1 . I was the only kid in college with a reason to go to the mailbox, because my mother never believed in email or cell phones. I was literally waiting to get a letter to see how her weekend had gone, which was usually the warmest comfort for a girl of my age.
So when I moved to New York and got sucker-punched in the face by depression, I did the only thing I could think of. I wrote those same kinds of letters like my mother for strangers, and slipped them all over the city. I blogged about those letters and crazily promised if asked for a hand-written letter, I would write one.
Overnight, my inbox became this harbor of heartbreak — a single mother in Sacramento, a girl being bullied in Kansas, a 22-year-old immigrant, all asking me to write them and gave them a reason to wait by the mailbox. And this is how I initiated a global organization, fueled by those trips to the mailbox.
It is awesome. In fact, the thing about these letters is that most of them have been written by people who have grownup into a paperless world where some best conversations happen on a screen. We have learned to record our pain on to Facebook, and we speak swiftly in 140 characters or less.
But it’s not about efficiency. And I could tell you about a woman whose husband was traumatized (受精神创伤) by his war experiences in Afghanistan and isolated himself, and her love letters slipped throughout the house eventually got him back to her. Or a man, who decides to take his own life, finally sleeps soundly with a stack of letters from strangers slipped beneath his pillow.
The scare the kinds of stories that convince me that letter-writing will always be needed even in these days, because it is an art now.
1. Why did the author share her experience in college?| A．To show her attachment to letters. |
| B．To convey her love for writing letters. |
| C．To prove how convenient it was to write letters. |
| D．To indicate how much she cared for her family. |
| A．The letters’ comforting effect on people. |
| B．Her intention of providing professional aid |
| C．The positive influence of modern technology. |
| D．Her mother’s fear of modern communication. |
| A．Digital generations still choose to handwrite letters. |
| B．People prefer to write strangers letters on the Internet. |
| C．So many people badly need hand-written letters to survive. |
| D．People post their sufferings and happiness on social media. |
| A．Family Letters Are Priceless |
| B．Love for Writing Never Declines |
| C．World Needs More Love Letters |
| D．Hand-written Letters Improve Efficiency |
2 . Have you ever wondered why you might be a little taller than your friends or family? Well, scientists believe the mystery of why humans are growing taller and reaching puberty (青春期) earlier is due to something in the brain.
We already know that better nutrition leads to greater height as humans have been growing taller on the whole in recent centuries. Better nutrition also causes people to reach maturity faster. Genes (基因) also play a role in how tall we become and we all grow and look according to the codes in our DNA. A lack of nutrition makes it harder for us to reach the full potential of our own genes.
According to the University of Maryland, our body requires a certain amount of energy to make us grow. But a new study suggests that a brain receptor (感受器) could be responsible for our growth. The study showed that the brain receptor MC3R is responsible for signals from food reaching a part of the brain called the hypothalamus (下丘脑). The hypothalamus is responsible for keeping things in check like body temperature and adjusting appetite and weight.
MC3R’s not working properly tends to mean that people are shorter and start puberty much later. Professor Sir Stephen O’ Rahilly, one of the authors of the study, said, “It tells the body we’re great here and that we’ve got lots of food, so grow quickly and have puberty soon.”
There is a lot about the brain we still don’t know. But this research could lead to further development of drugs for children with delayed growth and puberty starting much later. More understanding of the receptor won’t mean that we can make ourselves taller. That all still depends on genes, but it could help people with long-lasting illnesses, who need to build up muscle.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．Genes lead to faster maturity. | B．Nutrition determines a person’s height. |
| C．Improper nutrition changes one’s genes. | D．Better nutrition is important to growing taller. |
| A．By taking in a large amount of nutrition itself. |
| B．By having us check body temperatures regularly. |
| C．By helping us control our appetite to lose weight. |
| D．By sending signals to inspire us to have more nutrition. |
| A．Finding ways to put off kid’s puberty. |
| B．Treating patients with long-lasting illness. |
| C．Developing medicine for kids with delayed growth. |
| D．Finding scientific exercise to get our muscle stronger. |
| A．Why Are Some People Shorter? Genes Are to Blame |
| B．Why Are Some People Shorter? Nutrition Is to Blame |
| C．Why Are Some People Taller? The Key Is in Our Brains |
| D．Why Are Some People Taller? The Key Is in Our Appetite |
3 . On Tuesday, Virgin Atlantic flew a large passenger jet from London to New York using 100% “Sustainable Aviation（航空） Fuel（SAF）”. The flight was meant to show that it’s possible to fly using cleaner fuels.
