1 . I was sixty-eight years old and retired when our church (教堂) joined a prison service group. We went on a tour of the women prison (监狱). The metal doors gave me a sense of
Then Margo, a young but experienced volunteer in the prison,
Later, Margo and I scheduled our first visit.
Fifteen years have passed now and I
| A．curiosity | B．fear | C．surprise | D．sadness |
| A．rarely | B．especially | C．even | D．just |
| A．invited | B．forced | C．allowed | D．hired |
| A．control | B．influence | C．cheat | D．judge |
| A．capacity | B．patience | C．confidence | D．reputation |
| A．Moreover | B．Therefore | C．Otherwise | D．However |
| A．planned | B．refused | C．managed | D．offered |
| A．stay | B．speak | C．come | D．walk |
| A．nervously | B．excitedly | C．expectantly | D．angrily |
| A．survive | B．escape | C．relax | D．change |
| A．encouraging | B．interesting | C．polite | D．tough |
| A．congratulating | B．asking | C．thanking | D．observing |
| A．stop | B．struggle | C．forget | D．continue |
| A．satisfaction | B．interest | C．disappointment | D．wish |
| A．hidden | B．same | C．mental | D．wooden |
2 . Every morning in graduate school, Christy would wave to the woman selling hot dogs outside her building. “If she wasn’t there on a given day, things didn’t feel right. I missed her,” says Christy, now a psychology (心理学) expert at a university in the U.K. “It was this huge source of comfort and safety, and it was with someone I never talked to.”
That connection satisfied a deep, bodily need for Christy, just like water relieves thirst. Humans are intensely social animals, and research increasingly suggests that losing our connections to others can negatively impact our health. A 2023 report called widespread loneliness in the U.S. a deadly health risk comparable to smoking up to15 cigarettes (香烟) a day. On the other hand, a Harvard study found that having strong relationships is key to living a long and happy life. The study also showed that people between 80 and 89 years old in happy marriages reported that their happiness remained stable even on days when they were in greater physical pain.
But close relationships aren’t the only social ties that matter. Chatting with a stranger, giving a smile of recognition to the waiter in your local coffee shop, or waving to the people you see every day at the park creates a much-needed sense of community. “We can’t achieve happiness by ourselves. We simply cannot survive or live well without feeling like we are accepted,” says Christy.
These “weak tie” relationships aren’t a replacement for the deeper, more meaningful connections we also need. But Christy says we should recognize and celebrate their importance, and push ourselves to engage in them because they’re so beneficial to our sense of well-being. “I am not outgoing,” she says. “And, at the same time, I love talking to strangers. I believe that anyone can do it.”
1. How did Christy feel when she couldn’t see the woman as usual?| A．Safe. | B．Disappointed. | C．Angry. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．Older adults feel happier in marriages. |
| B．Physical pain negatively affects happiness. |
| C．Close relationships lead to long-term well-being. |
| D．Happiness has little to do with social connections. |
| A．They contribute to our happiness. | B．They help us to be outgoing. |
| C．They replace close relationships. | D．They push us to communicate. |
| A．Advantages of Being Lonely | B．Influence of Meeting New People |
| C．Value of Strong Social Connections | D．Importance of “Weak Tie” Relationships |
3 . Young babies make many short and word-like sounds such as “ba” or “aga”. Those early sounds are later replaced with words and, eventually, sentences. While some of them are born to be more talkative than others, a new study confirms that male babies make more sounds than female babies in the first year.
While the research confirms earlier findings from a much smaller study by the same team, they still come as a surprise. That’s because there’s a common and long-held belief that females have an advantage over males in language.
In the study, Dr Kim and his team included more than 450,000 hours of all-day recordings of 5,899 babies, using a device about the size of an iPod. Those recordings were processed to count the number of words spoken by babies and adults across the first two years of life.
Generally, the data showed that male babies made 10% more sounds in the first year compared to females. In the second year, the difference turned directions, with female babies making about 7% more sounds than males. Those differences were observed even though the number of words spoken by adults caring for those babies was higher for female babies in both years compared to males.
