Can you imagine being able to remember every single experience of your life and every word in your favorite book? That’s what Becky’s life is like.
Three years ago, Becky was reading a reading a newspaper article which mentioned that it was impossible for people to remember the details of their life in the first three years.
“What nonsense!” she thought, because she could clearly remember her life all the way back to when she was just 12 days old. Her parents had carried her to the driver’s seat of their car and laid her down for a photo. But it wasn’t nonsense. She was just one of only 80 known people suffering from a mysterious condition called HSAM（超忆症）.
Becky’s unusual case was shown on a program called 60 Minutes, where reporter Allison tested her ability by asking her about her favorite book series, Harry Potter, Allison would pick up a book and open a page and read her a line. Immediately Becky would name the book, chapter number, copter name and could recite every word until Allison told her to stop.
Being able to remember every little detail is great, but as every HSAM suffer will tell you, it’s also tough to deal with it. We always forget things to get over sad experiences in our lives, but it’s something that people like Becky can’t do. Even walking on the street and lightly knocking into somebody can bring some me bad memories from Becky’s childhood. Also, like Becky, people with HSAM never do well in school, because they have problems picking up the important information from what they've learnt.
Becky’s great brain could help scientists find a cure for terrible mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s(老年痴呆症).Her condition could hold the secret to treating or even preventing Alzheimer’s.
1. What did Becky do on 60 Minutes?| A．She retold the story of Harry Potter. |
| B．She recited the key part of Harry Potter. |
| C．She answered any question about Harry Potter. |
| D．She recited Harry Potter without opening her eyes. |
| A．a heavy burden | B．a happy thing |
| C．a great ability | D．a big chance |
| A．She is always absent—minded in class. |
| B．She feels sad every time she begins to study. |
| C．She can't remember the important knowledge. |
| D．She is overloaded with information and can't tell which is important. |
| A．There is a cure for Becky's illness. |
| B．Scientists have found a cure for Alzheimer’s. |
| C．Becky will suffer from another mental illness. |
| D．Becky’s case is helpful for scientists to treat Alzheimer’s. |
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【推荐1】I’ve gotten used to travelling alone over the past few years, and have found it’s something I quite enjoy most of the time. One thing I still find difficult though is eating alone in foreign restaurants, especially during main dining hours, such as a Saturday night. And yet, that’s the position I found myself in last night, wanting to enjoy a final Parisian meal of oysters（牡蛎）. I headed to a spot close to my house. But, to my dismay, when I arrived around 8:15 it as if the restaurant were already full. And worse, everyone was eating with someone else, and all of a sudden I got a kind of lonely and sad feeling. But I wanted my oysters, so I asked a waiter, “Would it be possible to find a seat for me?”
He said, “It is quite full, but for you I will find a place!” I waited and he quickly returned and asked me to follow him. He pulled out a table next to another couple. This couple was using one of the chairs of my table to store their things, and as the waiter pulled out my chair, the gentleman began to remove his belongings. I told him it wasn’t necessary.
“You are alone?” He asked me. “Yes,” I said. And then the waiter came up.
“No! You are not alone! Now you are here, dining with us!” he said, smiling, and with a gesture of his hand indicating the restaurant.
It was perhaps one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. I settled into my seat and watched the families and couples enjoying their dinner while I slurped the last briny oysters of my visit. And the feeling of being alone was forgotten.
1. The underlined word “dismay” in the first paragraph most probably means “______”.| A．concern | B．surprise | C．satisfaction | D．disappointment |
| A．Because he wanted to use the chair. |
| B．Because he wanted to use these things. |
| C．Because he thought that the author needed the chair. |
| D．Because he wanted to invite the author to join them. |
| A．kind but silly | B．gentle and thoughtful |
| C．noisy but polite | D．funny and humorous |
| A．felt very comfortable and satisfied |
| B．forgot to enjoy the delicious oysters |
| C．still felt lonely when she was eating oysters |
| D．enjoyed sharing foods with others in the restaurant |
【推荐2】Ross Salvo, a 12- year -old boy from Newtown, Connecticut, was very special in the way he served, cared about others and overcame challenges.
