1 . Being a social butterfly just might change your brain: In people with a large network of friends and excellent social skills, certain brain regions are bigger and
The research suggests a
To investigate these brain
The researchers also tested whether the size of a person’s social network was connected with
The researchers couldn’t say whether social interaction
| A．better | B．more directly | C．less closely | D．worse |
| A．conflict | B．similarity | C．link | D．contrast |
| A．tell | B．show | C．ask | D．find |
| A．intentions | B．preferences | C．behaviors | D．habits |
| A．structures | B．highlights | C．differences | D．origins |
| A．academic difficulties | B．social interactions | C．personal problems | D．career advances |
| A．removed | B．adapted | C．replaced | D．enlarged |
| A．joyful | B．familiar | C．inspirational | D．distinct |
| A．Networked | B．Remote | C．Respective | D．Functional |
| A．positions | B．changes | C．roles | D．compositions |
| A．However | B．Again | C．Therefore | D．Rather |
| A．urban | B．smooth | C．twisty | D．country |
| A．minimized | B．drove | C．eliminated | D．demonstrated |
| A．assumed | B．rejected | C．concluded | D．announced |
| A．causality | B．feasibility | C．productivity | D．effectiveness |
2 . When people think of a typical mineral mine, it’s probably underground. It’s unlikely that the picture of plants and soft greenery would cross their minds. Now, new explorations into phytomining (植物采矿) may change that viewpoint. Instead of traditionally mining metals from rocks, phytomining uses plants as an alternative source for them. Using plants to extract metals can have significant environmental benefits over rock mining.
Phytomining was first studied in 1983, but it hasn’t yet been adopted by the metals industry. In 2004, Indonesian soil scientist Tjoa took her research to Sorowako, a small town in Indonesia with one of the largest nickel (镍) mining areas, to look into plants that continued to live after years of mining. She brought samples back to her lab and found that these super plants were more than just surviving — they were growing.
The plants were absorbing and storing nickel from the soil. Large amounts of metals kill most plants, but these, known as hyper-accumulators (超富集植物), were learning to adapt. If these plants were storing metal, that meant science could find a way to extract the minerals for use and quite frankly, scientists easily did. When the shoots are harvested and burned, the metals are separated from the plant material in the ashes.
Tjoa returned to Sorowako and spent years searching for new hyper-accumulator species. After a plant is considered a possibility, there’s a simple test paper that turns pink when placed against the leaf of a hyper-accumulator plant. Two local Indonesian plants were found but there are many others still to be discovered.
Tjoa’s research caught the attention of Bijasksana, a professor of rock magnetism. Together they designed an experiment to understand magnetic susceptibility (磁化率) when plants accumulate more nickel. Their research led to the discovery of two new species of hyper-accumulators. Besides, this research serves as the basis for the potential that plants can give to the mining industry, offering great advantages to our ecosystem and toward building a more sustainable future.
1. Why did Tjoa go to Sorowako in 2004?| A．To work with the local government. | B．To study the plants surviving mining. |
| C．To improve the soil of the small town. | D．To research into underground mining. |
| A．They are rich in metals. | B．They are free of minerals. |
| C．They are very easy to discover. | D．They are too fragile to survive. |
| A．Helping more plants to survive. | B．Testing out the mining industry. |
| C．Improving the extraction efficiency. | D．Finding more hyper-accumulators. |
| A．New Creative Mining Way Meets Challenges. |
| B．Plants Can Act as Sources of Many Metals. |
| C．Scientists Can Extract Minerals from Plants. |
| D．Phytomining Replaces Traditional Mining. |
3 . Bruno went into the kitchen and got the biggest surprise of his life. He could barely believe his eyes. “Shmuel!” he said. “What are you doing here in my kitchen?”
Shmuel looked up and his terrified face
He held his hand out and Bruno noticed that it was like the hand of the pretend skeleton. In reply, Bruno held his own hand out, which appeared
“Shmuel! Here!” said Bruno, stepping forward and putting some slices of chicken in his friend’s hand. “Just eat them.” The boy stared at the food in his hand for a moment and then looked up at Bruno with wide and
“Thank you, Bruno.” said Shmuel, giving a faint smile.
Bruno smiled back and was about to offer him more food, but just at that moment Lieutenant Kotler reappeared. Bruno stared at him, feeling the
“Answer me!” shouted Lieutenant Kotler.
