1 . 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. |
2 . 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 |
3 . “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 |
4 . A few days before New Year 1944, Patricia Krueger received a telegram from the U. S. Army. She hoped it would contain a belated birthday greeting from her husband, an army flight engineer, Charles Krueger, whom she had not heard from for 2 weeks. Instead, the message said he wasn’t coming home: His B-29 had been lost and he was later declared MIA (missing in action). Their son, John Krueger from Middleton, Wisconsin, is still in tears when he recounts this story.
Decades later, the military continues to work to bring back the remains of soldiers like Charles Krueger. The job of finding them falls to DPAA (Defense POW/ MIA Accounting Agency), created in 2015 after critics charged that the previous MIA search process was slow, and behind on innovations in science and technology. Between 1973 and 2014, the remains of only 1,849 missing service member s were returned to their families; in 2021, the agency accounted for the remains of 141 MIAs; according to DPAA figures.
To accelerate the work, Congress gave DPAA the authority to develop public-private partnerships with scientists and groups outside the government. “Teaming up with academic scientists introduces new ways of thinking,” says military historian Michael Dolski. “Working with partners allows us to tap into their technologies and capabilities in ways that we just can’t maintain.”
For scientists, the work is more than technically satisfying. “It’s the most rewarding aspect of my career,” says Mires, a scientist working with the agency. “In other archaeology sites I’ve worked on, the history is remote,” he says. “Here, you’re doing something not for a thing, but for a person, and all the people they touched.”
1. What was the telegram about in paragraph 1?| A．A New Year dinner. | B．Krueger’s disappearance. |
| C．A birthday greeting. | D．John Krueger’s memory. |
| A．Because DPAA wants to continue the search. |
| B．Because it took long and lacked creativeness. |
| C．Because the work was stopped by the military. |
| D．Because 141 MIAs’ remains were found in 2021. |
| A．Patient. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Approving. |
| A．A long search for MIAs. | B．Achievements of DPAA. |
| C．Assistance from science. | D．Consequences of wars. |
5 . Two things changed my life: my mother and a white plastic bike basket. I have thought long and hard about it and it’s true. I would be a different person if my mom hadn’t turned a silly bicycle accessory into a life lesson that I carry with me today.
My mother and father were united in their way of raising children, but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out. Looking back, I honestly don’t know how she did it. Managing the family budget must have been a very hard task, but she made it look effortless. If we complained about not having what another kid did, we’d hear something like, “I don’t care what so-and-so got for his birthday, you are not getting a TV in your room, a car for your birthday or a lavish sweet-16 party.” We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house. I can still remember how long it took to polish the legs of our coffee table. My brothers can no doubt remember hours spent cleaning the house. Like the two little girls growing up at the White House, we made our own beds (no one left the house until that was done) and picked up after ourselves. We had to keep track of our belongings, and if something was lost, it was not replaced.
It was summer and, one day, my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed — and there it was in the window. White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers, the basket winked at me and I knew — I knew — I had to have it.
“It’s beautiful,” my mother said when I pointed it out to her. “What a neat basket.”
I tried to hold off at first. I played it cool for a short while. But then I guess I couldn’t stand it any longer: “Mom, please can I please, please get it? I’ll do extra chores for as long as you say. I’ll do anything, but I need that basket. I love that basket. Please, Mom. Please?”
I was desperate.
“ You know,” she said, gently rubbing my back while we both stared at what I believed was the coolest thing ever, “If you save up you could buy this yourself.”
“By the time I make enough it’ll be gone!”
“Maybe Roger here could hold it for you,” she smiled at Roger, the bike guy.
“He can’t hold it for that long, Mom. Someone else will buy it. Please, Mom, please?” “There might be another way,” she said.
And so our paying plan unfolded. My mother bought the beautiful basket and put it safely in some hiding place I couldn’t find. Each week I eagerly counted my growing savings increased by extra work here and there (washing the car, helping my mother make dinner, delivering or collecting things on my bike that already looked naked without the basket in front). And then, weeks later, I counted, re-counted and jumped for joy. Oh, happy day! I made it! I finally had the exact amount we’d agreed upon....
Days later the unthinkable happened. A neighborhood girl I’d played with millions of times appeared with the exact same basket fixed to her shiny, new bike that already had all the bells and whistles. I rode hard and fast home to tell my mother about this disaster. This horrible turn of events.
And then came the lesson I’ve taken with me through my life: “Honey, your basket is extra-special,” Mom said, gently wiping away my hot tears. “Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself.”