Ross suffered from various serious health problems. Shortly after birth, Ross had a brain injury. By the time Ross was two months old, he had already had one heart surgery and three brain surgeries. Ross survived his first days of life, but his health kept worsening. However, none of those stopped Ross from becoming the best version of himself and making a big influence on the people around him. The key was his amazing attitude, faith and spirit.
Ross wanted to be like everyone else. Where others saw differences, he saw things they had in common. As he once said to a kid who was mean to him,“so I have walking sticks... what's the difference?”His family always said he did not have a disability, but a "differability(不同的特性)”.
Ross was willing to try anything! And he did! He played soccer, basketball, and was an active member of the youth group at St. Rose of Lima church.
Ross enjoyed serving others. His parents were both Emergency Medical Technicians(EMTs). Ross trained himself in EMT and volunteered to help his parents train others at Westport Volunteer EMS.
Ross was also a great friend to many. He really cared about others and always tried to spread his great attitude to those around him. When people were struggling, he would encourage them,
His teacher, Amy LaRusso, said, “Ross had his challenges, but he never gave up. I am a better teacher because I had the honor of having him teach me.”
While Ross is physically gone from the earth, his spirit lives on. It is the wish of his family to have it spread further.
1. What has made Ross Salvo so extraordinary?| A．His poor health. | B．His first aid skills. | C．His unhappy life. | D．His attitude to life. |
| A．Ross had a very supportive family. | B．Ross was proud of his walking sticks. |
| C．Ross' parents just ignored his disability. | D．Ross' playmates were not kind to him. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Sympathetic. | C．Proud. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Ross Salvo Had a Painful Childhood | B．The Inspiring Ross Salvo Lives on |
| C．My Sweet Memories of Ross Salvo | D．My Awesome Student Ross Salvo |
【推荐3】Zhang Shuai has a sense of fun that is being widely appreciated on the internet. When deliverymen bring cardboard boxes to his doorstep, Zhang soon builds them into interactive toys for his daughter Nini, who is 5.
The 32-year-old father from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, has made more than 120 toys from waste cardboard in the past three years. His toy-making videos have gone viral (走红) on the internet and many netizens comment that it shows an environment-friendly way to spend quality time with children.
In Zhang’s eyes, everything can have a hard cardboard copy. Even the classic video games, such as Need for Speed, Tetris and Submarine Game Challenge, can be played in the actual world.
“These are toys or games that people born after 1980 had in childhood that are rarely seen today. I want my daughter to see what her father played with as a boy, building a kind of connection between the two generations,” Zhang says.
The homemade toy, cardboard version of Need for Speed, has got more than 1.6 million likes on short video platform Douyin. The screen is made of paper with three lanes (车道) with cars and a magnet (磁铁) underneath. In the video, Nini uses a steering wheel to control a metal car to overtake painted cars in its lane with her father rolling the paper.
He also built a marble obstacle course, a pool table, a robot WALL-E and many others. His most liked video, a toy bank in the shape of a house, has gained more than 2.7 million likes.
“As people are becoming more addicted to digital devices, there are harmful effects brought by technology, like difficulty in concentration,” Zhang says, adding that parents should control their children’s screen time.
1. What do we know about Zhang Shuai’s cardboard toys?| A．They are interactive. | B．They are of a style. |
| C．They are commonly seen. | D．They are a waste of money. |
| A．How a cardboard toy is played. | B．How likes on Douyin are gained. |
| C．What games were popular in 1980. | D．What materials are needed for a toy. |
| A．Digital devices are beneficial to people. |
| B．Children rely on their parents to buy toys. |
| C．Harmful effects brought by technology are unnoticed. |
| D．Parents should spend quality time with their children. |
| A．Kind and generous. | B．Patient and creative. |
| C．Brave and ambitious. | D．Just and sympathetic. |
【推荐1】Narcissists (自恋者) are people who are simply interested in themselves. They talk about themselves, demand admiration and recognition and believe everyone else should envy them.
