1 . Recent experiments by psychologists at the University of Pittsburgh shed new light on how we learn and how we remember our real-world experiences. The research, described in the March 12, 2024 online edition of proceedings of the National Academy of Science, suggests that varying what we study and spacing out our learning over time can both be helpful for memory.

“Lots of prior research has shown that learning and memory benefit from spacing study sessions out,” said Benjamin, a director of the Causal Learning and Decision-Making Lab at Pitt. “For example, if you cram the night before a test, you might remember the information the next day for the test, but you will probably forget it fairly soon,” he added. “In contrast, if you study the material on different days leading up to the test, you will be more likely to recall it for a longer period of time.”

But “spacing effect” has been based on the idea that what you are trying to learn repeats identically each time. Yet that is rarely the case in real life, when some features of our experience s may stay the same,but others are likely to change. For example, imagine repeat trips to your local coffee shop. While many features may stay the same on each visit, a new barista (咖啡师) may be serving you. How does the spacing effect work in light of such variation across experiences?

In two experiments, researchers asked participants to repeatedly study pairs of items and scenes that were either identical on each repetition or in which the item stayed the same but the scene changed each time. Researchers found that spaced learning benefited item memory. But they also found that memory was better for the items that had been paired with different scenes compared with those shown with the same scene each time.

“It is hard to provide clear advice for things like studying for a test because the sort of material can be so different,” Benjamin said. “But in theory our findings should be broadly relevant to different sorts of tasks, like remembering someone’s name and things about them and learning new vocabulary in a foreign language.”

1. In what way is “spacing effect” challenged in reality?

A．The lack of sufficient learning time.

B．The misuse of the memory technique.

C．The repetition of the learning process.

D．The variability of real-life experiences.

2. Which behavior is least likely to contribute to long-term memory?

A．Integrating spaced repetition into learning.

B．Studying intensively the night before a test.

C．Linking new information with different tasks.

D．Learning materials against various backgrounds.

3. What will Benjamin suggest readers do to remember a new person's name?

A．Use the name in conversations shortly after meeting them.

B．Repeat the name by associating it with different information.

C．Practice item memory to create a mental image with the person.

D．Engage in active listening when they are introducing themselves.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The impact of constant spaced study.

B．The study of various and self-paced learning.

C．The role of varied learning and spaced study.

D．The significance of repeated learning sessions.

2 . Extremely authentic-looking prosthetic (假体的) eyes can now be 3D-printed in a fraction of the time it would normally take to produce the eyes by hand, scientists demonstrate in a new study.

The new technology can create a prosthetic eye in just 90 minutes, compared with the eight hours it would normally take a skilled technician, or ocularist, to produce one by hand. The 3D-printed eyes require five times less labor to make than traditional methods, the scientists behind the technology wrote in a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications.

The 3D-printed eyes also look more natural than traditional prostheses; this could help improve a patient’s self-confidence in using the devices. “Patients are very conscious about wearing a prosthesis, and they don't want others to notice,” Johann Reinhard, lead study author and a researcher at the Fraunhofer

Institute for Computer Graphics Research in Germany, told us. “With these more realistic eves, it might help them to participate more in society,” he said.

The new printing approach involves taking a specialized image of a patient’s empty eye socket and of their healthy eye. These images are then processed and used to draft blueprints that can be sent to be 3D-printed in the lab. These 3D-printed eyes closely replicate the color, size and structure of the patient's healthy eye and are particularly good at capturing the colored part of the eye, known as the iris, and the white part of the eye, called the sclera. Once finished, the eyes take 15 to 30 minutes to be installed by an ocularist, Reinhard said.

“About 80% of adults in need of prosthetic eyes could theoretically have one made this way, either due to a birth defect that causes an eye to be small or missing or because they’ve lost an eye,” the team said. “However, this wouldn’t be possible for all patients, such as those who have a very complex eye socket, as the software wouldn’t be able to find a matching shape for the prosthetic eye,” Reinhard said.

