1 . I’ll always remember the first time I tried ballet. My mother was a dancer and I wanted nothing more than to be like her, but after making mistakes during my first class, I felt like I wanted to quit right away. However, I told my mom I couldn’t wait to dance again because it was only my first day.
Weeks passed and my dancing didn’t get any better. Then my dance teacher announced that we were going to perform in a show. I was scared of falling on my face in front of hundreds of people and disappointing my mom.
Even though I practiced hard for the show, I never quite got the hang of it. Finally, I went to my mom to tell her how I felt. She simply laughed and told me she would teach me all she knew about ballet.
My mom quickly discovered how bad at ballet I was, but she still taught me with the greatest patience, love and understanding. When I jumped and fell, she was there to catch me. When I lost my balance, she held me up. By the time the show arrived, I was as prepared as I could be.
The music began and my heart started to race. Breathing calmly, I began moving to the music without missing a step. When the music stopped, I ran off the stage and laughed in excitement.
My mom found me and gave me a huge hug, telling me how proud she was. I looked my mom in the eye and told her that there was no way this could have happened without her. Through this, I realized one important fact: My mom will always be there to catch me if I fall.
1. What happened to the author on her first day of ballet?A.She fell down and hurt herself. | B.She made no mistakes while dancing. |
C.She realized she was talented in ballet. | D.She lied to her mom about liking ballet. |
A.learned to do it well. | B.lost interest in it. | C.had trouble with it. | D.jumped high in the air. |
A.She simply laughed and ignored her concerns completely. |
B.She encouraged her to quit and pursue something else. |
C.She offered to teach her everything she knew about ballet. |
D.She scolded her strictly for not practising enough. |
A.nervous and dependable. | B.calm and impatient. |
C.excited and concerned. | D.understanding and reliable. |
A.Don’t be afraid of disappointing others. |
B.Never try something you are not good at. |
C.A mother’s love is pure and unconditional. |
D.Every mom will be proud of their children’s achievements. |
2 . In an air-conditioned office, you may see men sporting shorts while their female co-workers wear jackets to keep warm. Why do women feel cold more easily than men?
The accepted answer is that men and women feel temperature differently. Our bodies produce heat through metabolism (新陈代谢). One of the key factors of the metabolic rate is our muscles. Generally speaking, men have more muscles than women, leading to a higher metabolic rate. It means that more heat is created. As a result, men, on average, do not feel cold as easily as women. Yes, women and men have physical differences. But why is it women, in most cases, who feel more uncomfortable in a room set to a “comfortable” temperature? The answer lies in the data bias (数据偏见) behind the model of temperature setting in buildings.
In a 2020 article in the journal Nature, Boris Kingma, a human thermal (热量的) performance researcher in the Netherlands, pointed out that most office buildings set the temperature in light of a model based on men’s metabolic rate. Female data were not considered when setting the model. In other words, temperatures for comfort in office buildings are mainly comfortable for men, not women. In his article, Kingma called for the end of this so-called “bias in thermal comfort”.
This is just one example of data bias. In her book, Caroline Perez gave more examples in which women were ignored in data collecting for scientific and technological research and design. Women are more likely to die from a serious car accident because a car’s safety equipment is designed for the typical body of a man. The medicine aspirin (阿司匹林) shows better performance in men since it was developed on data collected mostly from males. Women, who form half of the world’s population, seem to be ignored in these cases.
1. Why don’t men feel cold as easily as women, according to the text?A.Men have more fat to defeat cold. | B.Men exercise more to produce heat. |
C.Men have a higher metabolic rate. | D.Men burn off less energy when moving. |
A.Physical differences between men and women. |
B.The data bias in thermal comfort models. |
C.Variations in clothing choices. |
D.Differences in heat tolerance. |
A.Unfair. | B.Worrying. | C.Acceptable. | D.Reasonable. |
A.Safety equipment in cars. | B.Temperature model setting. |
C.Differences in clothing choices. | D.Performance of medicine aspirin. |
A.Arguments about data bias. | B.More examples of data bias. |
C.Commentary on data bias. | D.Reasons for human’s data bias. |
3 . Decades ago, I traveled alone for the first time in my life. The trip to Colorado was not for business or family reasons, but just to travel and
As I prepared for it, I felt excited and
As a good wife and mom, for me, travel is always about the
While traveling, I met locals and also other
It was quite a(n)
It was just me, my SUV and my backpack for a week.
