1 . When you have to cancel your Thanksgiving plans due to the spread of the COVID-19, you may find yourself craving companionship as much as that pumpkin pie. That’s because parts of the brain respond to loneliness much like they react to hunger, according to a study in Nature Neuroscience.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology scanned the brains of 40 healthy, social young adults after 10 hours of either fasting (禁食) or social isolation (隔离). They found that after being alone, participants’ neurological responses to social signals were similar to hungry people reacting to food — that is, certain areas of the brain linked to desire were turned on to start working.
For an isolated person, a picture of people laughing together caused the same areas of the brain to light up as when a hungry person looked at a big plate of pasta.
“Just like hunger is an unpleasant sensation that motivates us to seek out food and thirst motivates us to seek out water, loneliness is a biological need that motivates us to reconnect to others,” Holt-Lunstad told Insider.
Researchers were surprised to find that people who were prevented from socializing became much more focused on that need, and less reactive to hunger. As their loneliness increased, they became less responsive to images of food.
These latest findings suggest that the relationship between food and loneliness might be more complicated than we thought, despite the popular opinion of stress-eating to cope with social isolation. More research is needed to understand the complex ways people deal with loneliness.
Studies like this can help scientists understand how the brain processes loneliness, and possibly reduce the negative consequences. However, although loneliness may be similar to hunger, fixing it isn’t as easy as serving someone a hearty dinner because people are unique and they need varying levels of social interactions to meet their needs.
1. The underlined word “craving” in the first paragraph can be replaced by .| A．avoiding | B．desiring | C．preferring | D．ignoring |
| A．to find their brain responses to both loneliness and hunger |
| B．to provide explanations for their feeling lonely and hungry |
| C．to find how loneliness can have a negative impact on health |
| D．after they have been hungry and socially isolated for 10 hours |
| A．Hunger is an unpleasant sensation. |
| B．Hunger and thirst motivate us to feed ourselves. |
| C．Socializing is supposed to be basic human need as it is. |
| D．The effects of loneliness on health are comparable to other factors. |
| A．Loneliness may be fixed just as hunger is satisfied. |
| B．Situations of loneliness are complicated and hard to cope with. |
| C．Scientists have understood how the brain processes loneliness. |
| D．Loneliness is such a common and serious problem that we all have to suffer. |
2 . Getting a story or a book published is difficult for most ambitious authors. But in Malaysia, a unique program for
“The JWP is not just a writing program,” said Brigitte Rozario, who
The program focuses on writing, revising, and editing, with publication the reward. Only the most dedicated writers are
Rozario founded the program in 2018. “A couple I knew said that their daughter was very interested in writing,” she explained, “but they didn’t know how to
Each year, about 20 students get the chance to improve their
The JWP proves the fact that a teacher, friend, or instructor can make your talents shine. That is who Rozario is and what she believes.
1.| A．poor | B．active | C．young | D．creative |
| A．sold | B．written | C．published | D．translated |
| A．publicized | B．founded | C．joined | D．supported |
| A．joint | B．describe | C．double | D．understand |
| A．listed | B．attracted | C．noticed | D．accepted |
| A．pass | B．record | C．design | D．study |
| A．fail | B．hesitate | C．leave | D．miss |
| A．measure | B．introduce | C．nurture | D．recognize |
| A．forced | B．inspired | C．allowed | D．reminded |
| A．habits | B．grades | C．skills | D．memories |
| A．question | B．book | C．secret | D．theme |
| A．Stories | B．Topics | C．Lessons | D．Pictures |
| A．Notes | B．Profits | C．Awards | D．Examples |
| A．buy | B．collect | C．read | D．recommend |
| A．common | B．worthy | C．global | D．successful |
3 . The world’s largest whales are more than just astonishing creatures. Much like the ocean, soil and forests, whales can help save humans from the increasing climate crisis by storing carbon. In a paper published recently, climate researchers suggest that whales are important, but often overlooked, carbon sinks.
