1 . I used to tell my children that they were smart, because I was impressed by their rapid growth. I remember clearly watching my daughter figure out how to build a Lego house that would stand up on its own, and thinking: Look at this tiny architectural genius.

But decades of research now suggest that we should not tell our children they’re “smart” when they do impressive things. When I first heard it, I felt instinctively irritated. But after I dug into the research, I was persuaded. It all goes back to something called “growth” mindset, a term developed and popularized by Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford. Professor Dweck believes that we can change our abilities through effort and strategy. The alternative to a growth mindset is a “fixed” mindset — the idea that our abilities are inborn and can’t be changed. When we praise our children for being “smart”, based on victories like doing well on a test, we’re unwittingly (不知不觉地) encouraging them to believe that if they do poorly or make mistakes, they’re not smart.

It’s not just what we say that matters, but how we tolerate our children’s failures. A 2016 study by Dweck showed that parents’ “failure mindsets” affect their children more than their views on intelligence. In other words, if parents think that failure is shameful, their children are more likely to be afraid of making mistakes. The study concludes that everyone is actually a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets, continually evolving with experience. Whatever we say or don’t say to our kids, the key is to get them more comfortable with failures big or small.

It’s helpful for kids to understand that you make mistakes and learn how they happen. When you chat with them, you can describe what you learned, or how you strategized a solution. “You don’t have to deny you have negative emotional reactions,” Dweck said. “We, as a society, don’t do that enough because we feel embarrassed when we make mistakes.” But if we discuss our missteps more and explain how we overcame them, our children can learn to do the same.

1. How did the author feel about the research advice at first?

A．It was confusing.	B．It was annoying.
C．It was persuasive.	D．It was encouraging.

2. What do the children with a growth mindset tend to believe?

A．Smartness is the key to success.

B．Difficulties in daily life teach them a lot.

C．Their abilities can be improved through hard work.

D．They are impressive due to their good grades on tests.

3. What does Dweck suggest parents do?

A．Help children face failures positively.

B．Hide their negative feelings from children.

C．Remind children to avoid making mistakes.

D．Pay attention to developing children’s intelligence.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Ways to Cultivate Smart Children

B．The Effect of a Fixed Mindset on Children

C．The Power of Proper Praise for Children’s Growth

D．The Importance of a Growth Mindset in Parenting

2 . When Tom Blake was a young boy, watching a jet (喷气式飞机) streak across the sky, he knew flying was what he wanted to do when he grew up.

After five years’ training, he finally ________ his dream job in his late twenties — working as an airline pilot. But in 2019, the travel firm he was ________ for collapsed.

By this time Mr Blake had become increasingly ________ the growing threat of climate change, and the aviation industry’s carbon emissions. “I had an uncomfortable________,” he says. “I was really eager to get involved in ________ protest groups, but I knew it would be career suicide, and I had a lot of ________. It would be easier to return to the industry and pay them off.”

Yet with the COVID-19 pandemic grounding aircraft, Mr Blake decided to quit his flying ________ for good. “I prefer flying and ________ interesting destinations, and earning a decent ________.” says Mr Blake. “But when we are ________ the climate and ecological emergency, how could I possibly ________ my needs? We need to think about how to ________ the biggest threat to humanity.”

Giving up his dream job was a ________ decision, he says. “Financially I’ve been really ________ . It’s been challenging.” But he adds, “Taking action has ________ my anxiety.”

Mr Blake is now a climate activist.

1.

A．quitted

B．changed

C．completed

D．landed

2.

A．waiting

B．preparing

C．working

D．looking

3.

A．concerned about

B．puzzled at

C．engaged in

D．experienced in

4.

A．goal

B．conflict

C．solution

D．approach

5.

A．political

B．economical

C．environmental

D．technical

6.

A．regrets

B．debts

C．pressures

D．troubles

7.

A．schedule

B．dream

C．ambition

D．career

8.

A．discovering

B．selecting

C．searching

D．visiting

9.

A．salary

B．honor

C．award

D．fame

10.

A．accustomed to

B．faced with

C．addicted to

D．trapped in

11.

A．remove

B．ignore

C．meet

D．create

12.

A．issue

B．introduce

C．imagine

D．handle

13.

A．tough

B．wise

C．reasonable

D．positive

14.

A．saving

B．struggling

C．investing

D．contributing

15.

A．covered

B．stimulated

C．eased

D．driven

3 . Most of us are familiar with Groundhog Day, wherein a large groundhog checks to see its shadow on February 2 and helps to predict when winter will end. But have you ever heard about how a mountain town in North Carolina uses a caterpillar (毛毛虫) known as the Woolly Worm to make similar predictions?

According to the folklore (民间传说), the amount of black on the woolly worm in autumn predicts the severity of the upcoming winter. The longer the woolly worm’s black bands (带) are, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, a wider middle brown band is associated with a milder upcoming winter. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest. If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold. In addition, the woolly worm caterpillar has 13 segments to its body, which traditional forecasters say correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.

Scientific studies on worm forecasting are few and far between. The most often cited is a small trial that American Museum of Natural History entomologist Howard Curran conducted in 1948. Having heard about the caterpillar folklore, Curran traveled to Bear Mountain State Park to collect woolly worms each fall for eight years. He found that if the worms had brown markings on more than a third of their body, winters tended to be milder.

