1 . What are the Biggest Music Festivals in the world, and how to book them? This post will tell you about their dates, line ups and prices! And just a click of the mouse, you will get more detailed information.
Glastonbury Festival (UK)Glastonbury is renowned for its mix of music, from rock to pop and electronic. Besides music, the festival celebrates art, culture, and even has a free expression spirit. The Glastonbury Festival has been running since 1970 and has become a hot spot for music lovers worldwide.
Place: Pilton, Somerset, UK Price: Around $420
Date: June 21-25,2024 Line Up Includes: To be announced
Ultra Music Festival (USA)Ultra is an electronic music festival held annually in Miami, Florida. It’s a part of the larger Winter Music Conference. With its heart-pounding beats and top-tier EDM acts, Ultra has expanded its influence with events now in countries around the globe.
Place: Miami, Florida Price: To be announced
Date: May 22-24,2024 Line Up Includes: To be announced
Coachella (USA)The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, commonly referred to as Coachella, is an annual event held in Indio, California. Known for its diverse lineup of musical acts, art installations, and its celebrity attendees, it’s become a prominent fixture in pop culture and a must-attend for many festival-goers.
Place: Indio, California Price:3-day ticket costs $447.51
Date: April 12-14 & 19-21,2024 Line Up Includes: To be announced
Roskilde Festival (Denmark)Roskilde, based in Denmark, is one of Europe’s largest music and arts festivals. It has a rich history, running since 1971, and is run mainly by volunteers. The festival combines various musical genres, ensuring a comprehensive experience for attendees.
Place: Roskilde, Denmark Price: Around $350
Date: June 29 -July 6,2024 Line Up Includes: Burna Boy, Christine and more
1. If you are a fan of music with strong beats, which festival is your best choice?| A．Coachella. | B．Roskilde Festival. |
| C．Ultra Music Festival. | D．Glastonbury Festival. |
| A．It has a rich history. | B．It is the largest in Europe. |
| C．It includes a variety of music genres. | D．It is chiefly operated by volunteers. |
| A．A music magazine. | B．A personal blog. |
| C．An entertainment website. | D．A festival poster. |
2 . Scientists have long considered the question of whether and how plants communicate. For years, the topic sparked controversy. Books like 1973’s The Secret Life of Plants suggest that plants grow well if you sing or play classical music. Such statements were later debunked: Any evidence that music helps plants grow is not convincing at all. Still, researchers firmly believe there is some sort of communication going on between plants.
Plant communication is a complicated topic. What we do know is that plants have a wide range of mechanisms for communicating with each other and their surroundings. “It’s quite clear that plants are not just unresponsive victims, but that they are very aware of nearby things,” says Richard Karban, an entomologist at the University of California. “And they respond to reliable information.”
When a plant sends out chemicals in the air in response to a perceived threat, other sensitive leavcs on that same plant, as well as the leaves of their neighbors, perceive those signals and subsequently increase their own defenses. Karban’s research, for instance, shows that plants sound the alarm when they’re attacked by pests, so that other plants respond by growing faster and stronger. Even other species, like tobacco, can sense and react to the alarm.
In a study published in the journal Cell this March, Lilach Hadany, a professor at Tel Aviv University, put tomato and tobacco plants in an isolated box and then recorded ultrasonic (超声的) sounds. They experimented with, cutting stems or leaving them without water to simulate drought. The researchers found that the plants emitted (popping and clicking sounds at around 60 decibels in response, approximately as loud as human chatter. These sounds were at an ultrasonic frequency that humans can’t naturally hear, however. Hadany’s team even matched different sounds to the plants’ environment. And each type of stress could be matched with a specific, identifiable sound.
“We don’t know if they’re using the sound, or if the sounds are emitted in a completely passive way due to physiological changes,” Hadany says. “But we do know they are in the air, and they contain information.”
1. What does the underlined word “debunked” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Confirmed. | B．Ignored. | C．Disproved. | D．Promoted. |
| A．Plants can make no response to their attackers. |
| B．Chemicals are sent by plants to attack the perceived threat. |
| C．Plants rely little on their neighbors’ information to survive. |
| D．The alarm sounded by one plant travels beyond plants and species. |
| A．The sounds are loud enough to scare away pests. |
| B．The sounds are produced when plants are in danger. |
| C．The sounds can be heard by man without equipment. |
| D．The sounds can be matched to the human environment. |
| A．To inform readers. | B．To compare things. |
| C．To warn readers. | D．To advertise things. |
3 . “I never got to choose my jobs,” John Baker reflects, his voice filled with a newfound sense of freedom. For twenty years, he worked tirelessly beneath the bustling streets in the London Underground, dedicated to his career. But upon turning sixty, he finally had the power to chart his own course. So, he became a lifeguard.
