1 . Maya Lin, designer and sculptor, has created some of the most iconic works and spaces with the belief that art can address important issues. Her latest projects are no different, from museums to sculptures for Presidential centers.
Lin, 62, grew up in Ohio, the daughter of college professors who were Chinese immigrants. As a 21-year-old student at Yale University, she gained national prominence when her entry won a design competition for the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Her winning design — two black granite (花岗岩) walls engraved with the names of US service members who died in the Vietnam War (1954-1975) or remain missing — is considered one of the most influential in modern architecture.
Lin went on to design the 1989 Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and dozens of other projects globally, all with social and environmental justice in mind. She told The Wall Street Journal she uses facts in her art. She said, “I am going to present you with what the story is, but I am not going to draw the conclusion for you.” Currently underway is Lin’s plan for the new Museum of Chinese in America in New York City. Lin said she wants it to be a celebration of Chinese American stories and contributions to the country.
Lin is also designing a sculpture to honor former President Barack Obama’s mother, who died in 1995, at the Obama Presidential Center in Illinois. When Obama awarded Lin the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, he called her work “physical acts of poetry, each reminding us that the most important element in art or architecture is human emotion.”
1. What is Maya Lin’s principle to make her creation?| A．Art is to lead to reputation | B．Art is a physical act of poetry. |
| C．Art is to create something distinguished. | D．Art can be a medium to approach affairs. |
| A．US soldiers’ sacrifice in the Vietnam War. |
| B．The influence of the Vietnam War on America. |
| C．The bloody and cruel scenes of the Vietnam War. |
| D．Vietnamese soldiers’ fearless fight in the Vietnam War. |
| A．Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. |
| B．Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. |
| C．Museum of Chinese in America in New York City. |
| D．Obama Presidential Center in Illinois. |
| A．Designing with talents |
| B．Stirring up emotions in art |
| C．Becoming a great Chinese immigrant |
| D．Creating the most influential architecture |
2 . In an era where data centers are becoming increasingly vital for our digital society, China has begun a groundbreaking endeavor to push the boundaries of innovation and sustainability.
Nestled off the coast of Sanya, Hainan province, China is in the process of constructing the world’s first commercial underwater data center. This project aims to revolutionize the industry by using the power of the ocean depths while saving a significant amount of energy and land. With the potential to equal the computational (计算的) abilities of about 6 million conventional personal computers, this underwater data center is bound to be a game-changer.
The data center modules (模块) of China’s underwater facility are being carefully installed on the seafloor at depths of around 35 meters. Designed to withstand the harsh underwater conditions, these modules are expected to operate sustainably for up to 25 years. Each watertight storage module weighs an impressive 1,300 tons and boasts the capability to process over 4 million high-definition images every 30 seconds. When combined, the entire facility is projected to match the computational power of surprising 6 million conventional PCs working together.
The construction of the underwater data center is a result of collaboration between Sanya officials and several Chinese tech firms. With the initial deployment of one storage module in April and the recent addition of a second module, the project is well underway. The ambitious plan aims to have a total of 100 modules fully operational by 2025, marking a significant milestone in sustainable data center development.
The motivation behind this pioneering project extends beyond technological advancement. By choosing an underwater data center, China is actively addressing the challenges of land conservation. Traditional data centers can occupy vast amounts of land, often equal to the size of multiple soccer fields. In contrast, this underwater marvel takes up minimal dry space, preserving land for other essential purposes. Additionally, the use of natural seawater cooling reduces the strain on traditional energy sources, leading to a significant reduction in carbon emissions. This environmentally conscious approach agree with global sustainability goals and sets an example for the industry to follow.
