1 . My father was a restaurant owner. My name is Vincent Lim. I’m a chef and restaurant owner. Running a Chinese restaurant is one of the hardest and most
When we first arrived in Australia, my dad
The first dish that I ever learned to cook was the fried rice, which is the easiest but also the
To lots of Chinese immigrants like us, the restaurant isn’t just a business. It’s a sense of
In 2017, my dad passed away. I realized that my love of cooking dishes was from my childhood. I
| A．worthless | B．valuable | C．necessary | D．unexpected |
| A．supported | B．found | C．operated | D．occupied |
| A．regular | B．solid | C．seldom | D．vital |
| A．strength | B．passion | C．talent | D．awareness |
| A．chef | B．owner | C．coach | D．master |
| A．toughest | B．worst | C．busiest | D．greatest |
| A．taste | B．achieve | C．tell | D．learn |
| A．career | B．urgency | C．purpose | D．affection |
| A．generates | B．delivers | C．accompanies | D．dismissed |
| A．came from | B．went over | C．wiped away | D．spread across |
| A．impossibly | B．straightly | C．deliberately | D．considerably |
| A．shut down | B．took over | C．opened up | D．dealt with |
| A．amusing | B．striking | C．connecting | D．inspiring |
| A．recall | B．complete | C．expect | D．alter |
| A．impresses | B．perceives | C．represents | D．devotes |
2 . My phone was an extension of myself. I couldn’t go anywhere
When I was watching TV shows or movies and there was a boring part, I
I have welcomed silence into my life with open arms and am enjoying the increased
As much as having a smartphone was
| A．through | B．without | C．despite | D．upon |
| A．updates | B．instructions | C．assessments | D．decisions |
| A．symbol | B．responsibility | C．reality | D．addiction |
| A．conscious | B．shameful | C．foolish | D．random |
| A．sell | B．pull | C．throw | D．mind |
| A．avoided | B．denied | C．missed | D．allowed |
| A．assist | B．improve | C．associate | D．occupy |
| A．requests | B．thoughts | C．directions | D．comments |
| A．instead of | B．regardless of | C．but for | D．apart from |
| A．creativity | B．productivity | C．knowledge | D．independence |
| A．routine | B．necessity | C．loneliness | D．temptation |
| A．genuine | B．grateful | C．direct | D．desperate |
| A．naturally | B．certainly | C．seemingly | D．gradually |
| A．wonder | B．imagination | C．interest | D．authenticity |
| A．depressive | B．comfortable | C．stressful | D．boring |
3 . Ramirez Castañeda, a Colombian biologist, spends her time in the Amazon studying how snakes eat poisonous frogs without getting ill. Although her findings come in many shapes and sizes, she and her colleagues have struggled to get their biological discoveries out to the wider scientific community. With Spanish as her mother tongue, her research had to be translated into English to be published. That wasn’t always possible because of budget or time-and it means that some of her findings were never published.
“It’s not that I’m a bad scientist,” she says. “It’s just because of the language.”
Castañeda is not alone. There is plenty of research in non-English-language papers that gets lost in translation, or is never translated. A research looked through more than 400, 000 peer-reviewed papers in 16 different languages and found 1, 234 studies providing evidence on biodiversity conservation which, because they weren’t in English, may have been overlooked. These included Japanese-language findings on the effectiveness of relocating the endangered Blakiston’s fish owl, the largest owl species.
Some experts argue that for the sake of the bigger picture, scientific knowledge should converge (转换) into one common language. Science is very globalised and becoming more so, so the use of a global language is enormous for that.
Of course, scientists can work with an English partner, or use a translator-but this ultimately strengthens the cycle of dependency on the global north, leading to inequality in international influence. The specific meanings of words can also pose a problem in translation. For example, it is difficult to find in English one single word to describe forest snakes and frogs in the work Castafieda does with indigenous (土著的) communities in the Amazon.
“So we’re losing observations for science, too, ” says Castañeda. “For me, it’s not possible to just have everything translated into English. We need multilingual (多语种的) science, and we need people that feel comfortable doing science in their own languages. It could be possible to switch to a world where, say, Chinese, English and Spanish are the three languages of science, just as English, French and German were the languages of science in the 19th century.”
