1 . Being bored is no fun, especially at work. However, a recent study at the Australian National University suggests that boredom may have unexpected advantages.
In a study, 52 people were given a boring task of sorting (分类) red and green beans for 30 minutes, while another group of 49 people was asked to create art projects with paper, beans, and glue. Then both groups were instructed to spend five minutes on a creative task. Surprisingly, the group that had performed the boring task produced much more creative ideas than the group that had taken part in the art project.
“From the research, we can learn boredom is not necessarily terrible,” says the study’s lead researcher, Guihyun Park. “People want to get out of a boring condition, so they will look for novelty (新颖), which can lead to special thinking and bring out creativity.” Moreover, it’s also worth noting that studies have found that not everyone experiences the same level of creative advantage from boredom. Researchers have discovered in one experiment (实验) that people who are open to new experiences are more likely (可能的) to learn a lot from being bored.
For designers (设计师) and anyone in a creative field, boredom is not something to fear, but to gladly accept. J. K. Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter series (系列), has shared how she would spend hours sitting on trains, letting her mind wander (漫游) and coming up with new ideas for her stories. This boredom allowed her to bring out her creativity and imagination, leading to one of the most beloved book series ever.
1. What does the recent study find about boredom?| A．It raises people’ patience. |
| B．It leads to terrible feelings. |
| C．It brings unexpected advantages. |
| A．Boredom. | B．Creativity. | C．Special thinking. |
| A．People who are afraid of changes. |
| B．People who want to try new things. |
| C．People who enjoy competing with others. |
| A．To show the advantage of accepting boredom. |
| B．To explain the creation of the Harry Potter series. |
| C．To encourage people to stay bored in their daily life. |
2 . Talk to someone if you’re having problems with schoolwork. Speak up as soon as you can, so you can get help right away before you fall behind.
Your parents are the first ones to help you. They might be able to show you how to do a difficult math problem or help you think of a subject to write about for English class. But they can also be helpful by finding that perfect place in the house for you to do your homework and keeping supplies, like pencils, on hand.
Teachers are also important resources (资源) for you because they can give you advice on the homework you’re having trouble with. They can help you set up a good example for writing down your schoolwork and remembering to put all the necessary books and papers in your bag. Teachers can give you study tips and offer ideas about how to do homework. Helping students to learn is their job. So be sure to ask them for advice!
Many schools, towns, and cities offer after-school care for kids. Often, homework help is part of the program, you’ll be able to get some help from adults there, as well as from other kids.
You can also use the Internet to visit online homework help sites. These sites can direct you to good resources for researching and offering tips about many subjects. But don’t just copy information from an Internet website. This is a form of cheating, so talk with your teachers about how to use these resources correctly.
Another choice is a private teacher. This is a person, who is paid to spend time going over schoolwork with you.
1. Who is the first person to help you?| A．Your parents. | B．Your teacher. | C．A private teacher. |
| A．Because they can give some advice on students’ schoolwork. |
| B．Because they help students write down their homework. |
| C．Because they set up the after-school care. |
| A．jokes | B．advice | C．training |
| A．Ways to get help when having problems with schoolwork. |
| B．Advantages of doing homework. |
| C．Reasons why we should ask for help with schoolwork. |
3 . Do you compare yourself to other people? Perhaps your best friend received something you really wanted for Christmas, or you’re not allowed to go to a concert but your brother or sister is. Even though comparisons are normal and can sometimes be helpful, focusing on your own progress is important for your happiness.
Why does focusing on me matter? “We prefer to compare ourselves to others who are doing better or not as well as ourselves,” says psychologist (心理学家) Nicola Abbott. “But comparing your achievements to your past self (where you started) and your future self (where you’d like to get to) can be more positive.” This can make you feel proud of what you’ve achieved and excited about what you might do. Child psychologist Laverne Antrobus agrees and says that focusing on your own goals is more worthwhile than always trying to come out on top.
Do comparisons make you unhappy? Comparing yourself to those around you is natural and we often do it without realizing. It can help us to find our achievements and to form friendships with new people who have similar interests. However, it’s important to be realistic and remember that nobody is perfect, especially online and on social media. Taking note of how the comparison is making you feel matters, too.
If you begin to feel quite low, Abbott suggests choosing a different role model or focusing on your own strengths and what you’re good at. Antrobus agrees. She says that asking yourself questions like “________”, “What do I feel proud of?” and “What improvements can I notice?” can help to improve your self-esteem (how positive you feel about yourself).
“Jealousy (妒忌) is an ordinary feeling,” says Antrobus, “but focusing on improving your own performance can help you feel just as successful. Besides, learning to celebrate your friend’s achievements can help not only to improve your friend’s feeling but can also help you feel good. “It will encourage you to build each other up.”
