1 . Professor Kuniyoshi L. Sakai from the University of Tokyo is an enthusiastic musician, as are many of his colleagues. Inspired by a mode of musical training known as the Suzuki method, which is based on ideas of natural language acquisition (获得), Sakai and his team decided to explore common neurological (神经系统的) aspects of learning music and language.
“In the field of neuroscience, it is well established that there are areas of the brain that deal specifically with language, and even specialized regions that correspond to different aspects of language processing, such as grammar,” said Sakai. “We wondered if training using the Suzuki method might lead to activity in such areas, not when using language, but when engaging with music.”
For their study, the team classified 98 Japanese secondary school students into three groups: Groups S and E were both musically trained from a young age, with Group S using the Suzuki method while Group E not, and Group L was either musically trained at a later age or not trained at all. All the students had their brains scanned and were requested to identify errors in some pieces of music played to them, which had errors in one of four musical conditions: pitch (音高)，tempo (节奏), stress, and articulation (发音)。
During the exercises, Groups S and E showed more overall brain activity than Group L, especially under the pitch and articulation conditions. Furthermore, Groups S and E showed activity in very specific regions depending on the kind of error being tested for.
Interestingly, Group S showed some unique patterns of activation (激活) in areas of the right brain, associated with emotion and melody, under the tempo condition, supporting the ideas behind the Suzuki method.
“The striking observation was that regardless of musical experiences, the highly specific grammar center in the left brain was activated under the articulation condition. This might explain why everyone can enjoy music even if they aren’t musical themselves,” said Sakai. “Other researchers, perhaps those studying neurological characteristics of artistic experts, may be able to build on what we’ve found here. As for ourselves, we wish to dig deeper into the connection between music and language by designing novel experiments to find out more subtle details,” he added.
1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?| A．The research background. | B．The significance of the research. |
| C．Sakai’s comments on the Suzuki method. | D．Sakai’s previous scientific achievements. |
| A．Whether the Suzuki method can bring out the best in students. |
| B．Whether advanced language training can enhance musical skills |
| C．Whether music training promotes activity in certain brain areas. |
| D．Whether brain regions specialize in handling different aspects of language. |
| A．Their performances under the tempo condition were alike. |
| B．Their active brain regions changed with the errors in music. |
| C．They received the same musical training before the research. |
| D．They were better at handling stress and articulation than Group L. |
| A．They were uncertain about their findings. |
| B．They were unsatisfied with their experiments. |
| C．They’ll begin to study the neurological features of artistic experts. |
| D．They’ll further explore the link between music and language. |
2 . Scientists have identified two minerals never before seen on Earth in a meteorite (陨石) weighing 15.2 metric tons. The minerals came from a 70-gram slice of the meteorite, which was discovered in Somalia in 2020, according to a news release from the University of Alberta.
Chris Herd, the curator (馆长) of the university’s meteorite collection, received samples of the space rock so he could classify it. As he was examining them, something unusual caught his eye—some parts of the samples weren’t identifiable by a microscope. He then turned to Andrew Locock, head of the university’s Electron Microprobe Laboratory, since Locock has experience of describing new minerals.
“The very first day he did some analyses, and he found two new minerals in there,” Herd said in a statement. “That’s extraordinary. Most of the time it takes a lot more work than that to say there’s a new mineral.”
One mineral’s name: elaliite, comes from the space object itself, which is called the “EI Ali” meteorite since it was found near the, town of EI Ali in central Somalia. Herd named the second one elkinstantonite after Lindy Elkins-Tanton, an outstanding professor in that university’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and the principal investigator of NASA’s upcoming Psyche mission. “Lindy has done a lot of work on how the cores of planets form,” Herd said. “It makes sense to name a mineral after her.”
