1 . If a traditional sport bores you, it’s time to try something new! Cycling, but outdoors on city roads; surfing, but on the land; playing frisbee (飞盘), but with a group of people... New sports have been refreshing our minds, bringing more joy to physical exercise.
National fitness has been part of the national strategy for many years, aiming to improve people’s overall physical health. With great attention paid in support of national fitness, new sports begin to develop. According to a study by Houlang Research Institute which attracted more than 1,200 young people to participate, more than 93 percent of people born after 2000 are interested in urban (城市的) sports.
Why do young people favor new sports? Houlang’s report claims that apart from keeping fit as a type of exercise, many young people pick them up to socialize — allowing them to build up their social circles. “Players tend to have online group chats announcing their usual activities and simply sharing their lives. The new sports are also suitable for taking photos and are less limited by venues (场地),” the CEO of a tourism website in China told China News Service. Gathered together through social media, people can enjoy new sports at many places in the city, from parks to spacious sidewalks.
Qianjiang Evening News also comments that the new sports are easier for new players to start, unlike other traditional sports, such as soccer and basketball, which usually require strict and complex rules. Thus, the new sports are less competitive but could bring more fun. According to a website, people may opt for sports that are less challenging and can take place at local venues.
Urban sports have unlocked new lifestyles in China and prove that more people are exposed to and willing to enjoy sports, according to China News Service.
1. Why do the young prefer urban sports?| A．To compete better. | B．To help socialize. |
| C．To have online chats. | D．To desert traditional sports. |
| A．They are more competitive than traditional sports. | B．They are only suitable for the young. |
| C．They are easy to have access to. | D．They need more strict rules. |
| A．Choose. | B．Decide. | C．Spot. | D．Support. |
2 . Do you like museums? Have you been to the Louvre in Paris, the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City or any of those other “must-see” museums? Well, now it’s time to go off the beaten path. There are some museums that try to be a little different.
Museum Kimchikan, Seoul, Republic of KoreaIf you don’t know about kimchi, a trip to Museum Kimchikan is an eye-opening experience. The museum was founded in 1986 to highlight Republic of Korea’s rich kimchi culture. The show includes displays of cooking utensils (厨具) and materials related to making, storing, and eating the famous pickled (腌制的) vegetables. The museum also provides details about the history and nutritional (营养的) benefits of Republic of Korea’s most beloved side dish. Finally, stop by the souvenir (纪念品) shop to try various types of kimchi. Don’t forget to buy your favourite kind to bring home for dinner!
The Gold Museum, Bogotá, ColombiaIf you want to see beautiful objects, the Gold Museum is the place. It holds one of South America’s most amazing collections. Because the exhibits shine so brightly, you can take photographs without using a flash on your camera! Not everything is made of gold, though. Among the exhibits are ancient pre-Columbian items. Many of them are made from a mixture of gold and copper, known as tumbaga. The museum also features coins, jewelry, and pieces of rare art.
The Chocolate Museum, Cologne, GermanyThe Chocolate Museum will teach you everything about chocolate-from cocoa bean to candy bars. You’ll learn about chocolate’s 3,000-year history and discover how it was once used as money in South America. Did you know that it wasn’t popular in Europe until the nineteenth century? A real chocolate factory shows you how chocolate is made. After you’ve finished the tour, you can have a free drink of rich, sticky pure chocolate — perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
1. What is the main characteristic of the exhibits in the Gold Museum?| A．They are made entirely of pure gold. |
| B．They are ancient pre-Columbian items. |
| C．They shine brightly, allowing flash-free photography. |
| D．They are made of tumbaga, a mixture of gold and copper. |
| A．They display amazing collections of the food. |
| B．They offer visitors a chance to taste the food. |
| C．They sell varieties of souvenirs about the food. |
| D．They tell visitors the nutritional benefits of the food. |
| A．They are must-see ones for students. | B．They are along the beaten path. |
| C．They may offer unusual experience. | D．They are a little off the main road. |
3 . Vincent Willem van Gogh is a great Dutch painter. In 2017 one of his paintings was sold for $81 million. 2021 seemed to be Vincent Willem van Gogh’s year. There were at least five different exhibits in nearly 40 U. S. cities regarding his works. It’s very surprising to know he sold only a few paintings in his lifetime, for only little profit (利润). How did this now-famous painter fail to escape attention after his death? It was probably thanks to a woman.
