1 . When micro-plastics end up in farm fields, the pollution can damage plant growth. But two young researchers now report that combining fungi (真菌) with certain farm wastes can partly overcome that problem.
May Shin, 20, and Jiwon Choi, 18, met in a research design class at the Fryeburg Academy, a high school in Maine. May had desired to explore how micro-plastics might affect the ecosystem. Jiwon was crazy about plants and fungi. The young scientists cooperated to test how long-lived plastics might affect farm crops.
Scientists have shown certain fungi can aid root growth and a plant’s nutrient uptake. Those organisms are named arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Certain farm wastes, like straw, can provide nutrients to plants and help stabilize their roots. Such wastes are also known as mushroom substrate (基质) and people often grow mushrooms in them.
May and Jiwon planted over 2,000 scallion (大葱) seeds in pots of soil. Half the seeds got soil polluted with micro-plastics. The rest grew in plastic-free soil. The plants then were further divided into four groups. The young scientists added AMF to the soil in one group. Another group had a top layer of mushroom substrate. A third group got both treatments. The last group got none. For three weeks, the pair tracked how many scallions sprouted (发芽) in each group and measured the plants’ height once each week.
About twice as many scallions sprouted in clean soil compared to that containing plastic bits. But among plants surviving in the polluted soil, a combination of AMF and mushroom substrate helped them out. Those getting both treatments grew 5.4 centimeters per week. That was faster than either of the treatments alone or those getting none.
Jiwon and May then looked at the plant roots with a microscope. Where AMF had been added, it grew into those roots. That increased the scallion roots’ surface area, May said, which should promote their uptake of nutrients. So “I see this project as coming up with a sustainable solution for plant growth in polluted soils,” said May.
1. Why did May and Jiwon work together?| A．To see the effects of long-lived plastics on farm crops. |
| B．To find the relationship between plants and fungi. |
| C．To design a research on the growth of plants. |
| D．To explore the way that the ecosystem works. |
| A．To prove the existence of micro-plastics. | B．To compare fungi with farm wastes. |
| C．To tell the advantages of farm wastes. | D．To provide some related information. |
| A．Its purpose. | B．Its design. | C．Its findings. | D．Its reasons. |
| A．By keeping the plants more resistant to pollution. | B．By allowing the plants’ deep area more freedom. |
| C．By making nutrients more available to the plants. | D．By exposing the roots to a larger surface area. |
2 . What’s On
Master’s teens
Forceful Cuts, now running at the Art Museum of China Profiles, through to Sept 17, shows the late artist Huang Yongyu’s efforts in woodcut art. His woodcuts show a good assessment of human nature, with wisdom and humor. Huang once said he lived every day in the same serious way as he worked on wood, “paying great attention to every cut”.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.
66 Shapowei, Daxue Road, Siming district, Xiamen, Fujian province.
Art into soul
Two artists Xu Li and Andrey Kovalchuk are presenting an exhibition at Shanghai’s New Art Museum, through to July 30. Xu is showing dozens of his oil paintings. Kovalchuk, who chairs the Russian artists association, brings 24 sculptures. The show compares the cultural traditions and individual concerns of the two cultures.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.
1528 Gumei Road, Shanghai.
Eternal glare
The use of raw lacquer (生漆) to better preserve objects, such as bowls, and meanwhile decorate life can date back to the Neolithic culture in China. Throughout centuries, lacquer art has been viewed as an important part of Hubei’s cultural heritage (遗产). Dozens of fine examples of this art from the collection of the Hubei Museum of Art are now on show at World of Lacquer, an exhibition running through to July 30, at the Anhui Art Museum.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.
1 Chengdu Road, Binhu New District, Hefei, Anhui province.
Academy work
Over 240 paintings, prints, sculptures and seal engravings (篆刻) are on show at the gallery of the China National Academy of Painting until July 8, offering a look of the works of academy artists all over the country. The exhibition shows works done in the traditional style and new explorations.
9 am-4:30 pm, closed on Mondays.
54 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian district, Beijing.
1. What can you enjoy at the Art Museum of China Profiles?| A．Lacquer art. | B．Oil paintings. | C．Woodcuts. | D．Seal engravings. |
| A．The Anhui Art Museum. | B．Shanghai’s New Art Museum. |
| C．The Art Museum of China Profiles. | D．The China National Academy of Painting. |
| A．It is not open to the public on Mondays. | B．It compares two different cultural traditions. |
| C．It tells the story of a late artist. | D．It shows works of academy artists across the country. |
3 . Conflict (冲突) between teenagers and parents happens for a lot of reasons. Sometimes conflict happens between teenagers and parents just because conflict happens between human beings anyway. Humans have different needs, different feelings, different opinions about what they want, and the relationship with people can be really difficult. However, teenagers can cause further conflict because of the hormonal (生理的) changes that are happening and the stage of life that they're in.
