1 . There are 7 billion people in this world, with 7 billion different opinions about outer beauty. What you may find physically attractive can be an absolute eyesore to someone else and vice versa. And this is truly magical because it implies that regardless of a person’s physical features , there is always going to be someone out there who finds them appealing.
Nowadays there are many ways you can manipulate the way you look. Plastic surgery (整形) and other cosmetic procedures are becoming more and more accessible and affordable. This is absolutely incredible for people who really need body changes to improve their mental health.
Sadly, with social media being a massive part of our lives, far too many people are struggling with self-image issues not because there is something wrong with them, but because they are convinced they need to look a certain way to be accepted by society. So they delve into (钻研) the world of plastic surgery and they slowly lose their identities in order to fit in.
In reality, what we should be encouraging is not altering our bodies, but remodeling our mindset. We should become more aware of the way we treat others and ourselves. We should be inspired to learn more languages, so we can dive into different cultures and expand our limits. Instead of spending money on looking like someone else, spend time in becoming the best version of yourself, because outer beauty fades, but the beauty within is timeless.
As noted by the book A Conscious Rethink, when asked about what traits (特性) they look for in a potential long-term partner, most people name things that have nothing to do with physical appearance. Some of the features we seek the most are Kindness, Loyalty, Patience, Integrity, A good sense of humor, and A supportive nature.
All of these traits can be found in anyone, regardless of the outer beauty they possess. More importantly, these are personality characteristics we seek in those we see as our potential life partners, meaning that we value them more than we value a pretty face.
1. What does the underlined word “manipulate” in paragraph 2 mean?A.Check. | B.Manage. | C.Maintain. | D.Appreciate. |
A.To improve their mental health. | B.To indicate their identities. |
C.To adapt to society. | D.To cover their physical disability. |
A.It’s permanent. | B.It can be measured. |
C.It’s a natural-born thing. | D.It varies from culture to culture. |
A.Adventure. | B.Healthcare. | C.Entertainment. | D.Relationship. |
2 . When I decided to leave my home country of Iran to pursue a PhD in Canada, I hadn’t expected that communication would be an issue. In Farsi, I was a(n)
But soon after my
Later, I
I made a
A.concrete | B.effective | C.absurd | D.considerate |
A.research | B.investigation | C.project | D.admission |
A.travel | B.sight | C.arrival | D.education |
A.eventually | B.fluently | C.hardly | D.consciously |
A.translate | B.break | C.develop | D.speak |
A.relief | B.vain | C.response | D.case |
A.communicate | B.spell | C.apply | D.stress |
A.texts | B.conversations | C.conducts | D.actions |
A.passive | B.delighted | C.thrilled | D.passionate |
A.reasonable | B.critical | C.useless | D.simple |
A.brief | B.rigid | C.moral | D.academic |
A.paused | B.donated | C.failed | D.declared |
A.occurred | B.objected | C.referred | D.adapted |
A.put on | B.contribute to | C.get through | D.set down |
A.challenge | B.time | C.thought | D.passion |
A.seek | B.accept | C.convey | D.persuade |
A.program | B.copy | C.note | D.practice |
A.account | B.discover | C.make | D.expose |
A.pronunciation | B.grammar | C.plots | D.characters |
A.comfortable | B.curious | C.disappointed | D.concerned |
3 . When given the choice, about 85% of people say they would not want to know about some negative event far in the future. Yet recently millions around the globe have downloaded FaceApp, which allows users to see how they might age in real life.
Many had fun with joking that they love the FaceApp old filter (滤镜). Beneath the humor is a serious subject: How do we learn to relate to our future selves? It’s important that we try to because it could help strengthen the long-term decisions that we make. However, we often fail to make sacrifices for the older versions of ourselves.
More than half of the respondents in a recent survey of 2, 800 Americans said they rarely or never thought about what their lives might be like 30 years from now. This isn’t surprising, since most of us are firmly rooted in the present and thinking about the distant future can seem like a distant priority. My ongoing research might also offer an explanation: We tend to think about our future selves as if they are someone different from who we are today. In an effort to narrow these empathy (共情) gaps, my research workmates and I have tried to humanize (使人性化) people’s future selves in the same way others have tried to humanize charity receivers. Given that a photograph of one hungry child can spark emotional reactions, and cause viewers to donate, we have provided participants with vivid images of their distant selves.