1. What prevented Castañeda’s discoveries from being more widely known?| A．Poor management. | B．Opposition from her colleagues. |
| C．Her bad reputation. | D．The language barrier. |
| A．Inefficient wildlife conservation. |
| B．A knowledge gap in the scientific world. |
| C．A growing interest in non-English papers. |
| D．Inadequate job opportunities for translators. |
| A．The urgency to protect rare species. |
| B．The need to adopt one global language. |
| C．The challenges in translating scientific texts. |
| D．The biodiversity on the South American continent. |
| A．A potential solution. | B．A theoretical model. |
| C．A popular belief. | D．A global trend. |
4 . Some ants have figured out how to avoid getting lost: build taller anthills, according to a recent study.
Desert ants living in the hot, flat salt pans of Tunisia spend their days looking for food and reach as far as 1.1 kilometers from their nests. To find their way home, desert ants use a navigation system, relying on the sun’s position and counting their steps to track their location relative to their nest.
But this system becomes increasingly unreliable as the distance from the nest increases. “We realized that, whenever the ants in salt pans came closer to their nest, they suddenly pinpointed the nest hill from several meters distance,” says Markus Knaden, a researcher at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology. “This made us think that the hill serves as a nest-defining landmark.”
So Knaden and colleagues captured ants from nests in the middle of salt pans and from along their shorelines. Only salt-pan nests had distinct hills, up to 40 centimeters tall, whereas the hills on shoreline nests were lower or barely noticeable. Next, the team removed any hills and placed the captured insects some distance away from their nests. Salt-pan ants struggled more than shore ants to find homes. Shore ants relied on the shoreline for guidance and weren’t affected by the hill removal, the researchers concluded.
The team further conducted another study to see if desert ants were deliberately building a taller hill when their surroundings lacked any visible landmarks. So, the researchers removed the hills of 16 salt-pan nests and installed (安装) two 50-centimeter-tall blocks near eight of them. The other eight nests were left without any artificial visual aid. After three days, the researchers found that seven ants from the unaided nests had rebuilt their hills. But only two ants from the nests with man-made blocks nearby had bothered to rebuild.
“It implies that ants regularly assess the complexity of their environment and change their decisions based on their conclusion,” says ecologist Judith Bronstein of the University of Arizona.
1. What aspect of ants is the recent study mainly about?| A．Challenges of survival. | B．Landmarks of habitats. |
| C．Intelligence of navigation. | D．Comparison of varieties. |
| A．Explored. | B．Recognized. | C．Climbed. | D．Crossed. |
| A．To observe different ants’ reactions. | B．To prove impacts of various habitats. |
| C．To disturb desert ants’ navigation system. | D．To test anthills’ functions and significance. |
| A．Evaluate and make changes. | B．Visual aid is a must. |
| C．Cooperation brings victory. | D．No man-made blocks are used. |
5 . The needs of plus size consumers have long been the elephant in the room of the fashion industry until body positivity and fat acceptance movements promoted the slogan (口号) that large-bodied people are not those who are left behind. This size-inclusive (尺码包容) trend has become so popular that it is influencing mainstream culture. As a result, fashion brands have finally decided to extend their size ranges. In 2022, the plus-size market grew twice as fast as the standard size market in both North America and the UK.
Yet, many consumers say fashion brands broadening their ranges are not truly inclusive. “Inclusive sizing means that all bodies are included in fashion, not just the ones who fit in standard sizes,” says Marie Southard Ospina, a UK-based journalist who covers body-image issues. “However, what many designers do right now is pick a number that they think is big enough to include plus sizes and stop. This is even more disrespectful.”
Researchers also criticize that some brands are just taking advantage of the trend. “Brands that used to promote so-called perfect bodies in their advertisements are now trying to get in on the trend by adding a few sizes. It doesn’t feel like they really care about plus-size people,” says Tom Burgess, analyst in fashion industry. “If brands cared about large-bodied consumers, then it wouldn’t have taken until now to acknowledge that they exist,” he says. “It gives the impression that companies are just trying to gain a share of the market without a real commitment to the community.”
