1 . At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comǎneci made history. She performed a routine ______ on the uneven bars (高低杠), scoring a perfect 10. She pursued perfection in her practice, which led to remarkable ______ in the game.

Perfectionism is generally appreciated as a good quality. Therefore, it’s not ______ that perfectionism in society has been on the rise for years. And it is more common in certain ______ like top athletes and medical specialists. Perfectionism can be seen as a behavioral ______. Perfectionists usually set extremely high standards for themselves and others. According to researchers, such behavior is rooted in insecurity. Many perfectionists ______ that if they don’t pay enough attention to ______, it will hurt their performance. So they ______ their perfectionism even when it’s self-defeating.

Aiming for a high degree of success isn’t necessarily ______ as long as you behave reasonably. People with adaptive perfectionism work hard to meet ambitious goals, but are also able to ______ mistakes, changes, and problems that they didn’t anticipate. When encountering barriers, they stay flexible.

Maladaptive perfectionism, which involves an intense ______ for others’ approval, and a high level of concern over mistakes, is unhealthy. It tends to ______ individual confidence and affects relationships and overall well-being. To overcome it, it’s crucial to ______ your mindset. Start by being ______ and gaining a broader perspective. Give yourself permission to loosen up a bit on certain matters, enabling you to ______ what truly matters. Transformation can be challenging, but it is indeed attainable.

1.

A．randomly

B．temporarily

C．faultlessly

D．repeatedly

2.

A．talent

B．discoveries

C．transformation

D．achievements

3.

A．interesting

B．necessary

C．apparent

D．surprising

4.

A．professions

B．experiences

C．advertisements

D．agreements

5.

A．theory

B．tendency

C．measure

D．difficulty

6.

A．insist

B．confirm

C．worry

D．regret

7.

A．detail

B．interaction

C．instruction

D．recognition

8.

A．miss out

B．hold onto

C．set aside

D．rely on

9.

A．beneficial

B．reliable

C．harmful

D．significant

10.

A．avoid

B．tolerate

C．identify

D．forget

11.

A．argument

B．competition

C．desire

D．strategy

12.

A．indicate

B．weaken

C．stress

D．inspire

13.

A．shift

B．adopt

C．accept

D．strengthen

14.

A．realistic

B．cautious

C．decisive

D．helpful

15.

A．challenge

B．mention

C．evaluate

D．prioritize

2 . The green, natural forest absorbs carbon dioxide from the air through photo- synthesis (光合作用). There is another way of dealing with the climate crisis. That is setting up fields of dark-colored solar panels (太阳能电池板), also known as “solar forests”, which replace power stations that use fossil fuels such as coal and gas to make electricity, thus mitigating harmful emissions (排放) of greenhouse gases.

But since they are both relatively dark, they absorb a lot of solar radiation. Some of the energy is used for photosynthesis in natural forests or to produce electricity in “solar forests”, but most returns to the atmosphere, heating it up. Then what would be the more effective land use option in terms of the climate crisis: planting a forest, or building solar panels? This issue has long been debated by decision-makers around the world. Now, we may have an answer, thanks to a new study.

First, the researchers compared the impact of a forest on the climate crisis in a dry area to that of a solar farm in a similar environment. The researchers found that the albedo effect (反射效应) of both of these “forests” was similar, but that the absorption or prevention of carbon emissions was very different. It turns out that it takes 2.5 years for the heat emitted by solar farms to be balanced by the carbon emissions that are avoided, thanks to the energy they produce. In the case of a natural forest of similar size, it would take more than 100 years of photosynthesis to balance its heating effect.

The researchers also studied how the heating-cooling relationship changed in other climates and found that in more humid environments, the heating effect of planting large numbers of trees is smaller. And the break-even point is reached within 15 to 18 years.

“In dry places, building solar forests seems far more effective in addressing the climate crisis. Meanwhile, forests absorb about a third of annual carbon emissions and play a vital role in the global rain cycle, in maintaining biodiversity and in many other environmental and social contexts. Preventing them from being cut down and planting more trees in humid areas are of great significance,” explains one of the researchers in the study.