Six months after Van Gogh died, his beloved brother Theo passed away, who had expected to make his brother’s works well-known. Fortunately, Theo’s wife Johanna van Gogh-Bonge, as an English teacher at two different girls’ schools before her marriage, was left with their son and a sizable art collection. She decided to help Tneo’s wishes come true. “During her lifetime, she devoted herself to making people know more about Vincent’s art,” says Luijten, the author of Johanna’s lifetime story.
Johanna tried all her best to improve Van Gogh’s name. To do this, she chose some of his works to sell and encouraged writers and art critics to write about his paintings though she was refused many times. Johanna didn’t lose heart. She lent some pieces to well-known museums and organized countless exhibitions. “One of Johanna’s major achievements was the organization of an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in 1905, where she collected no less than 484 of Van Gogh’s works. A Van Gogh exhibition of this size would never again be matched,” Luijten explains. Another particular move happened in 1914 when Johanna published Van Gogh’s letters. Theo had kept hundreds of letters. “This was of great importance, as following the publication of the letters, the appreciation of Van Gogh as an artist increased further,” says Luijten.
“There’s little doubt that although Van Gogh was great, he wouldn’t be remembered to the level seen today without the influence of Johanna.” said Luijten.
1. What appears unbelievable about Vincent van Gogh according to the author?| A．His paintings being sold at such an amazingly high price. |
| B．His attending many different art exhibitions worldwide. |
| C．His becoming well-known because of a woman’s efforts. |
| D．His paintings bringing little money for him in his lifetime. |
| A．She married Theo in 1905. |
| B．She was a famous painting collector. |
| C．She was creative with a strong will. |
| D．She was once a teacher in an art school. |
| A．The great life story of Van Gogh. | B．The woman behind Van Gogh. |
| C．The contribution of Van Gogh’s brother. | D．Van Gogh’s famous paintings. |
4 . Initial conversations can have a huge impact on how relationships develop over time. People are often stuck in the impressions they think they might have made the minute they finish speaking with someone for the first time: “Did they like me or were they just being polite?” “Were they deep in thought or deeply bored?”
To find out whether these worries are necessary, we have conducted nearly 10 years of research. In our studies, participants in the UK talked with someone they had never met before. Afterward, they were asked how much they liked their conversation partner and how much they believed that their conversation partner liked them. This allowed us to compare how much people believed they were liked to how much they were actually liked.
Time and time again, we found that people left their conversations with negative feelings about the impression they made. That is, people systematically underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company — a false belief we call the “liking gap”.
This bias (偏见) may seem like something that would occur only in initial interactions, but its effects extend far beyond a first impression. Surprisingly, the liking gap can constantly affect a variety of relationships, including interactions with coworkers, long after the initial conversations have taken place. Having a larger liking gap is associated with being less willing to ask workmates for help, less willing to provide workmates with open and honest feedback, and less willing to work on another project together.
There are numerous strategies to minimize your biased feelings. One place to start is shifting your focus of attention. Try to direct your attention to your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.
1. Why did the author carry out 10 years of research?| A．To dismiss national concerns. | B．To check out a potential bias. |
| C．To enhance human communication. | D．To develop harmonious relationships. |
| A．Fewer chances of new projects. | B．Underestimation of their ability. |
| C．Bad relationships with people around. | D．Low willingness to interact with others. |
| A．Restate opinions. | B．Deliver warnings. | C．Give suggestions. | D．Make a summary. |
| A．Liking Gap May Influence Work Performances |
| B．First Impressions Rely On Initial Conversations |
| C．People Probably Like You More Than You Think |
| D．How People Like You Matters Less Than You Assume |
5 . Building artificial intelligences that sleep and dream can lead to more dependable models, according to researchers who aim to mimic (模仿) the behavior of the human brain.