The enormous size of these marine mammals, which can reach 150 tons, means they can store carbon much more effectively than smaller animals. And because whales live longer than most animals, they could be “one of the largest stable living carbon pools” in the ocean. Even when whales die, their dead bodies fall down to the deepest parts of the sea and settle on the seafloor, trapping the carbon they’ve stored in their bodies. An indirect way whales can be critical carbon sinks is through their waste. Whale poop (粪便) is rich in nutrients which can be taken up by phytoplankton — tiny organisms that suck up carbon dioxide as they grow.
The process of carbon sequestration helps reduce climate impact, because it locks away carbon that otherwise would have warmed the planet somewhere else for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Yet whales are threatened, with six out of 13 great whale species classified as endangered or vulnerable due to threats including industrial whaling, as well as trap in fishing equipment, climate change-caused shifts in prey availability, noise pollution and more.
Heidi Pearson, a researcher at the University of Alaska Southeast, said the research shows that protecting whales has a double benefit — helping to stop the biodiversity crisis as well as human-caused climate change. Protecting whales is a low risk and low regret strategy, because there’s really no downside. She said there was no risk to this strategy compared to other untested, expensive solutions to capturing and trapping carbon, such as geoengineering.
But there remain big gaps in knowledge to fully determine how whale carbon should be used to slow down climate changes. Pearson hopes the current paper pushes policymakers to consider whales as a significant part of climate change solution.
1. What does paragraph 2 focus on about whales?| A．What their life cycles are like. | B．Why their roles are overlooked. |
| C．Why they are called carbon sinks. | D．Where they are on the food chain. |
| A．The waste of whales. | B．The carbon trap of whales. |
| C．The death of whales. | D．The carbon cycle in nature. |
| A．Geoengineering is costly and untested. |
| B．The strategy involving whales carries no risks. |
| C．Protecting whales can be a natural climate solution. |
| D．Whales’ survival is the key to stopping biodiversity crisis. |
| A．To call for further research on whales. | B．To call on people to balance the ecosystem. |
| C．To present a new reason for protecting whales. | D．To stress the need of addressing climate changes. |
4 . For the Birds! (FTB!) is a place-based city conservation education program serving 2,000+ New York City youth and community members with a focus on schools and communities across all five boroughs (行政区) that are underserved by environmental education. The mission of FTB! is to get youth excited about helping birds and the places they need to survive. FTB! not only provides knowledge of local species and habitats but also encourages a sense of ecological place in one’s own community and empowers youth to take an active interest in protecting their local environment for birds and people.
For the Birds! Program Options
In-person Programs: During a 4, 8, or 12 session program, program participants learn about birds and local habitats in their neighborhood through both in-class and outdoor lessons. The curriculum is adaptable for grades 6-12. Each program ends with a field trip to a local park and/or a habitat project designed to attract birds and other wildlife to their community. Click here for our full course catalog.
Contact FTB!
To get started, learn more, or for questions about New York City FTB! programs, please contact our New York City team member.
Located outside of New York City? Audubon New York centers also offer FTB! program and volunteer opportunities. Reach out to a center near you to learn more.
| New York City Lianne D’Arcy, Senior Coordinator, Education & Volunteer Outreach lianne.darcy@audubon.org | Finger Lakes Region Montezuma Audubon Center 2295 State Route 89, Savannah, NY 13146 montezuma@audubon.org |
| Hudson Valley Region Rebecca Schultz, Education Manager Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary 127 Warren Landing Road, Garrison, NY 10524 rschultz@audubon.org | Long Island Julie Nelsen, Education Manager Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center 134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY 10524 jnelsen@audubon.org |
| A．To build up community connections. | B．To get youth involved in bird protection. |
| C．To raise money for bird-saving programs. | D．To inform youth of endangered bird species. |
| A．They feature online lessons. | B．They involve hands-on activities. |
| C．They focus on global environment. | D．They offer 6 options for program duration. |
| A．lianne.darcy@audubon.org | B．rschultz@audubon.org |
| C．montezuma@audubon.org | D．jnelsen@audubon.org |
5 . College and high-school teachers are expressing concern about ChatGPT, an AI program that allows people with limited writing skills to create high-quality texts. It calls into question how and why we teach writing at all. If AI can do a fairly good job at most writing tasks, why spend so much time learning writing in school?