That seems helpful. In a recently completed project in Mexico, we found that exposure to future-self images led more people to add to their pensions (养老金). Despite this research, I’m not sure that the app users will suddenly increase their pension and care about their health. The silly app isn’t paired with an immediate opportunity to change any of these things.
The lesson from FaceApp shouldn’t be that we need to combine hi-tech visuals with savings for retirement. The lesson, then, leads to a question: What more can be done to urge us to think about, care for who we will one day become?
1. What can we learn about FaceApp?A.It provides future-self images. | B.It is the most downloaded app. |
C.It helps people make decisions. | D.It makes people age in real life. |
A.They have known future life from FaceApp. |
B.They fail to make sacrifices for their future. |
C.They pay more attention to the present. |
D.They consider future selves the same as today’s. |
A.Completing a project in Mexico. |
B.Offering aging images of participants. |
C.Raising reflections among viewers. |
D.Giving a photograph of a hungry child. |
A.Positive. | B.Objective. |
C.indifferent. | D.Unfavorable. |
4 . The Louvre is the most popular museum in the world. Last year, about 10 million visitors, more than 75% of whom were foreign tourists, came to the museum. About 80% of them were here for Mona Lisa-and most of them left unhappy.
According to a survey of British tourists earlier this year, Mona Lisa was voted the world’s most disappointing attraction, beating out Checkpoint Charlie, Spanish Steps, and Urinating Boy in Brussels.
If the museum thinks that it is inspiring the next generation of art lovers, it is in fact doing the opposite, thanks to the huge crowds in front of the picture. The overcrowding here was so bad that Jean-Luc Martinez, the museum’s director, has to admit, “We have to take steps to deal with the overcrowding in the coming years: new entrances and timed tickets for the museum.”
He misunderstands the problem-for the Louvre, with more gallery space than any museum on the planet, isn’t that crowed. On my last visit, the French painting wing had just a few visitors. Even Venus de Milo, perhaps the second most famous work of art in the museum, only drew a comfortable few dozen visitors. In other words, the Louvre does not have an overcrowding problem. It has a Mona Lisa problem. No other famous painting comes anywhere close to monopolizing (垄断) a museum like she does. It is time for the Louvre to admit its failure. The museum does not need new entrances or timed tickets.
Instead, it only needs to set up a moving walkway in front of Mona Lisa and let Samsung or another smartphone company to fix its cutest cameras around her. So visitors can strike a pose on the moving walkway, and download their cutest selfies (自拍像) with Mona Lisa later. I can even picture the moving walkway smoothly guiding tourists past the Mona Lisa into the gift shops, where millions of selfiers can take time to enjoy their pictures, and spend money.
It is time to set it up now since the 2024 Summer Olympics is around the comer.
1. Which was the most disappointing attraction according to the survey? ________A.Mona Lisa. | B.Venus de Milo. | C.Spanish Steps. | D.Urinating Boy. |
A.Amazing. | B.Practical. | C.Expensive. | D.Unworkable. |
A.A lot of visitors stay there to appreciate it. | B.The room housing the picture is too small. |
C.Too many visitors want to take a picture with it. | D.The ticket for the famous painting is too cheap. |
A.To share his unpleasant visit to the Louvre. |
B.To introduce a famous painting in a museum. |
C.To offer a simple solution to the Mona Lisa problem. |
D.To show the opportunity brought by the 2024 Olympics. |
5 . For the past 60 years, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has protected animals, restored lost habitats and advocated for policy changes that benefit wildlife. Now, the conservation organization is trying a new approach.
This year, AWF launched the inaugural Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards. The contest aims to reach a different audience. While photography competitions are nothing new, the AWF hopes that the exhibition of winning entries will encourage African people to take a more active role in conservation. Its CEO Kaddu Sebunya said, “Africans need to take the responsibility for the conservation of their heritage.”