Locock’s work went perfectly smooth for a reason. Similar minerals had been synthetically (合成地) created before, and therefore, he was able to match the composition of the newly discovered minerals with their human-made counterparts, according to the University of Alberta release. “It’s just accidental that a researcher will find a mineral in a meteorite that hasn’t been known before, and then that the same compound (化合物) has been created previously by materials scientists,” said Alan Rubin,a meteorite researcher.
Meanwhile, the researchers are still analyzing the minerals to find out what the conditions were in the meteorite when the space rock formed.
1. What did Chris Herd do after he found something unusual?| A．He sought external support. | B．He weighed the meteorite again. |
| C．He carefully preserved the samples. | D．He examined the rock with a microscope. |
| A．The weight and volume of the meteorite. |
| B．The significant value of minerals in the meteorite. |
| C．Locock’s quick identification of two new minerals. |
| D．Locock’s professional analyses of the rock samples. |
| A．To indicate the place where the meteorite was found. |
| B．To show the major component of the meteorite. |
| C．To remind people of who discovered the rock. |
| D．To honor Lindy’s contributions to science. |
| A．The existence of similar artificial minerals. |
| B．The regular composition of the new minerals, |
| C．His rare ability to create new materials in labs. |
| D．His extensive cooperation with materials scientists. |
3 . Become A Volunteer Tutor With LTB!
Learn To Be is a non-profit organization that brings free, one-on-one, online tutoring to under-served youth around the United States. We work with under-served students between the ages of 5 -18 on subjects that range from basic math and reading comprehension to chemistry. We want to live in a world where all kids have access to a great education - - not just those whose families can afford one.We work with 279 partners across the United States. Don’t hesitate to join us and help change the lives of under-served kids.
How it works
First, click here to fill out the application and we’ll notify you once you have been accepted.
Second, visit student profile pages and find the best student for you. Communicate with them and their family by email and work out the best day/time for tutoring. Third, meet your student in the Learn To Be virtual classroom and help them learn whatever they want!
Why join Learn To Be
When you help under-served kids do better in school, you can change their lives. If you’re here because you need school credits, we’ll give you support! We can also help you develop leadership skills. Join our private online community and become friends with NASA scientists, engineers, writers, historians and industry leaders in our community of thousands of volunteer tutors. You might find a mentor (导师) of your own!
A few notes
●You must be in the United States.
●You must be at least 14 years old and in high school or older.
●You must commit to tutoring once or twice per week.
●The application should include recording a short one -minute selfie (自拍) video.
1. What can we know about Learn To Be?| A．It assigns students to teachers automatically. |
| B．It has a worldwide reputation for being reliable. |
| C．It requires teachers to begin to work at a fixed time. |
| D．It provides completely free services for poor students. |
| A．Chances to get promoted to a leadership role. | B．Opportunities to get enough school credits. |
| C．Lectures by people from all walks of life. | D．Free training in teaching skills. |
| A．An entertainment magazine. | B．An educational report. |
| C．A government document. | D．An institution website. |
4 . I recently had a conversation with a friend who was feeling very upset about work. Why? He thought his manager didn’t like him. He rarely heard much from his manager, and when his manager said something, it was about correcting some aspects of his work or giving him some constructive advice.
Not surprisingly, given my friend’s understandably anxious view of these workplace dynamics (动态), he was afraid of his annual performance evaluation. He was worried that his boss might even tell him that he wasn’t needed anymore. Accordingly, he considered looking around for another job — not because he really wanted to, as he liked the kind of work he was doing, but because he suffered from the kind of management.
The evaluation day came, and to his great surprise, rather than being harshly critical, his manager told him that he was doing a fine job and gave him a promotion.
The sad truth is, this kind of phenomenon is by no means unusual in the workplace. One recent survey showed that nearly half of the employees have considered leaving a job “due to lack of recognition”. Another similar study found 46 percent of the employees left a job “because they felt unappreciated”.
The good news is that, in this case, the damage was repaired before it was too late — before my friend was out the door and his company began the expensive and time-consuming process of hiring a new employee. But as the research noted above shows, workplace problems related to recognition and appreciation are as common as the office air we breathe.