Teenagers and parents have different understanding about rules and at times they find it difficult to look into the future. So parents and teenagers will often experience conflict about many things, do chores, homework, whether teenagers speak respectfully or not and about what they're allowed to do.
Before we think about rule boundaries (界线) for teenagers, we need to make sure that we have a really good relationship base. There's no point saying “From now on, you have to listen to me”: if you don't have a positive relationship with your teenager. We need to go back and make sure there is some degree of shared respect, and some degree of positive communication and enjoyment being together. you do that first, it means that rule boundaries are a lot easier to set up.
Often we're dealing with conflict on the fly. This is not the right time to be dealing with it. We really want parents and teenagers to sit down and think about the kinds of things that may happen in the house before the problems come. The more detailed your rule boundaries are for teenagers, the more likely it is that they are going to follow them. So this means we don't have rule boundaries like “Have the bathroom cleaned”. It needs to be “The floors mopped, nothing on the countertop and the mirrors cleaned by ten o'clock every Saturday”: Rule boundaries need to be written down, and set out ahead of time so the teenager knows exactly what's expected.
1. What's important to set up a rule boundary easily for teenagers?| A．Being strict from the start. | B．Developing a good relationship with them first. |
| C．Saying"No" to their requirements. | D．Avoiding close talks with them. |
| A．Doing some housework. | B．Having a good reading habit. |
| C．Cleaning the bathroom. | D．Finishing your homework by five. |
| A．In a hurry. | B．On the plane. | C．By oneself. | D．Another day. |
| A．Growing Pains | B．Teenage Problems |
| C．Parent-Child Conflict and Solutions | D．Knowing the Conflict |
4 . In a world where acts of kindness often go unnoticed, a good story that has been discovered reminds us of the power of care and the effect it can have on someone’s life.
It all started with a “Kindness Week Challenge” given to Brennan by his 8th-grade teacher, Ms. Watkins. Little did he know that this challenge would lead to a wonderful friendship with 84-year-old Ms. Ann.
Brennan’s promise to send his little attractive things every day for a week developed a habit of checking up on Ms. Ann and sending gifts regularly(定期地), long after the challenge was over.
Their friendship has now lasted for over five years, and Brennan still visits Ms. Ann every month with flowers, cakes, chocolates, cards and more.
They talk about everything from his high school life to his college goals. The pair has found that they share a common love of chocolates. Ms. Ann always hopes to hear about what he’s doing and loves to share her own stories from a different time. They have become the best friends, with Brennan treating her as his great-grandmother.
Brennan’s mom, Traci, takes pride in her son. She said, “The best thing a teenager can do is to take care of the elderly. I’m so glad my son has added more sunshine to Ms. Ann’s life. I hope he always remembers the joy he’s brought her, and his fun talks with her, keeps his kind heart, and thinks of others.”
Ms. Ann’s daughter Emma, with her husband Gould, has a 2-year-old son. They are thankful for Brennan’s friendship as they cannot always be with Ms. Ann. Brennan’s kind heart has brought more sunshine into Ms. Ann’s life, and her encouraging words have helped to inspire(启发)him in return.
1. How did the task “Kindness Week Challenge” affect Brennan?| A．He discovered his love of chocolates. |
| B．He became a good friend of Ms. Ann. |
| C．He developed a habit of receiving gifts. |
| D．He learned how to choose attractive things. |
| A．Flowers. | B．Cakes. | C．Chocolates. | D．Cards. |
| A．His kindness to others. |
| B．His talent for telling stories. |
| C．His good performances at school. |
| D．His ability to earn money for the gifts. |
| A．Worried. | B．Sorry. | C．Thankful. | D．Surprised. |
5 . If you want to understand China but can’t afford an expensive international flight, these four books can give you a complete overview of the country.
River Town
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler-This book is a journal of the author’s two years spent teaching English in a small town called Fuling, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River. Hessler writes about his experiences living in a foreign culture and observing the lives of the town’s residents. The book was published in 2001 and has won several awards, including the Kiriyama Prize.
Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
It is a book that tells the story of China’s modernization. It was written by Ezra Vogel and published in 2011. The author describes how Deng Xiaoping’s policies led to significant changes in China’s economy and society. The book has received critical honors and won the Lionel Gelber Prize In 2012.