“More data are needed to see if this technique could also be used to make prosthetic eyes for children,which would require more regulation,” Reinhard said.

1. Which of the following words can be best used to describe the 3D-printed eyes?

A．Eco-friendly.

B．Time-consuming.

C．Fit-of-all.

D．Realistic-looking.

2. How does the author develop his idea mainly in Paragraph 2?

A．By justifying an idea.	B．By giving examples.
C．By providing evidence.	D．By making a comparison.

3. Which statement is true about a 3D-printed eye?

A．The patients prefer to show off their prosthetic eyes.

B．Every adult in need of a prosthetic eye can’t possibly have one.

C．It normally takes a skilled technician, or ocularist, to produce one.

D．The installment of one is 5 times faster than a traditional prosthetic eye.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．3D-printed Eyes——a Better Alternative

B．3D Printing—a Promising Technology

C．3D-printed Eyes—a Source of Confidence

D．Prosthetic Eyes—the Hope for all Blind People

4 . For the past 18 years, my daughter has been around me all the time. Now that she is in college, the _______ of our relationship has totally changed and our relationship is completely _______. I’m not going to be there every morning to have breakfast with her. I won’t know when she’s mad or when she’s happy. Here’s a little story of our new _______.

A week ago, my daughter wanted to _______ so she called me during the day as I was in meetings. I _______her later on, but she was in class. At midnight, she reached out _______ to ask if we could talk. Well, guess what? I was _______ . I thought we would talk the next day, but she was not   _______ .

Research shows that parents are _______ when their children are grown up, but for me that is when I start to get concerned. I am always left to________ , how can I, as a parent, remain ________to my daughter to guide, support and love through life's changes?   

We may have to ________ the way we communicate. My daughter encouraged me to go digital. That’s how I ventured into the world of social media, following her updates and occasionally sharing my own experiences. Through this   ________ presence, the physical gap is ________and I feel I still have an active role in her life. This experience serves as a reminder that ________, however scary, holds the promise of growth in our shared journey.

1.

A．problem

B．progress

C．goal

D．context

2.

A．cold

B．special

C．different

D．casual

3.

A．normal

B．idea

C．approach

D．solution

4.

A．catch up

B．take over

C．check out

D．break away

5.

A．visited

B．touched

C．tried

D．emailed

6.

A．by taxi

B．by text

C．in private

D．in person

7.

A．stupid

B．angry

C．excited

D．asleep

8.

A．available

B．interested

C．ready

D．guilty

9.

A．saddest

B．busiest

C．happiest

D．best

10.

A．decide

B．wonder

C．investigate

D．distinguish

11.

A．kind

B．appreciative

C．sensitive

D．relevant

12.

A．voice

B．ignore

C．shift

D．continue

13.

A．human

B．virtual

C．physical

D．permanent

14.

A．widened

B．formed

C．broken

D．bridged

15.

A．college

B．relationship

C．change

D．communication

5 . Any schoolchild knows that a whale breathes through its blowhole. Fewer know that a blowhole is a nostril (鼻孔) slightly changed by evolution into a form more useful for a mammal that spends its life at sea. And only a dedicated expert would know that while toothed whales, such as sperm whales, have one hole, baleen (鲸须) whales, such as humpback and Rice whales, have two.

Even among the baleen whales, the placing of those nostrils differs. In some species they are close together. In others, they are much further apart. In a paper published in Biology Letters Conor Ryan, a marine biologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, suggests why that might be. Having two nostrils, he argues, helps whales smell in stereo (立体空间).

Many types of baleen whales eat tiny animals known as zooplankton (浮游动物), which they catch by filtering (过滤) them from seawater using the sheets of fibrous baleen that have replaced teeth in their mouths. But to eat something you first have to find it. Toothed whales do not hunt by scent. In fact, the olfactory bulb—the part of the brain that processes smell—is absent in such creatures. But baleen whales still have olfactory bulbs, which suggests smell remains important. And scent can indeed give zooplankton away. Zooplankton like to eat other tiny creatures called phytoplankton (浮游植物). When these are under attack, they release a special gas called dimethyl sulphide, which in turn attracts baleen whales.