This conforms with my personal experience; during my decades of corporate management, I saw similar appreciation issues all the time. When a job isn’t done well, nobody deserves anything, of course. But when a job is done well, if you’re an employee, it’s entirely natural to expect at least a bit of appreciation. So if you’re a manager, it’s a good idea to show some. It’s that simple.
1. What phenomenon does the author want to describe through his friend’s case?| A．Unclear rewards and punishments. | B．Employee-management misunderstanding. |
| C．Unfair promotion in the workplace. | D．Fierce competition among new employees. |
| A．His company hired a new employee. |
| B．He continued to work for the company. |
| C．His company simplified the evaluation process. |
| D．He repaired the relationship with his colleagues. |
| A．Results from. | B．Separates from. |
| C．Agrees with. | D．Contrasts with. |
| A．Defend employees’ rights. | B．A friend’s unforgettable experience. |
| C．Acknowledge employees’ work. | D．Misunderstanding between employees. |
5 . Astronaut Neill Armstrong, the first man on the moon, passed away at 82. He commanded the Apollo 11spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, and has been best remembered by saying “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
Armstrong was born Aug 5, 1930, on a farm in western Ohio. He took his first airplane ride at the age of 6 and developed an interest in aviation (航空) that pushed him to build model airplanes and conduct experiments in a homemade wind tunnel. As a boy, he took flying lessons and was licensed to fly at 16, before he got his driver’s license.
Armstrong enrolled in Purdue University to study aircraft engineering but was called to work with the US Navy in 1949 and flew 78 fight tasks. Armstrong was accepted into NASA’s astronaut class in 1962. He was a support commander for the Apollo 8 task in 1968. In that flight, Commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and BiIIAnders circled the moon 10 times, and got ready for the moon landing seven months later.
On July 20, 1969, an estimated 600 million people—a fifth of the world’s population watched and listened to the landing, the largest audience for any single event in history.
Parents crowded with their children in front of the family television. absorbed by what they were witnessing. Farmers gave up their duties at night, and drivers pulled off the highway and checked into hotels just to see the moonwalk. Television-less travelers in California ran to their cars to catch the word on the radio. Afterward, people walked out of their homes and stared at the moon, in awe of what they had just seen. Others watched through telescopes in hopes of spotting the astronauts.
“I can honestly say-and it’s a big surprise to me that I have never had a dream about being on the moon.” he once said.
Armstrong married Carol Knight in 1994, and the couple lived quietly in Indian Hill, a Cincinnati suburb. He had two adult sons from a previous marriage.
1. What’s the purpose of the text?| A．To introduce the first man to land on the moon. |
| B．To tell people Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. |
| C．To illustrate an estimated 600 million people witnessed the event in history. |
| D．To explain the saying “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. |
| A．Armstrong circled the moon 10 times. |
| B．Armstrong was called to work with the US Navy. |
| C．Armstrong gave lectures in NASA’s astronaut class. |
| D．Armstrong conducted experiments in a homemade wind tunnel. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Astonished. | C．Disappointed. | D．Overjoyed. |
| A．Armstrong got his driver’s license at 16. |
| B．Armstrong took his first airplane ride at a very young age. |
| C．Armstrong had a childhood dream about being ont he moon. |
| D．Armstrong married Carol in 1994 and then had two sons. |
6 . What does it take to graduate from university? Some papers or high scores in exams? Well, these are not enough if you are a student at Tsinghua University. According to a new rule of the university, students must prove (证明) themselves in the swimming pool. They need to pass a swimming test of at least 50 meters, and those who fail the test will be required to take a swimming course throughout their school years. By the time they graduate, they will have known how to swim; otherwise they can’t graduate with their bachelor’s degrees (学士学位).
The news made waves in Chinese social media (媒体). Some people praised the university for requiring a necessary skill that can save lives, and they also believed that the rule would help improve students’ health. However, others questioned if it was fair to expect those who come from inland cities (内陆城市) to be able to swim.
