1 . Plastic is everywhere, from the Arctic ice to vital organs in the human body. In fact, previous estimates suggest that the average person swallows a credit card-worth of microscopic plastic particles(颗粒) every week. But new research shows that this could actually be an understatement.
Microplastics are plastics smaller than 5 millimeters, found in industrial waste, beauty products, and formed during the degradation of larger plastic pieces. Over time, they break down into even smaller nanoplastics. These tiny particles can pass through our intestines and lungs into our bloodstreams, reaching vital organs like the heart and brain.
While the idea of eating plastic is unsettling in itself, the major concern here is that these plastic particles contain chemicals that can interrupt our body’s natural release of hormones, potentially increasing our risk of reproductive disorders and certain cancers. They can also carry toxins(毒素) on their surface like heavy metals.
In the past, researchers have shown bottled water can contain tens of thousands of identifiable plastic fragments in a single container. However, until recently, only the larger microplastics were detectable with available measuring tools, leaving the area of nanoplastics largely a mystery.
Using Raman microscopy (显微镜学), capable of detecting particles down to the size of a flu virus, the team measured an average of 240, 000 particles of plastic per liter of bottled water, 90 percent of which were nanoplastics, a revelation 10 to 100 times larger than previous estimates.
These plastics likely originate from the bottle material, filters used to “purify” the water, and the source water itself. “It is not totally unexpected to find so much of this stuff, ” the study’s lead author, Columbia graduate student Naixin Qian, said in a statement. His team hopes to expand their research into tap water and other water sources to better inform our exposure to these potentially dangerous particles. “The idea is that the smaller things get, the more of them I reveal, ” he added.
1. What is the primary focus of the new research?A.The presence of plastic particles. | B.The use of plastic in everyday products. |
C.The detection methods for microplastics. | D.The potential risks of nanoplastics to human. |
A.Finding the source of plastic particles. | B.Helping to cure the deadly flu virus. |
C.Detecting the smaller plastic particles. | D.Improving the quality of bottled water. |
A.To focus on areas with higher plastic pollution. |
B.To be aware of the dangerous particles in daily life. |
C.To further measure the types of particles in tap water. |
D.To detect the smaller plastic particles in industrial areas. |
A.Skeptical. | B.Objective. | C.Conservative. | D.Positive. |
2 . The Music Educator Award, this year, went to Annie Ray, an orchestra(管弦乐队)director at Annandale High School.She was recognized for her efforts to make music accessible to all students, particularly those with disabilities.Ray got to attend the awards ceremony in Los Angeles and bring home a $10,000 prize.
Ray created the Crescendo Orchestra for students with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as a parent orchestra that teaches nearly 200 caregivers a year to play the same instrument as their child.Ray also works with a local charity to give damaged instruments a second life in her classroom.
The orchestra is about much more than just making music.The most important is to give students a chance to develop their cooperation skills, make mistakes and learn the art of refining something.Ray pushes her students to be brave, go outside their comfort zone and realize they have to learn how to make bad sounds before learning how to make good sounds.And they teach her a lot in return.” They changed my educational philosophy.I understand what it truly means to meet a student where they’re at and apply that elsewhere,” she said.
The warm reception on the ceremony was meaningful.Actually, not many people understand what exactly music educators do or how much their work matters.While her administration is supportive, that lack of understanding is a problem facing the profession in general.Another is resources.She says her school “desperately” needs new instruments.She will use some of her prize money to buy more.
Ray also plans to put some of the money towards an ongoing scholarship for students who want to pursue music when they graduate.She knows of several, those particularly interested in music, and aims to offer financial support needed to realize their musical dreams” It is hard but truly satisfying,” Ray said.“And there’s nothing else like it for them.”
1. What can we learn about Ray from the first two paragraphs?A.She hosted the award ceremony. | B.She brought music to more people. |
C.She gave away instruments to the poor. | D.She founded a local charity for children. |
A.They acquire in-depth musical knowledge. | B.They make friends with the like-minded. |
C.They gain personal growth from playing music. | D.They improve their connections with educators. |
A.The reception on the ceremony. | B.Importance of music education. |
C.Challenges for music educators. | D.Plans to obtain resources. |
A.Winning a scholarship. | B.Developing interest in music. |
C.Making musical achievements. | D.Transforming dreams into reality. |
3 . Playing a musical instrument throughout your life protects your hearing in old age, a Canadian study suggests. The study, published in Psychology and Aging, carried out hearing tests on 74 adult musicians and 89 non-musicians. It found a 70-year-old musician’s hearing was as good as that of a 50-year-old who did not play.
