1 . Benefiting from the growing popularity of social media and a craze for traditional culture, Hanfu, a traditional style of clothing once worn by the Han people, has enjoyed a fresh lease of life thanks to a new wave of young Chinese devotees, including Liu and Yang.
The 1980s-born rocket scientist Liu is also a cofounder of a Hanfu community in Beijing called Hua Yan Hui. The community was founded in 2011 following a Hanfu revival movement that emerged from the desire to express national identity and growing cultural confidence. “At first, people who wore Hanfu in public felt occasionally uneasy, including me, while more passers-by asked about their clothing style,” says Liu. It was not the looks from others but her limited knowledge on the traditional Chinese clothing that had made her uncomfortable.
Another person, Yang Kunning, was born in the 1990s and works in public relations. She is fond of sharing her love for Hanfu online. She opened an account on the video-sharing platform Bilibili and posted videos featuring herself wearing the traditional attire. Thousands of comments and likes pour into her channel as viewers find her videos attractive and creative—blending traditional culture with modern dance movements.
“Social media has made Hanfu culture popular in China and abroad, which contributes to the rapid development of China’s economy,” says Yang. The Hanfu market in China was estimated to reach 12. 54 billion yuan ($1. 81 billion) in 2022 and is expected to rise to 19. 11 billion yuan by 2025, according to research firm iMedia Research.
“It will be a rewarding experience to participate in events in the Forbidden City and other historical palaces in the capital city,” says Yang. She believes that classics will never go out of style as the popularity of sprouts increases around the world.
1. Why did Liu feel uneasy when she first wore Hanfu in public?| A．Her clothes didn’t fit her properly. | B．Her clothes were worn out. |
| C．She didn’t like the looks from others. | D．She had a limited knowledge of Hanfu. |
| A．By presenting data. | B．By giving definitions. |
| C．By making explanations. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Hanfu will take the lead in the fashion. | B．Hanfu won’t be a big business in the capital city. |
| C．Hanfu has a strong influence on Beijing’s activities. | D．Hanfu will become more popular around the world. |
| A．Business. | B．Culture. | C．Nature. | D．Travel. |
2 . Jon Pedley is making a big change. He is giving up his life as a businessman for a life of helping others. He is trading his beautiful farmhouse in England for life in a mud hut (小屋) in Uganda, East Africa.
Pedley admitted that he had not always led a very positive life. At times he drank too much and got in trouble with the law. “I had always put the pursuit (追求) of money in front of everything else. As long as I was all right, I didn’t care who I was hurting,” says Pedley.
But a visit to Uganda in 2007 gave Pedley a new outlook on life. He was amazed at what he saw and how much the people there appreciated the work he was doing. “I worked there for a few days and these people who have nothing were thanking me by giving me bags of potatoes, which are a fortune for them, ”he said. Now Pedley is selling his business, his $1.5 million farmhouse, and his expensive car—and moving into a hut made of mud and boards in a small Ugandan village. There he will help run an organisation that hopes to improve the quality of life for people in the village of Kigazi. He will help to build schoolrooms for children and tanks to hold clean water for villagers. Today, people in Kigazi must walk two miles to a hospital, so Pedley will help to build doctors’ offices, too.
Pedley’s organisation will also work with English teenagers who are in trouble. The teens will be sent to a “camp” in Uganda that Pedley will run. The teens will live in mud huts and help to build water, health, and education facilities for kids in Kigazi, many of whom have lost their parents to poverty or disease. Pedley hopes the teens will see a side of life that might help them turn around their own lives and set them on a new and more positive path.
