1 . When Param Jaggi was five years old, he had a passion to take things apart to see what was inside. He started with toys and even broke a computer, which made his parents not too pleased. As he got older, he shifted from breaking things to building things, which greatly comforted his parents. In middle school. he started working on projects in his kitchen laboratory, and his first project was making biofuels.
Although Jaggi’s parents initially thought his experiments were just. a boyhood fancy, he remained determined to make a difference to the environment. Eventually, his parents came around and started supporting his dreams. Jaggi’s interest continued as he grew up, but he focused more on solving real problems, especially those related to the environment.
At 17, Jaggi went beyond his school projects and. co-founded Ecoviate, a company that uses technology to solve everyday energy and environmental problems. He planned to transform people’s idea that going green is expensive, by making available a series of affordable products that are easy to use. Through Ecoviate, he designed products that could contribute to a greener future. One of his notable inventions was the “CO2ube”, a device that could be attached to vehicle tailpipes to reduce carbon emissions, and it’s available to many people at low prices. He also created a smartwatch that changed body heat into energy, which can be used to power up the watch as well as mobile phones.
Young Jaggi, now a third-grade college student studying engineering and economics, has become a famous eco-innovator and his company is developing promisingly. However, Jaggi’s vision to save the environment goes beyond creating products. He plans to launch an online platform through Ecoviate, which will encourage young students interested in science and technology to get actively involved in innovation and invention. Students can submit a science project online, and talk about the help that they need to make the project a reality.
1. What can we learn about Jaggi?A.He was curious by nature. | B.He dreamed to be an engineer. |
C.He always annoyed his parents. | D.He was addicted to playing toys. |
A.Won out. | B.Changed their minds. |
C.Walked around. | D.Paid a visit. |
A.His love for greener devices. | B.His pursuit of academic career. |
C.His desire to make a difference. | D.His hope to boost green industry. |
A.To promote smart products. | B.To empower young inventors. |
C.To provide eco-themed courses. | D.To offer environmentalists funds. |
2 . Adrienne Tully, an amateur photographer, went to the coast of a beach in Belmar, New Jersey. She planned to take photos of the
For a minute, Adrienne was
A.wildlife | B.city | C.fight | D.sunrise |
A.launch | B.anticipate | C.shoot | D.report |
A.cooperating | B.forming | C.arguing | D.encountering |
A.hope | B.charge | C.absence | D.face |
A.confused | B.desperate | C.anxious | D.depressed |
A.fortunately | B.however | C.otherwise | D.therefore |
A.defeated | B.deserted | C.stuck | D.seated |
A.routines | B.attempts | C.excuses | D.routes |
A.ruined | B.interrupted | C.canceled | D.postponed |
A.purposely | B.randomly | C.elegantly | D.heroically |
A.onlooker | B.tourist | C.surfer | D.guide |
A.going | B.washing | C.thundering | D.struggling |
A.ashamed | B.mad | C.amazed | D.expert |
A.went off | B.turned up | C.settled down | D.set out |
A.appreciated | B.understood | C.awarded | D.supported |
3 . I am a big laugher. I’ve been told that even in a room of a thousand people, you can always hear me laughing over the crowd. For me, laughter is the ultimate form of embodied joy. And by “embodied”, I mean that my whole body is involved when I laugh. On the inside, it’s like a bubbling fountain of joy spilling out all over the place.
But what is joy, anyway?
Life can be terrible, but if you decide to follow the sound of the joy-fountain, you will find joy showing up in all kinds of places: pets playfully bouncing around, kindness, or even in nothingness.
How can joy be found? A friend moved into a new apartment and needed some help, so I helped him. Afterwards, he was obviously so much happier and at ease. I noticed that playing even a small part in his happiness brought me great joy, and I took a moment to let this feeling of embodied joy in. We can practice letting joy in by noticing how it feels to smile. Where does your body light up when you smile? When I smile, it makes me want to take a deep breath, and I notice my shoulders and belly relaxing. When I embody caring and loving, it feels great!
