1 . As a writer, I miss rejection slips. Not that I enjoyed receiving those pre-printed slips of paper, but at least when I got one, I was pretty sure that a flesh-and-blood _______ had put it in the envelope. And there was always the chance I might see a handwritten sentence on the bottom, _______ the piece almost made it. When an editor at McCall’s wrote, “I’m afraid I have to say no on this _______ piece, but try me again on another, would you?” It was almost as _______ to me as if she had said, “We’ll _______ it and here is an advance for you”.

Nowadays, rejection slips seem to have disappeared with the use of online submissions. Most editors don’t feel it a must to _______ they have received, read, or considered your work because they receive so many _______ each day.

For me, there are three _______ of rejection slip pain. The first is _______ brought on by finding a flat “no” on a ________ piece of paper, then followed by anger (how could they ________ a piece that is obviously so much ________ than most of the stuff they print), and, finally, rebirth: I will live to ________ a new piece another day.

Learning to ________ rejection seems like part of growing up as a writer. Despite the many letters of acceptance I have received, my folder of “Noteworthy Rejection Slips” is far ________ than that of “Noteworthy Acceptances”, which indicates to me the fact: I still have some growing up to do.

1.

A．writer

B．reader

C．mailman

D．editor

2.

A．demanding

B．indicating

C．suspecting

D．arguing

3.

A．boring

B．novel

C．lengthy

D．particular

4.

A．thrilling

B．upsetting

C．embarrassing

D．amusing

5.

A．buy

B．reject

C．check

D．substitute

6.

A．prove

B．determine

C．explain

D．acknowledge

7.

A．proposals

B．drafts

C．contributions

D．instructions

8.

A．meanings

B．stages

C．wonders

D．rewards

9.

A．relief

B．frustration

C．anger

D．hesitation

10.

A．valueless

B．expensive

C．characterless

D．shiny

11.

A．make up

B．put away

C．turn down

D．insist on

12.

A．easier

B．better

C．shorter

D．longer

13.

A．print

B．revise

C．download

D．submit

14.

A．accept

B．criticize

C．judge

D．evaluate

15.

A．thinner

B．fatter

C．older

D．newer

2 . What if “looking your age” refers not to your face, but to your chest? Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have developed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model that uses chest radiographs (光片) to assess a person’s biological age. More importantly, when it is different from the chronological age (实足年龄), it can signal a link with chronic (慢性的) diseases. These findings mark a breakthrough in medical imaging, paving the way for improved early disease detection and intervention.

The research team, led by graduate student Yasuhito Mitsuyama and Dr. Daiju Ueda from the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, first constructed a deep learning-based AI model to estimate age from chest radiographs of healthy individuals. They then applied the model to radiographs of patients with known diseases to analyze the relationship between AI-estimated age and each disease. Given that AI trained on a single dataset tends to over fit, the researchers collected data from multiple institutions.

For the development, training, internal and external testing of the AI model for age estimation, a total of 67,099 chest radiographs were obtained between 2008 and 2021 from 36,051 healthy individuals who underwent health check-ups at three facilities.

To confirm the usefulness of AI-estimated age using chest radiographs as a biomarker, an additional 34,197 chest radiographs were collected from 34,197 patients with known diseases from two other institutions. The results showed that the difference between AI-estimated age and the patient’s chronological age was positively correlated with a variety of chronic diseases. In other words, the higher the AI-estimated age compared to the chronological age, the more likely individuals were to have these diseases.

“Chronological age is one of the most critical factors in medicine,” stated Mr. Mitsuyama. “Our results suggest that chest radiography-based apparent age may accurately reflect health conditions beyond chronological age. We aim to further develop this research and apply it to estimate the severity of chronic diseases, to predict life expectancy and to forecast possible surgical complications.”

1. What is the AI model used to do?

A．Tell a patient’s chronological age.	B．Estimate an individual’s biological age.
C．Develop advanced chest radiographs.	D．Analyze individuals’ workout habits.