Most animals have stereoscopic senses. Having two eyes, for instance, allows an animal to compare the images from each in order to perceive depth. Having two ears lets them locate the direction from which a sound is coming. Dr Ryan theorized that paired blowholes might bring baleen whales the same sorts of benefits.

The farther apart the sensory organs are, the more information can be extracted by the animal that bears them. The researchers used drones to photograph the nostrils of 143 whales belonging to 14 different species. Sure enough, baleen whales that often eat zooplankton, such as the North Atlantic right whale, have nostrils that are farther apart than do those, such as humpback whales, that eat zooplankton occasionally. Besides allowing them to breathe, it seems that some whales use their blowholes to determine in which direction dinner lies.

1. What do we know about whales’ nostrils according to the first two paragraphs?

A．They are adapted ones.	B．They are developed merely for smell.
C．They are not easy to detect.	D．They are fixed universally in numbers.

2. What plays a role when baleen whales hunt zooplankton?

A．The teeth that baleen whales have.

B．The smell that phytoplankton send.

C．The sound waves that zooplankton create.

D．The chemical signals that zooplankton give off.

3. How is the concept of stereoscopic senses explained in paragraph 4?

A．By quoting a theory.	B．By using examples.
C．By making contrast.	D．By making inferences.

4. What is the position of nostrils related to according to the last paragraph?

A．The sense of smell.	B．The possibility to attract food.
C．The ability to locate food.	D．The ability to communicate.

6 . Fine Arts Students Deliver Magical Performances

As the winter holidays approach,Brookhaven School students presented an array of extraordinary performances showcasing immense talent within our fine arts community. From the band concert to the choral concerts, each event highlighted the dedication and exceptional gifts of our students.

The December 12 Eagles Band Concert filled Woodruff Auditorium with melodies that captured the festive spirit.On December 14, the Foundations Christmas Choral Concert featured spirited performances by our 7th graders. The finale of seasonal fine arts showcases occurred on December 18 in Brady Theater with the Senior Chior Concert,spotlighting high school singers.

A highly anticipated tradition,the school-wide Holiday Assembly on December 19, hosted by esteemed Fine Arts Department Chair Mr.Kaminer, embodied the true essence of the holiday season. Angelic songs filled Young Gym, followed by joyous laughter and cheers as the “best costume” winners received their awards. Even the youngest War Eagles,the children in the Brookhaven Early Learning Center, attended the celebrations.Following the event, students merrily left school for the holiday break.

Looking toward 2024, anticipation builds for the Brookhaven theater spring productions. “Something Rotten!” promises high-energy comedic performances by theater students, while “Tuck Everlasting” assures a moving portrayal by talented Foundations students. Furthermore,the Brookhaven Dance Company will hold their showcase April 11-12 in Woodruff Auditorium. Tickets will soon be available for purchase.

1. What did the students at Brookhaven School do before the winter holidays?

A．They performed magic tricks.	B．They participated in community service.
C．They gave holiday concerts.	D．They presented new theatre productions.

2. What can we learn about Holiday Assembly on December 19?

A．It was a large celebration within the school.	B．It was an award presentation for best students.
C．It featured various fun music and sports events.	D．It was held on the first day of the winter holiday.

3. What is the text?

A．A fine arts brochure.	B．A school announcement.
C．A school newsletter.	D．A concert advertisement.

7 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity. The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.

The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?

From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.

As an important note, when we take a Classical philosophical perspective, that of Aristotle, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, its actual appropriation in conflict situations, develops with practice.

1. What is Droll’s idea about forgiveness?

A．People should offer mercy to others.