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence
This book is a comprehensive history of China from the Ming dynasty to the present day. The author, a prominent scholar of Chinese history, provides a detailed analysis of the social, cultural, and political changes that have taken place in China over the past 500 years. The book was first put out in 1990 and has since been revised and updated several times. This book was the top bestseller for years.
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
Written by Leslie T. Chang, this book, published in 2008, is reportage on the lives of young women who leave their rural homes to work in factories in China’s cities. Chang, a former New York Times correspondent (someone who is employed by a newspaper or a television station etc. to report news from a particular area or on a particular subject), interviewed hundreds of factory girls to provide insight into the social and economic changes in China.
1. What kind of book is River Town?| A．Science fiction. | B．Nonfiction. |
| C．A travel guide of Fuling. | D．A reference book. |
| A．It was published 500 years ago. | B．It was written by a history teacher. |
| C．It was very popular. | D．It has remained the same since its first publication. |
| A．River Town. |
| B．Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. |
| C．The Search for Modern China. |
| D．Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China. |
The beans cry in the pot
We grow from the same root (根)
Why should we boil each other with such impatience?
The poem is thought to be written by Cao Zhi, one of Cao Cao’s sons, Cao, who lived between 192 and 232 during the Three Kingdoms period.
It is said that after Cao Cao’s death, his oldest son Cao Pi became the emperor. Cao Pi was jealous (嫉妒的) of his younger brother Cao Zhi’s talent, so he wanted to find an excuse to kill him. One day, Cao Pi ordered Cao Zhi to make a poem about their relationship within seven steps, and was determined (决定) to have the younger brother killed if he failed. Cao Zhi then made the poem in front of him, which showed Cao Pi’s cruel idea to kill his own brother. Cao Pi, feeling ashamed, let Cao Zhi go in the end.
In China, the poem is taught to primary school students and is often used by people to describe unnecessary competitions or fighting between people, businesses, or organizations who are in the same area or want the same things.
The poem was posted on Tweeter by the CEO of Tesla and Space X Elon Musk, and it was given a title Humankind on purpose by Musk. The post drew tons of attention on both Western and Chinese social media, and internet users have been guessing what it was used for. People thought it could be an answer to the director of UN food organization, who mentioned that world hunger could be stopped if Elon Musk could give away 2% of his wealth.
1. The poem is said to be written by ________.| A．Cao Cao | B．Cao Zhi | C．Cao Pi | D．Elon Musk |
| A．Cao Zhi was one of his brothers |
| B．Cao Pi was jealous of Cao Zhi’s talent |
| C．Cao Zhi refused to follow Cao Pi’s orders |
| D．Cao Pi wanted to become the only son of Cao Cao |
| A．his brother was cruel to him | B．he was not afraid of his brother |
| C．the beans were close to its stalks | D．the beanstalk should die for its beans |
| A．Elon Musk posted the poem on Tweeter for fun. |
| B．Only Western internet users noticed the poem. |
| C．The purpose of the poem became a hot topic. |
| D．Elon Musk is mean and doesn’t care about others. |
7 . Why did Chinese people have more than one name in ancient times?
In ancient China, people’s names had three parts, their family name, given name and courtesy name. Take famous poet Li Bai for example. His family name, which came from his father’s name, was Li. His given name was Bai, and his courtesy name was Taibai.
People used their given names when they were among family members. But in social life, they called each other by their courtesy names to show respect. This was mostly done among people of similar ages. If you were talking about yourself, or if your elders were talking about you, the given name would be used instead of the courtesy name.
Men would get their courtesy names when they turned 20. It was a symbol of adulthood (成年礼). Women would get their courtesy names after getting married.
One’s courtesy name often had something to do with one’s given name. For example, the name of Mencius was Meng Ke. His courtesy name was Ziyu. Both Ke and Ziyu mean “carriage (马车)”. Zhuge Liang’s given name was Liang, which means “bright”. His courtesy name was Kongming, which means “very bright”.
1. How many parts are there in people’s names in ancient China?| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
| A．To show their love. | B．To show their good relationship. |
| C．To show their kindness. | D．To show their respect. |
| A．Family name. | B．Nickname. |
| C．Given name. | D．Courtesy name. |
| A．By telling stories. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By comparing differences. | D．By listing numbers. |
8 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug.8 and ends on Aug.22. Start of Autumn reflects the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The following are 4 things you should know about Start of Autumn.
“Autumn Tiger”
Although Start of Autumn indicates the beginning of autumn, hot weather will not come to an end. The period of hot days after Start of Autumn, usually lasting for 30 days, is called “Autumn Tiger” or “Indian Summer. ” Because of decreasing rainfall, it is even much hotter during this period than during Major Heat.