2. What did the research team do for their research?

A．They followed patients for over two decades.

B．They obtained data from the same institution.

C．They collected a large number of chest radiographs.

D．They had face-to-face talks with healthy individuals.

3. How did the research team know if individuals might be sick?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By interviewing their doctors.
C．By observing them in their lab.	D．By analyzing causes and effects.

4. Which of the following statement does Mr. Mitsuyama agree with?

A．The research is too complex to be carried out widely.

B．The AI model is expected to have a promising future.

C．Chronological age matters more than AI-estimated age.

D．The research findings have been well received in medicine.

3 . A self-taught painter in Chongqing, who spent four years creating 100 illustrations of 100 cities in China, has attracted a lot of attention online.

Pu Zhen, who was born in Chongqing in 1993, ________ in animation design at college. He started teaching himself painting nine years ago. “The most difficult part is to ________ my own painting style through ________ practice,” he said.

In 2018, ________ by an old notebook he had filled with the names of Chinese cities, he ________ the idea of doing a unique illustration for each. “I just ________ my inspiration in creating the city series. Each illustration ________ a city’s typical features,” he said.

The creative ________ of the main elements of each city are ________. Some are mountains, rivers, and iconic (标志性的) buildings, and some are cultural legends. However, they all have the moon as a common image.

“The biggest ________ is myself,” said Pu, adding that during the time-consuming ________, he had to overcome loneliness and inner conflicts. “But I do feel ________ that my works are acknowledged by many fans online. Traditional Chinese city ________ are always worth passing on.”

Not only are Pu’s paintings well ________ online, but the netizens are eager to appreciate more. ________, everyone wants to see their hometowns painted by Pu Zhen. In the future, Pu plans to travel around the country and create illustrations for more cities.

1.

A．applied

B．majored

C．worked

D．researched

2.

A．figure out

B．go over

C．make up

D．turn down

3.

A．casual

B．constant

C．formal

D．random

4.

A．moved

B．encouraged

C．taught

D．inspired

5.

A．put up with

B．came up with

C．took care of

D．made use of

6.

A．invented

B．followed

C．imagined

D．discovered

7.

A．determines

B．suggests

C．reflects

D．impresses

8.

A．sources

B．stories

C．messages

D．materials

9.

A．stable

B．similar

C．obvious

D．different

10.

A．challenge

B．honor

C．improvement

D．victory

11.

A．course

B．process

C．moment

D．stage

12.

A．surprised

B．confused

C．delighted

D．touched

13.

A．cultures

B．policies

C．systems

D．values

14.

A．judged

B．studied

C．attended

D．received

15.

A．Undoubtedly

B．Eventually

C．Hopefully

D．Generally

4 . It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Shelly Romo surveyed what was ________ of her home in Maui, which was hit by a deadly wildfire, hoping to find her wedding ring, expecting to leave ________. But luckily, after three hours’ ________ with volunteers, it finally appeared, the diamond ________ but the band completely damaged. Romo and her husband went straight to No Ka’ Oi Jewelers — a local business that has been ________ fire-damaged jewelry free of charge.

No Ka’ Oi owner Omi Chamdi said he was one of the ________ ones — the fires had avoided his home and storefront. That’s why, in its aftermath, he immediately sprang into action and advertised ________ restorations. “When the fires here on Maui occurred, pretty ________ I decided this is something I can do and I really want to do for the ________ community.”

However, Chamdi doesn’t restore the jewelry himself; ________ he has been paying for the restoration services. When asked if he ever ________ that, he shook his head. “These are not just ordinary items, these are the most ________ possessions that people go back and dig through the ________ to find.”

________, Romo was not ready to say goodbye when the fires destroyed her home. But finding her wedding ring and getting it restored gave Romo some peace about ________.

1.

A．expected

B．reminded

C．left

D．robbed

2.

A．bright-eyed

B．light-hearted

C．absent-minded

D．empty-handed

3.