Three years prior, during a routine blood donation, Baker experienced an acute chest pain. A moment of clarity washed over Baker. “The doctor asked, ‘Do you drink?’ Yeah, probably too much. ‘Do you smoke?’ Yes.” His body, substantially burdened by tobacco and alcohol, whispered warnings. “I’m never going to be in this position again,” he made a firm resolution. Vowing to radically change his unhealthy way of life, Baker began his journey of transformation which was fueled by a switch to a vegan lifestyle. The tunnels of the underground faded into memory as Baker embraced a new horizon.
“I’ve always had to earn as much as I can for my family,” Baker reflects, his dedication evident in the lines of his weathered face. Long hours and unwavering commitment defined his career in the engineering fleet. But amidst the demands of work, he realized his family was neglected. “For twenty years, it was like they were wrapped in cling film,” he recalls, regret tugging at his heartstrings. So, he made a promise to his daughters, “If you have a child, I’ll - be a caring grandparent.” As time passed, Baker embraced his role as a grandfather, though it came with its challenges.
For the first six months after he qualified, Baker was asked at least once a day how old he was. “I was forty years older than anyone else in the lifeguard course,” he chuckles. Yet, to have young peers give you a different perspective.
Today, as he watches over the water’s edge, Baker finds comfort in the rhythm of the waves. “Every day is a learning experience,” he shares, wisdom gained over the years. “I feel it even more now at sixty.” In the ebb and flow of life, he’s found balance — between work, family, and self. “This is everything I’ve wanted,” he concludes, a sense of fulfillment guiding him forward.
1. Why did John Baker decide to make significant lifestyle changes?| A．Because he had some problems with his health. |
| B．Because he was always in the pursuit of an ideal job. |
| C．Because he felt overwhelmed by his responsibilities as a grandfather. |
| D．Because he was under great financial pressure from his family. |
| A．It was physically dangerous. | B．It was associated with pressure. |
| C．It offered him considerable flexibility. | D．It allowed him to travel around the world. |
| A．His desire to spend more time with his daughters. |
| B．His longing to make up for lost time with his family. |
| C．His eagerness to retire early and enjoy life. |
| D．His commitment to his newfound career as a lifeguard. |
| A．Regretful. | B．Nervous. | C．Relieved. | D．Satisfied. |
4 . Ariel decided to
She was certain that the bird needed medical attention. Ariel put her jacket over the bird’s head to keep it calm, carefully picked it up, and held it in her arms. And then a thought
Her best bet was the rehab center, but that was across the East River and clear on the other side of town. How was she going to
On the subway, no one seemed particularly annoyed by the
Ariel called the rehab center on the way, and Tristan Higgin, a (n)
While recovering, she made a boyfriend at the center—another injured swan. Sadly, even with all that tender loving care, the swan was
| A．immerse | B．expose | C．wrap | D．breathe |
| A．teased | B．spotted | C．caught | D．hit |
| A．wholly | B．literally | C．previously | D．stably |
| A．aggressive | B．cautious | C．ambitious | D．abnormal |
| A．occurred | B．informed | C．reminded | D．struck |
| A．transport | B．conduct | C．preserve | D．put |
| A．Suddenly | B．Immediately | C．Fortunately | D．Normally |
| A．lift | B．chance | C．treat | D．habitat |
| A．scared | B．hungry | C．fierce | D．feathered |
| A．doubted | B．minded | C．noticed | D．preferred |
| A．fire-controlling | B．animal-caring | C．forest-protecting | D．nature-loving |
| A．victim | B．survivor | C．partner | D．rescuer |
| A．worms | B．weights | C．plastic | D．facilities |
| A．diagnosed | B．spread | C．controlled | D．resisted |
| A．stood up | B．pulled through | C．flew away | D．passed away |
5 . Many got sleepless nights after Sora amazed the world with its remarkable ability of creating videos directly from text instructions. Discussions about what the artificial intelligence model can do and make a difference continue.