“No, sir. He gave it to me,” said Shmuel, tears welling up in his eyes. “He’s my friend,” he added.
“Do you know this boy, Bruno?” he asked in a loud voice.
Bruno’s mouth
“Tell me, Bruno!” shouted Kotler, his face growing red. “I won’t ask you a third time.”
“I’ve
Hearing that, Shmuel wasn’t crying any more, merely staring at the floor and looking as if he was trying to
| A．searched for | B．broke into | C．wiped out | D．held back |
| A．mouths | B．wrists | C．figures | D．fingers |
| A．healthy | B．flexible | C．rough | D．slim |
| A．adventurous | B．straightforward | C．inspiring | D．different |
| A．sharp | B．curious | C．grateful | D．regretful |
| A．slice | B．glance | C．shadow | D．glass |
| A．atmosphere | B．breathing | C．responsibility | D．schedule |
| A．Comforting | B．Introducing | C．Ignoring | D．Avoiding |
| A．collect | B．steal | C．clean | D．remove |
| A．explanation | B．help | C．mercy | D．apology |
| A．dropped open | B．shut up | C．felt dry | D．worked fast |
| A．thrilled | B．guilty | C．awkward | D．terrified |
| A．frequently | B．rarely | C．never | D．occasionally |
| A．forbid | B．convince | C．warn | D．permit |
| A．pull | B．pass | C．fell | D．escape |
4 . Farmers and hunters are calling for an extension (延期) to the Victorian duck hunting season, saying certain species are doing great harm to crops and waterways and need to be controlled. This season runs from 8:00 am today and will end in 20 days, down from the usual 12 weeks, with a bag limit of five listed game ducks per day.
Wayne Shields grows leafy greens on the Mornington Peninsula and he said the decision to reduce the duck hunting season would take its toll on farmers. “The wood ducks are the ones causing all of the damage; the black ducks are no problem around here. The wood ducks come in at night and they just clean me out completely and they’ve done it a number of times over a number of years,” he said.
Mr. Shields and his wife, Natasha, run Peninsula Fresh Organics and he said there was nothing he could do to stop the invasion (入侵). “I nearly went broke a few years ago. Back then I was planting 10,000 lettuce (生菜) a week and they would quite happily eat 10,000 lettuce a week.” Due to the damage caused by the wood ducks, Mr. Shields said there should be a year-round open season on the wood ducks and farmers should be allowed to shoot birds.
Professor Richard Kingsford, Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW, said although the wood ducks ate crops, extending the duck season may not achieve what farmers wanted. He is calling on the government to invest more in research to address the threat certain species of waterbirds caused for some farmers, so other nonlethal (非致命的) ways to destroy the birds can be found.
1. How is this year’s duck hunting season different?| A．It is put off. | B．It is cut short. |
| C．It is about five species. | D．It takes place mainly on farms. |
| A．Make way for. | B．Keep an eye on. |
| C．Cause damage to. | D．Take control of. |
| A．The invasion of the black ducks. |
| B．The difficulty of keeping business. |
| C．The negative influence of the hunting season. |
| D．The daytime trouble caused by the wood ducks. |
| A．Scientifically managing them. |
| B．Encouraging hunters to catch them. |
| C．Extending the duck hunting season. |
| D．Using deadly ways to drive them away. |
5 . Kindness is seen as a true strength, and the success of civilizations relies on kindness. As parents and teachers, we also teach children from a young age to “be kind to one another” and “treat others the way you want to be treated.”
In addition to being helpful to our interpersonal relationships, research has shown that kindness can even contribute to our well-being. According to the Mayo Clinic, when we perform acts of kindness, the pleasure center in our brain is activated, releasing the stress-reducing hormone (激素). Individuals who volunteer on a regular basis report greater life satisfaction. And what is even greater is that kindness rarely stops with just one person. There can be a positive contagion (扩散) effect, where other people are motivated to be nice if they receive a random act of kindness. The question then arises: Could kindness be harmful to us when it has such clear benefits? Let’s think about this in the workplace or in an organization.
You are the new person on the team and you want to be well-liked and respected by your colleagues. You are a kind person and tell your team, “Let me know how I can help you; I’m always available to help.” Though you may truly mean this, there are unfortunately people in this world who can see your kindness as a weakness. This can lead to you being taken advantage of by others.