1. Which of the following best describes Pedley in the past?| A．Positive. | B．Creative. | C．Cold-hearted. | D．Independent. |
| A．Assist villagers with building work. | B．Do business with the local people. |
| C．Help farmers increase potato output. | D．Introduce tools to improve English teaching. |
| A．To inspire them to live a more positive life. | B．To encourage them to make friends with locals. |
| C．To make them learn about different cultures. | D．To train them to become doctors in the future. |
| A．A Life-changing Adventure | B．More Money, More Worries |
| C．A Rich Man Becoming Homeless | D．From Millionaire to Mud Hut |
3 . Cows produce much methane, the world’s second worst greenhouse gas, as they breakdown the grass. They are a large source of the greenhouse gases that are driving climate change. Now scientists have shown the pollution from cows can be reduced by adding a little seaweed (海藻) to their food.
Recently, the researchers from the University of California studied 21 cows on a farm for about five months. They taught the cows to get their food from inside a special hood, which allowed the scientists to know the amount of the methane the cows were giving off. They added a small amount of seaweed to the cows’ food.
The consequences were surprisingly good. In some cases, the cows produced 82% less methane. The improvement depended on the kind of food the cows were given. Even the worst-polluting cows produced 33%less methane. Over the five months, the scientists didn’t see any signs that the cows’ stomachs were getting used to the seaweed and starting to produce more methane again. What’s more, the cows that were fed seaweed gained just as much weight as the other cows.
But there are still some big problems with the idea of feeding cows seaweed. For one thing, there’s not adequate seaweed to feed all of the cows in the world. So farmers would have to figure out a way to grow lots of seaweed. A bigger problem is that for most of their lives, cows live in the fields, where they eat grass. That means there’s no chance to feed them seaweed every day.
Still, as the study shows, something as simple as feeding cows seaweed can help reduce some of the pollution causing the climate crisis.
1. Why did the researchers carry out the study?| A．To discover healthier grass for cows. | B．To improve the cows’ living conditions. |
| C．To test the effects of the seaweed. | D．To measure the amount of methane in the world. |
| A．The results of the study. | B．The methods of the experiment. |
| C．The background of the subject. | D．The process of the research. |
| A．Lacking. | B．Enough. | C．Common. | D．Special. |
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. | C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
4 . Do you like traveling? Would you drive around the world on a motorbike? Would you do it with a dog
Anya and Sunny are having the journey around the world together by
Sunny is a German shepherd who weighs 34 kilograms and is perfectly
Anya could not
But according to Anya, it’s totally
One thing Anya has noticed so far is that no matter which country or area they have gone through, the reaction to Sunny is
| A．jumping | B．walking | C．running | D．staying |
| A．bicycle | B．car | C．motorcycle | D．tricycle |
| A．find | B．cost | C．take | D．send |
| A．comfortable | B．awkward | C．busy | D．natural |
| A．balance | B．judge | C．compete | D．perform |
| A．curious | B．careful | C．grateful | D．stylish |
| A．consider | B．stand | C．avoid | D．miss |
| A．therefore | B．however | C．moreover | D．instead |
| A．contributed | B．admitted | C．limited | D．applied |
| A．suitable | B．opposed | C．helpful | D．worth |
| A．apparently | B．eventually | C．finally | D．frequently |
| A．picks | B．turns | C．rests | D．depends |
| A．delighted | B．upset | C．shocked | D．confused |
| A．strange | B．common | C．distant | D．different |
| A．works | B．matters | C．improves | D．challenges |
5 . Despite the difficulties, the California coastal ecosystem is improving, largely thanks to the huge appetite sea otters (海獭) have for crabs. In a creative study, scientists revealed the return of otters to their former habitat in a Central California river mouth has slowed the decrease of the area’s river banks by up to 90%. “It would cost tens of millions of dollars for humans to rebuild these stream banks and restore these rivers. The otters are stabilizing them for free, in exchange for an all-you-can-eat crab feast,” said biology professor Brian Silliman, Ph. D. at Duke University.
Like many California river mouths, Elkhorn once was a habitat for otters, which need to eat around 20 to 25 pounds of food every day, with crabs being one of their favorite meals. But after fur traders hunted the local otter population nearly to extinction, the number of crabs exploded over the next century. Crabs dig into salt river soil, and over time can cause a salt river to wear away and collapse. Today, years after the otters returned, rivers and stream banks became more stable.