Some said it could give a huge blow to traditional industries such as film and television making, looking forward to the day when a movie can be created right after a novel is put into the model. But others remain skeptical about how powerful the model can be in changing the landscape of AI application.
Developed by a group of young talent from Microsoft-backed company OpenAI, the text-to-video model can generate videos up to a minute long while maintaining visual quality.
Shen Yang, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, said, “Sora represents a revolutionary leap in the field of AI-generated content (AIGC).”
As one of the leading scholars in AI research in China, Shen leads a team that studies the philosophy of AI. Until he learned about Sora, Shen was quite satisfied with his team’s AI-generated videos. A two-minute video on the Spring Festival produced by Shen’s team have recently won many likes on social media platforms. “Compared with the new model Sora, what we used are tools of the previous generation. There’s a huge gap in between,” said Shen.
As a frequent user of AI, Shen said the technology not only helps improve his productivity, but also benefits his daily life. His wife was suffering from cancer, and he used AI to assist in finding treatment, which has remarkably prolonged her life. He even wrote an award-winning science fiction novel using A.
However, new technologies do not mean good news to everyone. Many also concern about AI models’ safety issues since related regulations are lagging behind.
Sora is going to bring changes in many fields, including short video, film and television, news, games, advertising, education, and even industrial manufacturing, according to Shen. There is still much room to improve AI models. For instance, current AI models are not capable of drawing characters accurately and quickly. Shop signs lack meaning in Sora’s demo video showing a woman walking down a street in Tokyo. But these problems are believed to be solved as models update.
1. Which of the following might replace the underlined word in Paragraph 2?| A．Push. | B．Strike. |
| C．Warning. | D．Bonus. |
| A．All people cannot benefit from the new AI technologies. |
| B．AI model’s safety isn’t concerning despite lagging legal restrictions. |
| C．The AI-generated videos by Shen Yang’s team were better than those created by Sora. |
| D．The text-to-video model was developed by a group of young talent from Tsinghua University. |
| A．Reserved. | B．Objective. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Approving. |
| A．Sora: An AI video. | B．Video Making: AI Models. |
| C．Sora: A Powerful AI Tool. | D．Video Making: Future of AI. |
6 . Working out is great for your skin. It increases blood flow to all your organs — skin included — delivering oxygen and nutrients along with it. But if you exercise in a full face of makeup, you might be hurting your skin health, not helping it.
To find out what makeup does to skin during exercise, researchers applied a drug-store-brand cream foundation (粉底霜) to the foreheads and under-eye areas of 43 university students. They left the bottom halves of everyone’s faces makeup-free. All of the students then ran for 20 minutes.
“Our hypothesis was that makeup can block pores (毛孔) partially or completely, and because pores are important for evaporation and sweating, makeup would negatively impact skin health,” says Sukho Lee, a professor in the department of health, and kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Skin plays an important role in helping the body to regulate temperature, especially during exercise. Allowing pores to expand so that sweat can escape is just one of the ways that the skin releases excess heat from the body.
Using a device that can scan the skin for moisture (水分) levels, oil amounts, and pore size, the researchers compared people’s made-up and makeup-free parts of the face Moisture levels on the makeup side were higher than those on the bare side, which actually indicates a negative effect of the foundation. “Moisture on the skin is evidence of poor evaporation,” says Lee. People’s pores were also smaller on the areas where they wore makeup, which indicates that the skin wasn’t able to open up and properly regulate moisture and remove oil as it normally does, Lee says. Oil levels were lower on the makeup side, but it’s not clear why, says Lee. It’s possible that the foundation was interfering with the skin’s ability to regulate its oil levels.
The findings also raise questions about other products people apply to the face, such as sunscreen, designed to form a barrier on the skin against UV rays, Lee says.
