9．　　In fact, you cannot live without it. It's usually white (1)      it has a strong taste. Every cell in your body has it.
　　It was once used by the Romans to (2)       their soldiers. In parts of Africa, it is used instead of money to pay for things. The oceans are (3)       with it. You can get it from the earth as well. Pour it on (4)       and you can keep the food from going bad for a very long time.
　　(5)       is it? It's salt. Since the beginning of time, it has been a (an) (6)       part of people's lives. Wars have been fought over it. Kings could rule the country (7)      it. The French Revolution (革命) was started, in part because the king put a large tax (税) on salt. The farmers did not like this and rose to (8)       with the king.
　　Today, salt is used in making nearly 15, 000 products. The jeans you wear have (9)      in them. In cold countries that are covered with snow and ice in (10)      , people (11)       salt on the roads to melt (融化) the ice. Driving would be much more (12)      i f not for salt.
　　Where does salt come from?It may come from shallow holes in the earth. In some places, it sits on the top of the earth, and people (13)      cut and carry it away. But the oceans are where most of the salt lies, Ocean water is salty and not good to drink. The sun evaporates (蒸发) sea. water, leaving only salt.
　　Many (14)      in English refer to salt. Sometimes, it is said that a worker is "worth his Salt". This means that the person works very hard and is (15)      . Remember that the Romans Raid soldiers in salt. This is probably where the expression comes from.

10．
　　Take any long piece of paper. Now glue the ends of the paper together. You have made a (1)      . Take a second long piece of paper. Twist (旋转) the paper once and glue the ends together. Now you have made a Mobius band (莫比乌斯带). For people who study maths, this band is (2)      .
　　This strange hand was (3)      made in the 1800s by a German man named August Mobius. Mr. Mobius studied maths. He wanted to find a way (4)      how this band works with maths. Believe it or not, this band has only one (5)      . You can find this out for yourself.
　　If you draw a line on the surface of the paper (6)      you twist and glue it, the line is only on one side of the paper. The paper has two surfaces. However, if you draw a line after you make the Mobius band, you can (7)      the line around all sides of the paper. In other words, the Mobius band must have only one surface.
　　It is also kind of fun to see what happens when you (8)      the band. If you cut the Mobius band in half (9)      the line you draw , you do not get two Mobius bands. (10)      , after you cut the band, it turns into one large twisted ring. Then, if you cut this ring in half along the middle of the band again, you get two (11)       Mobius bands.
　　Try it!

12．　　As the model strutted (昂首阔步地走) down the runway, everyone went silent. They were actually showing great respect and admiration as 24-year-old Niu Yu, walking with a prosthetic limb (假肢) , showed confidence on the runway wearing an oversized sweater.
　　For Niu, it has been a long journey since an earthquake struck her village in Sichuan Province in 2008. She was at school and eager to go home to celebrate her birthday on May 12. But the earthquake occurred and Niu was buried. She was only saved three days later and lost her right leg. "I struggled for quite a long time before putting on the prosthetic leg and could not stand people staring at me, "Niu said.
　　That was until 2018 when Niu decided to make a big change in her life. On May 12 that year, she took part in a marathon (马拉松) and she completed it. "It suddenly became clear and I knew that I must be brave to face the world, "she added. She then took many pictures and shared them on her social media accounts, writing: "In fact, this is how I look."
　　In August 2021, she shared a funny incident while playing the escape room game. In the dark room, a worker — who was supposed to scare the players — came from behind and pulled her right leg so hard that the prosthetic limb came off. "I turned around and we came eye-to-eye. His face turned pale and he was screaming out loud as he ran away," she smiled.
　　On October 11, she received a surprise invitation from a sportswear brand, asking her to model their products. Just as she was hesitating (犹豫), she recalled an encouraging note received from a disabled person last year. The message says"although we are not perfect, we are still beautiful". Niu then grabbed (抓住) the chance.
　　"Everyone comes into this world with an aura (光环). You may be ordinary but you are definitely one of a kind, " she said.

13．　　TikTok (抖音) is a video-sharing app that has taken the world by storm. You'll see dancing, jokes and amazing shows. Many people have found great joy in using the app. They feel relaxed when they watch the videos on TikTok after a day's hard work. However, others think it is not a good idea to use it. Some people, especially the young, have been addicted to (沉迷于) the app. They spend too much time on it. This makes them spend less time on their study or work. What's more, it is bad for their health as well. To solve this problem, TikTok has made lots of changes which are designed to protect its teenage users.
　　"Users aged 13 ～ 15 will not get push notifications (推送) from 21:00, and for 16 to 17-year-olds, from 22 :00. This will help them have more time on work, study, relaxation and sleep, " the video﹣sharing app says. TikTok also made some changes that 16 to 17-year -old users will only receive messages which are good for them."We want our users , especially younger, users to develop good habits when using the Internet earlier, " TikTok said.
　　Another change made earlier from TikTok was stricter. It was said that messages could be sent to users over 16s only. As for users aged 16～ 17, if they want to send a message to others, they will need to change to a different sharing option (选择), which protects them from bad information. Besides that, before they share their first TikTok, users under 16 will be asked to choose with whom they want to share their videos.
　　The head of online child safety at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Andy Burrows, welcomed the new changes, saying the changes from TikTok would protect teenagers. "I think this will reduce opportunities for offenders (犯罪者) to trick children." Andy said.