In fact, this is not a new rule. Tsinghua University first made swimming a requirement in 1919 but later gave it up because the number of students became too large and there were not enough swimming pools in the school for them to learn swimming.
Anyway, it is still good news that Chinese students’ health has become more and more valued. Why not just take this chance to learn one more life-saving ability?
1. According to the passage, what does it take for a student to graduate from Tsinghua university?| A．Some papers. | B．High scores in exams |
| C．Passing a swimming test. | D．All of the above. |
| A．caused a heated discussion | B．spread widely | C．made a requirement | D．proved the rule |
① Because many students failed the swimming test.
② Because some people disagreed with the rule
③ Because there were too many students.
④Because there were not enough swimming pools.
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．③④ | D．①④ |
| A．Different people hold different opinions about a new rule. |
| B．Tsinghua University has made a new rule of graduation |
| C．Chinese students’ health should be more and more valued. |
| D．There is a new chance to learn another life-saving ability. |
7 . Bikini Atoll, Micronesia
This was the main area of nuclear testing in the Pacific. There were 23 tests on this small island from 1946 to 1958.When you have flown in from Honolulu, you might be surprised at what you find. Despite its nuclear past, the area looks like an undestroyed place. Thanks to a recent rise in tourism, popular activities include diving and fishing off the beautiful coastline.
The Panama Canal Railway
The world’s first transcontinental (横贯大陆的) railway was built between 1850 and 1855. It not only connected two cities-Panama City and the port of Colon―but also two oceans―the Pacific and the Atlantic. The line had been in disrepair for many years until areas of land were cleared and a new track was laid over a period of 18 months. In July 2001 it was reopened, offering a 45-minute ride through a forested area.
Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
In 1971, this wildlife park attracted 12,000 visitors who wanted to see the biggest lion population in Africa. From 1983 to 1992 the park was turned into an environmental disaster area during the Mozambican Civil War. After the war, the number of large animals in the park had fallen by 95%. Now, buffalo (水牛) have been reintroduced and the park has received donations from businesspeople and pop stars. You won’t find cheetahs or rhinos back in the park yet, but the beautiful Mount Gorongosa (1,863m) is perfect for hikers.
Mount Elgon, Kenya
For years, border disagreements between Kenya and Uganda meant it was impossible to walk to this volcano. Now the situation has been eased, so this far corner of East Africa has reopened. Climbers can enjoy the fantastic view from the top of Mount Elgon (4,321m) but perhaps the most interesting feature is the caves. Some are over 60 m wide and run 200 m into the mountain.
1. What was Bikini Atoll used for in 1946?| A．Studying volcanoes. | B．Carrying out tests. |
| C．Encouraging tourism. | D．Developing the fishing industry. |
| A．It was built in 2001. | B．It is now being damaged. |
| C．It connected two oceans. | D．It is the world’s first railway. |
| A．Go diving. | B．Watch buffalo. |
| C．Explore war records. | D．Go deep into caves. |
8 . It was a September day. Today was the first day of high school for a freshman, Kayla. Kayla had always been a bit of a shy kid, but she had always
As she walked down the hallways, Kayla couldn’t help but feel
It wasn’t long before Kayla’s determination was put to the
Kayla’s classmates began to notice how
From that day on, Kayla
| A．feared | B．loved | C．missed | D．forgot |
| A．bored | B．excited | C．worried | D．interested |
| A．difficulties | B．honours | C．reasons | D．dangers |
| A．use | B．side | C．trouble | D．test |
| A．simple | B．challenging | C．suitable | D．amazing |
| A．part | B．share | C．best | D．duty |
| A．teach | B．doubt | C．enjoy | D．believe |
| A．great | B．strange | C．confusing | D．secret |
| A．fast | B．bravely | C．fluently | D．hard |
| A．flash | B．news | C．support | D．service |
| A．manage | B．find | C．fill | D．waste |
| A．thinking about | B．getting through | C．giving up | D．asking for |