Understand that narcissism is a personality disorder.
Have reasonable expectations about the person and his ability to stop being self-absorbed. This is not a disorder that goes away on its own—often the person will need intensive counseling to deal with his narcissism. Suggest counseling if you are in a close relationship with the person, such as a marriage.
| A．Stay positive and strong-minded |
| B．Ignore the person whenever possible |
| C．Give him or her a hand whenever possible |
| D．While he may not be able to stop the behavior completely |
| E．Often it is rooted in childhood issues, such as abuse or neglect |
| F．When you are suffering from this kind of mental disorder occasionally |
| G．They might even lie or exaggerate (夸大) the truth as a way to lift themselves |
【推荐2】“Can I hug you?” community nurse Joyce Jebambula asks with a smile as she welcomes me back to her village. “Of course,” I say as I put my arms around her. It’s an unbelievable moment. Just at the height of the outbreak more than a year ago, there was an “avoid body contact” rule here. It’s now been removed.
One of the most challenging parts of reporting this outbreak over the past 18 months is that I haven't been able to touch anyone in the worst-affected countries. When Ebola(埃博拉病毒) survivors described in tears describing losing their families, I had to almost sit on my hands to avoid reaching out to comfort them.
The outbreak was declared over in Sierra Leone on 7 November. I returned for the celebrations. But despite reaching this long-awaited milestone, all is not well.
Ibrahim Koroma, 21, clings to (紧紧抓住) his survivor's certificate (证明) outside the home. All 17 of his family are now dead. The certificate is one of his most prized possessions. "He does not pose any risk to the community" it reads.
Ibrahim tells me how his landlord has allowed him to stay in one of the rooms of his former family home until the end of the year. He says he doesn't know what he'll do after that. He does some part-time work, relying heavily on help from neighbors. His two little sisters and little brother died in the very room where he now sleeps. He says he often lies awake thinking about them, feeling very bad.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa was the worst on record. In past outbreaks there had only been a few hundred deaths and a few hundred survivors. It was thought Ebola could live for only three months. But research has now shown it can linger for at least nine months. Scientists are still trying to find how long it could be infectious.
1. When interviewing Ebola survivors, the author _______.| A．couldn’t help comforting them with hands |
| B．kept comforting them with hands |
| C．held their hands to show sympathy |
| D．couldn’t touch them with hands. |
| A．is a sign of his contributions |
| B．shows he is a healthy person |
| C．has been the only one for patients so far |
| D．is a great honor to have it in his village |
| A．Ebola can only survive a few days |
| B．Ibrahim’s neighbours treat him badly |
| C．Ebola still influences Ibrahim’s life |
| D．there were once 17 people in Ibrahim’s family |
【推荐3】Have you ever always wanted to lie in bed and do totally nothing else, and just stay lazy and not worry about any of your responsibilities? We all feel lazy and uninspired from time to time.
You can’t cheer yourself up. Do you often struggle with feelings of unexplained loneliness, sadness, and hopelessness? Do you feel tired all the time and hardly have any energy?
You’ve lost interest in everything once you enjoyed.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing serious feelings of depression, don’t hesitate (犹豫).
| A．You just can’t get yourself out of it. |
| B．Your laziness isn’t caused by anything else. |
| C．We all have days when we are not ourselves. |
| D．Just give yourself a chance to open up yourself. |
| E．Reach out to a mental healthcare professional and get help. |
| F．And nothing you do seems to make you feel happier or better. |
| G．Obvious losing interest in activities is also a sign of depression. |
【推荐1】San Francisco residents may notice something missing the next time they hail a taxi—no driver at the wheel. On June 2, 2022, Cruise, a division of General Motors (GM), was approved to charge for rides in its autonomous cars. Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has been offering a similar service in Chandler, Arizona, since October 2020. However, Cruise is the first company allowed to operate commercial driverless cars in a major US city.