A．talks

B．journey

C．waiting

D．efforts

4.

A．sound

B．broken

C．solid

D．gone

5.

A．recycling

B．restoring

C．marketing

D．advertising

6.

A．distinctive

B．lucky

C．helpful

D．anxious

7.

A．perfect

B．extra

C．free

D．instant

8.

A．quickly

B．excitedly

C．cautiously

D．hesitantly

9.

A．affected

B．nearby

C．calm

D．united

10.

A．therefore

B．otherwise

C．nevertheless

D．instead

11.

A．expected

B．enjoyed

C．rejected

D．regretted

12.

A．precious

B．necessary

C．beautiful

D．expensive

13.

A．items

B．houses

C．ruins

D．boxes

14.

A．Eventually

B．Originally

C．Gradually

D．Naturally

15.

A．rising up

B．moving on

C．giving in

D．taking off

5 . We all know the grandmotherly wisdom of serving chicken soup to someone with a cold, but does this particular meal really have the same effect as the medicine? Could the chicken soup save people a trip to the local hospital?

You won’t find studies in humans that prove chicken soup can fight off a cold, but there’s enough evidence to make it worth trying. One study published in the medical journal Chest suggested that chicken soup might have anti-inflammatory (消炎的) effects, which could possibly cure symptoms of upper respiratory (上呼吸道) tract infections (感染). Researchers studied the movement of neutrophils-a type of white blood cell-when combined with soup. They found that the movement of neutrophils was reduced in the presence of soup, suggesting a possible anti-inflammatory effect that could at least reduce cold symptoms (症状).

“There are substances in chicken soup that could affect cells in the body, which could potentially have medicinal effects, but whether they are good or bad for you, we didn’t test,” said study author Dr. Stephen Rennard, Larson Professor of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Because the study was done in a laboratory and not in humans, Rennard cautions that it remains to be seen whether one would even absorb the substances (物质) that appeared to have beneficial effects in the lab. The researchers did not actually separate specific substances in soup that might be beneficial, “nor did we show what it would do in a living person, let alone a living person with a cold,” he added.

“Chicken soup might be useful, but lots of more research is required,“ Rennard said. “There is some possibility that there is a medicinal basis to it, but ‘some,’ ‘suggests’ and ‘possible’ are the key words.”

1. Why did people believe chicken soup could help with a cold?

A．They had enough scientific evidence.	B．They got the idea from old experience.
C．They were fond of the special soup.	D．They learnt it in the medical journal.

2. How did the chicken soup fight a cold?

A．By making neutrophils much less active.	B．By speeding the movement of neutrophils.
C．By producing a type of white blood cell.	D．By making cold symptoms worse.

3. What do we know about the substances in chicken soup?

A．They could affect cells in the body.	B．They are useless for curing a cold.
C．They can’t be absorbed by humans.	D．They can only be found in chicken soup.

4. Why did Rennard use “possible” as the key word?

A．He never caught a bad cold.	B．He didn’t like chicken soup.
C．He didn’t know medicinal basis.	D．He would do some more research.

7 . Jeannette Frescas was not concerned about the Thomas Fire until the fire reached her neighborhood in Ventura, California. “At midnight, I woke up with a flashlight in my face,“ Frescas told CNN.“I looked out of my window and there were flames, a hundred feet, all around us.”

Like many residents, Frescas was caught off guard by the fire that had roared across Southern California for 13 days. She’s one of tens of thousands of residents who got into cars and fled as winds drove the third-largest fire in modern state history through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

“What was once a paradise (天堂) was like a war zone (地带),” Frescas said of her apartment, which was destroyed by the fire. “It’s the scariest thing I’ve been through in my entire life.” Ventura resident Patricia Rye woke up to her son-in-law pounding on her door. She didn’t get a chance to pack any valuables. “I didn’t have time to take anything,” Rye said. “My wallet, or any of my personal things.”

