1 . When you go running in the woods in your running tights, elastane (氨纶) is the reason why they fit you so comfortably. Elastane is an elastic material that allows the fabric to stretch and adapt to your body.

But when elastane fibres are mixed with cotton, wool, nylon or other fibres, as is the case in many clothes today, the clothes become almost impossible to recycle. It is extremely difficult to separate out the different fibres, and therefore the materials in the clothes cannot be recycled.

But this may change, says Assistant Professor Steffan Kvist Kristensen from the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center at Aarhus University. Together with a number of colleagues, he is behind a new technology that can separate out fibres in mixed fabrics.

“We’ve developed a method to remove elastane completely from nylon. We’re not quite there yet with cotton, because some of the cotton fibres are broken down in the process. But we believe that, with some minor adjustments, we can solve this problem,” he says.

It is not easy to separate elastane and other fibres once they have been woven(编织) together. Clothes are made by winding the main fibres, such as nylon or cotton, around the elastane fibres, which consist of long chains of molecules (分子). The fibres only break apart if we break the long chains of molecules, explains Steffan Kvist Kristensen.

By heating the clothes to 225 degrees Celsius and adding a specific alcohol, the researchers have found a method to break down the bonds in elastane chain. When this happens, the chains fall apart and the materials separate. “The whole process takes place in what is in effect a large pressure cooker that we feed the clothes into. We then add a little alcohol and a potassium hydroxide(氢氧化钾) base and heat it up. Then we let it cook for just over four hours, and when we open the lid again, the different fibres will have been separated.” says Steffan Kvist Kristensen.

So far, Steffan Kvist Kristensen and his colleagues have only experimented with two nylon stockings at a time. The technology is therefore not yet ready for application at industrial scale.

1. What can we learn about elastane from the passage?

A．It is an eco-friendly material.	B．It is a kind of stretchable fabric.
C．It makes the clothes far from recycling.	D．It is made up of short chains of molecules.

2. Why is a pressure cooker used in the experiment according to the text?

A．To separate more fibres.	B．To reduce the heating time.
C．To increase the temperature to 225℃.	D．To ensure the safety of the experiment.

3. What can be inferred about this new technology?

A．It can separate all sorts of fibres.

B．It needs plenty of energy to work.

C．There is a long way before it is widely used.

D．There is no possibility to separate elastane from cotton.

4. What is Steffan Kvist Kristensen’s attitude to this new technology?

A．Satisfied.

B．Confident.

C．Critical.

D．Unclear.

3 . The Ministry of Education and three other ministries have jointly issued a notice about launching a national campaign on short-sightedness prevention and control to protect children’s eyesight.

A paragraph in the notice says that primary and secondary school students should engage in appropriate outdoor activities during class breaks. Additionally, 30 minutes of physical activity during the daily midmorning break will be organized to give students more time to engage in outdoor activities and long-distance viewing, enabling their eyes to rest fully from visual fatigue.

Midmorning breaks can address more than just vision problems. Physical activity during breaks helps children to not only exercise but also reduce stress, making subsequent classroom learning more focused and effective. At the same time, midmorning physical activities provide children a platform to engage in social activities, strengthening their social adaptation abilities.

Sometime toward the end of 2023 there was a huge demand after some schools did away with even 10-minute breaks for primary and secondary school students. The Ministry of Education responded by saying that it would further regulate activities in schools. Before the latest notice was introduced, several related policies had been guaranteeing midmorning physical activity for primary and secondary school students, which have now been implemented in many cities, showing good results.

To effectively utilize (利用) the 30-minute midmorning break, teachers play an essential role because they can enrich the activities to the maximum extent by combining the interests and hobbies of children of different age groups and adding various sports activities that will benefit children the most. At the same time, it should be clear that the midmorning break is not only the responsibility of physical education teachers. It requires joint efforts from physical education teachers, class teachers and other staff members to ensure the breaks are used effectively.

To make the most of the 30-minute midmorning break, it is also crucial to stimulate the enthusiasm of children. Innovating the form and content of the midmorning break and mobilizing children’s enthusiasm and initiative to participate in midmorning activities are urgent priorities.

1. What do the underlined word “fatigue” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Failure.

B．Disability.

C．Loss.

D．Tiredness.

2. Which of the following is true according to the last two paragraphs?

A．Midmorning activities should appeal to children.

B．Children should be forced to engage in midmorning activities.

C．Midmorning activities should be restricted to traditional sports.

D．Physical education teachers should take full charge of the the midmorning break.

3. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．Children Should Participate in More Activities

B．Midmorning Break Should Be Extended to 30 Minutes

C．Kids Should Have a Better Break for Eyesight Protection

D．Physical Activities Should Be Organized for Children’s Health

4 . Showing the rites (仪式) stuff

Nearly a hundred objects of historical value from the Confucius Museum are now on show at the exhibition, Rites, Music, and Costumes, which runs until May 26 at the China National Silk Museum, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. It shows how Confucianism was an essential part of the Chinese liyue culture, an education of social etiquette (礼仪) through engaging in poetry, rites, music and dancing.

These artifacts mark the significance of Confucius and how his teachings have been followed throughout centuries. Several exhibits are being shown in Zhejiang for the first time.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 73-1 Yuhuangshan Lu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. 0571-8703-5223.

A brush with greatness

In his life, Li Jianchen taught at several universities to help cultivate (培养) for the country many artists and architects of note. Besides his respectable accomplishments in teaching, he was also acknowledged as the “father of modern Chinese watercolor”.

An exhibition now on at Jiangsu Art Museum shows selected watercolors by Li, from his donations to the museum. Painted at different stages of his career, these works trace the evolution of his art, reflecting changing social needs and artistic tendencies. The show ends on March 31.

9 am-85 pm, closed on Mondays. 333 Changjiang Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu province. 025-8961-0810.

Spanish expression

Different Cycles from Different Eras United by a Single Paintbrush, an exhibition currently running at Shenzhen Art Museum in Guangdong province, brings together 118 paintings produced by Spanish expressionist Jorge Rando since the 1960s. They are from the dozen series he has created over the past five decades, revisiting themes such as a mother’s love, nature, landscapes, butterflies and cycling, to name a few.

In 2019, Rando’s works were shown in Hunan and Sichuan provinces. The current exhibition in Shenzhen runs until May 26.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 32 Donghu Yijie, inside Donghu Park, Aiguo Lu, Luohu district, Shenzhen, Guangdong province. 0755-2542-6069.

1. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．A textbook.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A newspaper.	D．A club leaflet.

2. What can people enjoy at the exhibition “Rites, Music, and Costumes”?

A．Music and dancing.	B．Paintings.
C．Watercolors.	D．Sculptures.

3. What do the exhibitions at Jiangsu Art Museum and at Shenzhen Art Museum have in common?

A．They are about Chinese art.

B．The exhibits are donations.

C．They will end on the same day.

D．They are painting exhibitions.

6 . “I'll be back in three hours, ”Dad said as he hurried out for a meeting that late afternoon. “Three hours, ”I told myself. “You can do this. ”I took a _________ breath and turned to Mom. Through her vision problems, at least, she couldn't see the _________ in my face. If she had an Alzheimer's （阿尔茨海默症） attack, I didn't know if I could handle it _________, especially at the end of the day.

I _________ Mom to her chair. “Turn a little more. ”Mom moved her feet slowly while I helped her get into a good position. Once she was _________ with a blanket on her lap, I sat next to her in Dad's chair and hoped she could _________ now. As she fell asleep, I opened a book, and time passed _________ as I became fully absorbed in the words. Then Mom cried, “I'm scared. ” _________ drew lines across her face. “The snow's getting on me. I'm cold, so cold. ”

“Mom, you're safe. You're here at home. ”

“Help me!” She grabbed _________ to my hand.

“I won't __________ you. ” As much as I tried to promise her, I knew she could hear the __________ in my voice. I prayed for Dad to hurry home.

Maybe words weren't the __________. I did the only thing I could think of. I rubbed（揉） her forehead and hummed （哼曲子）, which __________ her. This was what she'd done for me as a child when I had a bad headache.

As the minutes __________, the tension left her face. She began to hum along. It was the __________ sound I'd ever heard.

1.

A．deep

B．sudden

C．short

D．light

2.

A．puzzle

B．unwillingness

C．excitement

D．worry

3.

A．carefully

B．safely

C．alone

D．quickly

4.

A．forced

B．guided

C．waved

D．encouraged

5.

A．warm

B．secure

C．comfortable

D．silent

6.

A．rest

B．talk

C．remember

D．smile

7.

A．sorrowfully

B．peacefully

C．slowly

D．eagerly

8.

A．Wish

B．Dream

C．Care

D．Panic

9.

A．gently

B．bravely

C．lovingly

D．tightly

10.

A．scare

B．leave

C．judge

D．disappoint

11.

A．hope

B．love

C．shake

D．doubt

12.

A．answer

B．objective

C．command

D．permission

13.

A．calmed

B．surprised

C．touched

D．pleased

14.