The fuel used on the flight was mainly made from used cooking oils and animal fats. A small part of the fuel was made from corn waste. Virgin Atlantic says that using SAF cuts the flight’s pollution by 70%. SAF still pollutes when it’s burned, just like regular jet fuel. However, the difference is in how the fuels are made.
SAF is made from plants （and related animal products） that once absorbed carbon dioxide （CO2） from the air. When SAF burns, it just releases this same CO2 again. That’s different from jet fuel, which is made from oil exploited from underground, releasing CO2 that was deeply buried.
SAF may sound great, but it still has many problems. For one thing, SAF costs five times as much as regular jet fuel. That helps explain why only one-tenth of 1% of the fuel airlines currently use is SAF. Virgin Atlantic is hoping that its flight will encourage more companies to produce SAF and that this will bring the price down.
But even if the price of SAF drops, critics say there are still big problems with it. They say it’s easy to make small amounts of SAF out of plant waste. But to make as much SAF as the airlines really need would require farmers to grow plants for fuel instead of for eating. This could also lead to more forests being cut down for farmland.
Airlines like SAF because it can be used now in existing planes with no changes. They hope it will help quickly reduce airplane pollution until non-polluting fuels are developed.
Governments seem to agree that SAF is a step in the right direction. Both the United States and the European Union have set targets that will sharply increase the use of SAF in coming years.
1. What makes SAF superior to regular jet fuels?| A．Its production method. | B．Being pollution-free. |
| C．Its storage technology. | D．Being easy to burn. |
| A．Destroyed. | B．Replaced. | C．Drawn. | D．Checked. |
| A．SAF is heavy. | B．SAF is expensive. |
| C．SAF needs new equipment. | D．SAF may cause safety issues. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Approving. |
4 . Traveling on foot in Thailand is an amazing experience. While you get ready for a thrilling experience of a lifetime, take a look at some of the best places for your adventure.
Chiang Mai
The trails in Chiang Mai are perfect for amateur hikers. Hiking here is a superb choice as there are beautiful forests, valleys and rivers as well as various tribal (部落的) villages with ethnic minorities that you can explore.
Tips: Pick up a hiking option from an experienced operator that has in-depth knowledge of the area because it is a fairly large one.
Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand. It is also one of the most beautiful places with three impressive waterfalls that flow down quickly. As you travel along the 47-kilometre road to the top, you will pass a few small villages of the Karen Hill Tribes and rice fields.
Tips: Make sure to have an experienced guide.
Hua Hin
One of the most incredible things to do is hiking in Hua Hin. The area features its elephant camps. You can care for the elephants, like feeding and bathing them. It must be a special experience to ride on the back of a tall elephant while exploring this beautiful region.
Tips: Make sure to pack extra clothes if you plan to bathe the elephants.
Kamphaeng Phet
As a historically significant part of Thailand, Kamphaeng Phet is a quiet and charming province with many cultural and natural attractions. You can explore the ancient ruins that are scattered throughout the province.
Tips: Be respectful of the statues and other religious monuments.
1. What do Chiang Mai and Doi Inthanon have in common?| A．They are suitable for professional hikers. |
| B．They have 3, 000-meter waterfalls. |
| C．They are located in the urban areas. |
| D．They have some tribal villages. |
| A．Look after the elephants. | B．Set up the animal camps. |
| C．Design minority clothing. | D．Visit religious monuments. |
| A．Chiang Mai. | B．Doi Inthanon. |
| C．Hua Hin. | D．Kamphaeng Phet. |
5 . Ruby was a police dog with the Rhode Island State Police, but she didn’t always work with them. Ruby was once a handful who was in and out of the sheller. She was returned five times by different families. She was considered unadoptable because of her high energy and she was just unmanageable
The shelter workers thought her energy may be put to work. They reached the state police, who wanted to give Ruby a second chance and decided to try her out as a rescue dog. O’Neil was picked to be her handler (驯犬员) .
