1 . The sperm whale is an astonishing creature. It’s longer than a semi-truck, weighs more than 90, 000 pounds and is the largest member of the toothed whale family. It’s known to dive 6, 500 feet in search of food, and to stay down there for longer than an hour at a time.
Perhaps most fantastically, the sperm whale’s brain weighs as much as 20 pounds-the biggest of any species on Earth. But when it comes to brains, is size all that matters? There’s a lot we don’t know about the sperm whale’s intelligence because it’s difficult to carry out neurological (神经的) testing on such a huge marine mammal. But some clues point to sperm whales being much smarter than we give them credit for.
A 2021 study published in Biology Letters, for example, looked back to 19th-century historical logbooks from whalers. Researchers found that sperm whales were at first easy to catch-but almost immediately, the whales learned how to evade hunters and whaling success dropped by 60 percent. The study suggests that the whales passed information to one another through soundwaves to avoid being caught.
Animals that have big brains usually have a few things in common. They usually live long lives; for example, sperm whales can live for 70 years or longer. Additionally, they’re capable of complex behaviors and they tend to be more socia1. Whales may work together to hunt or communicate in a language all their own.
What’s more, humans, whales and dolphins all have spindle neurons in their brains. These nerve cells make us capable of deeper thought, such as reasoning skills, memory, communication and adaptive thinking. And like humans, whales have emotional intelligence- meaning they＇re capable of empathy, grief and sadness. Still, in proportion to (与…成比例)our body size, the human brain is bigger than that of the sperm whale.
Yet there’s still so much we don’t know about how smart sperm whales really are. And just like the whalers of a century ago, we have likely been underestimating marine mammals, whether large or small, for as long as we’ve known of their existence.
1. Why do people know little about the sperm whale’s intelligence?| A．Sperm whales’ big size makes research difficult. |
| B．It didn’t attract scientists’ attention until recently. |
| C．Whalers didn’t keep enough records of their hunting. |
| D．Sperm whales usually stay deep down in the ocean. |
| A．Track. | B．Avoid. | C．Locate. | D．Trick. |
| A．The nerve cells distinguish humans from animals. |
| B．Sperm whales have smaller brains than humans. |
| C．Spindle neurons make higher intelligence possible. |
| D．Emotional intelligence is unique to whales and humans. |
| A．Sperm Whales Are Astonishingly Smart |
| B．Sperm Whales Have the Biggest Brain |
| C．Break the Code of Whale Language |
| D．Unlock the Mystery of Sea Mammals |
2 . There is an old Chinese proverb that states “One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade,” and this is how it should be with mothers and daughters. The relationship between a mother and a daughter is sometimes confusing. The relationship can be similar to friendship. However, the mother and daughter relationship has unique characteristics that distinguish it from a friendship. These characteristics include a hierarchy (等级) of responsibilities and unconditional love, which preclude mothers and daughters from being best friends.
Marina, 27 years old, said, “I love spending time with my mom, but I wouldn’t consider her my best friend. Best friends don’t pay for your wedding. Best friends don’t remind you how they carried you in their body and gave you life! Best friend: don’t tell you how wise they are because they have been alive at least 20 years longer than you.” This doesn’t mean that the mother and daughter relationship can’t be very close and satisfying.
While some adult relationships are still troubled, many find them to be extremely rewarding. This generation of mothers and adult daughters has a lot in common, which increases the likelihood of shared companionship. Mothers and daughters have always shared the common experience of being homemakers, responsible for maintaining and passing on family values and traditions. Today contemporary mothers and daughters also share the experience of the workforce and technology, which may bring them even closer together.
Best friends may or may not continue to be best friends, but for better or worse, the mother and daughter relationship is permanent, even if for some unfortunate reason they aren’t speaking. The mother and child relationship is closer than any other. There is not an equal relationship. Daughters should not feel responsible for their mother’s emotional well-being. It isn’t that they don’t care deeply about their mothers. It’s just that they shouldn’t be burdened with their mother’s well-being.
The mother and daughter relationship is a relationship that is not replaceable by any other. Mothers never stop being mothers, which includes frequently wanting to protect their daughters and often feeling responsible for their happiness. Mothers always “trump (胜过)” friends.