Hearing normally declines as people age. By 60, 10-30% of people have moderate hearing loss. By 80, that goes up to as many as 60%. Problems are particularly seen in the central auditory (听觉的) processing system, which is associated with understanding speech, especially when there is background noise.
Previous studies have shown musicians have better hearing than non-players. But this research, by a team at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto, looked at adults of all ages - from 18 to 91 - to see how people were affected as they aged. They carried out hearing tests on 74 amateur and professional musicians (who had played since the age of 16, were still practising and had been given formal music lessons) and 89 non-musicians (who had never played an instrument). Musicians were significantly better at picking out speech against noise.
The researchers suggest that lifelong musicianship reduces age-related changes in the brain, probably due to musicians using their auditory systems at a high level on a regular basis.
The head of biomedical research at Action on Hearing Loss, Dr. Ralph Holme, said: “While this study suggests that musicians might be more able to cope with the consequences of hearing loss, it is far better to reduce damage in the first place by using appropriate ear protection. We have always campaigned for everyone who plays a musical instrument or listens to loud music to wear hearing protection, like earplugs, which reduce the risk of damaging your hearing permanently.”
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?A.A person aged 80 will lose 30% hearing. |
B.A person aged above 60 must have bad hearing. |
C.People have fewer problems with background noise. |
D.People’s hearing usually becomes worse when they get older. |
A.It tested the hearing of 162 people. |
B.The finding of the study wasn’t published publicly. |
C.Playing a musical instrument may do good to hearing. |
D.Musicians were as good at picking out speech against noise as non-musicians. |
A.They like to take more exercise. | B.They use their hearing more and regularly. |
C.They don’t expose themselves to background noise. | D.They pay more attention to protecting their hearing. |
A.Get help from musicians. | B.Listen to loud music less. |
C.Protect hearing properly. | D.Play a musical instrument more. |
4 . “Is this all? Where arc the rest of the presents? ”asked my twelve-year-old daughter, Allison, and Blake, one year older than his sister.
Money was“Next year we will celebrate Christmas in a whole new way!” I announced,
As Christmas
On Christmas Eve, we reached the house of the family and were welcomed with smiles and homemade bread. We accepted the
The parents let their children put the
When saying goodbye to the family, I could tell our visit had
The way home was quiet. On arriving, Allison and Blake turned to me, “Thanks, Mom.”
A.tight | B.loose | C.enough | D.available |
A.case | B.view | C.reason | D.problem |
A.moved | B.delighted | C.embarrassed | D.determined |
A.Months | B.Years | C.Ages | D.Decades |
A.referred | B.arranged | C.promoted | D.contacted |
A.addicted | B.separated | C.forgotten | D.unemployed |
A.set | B.drew | C.mounted | D.scheduled |
A.amazed | B.excited | C.confused | D.frightened |
A.last | B.escape | C.survive | D.congratulate |
A.treat | B.effort | C.request | D.accommodation |
A.toys | B.lists | C.snacks | D.packages |
A.Strangely | B.Gradually | C.Generally | D.Extremely |
A.struck | B.unified | C.shocked | D.identified |
A.Event | B.Point | C.Mission | D.Challenge |
A.lost | B.buried | C.trapped | D.hidden |
5 . More than 170,000 people in California are unhoused. Even as the state has poured resources into fighting against the problem, the number of people without homes has ticked upward in recent years. On the surface, the state has one key advantage for people without a reliable roof over their heads: relatively consistent and livable weather. So one of my first thoughts when I heard news of a horricane attacking Los Angeles was just “What will happen to the city’s homeless population?”
City agencies quickly took action. As it became clear that the Los Angeles region could experience an extreme downpour and subsequent flooding, outreach teams fanned out across the river bank and dam areas across the city that have become home to a significant unhoused population, offering support to move them into shelters and motels (汽车旅馆).
Despite that, it’s obvious that the effects of climate change will hit the most vulnerable (脆弱的) hardest. We see this globally as extreme weather events hit countries that have contributed the least to the problem.
The most notable connection between climate change and the US housing crisis is the threat extreme weather poses to unhoused people. More unhoused people are affected as climate change drives increasingly unpredictable weather. People without homes know how to respond to expected seasonal events. But events like a near-hurricane in Los Angeles or a wildfire in ‘Maui can catch populations with limited access to information off guard.
Another link worth considering is the way in which climate change creates more homelessness and further stresses on housing systems. Hurricane Katrina, for example, displaced 800, 000 people. Four years later, 12,000 people remained without shelter.
