【阅读理解 - Passage D】It is well known that rhinos (犀牛) have poor eyesight, so they mostly rely on their noses to understand the world around them. But there’s one interaction in which sound plays a key role. Southern white rhino males can either be dominant (支配地位的) or subordinate. And only the dominant males hold and defend territories. New search finds that they can distinguish the calls of other males to know who is who. “We found that contact calls carry information about the dominance status of the males. It means that only by listening to the calls, you can say if the male is territorial or subordinate.” Ivana Cinkoval, a zoologist at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. She and her team spent almost two years in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park recording the social contact calls of male rhinos. Then they played those calls back to dominant territorial males and watched the responses. The researchers asked that the rhino calls not be included in this program due to the concern that calls might be used for illegal hunting. Back to the reactions of the rhinos. They started to search for the unexpected visitor the most quickly and spent the longest time searching around for the unwelcome visitor after the playback of the subordinate call, which was quite surprising. Only territorial male rhinos hold breeding (交配繁育) opportunities with the female rhinos. Subordinate males could thus be interested in challenging the territorial male for dominance. But dominant males rarely lose their territories to subordinate males, at least while they’re in prime condition. Why didn’t researchers allow recorded calls to be included in the program?

The apartments in the city center are always expensive. Katie can’t ______ one with all her money.

【阅读理解 - Passage C】American country music is also known as country western music. It has a very long history. It comes from the folk songs of immigrants (移民) from Britain. Country music uses simple music and words to express everyday feeling such as loneliness, loves and sadness. That is to say, country music describes life. It talks about friends and enemies, trucks and roads, farms and crops. People in many parts of the world like country music, because everyone can understand what the music is about. Country western music became popular first among cowboys (牛仔) in the American west countryside. Cowboys had to take care of cows day and night. When they were alone with the cows, they often sang beautiful and peaceful songs to calm the animals and to overcome their own fear. They were not well-educated and so they sang about their daily life in very simple word. They played the guitars, violins and other instruments. In the south of America, many people added instruments from their homes, like bottles and spoons. When cowboy visited their friends and families on holidays like Thanksgiving, they usually sang and played country western music. In recent years, many musicians have made country western music a little different from the one in the past. These changes make the songs sound even better. Today singers such as Carth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Lye Lovtt, Eddie Rabbitt, LeAnn Rime, Randy Travis and a group called Alabama are singing and playing in different styles. They have brought country western music more and more fans from all over the world. The underlined words “”calm the animals” here mean “make the animals become ______.”

【阅读理解 - Passage B】I worked in a small company with about thirty-five employees (雇员) . We had a good-sized kitchen with a fridge that several employees used. But people would often go to the fridge to surprisingly find either their whole lunch missing, or in my case, my can of Cherry Coke gone. I usually kept it in my lunch bag. At times when I bought takeaway food, I would get two — one for lunch and one for dinner — so I didn’t have my lunch bag. Even so, I often couldn’t find the food. It was a shock to everyone. We doubted who was stealing, but could never prove (证明) it. One day, a good idea came to my mind, and I couldn’t wait to try it. It was break time at noon. I headed down to the kitchen about five minutes early and gave my Coke such a hard shake that I feared it may actually go off in my hands. I placed it back in the fridge. Then, I hid into a cupboard in the kitchen, waiting for the right moment. BINGO! A lady came in and took the Coke. I put my hand over my mouth for her to open it, but she took it with her and left. I thought she would open it in the hall. No! As I left the kitchen, I heard her yell (叫喊) . I passed her office, and Coke was everywhere: the walls, the floor, all over her desk, computer, her work, and all over her — everywhere! Well, food has never gone missing again since then because the lady got fired. Why did the employees feel surprised?

Whom do you want to have ______ the living conditions of migrant workers?

（英模二十四）12. He ______ in Shanghai for ten years before he moved to Beijing.

（英模二十四）13. It is the first time that I ______ such a beautiful place.

（英模八）4. She was one of the great writers of her time, if not ______ the greatest.

You should be responsible ______ all the results.

【阅读理解 - Passage C】From composer, musician, and philanthropist (慈善家) Peter Buffett comes a warm, wise, and inspirational book that asks, “Which will you choose: the path of least resistance (阻力) or the path of possibly greatest satisfaction?” You may think that with a last name like his, Buffett has enjoyed a life of endless privilege (特权). But the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett says that the only real inheritance (遗产) handed down from his parents is a philosophy: Build your own path in life. It is a principle (原则) that has allowed him to follow his own passions, set up his own identity, and receive his own successes. In Life Is What You Make It, Buffett explains the strong set of values given to him by his trusting and broadminded mother, his hardworking and talented father, and the many life teachers he has met along the way. Today’s society, Buffett thinks, has begun to replace a work ethic (准则), enjoying what you do, with a wealth ethic, honoring the payoff instead of the process. We confuse (使困惑) privilege with material wealth character with external validation (认可) . Yet, by focusing more on substance and less on reward, we can open doors of opportunity and struggle toward a greater sense of achievement. In clear and brief words, Buffett shows a great truth: Life is random, neither fair nor unfair. From there it becomes easy to recognize the equal dignity (尊严) and value of every human life our circumstances may vary but our essence (本质) does not. We see that our journey in life rarely follows a straight line but is often met with false starts, crises, and mistakes. How we push through and persevere in these challenging moments is where we begin to create the life of our dreams from discovering our vocations to giving back to others. Personal and instructive, Life Is What You Make It is about challenging your circumstances, taking control of your destiny, and living your life to the fullest. Which proverb can best express the main idea of the fifth paragraph?