Sadly, many of us are unaware of joy, or suspicious of it. Maybe you are afraid to open up to joy, or maybe you are so unfamiliar with what joy feels like that you ignore or resist it when it comes knocking. No one, other than you, owns your happiness, but you might unknowingly block feelings or experiences that help you embody joy. The fact is that when you can’t embody joy, you miss out on one of life’s essential vitamins.
Want more joy? Don’t be afraid to look silly. Silliness helps us take things less personally. It helps us see the world the way a kiddoes. When we can find more joy in the smalls of everyday life, we can embody happiness, rather than just pursuing it.
1. How is the topic of joy introduced at the beginning of the passage?A.By highlighting a joyful experience. |
B.By stressing the importance of laughing. |
C.By presenting an ultimate form of satisfaction. |
D.By sharing the author’s understanding of joy. |
A.Taking a deep breath. | B.Smiling to your friends. |
C.Doing small acts of kindness. | D.Reflecting on nothingness. |
A.Life is the creation of joy | B.A happy man always laughs last |
C.People are always unaware of joy | D.Happy people are happy in childhood |
4 . Black taxis have been a common sight in London for many years. Now these taxis and their drivers have become the focus of a new study into Alzheimer’s (阿尔兹海默症). For those on the outside, it may seem that behind the wheel of these black taxis are just common people who help move us to our places. But hidden within their brains is a map of London’s streets that has put GPS technology to shame for many years.
“The knowledge”, the test for London’s taxi drivers, stands among the hardest tests one could ever experience. It includes remembering information repeatedly from the memory of minute details about between 25, 000 and 56, 000 streets in London, depending on who’s taking the test, from the Trafalgar Square to the tiniest residential lanes (居民巷).
Usually, the hippocampus (马体) feels the influences of Alzheimer’s most. The hippocampus controls the brain’s short-term memory and spatial memory (空间记忆) systems. University College London and Alzheimer’s Research UK are coming together to study these taxi drivers’ brains. And the taxi drivers’ hippocampi continue to grow as they go on doing the job for more years. This suggests that perhaps there’s something we can do to reproduce the influence on the general population.
Lead researcher Hugo Spiers was part of the team which 20 years ago found that, like birds’, the taxi drivers’ hippocampi slowly got bigger. In fact, research has found for years that any animal that requires detailed spatial knowledge of their land experiences growth in the hippocampus.
Spiers’ team hopes to deal with Alzheimer’s by studying the taxi drivers “brains, since the hippocampus becomes smaller with the development of Alzheimer’s. To collect more information, Spiers has asked thirty London’s taxi drivers connected to an MRI machine to drive around. The machine will allow the researchers to keep a real-time watch on the workings of the hippocampus. “It’s been a joy to help scientists fight the disease,” said taxi driver Robert Lordan.
1. What can we learn about “The knowledge’?A.It lasts for a few minutes only. | B.It invites some residents to be testers. |
C.It is a great challenge to people’s memory. | D.It is usually held in London's busy streets. |
A.Animals’ hippocampi are quite different from humans’. |
B.The new study can do good to animals as well. |
C.More detailed studies on animals’ brains are needed. |
D.Animals’ hippocampi are similar to humans’ |
A.To decide who has the largest hippocampus. |
B.To find out what their hippocampi are doing at work. |
C.To know how Alzheimer’s develops in their brains. |
D.To test whether the machine influences the hippocampus. |
5 . “Why do I live? Why do I wish for anything, or do anything? Is there anything in my life that will not be destroyed by my death?”
These are the words of the famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Like Tolstoy, many people ask these difficult questions. And they struggle to find meaning in their life. Tolstoy spent his whole life trying to answer difficult questions like these. His search for answers influenced his writing.
On August 28th, 1828, Leo Tolstoy was born in the country of Russia.
As a child, Tolstoy was a member of the Russian Catholic Church. But as a young man, he began to question that faith. Tolstoy wanted to make his own moral decisions; he was tired of being told what to believe. He thought people could achieve a degree of perfection if they tried hard enough. So he worked very hard at being the best in everything he did. He thought that he would find meaning and truth in success.