B．Aggressive people should learn to forgive.

C．Forgiveness depends on the nature of humanity.

D．People who forgive can have their own welfare affected.

2. What does the example in paragraph 2 illustrate?

A．To forgive is to love.	B．To dominate is to harm.
C．To fight is to grow.	D．To give is to receive.

3. What is the writer’s attitude toward forgiveness?

A．Favorable.

B．Reserved.

C．Objective.

D．Skeptical.

4. What is message of the last paragraph?

A．Forgiveness is in our nature.	B．Forgiveness grows with time.
C．It takes practice to forgive.	D．Actuality is based on potentiality.

8 . This question has fascinated behavioural scientists for decades: why do we give money to charity?

The explanations for charitable giving fall into three broad categories, from the purely altruisic (利他的)— I donate because I value the social good done by the charity. The “impurely” altruistic— I donate because I extract value from knowing I contribute to the social good for the charity. And the not-at-all altruistic— I donate because I want to show off to potential mates how rich I am.

But are these motives strong enough to enable people to donate as much as they would want to? Most people support charities in one way or another, but often we struggle to make donations as often as we think we should. Although many people would like to leave a gift to charity in their will, they forget about it when the time comes.

Many people are also aware that they should donate to the causes that have the highest impact, but facts and figures are less attractive than narratives. In a series of experiments, it was found that people are much more responsive to charitable pleas that feature a single, identifiable beneficiary(受益者), than they are to statistical information about the scale of the problem being faced. When it comes to charitable giving, we are often ruled by our hearts and not our heads.

The good news is that charitable giving is contagious—seeing others give makes an individual more likely to give and gentle encouragement from an important person in your life can also make a big difference to your donation decisions— more than quadrupling them in our recent study. Habit also plays a part— in three recent experiments those who volunteered before were more likely to do donate their time than those who had not volunteered before.

In summary, behavioural science identifies a range of factors that influence our donations, and can help us to keep giving in the longer term. This is great news not just for charities, but also for donors.

1. What can we learn about people who do charitable giving?

A．Most people support charity as often as they think they should.

B．Some people don’t want to leave a gift to charity until the time comes.

C．Those who donate because they can gain an advantage are purely altruistic.

D．Some people send money to charity simply to tell others they are wealthy.

2. In which way will people donate more willingly?

A．Not revealing the names of the donors.

B．Showing figures about the seriousness of the problem.

C．Telling stories that feature a single, recognizable beneficiary.

D．Reminding people to write down what to donate in the will in advance.

3. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 5 mean?

A．People will learn from others and follow the suit.

B．Many people are familiar with charitable giving.

C．Charitable giving helps the beneficiary in all aspects.

D．Charitable giving can bring a lot of benefits to donors.

4. What is the writing purpose of the passage?

A．To persuade more people to donate.

B．To explain the science behind why people donate.

C．To criticize some false charitable giving behaviours.

D．To explore approaches to making people donate more.

9 . The pandemic has affected nearly all aspects of modern life, from the clothes we wear to the food we eat. There is one thing, however, that has remained almost unchanged: the emojis we send.

According to data from the Unicode Consortium (统一码联盟), nine of the 10 most-used emojis from 2019 also ranked among the top 10 this year. The tears of joy emoji ranked No.1, despite members of Gen Z deeming it uncool.

“It speaks to how many people use emojis. If emojis were a purely Gen Z thing, then you wouldn’t see it so highly ranked,” said Alexander Robertson, an emoji researcher at Google. “Because of the large number of people using emojis, even if one group thinks something is lame, they have to be a really big group to affect these statistics.”

And it makes sense that Gen Z would think that certain emojis aren’t fashionable. It’s part of the “teenager experience of creating a sense of subculture where there’s a right way and a wrong way of behaving.” Plus, there is a range of laughter that can be expressed: There’s light chuckling. There’s acknowledgement laughter, which is just a marker of empathy. Using emojis, such as the skull face (“I’m dead”) or crying face ( uncontrollable tears of laughter), can help to illustrate that range.