The fire was so terrible that more than 8,400 firefighters were working around the clock to save lives and contain (控制) it. Twelve thousand people were evacuated (撤离) in Santa Barbara County, with animals at the local zoo threatened as well. Santa Barbara Zoo closed and many animals were placed into cages in case of possible evacuations. The zoo had kept most animals indoors, away from smoke.

Meanwhile, residents who had evacuated their homes in Ventura County-where the fire began-were allowed to return on Saturday. Jim Holden considered himself lucky that firefighters saved his home and items. “They put a water screen between my house and the house next door that was burning in an attempt to save it,“ he said. “They broke in and they saved my family photos and my computer, and things that they thought would be important to me.”

1. What made the fire more terrible?

A．A strong flashlight.

B．High flames.

C．Injured residents.

D．A strong wind.

2. Why didn’t Rye take her valuables?

A．Her son-in-law helped her.	B．The situation was urgent.
C．She had a lot of money.	D．She had nothing to take.

3. Why did the Santa Barbara Zoo keep animals indoors?

A．They prepared for the possible evacuations.	B．They only put enough food there.
C．They wanted to keep them from smoke.	D．They prevented them from cold weather.

4. What did the firefighters do to save Jim Holden’s house?

A．They evacuated him from his home.	B．They put a water screen.
C．They broke into his house.	D．They took out important things.

8 . A lot of people think that a confident person is someone who is completely free of worry. That appears to make _________, because it would seem that confidence and worry are the complete opposite of each other. _________ it’s not the truth at all. _________ people are not people who never _________ worry. They are people who feel worry but are able to _________ it.

So how can you _________ anxiety? Firstly, we need to accept that worry serves a purpose. It is not a _________ emotion. It only becomes a _________ when it stops us from acting. Every time you feel worry, _________ yourself that it is a __________ response. Analyze the situation and if it seems OK, you can go ahead.

The second thing you can do is to look at what __________ worry. Like many negative emotions, worry comes from worried thoughts. If you are faced with a job interview, and you may think, “There are plenty of __________ people than me going for the job”, or “I’m bad at job interviews”. With the thoughts, of course you are going to feel worried!

But the thing is, if you __________these thoughts, there are plenty of things __________ behind those statements. Even if there are plenty of better persons than you going for the job, are they better in all __________? Does the job always go to the “better” candidate? (候选人) If you can attack and destroy all the false logic around those statements, you will automatically (自动地) feel less anxious.

1.

A．trouble

B．sense

C．a mistake

D．a difference

2.

A．So

B．Though

C．But

D．And

3.

A．Independent

B．Careful

C．Brave

D．Confident

4.

A．see

B．defeat

C．experience

D．forget

5.

A．meet with

B．deal with

C．begin with

D．work with

6.

A．feel

B．avoid

C．overcome

D．settle

7.

A．useful

B．weak

C．useless

D．real

8.

A．problem

B．question

C．disease

D．disadvantage

9.

A．believe

B．teach

C．help

D．remind

10.

A．natural

B．serious

C．false

D．formal

11.

A．causes

B．explains

C．includes

D．means

12.

A．bigger

B．poorer

C．better

D．higher

13.

A．look into

B．find out

C．think over

D．go over

14.

A．strong

B．bad

C．unusual

D．wrong

15.

A．ways

B．memories

C．exams

D．methods

9 . Our species’ incredible capacity to quickly acquire words from 300 by age 2 to over 1, 000 by age 4 isn’t fully understood. Some cognitive scientists and linguists have theorized that people are born with built-in expectations and logical constraints (约束) that make this possible. Now, however, machine-learning research is showing that preprogrammed assumptions aren’t necessary to swiftly pick up word meanings from minimal data.

A team of scientists has successfully trained a basic artificial intelligence model to match images to words using just 61 hours of naturalistic footage (镜头) and sound-previously collected from a child named Sam in 2013 and 2014. Although it’s a small slice of a child’s life, it was apparently enough to prompt the AI to figure out what certain words mean.   