1. What does the underlined word “preclude” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．differ | B．prevent | C．benefit | D．change |
| A．The mother and daughter relationship can be replaced by a best friend. |
| B．A mother’s love brings her and her daughter a close friendship. |
| C．The mother and daughter relationship goes beyond best friends’ friendship. |
| D．Marina has a troubled relationship with her mother. |
| A．By listing data. | B．By giving explanations. |
| C．By quoting sayings. | D．By giving examples. |
| A．How to Be a Good Mother and Daughter? | B．Who Is a Mother’s Best Friend? |
| C．Mothers or Friends? | D．Can a Mother Be a Daughter’s Best Friend? |
3 . Animals can adapt quickly to survive unfavorable environmental conditions. Evidence is mounting to show that plants can, too. A paper published in the journal Trends in Plant Science details how plants are rapidly adapting to the effects of climate change, and how they are passing down these adaptations to their offspring(后代).
Plants are facing more environmental stresses than ever. For example, climate change is making winters shorter in many locations, and plants are responding. “Many plants require a minimum period of cold in order to set up their environmental clock to define their flowering time,” says Martinelli, a plant geneticist at the University of Florence. “As cold seasons shorten, plants have adapted to require shorter periods of cold to delay flowering. These mechanisms allow plants to avoid flowering in periods when they have fewer opportunities to reproduce.”
Because plants don’t have neural(神经的) networks, their memory is based entirely on cellular(细胞的),molecular(分子的),and biochemical networks. These networks make up what the researchers call somatic memory(体细胞记忆). “It allows plants to recognize the occurrence of a previous environmental condition and to react accordingly,” says Martinelli.
These somatic memories can then be passed to the plants’ offspring via epigenetics(表现遗传). “Several examples demonstrate the existence of molecular mechanisms modulating plant memory to environmental stresses and affecting the adaptation of offspring to these stresses,” says Martinelli.
Going forward, Martinelli hopes to understand even more about the genes that are being passed down. “We are particularly interested in decoding the epigenetic alphabet without changes in DNA sequence(序列),”he says. “This is especially important when we consider the rapid climate change, we observe today that every living organism, including plants, needs to quickly adapt to survive.”
1. What adaptations have plants made to shortened cold seasons?| A．They have shortened their flowering time. |
| B．They have got more chances to reproduce. |
| C．They have avoided flowering in cold seasons. |
| D．They have adjusted their environmental clock. |
| A．It is entirely based on neural networks. |
| B．It can help the plants’ offspring to survive. |
| C．It can help relieve environmental stresses. |
| D．It disturbs the plants’ biochemical networks. |
| A．Adjusting. | B．Treasuring. |
| C．Recording. | D．Sharing. |
| A．Plants are smart about flowering time |
| B．Plants can also adapt to climate change |
| C．Environmental stresses challenge plants |
| D．Mysteries of plant genes are to be unfolded |
4 . The train had been long delayed. Running out of
He lay down and fell asleep but was soon woken up by a woman. She handed him his bag and
Andy’s thoughts drifted(飘)to when he was
Andy woke up later feeling much better. Then he noticed the woman,who’d
Without thinking twice, Andy wrapped his mother’s scarf around the baby. To his
| A．luck | B．patience | C．time | D．energy |
| A．train | B．truth | C．cause | D．notice |
| A．insisted | B．explained | C．apologized | D．admitted |
| A．surprised | B．ready | C．thankful | D．expecting |
| A．checking | B．leaving | C．planning | D．packing |
| A．hurt | B．annoyed | C．ashamed | D．puzzled |
| A．Lately | B．Finally | C．Suddenly | D．Instantly |
| A．look | B．pill | C．rest | D．sandwich |
| A．for safety | B．on purpose | C．in case | D．by accident |
| A．calmness | B．confidence | C．comfort | D．care |
| A．warmth | B．memory | C．smell | D．touch |
| A．helped | B．pleased | C．disturbed | D．greeted |
| A．comfortably | B．safely | C．gently | D．tightly |
| A．relief | B．amazement | C．mind | D．advantage |
| A．arms | B．scarfs | C．passengers | D．mothers |
5 . Sugar-free cookies, reduced-sugar cereal, sugar-free candy, diet soda... are these better for you? Since sugar became a taboo (禁忌) in the nutrition and wellness world, sugar-free food items and drinks have acted as substitutes for once beloved sweet drinks and snacks. Claiming to be ZERO sugar means it is healthier,better for diabetics,and helps you slim down... Right?