The first-of-its-kind permit comes with some restrictions. Cruise vehicles will be limited to transporting passengers in less crowded areas of the city between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The self-driving cars should not exceed a speed of 30 mph. They are also not allowed to operate in heavy rain or fog. The rules are meant to reduce any injuries or accidents.
Cruise plans to launch the service gradually with a fleet of just 30 cars. The first robotaxis will be modified (修改的) versions of GM’s Chevrolet Bolt. However, the company is seeking approval to get its custom- built Cruise Origin on public roads. The autonomous electric vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals (踏板) and can attain highway speeds. The car’s roomy interior is fitted with seats that face each other.
Cruise’s ability to obtain the commercial permit to operate is a big step forward. However, the company still has to convince passengers that its technology is safe. A 2021 survey by the American Automobile Association found that 74 percent of Americans are afraid to ride in a self-driving vehicle.
Regardless of whether the program is successful, its initiation is a significant milestone for Cruise. Waymo is still working on ensuring its self-driving vehicles are safe on busy street roads. Uber and Tesla have both announced plans to launch autonomous ride-hailing services. Neither have succeeded thus far.
1. Where is Cruise allowed to operate its autonomous ride-hailing services now?| A．In some major cities of the USA. |
| B．On the streets of Chandler, Arizona. |
| C．In some regions of San Francisco. |
| D．On all the highways of the country. |
| A．The feature of Cruise Origin. |
| B．The future of self-driving cars. |
| C．The original plan of the company. |
| D．The new version of Chevrolet Bolt. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Objective. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Self-Driving Cars Are Coming to San Francisco |
| B．Self-driving Vehicles Are Popular in the Major Cities |
| C．Cruise Offers Free Autonomous Ride-hailing Services |
| D．More Companies Charge for Rides in Self-driving Cars D |
THE AMAZING ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA
Our topic today is “Creatures Unique to Australia”, with questions answered by wildlife expert, Dr Jim Smith.
Australia has lots of unique animals, but which animal is a symbol of the country?
It has to be the kangaroo, as it has a wide distribution throughout the country. It’s a tough animal that has to survive in a difficult environment. Also, it cannot walk backwards, so it is always moving forwards. This expresses the strength and resolve of the Australians as individuals and as a nation. Baby kangaroos weigh only two grammes at birth. They then find their way into their mother’s pouch—a kind of pocket—to stay safe and warm. They sleep and drink milk in that temporary, protected environment until they are about seven or eight months old. After this phase, they go out to try their legs. After they learn to jump, they gradually spend less time with their mother and learn to be independent. Kangaroos may look cute, but encounters with them don’t always end so well. Kangaroos can hit and kick very hard, so please folks, if you see some kangaroos, remember they’re not for petting!
Koalas are cute, and we see so many pictures of people holding them. But in many places in Australia, it is against the law to even touch them. Can you clarify that?
They are really quite cute, but the truth is, koalas are very sensitive creatures who can easily panic because of even small changes in their environment. They spend quite a lot of time eating, sleeping, and hanging onto tree trunks, so interaction with humans can cause them a lot of stress.
Because of this, the government began to make laws against touching koalas, in the interest of animal protection, as well as public safety. So, if you see one in the wild, you shouldn’t approach it to pick it up or even touch it. If you want to hold a koala, you have to go to certain licensed zoos where animal experts make sure that the koalas selected for each session are in a good state for human contact and that they are handled for only a limited time and on a limited frequency of occasions.
So, we’ve talked about some cute animals. What about animals which aren’t so cute?
My favourite is a little creature called the Tasmanian devil. If you are out camping in Tasmania and come across one, the experience might scare you! Tasmanian devils hunt at night, so you won’t usually see them, but you may hear their loud cries when they are fighting or eating. The noise they make could wake the dead. Frightening! They are about the size of small dogs and look like rather large black rats. They also have a terrible smell! Their diet is mostly dead animals. Fortunately, despite their name, they are generally not violent towards people.