The findings suggest that language acquisition could be simpler than previously thought. Maybe children “don’t need a custom-built, high-class language-specific mechanism” to efficiently grasp word meanings, says Jessica Sullivan, an associate professor of psychology at Skidmore College. “This is a really beautiful study, ” she says, because it offers evidence that simple information from a child’s worldview is rich enough to kick-start pattern recognition and word comprehension.

The new study also demonstrates that it’s possible for machines to learn similarly to the way that humans do. Large language models are trained on enormous amounts of data that can include billions and sometimes trillions of word combinations. Humans get by on orders of magnitude less information, says the paper’s lead author Wai Keen Vong. With the right type of data, that gap between machine and human learning could narrow dramatically.

Yet additional study is necessary in certain aspects of the new research. For one, the scientists acknowledge that their findings don’t prove how children acquire words. Moreover, the study only focused on recognizing the words for physical objects.

Still, it’s a step toward a deeper understanding of our own mind, which can ultimately help us improve human education, says Eva Portelance, a computational linguistics researcher. She notes that AI research can also bring clarity to long-unanswered questions about ourselves. “We can use these models in a good way, to benefit science and society, ” Portelance adds.

1. What is a significant finding of machine-learning research?

A．Vocabulary increases gradually with age.

B．Vocabulary can be acquired from minimal data.

C．Language acquisition is tied to built-in expectations.

D．Language acquisition is as complex as formerly assumed.

2. What does the underlined word “prompt” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Facilitate.

B．Persuade.

C．Advise.

D．Expect.

3. What is discussed about the new research in paragraph 5?

A．Its limitations.

B．Its strengths.

C．Its uniqueness.

D．Its process.

4. What is Eva Portelance’s attitude to the AI research?

A．Doubtful.

B．Cautious.

C．Dismissive.

D．Positive.

10 . Los Angeles is home to a popular cycling culture. The following bike shops will help you see the city in a whole new light.

Los Angeles Bike Academy

Los Angeles Bike Academy is a bike shop with a critical mission: Provide resources and community for local underserved youth. Its initiative is its Earn-a-Bike program, where students spend time in the shop learning the basics of bike maintenance and running a store, and they graduate with their own bike. LABA also forms competitive cycling teams that race all around the country.

The Cub House

It’s a bike shop, a plant store and a nice place to wander through. It has something for everyone. Here you can play a game of ping-pong on the outdoor table, head into the mini greenhouse for a delicate plant, or just admire the vintage (老式的) cycling clothes hung on the walls. Finally, make sure to swing by the Cub House for the L. A. Invitational, a weekend party featuring multiple bike rides and a vintage car and bike show outside the store.

Frank’s

Some of the wildest bikes in L. A. are rolling out of Frank’s. The house specialty here is BMX, specifically luxury models with large 29-inch wheels. These bikes are as much fun to look at as they are to ride. Since 1992, Frank’s has found a business opportunity for itself as a destination for BMX builds and hard-to-find parts. The display counter has enough attractions to match a jewelry store.

The Bicycle Stand

This spacious store features classic vintage bikes. It’s worth making a trip to this store just to see their amazing collection. The store also specializes in vintage bike repainting and restorations. Besides, the Bicycle Stand team works on all kinds of rides, and the shop has a variety of refurbished (翻新的), ready-to-ride bikes for sale.

1. What is special about Los Angeles Bike Academy?

A．It aims at repairing local bikes.

B．It holds national cycling competitions.

C．It serves as a community for disabled youth.

D．It offers a program for students to earn a bike.

2. Which bike shop favors ping-pong lovers?

A．Los Angeles Bike Academy.	B．The Cub House.
C．Frank’s.	D．The Bicycle Stand.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To discuss benefits of riding.	B．To explain how bike shops work.
C．To promote bike shops in L. A.	D．To introduce a riding organization.