Wrong. Sugar-free isn’t better for you. In fact, sugar-free is worse.
Sugar-free means that artificial sweeteners (甜味剂) are used instead of real sugar. The problem:these sweeteners do not come from natural sources and they can cause you more harm than good.
Let’s get into what these artificial sweeteners actually are. Sugar-free sugar sounds wrong and that’s because there is no such thing as sugar-free sugar. Some of these sugar-free alternatives still contain sugar and the ones that don’t contain sugar have chemicals your body often does not know how to process.
Most artificial sweeteners are a lot sweeter than sugar,so only a tiny amount is needed. That’s why they can market sugar-free alternatives as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie”. It also means that you get no nutritional value from consuming them, which is why many sugar-free substitutes are classified as “non-nutritive”. These artificial sweeteners tend to hide under sneaky names. Actually, they are 200-600 times sweeter than sugar.
When you eat sweet stuff, your body continues to desire it and, even though your body cannot metabolize (代谢) these sugar-free alternatives, your brain does not know the difference. In turn, sugar-free alternatives connect to weight gain and type 2 diabetes (糖尿病).
Artificial sweeteners also damage your gut’s ability to break down sugar,which impacts everything you eat. In other words, your body doesn’t know how to handle artificial sweeteners because they have nothing real to process.
A good rule of thumb: stay away from artificial sweeteners and look for non-sugar, natural sweeteners like Stevia or date sugar. In the war against artificial sweeteners and real sugar, both lose. Satisfy your sweet tooth with natural sugars that come from fruits and stay away from products claiming to be sugar-free or diet!
1. What can be learned about sugar-free products?| A．They don’t taste sweet. | B．They are more nutritious. |
| C．They contain artificial sweeteners. | D．They contain natural sweeteners. |
| A．They won’t lead to weight gain. | B．They are greener and healthier. |
| C．They are much to everyone’s taste. | D．Small quantities of artificial sweeteners are used. |
| A．They present a bigger health risk. | B．They can be easily broken down. |
| C．They are as sweet as sugar. | D．They improve our ability to metabolize. |
| A．Real sugar is a better choice. | B．Stay away from sugary products. |
| C．Sugar-free products are healthier. | D．Choose sugar from natural sources. |
6 . As a young boy my family was very poor. I would often help do something for the neighbors to
One day I
I put my hands in the jar and
I was twelve years old when I moved from that neighbourhood. I will never forget the huge
| A．save | B．give | C．earn | D．change |
| A．turned | B．knocked | C．worked | D．looked |
| A．how | B．when | C．why | D．if |
| A．school | B．time | C．trouble | D．bed |
| A．bag | B．carpet | C．coat | D．sofa |
| A．allowed | B．forced | C．helped | D．stopped |
| A．punished | B．tested | C．praised | D．paid |
| A．set up | B．took out | C．talked about | D．put away |
| A．boring | B．new | C．fine | D．terrible |
| A．keep | B．make | C．remove | D．buy |
| A．visit | B．forgive | C．welcome | D．serve |
| A．recognize | B．reward | C．understand | D．protect |
| A．goals | B．stories | C．marks | D．ideas |
| A．room | B．money | C．food | D．time |
| A．grabbed | B．lost | C．borrowed | D．charged |
| A．rare | B．special | C．simple | D．enough |
| A．promised | B．discovered | C．knew | D．admitted |
| A．asked | B．required | C．showed | D．wrote |
| A．decision | B．progress | C．mistake | D．difference |
| A．courage | B．kindness | C．honesty | D．happiness |
7 . The results of failing to keep the world’s temperature down are beginning to show.Extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent, and the world’s peoples and their governments are being urged to do more to handle climate change.
Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, an environmental group in Beijing, said the consensus among scientists now is that “climate change has resulted in an increase in extreme weather events across the globe, including temperature extremes, heavy rains, river floods, droughts, storms, as well as compound events”.