Why, then, would male babies be more talkative than females in the first year and not later? “We think it may be because boys are more likely to die in the first year than girls. Given that so many male deaths happen in the first year, boys may have been under especially high selection pressure to produce fitness signals to express their wellness and improve their chances of surviving,” says Kim. By the second year of life, as death rates drop sharply across the board, he added, “the pressure on special fitness signaling is lower for both boys and girls.”
1. Why are the findings of the new study surprising?| A．They are similar to earlier ones. |
| B．They show males are more talkative. |
| C．They go against people’s common belief. |
| D．They show babies learn language differently |
| A．They received more language input. |
| B．They showed better language abilities. |
| C．They communicated more with adults. |
| D．They made less sounds than female babies. |
| A．Improved language skills. | B．Change in living environment. |
| C．Less need for fitness signaling. | D．Increase in social communication. |
The boat was on the inside of the huge whirlpool and we were going round in circles at great speed. I saw clearly that there were other objects in the whirlpool — trees and barrels. After a while, I became curious about the whirlpool itself. I then made three important observations. The first, the larger the bodies were, the more rapidly they fell; the second, between two objects of equal extent, spheres — round objects — fell down less rapidly; and the third, between two objects of the same size, cylinders — objects shaped like a tube-fell down more slowly. Although I didn’t know why it was so, I tied myself to a barrel to help me float. I tried to make my brother understand, but he was too frightened and stayed in the heavy boat. Without waiting, I jumped into the sea to try and escape.
Since my escape, I have had several conversations with an old physics teacher; and it was from him that I learned the use of the words “cylinder” and “sphere”. He explained to me the reasons for what I observed, although I have forgotten the explanation. He even showed me how it happened that a cylinder, swimming in a vortex (漩涡), was drawn in with greater difficulty than an equally big body, of any form whatever.
1. Why has the storyteller forgotten the teacher’s explanation?| A．He was too afraid to listen carefully. |
| B．He didn’t know much about physics. |
| C．The teacher didn’t explain the ideas clearly. |
| D．The teacher didn’t understand his observations. |
| A．He kept calm. | B．He observed carefully. |
| C．He jumped into the sea. | D．He tied himself to a barrel. |
5 . On September 17, 2022, a father and son set out to begin the first of three legs of the Ironman competition in Oxford. David, 59, and his son, John, 28, weren’t the typical competitors. Despite difficulty in walking, John has his dream of being an athlete. His father would act as his arms and legs, carrying the weight of his son throughout the race.
To qualify as having finished, competitors must complete a hard 140 miles of swimming, bicycling and running in under 17 hours. David and John had participated together in five Ironman competitions, but they had yet to finish in the required time.
The race began with a 2.4-mile swim in the Choptank River. With one end of a rope tied to a belt around his back and the other end to a boat with his son inside, the father eased himself into the water. Swimming while carrying another person is tough enough — David also had to fight with jellyfish (水母).
The pair completed the swim in 90 minutes, and went through with the 112-mile bicycle ride in about nine hours, then set their sights on the final leg of the 26.2-mile marathon with David pushing John in the racing chair.
With minutes left and 200 feet to the finish line, his mom, on the sidelines, handed him the rolling walker. Not that long ago, John could hardly walk 23 steps. But after years of painful training, he increased his step count and was determined to finish the race on his own. He knew time was almost running out and worried they wouldn’t make the cutoff. “Not because I wouldn’t get my moment,” he says, “but because dad had worked so hard.”
After 16 hours, 55 minutes and 35 seconds — with just four minutes and 25 seconds to spare — father and son crossed the finish line together.
As the crowd flooded and cheered on John, the weary father kept a low profile. “He didn’t want his finish line moment,” says John. “He wanted it to be mine.”
1. How did David help his son in the swimming part?| A．By pulling a rope tied to a boat. | B．By swimming beside his son. |
| C．By pushing his son’s lifebelt. | D．By carrying his son on his back. |
| A．He wouldn’t get his moment. |
| B．His mom would be disappointed. |
| C．His father had put in lots of effort. |
| D．The audience had high expectations. |
| A．Responsible and selfless. | B．Brave and honest. |
| C．Committed and friendly. | D．Gentle and determined. |
6 . Every time Oksana Chusovitina competes in a gymnastics event, she catches the audience’s attention. The Hangzhou Asian Games proved no exception. When the 48-year-old Uzbek gymnast took part in the event on Monday, thousands of audiences cheered for “Qiu Ma”, which translates to “Mother Chusovitina”.
