1 . I have been afraid of heights for as long as I can remember. When I was 11, my school built a leadership training center that had various challenges. The most
One day my teacher asked me, “Are you going to try?” I
I climbed up and when I got to the top, I was in shock and couldn’t move. Seeing this, my teacher
When I finally reached the ground, I heard two boys
Over the next two weeks, I did all sorts of things to
I learned so much during that time. The most important thing was that sometimes situations are
So, always keep dreaming and don’t let your
A.difficult | B.interesting | C.important | D.useful |
A.wall | B.tree | C.ladder | D.rock |
A.deal with | B.jump off | C.rely on | D.hurry down |
A.consider | B.examine | C.adopt | D.attempt |
A.put | B.laughed | C.called | D.kicked |
A.Therefore | B.Instead | C.Anyway | D.Moreover |
A.suggested | B.announced | C.required | D.agreed |
A.branch | B.stage | C.shore | D.edge |
A.teasing | B.asking | C.praising | D.blaming |
A.act | B.try | C.show | D.slide |
A.assess | B.please | C.calm | D.prepare |
A.aware | B.afraid | C.proud | D.serious |
A.frightening | B.different | C.strange | D.dangerous |
A.exercise | B.knowledge | C.success | D.independence |
A.anger | B.confusion | C.failures | D.fears |
2 . Seba Stephens is only 10 years old, but he’s a very talented musician. Seba and his family live in Memphis, Tennessee — a place famous for
Before he turned three, he wanted drums for his birthday. His parents weren’t
But soon Seba grew
In 2020, Everett got special
A.scenery | B.architecture | C.music | D.culture |
A.suddenly | B.hardly | C.especially | D.absolutely |
A.scared | B.worried | C.happy | D.sure |
A.doubted | B.realized | C.agreed | D.suggested |
A.junior | B.professional | C.advanced | D.special |
A.excited | B.guilty | C.patient | D.upset |
A.moment | B.lesson | C.chance | D.choice |
A.setting aside | B.giving away | C.paying for | D.laying out |
A.held | B.picked | C.raised | D.signed |
A.challenges | B.blame | C.debates | D.competition |
A.Therefore | B.However | C.Instead | D.Otherwise |
A.encouragement | B.comment | C.permission | D.attention |
A.continue | B.stop | C.avoid | D.mind |
A.trials | B.efforts | C.observations | D.attitudes |
A.honor | B.position | C.experience | D.certificate |
3 . Professor Kuniyoshi L. Sakai from the University of Tokyo is an enthusiastic musician, as are many of his colleagues. Inspired by a mode of musical training known as the Suzuki method, which is based on ideas of natural language acquisition (获得), Sakai and his team decided to explore common neurological (神经系统的) aspects of learning music and language.
“In the field of neuroscience, it is well established that there are areas of the brain that deal specifically with language, and even specialized regions that correspond to different aspects of language processing, such as grammar,” said Sakai. “We wondered if training using the Suzuki method might lead to activity in such areas, not when using language, but when engaging with music.”
For their study, the team classified 98 Japanese secondary school students into three groups: Groups S and E were both musically trained from a young age, with Group S using the Suzuki method while Group E not, and Group L was either musically trained at a later age or not trained at all. All the students had their brains scanned and were requested to identify errors in some pieces of music played to them, which had errors in one of four musical conditions: pitch (音高),tempo (节奏), stress, and articulation (发音)。
During the exercises, Groups S and E showed more overall brain activity than Group L, especially under the pitch and articulation conditions. Furthermore, Groups S and E showed activity in very specific regions depending on the kind of error being tested for.
Interestingly, Group S showed some unique patterns of activation (激活) in areas of the right brain, associated with emotion and melody, under the tempo condition, supporting the ideas behind the Suzuki method.
“The striking observation was that regardless of musical experiences, the highly specific grammar center in the left brain was activated under the articulation condition. This might explain why everyone can enjoy music even if they aren’t musical themselves,” said Sakai. “Other researchers, perhaps those studying neurological characteristics of artistic experts, may be able to build on what we’ve found here. As for ourselves, we wish to dig deeper into the connection between music and language by designing novel experiments to find out more subtle details,” he added.