1. Why was makeup applied to only certain parts of the students’ faces?| A．To measure how makeup affects skin moisture levels. |
| B．To test the effect of drug-store-brand cream foundation. |
| C．To compare the effects of makeup on different skin types. |
| D．To compare skin with and without makeup during exercise. |
| A．They are essential for delivering oxygen and nutrients to the skin. |
| B．They play a significant role in the skin’s temperature regulation. |
| C．They prevent the moisture from leaving the skin’s surface. |
| D．They contribute to increasing the level of oil on the skin. |
| A．The ability of products to make you look better. |
| B．The effect of products in reducing skin dehydration. |
| C．The impact of products on the skin’s natural functions. |
| D．The role of products in protecting the skin from UV rays. |
| A．To study makeup’s long-term effects on skin. |
| B．To extend the study to include other facial products. |
| C．To study the benefits of exercising without any makeup. |
| D．To investigate the effect of exercise intensity on skin health. |
7 . Jeremy grew up being active and involved in sports. But he never gave healthy eating too much
The first step Jeremy took toward healthy eating was to stop going to fast-food restaurants, where he used to eat fast food as
He also learned to expect there would be
Jeremy’s friends and family noticed when he started eating healthier foods. Their support helped
For Jeremy, there have been no drawbacks to changing the way he eats. He acknowledges that healthy eating takes planning. But he knows it’s worth the
| A．idea | B．opinion | C．thought | D．concept |
| A．hit | B．knocked | C．marked | D．proved |
| A．under pressure | B．on edge | C．out of shape | D．off balance |
| A．rarely | B．frequently | C．moderately | D．precisely |
| A．cheaper | B．spicier | C．healthier | D．tastier |
| A．control | B．power | C．potential | D．courage |
| A．specialized | B．packaged | C．advertised | D．delivered |
| A．questions | B．tragedies | C．disasters | D．setbacks |
| A．relieved | B．discouraged | C．sensitive | D．cheerful |
| A．realistic | B．content | C．concerned | D．strict |
| A．force | B．motivate | C．persuade | D．disturb |
| A．make light of | B．approve of | C．keep track of | D．take advantage of |
| A．effort | B．money | C．wait | D．risk |
| A．interest | B．agenda | C．qualification | D．energy |
| A．dynamic | B．fortunate | C．rewarding | D．challenging |
8 . Mona Lisa, oil painting on a popular wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, is probably the world’s most famous painting. It was painted sometime between 1503 and 1519, when Leonardo was living in Florence, and it now hangs in the Louvre Museum, Paris, where it remained an object of pilgrimage (朝圣) in the 21st century. The sitter’s mysterious smile and her unproven identity have made the painting a source of ongoing investigation and fascination.
The painting presents a woman in half-body portrait, which has as a backdrop of a distant landscape. Yet this simple description of a seemingly standard composition gives little sense of Leonardo’s achievement. The three-quarter view in which the sitter’s position mostly turns toward the viewer, broke from the standard profile pose used in Italian art and quickly became the convention for all portraits one used well into the 21st century. The subject’s softly sculptural face shows Leonardo’s skillful handling of shading and reveals his understanding of the muscles and the bones beneath the skin. The delicately painted veil, the finely wrought hair, and the careful depiction of folded fabric demonstrate Leonardo’s studied observations and inexhaustible patience. Moreover, the visual curves of the sitter’s hair and clothing are echoed in the shapes of the valleys and rivers behind her. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting—especially apparent in the sitter’s faint smile—reflects Leonardo’s idea of connecting humanity and nature. In its exquisite combination of sitter and landscape, the Mona Lisa set the standard for all future portraits.
There has been much speculation and debate regarding the identity of the portrait’s sitter. Scholars and historians have given numerous interpretations, including that she is Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco di Bartolomeo del Giocondo. That identity was first suggested in 1550 by artist biographer Giorgio Vasari. Another theory was that the model may have been Leonardo’s mother, Caterina. That interpretation was put forth by, among others, Sigmund Freud, who seemed to think that the Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile emerged from a — perhaps unconscious — memory of Caterina’s smile.
1. What aspect of Mona Lisa continues to fascinate people according to paragraph 1?| A．Its standard composition. | B．Its famous painter. |
| C．The sitter’s facial expression. | D．The sitter’s proven identity. |
| A．The handling of shading. | B．The position of the sitter. |
| C．The description of background. | D．The depiction of clothes. |
| A．Mona Lisa revolutionized portrait painting criteria. |
| B．Leonardo observed the skin carefully. |
| C．Leonardo focused on presenting humanity. |
| D．Mona Lisa overshadows the background landscape. |
| A．Guesses on the sitter’s identity. | B．Interpretations of Freud’s theories. |
| C．Influence of Giorgio Vasari. | D．Role of Leonardo’s mother. |
9 . While there are many milk substitutes (替代品) on the market, most fall short of imitating dairy milk. And while vegetarians around the world have grown accustomed to these substitutes, millions of milk drinkers are unsatisfied with these options, which don’t often taste, look, and blend like dairy milk. That accuracy is exactly what Impossible Foods has set out to develop. “We want milk that a dairy milk consumer will choose” said CEO Pat Brown at a virtual conference call.