“I’m touched by Chusovitina’s story. She tried to save her son and just never gave up. She is beautiful both as an athlete and as a mother,” said Zhang Anqi, a Hangzhou local who attended the event.
After completing her competition, Chusovitina blew a kiss to the audience and formed a “heart” shape with her hands. “It is the love and support of the people that keep me going and give me the strength to achieve more,” Chusovitina said. “I am not very satisfied with my performance tonight. Actually, I was a little over-excited. I will increase the difficulty in the final,” she added.
Chusovitina has a storied history at the Asian Games, having won eight medals, including two golds in 2002. Her Olympic journey began in 1992, representing the former Soviet Union. She later stood for Uzbekistan. When Chusovitina’s son got a serious illness in 2002, she chose to take German citizenship (国籍) to compete at global events for a higher income and better medical treatment. She took her Uzbek citizenship in 2013 again.
Her heartfelt feeling, “I dare not grow old until you are well,” has moved many. After her son’s recovery, Chusovitina continued her gymnastics journey simply out of love for the sport. Though she announced her retirement after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she decided to return shortly after. “The biggest power is my desire. I want to perform. I love gymnastics, and it brings me great joy. I’m just doing what I love, so why should I stop?” Chusovitina said.
1. What made Chusovitina a beautiful mother?| A．Her attractive personality. |
| B．Her determination to save her son. |
| C．Her being a good example to her son. |
| D．Her ability to balance work and family. |
| A．Her love for gymnastics. |
| B．Her strong desire to win. |
| C．Her joy of her son’s recovery. |
| D．Her eagerness for higher income. |
| A．Deep Love for Gymnastics |
| B．A Great Athlete and Mother |
| C．Chusovitina’s Return to Gymnastics |
| D．A Touching Story of Mother and Son |
7 . Ismael Esteban, in third place, was just ahead of his competitor, Agustin Navarro, with only 300 metres to the finishing line. Esteban had been cycling as hard as he could for hours and with the finishing line in sight all the cyclists began to speed up to cross it. Then, suddenly Esteban got a puncture. What should he do? Give up or continue? Esteban threw his bike over his shoulders and raced towards the finishing line.
Just a few seconds later, fourth-placed Navarro caught up with him. Surely, he could simply overtake Esteban and come third. But Navarro slowed down and let Esteban run ahead of him. The two cyclists reached the finishing line with Esteban ahead on foot, Navarro just behind him. Navarro had let Esteban finish in third place, while he came fourth. The audience was amazed at his show of sportsmanship and cheered and clapped for the cyclists. After the race, Navarro said, “I didn’t want to win that way.” Later, Esteban, who won the bronze medal, tried to give his medal to Navarro. However, Navarro refused and his response was: “Offering me the prize was worth more than what I did for him.”
1. What can show the cyclists’ sportsmanship?| A．Esteban offered Navarro his medal. | B．Navarro refused to overtake Esteban. |
| C．Esteban refused to accept the medal. | D．Navarro sped up to catch up with Esteban. |
| A．Support the teammates. | B．Respect the rules of the game. |
| C．Practice leads to perfect performance. | D．Don’t take advantage of others’ troubles. |
8 . With video meetings, taking selfies (自拍) and posting on social media, it’s easier to see one’s own image online. And for some people, this can lead to feelings of appearance dissatisfaction. In the past few years, screen time has increased for both adults and children. What’s worse, recent research suggests that the video and photo images we see of ourselves are distorted (扭曲的).
One study found that those who spent more time comparing their appearance during a video call experienced lower appearance satisfaction. This study also found that people who used more photo-editing features in video chat were more likely to compare themselves with others and spend more time looking at themselves on video calls.
A 2023 study found that discomfort with one’s appearance during video meetings led to an increased attention to appearance, which in turn led to poor work performance. Researchers also suggest that appearance dissatisfaction is connected with boredom in online meetings. The research reports that this could be due to negative attention to oneself and worry about being looked at or being negatively treated based on appearance.
