1 . When she was a kid, Danielle Belleny “was always outdoors, playing with plants and investigating the world on my own.” “I wanted to be a veterinarian (兽医), at first,” she says. “I always knew I wanted to work with animals, and as a kid that was the only job I knew where you could do that.”
But when Belleny reached her second year of college, her dad mentioned wildlife biology (生物学) a another choice. She hadn’t yet heard of it before, but that’s what she was learning about. While in college, Belleny started working on research projects. She spent a lot of time with animals in their natural environment. On one project, she studied the plants that animals eat. Another is about placing trackers on a bird called the northern bobwhite.
Belleny’s current job is at Plateau Land & Wildlife Management, in Hays County, Texas. “In the morning, I’m usually out the door by sunrise,” she says. She studies birds. She keeps track of different animals. And she searches for signs of what other animals in the area are doing. “I love that there’s always a sense of discovery. It allows me to keep learning,” she says.
Around lunchtime, she’ll return home and write up a report. In the afternoon, she leaves for another site visit. Landowners can request her services. She advises people on how to accommodate the wildlife that lives on their land. “It’s a lot of meeting new people, a lot of quick introductions, and then talking for long periods of time.” That’s all her work for a day.
Outside of work, Belleny has been bird-watching, for seven years. Her first book, This Is a Book for People Who Love Birds, was published in May. It allowed her to share her love of the activity. Now she’s working on a children’s book about bird-watching. It’s scheduled to come out in fall 2023.
Belleny has some advice for young people who are thinking about professional goals. “Try everything you’re interested in.” And if you’re interested in working with animals, “Go to a library and find some field guides.” There’s a lot of information about animals out there. Books are always a good place to start.
1. What is Danielle Belleny at present?| A．A veterinarian. | B．A wildlife biologist. | C．A zoo keeper. | D．A full-time writer. |
| A．She keeps birds in her home. | B．She teaches people to watch birds. |
| C．She writes books about birds. | D．She advises people to accommodate birds. |
| A．Find information about a library. | B．Try to like animals. |
| C．Reading is the most important thing. | D．Do what you enjoy doing. |
| A．Study wildlife in the field | B．Protect children’s interests |
| C．Make researches on plants | D．Help farmers with their work |
2 . A recent study has found that number-based board games (棋盘游戏) possibly can make young children better at math. The researchers encourage further studies to see how these types of games can help to promote other developmental skills.
Former studies have shown that playing these games have a positive effect on improving social, reading and writing skills. Now, researchers from Pontificia Universidad Católica, Chile, have investigated how board games affect a child’s math abilities. The researchers chose board games, specifically, because they are rules-based, and the moves and changes on the board influence the whole gameplay. As such, they fall into their own type of games, different from other games.
The researchers reviewed 19 studies published from 2000 onwards for children aged three to nine. All but one of the studies focused on the effects of board games on counting ability and mathematical knowledge.
The children were grouped according to whether they played a board game based on numbers(the intervention group) or one that did not (the control group). Math performance (表现) was tested before and after the intervention (干预). The researchers grouped the children according to their mathematical abilities, from basic math bility (identifying and naming numbers) to more advanced skills in mathematics.
The researchers found that 32% of children in the intervention group showed obvious improvement in basic and advanced math performance compared to those in the control group.
The researchers say that their study’s findings show that board games can be used to improve a child’s basic math skills. “Future studies should be designed to explore the influences that these games could have on other developmental skills,” said Jaime Balladares, lead author of the study.
1. What did the researchers find in the former study?| A．Board games can promote kids’ social skills. |
| B．All games are helpful to children’s growth. |
| C．Children like the number-based games best. |
| D．Board games contribute to a child’s study. |
| A．Reading and writing skills. | B．Directing and acting skills. |
| C．Counting and math ability. | D．Study and review ability. |
| A．By listing numbers. | B．By giving an example. |
| C．By quoting a conversation. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．He is not satisfied with the study findings. |
| B．He encourages further studies of board games. |
| C．He is an expert in kids’ developmental skills. |
| D．He worries about the effect of playing games. |
3 . Artificial Intelligence (人工智能) has been around for many years. Now robots are using AI to help us learn and improve some skills in a foreign language. This is not new — some of the online language tools we turn to every day are powered by AI.
