1 . In recent studies we have been investigating mirror writing by typical 4- to 6-year-old children. The term is used because the characters — numbers and capital letters — are reversed (反向), yet are correct when looked at in a mirror.
Mirror writing entered the scientific literature in 1878. The explanations for the phenomenon were not only insufficient but also often wrong. One of them is — writing with the left hand. Throughout the 20th century, scientific journals have published mirror writing mostly produced by left-handed children. Even today, left-handedness is often the favorite explanation of teachers when children produce mirror writing.
The explanation we find for the phenomenon of mirror writing of characters works on two successive levels, the first cerebral and the second behavioral. The cerebral level shows that the brain removes orientation (left or right) when storing images, a process called symmetrisation or mirror generalization. This mirror-generalization process leads children aged 5 to know, from memory, the shape of the characters, but not their left/right orientation. Given the features of the process — horizontal mirror in the visual modality (视觉模式) — it is important to note that the initial learning of the form of the characters by the children is mainly visual, and that the children only produce horizontal mirror writing.
At the behavioral level, when children write the characters from memory, they must give them an orientation. In countries whose primary languages are written in Latin characters — written from left to right — children most often point them toward the right. This leads them to reverse mainly the left-oriented characters: J, Z, 1, 2, 3, 7, and 9. However, when spatial constraints cause them to write from right to left, the children instead reverse the right-oriented letters.
Since this explanation has nothing to do with the handedness of the children, it can be predicted that right-handed children will reverse characters almost often as left-handed children, and that – left-handed or right-handed – children will primarily reverse left-oriented characters in Western culture. This is because they strictly orient the characters in the direction of writing.
1. What aspect of a character does mirror generalization help children to know?A.Its form. | B.Its pronunciation. |
C.Its meaning. | D.Its orientation. |
A.Paragraph 2. | B.Paragraph 3. |
C.Paragraph 4. | D.Paragraph 5. |
A.M. | B.C. | C.8. | D.9. |
A.Handedness is the main reason for mirror writing. |
B.Right-handed children won’t write reversed characters. |
C.Left-handed children reverse right-oriented characters more often. |
D.Children in the US tend to primarily reverse left-oriented characters. |
2 . The beauty of love is that it can happen with the most unexpected person in the most unlikely places. In the case of a one-year-old stray puppy in Duplin County, North Carolina, that “person” happened to be a bright
It is unclear how the adorable Labrador mix, now called Sisu, first caught sight of the
After Sisu attempted for the fifth time, the store owner
On March 26, 2021, the shelter staff
A.red | B.black | C.white | D.purple |
A.opportunity | B.love | C.fortune | D.challenge |
A.steal | B.touch | C.watch | D.find |
A.looked | B.pulled | C.cut | D.burst |
A.tool | B.clothing | C.toy | D.food |
A.barks | B.attempts | C.choices | D.mistakes |
A.called | B.helped | C.complained | D.attacked |
A.gently | B.leisurely | C.eagerly | D.angrily |
A.brave | B.shameful | C.regretful | D.heartbroken |
A.depressingly | B.surprisingly | C.disappointingly | D.confusingly |
A.posted | B.took | C.downloaded | D.found |
A.acquiring | B.imitating | C.adding | D.inventing |
A.shabby | B.permanent | C.fancy | D.costly |
A.borrowed | B.subscribed | C.received | D.bought |
A.without | B.around | C.between | D.against |
3 . Most people, if you quizzed them, probably wouldn’t know how much of all global trade is done by sea. It’s one of several reasons that the pollution and carbon emissions from shipping gain much less attention than those from road transport and other industries. It’s over the horizon, out of sight and out of mind.
Today, the international shipping industry is the main mode of transport for around 90 per cent of world trade. It’s powered almost entirely by fossil fuels. Studies show that alternative technologies and zero-emission fuels — including electrofuels such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol — have the potential to significantly reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and thus require urgent implementation (实施). There’s just one catch: they don’t exist yet.
Even if the technology were available, the infrastructure (基础设施) for that technology or fuel is going to take time to develop. And an even bigger challenge is going to be whether that methanol or ammonia fuel is green, which touches on other industries such as renewable electricity. Do we even have enough renewable electricity in the world to be able to generate these fuels? It’s a complex supply chain that requires cooperation across the industry. It’s not something that one company can solve by itself.
According to Piotr Konopka, senior manager for energy and decarbonisation (碳减排) programs at DP World, there are some simple behavioral changes that can help cut down on fuel used in the meantime, from the regular maintenance and reduced idling of port equipment to the implementation of weather routing that helps ships avoid rougher, more fuel-intensive stretches of water. “Of course, efficiency is unlikely to ever reduce emissions by more than five or ten per cent, but it’s definitely a low-hanging fruit,” he says.