The fashion industry must go beyond merely producing clothing in a range of sizes if they hope to succeed with a body -diverse world. The whole industry has to connect on a personal level with consumers. That involves showing shoppers that they are seen, understood and important to brands. “Consumers care about values, and so they want to buy from brands that reflect the values they believe in. Everyone should enjoy the same range of fashion options,” says Ludovica Cesareo, professor of marketing at the College of Business in the US.
1. What do the underlined words “the elephant in the room” mean in the first paragraph?| A．The hot issue that is valued. |
| B．The obvious truth that is ignored. |
| C．The important principle that is recognized. |
| D．The common phenomenon that is criticized. |
| A．They pick sizes randomly. | B．They offer limited plus sizes. |
| C．They treat designers disrespectfully. | D．They haven’t broadened standard sizes. |
| A．Their designs. | B．Their quality. |
| C．Their motivations. | D．Their advertisements. |
| A．Buyers may deserve fashion that fits their figure. |
| B．Consumers prefer brands with personalized values. |
| C．Brands should catch up with the size-inclusive trend. |
| D．A good brand image is critical in the fashion industry. |
6 . More American businesses are starting to use artificial intelligence(AI)tools to come up with new ideas and to deal with customers.
Mattel is known for making children’s toys. The company recently used an AI image generator (生成器) called DALL-E to come up with ideas for new Hot Wheels toy cars. The used vehicle seller CarMax is using ChatGPT to gather thousands of customer comments. The social media service Snapchat has added a chatbot (聊天机器人) to its messaging service. And Instacart, a delivery service, now uses ChatGPT to answer food questions. Even the Coca-Cola company plans to use AI to help create new marketing content. It has not said exactly how it plans to use the technology. But the move shows that businesses are under pressure to use the tools that many of their employees and customers are already trying on their own.
Some experts warn that businesses should carefully consider possible harms to customers, society, and their own companies before choosing to use AI tools in the workplace. Chaire Leibowicz works at The Partnership on AI, a nonprofit group. The group recently released recommendations for companies producing AI- generated images, audio and other media. “I want people to think deeply before deploying this technology” Leibowicz said. “They should play around. . . but we should also think, what purpose are these tools serving in the first place?”
While text generators like ChatGPT can make the process of writing emails and marketing documents faster and easier, they also appear to present misinformation as fact. And image generators like DALL-E are trained in copying widely available digital art and photography. This has raise copyright(版权)concerns from the creators of those works.
“It is safer to use AI tools as a ‘thought partner’ but still people as the creator of final products,” said Anna Gressel. She works at the law company Debevoise & Plimpton, which advises businesses on how to use AI.
1. Which company made creative products with Al tools’ help?| A．Instacart | B．Matel | C．CarMax | D．Snapchat |
| A．People rely too much on technology in their daily life. |
| B．AI tools are widely used to help businesses grow. |
| C．AI tools have an effect on improving business conditions. |
| D．Customers are more and more connected online. |
| A．presenting confidently | B．promoting successfully |
| C．debating publicly | D．applying effectively |
| A．AI tools should just be humans’ assistants. |
| B．The use of AI tools should be forbidden. |
| C．A business should partner with a law company. |
| D．Copyright concerns are unnecessary |
7 . When Kurt Benirschke started collecting skin samples from endangered animals in 1972, he didn’t have a firm plan on what to do with them. As a researcher at the University of California San Diego, he believed that one day these samples would be used to save these animals. A few years later, he moved his collection to the San Diego Zoo, and called it the Frozen Zoo.
For a long time, it was the only project of its kind; however, in recent years, similar conservation efforts have spread globally, and tools that Benirschke didn’t yet have are now available. Today, the Frozen Zoo is the world’s largest animal cryobank(生物冷冻库), holding samples from over 10,500 individual animals from 1,220 species, in the hope that one day science can bring them back as a species.