Concetto Spampinato and his research members at the University of Catania, Italy, were looking for ways to avoid a phenomenon known as “disastrous forgetting”, where an AI model trained to do a new task loses the ability to carry out jobs it previously excelled at. For instance, a model trained to identify animals could learn to spot different fish species, but then might lose its ability to recognize birds. They developed a method of training AI called Wake-Sleep Consolidated Learning (WSCL), which mimics the way that our brains reorganize short-term memories of daily learning when we are asleep.
Besides the usual training for the “awake” phase, models using WSCL are programmed to have periods of “sleep”, where they analyze awake data from earlier lessons. This is similar to human spotting connections and patterns while sleeping.
WSCL also has a period of “dreaming”, which involves novel data made from combining previous concepts. This helps to integrate previous paths of digital “neurons (神经元)”, freeing up space for future concepts. It also prepares unused neurons with patterns that will help them pick up new lessons more easily.
The researchers tested three AI models using a traditional training method, followed by WSCL training. Then they compared performances for image identification. The sleep-trained models were 2 to 12 percent more likely to correctly identify the contents of an image. They also measured an increase in how much old knowledge a model uses to learn a new task.
Despite the results, Andrew Rogoyski at the University of Surrey, UK, says using the human brain as a blueprint isn’t necessarily the best way to boost AI performance. Instead, he suggests mimicking dolphins, which can “sleep” with one part of the brain while another part remains active. After all, an AI that requires hours of sleep isn’t ideal for commercial applications.
1. WSCL was developed to help improve AI’s ______.| A．reliability | B．creativity | C．security | D．popularity |
| A．Generate new data. | B．Process previous data. |
| C．Receive data for later analysis. | D．Save data for the “awake” phase. |
| A．The application of WSCL. | B．The benefits of AI research. |
| C．The findings of the research. | D．The underlying logic of WSCL. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Prejudiced. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Unconcerned. |
6 . Scientists say there has been a major drop in the population of leatherback sea turtles (乌龟) off the U.S. West Coast.
One recent study found a 5.6 percent yearly decrease in the population. Leatherbacks are massive sea turtles dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. The animals can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh as much as 680 kilograms.
The leatherback sea turtles found along the U.S. Pacific Coast are actually born thousands of kilometers away, on beaches in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The animals migrate (迁徙) 11,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean to mainly feed on jellyfish in waters off the U.S. West Coast. Then, they swim back.
Scott Benson is an ecologist with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. “There are birds that go farther, but they fly. There’s a whale shark that might swim a little further, but it doesn’t have to come up for air,” he said.
Scientists say that if nothing changes, the leatherbacks could completely disappear from the U.S. West Coast within 30 years. The population drops are mainly blamed on international fishing activities, the destruction (破坏) of nesting grounds and climate change.
The animals can be killed when they get trapped in fishing equipment. Scientists say the population is also harmed because a lot of turtle eggs are removed from beaches.
Researchers say that while all the world’s leatherbacks are under pressure, the group that migrates for months across the Pacific faces the greatest threats.
NOAA launched an aggressive plan to save leatherbacks in 2015 and is set to release a new action plan this month. The plan is meant to persuade governments and international organizations to join efforts to save the turtles.
1. Which word best describes the present situation of the leatherbacks?| A．Promising. | B．Worrying. | C．Complex. | D．Unstable. |
| A．Sea weed. | B．Other turtles’ eggs. | C．Little sharks. | D．Jellyfish. |
| A．The period of migration. | B．The period of fishing activities. |
| C．The period of being on a beach. | D．The period of laying eggs. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Nature. | D．Education. |
7 . Most people who ran the marathon last month spent days before resting up and days after recovering. But not Jacky Hunt-Broersma. In total, she ran 104 marathons in 104 days. If it’s confirmed by Guinness World Records, that would be a new world record. And she did it all with one leg and a prosthesis (假肢).