A.exchange | B.succeed | C.research | D.discover |
A.tired | B.nervous | C.proud | D.lucky |
A.sure | B.ready | C.confused | D.worried |
A.disappointing | B.ordinary | C.memorable | D.difficult |
A.fun | B.family | C.scenery | D.rest |
A.enjoy | B.miss | C.see | D.arrange |
A.helplessly | B.shortly | C.independently | D.confidently |
A.remembered | B.wanted | C.doubted | D.promised |
A.travelers | B.wives | C.moms | D.drivers |
A.regularly | B.carefully | C.everywhere | D.elsewhere |
A.challenging | B.depressing | C.eye-opening | D.strange |
A.common | B.classic | C.annoying | D.incredible |
A.dull | B.safe | C.healthy | D.exciting |
A.all alone | B.in group | C.far away | D.very well |
A.wrong | B.uncertain | C.special | D.fine |
A.lonely | B.messy | C.empty | D.normal |
A.Or rather | B.At last | C.Above all | D.In addition |
A.wish | B.admit | C.prove | D.know |
A.endless | B.enough | C.far | D.necessary |
A.imagine | B.explore | C.improve | D.learn |
4 . Welcome to Our Clubs in Masonic Village
☆Art Club
The Art Club provides a place for aged people to paint, improve their artistic talents and show their works of art. Members can also sell items that they painted. The money raised goes toward providing painting supplies for club members. Anyone may join the Art Club, whether you already know how to paint or you want to learn how to better express your creativity. Painting supplies are provided by the club for free.
Time: Wednesdays, Thursdays & Sundays from 1 p. m. to 3 p. m. in the Freemasons Cultural Center Art Studio.
Cost: $12 per year
☆Computer Club
This club is meant for aged people with little knowledge of computers. Various topics are discussed at each meeting about computers(such as the Internet, software and email)as well as related technologies. The club has a computer lab with high-speed Internet connection. Members of the club have free access to the computer lab.
Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p. m.to 3 p. m. in the Computer Resource Room on Level 2 of Smith North. Open general lab sessions are available for free.
Cost: $35 per year
☆Tai Chi for Arthritis
Arthritis is a common disease for old people. The joints(关节)in the patients’ body often hurt badly. Tai Chi for Arthritis is designed to improve the quality of life of those people who are suffering from arthritis using Sun-style Tai Chi. This style includes quick-moving steps and exercises that may improve mobility, breathing and relaxation. The movements don’t require deep bending.
Time: Wednesday s from 3: 30 p. m. to 4: 30 p. m. in the Irem Clubhouse.
Cost: $65 per year
1. For whom are these clubs probably designed?A.Retired workers. | B.Talented teenagers. |
C.Curious kids. | D.Learned experts. |
A.drawing paintings | B.teaching others about painting |
C.displaying their paintings | D.selling their paintings |
A.is required to buy a laptop | B.has to pay $35 for a session |
C.has to take an iPad with him/her | D.needn’t pay for the session |
A.Terrible coughs. | B.Red eyes. |
C.Painful joints. | D.Cold hands and legs. |
A.bend deeply | B.move freely |
C.sleep well | D.improve memory |
5 . Once there was a little bird that lived in the old times. When a sage (智者) was thrown into a
The little bird said, “To put out the fire around the sage.” The larger birds continued
Do you know what the little bird
We often think that our effort is the factor responsible for our
It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that is
A.room | B.fire | C.river | D.plane |
A.remind | B.stop | C.help | D.surprise |
A.started | B.allowed | C.suggested | D.imagined |
A.long | B.tiny | C.strong | D.beautiful |
A.refused | B.understood | C.heard | D.watched |
A.cup | B.present | C.water | D.fruit |
A.warning | B.laughing | C.teaching | D.complaining |
A.unnecessary | B.dangerous | C.useless | D.possible |
A.accepted | B.achieved | C.performed | D.replied |
A.done | B.finished | C.collected | D.proved |
A.afraid | B.silent | C.angry | D.nervous |
A.success | B.growth | C.study | D.career |
A.planning | B.working | C.explaining | D.thinking |
A.progress | B.fortune | C.effort | D.change |
A.Similarly | B.Strangely | C.Suddenly | D.Generally |
A.turn | B.responsibility | C.promise | D.fault |
A.actual | B.easy | C.exact | D.important |
A.secret | B.order | C.power | D.memory |
A.mean | B.protect | C.report | D.mention |
A.when | B.how | C.that | D.what |
6 . The 2024 Peace Poetry Awards
The awards contest is to encourage people to explore peace and the human spirit. There are three age categories: Adult (19 & over), Youth (13-18), and Youth (12 & under). The yearly contest is open to people worldwide. Your poems must be unpublished, and in English.