Angelini, one of the study’s authors, said that tool is an encouraging sign for her team as they face similar threats to Florida’s coastlines from sea level rise, storms, and extra nutrients overflowing into coastal waters. “All these seem unsurmountable,” Angelini said. “However, this study shows that, if we truly understand the ecosystem and know what tools to use, we can see significant benefits to the health and stability of these systems.”
The research team conducted large-scale surveys across 13 tidal (潮汐的) streams, as well as small-scale field experiments at five locations around the river mouth over a six-year period. Otters were not included in some lest sites but allowed to be used in others, using a caging system designed by Angelini.
“And all these years later, we now see these amazing results. It’s an inspiring story about the benefits of conservation and persistent, long-term research,” Angelini said.
1. What does Brian Silliman think of the function of sea otters?| A．It’s complex. | B．It’s expensive. |
| C．It’s effective. | D．It’s inefficient. |
| A．The collapse of salt rivers. |
| B．The hunting for their fur. |
| C．The decrease of the sea crabs. |
| D．The pollution of their habitat. |
| A．Hard to understand. | B．Difficult to deal with. |
| C．Impossible to avoid. | D．Dangerous to settle. |
| A．The process of the research. |
| B．The purpose of the research. |
| C．The limitation of the research. |
| D．The discovery of the research. |
6 . Almost no one knows the world of competitive climbing like Janja Garnbret, an Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world champion. Having risen to the top of the sport, the Slovenian now is using her platform to raise awareness of the “cultural trap” in climbing. She says it is contributing to a widespread issue with eating disorders.
The problem is from an outdated idea that weighing less means you climb faster. Such a mindset has created an environment where young athletes start skipping or cutting down on meals, she says, sometimes to disastrous effect. Despite not having issues with eating disorders herself, she is more than aware of friends and fellow competitors who have damaged their bodies in the pursuit of a thinner figure.
“I have to recognize that weight does have some role to play in the sport. I also want to win, but I’m a strong believer that you can do climbing, or any sport, in a healthy way. Luckily I didn’t fall into this trap.” She says.
“I was trying hard to help them get out of it, but it didn’t work. It was really hard for me to see them destroying themselves, mentally and physically.” It was experiences such as this that inspired Gambret to post a message on the social platform in July 2023 about eating disorders. The post sparked a huge response throughout the climbing community and attracted support from the likes of US rock climber Sasha DiGiulian.
In her message, Garnbret spoke about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) — a syndrome (综合征) that occurs when someone of any gender has overtrained and/or undereaten for a long period in an attempt to improve their athletic performance, often without knowing the dangers of failing to compensate (补偿) for the energy they consume in training, racing and their daily lives. Left untreated, medical experts say REDs can damage an athlete’s bone health, immune system, and psychological health, as well as his athletic performance.
1. What does the “cultural trap” in the text refer to?| A．The defeat of eating disorders. | B．The pursuit of a thinner figure. |
| C．The idea of keeping daily meals. | D．The mindset of climbing to the top. |
| A．She used to fall into the cultural trap. | B．Her efforts to help dieters were in vain. |
| C．Her achievements deserved to be shared. | D．She wanted to receive support from DiGiulian. |
| A．Severe mental problems. | B．The habit of overeating. |
| C．Over-exercise for a long time. | D．The poor athletic performance. |
| A．The Road to a World Champion | B．Rising to Fame on Social Media |
| C．The Challenge of Climbing with REDs | D．Warning against Cultural Trap in Climbing |
7 . In 2002, Huang Hui, a researcher of the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, went diving (潜水) near Xisha Islands. In addition to getting an irremovable suntan (晒黑), she was left with memories of a beautiful experience with clear water and masses of colorful corals reef (珊瑚礁). However, due to climate change and human activities, the coral reef is reducing at an alarming rate and much of the breathtaking view of this reef has disappeared. “We started to grow corals near the Xisha Islands in 2010, and restored more than 200, 000 square meters of coral reefs,” Huang said.