“Someone able-bodied had done it previously. I wanted to see if I could do it on a prosthetic leg and see what would happen,” she said. “I thought it would be a great way to inspire others to push their limits because I truly believe that we’re stronger than what we think. And I’ve been so pleasantly surprised that my body’s held up, everything’s held up and I’ve made it to 104.”
She actually did not pick up the sport until after she lost the lower part of her left leg in 2001 to a type of cancer called Ewing sarcoma. Runners using a prosthetic leg can’t use a regular one. They need a running blade (刀锋式跑步义肢). Hunt-Broersma has two, but she was only able to run with one because of the swelling she experienced in her left leg that made it impossible to connect to the other blade. But even with the pain that occurred, she has been able to put up with it and continued.
All together, Hunt-Broersma ran over 4,385 kilometers. During that time she’s had a lot of time to think and has learned a few things about herself. “It’s taught me how strong one can be and how important absolute determination is. If you’re mentally strong, you can do anything,” she said. “And our bodies are just amazing. . . This whole journey was impressive and super hard, but it’s told me how strong I can be as a person and how far I can push myself.”
1. Why did Hunt-Broersma decide to run marathons?| A．She wanted to set a new record. |
| B．She intended to challenge herself. |
| C．She was driven by her interest. |
| D．She was inspired by people like her. |
| A．She didn’t get professional training. |
| B．She found it hard to keep her balance. |
| C．She suffered discomfort in her left leg |
| D．She couldn’t use regular running blades. |
| A．Rome wasn’t built in a day. | B．Time works wonders. |
| C．A good beginning is half the battle. | D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
8 . One Saturday last November, I stepped into my local library. I was about to read a book when I heard an elderly man speak to a lady. “This library will soon become a cafe. Everyone is reading with electronic devices,” he said. Hearing this, I wanted to shout, “I still read library books!” But my words stuck in my throat and I found teenagers around me were talking to friends or staring at their phones.
Reading online feels robotic to me. It’s like I stare at a screen and click “next” for the following page to appear until the very end of the e-book, and at the end of all of that, I just think, “That’s it?” But when I read a printed book, it’s like I’m holding on to the characters. I can imagine the plot better, as I can picture the scenes of each moment in my head with more accuracy and imagination.
Besides, some online books miss components that are in the printed novels. For instance, the physical copy of a fantasy novel I have read contains a map, but the e-book version does not. That is an injustice to e-book users; after reading and understanding the map, the story made a lot more sense for me, in terms of the setting and plot.
And personally, physically turning to the next page is better than clicking “next”. When reading online, I sometimes worry that I click “next” too quickly. It feels more like a race; I want to finish it because the pages just keep making that “flipping” sound and I wonder how long the book really is.
Some printed books have a special smell that makes the novel feel special to me. It’s hard to describe but I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks so. I know I cannot convince every teen to switch from the digital book to the printed one, but maybe my writing about the difference will at least get some of them to think about it.
1. Why will the library be replaced by a cafe?| A．Few people head for it. | B．It lacks good management. |
| C．Few people read its books. | D．It holds little attraction for the youth. |
| A．They include additional contents. | B．They provide a strong connection to the characters. |
| C．They have a special pleasant smell. | D．They can improve readers’ imagination. |
| A．To inspire teenagers’ interest in reading. | B．To show advantages of printed books. |
| C．To reduce the impact of electronic devices. | D．To encourage teens to change the reading medium. |
9 . We’re often told to follow our dreams, and one person in Canada has done just that after building a wonderland for animals. In his own backyard, the eight water features which Robert Perkins dug into the ground are now a shelter for birds, frogs, beavers (河狸) and other animals in the middle of suburban development. But for Perkins, creating habitat for wildlife is not only about doing his part to help the environment. It’s a labor of love for a woman he met when he was 16 years old.