“It basically indicates that we have what we need to communicate a broad range of expression, or even very specific concepts,” Mr Robertson said. “You don’t necessarily need a Covid emoji.”

“We did see a rise in the use of the virus emoji. But it wasn’t made remotely into the most-commonly used ones because we still had plenty to laugh about and plenty to cry about, whether it was because of the pandemic or not,” said Lauren Gawne, a senior lecturer in linguistic at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

“Even in the midst of this massive global pandemic that preoccupied so much of our time,” She added. “We still spent a lot of time wishing each other happy birthday or checking or laughing about some new and unexpected elements of this slow-burning weirdness.”

1. Why does the tears of joy emoji ranked No.1 despite the dislike from the Z generation?

A．The emoji is a purely Z generation thing.

B．The Z generation are too young to influence the rank.

C．Though they dislike it, the Z generation vote for it ultimately.

D．The Z generation take up a very small portion in emoji users.

2. What does the underlined “it” in paragraph 6 refer to?

A．the virus emoji	B．a Covid emoji
C．the use of the virus emoji	D．the rise in the use of the virus emoji

3. Why wasn’t the virus emoji popular according to Lauren Gawne?

A．The massive global pandemic has come to an end.

B．The pandemic has little influence on people’s daily life.

C．We have a broad range of expression for communication.

D．Some new and useful emojis are created to replace the virus emoji.

4. What is probably the best title for the passage?

A．The Pandemic and the Emoji.

B．Gen Z, the Emoji Generation.

C．The Emoji of the Year.

D．The Rise of Virus Emoji

10 . A project called “I Am A Scientist” is giving middle and high school students the opportunity to interact with modern-day researchers. Below are stories from some of the scientists who are involved in the program.

Noor Al-Alusi, Epidemiologist (流行病学家)

“I have a black belt in Taekwondo (跆拳道). I am driven by a deep desire to help others. I believe that all people have a fundamental right to health care.”

Her work: During the Zika epidemic, Al-Alusi met with the communities that had been hardest hit by the virus, using data and mathematical models to keep them safe and healthy.

Background: Al-Alusi was born in California but her parents emigrated from Iraq. This experience provided her with an understanding of the health needs of the immigrant community.

Ryoji Amamoto, Neurobiologist (神经生物学家)

“I’m a huge sports fan. I’ve traveled to more than 40 countries. I’m a licensed scuba diver but a terrible swimmer. I hated science in high school.”

His work: Amamoto studies the tiny but amazing brains of animals that have a superpower — the ability to regenerate. He learns what factors help these special brains regrow, so that we can try to treat diseases like Parkinson’s.

Background: Amamoto lived in Japan until the age of eight, when his family moved to Chicago. He had to overcome major language barriers which saw him shift between speaking English at school and Japanese at home.

Yamicia Connor, Physician Scientist

“I once competed in a robot competition. I love Beyonce. I love cooking. I’m a doctor who studies ways to improve women’s health.”

Her work: Connor is a doctor at a hospital in Boston where she studies cancer cells in a lab using microscopes and computers, but she also works directly with patients who are undergoing tests for new cancer treatments.

Background: Growing up in Florida, Connor was a serious kid who stressed about the little things. She was into her schoolwork and loved to put on plays with her friends in which she would organize the whole thing and assign everyone a role.

1. What can the students know about the scientists through the program?

A．Their education experience.	B．Their gender and religion.
C．Their personal interests.	D．Their career planning.

2. What is Noor Al-Alusi’s job?

A．Studying amazing brains which can regrow.

B．Using data and mathematical models to fight against viruses.

C．Understanding the health needs of the immigrant community.

D．Working with patients who are undergoing tests for new cancer treatments.

3. Where is the passage probably from?

A．A magazine.	B．Award words.
C．A science paper.	D．A health website.