1. What does the underlined word “mitigating” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Releasing.

B．Decreasing.

C．Generating.

D．Stabilizing.

2. What is the root cause of the long-running debate over the two types of forests?

A．They cause much damage to the land.

B．They result in a serious loss of farmland.

C．They contribute to the warming of the atmosphere.

D．They lose energy during the absorption of solar radiation.

3. What did the researchers find in the study conducted in the dry environment?

A．The natural forest exhibits a stronger albedo effect.

B．The solar forest can generate more energy in dry areas.

C．The solar forest is superior in balancing the heating effect.

D．The natural forest is more effective in solving the climate crisis.

4. What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A．More trees should be planted in dry regions.

B．More methods should be adopted to address the climate crisis.

C．Fields of solar panels should be set up everywhere on the earth.

D．Building solar panels and planting trees should be effectively combined.

3 . Seated at the grand piano in MIT’s Killian Hall last fall, first-year student Jacqueline Wang played one piece of Mozart’s music. When she’d finished, Mi-Eun Kim, a pianist and lecturer at MIT, asked her to move to the back of the hall. Kim tapped at an iPad. Suddenly, the music Wang had just played poured forth again from the piano — its keys sinking and rising just as they had with Wang’s fingers on them. Wang stood with a confused expression, taking in a repeat of her own performance.

This unusual lesson took place during a three-week residency (驻留期) of the Steinway Spirio|r, a piano that obtains the data of live performances and offers students new possibilities for studying and experimenting with music.

Wang was one of several participants to have the experience of hearing herself play while watching the data of her performance move up and down across a screen: color-coded rectangles (矩形) indicating the speed and duration of each note, and a moving line charting her use of the damper pedal (阻尼踏板). Wang could even edit her own performance when Kim suggested her rhythmic use of the pedal might be unnecessary. Using the iPad interface to erase the pedaling entirely, they listened to the playback again, the notes gaining new clarity,

For Wang, the session introduced an element she’d never experienced since beginning her piano studies. The visual display of how long each key was played and with what speed gave her a more precise demonstration of the ideas of voicing and evenness.

Playing the piano is one of the most complex activities that humans do with their hands. Some people might think the new technology will replace the pianist. In Kim’s view, that human complexity is complemented by this kind of technical possibility. But it doesn’t mean all of the things that go into learning music will be abandoned. It’s going to be an invaluable third partner: the student, the teacher, and the Spirio|r. It’s going to play a necessary role in lots of musical efforts.

1. What happened after Jacqueline Wang finished her performance?

A．Her teacher played a piece of music to compete against her.

B．She got her performance reviewed on the Spirio|r.

C．She was asked to comment on her performance.

D．Her teacher instructed her to improve her skills.

2. What can we say about the new piano technology?

A．It is difficult to operate.	B．It needs to be more intelligent.
C．It might reveal users’ privacy.	D．It is beneficial for students’ learning.

3. What does the author intend to express in the last paragraph?

A．The music world is full of uncertainties.

B．Technology cannot replace human pianists.

C．There won’t be fiercer competition among pianists.

D．Pianists should be updated with the latest technology.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Making Full Use of MIT’s Program

B．The Evolution of Musical Instruments

C．Exploring Music with the Steinway Spirio|r

D．The Challenges of Learning a New Instrument

4 . Four Wonderful Hotels in India

Vythiri Resort, Lakkidi, Kerala

Vythiri Resort has five tree houses, including the one that’s child-friendly and buried in the jungle. This 150-acre property is built around a stream, and the tree houses have been hand-made by local people using local materials. The resort has an Ayurvedic spa, a game room, a health club, and a big free parking lot.

The regular tree house for one night is CNY 1,300 for two adults and a free stay for your child. Breakfast is included in the fee.

Rainforest Resort, Kerala

If the thought of a bird’s eye view of Athirapally Falls, Kerala’s largest waterfall, appeals to you, then book yourself into the tree house at the Rainforest Resort, which hides in the Sholayar rainforest. The resort is set among seven acres of jungle. It’s not cheap, though. You can use free parking and free Internet.

