1 . Electronics woven (编织) into fabrics promise to open up all kinds of interesting possibilities, from clothing that monitors muscle activity and tracks breathing, to garments that can talk to one another. Developing pliable power sources to go with them is an equally important field of research, so scientists at the University of British Columbia have put forward a particularly impressive solution that they say could be the first ever battery that is both stretchable and washable.
To develop a battery with such capabilities, the scientists reimagined the way these devices are put together. Rather than forming a lithium-ion battery packed with hardened materials inside a rigid exterior, the team turned to an alternative chemistry in zinc-manganese (锌锰) dioxide, which is appealing for its low cost and safety. These materials were ground down into tiny pieces and inset in a polymer (聚合物) to form very thin and stretchable layers.
“We went with zinc-manganese because for devices worn next to the skin, it’s a safer chemistry than lithium-ion batteries, which can produce deadly compounds when they break,” says Nguyen.
The resulting battery is flexible and can be stretched to twice its normal length, has a specific capacity of 160 mAh g-1 and keeps 75 percent of its capacity over 500 charge and discharge cycles. Impressively, the team found the battery to withstand 39 wash cycles so far.
The team is now working to improve the power output and lifetime of the battery, and says the creation has already attracted commercial interest, with the cost expected to be similar to a standard rechargeable battery. They imagine it being put to use in watches and patches that measure vital signs, and in smart clothing that does much the same thing.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “pliable” in paragraph 1?| A．Strong. | B．Multiple. |
| C．Reliable. | D．Flexible. |
| A．Safety. | B．Hardness. |
| C．Comfortableness. | D．Convenience. |
| A．Its stretch length. | B．Its washability. |
| C．Its massive capacity. | D．Its charge speed. |
| A．Electronic clothing is well received. |
| B．Clothing fitted with new battery is on the way. |
| C．Flexible and washable power sources woven into clothing will be available. |
| D．Electronics woven into fabrics open up possibilities. |
2 . Computers are pretty good at answering questions. Just ask Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, who can tell you the weather or directions. Computers are good at spitting back facts, but haven’t shown the same critical or creative thinking that humans have. That could be changing, at least when it comes to reading, because of advances in AI(artificial intelligence).
Research teams at Microsoft and Chinese tech company Alibaba reached what they described as a milestone earlier this January. Their AI systems outperformed the estimated human score on a reading comprehension test.
The test was developed at Stanford University. It showed that, in at least some situations, computers can beat humans at quickly “reading” hundreds of Wikipedia articles. AI machines could come up with accurate answers to questions about warrior-king Genghis Khan, or the Apollo space program.
The computers, however, also made mistakes that many people wouldn’t have. Microsoft, for instance, failed an easy football question. The computer was asked which member of the Carolina Panthers football team intercepted the most passes in the 2015 season. The correct answer was Kurt Coleman, not Josh Norman. Any person who carefully read the Wikipedia passage would have discovered the right answer. However, the computer made a mistake in the word “most” and didn’t understand that seven is bigger than four.
“We’re still a long way from computers being able to read and comprehend general text in the same way that humans can, ” Kevin Scott, Microsoft’s head of technology, wrote. He praised the AI system for passing the test, calling it a major achievement by the company’s researchers.
“It strikes me for the kind of problem that they’re solving that it’s not possible to do better than people, because people are defining what’s correct,” Littman said. “The impressive thing here is that they met human performance, not that they’ve exceeded it.”