In fact, learning to write goes beyond just mastering grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. It involves much more. For one thing, it’s about learning to turn a loose set of thoughts into a clear line of reasoning — a skill that is useful for everyone, not just those who enjoy writing or need to do a lot of it for work.
Learning to write also trains your imagination to construct the person who will read your words. It puts you in relation to someone you may not know, someone who may even not exist. When you learn to write, you learn to meet their needs in an unfamiliar context. Even ordinary assignments teach students to predict what another person knows and expects.
Writing is never simply self-expression. It’s expression to a specific audience for a specific purpose. In some cases, like a love letter, a writer knows their audience very well. In others, the audience is every bit a work of the imagination as a novel’s characters are. Writers, then, should give up trying to address the public at large, but should imagine that a friend, though not the closest friend, is listening to our talk.
When this act of imagination is done well, a reader can feel deeply understood, as if a stranger has told them some previously unknown truth about themselves. That’s how I felt reading “Difference Maker” — an essay about parenthood. While our situations were unique, naming the problem provided a deeper understanding.
It seems unavoidable that large-language models of AI will allow us to offload some of the writing tasks that students learn in school. But we can’t allow ourselves to lose the capacity to empathize (共情) with distant strangers at just the moment when we’re more able than ever to communicate with them.
1. What is teachers’ concern about ChatGPT?| A．It’s a challenge to apply it to teaching. | B．It’s hard to grade a paper written by it. |
| C．It limits students’ imagination and creativity. | D．It questions the necessity of teaching writing. |
| A．It helps with logical thinking. | B．It is a basic skill for everyone. |
| C．It focuses on correct expression. | D．It is closely related to social skills. |
| A．Expressing oneself. | B．Targeting intended readers. |
| C．Conveying imaginative ideas. | D．Creating attractive characters. |
| A．What AI Can’t Teach the Writing Students | B．ChatGPT Writing VS Traditional Writing |
| C．Never Lose the Capacity for Empathy | D．What Is the Future for AI Writing |
6 . In the world of contemporary art, there are artists whose creativity and originality challenge the established boundaries, attracting the public with their wisdom. One of these innovators is the famous Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, whose art installations (装置艺术) leave everyone speechless.
With an imaginative mind and an unconventional approach, Cai Guo-Qiang has become a master of fireworks display, employing the gunpowder of fireworks in his art in a truly extraordinary way. Through the mastery of said material and the explosions controlled, Cai creates installations that go beyond expectations and take the public on an unforgettable journey.
One of his most important creations is the installation titled “The rise of butterflies”. In this work, Cai uses a combination of gunpowder and paper to create a striking cloud of flying butterflies. The delicate winged creatures move back and forth in the air, creating a magical and ephemeral effect that goes against the laws of gravity.
But perhaps one of the most curious and daring installations of Cai Guo-Qiang is “The garden of ephemeral sculptures”. In this work, the artist uses controlled explosives to sculpt shapes in huge blocks of ice. As the explosions occur, the icy figures gradually transform, creating an ephemeral and ever-changing scene. It is as if the sculptures come alive for a brief moment before disappearing completely.
Cai Guo-Qiang is an artist who breaks the limits of imagination. His installations transport us to a world of magic, where fire and gunpowder become tools for creation. He combines aesthetic (审美的) beauty with unusual elements, making his works unique and fascinating. Without a doubt, Cai’s impact on contemporary art is undeniable. His installations have attracted audiences around the world and will inspire future generations to break free and find beauty in the unpredictable (不可预测的).