“We have something in common. When I was younger, I couldn’t focus and I wasn’t good at school. But no one really ever gave up on me,” O’Neil said. “I think that’s why we were bound to be together.” A normal dog could be trained in months. For Ruby, it took a year and a half, but O’Neil didn’t want to give up on her. Finally, she was a certified police dog. Six years later, she became even more than that -a hero.
“We got a call stating there was a missing boy, and we just went out and started searching. After eight hours, Ruby ran down a hill. I looked over the hill and saw the injured boy,” ONeil recalled.
O’Neil went to tell the mother that the boy was found alive and told her a police dog helped save her son. Then they realised a surprising connection: the boy’s mum once worked at an animal shelter. “There was a dog that I heard became a state trooper (兵) a few years ago. The dog was named Ruby. She was the sweetest thing,” she told him.
“Are you kidding?” O’Neil said. “That dog that you helped for all those times to get adopted just saved your son’s life.”
1. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “handful” in paragraph 1?| A．Popular dog. | B．Good helper. | C．Troublemaker | D．Intelligent dog |
| A．A shelter dog. | B．A rescue dog. | C．A guard dog. | D．A pet dog. |
| A．ONeil’s guidance. | B．Ruby’s high energy |
| C．Ruby’s determination. | D．ONeil’s perseverance |
| A．The mother once helped Ruby in the shelter. | B．The mother was Ruby’s former handler |
| C．Ruby was once adopted by the mother. | D．Ruby saved the mother before. |
6 . German physicist Albert Einstein is one of the most famous scientists of all time, the personification of genius and the subject of a whole industry of scholarship. In The Einsteinian Revolution, two experts on Einstein’s life and his theory of relativity―Israeli physicst Hanoch Gutfreund and German historian of science Jurgen Renn—offer an original and penetrating(厚利的) analysis of Einstein’s revolutionary contributions to physics and our view of the physical world.
By setting Einstein’s work in the long course of the evolution of scientific knowledge, Gutfreund and Renn discover the popular misconception of Einstein as an unconventional scientific genius who single-handedly created modern physics—and by pure thought alone.
As a large part of the book explains, Einstein typically argued that science progresses through steady evolution, not through revolutionary breaks with the past. He saw his theory of relativity not as something from scratch, but a natural extension of the classical physics developed by pioneers such as Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei and English physicist Isaac Newton in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as nineteenth-century physicists.
The authors highlight how classical physics cannot be separated cleanly from modem Einsteinian physics. The book also includes substantial sections on Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo whose methods inspired Einstein. When Einstein considered himself as standing on their shoulders, he meant that, without their contributions, he would not have formulated(阐述) the theory of relativity.
The Einsteinian Revolution is an important and thought-provoking contribution to the scholarly literature on Einstein and his surprising scientific creativity between 1905 and 1925. Gutfreund and Renn might not have given the final answer as to why Einstein, of all people, revolutionized physics in the way that he did. But they argue in fascinating detail that, to understand his genius, one must take into account not just the earlier history of physics but also the history of knowledge more broadly. Although not always an easy read, the book will interest physicists and historians alike.
1. Where is the text most probably taken from?| A．An essay on Albert Einstein. | B．An introduction to a book |
| C．A guidebook to a course. | D．A review of physics development |
| A．Unclear. | B．Favorable. | C．Dismissive | D．Opposing. |
| A．Up to standard | B．From nothing. |
| C．By learning from others. | D．With previous knowledge. |
| A．Their ideas were rejected by Einstein， |
| B．Their devotion to physics impressed Einstein |
| C．Their researches contributed to Einstein’s success. |
| D．Their hard work deserved the worldwide respect. |
7 . Green Line Performing Arts Center
329 E Garfield Blvd. Chicago, IL 60637
Upcoming Programs Include:
First Monday Jazz Series: Crosswind
Monday Feb.4｜7—9 p.m.