“This is the last moment for the IMO to act decisively to eliminate shipping emissions” says Delaine McCullough, shipping emissions policy manager at environmental NGO Ocean Conservancy. “We need countries to demand that the IMO set strong emission-reduction goals and take action at home if the IMO fails to do the right thing.”
1. What makes people neglect shipping emissions?A.Prejudice. |
B.Nearsightedness. |
C.Low intelligence. |
D.Lack of knowledge. |
A.Device. | B.Harvest. | C.Problem. | D.Prey. |
A.Alternative fuels. | B.Efficient use of fuel. |
C.Renewable electricity. | D.Advanced technologies. |
A.①/②③/④⑤ | B.①②/③④/⑤ |
C.①②③/④/⑤ | D.①/②③④/⑤ |
4 . A common claim states that a sheet of paper cannot be folded in half more than seven times. But is this true?
In 2002, Britney Gallivan, then a junior in high school in Pomona, California, folded a single piece of paper in half 12 times. She currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most times to fold a sheet of paper in half.
The prompt that led Gallivan to accomplish this was an extra-credit challenge in math class to fold anything in half 12 times. Her teacher asked the students to fold something thicker: a piece of paper.
Gallivan said “it was very frustrating, as I had many unsuccessful attempts at trying to fold different papers in half. I began to question if folding paper in half more than eight times could be impossible.” However, Gallivan recalled. “I knew I needed to understand what was limiting the folding progression.”
The equations (方程式) that Gallivan came up with calculated how many times a sheet of paper could be folded. She found that in order to fold many times, a long thin sheet is needed — the more a sheet is folded, the thicker the resulting stack becomes, and once the stack becomes thicker than it is long, there is nothing left to fold. She ultimately set her record with a sheet of tissue paper she found online that was 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) — more than three-quarters of a mile, or over a kilometer long, Guinness World Records noted.
“Working on the problem took a tremendous amount of time and effort,” Gallivan said. “As frustrating as it was at times, I learned an immense amount from the experience, which has been valuable to me throughout my life in more capacities than one would expect.”
Since Gallivan set her record, others have made claims of folding a sheet of paper more than 12 times. Still, “I anticipate that my current record will be surpassed,” Gallivan said.
1. What prompts Gallivan to accept the challenge?A.Peer pressure. |
B.Mathematics anxiety. |
C.Academic requirement. |
D.Guinness World Records. |
A.The stack is as thick as it’s long. |
B.The paper is neither long nor thin. |
C.The stack is thicker than it’s long. |
D.The paper is longer than it’s thick. |
A.It’s risky. |
B.It’s fruitless. |
C.It’s meaningless. |
D.It’s energy-consuming. |
A.Gallivan’s record is impossible to break. |
B.Folding paper in half is merely a math problem. |
C.Folding things in half may not be limited to 12. |
D.Folding paper 12 times is a required credit in high schools. |
5 . What goes on in our brains when we decide to hit the share button, and what makes something go viral? Since the dawn of the Internet, businesses, media outlets and influencers alike have been trying to answer these questions. Now, researchers have come one step closer to cracking this mysterious model by shining a light on the neuroscience (神经科学) of viral content.
“Our study finds a way to obtain brain signals that would predict how much information gets shared.” said Emily Falk, professor of communication, psychology and marketing and Hang-Yee Chan, a lecturer of communication.
Their new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on October 23, investigated both the U. S. and the Netherlands using a broader range of news categories—including health and climate change.
“When we see greater activation of regions that track self-relevance (Is it important to me) and social-relevance (Is it important to people I know), the news articles are more likely to be shared widely,” Falk and Chan said. By studying these brain responses, the team managed to build a value-based model to accurately predict how widely the articles would be shared online. This link between brain activity and sharing was seen in both the American and Dutch participants, suggesting that this model is accurate across cultures.
“Seeing how people’s brains react inside the scanner gives us insight into why people ultimately share information nowadays,” Chan said. “If we understand these signals, we might be able to use that knowledge to help important news get shared and stop misinformation from going viral.” It is also helpful for content creators to maximize their reach. “Our current study demonstrates how tapping into the brain would help content creators optimize their messages’ influence,” Falk and Chan said. “We are interested in building on these results to develop ways to counter harmful information and false news, in addition to spreading high-quality content.” “A lot of our most pressing problems in society are influenced by the decisions people make, and the decisions we make are influenced by the news. What you share matters, and so understanding why you share it matters, too.”