But as new technologies flood into the market, now is a great time to make use of the tech. And according to experts, these tools are making teachers’ lives easier. One of the things that stops some of us from practicing speaking in a new language is a lack of self-confidence. AI can help, because for some people, when they communicate with a chatbot (聊天机器人), they don’t need to be afraid of failure or shyness.
The latest chatbots use something called natural language processing that allows them to understand human speech or writing. While chatbots are extremely useful for learners working alone, teachers can also ask an AI system to produce personalized textbooks for groups of students. AI can also provide feedback (反馈) in seconds — the days of waiting a week for work to be graded are gone.
Past online language tools and games were able to tell you when you were wrong, but they weren’t always able to explain why. Now, not only has that changed, but the explanations are detailed and immediate. But this is not to underestimate the role of the teacher, who can use the technology to help learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of their students and personalize their teaching.
So, if you want to impress your friends with your perfect speech, don’t be afraid of AI. Just think of it as a useful tool for both teachers and language learners, which will give you more time and space to enjoy learning something new!
1. Why might someone prefer communicating with chatbots?| A．Because they can produce textbooks. |
| B．Because they are more knowledgeable. |
| C．Because there is no need to worry too much. |
| D．Because they are more professional than humans. |
| A．It can ensure students to get a high grade. | B．It meets personalized students’ needs. |
| C．It reduces the cost of education. | D．It can make detailed lesson plans. |
| A．Undervalue. | B．Understand. | C．Establish. | D．Revive. |
| A．The history of online language tools. |
| B．The challenges that AI-robots bring to us. |
| C．The advantages of AI in language learning. |
| D．The role of teachers in the modern classroom. |
4 . Sharing China Photo Contest(比)2024
Chinese Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival for Chinese people. Joyful celebrations take place all over the world during the festive days. No matter who you are or where you are from, you are welcome to send us photos of valuable moments from Chinese New Year celebrations.
Suggested subjects include:
·Traditional customs (风俗), such as cleaning the house and New Year’s Eve dinner.
·Modern customs, such as the Spring Festival travel rush, giving out or receiving mobile red envelopes (红包) or travelling.
·National activities, such as dragon dances, lion dances, yangko dances, local customs.
·Foreigners experiencing the Spring Festival, such as celebrations around the world or anything that shows the integration (融合) of the festival and local life.
Awards and Prizes
The contest will choose 50 photos (single or group).
First prize: 5 photos, with 2,000 RMB in prize money for each winner
Second prize: 15 photos, with 1,000 RMB in prize money for each winner
Third prize: 30 photos, with 600 RMB in prize
When
The delivery date: from Dec 20, 2023 to Feb 12, 2024
The result will be published on June 1, 2024
The rules
·All entries (参赛作品) must be real and not photo edited. The color of the image may be changed.
·Entries can be single photos or a group of photos. A group of photos counts as one entry and each group may have four to ten photos.
·Entries should have titles and a short photo description (such as time, place and people in the photo).
Host and organizers
Host: China International Culture Association
Organizers: Chinadaily.com.cn, Chinaculture.org
To learn more and deliver your entries:
http: //en. chinaculture. org/special_reports/sharingchina 2024/
1. What is the 2024 photo contest mainly about?| A．Chinese New Year celebrations. | B．Foreigners’ experiences in China. |
| C．Spring Festival celebrating activities abroad. | D．Chinese traditional and modern customs. |
| A．December 20, 2023. | B．Feburary 12, 2024. | C．May 15, 2024. | D．June 1, 2024. |
| A．Entries can be edited photos. | B．Entries must be single photos. |
| C．Entries should be shared online. | D．Entries should have a short introduction. |
5 . Animals, including humans, feel sound as well as hear it, and some of the most meaningful communication happens at frequencies (频率) that people can’t hear. Elephants, for example, use these low-frequency sounds to, among other things, find family or a mate across long distances. Whales do it, too.