1. Why did the research team describe their work as a milestone?| A．Because their computers showed critical and creative thinking like humans. |
| B．Because their AI systems beat humans in reading comprehension. |
| C．Because their AI systems could tell you weather and direction. |
| D．Because their computers are good at answering questions. |
| A．AI machines could propose incorrect answers to Genghis Khan. |
| B．Smart AI machines were answering questions. |
| C．AI machines did better than humans in reading. |
| D．AI machines can do everything that human can’t do. |
| A．AI still struggles with logical reasoning. | B．Computers often mistake seven for four. |
| C．Computers seldom make stupid mistakes. | D．The Wikipedia passage was controversial. |
| A．visited. | B．contacted. | C．greeted. | D．satisfied. |
3 . Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi. One time, I was called at midnight to pick someone up. When I arrived the building was completely dark
I walked to the door and knocked. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a
“It’s nothing. I try to treat my passengers how I want my mother
When we got into the taxi, she gave me the
“Oh. I’m in no hurry.” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice (临终安养院).The doctor says I don’t have much time
I quietly
As the sun was coming up, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in
“How much do I
I said nothing, leaned down and gave her a
I squeezed her hand and then walked back to my taxi. For the rest of that day, I could
I believe I have never done anything more important in my life. We usually think that our lives are
| A．with | B．except for | C．instead of | D．in spite of |
| A．suitcase | B．cat | C．wheelchair | D．purse |
| A．cured | B．cared | C．treated | D．fed |
| A．address | B．money | C．map | D．direction |
| A．spent | B．counted | C．taken | D．left |
| A．turned on | B．turned off | C．set up | D．set down |
| A．school | B．destination | C．hospice | D．neighborhood |
| A．slow down | B．speed up | C．set off | D．hurry up |
| A．advance | B．time | C．excitement | D．silence |
| A．pulled up | B．went through | C．walked away | D．passed by |
| A．owe | B．love | C．charge | D．give |
| A．present | B．smile | C．hug | D．promise |
| A．hardly | B．merrily | C．loudly | D．gently |
| A．divided | B．decorated | C．declared | D．defined |
| A．grateful | B．small | C．painful | D．inspiring |
4 . Set to launch on October 16, the Lucy spacecraft is designed to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids (小行星). These asteroids are small bodies leftover from the formation of our solar system’s large planets. They share an orbit with Jupiter as the planet goes around the sun. The mission’s aim is to gather new information about the solar system’s formation 4.5 billion years ago.
Lucy will observe eight asteroids over 12 years. One of the eight asteroids orbits in what is known as the Asteroid Belt , an area between Mars and Jupiter. Most known asteroids orbit within this area. The spacecraft will also observe seven Trojan asteroids. Scientists consider the Trojan asteroids to be the ancient remains of the formation of the solar system. They have stayed captured in Jupiter’s orbit for billions of years. The Trojans circle the sun in two groups. One group leads Jupiter in its orbital path, while the other follows behind it. Lucy will be the first spacecraft to visit these asteroids.
The spacecraft was named Lucy after the ancient fossil discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy was one of the most famous scientific finds of the 20th century. The collection of skeletal bones gave scientists a better understanding of the evolution of humans. Cathy Olkin, the deputy lead investigator for the Lucy mission, compared the NASA spacecraft to the Lucy fossil. “Just like the Lucy fossil transformed our understanding of human evolution, the Lucy mission will transform our understanding of solar system evolution.” she said.
The spacecraft is equipped with several imaging instruments designed to capture information about the composition of materials on the surface of asteroids. Other equipment will be used to record asteroid surface temperatures and measure the size of the objects the space-craft observes. Lucy will depend on solar power to operate. NASA says the mission expects to set a record because Lucy will travel farther from the sun than any past solar powered spacecraft.
Lori Glaze is the director of NASA’s planetary science division. She said “Whatever Lucy finds will give us vital clues about the formation of our solar system.”
1. What is the mission of the Lucy spacecraft?| A．To explore the surface of Jupiter. |
| B．To collect soil samples from Mars. |
| C．To find out the origin of solar system. |
| D．To search for life on Trojan asteroids. |
| A．They all orbit in the Asteroid Belt. |
| B．They were discovered 12 years ago. |
| C．They share the same orbit with Jupiter. |
| D．They are the oldest planets in solar system. |
| A．The inspiration for the name of Lucy. |
| B．The significance of the Lucy fossil. |
| C．The introduction to the Lucy mission. |
| D．Cathy Olkin’s study on human evolution. |
| A．It has a large space inside. |
| B．It is powered by sustainable energy. |
| C．It moves faster with its lower weight. |
| D．It gets closer to the sun than other spacecraft. |
5 . Evelyn Topper likely dropped her wallet when she and her granddaughter, Mikayla Gounard, were leaving a local coffee shop in San Rafael, California, but Topper didn’t realize it was missing until she got home. With her credit card, money, and medical card gone, she was understandably upset.
The next day, however, Topper got a call that put her mind at rest. Sean Curry had found the wallet in a trashcan behind the coffee shop. Except for the cash, its contents were intact (完整无缺的). Even though he’d been homeless for five years, rather than take advantage of the opportunity, Curry reached out to Topper.
While Topper praised his behavior and declared (宣称) it a mitzvah, a good deed that’s performed with a good heart simply because it’s the right thing to do, Curry didn’t believe he’d done anything out of the ordinary. He’d done it, he explained in an interview with NBC, because that was the way he was brought up.