（英模六·C篇）What percentage of the world's water can people use?

The problem ______ at the meeting now is very important.

I wish I ______ fly like a bird.

【阅读理解 - Passage B】Mary Lyon was a leader in women’s education in the nineteenth century. It was a time when women’s education was not considered important in the United States. States did require each town to provide a school for children, but there were not enough teachers. Most young women were not able to continue their education. If they did, they often were not taught much except the French language, how to sew clothing, and music. Mary Lyon felt that women’s education was extremely important. She believed women were teachers both in the home and in the classroom. Mary opened a school for young women in the village of Buckland. She suggested new ways of teaching, including holding discussion groups for students. Then, Mary began to raise money for her dream school for the higher education of women. This school would own its own property, guided by an independent group of direction. Its finances would be the responsibility of the directors. It would not depend on any one person to continue. And, the students would share in cleaning and cooking to keep costs down. In 1837, Mary Lyon opened Mount Holyoke Seminary for Women. In 1893, 34 years after her death, under a state law, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary became the first college to offer women the same kind of education as men. Mary’s efforts led to the spread of higher education for women in the United States. Her influence lasted as the many students from her schools went out to teach others. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

We are supposed to know how to avoid injury when a fire ______.

【阅读理解 - Passage A】Online dictionaries have become part of the writing and reading culture. Considering that there are several of them, you need to know what dictionary to use in different situations. The following gives you a detailed outlook of the best dictionaries on the web, their unique features, and their advantages and disadvantages. Collins Dictionary Featuring over 4.5 billion words, it is one of the best platforms for learners and teachers. Its search engine enables you to select the word by just typing a few letters. However, it doesn’t feature urban words and that the translator mode doesn’t always give correct translations. Urban Dictionary Urban dictionary is an online platform where you can find urban words or slang expressions. Although it doesn’t come handy for scholars, it can help you understand slang or urban words you come across around the web. You sometimes have to do many searches to get desired results. Oxford Dictionary Known as the best tool for students and learners, it helps define words both in British and American English. For clearer understanding, Oxford dictionary offers pictures, example sentences, and audio pronunciation, among others. It is the ideal (理想的) dictionary to use when writing a research paper, but is sometimes criticized for complex word definitions. Cambridge Dictionary This dictionary is another highly respected online dictionary for official and academic purposes. It has three outstanding features which are dictionary, grammar, and translator. The dictionary supports translation for over 20 languages. Sometimes you may meet lots of information that might make it hard to get desired results. What do Oxford Dictionary and Cambridge Dictionary have in common?

【阅读理解 - Passage D】Who do you feel closer to-your mom or your dad? In almost every culture in the world, mothers are thought to be more important than fathers during children’s development and more likely to build strong bonds with their children. This belief had existed for a long time until scientists started asking a new question: What do fathers contribute to their children besides their genes? They must mean something, or they would have disappeared from children’s lives at an earlier time in evolution (进化) So, a new science of fatherhood was born. American journalist Paul Raeburn collected the discoveries over the years and put them into his new book, Do Fathers Matter? What Science Is Telling Us About the Parent We’ve Overlooked, hoping to make people better see the many ways that fathers influence their children. For example, Ronald Preston Rohner, a scientist at the University of Connecticut, US, spent several years studying how being accepted or rejected by parents influences children’s personality. He found that children who are accepted by both their parents are usually independent and hold a positive worldview while those who feel turned down by either parent may turn out hostile and negative. Melanie Horn-Malesia psychologist at California State University, found that sons who have happy memories of their fathers are better able to handle day-to-day stress after growing up. Another study, by Richard Koester at McGill University, Canada, focused on how children develop empathy (同理心). After looking at various possible factors, Koestner found one to be more important than others-how much time their fathers spend with them. “We were amazed to find that how affectionate parents were with their children didn’t matter much to the development of empathy, “said Koestner. “And we were astounded at how strong the father’s influence was.” Indeed, evidence shows that fathers make unique contributions to their children’s happiness. However, that doesn’t mean that children in families without fathers are definitely going to become failures. Just look at US President Barack Obama. He is a great example of what can be achieved by people who grow up in single-mother households. Based on the passage, the development of empathy in children is influenced most by ______.

Only in this way ______ to improve your English quickly.

The book has helped me greatly in my daily life, especially at work ______ a good impression is a must.

【阅读理解 - Passage A】We’re hosting a Review (评论) Blitz! We want reasonable reviews in one month! These reviews must be your honest opinions. Just remember to submit (提交) your review before August 23, 2023. Rules: You must be a teen (aged 13-19) with a Teen Creativity account to enter. Submissions must relate to the topic. Each review must be written within 250 words. There is no limit to the number of pieces you can submit. Guidelines: Give a brief summary of the book. Don’t explain the entire plot (情节) or tell your reader how the book ends. Tell the reader what you like or dislike about the book. Recommend the book to some certain readers. Is the book more suitable to older teens? Would science fiction fans be interested in this book? It’s helpful for readers to think about the book in the context of other books they’ve read. Remember that it’s okay to have a strong opinion! Avoid starting sentences with “I think”, “I believe”or “In my opinion”. Prizes: All participants will receive a certificate. First winner will each have one review published in Teen creativity magazine and get a free 6- month magazine subscription (订阅) Second prize winners will each get a free 3-month magazine subscription. You’ll receive these prizes before December 28, 2023. Submit your works to www.teencreativity.com. We hope reviewing books brings you joy. What can we get from the rules of the competition?