Photographers of all ages and backgrounds, professional and amateur, were invited to submit to the competition. A judging panel (评选委员会), comprised of photographers, conservationists, activists and safari guides, selected photos from 12 categories including “Art in Nature” “Coexistence and Conflict” and “Conservation Heroes”.
The “Conservation Heroes” category had special appeal for Kenyan conservation photographer Anthony Ochieng Onyango. “I realized there was a communication gap because most of what was being communicated was data in scientific publications,” said Onyango, adding that images are a simple way for people to connect to complex issues.
While there were many entries in the AWF competition, there’s only one 19-year-old Cathan Moore from South Africa among the category winners. There’s a lack of opportunity for young aspiring photographers on the continent. AWF is seeking grants and partnerships to enable more African people to participate next year, and to make nature photography competitions more accessible to those unable to pay or buy expensive camara equipment, allowing people to use whatever camera they have and photograph wildlife in urban environments.
Sebunya hopes that the competition can open up a dialogue about conservation — and why it’s so important for Africa’s future. Many people in Africa look at conservation as a thing done by and for foreigners, said Sebunya. While he praised the work of international NGOs, he emphasized that it’s vital that African voices are heard and for local people to lead conservation efforts.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?A.African people take photographs in order to protect wildlife. |
B.AWF calls for people’s active involvement in wildlife conservation. |
C.A communication gap exists between ordinary people and wildlife conservation. |
D.AWF holds photography competition for the conservation of wildlife. |
A.The winners’ works will be on display to promote wildlife conservation. |
B.This year’s winners include quite a number of teenage photographers. |
C.The judging panel includes both professional and amateur photographers. |
D.People who are not skilled in photography can’t take part in the competition. |
A.People’s lack of desire to connect to the issue. |
B.The lack of scientific publications on the issue. |
C.The lack of simple and direct ways to present the issue. |
D.People’s lack of professional camera equipment. |
A.Cautious. | B.Appreciative. | C.Skeptical. | D.Neutral. |
6 . Golden Generation
A national team, mostly consisting of teenagers, pushed China to its biggest-ever medal achievement at the Winter Olympics. At the same time, a series of breakthroughs at the Games
Gu Ailing also became the first athlete
Needless to say, another teenager star, Su Yiming, also became a
“The
“With winter sports becoming popular in our country amid the fast social and
The Beijing Winter Games also
“
A.specializes | B.signals | C.swallows | D.subscribes |
A.Thanks to | B.In addition to | C.Regardless of | D.In terms of |
A.confirmed | B.concludes | C.clarifies | D.claimed |
A.in detail | B.in history | C.by nature | D.with pride |
A.ever | B.never | C.already | D.yet |
A.incidents | B.events | C.affairs | D.issues |
A.access | B.start | C.face | D.popularity |
A.civilization | B.teenage | C.household | D.education |
A.performance | B.knowledge | C.concept | D.ambition |
A.on | B.at | C.of | D.with |
A.typical | B.fortunate | C.relevant | D.previous |
A.rise | B.profession | C.convention | D.explosion |
A.accounts | B.represents | C.estimates | D.recommends |
A.agricultural | B.historical | C.economic | D.natural |
A.hold up | B.break up | C.get up | D.pick up |
A.deeply | B.greatly | C.thoroughly | D.countlessly |
A.signed | B.allowed | C.followed | D.marked |
A.lying | B.shaking | C.laying | D.rocking |
A.As long as | B.If only | C.As far as | D.In that |
A.focus | B.impress | C.witness | D.observe |
7 . Students at Huonville High School in Australia are riding bikes out of desire to fight climate change, carrying out a dizzyingly-thorough transformation of their school building into an energy efficient inspiration.
It’s paying off big time, as they’ve helped save $44, 000 in utility bills since they started their energy-saving project, but it’s also inspiring young people in the community. Recently the school won the Zayed Future Energy Prize of $133 ,000, some of which was used to turn a building into the Zayed Future Energy Hub, a clubhouse where 13 volunteers learn and teach about how renewable energy can be applied to our everyday lives.