The Frozen Zoo’s advanced technology is the key to its success in saving species from extinction. By using cryopreservation techniques, the zoo can store cells and tissues from endangered animals. The stored genetic material can be used for research, breeding(繁殖) programs, and potentially even cloning or genetic engineering to restore endangered species.
By protecting the genetic heritage of endangered animals, the Frozen Zoo provides hope for the survival of species that would otherwise be at risk of dying out, and the preservation of Earth’s precious biodiversity. It has inspired the establishment of similar cryobanks worldwide, expanding efforts to conserve endangered species. These cryobanks contribute to the global network of genetic resources, improving cooperation and knowledge exchange. By demonstrating the potential of technology in the preservation of biodiversity, the frozen zoo serves as a powerful tool in raising awareness and driving change.
The Frozen Zoo is like a time capsule, preserving the genetic heritage of endangered species for future generations. It reminds us about the importance of conservation and offers a window into a world that could otherwise be lost forever.
1. What do we know about the Frozen Zoo?| A．It is the world’s oldest and largest animal cryobank. |
| B．It started with a detailed plan led by Kurt Benirschke. |
| C．It is a project to explore the evolution of animal species. |
| D．It was established to protect animals in the San Diego Zoo. |
| A．By expanding their natural habitats. |
| B．By raising their survival rate with genetic technology. |
| C．By preserving their genetic material for further research. |
| D．By innovating breeding techniques to increase their population. |
| A．To stress the importance of the Frozen Zoo. |
| B．To explain the urgency of saving endangered species. |
| C．To prove the potential value of preserving biodiversity. |
| D．To show the necessity of cooperative conservation efforts. |
| A．Costly and controversial. | B．Profitable and instructive. |
| C．Conservative and effective. | D．Pioneering and significant. |
8 . The UK has a rich literary heritage, with cities packed with bookshops, literary landmarks and comfortable cafes. If you love books, try one of these city breaks.
York
Earning a remarkable “bookspiration” score of 9. 4/10, York has claimed the title of the best UK city for book lovers. Having the highest number of reading spots per 100, 000 people among all cities analysed, literary lovers will find themselves spoiled for choice in this city. Home to 20 libraries and 33 highly-rated bookshops, this serves as a significant literary resource for a city of its population size.
Books inspired by York include: The Secret Garden, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre
Bath
Bath comes second, receiving a final “bookspiration” score of 8. 1/10. Beyond its plentiful quiet reading spots, more than seven libraries and 16 bookshops per 100, 000 people, the city also offers sufficient green spaces, perfect for eager readers to dive into their favourite books. It’s a dream destination for those with a preference for Jane Austen’s works. It’s also host to the annual Jane Austen Festival in September, featuring many immersive(沉浸式的)Regency-themed experiences.
Books inspired by Bath include: Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Vathek
Belfast
In third place is Belfast, scoring a respectable 7. 3/10. The Northern Irish city has 18 libraries and 55 charming bookshops to choose from. Serving as the backdrop of inspiration for CS Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, Belfast also has a bookish culture as it plays host to an annual book festival drawing in the nation’s biggest bookworms.
Books inspired by Belfast include: Eureka Street, Mystery Man, The Star Factory
Bristol
Bristol with a score of 6. 8/10 secures fourth place to be a literary lover’s paradise. Thanks to its treasure of bookshops from independent to second-hand, over 17 bookshops per 100, 000 people, the lively South West city makes an incredible destination for book-shopping.
Books inspired by Bristol include: Shadow Dance, Birdcage Walk, Keep Him Close
1. Which city is the source of the inspiration for Wuthering Heights?| A．York. | B．Bath. | C．Belfast. | D．Bristol. |
| A．Rate bookstores of the city. | B．Attend theme-based activities. |
| C．Dive into CS Lewis’s books. | D．Take a South West city tour. |
| A．The best green reading spaces. | B．The highest “bookspiration” score. |
| C．The most attractive book festival. | D．The biggest second-hand bookstore. |
9 . Weeds and pests are “garden heroes” according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
The RHS is now encouraging gardeners to welcome weeds instead of considering them enemies. The rebranding(重塑形象)comes just in time for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, held by the RHS. In the show 4 out of 12 of the gardens will include “weed heroes” as an important part, according to Sheila Das, the RHS Wisley garden manager.