First Monday Jazz is a monthly events how easing local Chicago jazz artists.
GreenLight Series: South Side Story Time
Sunday Feb.17｜10—11 a.m.
Bring your kids to listen, learn, sing, dance, and interact! South Side Story Time is a small gathering that centres on readings for its young attendees along with the chance for their parents to socialize. Open to families with children of all ages.
Sistergirls and Freedom Fighters: Stories: in Celebration of Women’s Power and Grace
Wednesday Feb.20|7—8:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening of storytelling featuring the dynamic singing, In the Spirit by Emily Hooper Lansana. This performance will highlight a range of stories that demonstrate women’s creative and political genius from folk heroines to Nobel Peace Prize winners.
Family Saturdays:Art together
Every 1st Saturday of the Month| 3—5 p.m.
Explore your child’s artistic curiosity with hands-on artworks bops designed to stimulate creativity and play. These interdisciplinary workshops are exciting for the entire family, offering activities from music to arts and crafts. Come to learn something new! Appropriate for families with children. Registration is encouraged.
Follow Arts+Public Life on Facebook for more event details and a full list of all upcoming performances.
1. When can people enjoy jazz in February?| A．At 8 p.m. on the first Monday. | B．At 10 a.m. on the third Sunday. |
| C．At 7 p.m. on the last Wednesday. | D．At 4 p.m. on the first Saturday. |
| A．It lasts two hours | B．It is a prize-winning performance. |
| C．It celebrates women’s achievements | D．It is organized by Emily Hooper Lansana. |
| A．Activity types. | B．Event frequency. |
| C．Target participants | D．Registration requirements. |
8 . People who keep chickens as pets or barnyard animals tend to be quite passionate about them. Similar to those who keep cats and dogs as animal friends, chicken owners love to spoil their little ones. If that means building tiny amusement parks to keep them happy, then that’s exactly what they will do.
Chickens have more personality than many people give them credit for. Like humans, chickens love to have fun, explore, and just kind of check stuff out.
What happens if chickens get bored?
Bored chickens tend to engage in bad behaviors. These can include pecking at and fighting with one another and pulling out each other’s feathers.
Part of keeping and caring for chickens (or any animal for that matter) includes making sure they have everything they need to be happy. That includes entertainment and things to keep their days interesting.
One method is to hang up a piece of cabbage. Not only does this keep the chickens entertained, but it also gives them a healthy source of nourishment.
There is another fun toy you can build for your chickens, and all you need is some old bicycle tires. Chicken merry-go-rounds are about to become all the rage (风靡一时) in chicken society. To do this, all you need to do is remove the wheel from a bike. Then lay the wheel out over top something so the chickens are able to spin and ride on top. The chickens seem to know how to jump right on and go for a ride. They might not react like a human on a rollercoaster (过山车), but their behavior tends to show it is an enjoyable experience for them. The wheels can be spread out through your garden, backyard, or wherever your chickens like to roam. They help make their days more interesting, fun, and unique!
1. What’s the purpose of hanging up a piece of cabbage?| A．To feed chickens. | B．To train chickens. |
| C．To amuse chickens. | D．To punish chickens. |
| A．Hatch. | B．Rest. |
| C．Gather. | D．Wander. |
| A．A New Pet | B．Chickens’ Beautiful Life |
| C．People’s Friends | D．Harmonious Coexistence |
| A．A magazine. | B．A biography. |
| C．A diary. | D．A novel. |
9 . Gene-edited Foods: Yes or No?
Gene-edited foods could soon be hitting supermarket shelves in the UK as the government announced plans to allow gene-edited foods to be sold unlabeled in British supermarkets, promoting an outcry from some consumers who claim they “should be given a choice”.
GE foods are produced using the gene-editing tool CRISPR, which edits the existing DNA of a plant or animal. Unlike genetically modified food, gene-edited food contains no “foreign” DNA from other species. Scientists use a specialized protein to make tiny changes to the organism’s DNA that could occur naturally or through selective breeding.