Deadline
All entries must be submitted by July 1st. 2024.
Entry Fee
Adult (19 & over) — $15
Youth (13 - 18) — $5
Youth (12 & under) — no fee
Notes
1. You may submit up to three unpublished poems. At most 30 lines per poem.
2. Include name, address, email, telephone number, and age in the upper right-hand corner of each poem. For the Youth (12 & under) category, please also include your school’s name and your teacher’s name.
3. Title each poem.
4. Please keep copies of all entries as we will be unable to return them.
5. Email your entries to: cwarner@napf.org and Click here to pay your entry fee online; or send your entries and entry fee to Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, 1622 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
Awards
Adult Winner — $1,000
Youth (13-18) Winner — $200
Youth (12 & under) Winner — $200
Winners will be announced by October 1st, 2024 on our website. Winners will be notified by email. Past years winning poems can be found here.
1. What does the contest encourage people to explore?A.Development and challenge. | B.Cooperation and competition. |
C.Peace and human spirit. | D.Disease and health. |
A.It includes two categories. |
B.It is held every three years. |
C.It only accepts poems in English. |
D.It is only open to people aged 12 and over. |
A.name | B.email | C.age | D.fax |
A.pay an entry fee of $5 | B.write a poem of at least 30 lines |
C.submit his entry by October 1st, 2024 | D.include his teacher’s name in his entry |
A.$200 in prize money. | B.$1,000 in prize money. |
C.A collection of this year’s winning poems. | D.A collection of past years winning poems. |
7 . For generations, we’ve spent the first third of our lives acquiring the college degrees we need to find jobs. These degrees are the stamps on our professional passports that pave the way for the remaining two-thirds of our journey. However, the future of work won’t be about college degrees, it’ll be about job skills.
According to the World Economic Forum, over one billion jobs, almost one-third of all jobs worldwide, are likely to be transformed by technology in the next decade. We’ve already seen this happen. Think of the apps you use to shop, track orders and simply stay informed. The stores need to keep them up and running at all hours, day after day, all year round, meaning they need those who can analyze and secure customer data.
In these and other similar situations, people are the organizing force making sure technology works the way we want it to. This means a quick rise in new kinds of digital jobs. According to the Forum’s Jobs of Tomorrow report, there’ll be a rapid influx of roles at the forefront of the data and AI economy, as well as new roles in engineering, cloud computing and product development. These jobs need talent with relevant skills, and importantly these skills can be learnt even by those without college degrees.
Shifting our focus from degrees to skills will mean transitioning (过渡) to always-on skills-based education and employment organizations that acknowledge not just certification but fitness-for-job and employment as outcomes. In recent years, several companies have focused on continuous learning for the workforce — the trend will become stronger.
When it comes to skills, employers look for more than just technical skills. Companies want people with an eye for detail, creative problem-solving skills, a collaborative mindset and an ability to handle complex issues. These also are skills that can be learnt. Anyhow, lifelong learners with ever relevant skills will be in greater demand in the workplace.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?A.To propose a definition. | B.To present an argument. |
C.To give an example. | D.To make a comparison. |
A.It calls for higher demands for degrees. | B.It makes many jobs less challenging. |
C.It reduces their dependence on degrees. | D.It connects them with degrees closely. |
A.Increase. | B.Recovery. | C.Decline. | D.Change. |
A.Their traditional technical skills. | B.Their continuous learning abilities. |
C.Their certification-based education. | D.Their desire to start their own business. |
A.Skills Are Different From Degrees | B.Degrees Will Be More Competitive |
C.Degrees Will Shape the Future of Work | D.Skills Are More Vital for Future Work |
8 . In March 2022, I was recovering from an operation for breast cancer and going through a terrible time. I spent my days at home
The trip was fun, but when I got on the
“I had an operation,” I said
I could feel my eyes
“Don’t think too much of your problem,” he said. “Instead, think about how many people you could help.”