1. Which might be the best title for Cai Guo-Qiang?| A．An explosive genius. | B．A creative sculptor. |
| C．A traditional painter. | D．An artistic pioneer. |
| A．Unique. | B．Short-lived. |
| C．Unconventional. | D．Breath-taking. |
| A．Cai’s impact on art is unpredictable. |
| B．Cai’s success results from global recognition. |
| C．Cai’s art changes traditional concept of beauty. |
| D．Cai’s art inspires artists to think outside the box. |
| A．A diary entry of Cai Guo-Qiang. |
| B．A profile of celebrity in a magazine. |
| C．A scientific research paper on fireworks. |
| D．An advertisement for a fireworks company. |
7 . I was ready to pay for my bananas at the grocery one night, when fear seized me. My wallet was gone. I could only have left it on the G9 bus, which was now speeding in the dark to some
The
Two hours later, back at my house, I heard a knock on the door. My husband
After sharing the story online, I heard from someone, who
This one stranger responded beautifully to my small
Looking back, I feel blessed someone had wanted to help a stranger. Erin had gone beyond what almost anyone would have done, finding my house on a bitterly cold night, and for that I was extremely
| A．accessible | B．hidden | C．unknown | D．convenient |
| A．face- saving | B．brain-washing | C．eye-catching | D．heart-stopping |
| A．parts | B．contents | C．details | D．ingredients |
| A．ignored | B．answered | C．examined | D．interrupted |
| A．missing | B．returned | C．remaining | D．abandoned |
| A．selected | B．appointed | C．identified | D．defined |
| A．delay | B．alarm | C．regret | D．invitation |
| A．moved | B．placed | C．opened | D．spotted |
| A．disagreed | B．complained | C．calculated | D．recommended |
| A．selfless | B．risky | C．slow | D．personal |
| A．site | B．direction | C．situation | D．atmosphere |
| A．crisis | B．danger | C．threat | D．failure |
| A．recalled | B．exchanged | C．repeated | D．whispered |
| A．encounter | B．follow | C．consult | D．accompany |
| A．longing | B．enthusiastic | C．concerned | D．grateful |
8 . When I was a foreign teacher in China, every day I taught English to my students and they taught me about China. One day the topic turned to saying “I love you”. I was shocked to learn that no one of my students had said this to their mothers, nor had their mothers said it to them. “Does your mom love you?” “Of course,” they answered.
“How do you know?” was my logical question. They answered that their moms cooked and always told them what they were doing wrong to show their caring. I was surprised. “So mom’s cooking and criticizing read out as ‘I love you’? Then how do you say ‘I love you’ to her?” They agreed that getting good grades, followed by good jobs would be how they showed their love.
I come from a country where most people are expressive enough, so I repeated these questions in classes over time. Gradually, I began to get different response. Some of them had exchanged those feelings with their moms.
One of my favorite stories of change came from a girl. When she came home from university, her mother met her at the door and hugged (拥抱) her. This had never happened before, but her mom said, “Now that you have gone, I have more time to myself. I noticed that in some places mothers and children hug each other and I decided it was a good idea and that I would begin hugging you.”
In my family we all say “I love you” a lot. While it is true that we often say the words without having great depth (深度) of feelings at that moment, it is almost like a blessing (祝福语) we give each other. Those three little words carry a world of meaning, even when said as a greeting, but most especially if they are the last words we say to or hear from those we love.
1. Chinese people prefer to show love by________.| A．buying gifts | B．hugging each other |
| C．saying “I love you” | D．doing something meaningful |
| A．She loves her daughter and misses her. | B．She is meeting her daughter at the door. |
| C．She finds it interesting to hug her daughter. | D．She is glad that she has more time to herself. |
| A．Say “I love you” more to your family. | B．Say “I love you” as a greeting to others. |
| C．Say “I love you” a lot to Chinese people. | D．Say “I love you” without great depth of feelings. |
9 . A nine-year-old boy has set a new 5km parkrun world record for his age group. Louis Robinett, a member of the Poole Runners junior athletics club, shaved 13 seconds off the previous world record, which was set in California in 2017, after he crossed the line in 17 minutes and 40 seconds.