In the 1850s, Leo Tolstoy wrote his first stories. He wrote about his experiences in the army. He also told stories about when he was a child. These works were published and Tolstoy became a well-known writer.
Tolstoy was finally successful. He earned the respect he always wanted. Many wealthy and intelligent men met and talked with Tolstoy. Some of the men were writers like him. They talked a lot about faith and the meaning of life. But soon Tolstoy recognized that these men were not perfect. Now he knew they could not answer his questions about faith.
So in the 1860s, Tolstoy tried a different way to find meaning. He opened a school for the children of his serfs—the people who worked on his land. These workers were very poor. He wanted to help them because he thought they were more honest than the wealthy people he knew.
Tolstoy learned many things from his workers. He respected how they worked hard to provide for their families.
He began to believe that marriage and family would give his life meaning. So in 1862, Leo Tolstoy married a young woman named Sonya Behrs.
The next 15 years were the best years of Tolstoy's life. It was during this time that he wrote his most famous books-War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Many literature experts say that War and Peace is one of the greatest books ever written.
Both War and Peace and Anna Karenina communicate Tolstoy's beliefs about the Russian nation, church and people. They also communicate what he thought was the answer to all his questions. Tolstoy believed humans were supposed to live a simple life and take care of their families. Tolstoy thought this would satisfy him and bring him happiness.
Leo Tolstoy is still a very respected writer today. His faith and writings have influenced many people.
Tolstoy's search for the meaning of life is something everyone can understand. His teachings still interest people all over the world.
1. Which shows the correct order of the following events?①Tolstoy served in the army ②Tolstoy got married ③Tolstoy wrote War and Peace
④ Tolstoy started a school. ⑤Tolstoy became a well-known writer.
A.①②③④⑤ | B.⑤①③②④ | C.①⑤④②③ | D.⑤④①③② |
A.Respect | B.Defend. | C.Support. | D.Comfort. |
A.Leo Tolstoy: Living for writing | B.Leo Tolstoy: Influencing the world |
C.Leo Tolstoy: Being the best in everything | D.Leo Tolstoy: Searching for the meaning of life |
6 . An Art Class
When Kelly was twelve, she started taking classes at Miss Grace’s School for Art. She didn’t like it at first: the “novice artists”—the kids who hadn’t really done art before-worked mostly with clay, and Kelly was a terrible sculptor.
It wasn’t until her third year that Kelly found something she was really good at-charcoal drawing (素描). She loved watching the lines spread unevenly across the page as she moved the bits of charcoal back and forth over the paper.
One day, Sophia, the best artist in her class, sat down and set up her easel (画架) next to Kelly. Kelly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She’d actually found an art form that she enjoyed and was good at-and now Sophia was going to outshine her again? Kelly fought back tears when Miss Grace entered the room.
“Hello class, Miss Grace said.” We’ll continue to work on the project today. What masterpiece would Sophia have come up with?
Kelly looked at Sophia’s easel and she couldn’t believe it-it was a mess! For a brief moment, Kelly couldn’t actually believe her drawing was better than Sophia’s.
But then she looked at Sophia, who was watching Kelly with an anxious expression. “I…. I couldn’t decide what to do,” Sophia said. “And you’re so good. Sometimes I feel like my stuff is just so bad in comparison.”
Kelly looked to see if Sophia was joking, but she seemed completely serious. Now Kelly was shocked. “I’m not talented ... Miss Grace seldom praises me. You’re the best one in our class!”
Sophia raised her eyebrows. “I might be a really good copier of the stuff, but I have no idea what to do when it comes to making up my own images. You are so great at making new things out of the old stuff. I’ve loved your works.”
“I’ve loved yours, too,” Kelly said.
“Well, definitely not this one,” Sophia said.
Kelly smiled. “Maybe not right now. But if you move these lines up...” she said, pointing her finger on Sophia’s paper.
Sophia was quiet for a moment. “That’s a great idea!” she said finally.
Kelly smiled and turned back to her drawing, looking every so often at Sophia’s work to see that she was taking her advice, down to the last line.