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．The mother raised her children in an unusual way. |
| B．The writer envied the daughters of the U.S. president. |
| C．The writer’s parents shared the duty to bring up children. |
| D．Managing budget is an effortless job to most housewives. |
| A．well worth the effort she had made | B．the most valuable she had ever obtained |
| C．an unnecessary accessory to her bike | D．something the bike couldn’t do without |
| A．the basket cost more than she had saved |
| B．someone else had got a basket of the same kind |
| C．her paying plan was spoiled |
| D．a neighborhood girl bought a nicer bike |
| A．Save money for a rainy day. | B．Good advice is beyond all price. |
| C．Earn your bread with your sweat. | D．God helps those who help themselves. |
6 . “Few articles change owners more frequently than clothes. They travel downwards from grade to grade in the social scale with remarkable regularity,” wrote the journalist Adolphe Smith in 1877 as he traced a coat’s journey in the last century: cleaned, repaired and resold repeatedly; cut down into a smaller item; eventually recycled into new fabric. But with the improvement in people’s living standards, that model is mind-boggling in the era of fast fashion. The average British customer buys four items a month. And it is reported that 350,000 tonnes of used but still wearable clothes go to landfills in the UK each year.
Yet the gradual revival of the second-hand trade has gathered pace in the past few years. At fashion website Asos, sales of vintage clothes (古董衫) have risen by 92%. Clothing was once worn out of necessity, and now it is simply a way of life. Busy families sell used items on eBay, teenagers trade on Depop and some fashion people offer designer labels on Vestiaire Collective. Strikingly, it has become big enough business that mainstream retailers (零售商) want a slice of the action.
For some buyers and sellers, the switch to the second-hand is born of financial difficulties. Only a few have become worried about the impact of their shopping habit on the planet. But the shift is only a partial solution. Some people worry that some mainstream brands may “greenwash” — using second-hand goods to improve their image, rather than engaging more seriously with sustainability.
However, the biggest concern may be that people keep buying because they know they can resell goods, still chasing the pleasure of the next purchase but with an eased conscience (愧疚). Boohoo, a powerful fast fashion company, has seen sales and profits rise, despite concerns about environmental problems in its supply chain that led to an investigation last year.
A new Netflix series, Worn Stories, documents the emotional meanings that clothes can have: Each old item is full of memories. Actually, a handbag from a grandmother and a scarf passed on by a father are both valuable for us. A love of style is not a bad or an unimportant thing. But a committed relationship is better than a quick flash. Can we learn to appreciate our own old clothes as well as others’?
1. What does the word “mind-boggling” underlined in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Unbelievable. | B．Popular. | C．Reasonable. | D．Influential. |
| A．old clothes are more popular than new pieces |
| B．the online second-hand markets are booming |
| C．the fashion world begins to favor vintage clothes |
| D．many clothing brands are innovative in their new products |
| A．It makes people feel free to pursue fast fashion. |
| B．It makes people more cautious about their budgets. |
| C．It encourages people to choose eco-friendly clothes. |
| D．It pushes people to be more engaged with sustainability. |
| A．Old items have lost favor with the public. |
| B．Old items are worthy of being long cherished. |
| C．Older generations attach great importance to old items. |
| D．Older generations care about the quality of their clothes. |
7 . With mental health awareness more important than ever, here are the best mental wellness apps that take minority groups into consideration.
Reju
Reju is another meditation and self-care app, launched to respond to the rapid growth in mental health challenges in African American communities. Reju offers a wealth of motivational content to reduce stress, improve mental health, and lead users towards better living. Best of all is the welcoming Reju community for free, where you can connect with peers and get support with issues they’re also facing.
Spoke
Spoke is a meditation (冥想) app designed to deliver mental health support for music lovers. Created by a group of musical artists working with scientific advisers in London, it cleverly combines mental health tools like mindfulness, CBT, and positive psychology with binaural and hip-hop beats, nature sounds, ambient music, and guided lyricism.
Liberate.cx
Liberate.cx is a daily meditation app specifically for the BIPOC community (黑人社区), with mindfulness resources that address topics such as race, microaggressions, anxiety, and self-worth. It draws on expert teachers from diverse cultures to offer wisdom everyone can benefit from.
Headspace
Renowned mental health app, which is only for women. Headspace has launched the Headspace Women’s Collection to provide welcome meditation resources for women. These cover a wide range of issues, including sex and relationships, self-worth, and solidarity. A series of body-supportive sessions are aimed at helping women healing after a miscarriage or struggling with fertility.
1. If a music fan has mental health, which app is appropriate for him?| A．Reju. | B．Spoke. | C．Liberate.cx. | D．Headspace. |
| A．It is merely for female users. | B．It’s a free mental health app. |
| C．It provides meditation resources. | D．It appeals to a wider customer base. |
| A．To advertise these apps to attract more users. |
| B．To arouse more and more attention of the society. |
| C．To offer wisdom to everyone from diverse cultures. |
| D．To recommend mental wellness apps for minority groups. |
8 . History has not yet
Whatever we
Historian Neil Howe sees
| A．remarked | B．convinced | C．guaranteed | D．revealed |
| A．numbers | B．houses | C．accommodates | D．contains |
| A．peers | B．adolescents | C．folks | D．guys |
| A．over | B．without | C．besides | D．beyond |
| A．diagnosed | B．dismissed | C．labeled | D．coined |
| A．end up | B．consider about | C．appeal for | D．approve of |
| A．distribution force | B．purchasing power | C．global view | D．unique outlooks |
| A．vivid | B．instructive | C．instant | D．profitable |
| A．feed up with | B．put up with | C．make up for | D．identify with |
| A．faking | B．revising | C．illustrating | D．maintaining |
| A．supervising | B．forming | C．representing | D．promoting |
| A．parallels | B．contrasts | C．comparisons | D．reservations |
| A．because | B．although | C．while | D．when |
| A．emphasis | B．generation | C．intensity | D．cultivation |
| A．routes | B．schemes | C．names | D．definitions |
9 . In my whole life I was frightened by doctors. So when I recently launched a series of writing and publishing courses, I was shocked to find among my students several physicians, the same profession as my father. And they all wanted to be writers. Whenever someone mentioned their medical background, I’d think: I have to call Dad to tell him, but I couldn’t.