A standard double room for one night is CNY1,920 with meals included for two adults and a child.

The Tree House Resort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Situated around an hour’s drive from the city center, The Tree House Resort is the largest resort in the world of its kind. It’s located at Nature Farms in the Syari Valley. The tree houses are divided into many “nests”. Some even have tree trunks running through them. All are air-conditioned and have wireless Internet and satellite TV. Activities include jeep tours and nature walks.

A garden room for one night is CNY 820 for two adults and one child. However, breakfast is not included.

Tranquil Resort, Kolagappara, Kerala

Also located in Kerala’s Wayanad district, the Tranquil Resort is, in fact, a coffee plantation homestay. There are 13 walking trails (小路) there and more than 100 species of birds. The resort has a tree house and a 1,000-square-foot tree villa. The villa is apparently a bit expensive. The two are popular, so do book early online or by phone. Fresh coffee is served.

The prices of a tree house and a tree villa are respectively CNY 1,430 and CNY 2,100 per night. And for more than 2 guests, an additional fee of CNY 200 is required.

1. What do the above four hotels offer guests?

A．The free parking service.	B．A chance to get close to nature.
C．A taste of India’s traditional cuisine.	D．Interactive activities for parents and children.

2. What’s the disadvantage of The Tree House Resort?

A．It’s relatively small.	B．It’s unfriendly to kids.
C．It charges for breakfast.	D．It’s inconveniently located.

3. How much will a family of three pay for the villa at the Tranquil Resort for a night?

A．CNY 1,430.

B．CNY 1,630.

C．CNY 2,100.

D．CNY 2,300.

5 . While many of us might long to just sleep through this entire winter, humans, unlike a lot of other mammals - don’t have the capacity to hibernate (冬眠). But researchers think they have found some tell-tale marks on the fossils, which suggests that early humans may have survived the harsh winter by hibernating.

Bears have specialized metabolic (新陈代谢的) processes to protect them from this extended sleep, but sometimes this process doesn’t quite go to plan. For example, hibernators can end up with a host of diseases after hibernation if they don’t get enough food reserves before they go down for the winter. The researchers believe this may have been the circumstance of some human ancestors whose remains with deep cracks in bones were discovered in a Spanish cave called Sima de los Huesos. This deep hole is home to an incredible number of fossils, with archaeologists having discovered thousands of early humans’ skeletal remains that are around 430,000 years old and probably the ancestors of the Sima people or others.

In a paper published in L’Anthropologie, two experts argue that the fossils found in Sima de los Huesos show seasonal variations that suggest that bone growth got interrupted for several months of each year. They suggest these early humans found themselves being in metabolic states that helped them to survive for long periods of time in extremely cold conditions with limited stores of body fat.

The researchers admit the idea “may sound like science fiction”, but they point out that many mammals including primates (灵长类动物) do this. “This suggests that the genetic basis and physiology for such slow metabolism could be preserved in many mammalian species including humans," state Arsuaga and Bartsiokas.

However, Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London pointed out that large mammals such as bears do not actually hibernate, because their large bodies cannot lower their core temperature enough. Instead, they enter a less deep sleep known as torpor. In such a condition, the energy demands of the human-sized brains of the Sima people would have remained very large, creating an additional survival problem for them during torpor.

1. Why does the author mention the example in Paragraph 2?

A．To explain the special ability of bears.	B．To provide the background to the research.
C．To show the basis of researchers’ evaluation.	D．To discuss a new cause of hibernating disease.

2. What can we know about the bones found in the Spanish cave?

A．They were badly preserved with deep cracks.

B．Their growth discontinued temporarily for some reason.

C．Their appearances varied from individual to individual.

D．They showed signs of people living in comfort in the past.

3. What is Arsuaga and Bartsiokas’ attitude towards humans’ hibernation?

A．It’s quite possible.	B．It merely appears in science fiction.
C．It’s an exception to human genetics.	D．It solved the mystery of humans’ evolution in Europe.