But you don’t have to weigh a ton to make a sound. In fact, you don’t have to be bigger than a pea. Consider, for example, the tree-hopper, a curious little animal that lives on the stems (茎) of the leaves. University of Missouri biologist Rex Cocroft has spent much of his time listening closely to tree-hoppers with his team.
The team discovers that all the sounds being heard from tree-hoppers are produced by males. They do it by vibrating (振动) their abdomens (腹部) to make a wide variety of strange sounds. There is almost no airborne sound produced with these vibrational sounds. Cocroft explained, “If a tree-hopper were to stand on your finger and produce a sound, you would feel the vibration but hear no sound.”
They showed that some sounds, not surprisingly, seem to be aimed at attracting females. And some are aimed at other males.
Cocroft explained, “When two males meet each other, or when they are mate-searching on a branch, we’re hearing ‘purring, bdddddrrrr…’ sounds that males give.” Normally, a person couldn’t hear any of this, because the sound travels along the stem, inside it. And that’s how other tree-hoppers detect it.
Cocroft said tree-hoppers have very sensitive legs. And they stand around on stems, which are good at spreading vibrations. So they just use what nature gives them to communicate with each other.
“They have so many different forms of social behavior and grouping,” Cocroft explained. “And once there are animals living in groups, then there will be all sorts of interesting possibilities for communication.”
1. What does Cocroft’s research focus on about tree-hoppers?| A．Their variety. | B．Their communication. |
| C．Their living areas. | D．Their numbers. |
| A．They sense sounds by legs. |
| B．They knock the stems to make sounds. |
| C．Their sounds can be easily heard by humans. |
| D．Females make sounds to meet each other |
| A．It is key to their survival. |
| B．It drives an increase in their numbers. |
| C．It often leads to communication. |
| D．It contributes much to the division of animal types. |
| A．A Magic Moment in Nature | B．A Journey to the Wildlife |
| C．Learning From Nature | D．Communication Sounds Among Animals |
6 . Every year the start of the Atlantic hurricane season is another reminder for Margarite August that she still doesn’t have a roof.
The 70-year-old retired teacher’s home on the small Caribbean island nation of Dominica was mostly wiped out by hurricane Maria six years ago.
Six years after hurricane Maria, Dominicans like Margarite August still haven’t been able to rehabilitate their homes.
August is not alone. Since Maria, the government of Dominica has built 7,000 new homes—about a quarter of its housing stock-with materials to fight another Category 5 hurricane. They’ve also relocated two communities. But an untold number of the island’s 70,000 or so residents are like August, rebuilding their homes in any way they can afford.
Hurricane Maria is often referred to as a once-in-a-lifetime disaster. Scientists put much of the blame on warming ocean temperatures that could make frequent (频繁的) storms like it.
Maria damaged a terrible 95% of Dominica’s housing stock and 226% of the nation’s GDP. Before the storm, the country’s economy had long struggled since its independence from Great Britain in 1978. Unlike its more famous touristy neighbors along the chain of eastern Caribbean islands it lies on, Dominica is more known for its rugged mountains and jungles (丛林) than white sandy beaches.
The jungle mountains that crash down to the coast are beautiful but disasters visit easily. “I don’t think anybody ever got over Maria,” says Christine John of the Dominica Red Cross. “There are a lot of persons today—if it just starts to rain outside, they get anxious.”