Let’s fast forward a year. You have been in your position now for one year, and you are working with the same team. You are noticing that your colleagues continue asking for your help over and over again. In fact, the only time they communicate with you is when they need something. You have been so helpful to your colleagues and there has rarely been any return from them.
In a very broad sense, it is advantageous to be kind to others, and your kind acts will be appreciated and, perhaps, paid forward. However, you need to be willing to say “no”. Recognize when your plate is already too full. When people ask you a favor, assess if you have the time, energy, and attention to give to them. To truly be kind, sometimes you need to be more comfortable saying “no” to others and saying “yes” to yourself.
1. What has the Mayo Clinic found concerning kindness?| A．It does good to our mind. |
| B．It reduces hormone levels. |
| C．It adds years to people’s life. |
| D．It leads to the success of civilizations. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Bored. | C．Disappointed. | D．Energetic. |
| A．When you’re too full to eat anything. |
| B．When your kind acts get appreciated. |
| C．When you should ask others a favor. |
| D．When you’re physically and mentally tired. |
| A．Your kindness counts for your well-being! |
| B．Are we tiring ourselves with kindness? |
| C．Why are random acts of kindness important? |
| D．Never underestimate the power of kindness at work! |
6 . Electronic timing is older than most people imagine and was used for the first time more than a hundred years ago at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Initially, the well-known company Ericsson was tasked with developing the technology, but it was the Swedish inventor Ragnar Carlstedt who eventually created the final product.
At the same time, Carlstedt introduced another invention: the finish line camera. The 1, 500-meter Olympic final was extremely close with Arnold Jackson from Great Britain winning by only 0.1 seconds. But it was impossible to decide on the silver medal since the two Americans Abel Kiviat and Norman Taber finished side by side. For the first time in history, the outcome of an Olympic event had to be settled based on a photo finish when Kiviat was judged to be “slightly ahead”.
The significance of these two inventions led a major newspaper to write: “Electronic timing at the Olympic Games. Simultaneous (同时发生的) timing and photography of contestants. A brilliant idea!”
The next step in timekeeping was the photo-finish camera with a time stamp imprinted on each picture, which was introduced at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. The 1948 Olympics saw the introduction of another invention with the continuous slit camera (狭缝摄影机), where a film behind a narrow slit rolls (滚动) with the same speed as the runners. Four years later the clocks were connected to the slit camera giving a solution of 1/100 s. But it was not until 1972 that official times were recorded to the 100th of a second.
The next big step in the eighties was to make the camera digital to speed up the feedback (反馈). But the idea behind the slit camera was kept and is still the basis of all timing systems for athletics used today. The only difference is that now there is a very narrow sensor array ( 阵列传感器) instead of the moving film.
After a century technology has reached the point where the whole timing system can be stored in a smartphone. So in a way, the circle was closed when SprintTimer, a sports timer and photo finish app, was developed in the same place and precisely a hundred years after Ragnar Carlstedt.
1. What do we know about electronic timing?| A．It was created in recent years. |
| B．It was first introduced at the Olympics. |
| C．It was developed by the well-known company Ericsson. |
| D．It was perfected by the Swedish inventor Ragnar Carlstedt. |
| A．The increasing need for a finish line camera. |
| B．The excellent performance of Arnold Jackson. |
| C．The significant role of Carlstedt's another invention. |
| D．The intense competition of the 1,500-meter Olympic final. |
| A．It avoided the use of a moving film. |
| B．It rolled with the same speed as the runners. |
| C．It made a 100th-of-a-second record possible. |
| D．It adopted a new idea for all timing systems used today. |
| A．Further improvement was discontinued. |
| B．The problem was back to the origin. |
| C．A new invention was created. |
| D．The issue was resolved. |
7 . The expression, “Everybody’s doing it,” is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n)
People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly
For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n)
However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at contests may be
Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so
| A．traditional | B．similar | C．peculiar | D．opposite |
| A．understandable | B．believable | C．acceptable | D．surprising |
| A．disapproval | B．failure | C．absence | D．independence |
| A．uncertain | B．practical | C．impossible | D．vague |
| A．promotes | B．prevents | C．simplifies | D．increases |
| A．challenge | B．inspiration | C．promise | D．addiction |
| A．recognize | B．abandon | C．decrease | D．define |
| A．avoid | B．encourage | C．decline | D．punish |
| A．pressured | B．respected | C．delighted | D．regretted |
| A．catch sight of | B．stay away from | C．make fun of | D．keep up with |
| A．taught | B．argued | C．urged | D．adapted |
| A．knowledge | B．interest | C．assistance | D．influence |
| A．specific | B．ridiculous | C．subtle | D．reasonable |
| A．consciousness | B．motivation | C．instinct | D．encouragement |
| A．motivation | B．danger | C．support | D．achievement |
8 . Driverless Automobiles-The Car That Parks Itself
Autonomous vehicles are arriving piecemeal, as more and more driving tasks are taken out of human hands. CARS that need no driver are just around the corner according to Google, which has been testing vehicles bristling with aerials and cameras on public roads in America. But Google does not make cars, so it will be up to firms that do to bring the
Volvo recently
In the past,
The Volvo test car, which looks like a(an)
Driverless cars would also need to communicate with one another, to
| A．benefit | B．technology | C．reality | D．priority |
| A．steadily | B．suddenly | C．surprisingly | D．necessarily |
| A．delivered | B．transported | C．demonstrated | D．eliminated |
| A．appoint | B．purchase | C．exchange | D．identify |
| A．expect | B．instruct | C．advise | D．forbid |
| A．in person | B．in advance | C．in general | D．in all |
| A．forced | B．possessed | C．launched | D．managed |
| A．prices | B．locations | C．designs | D．figures |
| A．besides | B．though | C．likewise | D．furthermore |
| A．limited | B．different | C．unsustainable | D．sufficient |
| A．observes | B．experiences | C．suspects | D．assumes |
| A．unique | B．original | C．imaginary | D．normal |
| A．appoint | B．avoid | C．appreciate | D．advocate |
| A．object to | B．stick to | C．adapt to | D．apply to |
| A．escape | B．exclude | C．enhance | D．engage |
9 . The New Technology and Travel Revolution
Technological advances have changed the way we travel, and these new developments promise an even more
Today, nobody
The cell phone has become our tour guide, travel agency, best restaurant locator, map, and more. It’s
This is why there’s a need to
Augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) have also entered the travel world, and the truth is that it’s a trend
In addition, we’re all familiar with Siri and Alexa, the
| A．relative | B．extensive | C．interactive | D．positive |
| A．in trouble | B．in store | C．in a box | D．in the middle |
| A．doubts | B．greets | C．concludes | D．reasons |
| A．individual | B．joint | C．separate | D．independent |
| A．innovative | B．peculiar | C．prevalent | D．initial |
| A．from all sides | B．side by side | C．on your side | D．by our side |
| A．place | B．devote | C．direct | D．adapt |
| A．recognition | B．reservation | C．support | D．revision |
| A．status | B．statue | C．environment | D．stair |
| A．regulating | B．restoring | C．eliminating | D．storing |
| A．instead of | B．due to | C．contrary to | D．along with |
| A．visual | B．digital | C．actual | D．virtual |
| A．enlist | B．participate | C．attach | D．resemble |
| A．specifically | B．generally | C．specially | D．equally |
| A．altered | B．performed | C．launched | D．imposed |
10 . Winter goes and summer comes. The tides
And how will I master these emotions so that each day will be
With this new knowledge I will make
| A．advance | B．disappear | C．exist | D．fall |
| A．native | B．colleague | C．supporter | D．part |
| A．jokes | B．secrets | C．experiences | D．awards |
| A．break in | B．wake up | C．take off | D．give out |
| A．constantly | B．temporarily | C．casually | D．elegantly |
| A．appear | B．blow | C．fade | D．spread |
| A．anxious | B．natural | C．additional | D．productive |
| A．sow | B．grow | C．separate | D．shelter |
| A．fold | B．follow | C．carry | D．load |
| A．react | B．review | C．recite | D．repeat |
| A．obtains | B．regards | C．allows | D．observes |
| A．chosen | B．seized | C．received | D．witnessed |
| A．self-awareness | B．self-control | C．self-esteem | D．self-pity |
| A．behind the scene | B．on the bottom line | C．at the end of the rope | D．out of sight |
| A．insignificant | B．improper | C．impolite | D．unconscious |
| A．concrete | B．inadequate | C．abstract | D．unmatched |
| A．use | B．fun | C．sure | D．sense |
| A．view | B．meeting | C．experiment | D．idiom |
| A．limited | B．reserved | C．prepared | D．afraid |
| A．salesman | B．player | C．architect | D．designer |
