1 . Zhang Xiqing is an outlier in Chinese society. At 33, she is happily unmarried, has no plans to have children with her boyfriend, and left her job at Tencent for a start-up because she wanted to “try something new”. But Zhang faces immense pressure from her family. She does her best to deal with the pressure to break convention but it can be a lonely path to follow. Now, however, she is drawing inspiration from a reality show that has become a hit on Chinese television.
Instead of giving young girls a shot at fame, Sisters Who Make Waves, produced by Hunan Television, has invited established actresses and performers over 30, and some in their 50s, to compete for a spot in a five-member band. The show has been a hit, especially among women, since it started airing in June. For women like Zhang, the attraction is that it shows more experienced women using their confidence and expertise—rather than youth—to get what they need.
“Seeing them on stage, I am no longer anxious about my age,” one viewer, who is attracted by the show commented on Weibo. A blogger who goes by the pen name Shaoxi said the overwhelming popularity of the show reflected the desperate need for women in China to see themselves pictured in a different light. Other viewers resonated (共鸣) with the setbacks of some of the stars, who battled personal and professional difficulties with the images of sparkling versions of themselves.
But some critics say the show falls short of its ideals. Wu Changchang, an associate professor of journalism at East China Normal University, wrote that the show was “hollow feminism (空洞的女权主义)”. However, Shaoxi said, “judging an entertainment show on what degree of feminism it contained was missing the point.” It’s popularity said something about the female audience. “It means that compared with the past, more are favoring strong, independent women. I hope I can be more like them”, she said.
1. Why does the author mention Zhang Xiqing in paragraph 1?| A．To express a view. | B．To make an argument. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To provide the evidence. |
| A．Its winners would form a band. | B．It was produced in Hunan TV in June. |
| C．It invited famous actresses in the country. | D．It attracted little attention at the beginning. |
| A．The various suggestions for the show. |
| B．The positive comments from viewers. |
| C．The negative influence of the show on the society. |
| D．The close connection between the show and the reality. |
| A．It spoke highly of feminism and self-discipline. |
| B．It highlighted the importance of beauty and experience. |
| C．It inspired women to be themselves and pursue their dreams. |
| D．It stressed the courage to fight against professional difficulties. |
2 . You’ve probably followed a few cute dogs and cats on social media. However, are you aware that Ai-generated pets are also gaining popularity nowadays? They are just as adorable as real dogs and cats but also exhibit human-like characteristics.
Chai Dada, 21, runs an AI-generated dog account called “Shizhuangzhuangya” on Xiaohongshu and has already got more than 10,000 followers. Her AI-generated pet Zhuangzhuang is a fluffy Shiba Inu with a big belly who likes to eat and work out. “Zhuangzhuang is actually a reflection of me,” Chai said. “Its life and mood basically reflect my own.”
To personify the character more, the young content maker places Zhuangzhuang in various daily life scenarios. For instance, responding to the recent increase of “hui nan tian”— the super humid (潮湿的) weather in southern China in spring — Chai posted images of Zhuangzhuangmopping a wet floor, with the caption. “It’s wet everywhere at home”; vividly capturing the mood. In the comments section, many have expressed sympathy (同情), for the poor dog.
“Many scenes may seem ordinary, but when a very lifelike and adorable human-like pet appears in these familiar scenes, it looks interesting,” Chai said. Since Zhuangzhuang closely resembles a human in a dog’s body, many followers have come to believe in its real existence. This has provided Chai with opportunities to monetize by partnering with brands for product advertisements. Aiming to expand her reach, Chai expressed a desire to dive deeper into AI to bring her AI pet to life not just in pictures but also in videos.
She also observed that more and more people like her are becoming AI pet bloggers, which has intensified competition in this industry. To attract more fans, bloggers are constantly learning more AI skills and brainstorming to create more interesting storylines. “I want to develop Zhuangzhuang into an intellectual property and create related cultural and creative products such as dolls and stickers,” said Chai.
1. What do we know about the AI pet Zhuangzhuang?| A．It is a digital recreation of Chai’s childhood pet. |
| B．It has gained over one million followers online. |
| C．It is a virtual representation of a real Shiba Inu. |
| D．It mirrors the life and personality of its creator. |
| A．To show the fun Zhuangzhuang brings Chai. |
| B．To illustrate how Chai humanizes Zhuangzhuang. |
| C．To describe Zhuangzhuang’s daily struggles. |
| D．To suggest Zhuangzhuang’s growing fan base. |
| A．Commercialize. | B．Promote. | C．Maximize. | D．Monitor. |
| A．Perfect Zhuangzhuang’s features. | B．Cooperate with other AI pet creators. |
| C．Create lifelike videos of Zhuangzhuang. | D．Write a book featuring Zhuangzhuang. |
3 . The standard public health threats are all-too familiar: smoking, high blood pressure, cancer. But a new government advisory made headlines in 2023 by adding an unexpected major to that list. Loneliness, stated the report from Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, is a widely under recognized U.S. health crisis. In recent years, about 50 percent of Americans have experienced loneliness, which results in adverse effects. Lonely people, as Murthy’s report warns, run the same mortality (死亡) risk as people who smoke 15 cigarettes a day.