14．　　The news of Stephen Hawking's death came a great shock to the whole world. To his family, he was "a great scientist and an outstanding man whose work and legacy (遗赠) will live on for many years".
　　His parents, both Oxford graduates, placed a high value on education and family members were often seen reading books at dinner. Although known at school as "Einstein", Hawking was not successful academically(学术上) at first. With time, he began to show talents for scientific subjects and decided to read maths at university. As maths was not available at Oxford then, Hawking chose physics instead.
　　Diagnosed with a rare motor neurone disease (稀有肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症), Hawking gradually ended in a wheelchair. ______△____ Everyone around him was moved. After the loss of his speech, he communicated through a speech-generating device (语音生成设备) , which allowed him to produce A Brief History of Time with the help of an assistant.
　　Hawking once recalled how he felt when first informed of his disease, thinking that he would never realize his potential (潜力). "But now, 50 years later, I can't be more satisfied with my life, " he said.
　　Hawking also gained popularity outside the academic world and appeared in several TV shows. He was featured in the film The Theory of Everything, which made him rise to fame and had relationship with his first wife, Jane.
　　Prof James Hartle, who once worked with him, praised his unique ability to see through all the clutter (混乱) in physics and get to the point. "My memory of him would be. .. first as a scientist and, second, as a human being whose story is a victory over misfortune, which inspired a lot of people, " he said. Prof Jim Al﹣Khalili pictured Hawking as a humorous person. "He was a fun and loving guy. Inside that paralyzed body was someone full of passion for life," he said.

15．　　In some places around the world, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. In Britain, Australia, Canada and other places, Boxing Day is a national holiday.
　　There are several thoughts on how the holiday became known as Boxing Day. The most widely held understanding of the origins (起源) of Boxing Day comes from a tradition among rich people. They would give a "Christmas Box" to their servants and other workers. The box would have money and gifts. The AP story says the start of Boxing Day may even date back to the times of the Romans. Roman invaders (入侵者) brought the practice to Britain. The tradition was then taken up by churches. Churches would put boxes outside their doors to collect money for the poor.
　　Boxing Day is still celebrated today in many countries around the world. However, the United States is not one of them. But the Christmas holiday, which takes place the day before, is often filled with boxes. Boxes are useful for storing all kinds of things-especially gifts! It is fun to shake a gift box and try to guess what is inside. But an empty box can be just as much fun. Just ask any child…or any cat, for that matter.
　　A child can enjoy the box their gift came in as much as, if not more than, the gift itself. An empty box can lead to imaginative play. It can become anything!It can be a secret house in the forest or a boat on the open sea. That's because children are masters at "thinking outside the box". Someone who thinks outside the box is not controlled by rules or tradition. Instead, he or she always thinks about ideas and considers solutions that are creative and unusual.
　　These are something about Boxing Day. Though plenty of families and businesses still celebrate Boxing Day by helping the less lucky, Boxing Day is now also celebrated with friends and family.

16．　　What will the world of the next generation look like?Many people today are confident that technology is going to help solve some of the most challenging problems we have on Earth today. Other people are worried that while new technology may solve old problems, it may also create new ones. No technology is perfect. (1)      
　　When we dream about the future, many of us like to think that we will be able to take to the skies in our own personal flying car. The advantages are clear. This technology would allow total freedom of movement. We could fly at 480 km. per hour, avoiding traffic lights and busy roads. (2)      If the cars become popular, there is likely to cause a very heavy traffic. And what will happen the cars break down?
　　(3)      3 D printers are already used to make life-size models of car parts, and man-made body parts, such as ears. As we move into the future, 3 D printing will change the way we make things and the way we treat sick people. The disadvantage is that such a machine is very expensive.
　　(4)      Several companies are trying to build a practical robot suit. This is an electronic suit with robot arms and legs which follows the wearer's movements. It lots you to lift heavy objects and walk long distances, even might help people walk again after disease or injury. However, one disadvantage at the moment is cost. Even a simple robot suit can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. (5)       A heavy suit like this needs a lot of power, and battery (电池) life is short.
　　Looking ahead, it is not difficult to imagine a future. One day, we will be able to fly to work, print out a new pair of shoes or lift a car above our heads. Although there are some problems to solve before all of this is possible, we can certainly dream of a world where technology makes life easier and safer for millions of people.

17．(Amy and Leo are talking in a radio station. A ＝Amy L＝ Leo)
A: Leo, welcome to our program. (1)      
L: Pretty good. Thank you.
A: Well, you've been here in Beijing for about half a year. (2)      
L: Yes, I am. You know, I can get everything done without going out, just with a phone in my hand.
A: Yes. What do your parents think of your living here? (3)      
L: They do, but they also know that it's all for my work, I need to fly here and there. That's normal.
A: Right. (4)      
L: Yes. That's what technology brings us. But I still keep the habit of writing letters to my family, although we talk on WeChat every day.
A: Really? (5)      
L: But it is true. I enjoy the feeling of waiting for someone's letter. It always gives people hope, right?
A: I agree.

18．生活充满挑战．本卷阅读理解B篇讲述了"钢腿女孩"牛钰的肠志故事, 值得我们学习．请根据下面提示, 写一篇英语短文, 谈谈你将如何运用牛钰的人生态度, 去战胜生活中的挑战．
写作要点:
(1)What have you learned from Niu Yu's story?
(2)Have you ever experienced a challenge?What was it?
(3)What will you do to overcome it?
要求:
(1)短文应包括提示中所有的写作要点, 条理清楚, 行文连贯, 可适当发挥;
(2)短文中不能出现真实的人名和地名;
(3)词数不少于80．