1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?A.The research background. | B.The significance of the research. |
C.Sakai’s comments on the Suzuki method. | D.Sakai’s previous scientific achievements. |
A.Whether the Suzuki method can bring out the best in students. |
B.Whether advanced language training can enhance musical skills |
C.Whether music training promotes activity in certain brain areas. |
D.Whether brain regions specialize in handling different aspects of language. |
A.Their performances under the tempo condition were alike. |
B.Their active brain regions changed with the errors in music. |
C.They received the same musical training before the research. |
D.They were better at handling stress and articulation than Group L. |
A.They were uncertain about their findings. |
B.They were unsatisfied with their experiments. |
C.They’ll begin to study the neurological features of artistic experts. |
D.They’ll further explore the link between music and language. |
4 . Scientists have identified two minerals never before seen on Earth in a meteorite (陨石) weighing 15.2 metric tons. The minerals came from a 70-gram slice of the meteorite, which was discovered in Somalia in 2020, according to a news release from the University of Alberta.
Chris Herd, the curator (馆长) of the university’s meteorite collection, received samples of the space rock so he could classify it. As he was examining them, something unusual caught his eye—some parts of the samples weren’t identifiable by a microscope. He then turned to Andrew Locock, head of the university’s Electron Microprobe Laboratory, since Locock has experience of describing new minerals.
“The very first day he did some analyses, and he found two new minerals in there,” Herd said in a statement. “That’s extraordinary. Most of the time it takes a lot more work than that to say there’s a new mineral.”
One mineral’s name: elaliite, comes from the space object itself, which is called the “EI Ali” meteorite since it was found near the, town of EI Ali in central Somalia. Herd named the second one elkinstantonite after Lindy Elkins-Tanton, an outstanding professor in that university’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and the principal investigator of NASA’s upcoming Psyche mission. “Lindy has done a lot of work on how the cores of planets form,” Herd said. “It makes sense to name a mineral after her.”
Locock’s work went perfectly smooth for a reason. Similar minerals had been synthetically (合成地) created before, and therefore, he was able to match the composition of the newly discovered minerals with their human-made counterparts, according to the University of Alberta release. “It’s just accidental that a researcher will find a mineral in a meteorite that hasn’t been known before, and then that the same compound (化合物) has been created previously by materials scientists,” said Alan Rubin,a meteorite researcher.
Meanwhile, the researchers are still analyzing the minerals to find out what the conditions were in the meteorite when the space rock formed.
1. What did Chris Herd do after he found something unusual?A.He sought external support. | B.He weighed the meteorite again. |
C.He carefully preserved the samples. | D.He examined the rock with a microscope. |
A.The weight and volume of the meteorite. |
B.The significant value of minerals in the meteorite. |
C.Locock’s quick identification of two new minerals. |
D.Locock’s professional analyses of the rock samples. |
A.To indicate the place where the meteorite was found. |
B.To show the major component of the meteorite. |
C.To remind people of who discovered the rock. |
D.To honor Lindy’s contributions to science. |
A.The existence of similar artificial minerals. |
B.The regular composition of the new minerals, |
C.His rare ability to create new materials in labs. |
D.His extensive cooperation with materials scientists. |
5 . Children seem to care so much about their names. A study shows that most of young people wish their parents had given them a different name.
Some people choose to change their names when they grow up. Many people in show business don’t use the names their parents gave them. Have you ever listened to Joanne? No? The answer could be “yes” if we call her stage name instead! You may never heard of Margaret. But if we tell you her stage name, you might know her as a famous dancer.
In many cultures, there are special ideas about how to choose a name. For example, many people choose a name that has been in their family for many years. It tells the child where he or she comes from.
Choosing a good name isn’t easy. Many parents search books that tell them the meanings of names. They could choose a name that carries a message. For example, Edith means “valuable gift”. Amanda means “love”. And Fara means “joy”.
Names like these tell family and friends how happy they are with their new baby. Other names can say something about the events during the birth of the child. In Africa, a first born son may have the name Mosi and the name Ama means “born on Saturday”.
Is every boy called Curitis polite? And is every girl called Mahira quick and full of energy? No parents can tell what kind of person their child will grow up to be. Just because parents name a boy Fahim, it doesn’t mean he will be clever. All they can do is hope.