On its face, Murthy’s warning sounds awfully alarmist. It’s hard to understand how a lack of companionship could be as threatening as an addiction or global pandemic. But humans are so biologically wired to be social that isolation damages our systems. People who lack social support have a 29 percent higher risk of heart disease, a 32 percent higher risk of stroke, and a 26 to 29 percent higher risk of premature death, according to the report. What’s more, such health effects in isolated older adults have led to about $6.7 billion in Medicare spending each year.
Scientists now know that loneliness can cause lots of health problems. That may be because our ancestors thrived (繁荣) in supportive communities. “Our brains function more efficiently when we are with others.” Says Julianne Holt Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University.
Since loneliness can feel so much like personal failure, it’s easy to assume people should just try to handle it on their own. But in reality, many of the factors that promote social isolation are structural ones. “It could be workplace policies that don’t allow flexibility to support personal relationships.” Holt Lunstad says. “It might be busy or unsafe streets that are barriers to getting to know your neighbors.”
1. What does the underlined word “adverse” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Slight. | B．Negative. | C．Indirect. | D．Immediate. |
| A．Loneliness is a great health threat to people. | B．Loneliness does more harm than a pandemic. |
| C．Lonely people run the same risk as the smokers. | D．Loneliness is a well-recognized health problem. |
| A．Social isolation can be solved on one’s own. |
| B．Social anxiety holds back personal interactions. |
| C．The absence of social support worsens loneliness. |
| D．Tight working schedules lead to tense relationships. |
| A．The causes of loneliness. | B．The effects of loneliness. |
| C．The definition of loneliness. | D．The solutions to the loneliness. |
4 . Bryan was driving home one evening. It was starting to get dark and cold. Ever since the factory closed, he’d been unemployed. Suddenly, he saw an old lady
All she had was a
A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small cafe and went in. She
That night when she got home from work, she was thinking about the lady. With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how
| A．confusedly | B．anxiously | C．frightenedly | D．crazily |
| A．pulled up | B．broke down | C．dressed up | D．calmed down |
| A．crowded | B．spacious | C．warm | D．cold |
| A．flat | B．spare | C．new | D．swollen |
| A．charged | B．admired | C．appreciated | D．owed |
| A．price | B．money | C．cost | D．salary |
| A．assistance | B．guidance | C．opportunity | D．reward |
| A．discovered | B．recalled | C．hoped | D．noticed |
| A．menu | B．lunch | C．change | D．tip |
| A．Unwillingly | B．Unexpectedly | C．Unfortunately | D．Unlikely |
| A．sorrows | B．joys | C．regrets | D．tears |
| A．wrote | B．said | C．printed | D．showed |
| A．continue | B．begin | C．end | D．develop |
| A．terrified | B．relieved | C．excited | D．worried |
| A．whispered | B．screamed | C．laughed | D．shouted |
5 . The suburb I live in backs on to a large nature reserve. One morning I saw a koala (考拉) sitting in a palm tree in my front yard. I phoned around to ask what I could
I’ve always been befriending animals. As a young kid I used to pick up lizard eggs and
Once I had accreditation (合格证 ), I volunteered with the RSPCA in 2019, rehabilitating (使康复) wildlife. I was an ambulance driver,
I cut the leaves of the eucalyptus trees for the koalas to eat and look after the
As a kid I would never have imagined doing this. I feel like I’m the
After Japan discharged nuclear wastewater, people are terribly worried about more animals, especially marine animals. Any animal has the right to survive and the Earth is our common home. Please care for our animal friends.
1.| A．learn from | B．do about | C．require of | D．save for |
| A．kicking | B．shooting | C．coaching | D．blowing |
| A．together | B．illegally | C．angrily | D．guiltily |
| A．roll | B．sell | C．break | D．hatch |
| A．rescue | B．admire | C．purchase | D．identify |
| A．courses | B．races | C．fairs | D．shows |
| A．watching | B．recording | C．attending | D．assessing |
| A．made out | B．ran across | C．gave up | D．cared for |
| A．leave | B．start | C．dismiss | D．advertise |
| A．house | B．hunt | C．train | D．amuse |
| A．confuse | B．direct | C．feed | D．test |
| A．aggressive | B．hungry | C．deserted | D．injured |
| A．sold | B．released | C．thrown | D．dragged |
| A．quietest | B．greediest | C．noisiest | D．luckiest |
| A．guess | B．calling | C．treat | D．fault |
6 . They are so small that you need a microscope to see them, but so powerful that experts predict they could kill ten million people per year worldwide by the year 2050. They are superbugs — drug-resistant bacteria that have emerged since antibiotics (抗生素) revolutionized medicine. Indeed, the rise of these superbugs and the use of antibiotics are closely connected.