Environment Secretary George Eustice insisted that GE products would not need to be advertised as such because they are “fundamentally natural”. However, Scotland and Wales both vowed to reject the move, and Britain’s biggest supermarkets have so far refused to confirm if they will stock the foods.
Now let’s take a closer look at some of the GE foods that could be on shelves in the UK as early as next year.
Vitamin D-boosted tomatoes
Tomatoes have been genetically engineered to produce more vitamin D. Researchers claim that the “super” fruits could help reduce the risk of developing diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease and dementia (痴呆).
Mushrooms that don’t go brown
A variety of white button mushroom has been genetically edited so that it doesn’t go brown when sliced. The researchers used CRISPR to remove a small piece of one gene that causes mushroom browning. Thus it can stay on supermarket shelves for longer, reducing food waste.
Bread that reduces cancer risk from burnt toast
Acrylamide (丙烯酰胺), a substance that can cause cancer, is created when bread is baked or toasted. Researchers have edited the genome (基因组) of wheat to reduce its production of the cancer-causing chemical.
Chickens resistant to bird flu
Researchers have used gene-editing techniques to grow chicken cells that are unable to replicate the bird flu virus in a lab. They edited a section of chicken DNA to make it resistant to the virus.
1. What can be known about GE foods?| A．They edit their own existing DNA. |
| B．They have foreign DNA from other species. |
| C．They are completely as natural as ordinary foods. |
| D．They are exactly the same as genetically modified foods. |
| A．The UK government supports GE foods. | B．George Eustice is against GE foods. |
| C．Some consumers object to GE foods being sold. | D．Britain’s biggest supermarkets welcome GE foods. |
| A．vitamin D-boosted tomatoes’ | B．mushrooms that don’t go brown |
| C．bread that reduces cancer risk from burnt toast | D．chickens resistant to bird flu |
10 . Parts of East Asia could see “rivers in the sky” form due to climate change, bringing record-breaking levels of rainfall with them, a new study has revealed.
The team, from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, have already seen clear signs of global warming hitting parts of the country, so they wanted to see how bad things could get. “It’s been becoming more and more clear that global warming means more than just warmer temperatures,” they wrote.
One particularly-damaging extreme weather event is an increase in rainfall to unexpected and unprecedented (前所未有的) levels, which can result in flooding. To help predict rainfall events, researchers looked to one of the causes — the interaction of atmospheric rivers with mountain ranges.
“As the name suggests, atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of concentrated water vapour flowing through the atmosphere,” the team explained. “When one of these bands meets a barrier, such as a mountain range, it can produce extreme levels of rainfall or snowfall.”
Parts of East Asia have been subjected to (遭受) an increasing number of damaging, extreme weather events over the past decade.
To understand the impact, the team used high-resolution global atmospheric circulations model simulations (模拟) that virtually re-create the conditions in the atmosphere. They then looked at other regional climate models, comparing simulations based on real, meteorological data (气象数据) from 1951 to 2010 to predictions for 2090.
Authors used the climate scenario that would result in 4℃ of warming, compared to preindustrial levels — which is significantly more than 2℃ target set as part of Paris Climate Agreement.
First author, Professor Yoichi Kamae, said that their simulations predict strengthened water vapour transport, as well as increased rainfall at unprecedented levels. In simulations the greatest amounts of atmospheric river-related rainfall occurred on the southern and western slopes of mountains in East Asia, including in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and northeastern China. They had to limit the study to East Asia due to computer time and processing limitations, but predict it would apply to other regions around the world.
1. What’s the possible consequence of the global warming?| A．It contributes to polluted air. |
| B．It leads to hot and rainy climate. |
| C．It only results in the rise of temperature. |
| D．It causes the destruction of more species. |
| A．describe the new study |
| B．introduce atmospheric rivers |
| C．analyze the cause of rainfall |
| D．warn people of global warming |
| A．By comparison. | B．By discussion. |
| C．By examples. | D．By explanation |
| A．They are risky. | B．They are valueless. |
| C．They are perfect. | D．They are convincing. |
