jam — to make things last. When the harvest has been more than I can manage, I've shared the abundance with friends and family, spreading the joy.

While gardening is a welcome escape from the chaos of the modern world, you can't avoid the reality of the climate crisis. It's one thing to read these in the news or see them reflected in prices, but it's quite another when you have to be in tune with weather patterns, praying for prolonged sunshine without the unbearable heat.

As I continue to tend my plot, I do so with a sense of humility, wonder and excitement. What started as a desire for a small patch of green has grown into something much more significant — a connection to my local environment, a respect for the food I eat and an awareness of the fragile natural systems that sustain us. In the beginning, I was worried I would fail the plot; instead, I'm finding myself growing alongside it.

When I was six years old, I visited my grandfather's farm in Kansas and he sent me into the woods to gather pecans (胡桃) for us to enjoy later. The pecans were about the size of a man's thumbnail and just about the tastiest snack I'd ever had.

However, pecan picking was really tiring and my little bucket was only half full after working hard for a long time. I thought I wouldn't let Grandpa down. Just then something caught my eye. A large brown squirrel was a few feet away. I watched as he picked up a pecan, hurried to a tree, jumped up to the trunk and disappeared in a large hole. A moment later the squirrel popped back out and climbed down to the ground to pick up another nut. Once again, he took the pecan back to his hiding place inside the hollow of the tree.

Not so secret anymore, I thought. I dashed over to the tree and looked into the hole. It was filled with pecans! Golden pecans were right there for taking. This was my chance. Handful by handful, I scooped all of those pecans into my bucket. Now it was almost full! I was so proud of myself that I couldn't wait to show Grandpa all the pecans.

I ran back and shouted, "Look at all the pecans!" He looked into the bucket and asked, "Well, well, how did you find so many?" I told him how I'd followed the squirrel and taken the pecans from his hiding place.

Grandpa congratulated me on how smart I'd been in observing the squirrel and his habits. Then he did something that surprised me. He handed the bucket back to me and put his arm gently around my shoulders.

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。

Paragraph 1:

"That squirrel worked very hard to gather his winter supply of food," he said.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2:

I picked up that little bucket full of pecans and carried it back to the tree.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________