A．sped by

B．ran out

C．counted down

D．wore on

15.

A．weakest

B．loudest

C．sweetest

D．clearest

7 . Ten years ago, the professors Brian Lucas and Loran Nordgren encountered a contradiction. On the one hand, we recognize that other people are more likely to make creative breakthroughs when they persevere. On the other hand. when we feel stuck on a problem, most of us fail to sec how successful we’ll be if we just keep trying. We tend to believe that our creativity drops over time — that if our best ideas don’t come to us immediately, they won’t come at all.

Lucas and Nordgren call this misunderstanding the “creative cliff illusion”, which refers to the false belief that our creativity sharply declines after an initial period of effort, leading us to underestimate our ability to generate new and innovative ideas with continued perseverance. In one experiment, they asked participants to spend 10 minutes generating “as many original ideas for things to eat and drink at a Thanksgiving dinner as you can. ” Afterward, participants were asked to guess how many ideas they would come up with during a second 10-minute period. Most expected to generate far fewer ideas the second time around, but in fact they produced just as many during that second period — 66 percent more than they had guessed. And those were rated by other people as more creative than the initial ideas.

Though we tend to think our ability to come up with ideas is easily consumed, we actually get more creative the longer we focus on a problem or task. One major reason for this is known as the “serial-order effect”. Each next creative idea we have is likely to be better than the one that came before.

The serial-order effect isn’t always easy to see. Most of us have adopted the belief that creativity should feel easy, or “fluent”. And so we associate mental difficulty with pointlessness. But working through bad ideas is a necessary step in the creative process. The first solutions that come to mind tend to be either preexisting ideas or popular wisdom. These are the paths of least resistance. Though avoiding them requires some work, it’s the surest way to find original ideas that aren’t immediately manifest.

The serial-order effect applies to tasks that last minutes or days, but creativity also improves across years, decades, and even careers. The life’s work of most successful entrepreneurs proves it.

1. What does the contradiction mainly tell us about?

A．Two professors’ wonder.	B．The best ideas for failures.
C．People’s mental tendency.	D．Immediate solutions to creativity.

2. How would the participants feel about the second-round results?

A．Humble.

B．Surprised.

C．Hopeful.

D．Unconcerned.

3. What does the underlined word “manifest” mean?

A．Obvious.

B．Effective.

C．Attractive.

D．Acceptable.

4. What does the text intend to tell us?

A．People can be more creative with age.

B．Creativity comes from creative approaches.

C．Creativity actually increases with continued effort.

D．People can avoid misunderstandings about creativity.

8 . When I started Social-Engineer, I just left a company that was amazing. It was like a family. The pain of leaving was real for me and like all family separation, it wasn’t 100% smooth. I was heartbroken to leave but wanted to take every lesson I learned to my new company. I was determined to also take all the good memories with me. Yes, there were mistakes from both sides of the fence but instead of focusing on those, I went away remembering all the great times, life lessons and growth I had gifted to me.

I figured I would grow my company by being a nice man and working hard, and never demanding more from my people than I was willing to give, believing this approach would earn respect and effort in return. I would say things to myself like, “Well, I did this, so they should do that.” Or “I am this way, so they should be that way.”

And to be honest, it felt real. It felt like it was an honest evaluation.

But... But... But...

I started to have people problems. I am a very strong, direct communicator and although in many ways that is a strength, it can be a weakness in other ways. I often hurt people’s feelings. Even though I was very self-aware of this, I still messed up. Now this is odd to admit out loud for a company that basically focuses on helping dozens of companies make huge changes.

I went to see a psychologist. Natasha actively listened to all I said and then every now and then presented a thought as a question or a mild statement. She wanted to challenge me to change, challenge me to expand my thoughts. I was in my session with Natasha and I was saying things like this:

“I gave this person tens of thousands of dollars in a raise in one year, they should be more appreciative.”

“I have a great salary, benefits and support package, this person should have been more thankful.”

Natasha stopped me and said, “Well, you just SHOULD all over yourself, didn’t you? Did you pay for devotion? Did you pay for honor? Did you pay for appreciation?”

The sad answer was NO.

“You want to see the change that you so desire — then be the change,” Natasha said. She then mentioned Bruce Lee, who said “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle... Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

I know what I should do. Will you join me?

1. Why was the author confident about his company management?

A．He believed he was gifted for it.

B．His employees were well qualified.

C．He had lessons and work principles.

D．His previous mistakes had been removed.

2. What are the author’s problems rooted in?

A．The rigid rules.	B．The lack of vision.
C．The company’s focus.	D．The author’s social skill.