In 2004, when Huang was attending the 10th International Coral Reef Conference, she found herself the only person from the Chinese mainland. She said she felt sad but she made up her mind to strengthen communication with other countries to improve China’s level in coral research. She visited top coral research organizations in the US and Australia, establishing long-term partnership with some of the world’s top coral researchers. By far, Huang has worked on coral research and conservation for 22 years.
Huang believes that making people be more ware of coral conservation matters most to the conservation of the coral reefs. “I want to call on more people to love nature and take part in the protection of ocean,” Huang said. “I am 50, and when I become 60, I hope that not only a coral island will be built but a sustainable development pattern (模式) will also be created,” said Huang. “The ideal state is that the coral island should be able to support fishermen and preserve the ecosystem,” she added.
1. What impressed Huang most when going diving near Xisha in 2002?| A．A sunburn on her skin. | B．A mass of colorful corals. |
| C．A sweet memory of her childhood. | D．The sudden disappearance of corals. |
| A．China’s advances in coral protection. | B．Huang’s contribution to coral protection. |
| C．Huang’s concern over coral protection. | D．People’s ignorance of coral protection. |
| A．Introduction of advanced technology. | B．Tough laws banning reef exploitation. |
| C．Public awareness of coral protection. | D．Communication with foreign countries. |
| A．Corals in South China Sea are in danger. | B．Scientist plants corals to save ecosystem. |
| C．China is taking the lead in planting corals. | D．Measures are to be taken to protect corals. |
8 . Few social networking platforms are known for inspiring positive social change these days, but an Inuit-developed app is helping local communities from Alaska to Greenland advance their self-determination.
Named SIKU after the Inuktitut word for “sea ice”, the app allows communities in the North to pull together traditional knowledge and scientific data to track changes in the environment, trace local wild foods, and make decisions about how to manage wildlife.
Over the years, SIKU has stepped forward in its development. Recently, the elders saw that the platform could help address a familiar challenge: sharing knowledge with younger people who often have their noses in their phones. In 2019, SIKU relaunched as a full-fledged social network—a platform where members can post photos and notes about wildlife sightings, hunts and sea ice conditions. The app operates in multiple languages, such as Inuktitut, Innu and Greenlandic. Since early 2024, over 25,000 people from at least 120 communities have made more than 75,000 posts on SIKU.
The app is also equipped with useful tools for life on the ice, including weather reports, sea ice forecasts, and other critical safety information. “When I go out on the land with family, we go a long distance, and the SIKU app can show which area we are in. It’s precise.” says Karen Nanook, who lives in Taloyoak, Nunavut.
The data held in SIKU is abundant and up to date, and communities are already using the app to inform important decisions. In 2021, for example, elders in Sanikiluaq were worried the local reindeer population had thinned, so the Hunters and Trappers Association used SIKU to survey hunters and look at recent reported harvest rates. The analysis led the association to temporarily close the hunt to relieve pressure on the population and to reintroduce hunting slowly once the number of reindeer increased. This decision shows how Inuit can use the technology in combination with traditional wildlife management. “It’s part science and part Inuit knowledge. It can work both ways, instead of one dominating the other,” says Arragutainaq, a manager at the association.
1. What do we know about SIKU?| A．It traces data to do researches. | B．It gets tryout all over the world. |
| C．It allows people to post photos and notes. | D．It mainly focuses on traditional knowledge. |
| A．Well-developed. | B．Time-saving. | C．Business-centered. | D．Fancy-looking. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Intolerant. | D．Curious. |
| A．SIKU advocates the Inuit tradition. | B．SIKU promotes technological advances. |
| C．SIKU tracks changes in the environment. | D．SIKU helps local communities make decisions. |
9 . Frying French fries in space may be possible, according to a recent study by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
On Earth, we have gravity and buoyancy (浮力). Gravity makes sure that the oil stays in the cooker, and buoyancy allows the bubbles that come out of the fries to travel up ward so that the fries are cooked. In space, which is under microgravity, there is no buoyancy. So scientists for long believed that frying wasn’t possible.