I had tears coming down my face, and said, “I can’t
“Look, you have a
I’ve not been a very outgoing person, and except the few people who needed to know, I’d kept my illness
But this man, whose name was Ken Duane, showed me that my illness gave me
I am forever
A.devoting | B.explaining | C.storing | D.keeping |
A.kindly | B.hurriedly | C.seriously | D.confidently |
A.overlooked | B.accepted | C.doubted | D.dismissed |
A.bus | B.train | C.plane | D.ship |
A.normal | B.last | C.exact | D.whole |
A.good-hearted | B.absent-minded | C.cold-blooded | D.bad-tempered |
A.willingly | B.weakly | C.cheerfully | D.quickly |
A.pain | B.center | C.part | D.symbol |
A.coming | B.ending | C.taking | D.filling |
A.believe | B.realize | C.quit | D.rely |
A.still | B.already | C.even | D.then |
A.choice | B.decision | C.goal | D.belief |
A.clear | B.sort | C.mix | D.put |
A.motive | B.amateur | C.secret | D.sense |
A.defined | B.blamed | C.affected | D.defeated |
A.surprise | B.advice | C.strength | D.reference |
A.broaden | B.worsen | C.brighten | D.lighten |
A.officially | B.publicly | C.clearly | D.sharply |
A.expectation | B.exploration | C.appointment | D.conversation |
A.regretful | B.conscious | C.grateful | D.curious |
9 . Keeping a busy social life among lots of friends may keep people thinner than spending hours doing some exercises, according to scientists. They say that socializing and meeting with friends help increase levels of brown fat in the body which burns calories to produce heat.
Living in an exciting social environment was found to reduce fat in mice’s belly by half over four weeks, even if they ate more. US researchers say that social excitement catalyzes weight loss by turning white fat into brown. White fat stores calories and makes us fatter, while brown fat burns energy to produce heat. Turning white fat into brown is extremely difficult, normally requiring long-term stay in cold conditions or exciting part of the body’s nervous system.
However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown. The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice. Those, who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to excite themselves and they lost far more weight aver the course of the study than their “couch potato” fellows.
Study’s author, Dr Mattew During, whose team’s findings appear in the journal Cell Metabolism, said “I’m still amazed at the degree of fat loss that occurs.” Explaining how new technology had threatened face-to-face socializing, he added, “It’s not just a sedentary (久坐的) lifestyle and high calorie foods, but an increasing lack of social activities.” Co-author Dr Lei Cao said, “Loneliness is a potential factor for cancer and death; it’s equal to cigarette smoking to a certain extent. Social activities are vital.”
1. What information can we get from the first two paragraphs?A.It doesn’t take long to turn white fat into brown. |
B.Brown fat can burn energy to produce heat. |
C.Social excitement helps gain more weight. |
D.Brown fat stores calories and makes us fatter. |
A.destroys | B.relieves | C.aids | D.harms |
A.The mice lacking social life lose more weight. |
B.Levels of brown fat can be increased by socializing. |
C.Dr Mattew During wasn’t convinced of the result. |
D.The research findings haven’t been published so far. |
A.surfing the Internet may influence people’s face-to-face communication |
B.a sedentary lifestyle is the only factor to influence people’s social life |
C.the fat in mice’s belly was reduced because of the relaxing environment |
D.cancer and death are mainly caused for lack of social life |
A.Brown fat is beneficial to people’s health. |
B.Socializing is not important in people’s daily life. |
C.White fat can be changed into brown fat. |
D.Socializing contributes to people’s losing weight. |
10 . What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient’s face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion (蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad’s face as he unwrapped those black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame (框架), I knew I had given the perfect gift.
1. The author’s inspiration for the gift came from ______.A.a photo of a flower | B.a story about a kid |
C.a call from the mother | D.an article about Christmas |
A.the father | B.the author |
C.Edgar Allan Poe | D.William Blake |
A.searching for the poems online | B.drawing the background by hand |
C.painting the letters in three colors | D.matching the words with pictures |
A.Because it was more expensive. | B.Because it was a surprise to her father. |
C.Because it was a homemade gift. | D.Because it was treasured by her father. |
A.To show how to design images for gifts. | B.To suggest making gifts from one’s heart. |
C.To explain how computers help create gifts. | D.To describe the gifts the author has received. |