Raised up in a big Michigan family with three brilliant loud science brain brothers, I’d always felt left out by their Disease Game at dinner, where Dad threw out cases for them to diagnose. Our house was their laboratory. I was frequently scared by bees in jars in the refrigerator and pet rats.
Getting to study medicine was always Dad’s dream, so he encouraged the boys to follow in his footsteps. But I never truly settled down, chasing my dream for literary here and there. My father opposed my liberalism. I was overjoyed when Random House published my humorous memoirs (回忆录) about my past addictions. My father wasn’t so joyful. “You’re bringing disgrace on our family,” he snapped.
At 87, when my father was admitted to hospital with heart and kidney failure, we had a rare afternoon alone. Sitting by his bed, I apologized for taking so long to figure out my life.
“I have a lot of regrets,” he said, “It took me too long to make a decent living, screwing up jobs because of my bullheadedness and big mouth.”
I was nervous when his physician Olaf emailed me, but it wasn’t bad news. “Your dad says you’re a professor who helps people publish. Could you help me?” he asked.
“What did you tell Olaf about me?” I questioned Dad that night, still surprised.
“That you stuck to your guns and became a success,” he said.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”
“I’m telling you now,” he said. He was pleased when I helped Olaf publish his first magazine piece.
I wish Dad were here so I could share the latest stories by my physician students. But I lost him four years ago. In a way, he still is, as I channel everything he taught me about hard work, and never giving up doing what you love.
1. What do we know about the author’s brothers?| A．They used to make loud noise. | B．They were addicted to playing games. |
| C．They were interested in medicine. | D．They distanced the author on purpose. |
| A．Taking over. | B．Focusing on. | C．Contributing to. | D．Messing up. |
| A．To help Olaf publish articles. | B．To discuss his physical condition. |
| C．To promote the author’s courses. | D．To share the author’s memoirs. |
| A．Enthusiastic but dishonest. | B．Modest but demanding. |
| C．Conservative but loving. | D．Helpful but selfish. |
10 . In early 2018, I was training for the London Marathon—the first and only marathon I would ever run in my life. I had treated myself to an expensive fitness watch that tracked my time, pace and splits.
At the end of my final training run—an exhausting 21 miles (34km) —I threw myself down on the floor the moment I got home, only to see my watch had failed me. Twenty-one miles briefly flashed on the screen before it went blank and disappeared for ever. I screamed in pain. That tragic image of me crying on my living room floor pretty much sums up my relationship with exercise tracking technology.
It can be a total joy to watch your data change on running apps as you get stronger and faster. I once got a kick out of it, but at some point it became a stick I used to punish myself. I would watch my pace, compare it with other people’s or criticize myself for not doing it 30 seconds faster. I never really recognized exercise tracking as a problem. It seemed to me that tracking was the route to self-improvement, and the point was to improve, wasn’t it? The point was to be better.
In the past year, the concept of “being better” has taken on a different meaning. My mental health dropped, and things that were once easy such as brushing my teeth became unimaginably difficult. Being better stopped meaning getting faster or stronger. It meant taking care of myself and feeling some joy in a day. Once I started getting better, I reflected on what in my life made me happy and what did not. So, I stopped tracking my runs and simply deleted years’ worth of data that was once very important to me and now meant nothing.
What has become very clear to me since I quit tracking my runs is that I genuinely love doing them. I run around my local park with a silly little smile on my face. I love it so much. But I do not love running quickly. I do not like races. I do not want to be pushed to be faster. Things I notice about my runs now include: how my legs feel and how my mind feels afterwards-clear and focused. I notice dogs, the smell of the wild plants along the canal and the sunshine (OK, wind and rain) on my face.
I am better. Or sometimes I am worse. But either way I’m slowly plodding along, and that’s good enough.
1. The author cried after the final training run because she ________.| A．had to stop working out | B．became physically worn out |
| C．lost the data on the watch | D．felt a sharp pain in the legs |
| A．a fun hobby for enjoyment | B．a strong need for recognition |
| C．a method of escaping punishment | D．a way of being a better runner |
| A．Getting pleasure out of winning races. | B．Being more focused on her life goal. |
| C．Freeing herself from demanding tasks. | D．Improving her overall well-being. |
| A．Adjustment brings happiness. | B．Passion is the key to success. |
| C．Sports contribute to happiness. | D．Success equals self-improvement. |