1. Why does China start the data centre project?| A．To push the boundaries of the country. | B．To innovate the digital field. |
| C．To use the power of the ocean depths. | D．To save a significant amount of energy and land. |
| A．China has successfully constructed a data center. |
| B．The whole underwater facility weighs 1300 tons. |
| C．The facility is more powerful than a conventional data centre. |
| D．All the modules are not equipped. |
| A．Cooperation | B．Conflict | C．Compromise | D．Conclusion |
| A．By analyzing the fact. | B．By providing reasons. |
| C．By making comparison. | D．By giving examples. |
3 . Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a water puddle ahead on the path. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so totally unexpected. I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped attacking, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. I retreated a step while my attacker relented in his attack. Yet again, I tried moving forward and I was rammed in the chest over and over again. I wasn’t sure what to do, other than to retreat a third time. After all, it’s just not every day that one is attacked by a butterfly. This time, though, I stepped back several paces to look the situation over. My attacker moved back as well to land on the ground. That’s when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for his mate’s reason, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life in case I was careless to step on her. Now I knew why and what he was fighting for. There was really only one option left for me. I carefully made my way around the puddle to the other side of the path, though it was only inches wide and extremely muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands of times large r and heavier than himself just for his mate’s safety justified it. I couldn’t do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed.
I left them in peace for those last few moments, cleaning the mud from my boots when I later reached my car. Since then, I’ve always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly’s courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for.
1. Why did the butterfly attack the author?| A．To let him rescue his mate. | B．To teach him about love. |
| C．To protect the puddle. | D．To warn him off his mate. |
| A．Admiring. | B．Annoyed. | C．Absent-minded. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．He cured the dying butterfly. | B．He left the butterflies alone. |
| C．He stepped on the butterfly carelessly. | D．He fought with the butterfly. |
| A．A battle with a butterfly | B．A walk around a puddle |
| C．A true story of courage and love | D．A travel in Georgia |
4 . Italki works with Emmersion and Oxford Online Placement Test to provide online language tests for language learners.
Test contents:
Italki Language Test is powered by Emmersion, which offered two kinds of test contents, Emmersion Speaking test and Emmersion Grammar test. The Emmersion Speaking test is available for 7 languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Italian, and is mostly designed to use neutral accents and not focus on a specific dialect. However, the Spanish test uses a Latin American accent, and the Portuguese test leans towards a Brazilian accent. The Emmersion Grammar test is available for 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian.
OOPT, Oxford Online Placement Test includes an English Grammar test.
Expiration (有效期):
1. OOPT is valid for a year from the purchase date.
2. Italki Language test is valid for 1 year after purchase. You can take up to 4 times tests within one purchase. To take the test, you need to activate (激活) it to start. Italki Language Test won’t limit you to activate the same language for these 4 tests. You can choose any available language you want to activate each time.
What should I prepare before taking the Italki Language Test?
A stable internet connection.
An updated internet browser. Chrome is recommended, but here, you’ll find a list of compatible (可兼容的) browsers and equipment, including mobile devices and computers: https://support.emmersion.ai/support/solutions/articles/60000703287-device-and-browser-requirements.
A quiet environment with little or no background noise.
A headset with a built-in microphone (Optional).
How long will the test take?
The test will ask you 40-45 questions, which should take 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
However, it depends on you. The computerized adaptive testing adapts to the examinee’s level. There isn’t a set number of questions, and the questions won’t always be the same. For the OOPT test, please make sure that you click “submit” to complete your test within the one-hour time limit. Otherwise, you won’t get a score as the exam didn’t finish in time.
1. How many foreign languages are available for a Spanish student in an Emmersion Grammar test?| A．one | B．four | C．five | D．seven |
| A．A quiet environment. |
| B．The Chrome browser. |
| C．A computer. |
| D．A headset with a built-in microphone. |
| A．Accents are not acceptable in the test. |
| B．You should stick to one language for tests within one purchase. |
| C．The numbers of questions in the test are not fixed. |
| D．You should click “submit” within 45 minutes in an OOPT text. |
5 . “I never thought that I would beat the tumor.” says a cancer patient in Lanzhou in Northwest China’s Gansu province. The man adds that he is particularly grateful for heavy ion therapy he received, at a follow-up visit following several rounds of treatment revealing that his cancer cells had disappeared.
A research team from the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed the country’s first medical heavy ion accelerator with independent intellectual property rights, and put it into clinical application. Cancer treatments employing heavy ion accelerators can bombard a target with high-energy electrons to kill cancer cells. Compared to traditional therapy such as radiation, heavy ion treatment is considered to be more balanced, exposing healthy cells to less radiation. The treatment period is shorter and the therapy can more effectively control cancer cells.