1. What do researchers intend to do in their study?A.To find a way to get brain signals. |
B.To work out a mysterious model. |
C.To use a broad range of news categories. |
D.To predict how much information get shared. |
A.The basis and process of the study. |
B.The way to predict brain activation. |
C.The pattern of a value-based model. |
D.The reason why certain news is shared. |
A.To solve most urgent problems. |
B.To understand why viral news matter. |
C.To influence the decisions people will make. |
D.To better the efficiency of positive publicity. |
A.How to Share a Viral News |
B.How to Obtain Brain Signals |
C.How Certain Studies Get Shared |
D.How Brain Identifies Viral Content |
6 . When Shakespeare called a good night’s rest the “cure of hurt minds,” he was really onto something. According to a recent survey, “Most days or every day” in 2020, nearly 15 percent of American adults had trouble falling asleep in the previous month. So you’re a little sleepy—no big deal, right? Wrong. A 1999 article in the medical journal The Lancet showed and decades of research suggest that “sleep debt” can have significant harmful effects on your health.
Happiness is the first to suffer. Everyone knows what it feels like to run on insufficient (不足的) sleep—you can be foggy, inattentive, and bad-tempered. A paper published in the journal Health Psychology in 2020 found that the participants without enough sleep experienced a less positive mood when they came across quite ordinary stress, and smaller increases in positive mood from pleasant events. When lacking sleep, people felt annoyed more and easier, and things feel less fun.
More seriously, sleep loss can cause clinical depression and anxiety. In 2014, Australian scholars studying young women found that a year of frequent sleep difficulties predicted the onset of depression and anxiety in later years.
Some researchers have identified long-time sleep debt as a disease—insufficient sleep syndrome (ISS). Given the reported evidence for how widespread the syndrome is, it might even be classed as an epidemic. Although no study has yet established a connection, it seems reasonable to think about whether the long-term declines in American happiness and increases in social conflicts may be connected to loss of sleep.
Whether you are a sleep-deprived student, or workaholic, or just an old-fashioned insomniac (失眠症患者), attending to sleep is a critical strategy for health and happiness. And adjusting this aspect of your life could be one of the best things you do all year.
1. Why does the author mention Shakespeare?A.To show Shakespeare’s wisdom. |
B.To introduce the topic of sleep loss. |
C.To highlight a serious health problem. |
D.To give reported evidence of sleep debt. |
A.It made people feel negative. | B.It led to poor eyesight. |
C.It caused depression and anxiety. | D.It was not worth much concern. |
A.Reduction of happiness is linked to sleep loss. |
B.Long-term lack of sleep is not a disease. |
C.Sleep debt might affect both individuals and the society. |
D.Insufficient sleep syndrome is a recognized epidemic. |
A.To confirm sleep loss is a disease. |
B.To advocate getting sufficient sleep. |
C.To tackle widespread sleep problem. |
D.To prove happiness suffers from sleep debt. |
7 . This page provides information and guidance about hands-only CPR and CPR with rescue breaths for children over one year old.
Hands-only CPR
To carry out a chest compression (压缩):
Place the heel of your hand on the breastbone at the centre of the person’s chest.
Place your other hand on top of your first hand and interlock your fingers.
Position yourself with your shoulders above your hands.
Using your body weight (not just your arms), press straight down by 5-6cm (2-2.5 inches) on their chest.
Keeping your hands on their chest, release the compression and allow the chest to return to its original position.
Repeat these compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 times per minute until an ambulance arrives or you become exhausted.
CPR with rescue breaths
For children over one year old:
Open the child’s airway by placing one hand on the child’s forehead and gently tilting their head back and lifting the chin. Remove any visible obstructions from the mouth and nose.
Pinch their nose. Seal your mouth over their mouth and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth, checking that their chest rises. Give five initial rescue breaths.
Place the heel of one hand on the center of their chest and push down by 5cm(about two inches), which is approximately one-third of the chest diameter. The quality (depth)of chest compressions is very important. Use two hands if you can’t achieve a depth of 5cmusing one hand.
After every 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute, give two breaths.
Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until they begin to recover or emergency help arrives.