1. When Kelly started classes at the art school, she _____.A.was not good at the course | B.lacked confidence in drawing |
C.was often pushed by Miss Grace | D.did not get along with the other kids |
A.Thrilled. | B.Confused. | C.Frustrated. | D.Relieved. |
A.She inspired Sophia. | B.She praised Sophia’s creativity. |
C.She decided to outshine Sophia. | D.She finished the drawing for Sophia. |
A.Interest is the best teacher. | B.You are what you believe to be. |
C.Everyone has their own strengths. | D.Hard work will eventually pay off. |
7 . I’m sitting impatiently in our dusty car looking out. My travel buddy, Lucas, having taken in enough of the
The idea seems
Now,as I look at Lucas’ new friend, I see a different kettle of fish. Michael is big. I mean really BIG. I watch in the side mirror as Michael
I would normally be alert to this
Gradually, my
A.meal | B.gift | C.money | D.view |
A.leaving | B.carrying | C.taking | D.offering |
A.treat | B.welcome | C.ride | D.coin |
A.daring | B.pleasant | C.practical | D.worthwhile |
A.newcomer | B.foreigner | C.local | D.visitor |
A.otherwise | B.instead | C.though | D.nevertheless |
A.climbs | B.cycles | C.flies | D.marches |
A.cold | B.friendly | C.enormous | D.slim |
A.singing | B.chatting | C.arguing | D.complaining |
A.sleep | B.wait | C.ease | D.forget |
A.pulls out | B.gives out | C.picks out | D.sets out |
A.fear | B.warmth | C.anger | D.sympathy |
A.maintaining | B.ruining | C.darkening | D.lifting |
A.family | B.friends | C.neighbors | D.guests |
A.permanent | B.brief | C.close | D.renewed |
8 . Babies as young as 4 months old who are born into a bilingual (双语的) environment show distinct and potentially advantageous brain patterns for speech processing. Our early-life experiences can have lifelong effects on our behavior. The brain is most sensitive to its environment during the first year of life, which is thought to be a critical period for language development.
Previous studies have looked into the brain mechanisms that underlie (构成……的基础) speech processing in babies who hear just one language. To better understand this in bilingual-exposed infants, Borja Blanco at the University of Cambridge and his colleagues compared how 31 babies who only heard Spanish and 26 babies who heard Spanish and Basque, all aged 4 months, responded to Spanish recordings of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
The team used an imaging technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure changes in brain activities. In the Spanish-only babies, the recordings caused activation in areas which play a role in speech processing. In the bilingual-exposed babies, the recordings similarly evoked these responses, but they were larger and wider. These infants also had activation in equivalent areas of their brains’ right hemispheres ( 脑半球 ). When the recordings were then played backwards as a control arm of the experiment, the infants exposed to just Spanish had larger responses to the backwards speech, while those to Spanish and Basque had similar brain patterns as before. This may be because the bilingual infants take longer to register their primary language, in this case Spanish, as hearing both this and Basque reduces their overall exposure to either language.
If this is the case, it could help them be sensitive to linguistic differences and enable them to learn to distinguish between languages at a younger age. The researchers note that a bilingual environment stimulates changes in the brain mechanisms underlying speech processing in young infants, adding weight to the idea that the neural basis of learning two or more languages is established very early in life.
1. Why was the study conducted?A.To reveal the impact of bilingual exposure. | B.To confirm the pattern of brain mechanism. |
C.To conclude the factors for speech processing | D.To explore the potentials for language development. |
A.Theory basis. | B.Study methods. |
C.Research findings | D.Technical assistance, |
A.Bilingual-exposed babies are more sensitive. |
B.Bilingual-exposed babies are more linguistically critical. |
C.Bilingual-exposure reduces babies’ linguistic competence. |
D.Bilingual-exposure reduces babies’ overall language exposure. |
A.Immigrants speak better languages. |
B.Mixed race families own more linguistic potential. |
C.Exchange students show greater learning capability. |
D.Overseas workers have higher language proficiency. |
9 . Three years ago, Juan Carlos Sesma had a realization. Global warming and climate change seemed to be a mounting problem, with scientific records indicating rising temperatures and sea levels across the world. At the same time forest fires, logging, and aggressive human expansion meant the supply of trees which helped to regulate and remove greenhouse gases from our atmosphere was dwindling .