Australia also has some animals that many people have never heard of, for example, the duckbilled platypus. Is that some kind of bird?
Not at all. While it may lay eggs in a nest like a bird, it’s really a primitive mammal, with a unique biology. Its eggs hatch after about ten days, and then the baby platypus nurses from its mother like all other mammals. Its nose looks like a duck’s bill, and it has feet like a duck’s so it can dive under the water, but it’s covered in hair. Do you know what’s really strange about a platypus? The platypus doesn’t use its senses of sight or smell to find food. It has a capacity to find food in the water by using electrical sensors in its bill. There are only a small handful of animals in the world that can do that!
1. What can we infer from the last two sentences of the first part?| A．Kangaroos can be dangerous sometimes. | B．It is hard to take kangaroos as family pets. |
| C．Meeting kangaroos is always a lucky thing. | D．It is always good to pet a cute kangaroo. |
| A．After they were born for ten days. | B．Until they can dive under the water. |
| C．Since they were born immediately. | D．When they are about seven or eight months old. |
| A．It may disturb their daily activities. | B．It can change their living habits. |
| C．It will bring pressure to their life. | D．It may attack people by surprise. |
| A．They are aggressive against humans. | B．They frighten their prey to death. |
| C．They belong to a rat family. | D．They make loud and frightening noise. |
【推荐3】School field trips have been part of the educational experience for children across the US for decades. While many schools believe there’s value in letting students develop socially with out-of-classroom experiences, measuring the influence and the value of field trips is difficult. And showing the value of out-of- class time can be challenging for teachers tasked with providing a good education.
As such, many art venues, science museums and zoos have reported drops in field trip attendance. Teachers and students have also reported falling numbers of school supported trips, particularly for minority students in academically low-performing schools.
But thanks to new research from Brigham Young University and the Heritage Foundation, the value of field trips is finally being understood. The study used an experimental design and randomly assigned fourth-and fifth-grade students from fifteen elementary schools in Atlanta to join in three field trips during a school year. The field trips included a trip to a gallery, a live theater performance and a symphony concert.
Students who attended three different field trips in the fourth or fifth grade scored higher on end-of-grade exams, received higher course grades, were absent less often and had fewer behavioral problems. Besides academic(学业的) improvements， students who took part in field trips were more likely to express a desire to have careerism related fields in the future. In parents’ opinion, they are very interested in the academic quality of their children’s schools, but they’re also interested in the social skills and social engagement habits they develop. Field trips are easy ways to help facilitate both.
“We expected that field trips wouldn’t harm test scores. However, we never predicted the all-around improvements for students who joined in these field trips,” said Eriekson, a researcher in the study. “One potential reason for this is that field trips widen students’ world concepts and introduce them to new ideas. Similarly, students might be more engaged in school thanks to field trips. Students find school more exciting and want to try harder in class.”
1. Why do the number of school field trips drop?| A．Teachers give students too many tasks. |
| B．Schools have great problems with money. |
| C．The value of field trips is hard to be measured. |
| D．Students have difficulty in academic learning. |
| A．Art. |
| B．Nature. |
| C．Sports. |
| D．Technology. |
| A．They have more interests. |
| B．They have more self-control. |
| C．They become more creative. |
| D．They become more expressive. |
| A．Doubtful. |
| B．Surprised. |
| C．Disappointed. |
| D．Negative. |
【推荐1】Guide to Stockholm University Library Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones: The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers: You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers, you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Group-study places: If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps. There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material: The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits, you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be Followed: Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls. Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.
1. The library’s upper floor is mainly for students to _________.| A．get their computers fixed | B．have group discussions |
| C．take comfortable seats | D．read in a quiet place |
| A．are mostly used for filling out application forms |
| B．contain software essential for schoolwork |
| C．are for those who want to access the wi-fi |
| D．help students with their field experiments |
| A．Applicants must mark the room on the map. |
| B．Three-hour use per day is the minimum. |
| C．One should first register at the university. |
| D．Group must consist of 8 people. |
| A．Sandwiches. | B．Orange juice. |
| C．Candy. | D．Mobile phones. |
【推荐2】Want to Learn Chinese? Italian? Russian? There’s No Time Like the Present.