Fleshing out in autumn
On the first day of the Start of Autumn, usually people will weigh themselves and compare their weight to what it was at the Start of Summer. If one has lost weight during the summer, then at the beginning of autumn, he or she needs to flesh out by eating many different kinds of delicious food, especially meat.
Gathering crops
Start of Autumn is a big solar term for farmers. It is time to gather crops. There is a saying: If it rains on the day of the Start of Autumn, a good harvest is expected.
Eating peaches
In Hangzhou, people eat peaches on the Start of Autumn day. The peach stones are kept until New Year’s Eve and thrown into the stove, burned into ash. People believed that in this way, plagues (瘟疫) could be prevented for the whole year.
1. Which is about the weather of Start of Autumn?| A．“Autumn Tiger”. | B．Fleshing out in autumn. |
| C．Gathering crops. | D．Eating peaches. |
| A．Weigh themselves more often. | B．Take exercise more frequently. |
| C．Put on more weight in autumn. | D．Consume more fresh vegetables. |
| A．To keep away from bad luck. | B．To cure infectious diseases, |
| C．To plant peaches in the new year. | D．To pray for a healthy new year. |
9 . Many educators fear students will use the artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT to write their reports or cheat on homework. But other teachers are including it in the classroom.
Donnie Piercey is a teacher in Lexington, Kentucky. He told his 5th-grade students to try and beat the tool that was creating writing tasks. Piercey says his job is to prepare students for a world where knowledge of Al will be required. He describes ChatGPT as just the newest technology in his 17 years of teaching that caused worry about the possibility of cheating.“As educators, we haven’t worked out the best way to use AI yet,” he added. “But it’s coming, whether we want it to or not.”
One lesson in his class was a writing game between students and the machine.
Piercey asked students to “Find the Bot”. Each student wrote a short report about boxer Muhammad Ali. Then they tried to find out which was written by ChatGPT.
After playing “Find the Bot”, Piercey asked his class what skills it helped them learn.“How to properly summarize and correctly capitalize words and use commas.” said one student. Another student felt that sentences written by students “have a little more feeling... more flavor.” Students Laksi and McCormick, both 10, said they could see the good and bad parts of working with chat bots. They can help students who have trouble putting their thoughts into writing. McCormick said students could use it for suggestions, but should not use it to do all the work. “You shouldn’t take advantage of it,” McCormick said, “You’re not learning anything if you type in what you want, and then it gives you the answer.”
1. Which opinion will Donnie Piercey possibly agree with?| A．The best way to use AI is to put it in classroom. |
| B．Students should not use AI for all tasks. |
| C．Students should be prepared to live with AI. |
| D．AI is the best tool to help with students’ learning. |
| A．summarizing given texts properly | B．capitalizing words correctly |
| C．correct use of commas | D．adding more flavor to sentences |
| A．totally depend on chat bots |
| B．search for some suggestions |
| C．want to learn something with it |
| D．have difficulty expressing thoughts in writing |
| A．Environment. | B．History. | C．Travel. | D．Science. |
10 . Asia,the largest continent on Earth,is home to more than half of the world’s population. With so many different cultures and languages, each country is worth a lifetime to travel around. Here are some top countries for you to have an unforgettable travel experience .
China
China owns one of the world’s oldest civilizations(文明). Wherever you go, you can easily recognize many amazing historical and cultural landmarks. For example, the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Army in Xi’an and the Forbidden City in Beijing attract many visitors all over the world. However,other people come to enjoy China’s beautiful scenery that includes high mountains and the Gobi Desert. As the most populous(人口多的)nation on Earth, China is also home to many modern cities.
India
Home to one of the world’s richest and oldest civilizations, India has many different cultures, religions, peoples and traditions. With the Himalayas lying in the north, jungle and beaches can be found in the rest of the country. From temples to food and history to wildlife, the beautiful country has something for everyone.
Thailand
Thailand is a very popular tourist attraction. Its golden sands and beaches attract lots of people every year. Many also come to party in its beachside towns, visit some beautiful and peaceful islands such as Ko Tao, or enjoy the attractive scenery at Krabi.
Japan
Although it consists of almost 7,000 islands, most of Japan’s main sights and tourist attractions can be found on the four largest of them. Lying to the east of Asia, the island nation is an attractive place as a mixture of traditional palaces and modern buildings Covered in mountains and forests, the country is home to some delightful nature and scenery.
1. Which one is the most populous country on Earth?| A．China | B．Japan | C．India | D．Thailand |
| A．India and China | B．Japan and China |
| C．China and Thailand | D．India and Thailand |
| A．Sports | B．Music | C．Science | D．Travel |