Like the famous Impossible Burger which tastes, cooks, and bleeds like real meat, Impossible Milk will also most likely be soy-based, giving it a protein profile (外形) like dairy milk. While the product is still in development for at least another year, Brown said in the conference call that soy is a very good choice from a nutritional standpoint and a supply chain standpoint, and for those reasons he thinks there’s a great chance that it will be the base protein for their product.
Plant-based milk, meats, and other products have been rising over the past several years as environmental and health concerns have grown, especially among millennials (千禧一代). According to a study by YouGov, approximately 55 percent of millennials surveyed agree with the statement “I am open to substituting meat or dairy products with healthy substitutes”.
And the market is seeing this preference take shape. According to the Dairy Farmers of America, milk sales dropped by $1.1 billion between 2017 and 2018. While at the same time, the Plant-Based Food Association revealed that the sales of plant-based milk increased a lot, making up 15 percent of the total milk market.
As the trend towards choosing plant-based substitutes grows, so do the products, which can now be found in supermarkets throughout the world. With no plans of slowing down, plant-based food substitutes are a micro revolution that is changing the very culture of our food consumption from the bottom all the way to the top.
1. What is the target of Impossible Foods?| A．To satisfy the increasing demand for milk. | B．To attract more vegetarians to buy milk. |
| C．To make its milk more similar to dairy milk. | D．To develop more nutritional milk substitutes. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Unclear. | C．Impartial. | D．Favorable. |
| A．The poor sales of milk substitutes. | B．The success of Impossible Foods’s milk. |
| C．The booming market for plant-based milk. | D．The competition among plant-based products. |
| A．They will change vegetarians’ diets. | B．They are only sold in supermarkets. |
| C．They are expensive for most consumers. | D．They have a strong effect on food culture. |
10 . Learning to play the piano causes complex changes in brain activity that shift over time. Initially, certain areas of the brain become highly active, but this reduces as learners become more skillful. Previous studies have looked into the reorganization of someone’s brain activity while they are playing an instrument, but the research time has generally been short and the conclusion is based only on one scan.
To learn more about this process, Alicja Olszewska at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Poland and her colleagues studied 24 people as they learned to play the piano for 26 weeks. This involved a teacher showing them basic techniques, as well as coaching them through eight increasingly complex pieces of music, during 13 45-minute classes. The participants were also encouraged to practise at home for 4 hours a week.
After 1, 6, 13 and 26 weeks of training, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging（磁共振成像） to scan the participants’ brains as they attempted to play the increasingly complex pieces.
The scans showed that playing the piano activates various areas across the brain, including the auditory cortices involved in processing sounds and the motor cortices involved in planning and executing（执行） movements.
Over the 26 weeks, activity changed little in the auditory cortices, but generally decreased in the motor cortices. A reduction in brain activity represents its optimization（最优化）, which would be expected as the participants’ piano-playing skills progressed, says Olszewska.
The scans also revealed learning to play the piano initially activates other areas of the brain, including the cerebellum, which balances movement, and parts of the parietal cortex, which combine different types of sensory information. The researchers also found increased activation in the hippocampus, involved in memory, and the basal ganglia, a set of deep brain structures involved in controlling voluntary movements.
Activity in these areas similarly decreased as the participants’ training progressed. This suggests their underlying neural processes became increasingly optimized alongside improvements in their musical proficiency, says Olszewska.
1. According to paragraph 1, what is a limitation of previous studies?| A．Insufficient research duration and data. | B．Lack of participants with varied skill levels. |
| C．Inability to measure brain activity accurately. | D．Failure to use advanced scanning techniques. |
| A．Brain activity in the cerebellum increased largely. |
| B．Brain activity in the auditory cortices remained almost stable. |
| C．Brain activity increased as the piano-playing skills progressed. |
| D．Brain activity in the motor cortices increased significantly. |
| A．The cerebellum. | B．The parietal cortex. |
| C．The hippocampus. | D．The basal ganglia |
| A．The study of the reorganization of our brain activity. |
| B．The benefits of playing the piano on our brain. |
| C．The effects of piano learning on our brain. |
| D．The importance of practice for improving piano skills. |