Perkins met Rhonda in 1974 and the two of them hit it off. They both loved animals, and she always wished to have a place where they could live in harmony with the land. Rhonda, whom Perkins stayed with all his life, passed away in 2006. Perkins resolved to build a wonderland where her spirit could stay in peace.
Ignoring planning departments and neighbors alike, Perkins began digging large holes for water to flow. Over the course of nine years his property went from being a neighborly headache to a perfect home for wildlife.
Perkins says he won’t take all the credit for the wetland he built. When Perkins started creating the wildlife habitat in the early 2000s, a family of beavers got wind of it soon and claimed the land. “When we built our subdivisions, we cleared all the trees, dried the hills, drove all the water down to the lakes... In turn, the beavers helped dam (筑坝) and purify the water.”
Wetland habitats not only attract wildlife, but probably offer the most complete package of ecosystem services, including preventing pollution, enriching the soil, and promoting the well-being of wildlife species.
Perkins says he doesn’t need to wonder what Rhonda might think of the place; he feels her presence whenever he walks alone among the trees, the grass, and the ponds, looking at birds or beavers, and listening to the songbirds and frogs. Perkins hopes his project will one day become an educational place that local people can visit to learn about the importance of wetlands.
1. Why did Perkins build the water features?| A．To fulfill his childhood dream. | B．To show his love for his wife. |
| C．To preserve endangered wildlife. | D．To adapt to suburban development. |
| A．Effortless but creative. | B．Discouraging but efficient. |
| C．Painful but influential. | D．Demanding but rewarding. |
| A．Perkins had a strategic plan for it. | B．Human’s role in it was overvalued. |
| C．Nature itself also played a part in it. | D．Beavers were invited to help with it. |
| A．To help spread his story. | B．To be a recreational spot. |
| C．To bring economic value. | D．To serve as an inspiration. |
10 . A city can become famous and experience a significant increase in visitors due to the influence of a well-liked film or a TV drama. For audiences, stepping into the scenes and experiencing the daily lives of the characters has become a new travel trend. Over the past year, several films and TV dramas have put their shooting locations into the public spotlight.
Qingdao in Shandong province
The Wandering Earth 2, a sci-fi that explores digital life and space journey, showcases impressive sci-fi scenes.90 percent of the film was shot in different places of Qingdao city, including the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge-the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, and the TAG Art Museum. For sci-fi fans, visiting Qingdao to explore the movie’s filming locations has become a popular trend.
Jiangmen in Guangdong province
The hit show The Knockout made Jiangmen an important tourism destination. As the hometown for many overseas Chinese, the city features historical cultural street scenes and South Asian-style architecture. The city has recorded more than 3.34 million trips in the past two months, which has generated over 3.4 billion yuan of tourism income, reflecting a notable rise of 124.3 percent compared to the same period the previous year.
Ningbo Museum in Zhejiang province
The primary setting for the sci-fi TV drama Three-Body Problem, Ningbo Museum, has caught significant attention. The museum integrates regional cultural features, traditional architectural elements, and modern techniques. Following the TV show’s release, daily visitor numbers rocketed to 5,000, marking a remarkable 220 percent year-on-year increase.
Taiyuan Ancient County in Shanxi province
Full River Red, directed by Zhang Yimou, set the Taiyuan Ancient County on fire with excitement. The movie highlights the county’s complex and narrow streets. The county now draws over 40,000 tourists every day, a significant rise compared to the daily 20,000 previously. Notably, one-third of these tourists were from outside Shanxi province, according to local statistics.
1. Which place best suits visitors who appreciate buildings of foreign style?| A．Qingdao city. | B．Jiangmen city. |
| C．Ningbo Museum. | D．Taiyuan Ancient County. |
| A．Its characteristic streets. | B．Its disastrous fire. |
| C．Its increasing population. | D．Its economic growth. |
| A．Their income depends heavily on tourism. | B．Their architecture integrates different cultures. |
| C．They are famous for their historical landmarks. | D．They become a hit through films or TV dramas. |