Louis, who broke the record at the Poole parkrun in Dorset on Saturday, said, “I’m on top of the world right now. It’s a huge deal to break a world record. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the team at Poole Runners.”
Louis was accompanied on the parkrun by Dion Garner, a member of his athletics club, as all under-11s in the 5km event must run within arm’s length of an adult. Garner said of Louis’s achievement, “His natural talent, combined with his dedication and spirit, is mind-blowing. He loves the sports and has really practiced a lot.” A spokesman for Poole Runners said, “With his new world record, Louis has raised the bar for young athletes everywhere. This isn’t just a win for Louis, it’s a new benchmark (标准) for youth sports, inspiring children all over the world to aim higher.”
Parkrun was started by 13 friends as a weekly event in Bushy Park, southwest London, in 2004. By 2015 more than 80,000 people were gathering in parks around the world each Saturday to participate in a parkrun. Only three years later about a quarter of a million people were taking part in parkruns each week, in 1,500 events across 20 countries. In comparison, 48,000 runners took part in the London Marathon this year.
1. What is the previous 5km parkrun world record?| A．17 minutes and 27 seconds. | B．17 minutes and 23 seconds. |
| C．17 minutes and 40 seconds. | D．17 minutes and 53 seconds. |
| A．Surprised and thankful. | B．Modest and satisfied. |
| C．Grateful and delighted. | D．Thrilled and shocked. |
| A．Efforts paid off. | B．Strength was at the peak. |
| C．Determination was the key. | D．Mind changed the behavior. |
| A．Parkrun is ancient but increasingly popular. | B．Standards are needed to make parkrun formal. |
| C．Parkrun originates from a weekly initiative. | D．Over twenty countries compete to host a parkrun. |
10 . Are your childhood memories closely connected with cycling? Perhaps you even remember the pride in getting your first bike on your birthday, complete with streamers (装饰彩纸条) coming out of the handlebars, and the excitement of coasting down the tallest hill in town? When we were children, biking gave us independence, a sense of self, adventure and excitement, but city biking poses challenges to us when we are adults.
Obviously, biking brings a number of benefits to the riders, but why aren’t there more bikers on city roads? Goodordering, a company that designs bags to suit modern active lifestyles, conducted a survey and found out that the number one factor preventing people from biking to work was the realization of road safety”—sharing the road with cars can be dangerous.
Omar Bakhshi, a UK-based developer, experienced this first-hand. A car brushed against him while he was cycling, leaving him with an injury that impacted his taste and smell for life. Bakhshi realized what happened to him wasn’t unusual. Because bikers often experience close encounters (相撞) with cars, Bakhshi set out to make the roads safer for urban cyclists to use.
His company, Tether, is launching a small sensor that goes on a bike’s handlebars. As the biker rides through the city, the device projects (投影) a “safety zone” of lights onto the pavement. The hope is that these lights will force car drivers to sit up and pay attention to the rules of sharing the road. If cars get too close to the biker’s personal space, the lights will start shining.
What makes Bakhsh’s device different from similar devices on the market is its smart features. Tether’s device collects data from close encounters with cars and then the data is organized into a central database. The data can be accessed by bikers to determine which streets are safer for cyclists and choose a route to avoid areas that have a large number of close encounters with cars.
1. How does the author lead readers to the topic?| A．By introducing an exciting biking trip. |
| B．By comparing the past and the present. |
| C．By describing his favorite exercise in cities. |
| D．By listing some popular birthday gifts for children. |
| A．He stressed the importance of teamwork. |
| B．His company faced a lot of challenges at first. |
| C．He was advised by many bikers to develop a cycling device. |
| D．His biking experience inspired him to improve cycling safety. |
| A．It guides the biker and warns car drivers. |
| B．It reduces the harm caused by an accident. |
| C．It enables car drivers to see traffic lights clearly. |
| D．It reminds the biker to share special lanes with other bikers. |
| A．Cycling Makes A Better World |
| B．Road Safety Problems in The UK |
| C．A Man Has Realized His Childhood Dream. |
| D．New Technology Improves Your Cycling Safety |