1. What can we know about the study?A.Young kids don’t care about their future. |
B.Most of young people care about their names. |
C.Most girls want to change their names. |
D.Most parents want to rename by themselves. |
A.To prove some people hope to be renamed. |
B.To introduce a famous dancer to readers. |
C.To introduce her true name. |
D.To tell the benefit of name. |
A.Kids always want to rename. |
B.It is hard to change kids’ names. |
C.Parents aren’t sure if their kids will like the name. |
D.Parents want to choose a meaningful name. |
A.Names can never influence our lives | B.Your parents’ wish is behind names |
C.Love your parents, love your name | D.Methods to choose a suitable name |
6 . Nasugraq Rainey Hopson is an author and illustrator (插图画家). She has written short stories and made art inspired by her Iñupiaq culture. The Iñupiaq people are native to Alaska, the US. Hopson’s first and only novel to date, Eagle Drums, is set in Iñupiaq tales about a great festival. The great festival is still celebrated locally today.
In the book, the hero Pina struggles with the suffering from losing his brothers, who have traveled to a nearby mountain and never returned. Pina decides to go to the same mountain, trying to uncover the facts, where he happens to meet Savik, who gives Pina a choice: To follow him or to meet the same fortune as his brothers. Pina’s decision takes himself on a journey that exposes himself to the dances and songs that are part of Iñupiaq culture. Eagle Drums describes aspects of Iñupiaq life as a world that doesn’t exist much in the current world, such as walking in the tundra (苔原) and imagining mythological beings and talking animals everywhere. It will definitely inspire the teen magical thinking in its beauty.
Hopson wants to write more Iñupiaq stories. “We have a lot of oral history and stories in our culture,” she says. Hopson explains that Iñupiaq people use their voices, facial expressions and movements to express emotions as they tell a story. “But you can’t do that when you’re writing,” she says. “It’s very uncomfortable, in a way, to have to write down something that is a performance.” But she’s up for the challenge.
Eagle Drums is for anyone who is looking for a vivid adventure. Hopson says that when Iñupiaq kids read her work, they get excited about seeing something from their own area and their own culture. Other kids who read her work tell Hopson they’re excited about experiencing a story they’ve never experienced before in a new place. “You know, that’s the best part, hearing feedbacks,” she says.
1. What do we know about Eagle Drums?A.It is based on the author’s culture. | B.It is about a world-famous festival. |
C.It is one of the author’s best novels. | D.It is rich in illustrations on each page. |
A.Its intention. | B.Its background. |
C.Its content. | D.Its comment. |
A.The Iñupiaq people are poor performers |
B.The Iñupiaq culture is too rich for words. |
C.The Iñupiaq language is difficult to catch on. |
D.The Iñupiaq stories are little known by people. |
A.A news report. | B.A childhood story. |
C.A diary entry. | D.A book review. |
7 . Kate Chandulal-Dee’s unique and infectious smile can brighten anyone’s day. It’s a(n)
Kate was born with the rare genetic disorder (遗传性疾病), which has resulted in her having 138
Kate’s many operations have
Kate’s story was known to the public in 2010, when she was just seven years old and
As a child, the thought of attending school
Last year, she challenged herself and
She said, “I’m going to miss the teachers and the school community. They have taught me that I can
A.breakthrough | B.investment | C.gift | D.danger |
A.findings | B.surgeries | C.deals | D.sprains |
A.anticipated | B.involved | C.highlighted | D.affected |
A.support | B.arrival | C.growth | D.removal |
A.finally | B.secretly | C.unwillingly | D.accidentally |
A.skipping | B.refusing | C.attending | D.designing |
A.exams | B.consultations | C.sculptures | D.comedies |
A.compete | B.delay | C.arrange | D.graduate |
A.learned | B.inspired | C.spread | D.employed |
A.flexible | B.original | C.creative | D.vital |
A.distant | B.doubtful | C.dependent | D.passionate |
A.held up | B.took away | C.took up | D.turned away |
A.shot | B.consumed | C.awarded | D.described |
A.transformed | B.applied | C.faced | D.facilitated |
A.expect | B.achieve | C.consider | D.require |
8 . After I made it to the city center, I started to feel it might be easy for a foreigner to deal with the great size of Beijing. With growing confidence, I decided to take the subway to the hotel, not realizing that the network didn’t go that far. Impressed with the cleanliness of the station, I bought a ticket and boarded the first subway that came along.