“If you’ve got a weed”, says Das, “it’s telling you what’s going on underground. Your weed is your adviser. It’s your friend. So don’t treat weeds as troubles, something growing where they shouldn’t. They are actually plants in the right place”.
Nettles(荨麻草)let a gardener know that the soil is rich in nitrogen, and fat hen, a weed often considered “troublesome”, is a sign that an area is low in nutrients.
Until last year, the RHS published a yearly “pest” list, including snails and slugs. But this year, to be more “biodiversity(生物多样性)positive”, they’ve published a list of the most beneficial wildlife into our garden, and both snails and slugs are making a comeback.
Sheila Das noted our gardens would be a duller place without those unpopular ones. Apart from food for hedgehogs, frogs and birds, slugs and snails are excellent for recycling dead plant and animal waste, helping to keep soil healthy.
These are just the first steps towards the RHS’s goal towards better biodiversity. Sheila Das said, “The RHS has realized the role of gardens in supporting biodiversity and it will no longer call any garden wildlife as ‘pests’. Instead, there will be greater consideration of the role that weeds, slugs, and snails play in a balanced garden eco-system together with more popular wildlife such as birds, hedgehogs and frogs. ”
1. Why does the rebranding come in time for the show?| A．The weeds’ gardens will win. | B．The weed heroes will be known. |
| C．It will be popular worldwide. | D．It will be an excellent competition. |
| A．Giving examples. | B．Introducing a topic. |
| C．Describing a scene. | D．Making comparison |
| A．They support a habitat for rich biodiversity. |
| B．They play a great part in wildlife protection. |
| C．They contain only popular weeds and insects. |
| D．They keep a balance between weeds and pests. |
| A．Pests are good advisers. | B．Weeds make a comeback. |
| C．Weeds and pests are our friends. | D．Heroes will win the flower show. |
10 . The artificial intelligence algorithms (算法) behind the program of an AI chat app, which has drawn attention for its ability to generate humanlike written responses to some of the most creative queries, might one day be able to help doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. Research from Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems recently proved that the program of the AI chat app can identify clues from spontaneous (自发的) speech that are 80% accurate in predicting the early stages of dementia (痴呆) .
The current practice for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease typically involves a medical history review and lengthy set of physical and neurological evaluations and tests. While there is still no cure for the disease, spotting it early can give patients more options for ways of treatment and support. Because the language disability is a symptom (症状) in 60%-80% of dementia patients, researchers have been focusing on programs that can pick up on unobvious clues, such as hesitation, making grammar and pronunciation mistakes and forgetting the meaning of words, as a quick test that could indicate whether or not a patient should have a full examination.
“The AI systemic approach to language analysis and production makes it a promising possibility for identifying the unobvious speech characteristics that may predict the beginning of dementia,” said Felix Agbavor, a doctoral researcher in the school and the lead author of the paper. “Training the app with a lot of data of interviews, some of which are with Alzheimer’s patients, would offer the information it needs to select speech patterns that could then be applied to identify markers in future patients.”
To build on these promising results, the researchers are planning to develop a web application that could be used at home or in a doctor’s office as a pre-screening tool.
“Our proof-of-concept shows that this could be a simple, accessible and fully sensitive tool for community-based testing,” Felix said. “This could be very useful for early screening and risk assessment before a clinical diagnosis.”
1. What does the underlined word “queries” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Solutions. | B．Details. | C．Comments. | D．Questions. |
| A．The hearing loss. | B．The speech barrier. |
| C．The increase of age. | D．The difficulty in moving. |
| A．Promising. | B．Confusing. | C．Challenging. | D．Complex |
| A．The AI algorithms behind an app has drawn attention |
| B．Speech patterns could be applied to identify Alzheimer’s |
| C．An AI chat app may help detect early signs of Alzheimer’s |
| D．A medical history review is involved in diagnosing dementia |