What Curry didn’t know, however, was that there was a surprise in store for him. Mikayla Gounard had already planned a socially distant “drive-by” party for her upcoming 12th birthday. Rather than presents, shed decided to ask for contributions to be donated to charity in her name.
Gounard hadn’t yet chosen which charity the money would go to, but after learning more about the man who’d so selflessly returned her grandmother’s wallet, the choice seemed obvious.
It was Gounard’s turn to set her own mitzvah in motion. On the day of her party, the 12-year-old girl placed a photo of Curry and a collection basket next to balloons and party favors on an outdoor table in the driveway. By the end of her “Happy Birthday!” party, she had raised several hundred dollars. When Gounard and her mom met up with Curry the next day and gave him the money, he admitted that he was truly touched by the heartwarming gesture. Rather than merely pay lip service to a mitzvah, like Curry, Gounard chose to make another good deed happen — because she knew it was the right thing to do.
1. What can we know about Sean Curry?| A．He witnessed the theft of Topper’s wallet. |
| B．He discovered Topper’s non-cash property. |
| C．He enjoyed wandering around coffee shops. |
| D．He called Topper to comfort her for her loss. |
| A．By turning his attention to his lifestyle. |
| B．By choosing to put it on social media. |
| C．By approving of her idea about a mitzvah. |
| D．By putting less value on what he had done. |
| A．An unexpected party. |
| B．A charity sale in Curry’s name. |
| C．The spread of Curry’s good deed. |
| D．A generous donation from Gounard. |
| A．Do Well and Have Well | B．Be the Best — You Can Make It |
| C．More Self-control, Less Desire | D．Be Nice — You Won’t Finish Last |
6 . Susan Brownell Anthony was a lady ahead of her time. She fought for women’s rights long before it became a popular issue.
Susan was born on February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts. At that time, women had few rights. They could not own property. Money earned by a married woman belonged to her husband. Major decisions regarding children were made by the fathers. Women could not vote.
At the age of 15, Susan became a school teacher. She taught for 15 years. Then she began organizing women’s groups to promote causes that were important to women. She helped gain better educational rights for women. She helped give married women possession of their earnings.
After the Civil War, Susan became very involved in the Woman’s Suffrage Movement. After years of lecturing, writing, and appealing by Susan and other women, some parts of the United States changed their laws to give women the right to vote. The first state was Wyoming in 1869. And then other areas and states followed Wyoming’s decision. It was not until 1920 that the US Constitution was changed to give all women voting rights.
Susan Brownell Anthony died in 1906 at the age of 86. She was elected to the American Hall of Fame in 1950. She was the first American woman to have a likeness (肖像) of her face on a coin. It was the 1979 Susan Brownell Anthony dollar.
1. What was the situation of American women like when Susan was born?| A．They had a low social position. |
| B．They could vote after getting married. |
| C．They managed money for their husbands. |
| D．They were responsible for decision-making. |
| A．Susan’s teaching experiences. |
| B．Susan’s educational background. |
| C．Susan’s efforts to get rid of slavery. |
| D．Susan’s fighting for women’s causes. |
| A．Promoting the social movement. | B．Changing the US Constitution. |
| C．Giving women voting rights. | D．Uniting other areas and states. |
| A．The First American Woman to Invent Coins | B．The Problem of Women Rights in the US |
| C．The Most Popular Women Organizations | D．A Pioneer in Fighting for Women’s Rights |
7 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.| A．show his magical power | B．pay for the delivery |
| C．satisfy his curiosity | D．please his mother |
| A．He wanted to have tea there. | B．He was a respectable person. |
| C．He was treated as a family member. | D．He was fully trusted by the family. |
| A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B．It has been driven out of the market. |
| C．Its service is getting poor. | D．It is not allowed by law. |
| A．He missed the good old days. | B．He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
| C．He needed it for his milk bottles. | D．He planted flowers in it. |
8 . My father brought home a sailboat when I was ten, and almost each Sunday in summers we would go sailing. Dad was quite skilled in sailing, but not good at
The last time Dad and I set sail together was really
When we were in the middle of the lake, a
“John!