In 1993, researchers proposed to carry out basic research on heavy ion cancer treatment during an academic conference held in Tianshui, Gansu. In 2006, China followed the United States, Japan and Germany to become the fourth country to successfully carry out heavy ion clinical treatment, when four cancer patients participated in preliminary clinical trials for heavy ion therapy. In 2015, China’s first such accelerator, with independent intellectual property rights, rolled off the production line in Wuwei, in Gansu. On March 26, 2020, the accelerator was put into operation, and by the end of June this year, more than 750 patients completed their therapy at Wuwei’s heavy ion treatment center, with remarkable curative effects. The follow-up statistics showed that the three-year local tumor control rate reached 84 percent among 46 clinical trial participants.
Heavy ion therapy is highly effective in treating a wide range of solid tumors and can be used in cases where surgery is not possible or unsuitable, when a patient is sensitive to conventional radiation therapy, or prone to relapse following such therapy. This includes tumors located in the central nervous system, head, neck, skull base, chest and abdomen. So far there have been several cases where people have recovered from cancers by the therapy.
1. Why is the man in para.1 mentioned?| A．To celebrate a successful treatment. | B．To bring up a new kind of therapy. |
| C．To show his cancer cells had disappeared. | D．To show the man is brave and lucky. |
| A．China is the first country to carry out heavy ion clinical treatment. |
| B．In 2006, the United States, Japan and Germany successfully carried out heavy io n clinical treatment. |
| C．Heavy ion cancer treatment is more beneficial to patients than traditional therapies such as radiation. |
| D．Heavy ion cancer treatment is of great help in treating a certain kind of tumor. |
| A．The time of the heavy ion cancer treatment. |
| B．The reason why researchers develop heavy ion cancer treatment. |
| C．Persons benefiting from heavy ion cancer treatment. |
| D．The development of heavy ion cancer treatment in China. |
| A．To give some successful examples of the new treatment |
| B．To explain the process of the new treatment. |
| C．To show the difficulty of the new treatment. |
| D．To conclude the value of the new treatment. |
6 . Never climbed before? It doesn’t matter! Boulders In door Climbing Centre is a fantastic outing for the whole family that’s guaranteed to pack your day with fun and adventure! No experience is necessary.
Under the guidance of qualified instructors, you will step outside of your comfort zone in a safe and controlled environment. All equipment is provided—just bring your spirit of adventure and your willingness to challenge yourself! Boulders specializes in introducing people of all abilities into this vertical (垂直的) world in a fun, safe and inclusive way!
With climbing walls that reach between 4 to 12 metres in height, Boulders, whose task is to teach you all the skills required to climb safely, is designed to train the bravest explorer. You will learn how to move around the climbing wall in a safe manner, and how to differentiate (区分) between grades and varieties of techniques.
There’s even a café on site with free Wi-Fi, so send the children to climb and check in with the office while you’re enjoying a skinny latte! Boulders offers a wide range of climbing activities, including:
Climbing classes for children, families, students and adults
Birthday parties for all ages
Children’s holiday activities
Soft play for children 7 years old and under
Climbing-Introduction courses
Opening hours: Mon.-Thur. 10: 00-22: 00
Fri. 10: 00-21: 00
Sat.-Sun. 10: 00-18: 00
Price: Adults £15 Child £10
The price includes entry to the wall after the session, your one-off registration fee and shoe hire.
Family pass: £38
Up to 4 persons. Rental shoes & chalk included.