Housing has been — and will continue to be — a key issue in Maui too as it recovers from the wildfire that killed more than 100 people. Maui has already had a housing crisis, the result of a high cost of living driven in large part by the tourism industry. And, now, many more are left looking for places to stay. Ashley Kelly, the chief operating officer at Hawaii’s Family Life Center, said: “Finding housing for any new clients is just not possible right now.”
1. What contributes to the increase of the unhoused population in California?A.Its mild weather. |
B.Its inclusive local culture. |
C.Its limited basic facilities. |
D.Its relaxed state policies. |
A.They built dams to prevent flooding. |
B.They moved homeless people to safe places. |
C.They sought low-cost housing from city agencies. |
D.They surrounded the river bank to keep people away. |
A.Mysterious. | B.Exceptional. | C.Changeable. | D.Difficult. |
A.Ways of Americans relocating disaster-affected populations. |
B.The significance of timely weather updates for the homeless. |
C.The link between climate change and the housing crisis in the US. |
D.Approaches of homeless Americans to dealing with natural disasters. |
6 . Bill Sumiel was having a tough Friday. It was October 2020, and the 71-year-old, who was dealing with kidney (肾) failure, found himself at a medical center 30 miles from home.
Sumiel was no stranger to the
Timothy Letts, 31, was driving north to visit a friend when his phone rang with the
When Sumiel got into the car, the pair got to
Sumiel was touched by Letts’s
A.origins | B.struggles | C.warnings | D.symbols |
A.adapted to | B.arose from | C.led to | D.took over |
A.list | B.category | C.class | D.group |
A.department | B.company | C.arrangement | D.appointment |
A.application | B.question | C.request | D.intention |
A.Still | B.Therefore | C.Otherwise | D.Meanwhile |
A.debating | B.remarking | C.arguing | D.chatting |
A.instructed | B.revealed | C.wondered | D.announced |
A.supposed | B.assumed | C.given | D.convinced |
A.agreed | B.claimed | C.doubted | D.suggested |
A.sponsor | B.match | C.surgeon | D.model |
A.demand | B.advice | C.offer | D.mission |
A.magical | B.joyful | C.anxious | D.emotional |
A.equal | B.kind | C.true | D.sensitive |
A.contacted | B.informed | C.persuaded | D.urged |
7 . Several months ago, a tornado fiercely hit our city without any signs before. We hadn’t
Never did I imagine that we would put our regular
I couldn’t
Because of the tornado, I realized that my job as a teacher meant a lot. Behind every well-behaved students are a long line of teachers who have made it their life’s
A.paid | B.searched | C.accounted | D.prepared |
A.agency | B.education | C.emergency | D.selection |
A.suddenly | B.finally | C.secretly | D.immediately |
A.games | B.trainings | C.languages | D.saving |
A.mixed up | B.stood out | C.lined up | D.spoken out |
A.fear | B.anger | C.shame | D.shock |
A.encounter | B.comfort | C.satisfy | D.praise |
A.problem | B.result | C.success | D.reason |
A.hate | B.expect | C.see | D.approach |
A.simple | B.ideal | C.scary | D.strange |
A.follow | B.provide | C.repeat | D.change |
A.fortunate | B.honest | C.confident | D.brave |
A.trust | B.pride | C.interest | D.growth |
A.reward | B.power | C.wisdom | D.goal |
A.chances | B.challenges | C.adventures | D.discussions |
8 . For lots of kids, toddlerhood (幼儿期) is an important time for friendship. Studies show that the earlier kids learn to form positive relationships, the better they are at relating to others as teenagers and adults. Playing together also helps these kids practice social behaviors, such as kindness, sharing, and cooperation.
Even so, how quickly your child develops into a social creature may also depend on his temperament(性格). Some toddler s are very social, but others are shy. In addition, the way that toddlers demonstrate that they like other children is markedly different from what adults think of as expressions of friendship. Research at Ohio State University in Columbus found that a toddler’s way of saying “I like you” during play is likely to come in the form of copying a friend’s behavior.
This seemingly unusual way of demonstrating fondness can result in unpleasant behavior. Regardless of how much they like a playmate, they may still grab his toys, refuse to share, and get bossy. But experts say that this is a normal and necessary part of friendship for kids this age. Through play experiences, toddlers learn social rules. That’s why it’s so important to take an active role in your toddler’s social encounters by setting limits and offering frequent reminders of what they are. When you establish these guidelines, explain the reasons behind them.
Begin by helping your child learn sympathy (“Ben is crying. What’s making him so sad?”), then suggest how he could resolve the problem (“Maybe he would feel better if you let him play the ball.”). When your child shares or shows empathy(同理心) toward a friend, praise him (“Ben stopped crying! You made him feel better.”).