1. What does the underlined word “rehabilitate” in paragraph 3 mean?| A．Rebuild. | B．Leave. | C．Decorate. | D．Buy. |
| A．Over-farming. | B．Loss of the land. |
| C．The disappearance of the forests. | D．Climate change. |
| A．Its good economy. | B．Its architecture. |
| C．Its mountains and jungles. | D．Its sandy beaches. |
| A．They have to stay bored at home. | B．Their houses are easy to take in water. |
| C．They don’t know how to make umbrellas. | D．They are afraid of another disaster like Maria. |
7 . Giorgio Morandi was one of the greatest artists in the history of Italy. He was the eldest of five children born into a middle-class family in Bologna, Italy. His early love of art upset his father, who wanted his son to work with him in his export business. Morandi attempted the business unsuccessfully in 1906.
After that, Morandi entered the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts in 1907. He continued his study with the support of his friends when his father suddenly passed away in 1908, forcing him to support his mother and younger sisters. During that time, he was introduced to Cubism and Futurism, which influenced his early work.
After he graduated from the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts in 1913, Morandi continued his study by traveling around Italy, especially to the Venice Biennale. Those tours would finally prove important, as much of Morandi’s exposure (接触) to painters came from published art works on the journey. He was particularly interested in the work of Impressionists like Claude Monet, as well as following greats such as Georges Seurat and Paul Cézanne.
After Morandi finished his traveling, he returned home and lived with his family. For many years, Morandi kept a peaceful daily routine. And he did most of his work in his workshop, a small room in a flat he shared with his mother and sisters.
Life wasn’t easy for him at first, but he quickly established himself as an important modern artist. His mastery of a skill of color, light and arrangement began to gain notice, shining in the face of present painting in the manner of abstraction (抽象). And he was named “one of the greatest painters living” by Roberto Longhi in 1934.
1. Why did Morandi’s early love of art worry his father?| A．It took Morandi too much time. |
| B．His father didn’t have money to support Morandi. |
| C．His father wanted Morandi to follow in his footsteps. |
| D．There were no suitable art teachers for Morandi. |
| A．He tried his father’s business. | B．He started his university life. |
| C．He traveled with his father. | D．He finished his study in school. |
| A．His love for his family. | B．His tours around Italy. |
| C．His middle-class background. | D．His exposure to his father’s business. |
| A．By asking questions. | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By following time order. | D．By making a comparison. |
8 . My grandparents actively practised simplicity. They both grew up in very large families and lived through the Great Depression. Saving for a rainy day and avoiding superfluous spending was their life guide. Rather than seeking fulfillment through material items, they chose to spend really simple life together, with family and in nature.
Over the years my grandparents noticed dramatic changes in their community. Every year more farmland was destroyed to build larger and larger homes. As land prices rose, many of their neighbors sold their homes. Lots of family members encouraged my grandparents to expand their little old house. But they didn’t want a bigger place. My grandparents built and lived in a small cottage for most of their lives. They loved their little house and were content with what they had.
My grandparents avoided consumptive lifestyle by painting and repairing the house themselves. They lived in a small home, but had a huge garden. They loved gardening and planting because it reduced their grocery bill, improved their health, and gave them an excuse to be outside. They also reused and recycled everything. For instance, they had driven the same car for over 15 years and didn’t buy a new one until the old Chevrolet was worn out.
Through their example I learned an important lesson: It is possible to live a simple and fulfilling life. My grandparents taught me that living a simple life isn’t about self-deprivation (剥夺). Instead, it is about giving yourself the time, freedom, and money to pursue your dreams. Becoming debt free, downsizing to a smaller home, are a few ways to take control of your life and start pursuing your dreams.
1. What does the underlined word “superfluous” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．meaningful | B．unnecessary | C．increasing | D．troublesome |
| A．They didn’t notice the family members’ advice. |
| B．Their house were really new and large enough. |
| C．They were satisfied with the house they lived in. |
| D．They were too old to do any house-building job. |
| A．Repairing the house themselves. | B．Planting vegetables in the garden. |
| C．Reusing and recycling things. | D．Changing cars in a short time. |
| A．unacceptable | B．favorable | C．unreasonable | D．impossible |
9 . Endangered polar bears are breeding with grizzly bears, creating “pizzly” bears, which is being driven by climate change, scientists say.