The research team first designed a sealed container that could fry the potato safely in zero gravity and then took the researchers on a ride. The plane climbed up, and then, at a certain point, headed down just like a roller coaster. There were about 20 seconds of microgravity when the plane reached the highest point, during which the team did tests.
To their surprise, the fries were cooked, and the bubbles were able to escape. When being fried, the water inside the potato turned into vapor (水蒸气). The vapor created pressure when released from the potato. The pressure inside the potato allowed the bubbles to go out and let the oil come in, according to the research paper. It showed that “frying can occur in space”.
This isn’t the first attempt for scientists to deep-fry French fries in “space”. Early in 2014, a group of researchers conducted studies under various gravities. The agency’s large centrifuge (离心机)can create artificial gravity from 1 to 20g, with “g” referring to the gravitational acceleration at the surface of the Earth. It has four arms and can spin fast. During the spin, things held by the arm are under centrifugal force, which is the source of artificial gravity. The fries were cooked under different gravities from 1 to 9 g.
They discovered that the French fries had the most crispy (脆的) chips under 3g. It’s interesting to mention that Jupiter’s gravity is 2.4 times that of Earth’s gravity. So, French fries may have the perfect taste if cooked on Jupiter, compared with other planets in the solar system.
1. What may make frying French Fries possible in space?| A．The release of bubbles. | B．The transformation of gravity. |
| C．The reduction of vapor. | D．The accumulation of buoyance. |
| A．To make a weightless sense. | B．To get appropriate pressure. |
| C．To test the seal of the container. | D．To create experiment conditions. |
| A．To show the function of the centrifuge. |
| B．To find common ground of various experiments. |
| C．To prove the perfect taste of French fries on Jupiter. |
| D．To offer more evidence about cooking French fries in space. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A cook book. |
| C．A food advertisement. | D．A travel brochure. |
10 . The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Have you ever heard people describe themselves as an INTJ or an ESFP? What these people are referring to is their personality type based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which identifies people on four different criteria.
Extroversion — Introversion (E — I)This criterion describes how people respond with the surroundings. The extroversion group are “outward-turning” and tend to be action-focused, enjoy more frequent social interaction, and feel energized after spending t me with others. The introversion group are “inward-turning” and tend to be thought-focused, enjoy deep and meaningful social interactions, and feel recharged after spending time alone.
Sensing — Intuition (S — N)This criterion involves looking at how people gather information from the world around them. People who prefer sensing tend to pay attention to realty, particularly to what they can learn from their own senses. They tend to focus on details and enjoy getting hands-on experience. Those who prefer intuition pay more at tent on to things like patterns and impressions. They enjoy thinking about possibilities, imagining the future, and abstract theories.
Thinking — Feeling (T — F)This criterion focuses on how people make decisions based on the information that they have gathered. People who prefer thinking place a, greater emphasis on facts and objective data. They tend to be consistent, logical, and impersonal when weighing a decision. Those who prefer feeling are more likely to consider people and emotions when arriving at a conclusion.
Judging — Perceiving (J — P)The final criterion involves how people tend to deal with the outside world. Those who prefer judging favor structure and firm decisions. People who prefer perceiving are more open, flexible, and adaptable. These two tendencies have an effect on the other criteria. For instance, this criterion helps describe whether you behave with the characteristics of the extroversion group when you are taking in new information or when you are making decisions.
1. Which criterion describes people’s social interaction?| A．E—I. | B．S—N. | C．T—F. | D．J—P. |
| A．Preferring stricture and firm decisions. | B．Enjoying getting hands-on experience. |
| C．Feeling tired after spending time alone. | D．Emphassising on facts and objective data. |
| A．How people make decisions. | B．How people gather information. |
| C．How people deal with the outside world. | D．How people respond with the surroundings· |