Among all the efficiency adjustments, they set up solar panels on the roof, and replaced the old windows with double and triple glazed ones. They added improved insulation (隔热) and energy efficient curtains. They even have stationary bikes that create electricity to cook doughnuts.
The classroom was cold in the mornings, but the students wanted zero carbon emissions through their heating. So they went out and got a pellet stove, and then if that wasn’t enough, they went out and built a pellet mill (颗粒机) to make their fuel from waste sawdust.
Powering one small building on a high school campus or cooking doughnuts in renewable fat fryers is nice, but will do little on their own to slow global climate change. However, the Hub is much more about the big picture. Nel Smit, the volunteer teacher—head of the Hub, knows their biggest contribution is exciting the minds of the next generation.
“This little school in the Huon Valley is actually doing amazing things,” Smit said. “It’s raised awareness of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and opportunities in the community for engaging them around that sort of technology.”
1. What’s special about Huonville High School?A.It attaches importance to riding bikes. | B.It promotes the idea of energy saving. |
C.It encourages students to be creative. | D.It is powered entirely by solar energy. |
A.It is a club center for volunteers. | B.It is the place to produce energy. |
C.It is built at the cost of $133,000. | D.It is used to hold learning activities. |
A.To save electricity bill. | B.To keep low carbon emissions. |
C.To get rid of waste sawdust. | D.To test the pellet stove. |
A.Saving a lot of energy. | B.Creating more great minds. |
C.Educating the next generation. | D.Slowing global climate change. |
8 . Xu Yuanchong, China’s most renowned master translator, passed away in Beijing at the age of 100 on Thursday, according to Peking University. A winner of the highest honor in the field of translation, Xu was best known for his translations of ancient Chinese poems into English and French that have gained worldwide recognition.
Xu devoted himself to translation for more than 60 years. For him, translated literature is “a beautiful art for the whole world.” His academic career began during his college years when he studied at the National Southwest Associated University (Lianda) in Kunming. In 1939, he published an English translation of a poem written by Chinese female poet and architect Lin Huiyin titled “Don’t Cast Away”, which is now known as his earliest work. Xu spent a few years in France studying French literature in the late 1940s. He then returned to China after graduation and became the first Chinese to translate Chinese poetry into English and French in rhyme.
“The greatest joy of an individual is to be with the people you like and do what you like to do. The greatest joy on the earth is to introduce the beauty created by a people to the whole world.” Xu once said. Xu put forward the “Three Beauties Theory”, in terms of translation, stressing the importance of beauty that is conveyed semantically (合语义地), phonologically (合音韵地)and logically (和逻辑地).
He taught at Peking University from 1983 and was awarded the “Lifetime achievements in translation” award from the national association for translation studies in 2010. Xu was also the first Asian translator to win the Aurora Borealis Prize for Outstanding Translation of Fiction Literature (北极光杰出文学翻译奖), one of the highest honors among international translators.
1. Which statement of Xu is true?A.He made his fame by his first original writing “Don’t Cast Away” |
B.He was the first to translate Chinese poetry into French in rhyme. |
C.He believed the biggest pleasure of a person is to introduce beauty to the world. |
D.He was the first to translate Chinese poetry into English without rhymes. |
A.It started as a lifetime dedication from school time. |
B.It developed only in Xu’s native country. |
C.It was mainly about works of female poets. |
D.It was mainly about works of French literature. |
A.Direct word to word translation despite profound meanings. |
B.Functional translation of meanings regardless of literary forms. |
C.Rough translation of reasoning structures rather than details. |
D.Comprehensive translation integrating beauties of sounds, meanings and reasons. |
A.Academic Journals | B.Translating Textbooks |
C.Cultural Newspapers | D.Museum Guidebooks |
9 . A letter written to a 12-year-old girl in Lithuania was delivered in December, almost 51 years after it was sent by a pen pal in Poland. “I thought that someone was pranking me,” said Genovefa Klonovska after being handed the letter, which included a handmade colored rose and two paper dolls.