In my memory he could fix any
I swam to Dad
That was the first time Dad had counted on me in a moment of emergency. More importantly, I found it was my turn to start
| A．boating | B．swimming | C．running | D．teaching |
| A．learned | B．desired | C．hated | D．confused |
| A．unforgivable | B．unforgettable | C．careful | D．responsible |
| A．received | B．sent | C．allowed | D．invited |
| A．calm | B．icy | C．clear | D．sunny |
| A．finished | B．sailed | C．went | D．sounded |
| A．strong | B．gentle | C．cold | D．hot |
| A．respected | B．hit | C．tracked | D．hurt |
| A．danger | B．date | C．sport | D．search |
| A．studied | B．featured | C．froze | D．supported |
| A．Look | B．Help | C．Run | D．Jump |
| A．relationship | B．problem | C．boat | D．machine |
| A．turned in | B．turn out | C．turned to | D．turned off |
| A．river | B．wave | C．stream | D．shower |
| A．but | B．if | C．after | D．once |
| A．struggling | B．playing | C．trembling | D．clapping |
| A．ashamed | B．tired | C．protective | D．instructive |
| A．repeatedly | B．rarely | C．slightly | D．quickly |
| A．satisfaction | B．anger | C．fear | D．excitement |
| A．breaking away | B．breaking off | C．getting famous | D．looking out |
9 . That day Bill Price was attending a reunion for a summer program. He remembers standing outside after the reunion,
“Sometimes when you’re
Nearby, another group of teenagers stood laughing and
“My life was transformed at that moment,” Price said.
Westman’s kindness
Price became a psychiatrist (精神科医生). His job is being kind to his
| A．keeping up | B．filling up | C．putting up | D．catching up |
| A．goodbyes | B．creations | C．achievements | D．experiences |
| A．disappointed | B．confused | C．alone | D．sad |
| A．comforted | B．abandoned | C．interested | D．motivated |
| A．talking | B．complaining | C．crying | D．abusing |
| A．evaluated | B．indicated | C．recited | D．remembered |
| A．suddenly | B．regularly | C．increasingly | D．literally |
| A．hugged | B．asked | C．recommended | D．doubted |
| A．inspired | B．designed | C．recognized | D．admired |
| A．investment | B．confidence | C．curiosity | D．kindness |
| A．appreciate | B．cheat | C．trap | D．notice |
| A．refuse | B．give | C．make | D．reserve |
| A．visitors | B．patients | C．neighbors | D．workmates |
| A．talents | B．tips | C．needs | D．guidelines |
| A．moment | B．range | C．stage | D．decision |
10 . Asteroids (小行星) are believed to have formed early in our solar system’s history — about 4.5 billion years ago — when a cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula (太阳星云) collapsed and formed our sun and the planets. By visiting these near Earth objects to study the material that came from the solar nebula, we can look for answers to some of humankind’s most arresting questions, such as: How did the solar system form and where did the Earth’s water and other organic materials such as carbon come from? In addition to unlocking clues about our solar system, asteroids may provide clues about our Earth. By understanding more about asteroids, we may learn more about past Earth impacts and possibly find ways to reduce the threat of future impacts.
If we don’t want to go the way of the dinosaurs someday, we need to protect ourselves against the threat of being hit by a big asteroid. According to NASA, typically about once every 10,000 years, a rock y or iron asteroid the size of a football field could crash into our planet and possibly cause tidal waves big enough to flood coastal areas.
But what we really have to fear is asteroids about 328 feet across or bigger. Such an impact would cause a firestorm and fill the atmosphere with sun-blocking dust, which would wipe out forests and farm fields and starve the human and animal life that it didn’t immediately kill.
That’s why it’s vital to develop a way to neutralize such a threat to Earth. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, launched in late November 2021, was the first mission to demonstrate a technology called asteroid redirection by manmade impactor. A robotic spacecraft will be crashed into an asteroid named Didymos, in an effort to show that it’s possible to slightly change the path of an asteroid. That would enable NASA to redirect potential threats to miss Earth.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．How solar system came into being. |
| B．How long asteroids have existed. |
| C．Why asteroids are to be explored. |
| D．When asteroids will impact Earth. |
| A．To make the text more interesting. |
| B．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| C．To grab readers’ attention to asteroids. |
| D．To show the disaster from an asteroid impact. |
| A．strengthen | B．avoid | C．beautify | D．realize |
| A．Dinosaurs may live on some of them. |
| B．They were formed earlier than Earth. |
| C．Exploring them helps us know Earth. |
| D．NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test failed. |