Over the past few years heat waves have occurred in places that had previously enjoyed mild weather, higher temperatures have occurred in normally colder regions, and places that are hot are now frequently enduring wildfires, he said, citing a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) that includes a whole chapter on weather extremes.
The IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report said it is an“established fact”that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions have led to an increased frequency of some weather and climate extremes since preindustrial times.
The global surface temperature is now about 1.09C higher than in the preindustrial period(1850-1900), with stronger warming over land (1.59 C) than over oceans.
Extreme weather events have continued to hit the glebe this year and have killed many people, disrupted (扰乱) the lives of millions and disrupted production.
In Europe, after a summer of extremely high temperatures, violent thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds have hit the continent, leaving at least 13 people dead in Austria, France and Italy by Friday, authorities said.
The Netherlands is one of many European countries that have suffered drought this summer, bringing water shortages in the low-lying country as inland rivers and lakes have fallen to historically low levels.
1. What is the consensus among scientist?| A．Increased extreme weather events resulted from climate change. |
| B．There will be more extreme weather events in the near future. |
| C．The government are to blame for the increased extreme weather. |
| D．The government should reach a consensus on climate change. |
| A．People in tropical areas will have to endure more wildfires. |
| B．Places enjoying mild weather will always have heat waves. |
| C．Cold regions normally have experienced higher temperatures. |
| D．The IPCC report places great emphasis on weather extremes. |
| A．It means the fact has to be proved through experiments. |
| B．It means the fact has been agreed on commonly by scientists. |
| C．The fact is that green gas is to blame for more extreme events. |
| D．Scientists have to establish the fact by doing more experiments. |
| A．An SOS Goes out as Globe Burns and Drowns |
| B．More Disasters will Happen around the World |
| C．The Global Surface Temperature is Higher than Ever |
| D．Governments are being Urged to Do More |
8 . In Japan, you are what your blood type is. A person’s blood type is popularly believed to decide his/her character and personality. Type-A people are generally considered sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but over-anxious. Type Os are curious and generous but stubborn. Type ABs are artistic but mysterious and unpredictable, and type Bs are cheerful but eccentric, individualistic, and selfish. Though lacking scientific evidence, this belief is widely seen in books, magazines, and television shows. Last year, four of Japan’s top 10 best-sellers were about how blood type determines personality, through which readers seemed to be able to discover the definition of their blood type or have their self-image confirmed.
The blood-type belief has been used in unusual ways. The women softball team that won gold for Japan at the Beijing Olympics is reported to have used blood-type theories to customize training for each player. Some kindergartens have adopted teaching methods along blood group lines, and even major companies reportedly make decisions about assignments based on an employee’s blood type. In 1990, Mitsubishi Electronics was reported to have announced the formation of a team composed entirely of AB workers, thanks to “their ability to make plans”.
The belief even affects politics. One former prime minister considered it important enough to reveal in his official profile that he was a type A, while his opposition rival was type B. In 2011, a minister, Ryu Matsumoto, was forced to resign after only a week in office, when a bad-tempered encounter with local officials was televised. In his resignation speech, he blamed his failings on the fact that he was blood type B.
The blood-type craze, considered simply harmless fun by some Japanese, may reveal itself as prejudice and discrimination. In fact, this seems so common that the Japanese now have a term for it: bura-hara, meaning blood-type harassment (骚扰). There are reports of discrimination leading to children being bullied, ending of happy relationships, and loss of job opportunities due to blood type.
1. What’s the main idea of paragraph 1?| A．The books about blood type are popular in Japan. |
| B．The Japanese attach great importance to blood type. |
| C．The Japanese confirm their personality totally through blood type. |
| D．The Japanese think blood type bestsellers are important to their self-image. |
| A．Type O. | B．Type A. | C．Type B. | D．Type AB. |
| A．Because he revealed his rival’s blood type. |
| B．Because he was seen behaving rudely on TV. |
| C．Because he was discriminated against by others. |
| D．Because he blamed his failings on local officials. |
| A．Negative. | B．Defensive. | C．Objective. | D．Encouraging. |
9 . In 2013, Gabby Frost founded Buddy Project when she was 15. At that time her best friend had been diagnosed (诊断) with a mental health condition, and that was the first time she was made aware of what mental illness was. She wanted to learn more and develop a good support system for her.