1. Who are the potential customers of the climbing center?| A．Qualified instructors | B．Children interested in climbing indoors |
| C．Experienced climbers | D．People addicted to climbing outdoors |
| A．Adventurous spirit |
| B．Skills required to professional climbing |
| C．How to move around the climbing wall in a good manner. |
| D．How to combine grades with techniques |
| A．£40 | B．£25 | C．£35 | D．£38 |
7 . “Are you ready for our walk?” Grandma asked the usual question every Friday evening. “Of course, we are!” We
One day, we were told that Grandma only had 2% heart
The
When we arrived at the hospital, we knew exactly where to go, as we had been there many times before. After
“Oh, Mary?” A nurse answered. “She’s one of the nicest
When my turn came, I
Finally, after the longest morning of my life, the doctor entered the waiting room smiling. “Mary is out of surgery. You’re allowed to visit her as long as you’re
| A．shouted | B．explained | C．argued | D．complained |
| A．function | B．part | C．effect | D．condition |
| A．reducing | B．failing | C．beating | D．pounding |
| A．afternoon | B．dusk | C．dawn | D．evening |
| A．jog | B．run | C．drive | D．leave |
| A．escaping | B．racing | C．coming | D．echoing |
| A．going through | B．walking around | C．coming across | D．getting across |
| A．celebrities | B．geniuses | C．heroes | D．patients |
| A．directed | B．delivered | C．exposed | D．submitted |
| A．paid for | B．competed for | C．jumped at | D．passed up |
| A．make | B．get | C．gain | D．commit |
| A．put away | B．turned away | C．thrown away | D．wheeled away |
| A．still | B．quiet | C．adorable | D．available |
| A．Panic | B．Grief | C．Relief | D．Anger |
| A．tied | B．added | C．attached | D．glued |
8 . For Cruz, who grew up in Peru’s mountainous region of Cuzco, fog represents a massive opportunity. As a boy, he had to hike for more than an hour every day across hills to collect water from the nearest source. But over time, he realized that during the rainy season, droplets of water would gather in the large leaves of banana trees. So one day he and his father tried to build a canal system with the leaves to collect water and it turned out a success. But afterwards, he moved to Lima at the age of 25.
There, shocked by the water shortages and expensive water supply that some of the city’s poorest residents were faced with, Cruz set up El Movimiento Peruanos sin Agua in 2005. The idea was to deploy the method he learned in his hometown on a larger scale, which would provide free, independently sourced and easily accessible water to those who needed it most. He began installing (安装) a traditional fog catcher model developed in the 1980s.
At the highest point of Los Tres Miradores, there is a curious set of large structures that resemble a fleet of ships in the sky. They are so-called “fog catchers”. Netted devices, made of high density Raschel polyethylene and spanning several meters wide, are lined up at the top of a misty mound and linked by a network of tubes that lead to storage containers. The 40 fog catchers there provide enough water for 180 families, whether to bathe, clean, drink or to irrigate crops on small garden patches.
Supporters believe that fog catchers have the potential to improve water supply for communities around the world among the ever-challenging circumstances. German researcher Lummerich says, “They are cheap, easy to construct.” In a world searching for water supply systems, it is one important puzzle piece that can make an essential difference locally.
However, there are some issues. For one, fog catchers require space, which is not always easy to come by in cities, let alone urban slums. At the same time, fog catchers must be properly cleaned and maintained to stay effective. Most crucially, appropriate climate conditions are required. Fog isn’t everywhere.
1. What does the underlined word “deploy” probably mean in paragraph 2?| A．Employ. | B．Adjust. | C．Design. | D．Study. |
| A．The reason why Cruz installed fog catchers. |
| B．The difficulties of constructing a canal system. |
| C．The installation and benefits of fog catchers. |
| D．The inspiration Cruz gained to build a canal system. |
| A．High costs. | B．Public opposition. |
| C．Space limitation. | D．Climate conditions. |
| A．Urban Areas: A Struggle for Sufficient Water |
| B．Innovative Water Collection Techniques in Peru |
| C．The Global Water Crisis and Possible Solutions |
| D．Fog Catchers: A Local Solution with Global Potential |
9 . Dopamine (多巴胺), known as the “source of pleasure”, is a chemical that is released in the brain and provides people with a feeling of reward and motivation. Now, China’s young people are seeking to wear that joyfulness on their bodies, giving rise to the fashion craze—“dopamine dressing style”. Mainly characterized by bright colors, this dressing style is described by many Chinese netizens as “healing” and “a mood booster”. It is part-fashion, part-mindfulness.
Dopamine dressing is nothing new. In fact, a study published in 2012 found that when participants were asked to wear clothing that held some symbolic meaning, their perceived (感知的) confidence increased. The study determined that clothing can have a direct impact on their psychological process.
Another 2015 study found that the outfits we wear can directly influence how we think. It suggested that dressing in a certain way can influence the way we make decisions. “What we wear is how we show ourselves to those we interact with—we are influenced by their reaction to it. If we are well received, it builds up our confidence and can eventually affect our wellbeing.” one of the leading researchers, Mair added.