Most scientists discount the folklore of caterpillar predictions as just a folklore. “It’s a wonderful story, but I do think it was a playful trial,” says Joe Boggs, an entomologist at Ohio State University Extension who has studied woolly worms. “Curran was a real scientist. He had a bunch of papers published, but he never published this one—probably because he knew it wouldn’t stand up to peer review.”

Mike Peters, an entomologist at the University of Massachusetts, doesn’t disagree, but he says there could be a link between the band of a woolly worm and the severity of winter. Peters suggests that the timing of their growth and environmental conditions, such as temperature, moisture levels, and food sources, can impact the appearance of woolly worms, including their size, coloration, and band patterns. By analyzing these characteristics, researchers can potentially infer information about the weather conditions. “The band does say something about a heavy winter,” he says. “The only thing is that it’s telling you about the previous year.”

1. How do people predict the weather through woolly worms?

A．By analyzing their living habits.	B．By measuring the change of their size.
C．By studying color bands on their bodies.	D．By calculating the number of their segments.

2. What is Howard Curran’s finding based on?

A．A survey on the locals.	B．His personal observations.
C．Studies by previous scientists.	D．Statistics collected by the museum.

3. What does the underlined word “discount” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．consider.

B．believe.

C．doubt.

D．dismiss.

4. Which statement might Mike Peters agree with?

A．The caterpillar forecasting needs long-term data to support it.

B．The color band of caterpillars can be a mirror of past weather.

C．The cold environment has a great impact on caterpillars’ growth.

D．Woolly worms can help predict the severity of winter accurately.

7 . Gather together a couple of good friends and take a leisurely stroll through the streets—this is what many youngsters in China enjoy doing when they visit a new city.

To them, Citywalk means “roaming around the city” on foot. Participants can follow a distinctive urban route, soaking up the atmosphere, exploring old buildings, browsing boutique shops, sipping a cup of coffee, or indulging in authentic (正宗的) local snacks.

In China, the Citywalk trend is spreading from first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai to second and third-tier cities, encouraging more participants and event organizers to get involved. Some organizers invite folk culture researchers and enthusiasts (爱好者) to act as tour guides. A young entrepreneur (主办者) based in Changsha exploring new possibilities in the tourism sector launched six Citywalk routes in different cities on her social media account recently, with the aim of providing experiences for visitors to “walk in open-air museums”.

Some regions, such as Beijing and Shandong, have included Citywalk in their plans to promote cultural tourism and leisure tours. Shanghai has established Citywalk routes using public bus routes to help day-trippers reach more far-flung districts by public transport and continue on foot.

Even though Citywalk is a relatively niche and new phenomenon, industry insiders say that its potential is huge. Zhang Zhi, a tour guide from Beijing said tourists nowadays are paying more attention to personalized travel services. Many tour guides also try to expand their influence online, sharing their experiences in a bid to attract potential customers.

Citywalk is offering a positive change to urban travelers as they can better choose the experiences that align with their interests and needs. At the same time, Citywalk represents an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer a more tailored, professional service to meet with ever-changing market demands. (CGTN)

1. What is the main concept of Citywalk as described in the text?

A．Exploring cities through virtual reality.	B．Guided tours centred on history.
C．Leisurely urban strolls with diverse exploration.	D．A competitive challenge to visit landmarks.

2. Why did the young entrepreneur create Citywalk routes in various cities?

A．To free outdoor museums for visitors.	B．To engage more enthusiastic tour guides.
C．To promote urban folk culture research.	D．To offer distinctive city exploration experiences.

3. What does the underlined word “niche” most likely mean in paragraph 5?

A．Specialized.

B．Pricey.

C．Adventurous.

D．Demanding.

4. What is the attitude of the author towards the trend?

A．Cautious.

B．Indifferent.

C．Neutral.

D．Optimistic.

8 . If you are crazy about paintings, you shouldn’t miss the following four famous masterpieces which have stood the test of time.

The Arnolfini Portrait

Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434, in which a man and a woman hold hands with a window behind him and a bed behind her, is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces in the National Gallery, London. This painting is as visually interesting as it is famed. It is also an informative document in fifteenth-century society, through Van Eyck’s heavy use of symbolism—while husbands went out to engage in business, wives concerned themselves with domestic duties.

The Starry Night

Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night, oil on canvas, a moderately abstract landscape painting of an expressive night sky over a small hillside village, during his 12-month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890. When the Museum of Modern Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.

The Harvesters

The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It depicts the harvest time which most commonly occurs within the months of August and September. Nicolaes Jonghelinck, a merchant banker and art collector from Antwerp, commissioned this painting. The painting has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1919.

Guernica

Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title “Guernica” refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicts the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war. Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofaí in Madrid.

1. Which of the following paintings was produced earliest?

A．The Arnolfini Portrait.	B．The Starry Night.
C．The Harvesters.	D．Guernica.

2. What do we know about the painting The Starry Night?

A．It was painted on wood in oil.

B．It wasn’t widely recognized before 1940s.

C．It described the painter’s life in hospital.

D．It was given away to the museum by a private collector.

3. Who created the painting representing the massive catastrophe the Nazism brought to people?

A．Pieter Bruegel the Elder.	B．Vincent van Gogh.
C．Jan van Eyck.	D．Pablo Picasso.