He decided the best way to tackle a problem this large was to combine two of the most powerful forces emerging in technology: big data and robotics. Sesma founded a new company called CO2 Revolution, whose plan was to use drones(无人机) to better understand where new trees should be planted and to automate the process of planting so that much larger areas of forest could be repopulated. The company designed a special smart seed that helped to deliver just the right amount of protection and nutrition to the young saplings. The overall goal was to considerably lower the time and cost of large-scale re-forestation.
CO2 Revolution isn’t alone. In the UK, a startup called Biocarbon Engineering ran a trial earlier this year where it used drones to help replant Mangrove trees in Myanmar. It has also deployed(部署) its technology in Australia, South Africa, and Morocco. “In a lot of places, people will either have a map taken by aeroplane, or just use Google Earth satellite imagery.
They’ll draw things out freehand and manually plant, either by hand or tractor,” said CEO Susan Graham in a recent interview.
The challenge for all these startups is to find ways to create a profitable, or at least sustainable, business model. For Sesma and the team at CO2 Revolution, recent regulatory action has highlighted one potential pathway. “We offer a solution that allows clients to carry out massive plantings, increasing forest mass and thus compensating for their carbon footprint.” Amid growing calls for carbon sequestration, this kind of effort might prove not just noble, but financially sensible for large corporations.
1. What drove Sesma to set up CO2 Revolution?A.Big data and robotics. | B.Forest fires and human expansion. |
C.Global Warming and climate change. | D.Powerful forces emerging in technology. |
A.Declining. | B.Changing. | C.Recovering. | D.Expanding. |
A.Drones are populated in larger areas of forests. |
B.CO2 Revolution calls for a profitable drone model. |
C.Biocarbon Engineering sets up worldwide technology centers. |
D.Smart seeds are designed to improve the accuracy of planting. |
A.Conventional. | B.Valueless. | C.Beneficial. | D.Impractical. |
10 . US Army veteran (退伍老兵) Mazyck remembers when doctors told her she would never walk again. She’d been paralyzed from the waist down after a serious accident while parachuting in 2003.The doctors never said anything about floating, though. In 2021,she got to do just that.
Mazyck was one of 12 participants in a Zero G flight, organized by the group AstroAccess. This type of flight recreates the weightlessness that astronauts experience without going all the way to space. Flying over the Pacific Ocean off Southern California, the modified 747 jet airplane made 15 steep dives and climbs, allowing the flyers multiple periods of weightlessness.
The experience left Mazyck feeling joyful. “The flight was something that I would have never in my wildest dreams thought I would’ve experienced,” she says, “especially the floating, the weightlessness.”
Traditionally, strict physical requirements have prevented disabled people from becoming astronauts. AstroAccess is working to make space accessible to all. “Space removes the barriers between people; now is the time to remove the barriers to space itself,” says Mazyck, “It is sending a message to people who have historically been excluded from STEM that not only is there room for you in space, there is a need for you.”
During the flight, she says, the participants did experiments and made observations. They took note of things that people without certain disabilities might not realize are issues. For example, people who couldn’t grip with their legs needed another way to hold themselves still while weightless. The group also experimented with signaling lights for the deaf and with ways of using braille (盲文) for the blind.
These types of issues are easy enough to address. Now is the time to make space accessible — before space tourism or space settlements become commonplace. “I am so proud and elated about what’s happening here,” Mazyck adds. “We are paving the way for the future.”
1. What do we know about AstroAccess?A.It redesigns jet airplanes. | B.It offers weightlessness experience. |
C.It provides physical treatment. | D.It trains the disabled to be astronauts. |
A.Astronaut experience. | B.Steep dives and climbs. |
C.Weightlessness periods. | D.Trials and observations. |
A.Generous and determined. | B.Caring and persistent. |
C.Courageous and optimistic. | D.Ambitious and innovative. |
A.Paving the Way for the Future | B.Disabled Americans Make It to Space |
C.Making Space a Place for Everyone | D.US Veterans Experience Zero G Flight |