It’s a classic travel fantasy: flying to another country to learn a language through a combination of classes and wandering around. Yet with the housebound conditions, you can still meet native speakers. Here are some to get you started.
Babbel
This app offers straightforward lessons in over a dozen languages. A beginner level course, for example, introduces vocabulary words and then jumps into exercises. The first few challenges are free, but to go beyond those you must subscribe. Prices range from approximately $13 for one month to $ 84 every 12 months.
YouTube
For a lesson on turning YouTube, a free video, into your virtual classroom, check out “How to Use YouTube to Learn a New language”. The language instructor Luca Lampariello walks viewers through his own learning process using short foreign language videos, subtitles, repeated viewing and note taking.
PressReader
When learning to read in another language magazines with photos can be particularly helpful. One way to scan what’s out there is through a digital newsstand like PressReader, which has publications in many languages: Chinese, Danish, French, German and Turkish, to name but a few. Select “Languages” from the navigation (索引) menu and tap on your language of choice. It’s free to scan and read certain articles. But, in general, you’ll need to sign up for a plan.
News in Slow
Newscasters speaking a bit too quickly for you? Consider News in Slow, designed for those practicing Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian and German. Some of the online course material is free, but for full access you’ll need a subscription. Standard subscription: from approximately $15 to $23 a month, depending on the language.
1. Which may a Chinese beginner choose the most probably?| A．Babbel. | B．YouTube. | C．PressReader. | D．News in Slow. |
| A．It affords free foreign language videos. |
| B．It mainly refers to a few official languages in the world. |
| C．You need to select “languages” from the navigation menu. |
| D．You need to pay for it instantly to read the full publications. |
| A．They’re given by native language speakers. |
| B．They need to be paid by your subscription. |
| C．They’ve various levels of sounds or videos. |
| D．They’re available when we’re housebound. |
【推荐3】How do you kill your time on your way to work? Most of us stare at our cell phones, and refuse to make eye contact with others. We just read, chat with others online or play games online. Or maybe we' re using the time between stops to do our makeup, catch up on emails, or read a few chapters of a book. However, Dina Alfasi takes a very different approach.
Each day she has to travel hours on buses and trains to get to her engineering job at a hospital in Israel . Rather than look at her cell phone in silence, she uses one very special way to have connection with strangers. It is portraits of the people she meets on public transport every day that she is taking. The paintings catch those quiet and personal moments of people readying themselves for the day ahead. Some people lean their head against the window and go to sleep, some stare into space and have a daydream, and others sit quietly to read their documents or books. Each picture catches one tiny moment in people's lives, ripe with potential for your imagination. It is wonderful for her to look at someone's commute （上下班）and make up an entire story about the rest of their daily existence, from the father travelling with a baby to the woman welcoming a change.
“ What inspires me very much are the little moments that happen every day," Dina told My Modern Met. "My work is to tell stories through a single portrait, and it proves that all you need is just to look around and find those magic moments.”
1. As for people's behaviour on the way to work, what does Paragraph 1 imply?| A．Most of us like to catch early buses. |
| B．Most of us need to go to work punctually. |
| C．Most of us tend to concentrate on our mobile phones. |
| D．Most of us feel frightened to make eye contact with others. |
| A．Sitting quietly to read her books. |
| B．Keeping chatting with others all the way. |
| C．Using phones to take photos of every scene attracting her. |
| D．Drawing people while travelling on buses and trains to work. |
| A．Sceptical. | B．Enjoyable. | C．Cautious. | D．Tolerant. |
| A．Little moments make Dina special. |
| B．Cell phone is used to take special portraits. |
| C．Dina takes portraits of others when commuting. |
| D．People go to work with different ways to kill time. |