Mental illness affects tens of millions of people in the United States each year, yet only half receive treatment, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Buddy Project’s website says the service is not a substitute for therapy or other types of mental health care, and that it directs people to resources for further help.
Since founding the organization as a high school student, Frost has helped more than 200,000 participants find a new friend. On the day when Buddy Project was launched, she used her powerful social media presence to attract nearly 3,000 participants. “This was around the time when teens really began talking about mental health and found a supportive community online to talk about it,” she said.
One of the biggest social barriers she had to jump over was that people didn’t view her seriously because she was a 15-year-old girl, and even now, she’s still a young woman. “Sometimes it’s frustrating because people don’t think what I do is needed or they don’t think I’m professional,” she said. “Most people are blown away that a 20-year-old girl is running this and that it’s one person doing this but not a whole team. I’m just lucky that I’ve found a support system that has been able to help my mum and me with the project.”
1. Why did Gabby Frost set up Buddy Project?| A．To treat her mental disease. |
| B．To know what causes mental illness. |
| C．To help her friend to fight the mental disease. |
| D．To cure those with mental illness. |
| A．Americans pay little attention to mental health. |
| B．Many Americans have trouble with mental health. |
| C．Buddy Project provides financial aid for patients. |
| D．Buddy Project can cure those with mental illness. |
| A．She couldn’t get support from her mother. |
| B．She couldn’t help so many patients at a time. |
| C．She wasn’t able to attract enough participants. |
| D．She wasn’t thought well of because of her age. |
| A．Completely defeated. | B．Totally convinced. |
| C．Strongly impressed. | D．Fully satisfied. |
10 . Living in a city is a well-known risk factor for developing a mental disorder, while living close to nature is largely beneficial for mental health and the brain. A central brain region, the amygdala (大脑杏仁核) involved in stress processing, has been shown to be less activated during stress in people living in rural areas, compared to those who live in cities, hinting at the potential benefits of nature. “But so far the hen-and-egg problem could not be resolved, namely whether nature actually caused the effects in the brain or whether the particular individuals chose to live in rural or urban regions,” says Sonja Sudimac.
To achieve causal evidence, the researchers from the group examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in Grunewald forest or a shopping street with traffic in Berlin. The results revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.
“The results support the previously assumed positive relationship between nature and brain health, but this is the first study to prove the causal link. Interestingly, the brain activity after the urban walk in these regions remained stable and showed no increases, which argues against a commonly held view that urban exposure causes additional stress,” explains Simone Kühn, head of the group.
The authors show that nature has a positive impact on brain regions involved in stress processing and that it can already be observed after a one-hour walk. This contributes to the understanding of how our physical living environment affects brain and mental health. Even a short exposure to nature decreases amygdala activity, suggesting that a walk in nature could serve as a preventive measure against developing mental health problems and reducing the potentially disadvantageous impact of the city on the brain.
In order to investigate beneficial effects of nature in different populations and age groups, the researchers are currently working on a study examining how a one-hour walk in natural versus urban environments impacts stress in mothers and their babies.
1. What does the hen-and-egg problem mean by Sonja Sudimac?| A．Living in rural areas actually affects brain activity. |
| B．People in cities tend to have a higher risk of mental problems. |
| C．It’s unnecessary to work out the complex issue of stress and health. |
| D．It’s hard to clarify the impact of living environment on mental health. |
| A．By quoting authoritative experts. |
| B．By interviewing healthy volunteers. |
| C．By researching on a previous theory. |
| D．By comparing volunteers’ amygdala activities. |
| A．Confirming the assumption of nature’s benefits to brain health. |
| B．Supporting a commonly held view of urban exposure. |
| C．Revealing the link between age and mental health. |
| D．Identifying the causes of mental health problems. |
| A．Benefits of a regular walk in nature. |
| B．The focus of the follow-up research. |
| C．An appeal for living in urban regions. |
| D．Nature’s positive effects on women and children. |