Another way to encourage healthy social interaction is by encouraging kids to use words- not fists-to express how they feel. It’s also important to be mindful of how your child’s personality affects playtime. Kids are easy to get angry when they’re sleepy or hungry, so schedule playtime when they’re refreshed.
1. What does it indicate when toddlers copy their playmates’ behavior?A.They are interested in acting. | B.They are shy with the strangers. |
C.They are fond of their playmates. | D.They are tired of playing games. |
A.Design games for them. | B.Find them suitable playmates. |
C.Play together with them. | D.Help them understand social rules. |
A.Giving examples. | B.Explaining concepts. |
C.Providing evidence. | D.Making comparisons. |
A.How Children Adapt to Changes | B.How to Be a Role Model for Children |
C.How Your Baby Learns to Love | D.How to Communicate with Your Kid |
9 . In his 1936 work How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie wrote: “I have come to the conclusion that there is only one way to get the best of an argument — and that is to avoid it.” This distaste for arguments is common, but it depends on a mistaken view of arguments that causes problems for our personal and social lives — and in many ways misses the point of arguing in the first place.
Carnegie would be right if arguments were fights, which is how we often think of them. Like physical fights, verbal (言语的) fights can leave both sides bloodied. Even when you win, you end up no better off. You would be feeling almost as bad if arguments were even just competitions — like, say, tennis tournaments. Pairs of opponents hit the ball back and forth until one winner comes out from all who entered. Everybody else loses. This kind of thinking explains why so many people try to avoid arguments.
However, there are ways to win an argument every time. When you state your position, formulate (阐述) an argument for what you claim and honestly ask yourself whether your argument is any good. When you talk with someone who takes a stand, ask them to give you a reason for their view and spell out their argument fully. Assess its strength and weakness. Raise objections (异议) and listen carefully to their replies. This method will require effort, but practice will make you better at it.
These tools can help you win every argument — not in the unhelpful sense of beating your opponents but in the better sense of learning about what divides people, learning why they disagree with us and learning to talk and work together with them. If we readjust our view of arguments — from a verbal fight or tennis game to a reasoned exchange through which we all gain respect and understanding from each other — then we change the very nature of what it means to “win” an argument.
1. What is the author’s attitude toward Carnegie’s understanding of argument?A.Critical. | B.Supportive. | C.Tolerant. | D.Uncertain. |
A.They lack debating skills. | B.They may feel bad even if they win. |
C.They fear being ignored. | D.They are not confident in themselves. |
A.Defend. | B.Explain. | C.Conclude. | D.Repeat. |
A.Sense of logic. | B.Solid supporting evidence. |
C.Proper manners. | D.Understanding from both sides. |
10 . Parrots are prey animals, which means that other predators (捕食者) in the wild, such as hawks or snakes, are looking to make them into a meal. This one factor influences parrots’ behavior in your house more than any other.
Parrots are most easily hurt when feeding on the ground. Membership in a group plays an important function in ensuring their safety and improving their chances of survival from attacks by predators. The most common predators of parrots include hawks, snakes, cats, monkeys, and bats. Some predators make attacks only during the day while others hunt in the night.
As prey animals, parrots are constantly watching out for danger and they instinctively (本能地) react to risks. Their first choice is to take flight. However, if this is not possible, they will fight with their powerful beaks to defend themselves.
Because their biggest enemy is the hawk, parrots are especially reactive to quick movements from above and behind. For this reason, it is wise to avoid quick, sudden movements near your bird. This is a built-in reaction not subject to logic or reason. Simple and relatively harmless household objects can draw extreme fear responses from a bird. For example, a balloon may represent a hawk or a vacuum hose (吸尘器软管) may be the same as a snake in your bird’s mind.
As prey animals, parrots are often frightened by exposure to new household items or strangers. It is important to expose your bird to safe experiences and changes starting at a very young age to build flexibility and improve their adaptability. Variety in diet and toys, travel, and exposure to new people and places all help to make your bird more flexible and adaptable to change.
1. What is important for parrots to better survive from attacks in the wild?A.Living in a group. | B.Growing beautiful feathers. |
C.Feeding on the ground. | D.Avoiding coming out at night. |
A.To attack back. | B.To get away. |
C.To protect the young. | D.To play dead. |
A.It may explode suddenly. | B.It may be in a strange shape. |
C.It may have a strong color. | D.It may move around quickly. |
A.To explain wild parrots’ behavior. | B.To give advice on raising a parrot. |
C.To call for action to protect animals. | D.To introduce a study on bird ecology. |