The letter, together with 17 others, fell out of a ventilation hole (通风口) this summer, dirty and wrinkled, as a wall was taken down in a former post office on the suburb of Vilnius. Jurgis Vilnius, owner of the building immediately called the post office. “I’m so happy they got interested,” said he.
Street names and their numbering have changed in Vilnius, and post office workers spent months looking for the right houses and talking to current renters and neighbors, tracking down where the recipients moved to. Only five were found. In several cases children of late recipients were handed a lost letter.
“We felt a moral duty to do this,” said Deimante Zebrauskaite, head of the customer experience department at Lithuania Post.
One lady compared the experience to receiving a message from a bottle thrown into sea. People were emotional. “Some felt they saw a part of daily life of their deceased parents,” Zebrauskaite said.
In the letter to Klonovska, sent from Koezary in Poland and stamped in 1970, a girl named Ewa complains buses no longer reach her village, so she has to walk in minus 23 degree Celsius cold, and asks for pictures of actors.
Now in her 60s, Klonovska has no memory of Ewa. She probably wrote Ewa after finding her address advertising for pen pals in a newspaper, and the relationship ceased after the letter got undelivered.
“So good that the letter didn't matter much. The loss was not life-changing,” said Klonovska “What if they delivered a lost letter from a suitor (求婚者) to his love, and their wedding never happened?”
1. What does the underlined word “pranking” in Paragraph 1 mean?A.Brightening. | B.Embarrassing. | C.Tricking. | D.Pleasing. |
A.They were accidentally found. |
B.They remained well-preserved. |
C.They were delivered by the former post office. |
D.They were hidden by the owner of the building. |
A.Generous. | B.Dutiful. | C.Honest. | D.Cautious. |
A.Klonovska refused a suitor. |
B.Klonovska stopped the wedding. |
C.The undelivered letter ruined the relationship. |
D.The undelivered letter made little difference to her. |
10 . Learning to say “yes, and”
When I first heard about the improvisation (即兴交流) class, I was hesitating. As a quiet and shy girl, I feared improvising in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect chance to learn how to speak and communicate with others effectively. I signed up, knowing the experience would give me help.
During our first class, we learned an important concept of improvisation: “yes, and.” It means that, as improvisers, we’d better accept what fellow performers say. If someone says that rhinos (犀牛) are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We do not question the logic; we say “yes” and then continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong.
The first few scenes were hard, but as weeks turned into months, I became more comfortable and even started to enjoy our classes. I became better at listening, relating to my conversation partners, and communicating clearly in the moment. Once when I was giving a presentation about my science, an audience member surprised me with a question that didn’t grow out of the information I’d presented. Instead of getting confused and nervous, I took the “yes, and” approach—accepting the question and letting my mind focus on why it was asked. That helped me find an appropriate answer. I got pretty excited about it.
The benefits of improvisation go beyond communication. Before attending the class, I would get stuck when my experiments produced unexpected data, thinking that I had made a mistake. But now, instead of getting discouraged, I will stay open to the possibility that the results are real, keep exploring the data and end up identifying a new type of cell—one that isn’t behaving as expected.
I think all scientists can benefit from this lesson. If the data say rhinos are librarians, then it’s worth finding out whether rhinos are, in fact, librarians. As scientists, our job isn’t to challenge data that support, a preconceived story, but to say “yes, and.”
1. Why did the author attend the improvisation class?A.To get a different experience. |
B.To finish her Ph.D. at university. |
C.To give up her job as a science communicator. |
D.To improve her speaking and communicating ability. |
A.She formed her own idea quickly. |
B.She came up with lots of creative responses. |
C.She paid more attention to the logic of answers. |
D.She became a good listener before giving an opinion. |
A.explain the process of using the method |
B.prove the benefits of the improvisation class |
C.share her own research experiences with readers |
D.attract fellow scientists to attend the improvisation class |
A.They should attend the improvisation class. |
B.They should question all preconceived ideas. |
C.They should carry on research by admitting earlier data. |
D.They should try to improve their academic knowledge. |