1. What’s the first step of CPR with rescue breaths for children?A.To blow into their mouth. | B.To do 30 chest compressions. |
C.To clear something blocking the airway. | D.To push hands down on the chest by 5cm. |
A.To apply chest compressions properly. |
B.To call an ambulance for treatment. |
C.To put oneself in a particular position. |
D.To blow steadily and firmly into the mouth. |
A.A business report. | B.A fashion magazine. |
C.An emergency brochure. | D.A travel journal. |
8 . Do you find yourself looking at your Facebook page or watching YouTube videos instead of getting work done? Are you
I am in my second year at college. In almost every
Yes, we live in a digital age where we even use
My
There is no easier solution to this; you must turn off digital devices, or you won’t focus. It just takes some
A.looking for | B.asking for | C.thinking about | D.talking about |
A.careful | B.happy | C.right | D.alone |
A.show | B.lecture | C.direction | D.interview |
A.letting down | B.setting aside | C.looking at | D.looking after |
A.natural | B.interesting | C.useless | D.bad |
A.improve | B.check | C.correct | D.share |
A.knowing | B.accepting | C.telling | D.finishing |
A.offering | B.advertising | C.reading | D.writing |
A.hardly | B.slowly | C.strangely | D.fully |
A.keys | B.cellphones | C.cameras | D.umbrellas |
A.shorter | B.better | C.wider | D.deeper |
A.change | B.question | C.study | D.debate |
A.avoid | B.need | C.control | D.lose |
A.comfortable | B.helpful | C.hard | D.necessary |
A.feel | B.wish | C.mention | D.wonder |
A.attitude | B.advice | C.information | D.worry |
A.happens | B.aims | C.prefers | D.dislikes |
A.because | B.unless | C.though | D.when |
A.chances | B.ways | C.times | D.places |
A.courage | B.patience | C.encouragement | D.confidence |
9 . Types Of Students You Will Meet In College
There are thousands of universities around the world, and each school boasts its own traditions and slogans. Some schools pride themselves on sports, while others emphasize their research facilities. While there are a myriad of differences among each and every school, there will always be these three types of students in class.
The one who sits in the front row
There’s at least one of these people in every single class,whether it’s a required General Education class or an upper division major course. These students always sit in the front row and ask at least five questions every lecture.
They attend all the discussions and office hours, and try to turn in homework at least a week in advance. These are also the people who remind professors about assigned homework and upcoming exams. Nothing bad about being studious, but are they even human?
The one who never studies (but still aces the class)
Standing as probably the most frustrating category of people in this list, these students won’t know about a midterm until two days before. They go to class every once in a while when the class time doesn’t clash with one of their many elaborate social plans, but never pay attention. Somehow, they still ace all their exams and end up with the top grade in the class.
The one who always falls asleep
This person comes to class every day, but somehow never stays awake for more than 20 minutes. You can sometimes hear the occasional snore from a corner of a large lecture hall, or catch their heads nodding like a pendulum near the front of the class if they’re the studious type. But let’s be real here: we’ve all been one of those students at some point.
1. Who always sit in the front row?A.The studious students. |
B.The sleepy students. |
C.The smart students. |
D.The frustrated students. |
A.Some students never go to classes but still get top grades. |
B.Some students never go to classes and get bad grades. |
C.Some students go to lectures occasionally but still ace the class. |
D.Some students go to lectures everyday and still ace the class. |
A.The one who always falls asleep |
B.The one who sits in the front row |
C.The one who never falls asleep |
D.The one who never studies (but still aces the class) |
10 . Participating in art competitions is essential for students to gain formal recognition and impress college admission officers. Today, we have a list of art competitions on regional, national, and international scales.
EarthX Eco-Art Competition
It invites young artists aged 5-22 to create 2-D or 3-D art that illustrates the theme: Protectors for the Planet. The theme can be interpreted in various ways, including individuals taking action towards a more sustainable planet, or highlighting the efforts of environmental leaders working to sustain ecosystems.
Deadline: March 8, 2024
The Children’s Drawing Contest
Sponsored by International Certification Organization Network, the contest, whose theme this year is “Passing on Our Precious Earth to The Future”, invites children aged 7-15 worldwide to draw the kind of natural environment they would like to live in. 48 winners will receive special memorabilia. All entrants will receive a participation prize. Medium: Drawings with any type of paint, pastel, etc.
Deadline: May 31, 2024
Science without Borders Challenge
The competition is open to children and young people under the age of 16. We welcome entries from both groups and individuals to create art to promote public awareness of the need to preserve, protect, and restore nature. The theme is “The Sixth Extinction” and you can focus on the protection of endangered species. Acceptable media include paint, pencil, marker, crayon, ink, felt, and oil pastel.
Deadline: March 4, 2024
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the longest-running literary and art competition in the US, provides opportunities and academic awards for creative young people to express their talent. The theme this year is “Tell Your Climate Story”. Students in the 9th to 12th grades can submit poetry, fiction and nonfiction to show their understanding of environmental issues.
Deadline: June 10, 2024
1. On which date can participants send their entries to EarthX Eco-Art Competition?A.May 6, 2024. | B.March 15, 2024. | C.April 28, 2024. | D.February 9, 2024. |
A.EarthX Eco-Art Competition. | B.The Children’s Drawing Contest. |
C.Science without Borders Challenge. | D.The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. |
A.They target students under the age of 20. | B.They are about environmental protection. |
C.They require participants to write a story. | D.They only accept entries from individuals. |