Actually, dopamine dressing is different for everyone. It’s about wearing the clothes that make you feel good. It could be joggers and a sport shirt; it could be your favorite pair of jeans; or it could be that dress you were saving for a special occasion. In a word, it’s ok to wear anything that can boost your mood.
Color psychologist Karen Haller said: “Color is a great way to lift our spirits and boost our moods in an instant. Our confidence can be boosted when we wear colors that we love and feel good in. We instinctively feel and behave differently when we take the colors in through our eyes and through the part of our brain where our emotions reside.” Ultimately, dopamine dressing is whatever makes you feel good.
1. What makes the dopamine dressing a real hit according to paragraph 1?| A．Its featuring only bright colors. | B．Its healing and boosting function. |
| C．Its impacting on people’s confidence. | D．Its allowing people to wear differently |
| A．Dopamine dressing is simply a new concept of dressing. |
| B．Dopamine dressing is beneficial to our mental health. |
| C．Dopamine dressing has little to do with our decision making. |
| D．Dopamine dressing can drive us to interact with more people. |
| A．All the students wear school uniform on Mondays. |
| B．My father has to put on a heavy coat in cold weather. |
| C．Jack often follows the trend to buy clothes in dark colors. |
| D．The girl chooses her favorite skirt for her birthday party. |
| A．To demonstrate a pleasant dressing style. |
| B．To convince us to buy more fashionable clothes. |
| C．To arouse our curiosity of the dopamine dressing. |
| D．To promote more people to accept dopamine dressing. |
10 . When temperatures rise, humans sweat, dogs pant (喘息), and cats… don’t move enough to overheat? Well, partially. Cats, which need to maintain an internal body temperature of 101°F to 102°F, have several methods for keeping cool in sweltering weather.
It’s a misconception that cats sweat through their paws to cool themselves off. As summer wears on you might see moist paw prints, but as veterinarian Kimberly May told The Washington Post, “Any secretions (分泌物) there or from their nose, mouth, or tongue are not for sweating; they’re for protection and moisture and are insufficient to cool the blood.”
Instead, cats recreate the sweating process—which is similar to human’s via evaporation (蒸发)—by grooming themselves regularly. The saliva (唾液) from their tongues acts like sweat that cools their body when it evaporates—which is why you can also help cool your cat down by using a damp washcloth to lightly wet their fur. In extreme weather, cats will also pant, but unlike dogs who pant regularly to keep themselves cool, a panting cat is a sign of more dangerous over-heating or other serious diseases.
And if you’re tempted to shave your fur friend to help keep him cool—don’t!
“Fur acts as a thermal regulator to slow down the process of heat absorption,” James H. Jones, an expert in comparative animal exercise physiology and thermoregulation at the University of California at Davis, told The Washington Post.
Fur coats are highly evolved—in the winter they keep animals warm, but in the summer, they work both to protect delicate skin from the sun and slow dehydration, Jones notes that, according to research, shaved camels performed worse in the deserts than those with their fur undamaged.
But even with these methods for keeping cool, cats also need to stay indoors to keep comfortable. So even though they evolved from wild ancestors and are able to tough it out, leave the air conditioner or a fan on for your cats when you go out, and make sure to leave them plenty of water.
1. What is the common misunderstanding of how cats cool themselves off?| A．Cats pant regularly to keep themselves cool. |
| B．Cats rarely know how to cool themselves down. |
| C．Cats sweat through their paws to cool themselves off. |
| D．Cats produce secretions from their tongue for protection. |
| A．By making comparison. | B．By analyzing data. |
| C．By explaining cause and effect. | D．By listing numbers. |
| A．To show the camels are resistant to heat. |
| B．To emphasize the importance of the fur coats. |
| C．To illustrate the fur coats are highly evolved. |
| D．To prove the fur coats unnecessary in summer. |
| A．Changing people’s wrong views on cats’ cooling. |
| B．Telling us to help cats cool themselves in summer. |
| C．Uncovering the secrets of cats cooling themselves off. |
| D．Comparing cats with other animals on keeping cool. |