3. What did Natasha conclude from the session?

A．The author fell into a thinking trap.

B．The employees expected too much.

C．The author was not really committed.

D．The employees were victims of management.

4. What does the author invite us to do?

A．Read Bruce Lee.	B．Learn to change.
C．Take more duties.	D．Desire less for more.

9 . Earlier this year Rodney Smith Jr. made headlines when he drove eight hours from his home in Huntsville. Alabama, to cut the lawn for an elderly soldier in North Carolina who couldn’t find anyone to help him with his yard work.

That wasn’t the first time the twenty-nine-year-old Bermuda native had gained such attention. To do his good deeds, Rodney often finds leads for those in need through social media.

Back to one August afternoon in 2015, Rodney Smith Jr. was driving home. That’s when Rodney saw an elderly man struggling to mow his lawn. He would take a couple of shaky steps, using the handle to stabilize himself, pause, then slowly push the mower again. Rodney decided to help. Mr. Brown thanked him greatly, and Rodney went home feeling satisfied.

Sitting at his computer to do his homework, Rodney couldn’t get Mr. Brown out of his mind. There must be many Mr. Browns out there. He went online and posted that he would mow lawns for free for senior citizens. Messages flooded in.

One day a cancer-battling woman said she wasn’t having a good day. Rodney decided to do more than mowing lawns. After he finished mowing, he knocked on her door. “You're going to win this fight, Madam”, he said. Then he asked folks to pray for her on social media.

Word of Rodney’s mission spread. A grandmother in Ohio said he’d encouraged her 12-year-old grandson to mow lawns. He got a letter from a seven-year-old boy in Kansas. “Mr. Rodney, I would like to be a part of your program, and I’ll make you proud,” he wrote.

That gave Rodney an idea. In 2017, he decided to establish a programme Raising Men Lawn Care Service to make a national movement for young people. The kids learn the joy of giving back.

Yard work seems like a small, simple thing, but taking care of the lawn means a lot to the people they do it for. “When we mow their yards for free, they can use the money for healthcare and food etc. It means more than you would think,” Rodney said.

1. Rodney drew attention for his _____.

A．mowing skills

B．ambition

C．driving distance

D．generosity

2. Why did Rodney knock on a lady’s door?

A．To comfort her.	B．To pray for her.
C．To share gardening tips.	D．To ask about her health.

3. Where do Rodney’s decisions of mowing lawns for free come from?

A．National media.	B．Personal success.
C．Daily inspiration.	D．People’s courage.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Giving Free, Gaining Fortune

B．Mowing a Lawn, Making a Life

C．Serving the Senior, Satisfying the Self

D．Changing a little, Challenging the Limits

10 . Science on Wheels travels across Washington bringing engaging STEM programming to grades K-8 with a focus on interactive and hands-on programs that bring the joy of scientific exploration to life and enable learners to see themselves in STEM.

Registration now! Open for 2024-2025 school year!   

PROGRAM OFFERINGS LOGISTICS

Categories	Whole-Day Experiences（WDE）	Partial-Day Experiences（PDE）
Audience	Entire school	Community groups, libraries, camps, STEM nights, and more
Duration	6-8 hours	1-3 hours
Components	Includes: -Live science show for the entire school -40-minute programs for individual classrooms -Pop-up exhibit	Choose one: -45-minute live science show -Three 45-minute hands-on workshops -3 hours with a pop-up exhibit
Participants Served	6-15 classrooms or groups（100-480 participants per day）	-Science Show: Up to 400 participants -Workshops: 1-3 classrooms or groups with up to 32 participants each -Exhibit Exploration: Up to 300 participants
Price*	$2. 375-$3. 450	$750 -$1, 500
Location	-Local and Western Washington year round -Eastern Washington seasonally （September-early November and March-June）	Local only** year round

*Funding is available for qualifying schools, libraries, and community groups.

**Some partial-day programming is available regionally with additional travel fees. Inquire for more info.

Programs are designed to support current science standards and arouse curiosity and a love of exploration and experimentation in students. We have a series of classes for each age group for each theme. Pacific Science Center educators bring all of the activity materials for these programs, but schools will need to provide tables.

1. What does the text intend the readers to do?

A．Sign up.	B．Learn STEM.
C．Explore themselves.	D．Focus on interactions.

2. How many types of programs does Science on Wheels offer?

A．5.

B．4.

C．3.

D．2.

3. What can we learn about the program?

A．PDE is only for school.

B．Financial support is provided.

C．WDE participants have to choose one activity.

D．It offers year-round service throughout Washington.