As the world warms and Arctic sea ice thins, starving polar bears are being forced ever further south, where they meet grizzlies, whose ranges are expanding northwards. And with that growing contact between the two come increasing hybrids (杂交种), “pizzly” bears.
With features that could give the hybrids an advantage in warming northern habitats, some scientists guess that they could be here to stay. “Usually, the hybrids,“pizzly” bears aren’t better suited to their environments than their parents, but these hybrids are able to search for a wider range of food sources, ” Larisa DeSantis, an associate professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, told Live Science.
The rise of “pizzly” bears appears with polar bears’ decrease: their number is estimated to go down by more than 30% in the next 30 years. This sudden fall is related partly to “pizzly” bears taking up polar bears’ ranges, but also to polar bears’ highly specialized diets.
“Polar bears mainly consumed soft foods even during the Medieval Warm Period, a previous period of rapid warming,” DeSantis said, referring to fat meals such as seals. “Although all of these starving polar bears are trying to find alternative food sources like seabird eggs.” Actually, the calories they gain from these sources do not balance out(抵消) those they burn from searching for them. This could result in a habitat ready for the hybrids to move in and take over, leading to a loss in biodiversity if polar bears are replaced.
“We’re having massive impacts with climate change on species,” DeSantis said. “The polar bear is telling us how bad things are. In some sense, “pizzly” bears could be a sad but necessary compromise(妥协) given current warming trends.”
1. Why do polar bears move further south?| A．To create hybrids. | B．To expand territory. |
| C．To deal with hunger. | D．To contact grizzlies. |
| A．Wider habitats. | B．More food choices. |
| C．Climate preference. | D．Improved breeding ability. |
| A．Polar bears are increasing. | B．Polar bears like soft foods. |
| C．Polar bears hate fat meals such as seals. | D．Climate change can benefit polar bears. |
| A．Polar bears are changing diets for climate change. |
| B．Polar bears have already adjusted to climate change. |
| C．“Pizzly” bears are on the rise because of global warming. |
| D．“Pizzly” bears have replaced polar bears for global warming. |
10 . If you’d like to go sightseeing, the following World Heritage sites (世界遗产保护地) may be your best choices.
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Jiuzhaigou Valley, which lies in the northern part of Sichuan Province, China, reaches a height of more than 4,800m, with a series of different forest ecosystems (生态系统). It’s particularly famous for its narrow landforms and excellent waterfalls. Some 140 kinds of birds also live in the valley, as well as a number of endangered plants and animals, including the giant panda. Jiuzhaigou Valley was recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1992.
Khami Ruins National Monument
The city of Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological (考古的) interest. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for trade over a long period of time. It joined the World Heritage List in 1986.
Henderson Island
Henderson Island, which lies in the eastern South Pacific, is one of the few atolls (环礁) in the world whose ecology (生态) has been untouched by humans. It is particularly famous for the 10 plants and 4 birds that can only be seen on the island. It was recorded in the World Heritage List in 1988.
Old City of Jerusalem
As a holy (神圣的) city for three different religions in the Middle East, Jerusalem has always been of great religious importance. It was given a World Heritage Status in 1981 and placed on the “World Heritage in Danger List” the following year.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Jiuzhaigou Valley?| A．Wonderful waterfalls can be seen there. |
| B．It is famous for many ancient objects. |
| C．It has been untouched by human beings. |
| D．It lies in the southern part of Sichuan Province. |
| A．was ruined in the mid-16th century |
| B．was once business center for trade |
| C．has over 140 kinds of birds living there |
| D．is a holy city for three major religions |
| A．Henderson Island. | B．Khami Ruins National Monument. |
| C．Old City of Jerusalem. | D．Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area. |