If you find yourself criticizing (批评) your appearance every time in a video call, it may be time to be intentional about paying more attention to what other people are saying instead of looking at your own face.
When it comes to helping others who have difficulty with appearance dissatisfaction, it is important to care more about the person’s qualities beyond appearance. When viewing yourself or your partners on video and social media, try viewing the person as a whole and not as parts of a body.
Reducing screen time can make a difference as well. Research shows that reducing social media use by 50% can improve appearance satisfaction in both teens and adults. When used in a right way, video chatting and social media are tools to connect us with others, which finally is a key piece in satisfaction and well-being.
1. Who is more likely to suffer from appearance dissatisfaction?| A．Children who like taking selfies. |
| B．Adults who often attend video meetings. |
| C．Teenagers who enjoy posting on social media. |
| D．People who always compare appearance in video chatting. |
| A．Less focus on one’s own image. |
| B．Harmful effects on work performance. |
| C．Anger about being looked at by others. |
| D．Boredom of looking at one’s own face. |
| A．By taking their words seriously. | B．By caring much about their faces. |
| C．By viewing them as parts of a body. | D．By placing importance on their qualities. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Positive. | C．Balanced. | D．Worried |
9 . Many youngsters in China enjoy gathering a couple of good friends and taking a relaxing walk through the streets, which is a popular form of visiting a new city, that is, Citywalk. They can follow a special urban route (路线), exploring old building, drinking a cup of coffee, or eating local snacks. It can be a special guided trip for a small group of people, or simply a relaxing walk for one or two to explore new areas, sticking to the key point: avoiding famous tourist attractions and big crowds to get a more interesting experience of the places you visit.
In China, the Citywalk trend (趋势) is spreading from big cities like Beijing and Shanghai to other cities, encouraging more people to take part. Xiao Yiyi is a young visitor from Changsha exploring new possibilities while traveling. Recently she tried six Citywalk routes to walk in different cities and posted them on her social media account, with the aim of sharing experiences to “walk in open-air museums”.
Citywalk not only offers a way for young people to interact with a city but also provides an opportunity for people who share the same interests and ideas to easily make friends. Xiao Yiyi said her group usually includes a few or so people and her trips last around half a day.
Even though Citywalk is a new trend, industry insiders say that its future possibility is huge. It is offering a beneficial change to travelers as they can better choose the experiences that suit their interests and needs. At the same time, Citywalk gives an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer a more professional service to meet ever-changing market needs.
1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us about Citywalk?| A．What it is. | B．Why it is popular. |
| C．Who take part in it. | D．What routes are popular. |
| A．It offers many routes to choose from. |
| B．It enables travelers to socialize with others. |
| C．It attracts people to famous tourist attractions. |
| D．It allows people to spend more time on travel. |
| A．To introduce a new travel trend. |
| B．To encourage readers to organize a trip. |
| C．To point out the importance of Citywalk. |
| D．To explain why Citywalk becomes popular. |
10 . Imunek narrowly avoided a disaster last year. At that time, Imunek already had a 1 year old and was eight months pregnant with her second kid. She was still working her job as a bus driver for local
The day was fairly
She
Although Imunek breathed in a good amount of smoke, she and her baby were found to be
| A．workers | B．travelers | C．students | D．villagers |
| A．tough | B．challenging | C．comfortable | D．natural |
| A．bus | B．car | C．street | D．world |
| A．smell | B．smoke | C．fire | D．noise |
| A．stopped | B．started | C．continued | D．tried |
| A．got off | B．went away | C．pulled over | D．stood up |
| A．afforded | B．agreed | C．promised | D．wanted |
| A．decide | B．hope | C．imagine | D．record |
| A．chance | B．lesson | C．conversation | D．task |
| A．chose | B．taught | C．knew | D．carried |
| A．politely | B．calmly | C．actively | D．easily |
| A．last | B．first | C．only | D．slow |
| A．healthy | B．weak | C．attractive | D．helpless |
| A．support | B．thanks | C．understanding | D．worries |
| A．good-looking | B．easy-going | C．fast-talking | D．quick-thinking |