| A．freedom | B．creation | C．success | D．trust |
| A．realized | B．argued | C．stressed | D．recommended |
| A．families | B．customers | C．teammates | D．classmates |
9 . A 15-year-old student has been praised a hero after it was found out that he had saved the life of a man who had suffered a heart attack. Sheng Xiaohan hadn’t told students and teachers the story until the man
Sheng recalled he was
When he saw the man was unresponsive, he
He first tried the Heimlich maneuver, but then thought the old man might have
“I didn’t dare stop or ask others to replace me in case of any
Sheng said he didn’t feel tired during the process, but afterwards his arms were
| A．turned up | B．cleaned up | C．made up | D．gave up |
| A．leaving | B．staying | C．returning | D．attending |
| A．abnormal | B．hopeless | C．aimless | D．unconscious |
| A．touched | B．checked | C．measured | D．assessed |
| A．cold | B．mild | C．soft | D．warm |
| A．rarest | B．latest | C．slightest | D．grandest |
| A．suffered | B．survived | C．recognized | D．attracted |
| A．courage | B．energy | C．space | D．destination |
| A．grasped | B．removed | C．settled | D．pressed |
| A．treatments | B．services | C．approaches | D．management |
| A．dragged | B．hiked | C．rushed | D．transformed |
| A．inconvenience | B．trouble | C．risks | D．comments |
| A．strength | B．ability | C．challenges | D．awareness |
| A．broken | B．sore | C．swollen | D．flexible |
| A．ordinary | B．satisfactory | C．admirable | D．available |
10 . As with every World Cup, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar the players will be using a new ball. The last thing competitors want is for the most important piece of equipment to behave in unexpected ways in the most important tournament of the world’s most popular sport, so a lot of work goes into making sure that every new World Cup ball feels familiar to players.
Between shots on goal, free kicks and long passes, many important moments of a soccer game happen when the ball is in the air. So one of the most important characteristics of a soccer ball is how it travels through air.
As a ball moves through air, a thin layer of mostly still air called the boundary layer (边界层)surrounds some part of the ball. At low speeds this boundary layer will only cover the front half of the ball before flowing air peels (划过) away from the surface. In this case, the wake of air behind the ball is somewhat regular and is called laminar flow. When a ball is moving quickly, though, the boundary layer wraps much farther around the ball. When the flow air does eventually separate from the ball’s surface, it does so in a series of chaotic swirls (不规则气旋). This process is called turbulent flow.
When calculating how much force moving air imparts on a moving object — called drag — physicists use a term called the drag coefficient (系数). For a given speed, the higher the drag coefficient is, the more drag an object feels.
It turns out that a soccer ball’s drag coefficient is approximately 2.5 times larger for laminar flow than for turbulent flow. Though it may seem counterintuitive, roughening a ball’s surface delays the separation of the boundary layer and keeps a ball in turbulent flow longer. This fact of physics that — rougher balls feel less drag — is the reason why dimpled (坑坑洼洼的) golf balls fly much farther than they would if the balls were smooth.
1. What can be inferred from the passage about footballs in the World Cup?| A．Unexpected ways of playing them will come into view. |
| B．They make sure of long passes to be performed by players. |
| C．They’ll be judged by their quality when kicked off in the air. |
| D．Their importance explains why the World Cup is famous globally. |
| A．Changes of the football surface. | B．A wide variety of airflows. |
| C．Formation of the boundary layers. | D．A broad range of football's speed. |
| A．the result seems unlikely at first sight | B．the prediction lacks explanation |
| C．the research requires further investigation | D．the method of study isn’t proper enough |
| A．To compare the speed of different golf balls. |
| B．To encourage more footballs to be made as such. |
| C．To apply the research result to explain another phenomenon. |
| D．To explain clearer the function of separating boundary layers. |