1. The underlined phrase “focusing on” means ________.| A．taking part in | B．paying attention to |
| C．playing a role in | D．making use of |
| A．your failures with your past self and future self |
| B．yourselves to others who are doing better |
| C．yourselves to others who are doing worse |
| D．your achievements to your past self and future self |
| A．Paragraph 1. | B．Paragraph 2. | C．Paragraph 3. | D．Paragraph 4. |
| A．Who am I? | B．What am I good at? |
| C．How can I help you? | D．Where do I come from? |
| A．not arguing with those around you |
| B．trying to do better than those around you |
| C．not minding the feeling of being jealous |
| D．learning to congratulate your friends on their progress |
4 . Someday, you may no longer need to brush your teeth by hand. Instead, billions of nanoparticles (纳米颗粒) could do all that work for you. The nanoparticles are very tiny, metalic (金属制的) balls. Magnets make them move. A magnet (磁铁) is a piece of iron (铁), often in a horseshoe shape, which can attract iron naturally.
“If you set up a magnet in just the right way,” says Ed Steager, “you can arrange (安排) them into any shape you want.”
Steager is an engineer at the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. HyunKoo is an inventor and dental (牙齿的) researcher who also works there. Together, they found a way to form the nanoparticles into long, skinny bristles (刷毛), a lot like the ones on a toothbrush. But these bristles can change the shape to fit whatever surface they touch. They can even move between teeth, like floss (牙线).
A new way to clean teeth could help out anyone who finds this chore boring, says Koo. But it would be especially life-changing for people with disabilities or illnesses that make it difficult or impossible to hold and move a toothbrush.
The scientists tested the robotic bristles in the lab. The removed gunk from plastic teeth and from human teeth. The scientists reported their invention on June 28, 2022.
The device (设备) isn’t yet ready for people to use. The magnets and nanoparticles will need to fit comfortably and safely inside a person’s mouth. The researchers are working with a company to make their dream come true. But if these inventors can perfect the device, it will do good to a lot of people.
A dental researcher says of the Pennsylvania robotic brush, “It’s very innovative.”
1-2题完成句子；3-5题简略回答问题。1.
2. The new invention was reported on
3. What does a magnet look like?
4. Who may especially need the new way to clean teeth?
5. Do you like the new invention? Why or why not?
5 .
Schools in Guangping County of Handan, Hebei Province, held interesting celebration to welcome students back to school as the new term began on Tuesday. Kindergarten kids enjoyed themselves most with many activities, such as drawing lots(抽签) printed with good luck for their new school year. They could also choose a present prepared by their teachers. |
Children call for lighter backpacks. Children in Japan have been talking about their hating the weight of their traditional backpacks. In a survey, more than 90% said that their bags gave them sore shoulders and backs. Schoolbags can weigh up to 22 pounds when packed with books and other supplies students need. Some schools allow children to leave textbooks home at night to help lighten their bags. |
The UK’s greenest school is being rebuilt. A school in Derby, the UK, that was harmed by a fire is being rebuilt to be the UK’s greenest school. St Mary’s Catholic Primary School has been redesigned(重新设计) to help students feel more connected with nature. There will be wildflowers and solar panels (太阳能电池板) on the roof, and large windows so students can have views of greenery. |
| A．Happy New Year, Kids | B．Lots with lucky words |
| C．Thanks a lot to teachers | D．Welcoming kids back to school |
| A．Students aren’t happy with some rules at school. |
| B．Students enjoy their school life. |
| C．Students in Japan have much lighter schoolwork. |
| D．Schoolbags in Japan are really heavy themselves. |
| A．Personal. | B．Traditional. | C．International. | D．Environmental. |
| A．celebrations | B．kid’s health | C．schools | D．school buildings |
6 . We humans can express feelings by telling others how we feel, but what about arqimals? How can we tell whether they experience sadness or happiness? Over the past 20 years, researchers have made great progress in this field.
It’s very hard for us to understand the feelings of animals, because they cannot tell us how they feel. However, we can know how they feel by some of their representations (表现) . The easiest reaction(反应) that an animal can feel about something is to change its behavior(s). Humans often change looks and actions depending on whether they experience a happy thing or not. Animals show these special looks as well. For example, changes in the ear place or the amount (量) of the white part of the eyes can show different levels of pain or fear of animals. It is important to remember that the looks of animals are usually different from those of humans. Their joy might not be shown by a smile, and sadness may not be followed by tears.
Another example of animal actions that is connected to feelings is vocalizations (发声) , which can show stress of many different animals. We know this is true for humans, too. Imagine you are singing a song in front of many people, and your voice might shake if you are nervous. Researchers have found that the vocalizations of pigs, sheep and cows also change and get less smooth when these animals are nervous, for example, when they are separated from the group.