4. What might the hibernation of the Sima people result in according to Chris?

A．They might have developed smaller brains.

B．Their daily sleep quality might become poor.

C．Their body temperature might increase rapidly.

D．They might suffer from life-threatening starvation.

9 . Tobacco ruins lives, leading to over 400,000 hospital admissions a year, and ultimately kills two in three lifetime smokers.

Over the coming weeks, MPs (议员) will debate new laws to create a “smoke-free generation”, meaning no one born on or after 1 January, 2009, can be legally sold a cigarette. This is a truly transformative piece of public health policy that could see an end to tobacco use in England.

The policy will see the legal age for being sold tobacco rise by one year each year from 2027. While the proposed age increase approach is novel, we know that raising the age of purchasing works. Smoking rates dropped by 30 per cent among young people within a year when the legal age increased from 16 to 18 in 2007. The drop was closer to 40 per cent among the target age group when it was raised from 18 to 21 in the US.

There are concerns among some that the new policy could drive an illegal market, but the evidence doesn’t back this up.

Since 2000 the illegal market for tobacco has declined from 22 per cent to 11 per cent despite raising the age of purchasing to 18, banning smoking in public places, introducing plain packaging, and continued price rises. Furthermore, the focus of the policy is to prevent people taking up smoking — no one who can currently buy tobacco will be unable to do so — making it unlikely there will be an increased demand for illegal tobacco.

Online sales may also present their own difficulty as the new policy comes into force, with digital retailers (零售商) having responsibility to check on the age of customers remotely. The government is promising “enhancing online age verification (验证)” but it would be far simpler to ban online tobacco sales altogether, as recommended in a recent independent government review.

1. Who will be restricted by the new policy?

A．Heavy smokers.	B．Cigarette sellers.
C．The tobacco growers.	D．The tobacco advertisers.

2. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 3?

A．The benefit of the policy.	B．The novelty of the policy.
C．The target people of the policy.	D．The content of the policy.

3. What do some people worry about?

A．The price of tobacco will go up.	B．More people will pick up smoking.
C．The tax from tobacco may decrease.	D．The illegal tobacco markets will boom.

4. What will happen to online tobacco sales with the new policy in effect?

A．It will encounter resistance.	B．It will face a new challenge.
C．It will have simplified process.	D．It will make more profits.

10 . FREE ONLINE FIRST AID COURSE

Welcome to our online first aid course. Anyone can take this training online and learn more about lifesaving first aid. We provide this first aid training for no charge.

Simply work your way through our online first aid modules (模块) below. You must be logged in (登录) to access the course material. If you don’t have an account, then please register. Basic online first aid course

Below are the modules for our online first aid course. You do not have to take them in a specific order. However, if you are totally new to first aid, it may help to start at the beginning.

At the end of each module there is a first aid test where you can test your knowledge. Once you’ve completed all the modules, you can download a free first aid certificate (证书).

Module 1	Introduction to First Aid
Module 2	The Unconscious Victim
Module 3	Bleeding and Shock.
Module 4	Burns

Please remember to mark all the modules as completed otherwise you will not be able to download your basic first aid certificate. Modules marked as completed will have a green tick next to them above.

Advanced online first aid course

Completed the above course? Why not check out our new free online advanced first aid course? This course will build upon the training and content in the basic first aid course above and will help further your knowledge on topics such as:

* Medical conditions

* Minor injuries

* Patient assessment

* Clinical observations

* The roles and responsibilities of a first aider

As always, you will receive a free first aid certificate once you complete the advanced course.

1. What is a must to learn this online course?

A．Offering a small fee for the training.	B．Having an account on this website.
C．Learning the course in the required order.	D．Taking a first aid test before the course.

2. Which module provides knowledge about bloody nose?

A．Module 1.

B．Module 2.

C．Module 3.

D．Module 4.

3. What can we know about the advanced online first aid course?

A．It provides a paid certificate of honor.

B．It is intended for professional medical workers.

C．It teaches people how to judge patients’ condition.

D．It has nothing to do with basic first aid knowledge.