After a few minutes I asked in English a young man seated next to me where I should get off closest to the Friendship Hotel. Wearing a smart business suit and tie, he would surely speak English, wouldn’t he? Unfortunately, he couldn’t understand me but seemed very friendly. I showed him the room card with all the information of the Friendship Hotel in Chinese characters. He looked at it, and then his eyes moved quickly to the carriage (车厢) subway map. Next, he raised three fingers of his right hand.
In Australia, raising fingers at someone is not usually nice, but this man wasn’t smiling. At the next station he showed me two fingers. Now in Australia, that’s really rude, but I got the message. When we stopped at the third station, he didn’t just point to the door, but got up, took me out of the train, and led me to the top of the stairs, and out onto the street. Then he stopped a taxi and told the driver where to take me.
All this came from a man who couldn’t speak my language, and I couldn’t speak his. I was now speechless, especially when he refused my offer of money. I felt a little embarrassed having even thought he would accept a tip.
This experience made it clear I had to learn some Chinese quickly or my adventures might start turning into misadventures.
1. Why does the author decided to take the subway?A.Because he believed in his ability to deal with the trip |
B.Because the network covered most of the stops |
C.Because he lived near the city center |
D.Because he had a good impression of its cleanliness |
A.still remained puzzled | B.understood the author well |
C.answered the author directly | D.pointed at the subway map |
A.helpful. | B.impolite. | C.warm-hearted. | D.responsible. |
A.To prove the importance of being careful |
B.To introduce a young man who didn’t know English |
C.To complain some cultural misunderstanding |
D.To describe one of his adventurous experiences |
9 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.
But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.
Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.
After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.
Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.
1. What was the author’s life like when he was 12?A.Boring. | B.Peaceful. | C.Painful. | D.Meaningful. |
A.It made him popular in his town. | B.It helped him find the meaning of life. |
C.It helped him understand others’ lives better. | D.It helped to shape his dream career. |
A.He was inspired by his teacher. | B.He could pass positive energy to readers. |
C.He wanted to share his school experiences. | D.He found he had a talent for writing. |
A.Say “no” to bullies bravely. | B.Make positive changes in their lives. |
C.Treat others with kindness in daily life. | D.Learn to care more about others’ feelings. |
10 . What makes people so special? Tool use, self-consciousness, language, and culture are high on the list, but in fact all of these characteristics can be found elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Humans and apes are close relatives, so it is perhaps not surprising that chimpanzees use tools or that gorillas (大猩猩) have a sense of fair play, even rejecting carrots (which they normally accept) when they see their neighbors getting grapes. But the qualities that we often think of as uniquely human exist not just on land, but in the ocean as well.
Among the invertebrates, octopuses (八爪鱼) are known for their intelligence, even exhibiting evidence of playfulness, tool use, and personality. But these skilled predators live alone and consequently lack culture. Dolphins, on the other hand, are large-brained, long-living, social- group-based predators, and it is here that we find the greatest similarity to human-like culture and awareness.
Culture depends on the ability of animals to pass on things they have learned to others. Many animals have culture in this sense, but what sets dolphins apart is what they pass on. Some bottlenose dolphins hold sponges in their mouths that they use as tools to sweep for fish hiding on the ocean floor. This ability is handed down through generations (especially in females), with some families — grandmother, mother, and daughter — all feeding in this highly specialized way.
Another characteristic that dolphins share with humans is their ability to recognize themselves in a mirror. When facing a mirror, most animals behave as though they are interacting with another individual. Even in humans, the ability to recognize that the image in a mirror is oneself does not occur before the age of 18 months. Dolphins not only recognize themselves, but if a black mark is put on the body of a dolphin, it will spend extra time at the mirror to look at the mark.
1. The example of gorillas rejecting carrots shows they ________.A.are not easy to fool | B.prefer fruit to vegetables |
C.have a special taste for food | D.have an awareness of equality |
A.Cooperation. | B.Intelligence. |
C.Tool using ability. | D.Fun-loving spirits. |
A.They tend to hunt in groups. |
B.Their hunting skills are passed down. |
C.Their learning environment is favourable. |
D.Their families are typically female-controlled. |
A.Dolphins enjoy looking at their own reflection in the mirror. |
B.Dolphins are as intelligent as a typical 18-month-old human baby. |
C.Dolphins are generally regarded as the most advanced non-human species. |
D.Dolphins’ ability to recognize their own reflection is a higher-order mental skill. |