It seems that animals react to their environments as much as humans do. So, we can guess that animals have rich feelings. This might encourage us to rethink the environments where we raise the animals, such as farms, zoos or our houses. If we can better understand how animals react to their environments, we can improve these environments as well as human-animal relationshies.
1. The animals’ different levels of pain can be shown from ________.| A．their special faces | B．their different voice |
| C．changes of eye colors | D．different ear places |
| A．Because you are very nervous. | B．Because you don’t have enough sleep. |
| C．Because you want to win an honor. | D．Because you are afraid of singing. |
| A．The places of raising animals. |
| B．The ways of how to raise animals well. |
| C．The suggestions of how to protect the environment. |
| D．The uses of understanding how animals express feelings. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Do Animals Like People? | B．Do Animals Feel as We Do? |
| C．Do Animals Show Sadness? | D．Do Animals Need Feelings? |
7 . As you read this passage, you probably have in front of you some paper, a pen and at least one pencil. Have you ever wondered how they were first made and where they come from?
The word “paper” comes from the name “papyrus”, a plant. The ancient Egyptians took the soft centre of this plant and added water to make a wet mixture which was then pressed together and hung up to dry. The resulting paper was strong yet flexible and was used as writing material in Greek and Roman times. However, it was the Chinese who invented what we now know as paper. The method, in use over 2,000 years ago, also included pressing and drying wet material to form paper. Many materials were used. It was not until the 19th century that paper became easy to make and cheap to buy.
The earliest pens were hollow reeds (空心芦苇) that were put into ink to produce a form of writing. By the 6th century BC, feathers had replaced the reeds and feathers continued to be used until the appearance of the metal nib (笔尖). The ballpoint pen was developed in the second half of the 20th century by theHungarian Biro brothers.
From the time of the Romans, a metal stick, made of lead (铅), was used to write on papyrus. The lead left only a light mark and was later replaced by another soft metal, called graphite (石墨). Unlike lead, graphite produced a much harder and heavier line. The graphite sticks, however, broke very easily. So anItalian couple invented something a little like our modern pencil.
1. What does the underlined word “fiexible” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．柔韧的 | B．复杂的 | C．舒适的 | D．坚硬的 |
| A．In the 6th century. | B．In the 12th century. |
| C．In the 19th century. | D．In the 20th century. |
| A．Feathers→hollow reeds→metal nib→ballpoint pen. |
| B．Hollow reeds→feathers→metal nib→ballpoint pen. |
| C．Metal nib→hollow reeds→feathers→ballpoint pen. |
| D．Hollow reeds→metal nib→feathers→ballpoint pen. |
| A．Because lead is harmful to people. | B．Because lead breaks more easily. |
| C．Because graphite makes darker lines. | D．Because graphite can’t be found easily. |
| A．To teach us how to make paper. |
| B．To encourage us to learn the creative spirit of ancient people. |
| C．To make us realize the importance of Chinese inventions. |
| D．To help us learn the development of paper, pens and pencils. |
When do you become an adult (成年人)? The answers are different from country to country. In modern China, adulthood for both boys and girls starts at the age of 18. By the time most people reach 18, they have finished high school and are ready for university. So a person’s 18th birthday often means a celebration of both adulthood and the start of college life.
Did children in ancient China become adults at 18? In fact, boys in ancient China became adults at 20 and girls at 15. And there was a ceremony to celebrate this time. After the ceremony, a young person could be called an “adult”.
For girls, the ceremony was called Ji Li. “Ji” is a kind of hairpin (发夹). In ancient times, only girls from rich families could have this ceremony. It was simple and didn’t take much time. Before the ceremony, a girl would tie her hair on the top of her head. At the ceremony, a woman in the family would put a hairpin on a girl’s hair. It meant she was now an adult. After the ceremony, she needed to learn a lot, like the right way to speak and dress.
For boys, the ceremony was called Guan Li. ▲ Before the ceremony, a boy’s family often chose a lucky day and invited many guests. On that day, the boy needed to dress up. The father would wash hands and put three hats on the boy’s head, one by one. Then the boy would change into another set of clothes to go with the color of the hats. After these steps, the boy would become a “man”.
1. When did a person become an adult in ancient China?| A．At the age of 18 for both boys and girls. | B．At the age of 18 for boys and 15 for girls. |
| C．At the age of 20 for boys and 18 for girls. | D．At the age of 20 for boys and 15 for girls. |
| A．It was usually in May. | B．“Guan” is a kind of hat. |
| C．It is the same as Ji Li. | D．After Guan Li, the boy would have a new name. |
| A．People saw a boy’s Guan Li as an important celebration. |
| B．On a boy’s Guan Li, the father put three hats on his son’s head. |
| C．All boys and girls had a ceremony to celebrate their being an adult. |
| D．People expected boys to speak and dress in a right way after they grew up. |
| A．Life and health. | B．History and culture. | C．Business world. | D．National news. |
①Japan’s population is rapidly aging, with 28 percent of its people aged 65 or older. This means there aren’t enough young people doing jobs that need physical strength (力量) like building things and farming.
②To encourage older people to work on, technology companies in Japan have developed special suits called exoskeleton (外骨骼). These suits can make it easier to lift and carry heavy objects.
③“We have no choice, elderly people need to stay in the workplace,” says Daigo Orihara at Innophys. This company has made a suit called the Every Muscle Suit. It’s light, weighing less than 4 kg. It doesn’t need any batteries (电池) or motors (发动机). When users put it on like a backpack, they pump (抽气) air into it 30 times with a hand pump. Then, the suit can help them lift up to 25 kg easily. The suit costs about 1000 pounds and is used by food companies to help worker lift big boxes, by old people’s homes to help workers lift people in and out of bed, as well as by food factories and building companies.
④Another company, Panasonic, is also developing different exoskeleton suits. Its most important one—the Atoun Model Y—costs 4200 pounds. It uses motors instead of air to work and can last for 8 hours. It weighs 4.5 kg and can help users lift up to 10 kg.
⑤Similarly, Japanese company JTEKT, part of the Toyota group, also began selling an exoskeleton. It’s used to help older workers and also runs on a motor.
⑥As Japan is facing the problems of fewer and fewer workers, they may need to raise the age when people stop working. This means there will be even more need for exoskeleton to help older people keep working.
1. Why do Japanese technology companies develop exoskeleton?| A．To take the place of humans with machines. |
| B．To compete with other countries in technology. |
| C．To encourage older people to stay in jobs for longer. |
| D．To help young workers move heavy objects more easily. |
| A．The Every Muscle Suit needs electricity. |
| B．The Every Muscle Suit can help users lift up to 25 kg. |
| C．The Every Muscle Suit is heavier than the Atoun Model Y. |
| D．The Every Muscle Suit is more expensive than the Atoun Model Y. |
(①=Para.1 ②=Para.2 ③=Para.3 ④=Para.4 ⑤=Para.5 ⑥= Para.6)
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．The Every Muscle Suit | B．Japan’s Technology Companies |
| C．Reasons for Japan’s Aging Challenge | D．Exoskeletons: to Solve Japan’s Aging Challenge |
10 . In October 2023, three Mediterranean fruit flies were discovered in Leimert Park, California. This was serious news for farmers in California, a big farming state. The solution to the problem seems a little unusual: freeing millions more of the flies.
The Mediterranean fruit fly, known as the “Medfly”, is one of the most serious dangers to farmers worldwide. Once the flies make their way into an area, it can be very hard for farmers to drive them away.
The flies lay their eggs in over 300 kinds of fruits and vegetables. When the eggs hatch, they turn into worm-like larvae that can destroy these products. However, it can be hard to know that the flies are there until it’s too late.
The fruits and vegetables still look normal even after the eggs are laid inside. So the damaged fruits and vegetables can be sent to other places, allowing the Medflies to spread.
To stop the problem from spreading, the government build a large quarantine area, which means that no farm products can be moved out of that area. Luckily, California has developed a program to control Medflies. The plan includes using planes to drop millions of Medflies over the area. In fact, they only drop male flies, and all of them have been treated so that they can’t help produce new fruit flies. The males are sterile. This means that even though they can mate with female fruit flies, the eggs produced will never grow or hatch.
The plan may sound like a bad idea at first, but it can surely make Medfly numbers fall.
1. What does the underlined word “This” refer to?| A．The farming in California. |
| B．The reason for freeing the flies. |
| C．The solution to the fruit fly problem. |
| D．The discovery of Medflies in California. |
| A．Producing harmful waste. |
| B．Bringing diseases to farmers. |
| C．Damaging farm products badly. |
| D．Attracting more Medflies to the fields. |
| A．How do Medflies lay eggs? | B．Where do Medflies spread? |
| C．When do Medflies lay eggs? | D．Why is it hard to find Medflies? |
| A．By producing new fruit flies. |
| B．By moving out the female Medflies. |
| C．By dropping sterile male Medflies. |
| D．By building an area to keep Medflies |
| A．Finding a Way to Grow Crops |
| B．Fighting Fruit Flies with Fruit Flies |
| C．Stopping a Health Problem from Spreading |
| D．Developing a Program to Produce More Fruits |