All organisms change over time. Smaller organisms, such as bacteria, are able to evolve more quickly, adapting as circumstances require. Facing antibiotics, bacteria have adapted with deadly efficiency. When a patient takes antibiotics to fight off a bacterial infection, the goal is to kill the bacteria causing the infection. However, although most of the bacteria are killed, a few of the strongest bacteria survive. Thus, only these drug-resistant bacteria are able to reproduce. This sets up a cycle and eventually results in the development of superbugs-bacteria able to resist even the most powerful drugs.
Scientists believe that a large part of this cycle is preventable. One recent study suggested that almost 50% of all antibiotic use is inappropriate or unnecessary. Some patients are prescribed (开处方) antibiotics for illness that would eventually clear up on their own. In addition, some patients don’t finish their course of medication, allowing bacteria to bounce back, but stronger. All of these factors contribute to the rise and spread of superbugs.
Another major factor that promotes the spread of drug resistance is the use of antibiotics for livestock (家畜). In the United States, 80% of antibiotic use is for animals. Partially, the drugs are used to prevent the spread of infection among animals. However, farmers also use antibiotics to help animals to gain weight quickly. Unfortunately, such use is problematic because it kills off the beneficial bacteria, leaving drug-resistant strains of bacteria to thrive.
What can be done to preserve antibiotics for future generations? Scientists maintain that as individuals, we can make a difference with simple steps, such as regular hand washing. It is also important that patients understand that antibiotics aren’t always the right course of treatment. Finally, it is crucial to take antibiotics out of the food chain. Fortunately, consumers are pushing for this, so we are likely to see changes in the near future.
1. According to the passage, what are superbugs?| A．Effective and revolutionary antibiotics. | B．Small but powerful drug-resistant bacteria. |
| C．Tiny organisms found under a microscope. | D．Bacteria that could harm animals and humans. |
| A．The antibiotics for illness. | B．Some infected animals. |
| C．Patients’ awareness of treatment course. | D．The misuse of antibiotics. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Neutral. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．Superbugs — Preventable or not? | B．Antibiotics — Beneficial or not? |
| C．Superbugs — Deadly Drug-resistant Bacteria | D．Antibiotics — Major Threats to Human Beings |
7 . Small Business Saturday is a relatively new shopping holiday in Rochester University. This small and local business is home to more unique gifts than you may find at a national retail chain — and we have an abundance of Rochester craftsmen to shop from this holiday season.
The Op Shop
The Op Shop features 32 different handmade vendor (小贩), making it a great spot to find some truly unique gifts. They will be hosting their annual holiday market, Secondhand Wonderland, on Saturday Dec. 3, at the Nazareth College Field House. I went last year and found two great winter sweaters and some fun ornaments.
Parkleigh
Parkleigh is a gift-shopping place in Rochester located on Park Ave. They feature a wide variety of items from skin care, novelty socks to Rochester-themed items, and my personal favorite: Jellycat food dolls. The store features a mix of large and small businesses and is always a fun place to check out on Saturdays.
The Lucky Flea Market
I can’t write an article about shopping local and small without mentioning The Lucky Flea. This year they are hosting indoor markets throughout the colder months, featuring dozens of local vendors. Many of the vendors sell second-hand clothing but there are also jewelry makers and specialty foods. Check out their first indoor market of the season on Saturday, Nov. 20!
Central Rock Gym
Looking for an experience gift on Saturdays? Buy a gift card from Central Rock Gym for a day pass with all climbing equipment included. My friends and I went last year and it was a lot of fun learning how to rock climb and bouldering. This can also be an option for any fitness class at a local gym or specialty fitness center.
1. Where can you buy a unique handmade gift for your friend?| A．The Op Shop. | B．Parkleigh. | C．The Lucky Flea Market. | D．Central Rock Gym. |
| A．It sells food. | B．It offers clothing. | C．It opens on Saturdays. | D．It features experience gift. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A campus website. |
| C．An official document. | D．A market research report. |
8 . Right now, summers are getting hotter, winters colder and the polar ice is melting at an alarming rate. Extreme weather events and natural disasters frequently occur. The climate time-bomb is ticking. Strict measures must be taken to tackle the problem.
It reminds me of how the lives we live seem to follow roughly in the way put forward years earlier by the writers of science-fiction. I guess it’s “life imitating art”. When I was young there were stories about rockets going into space and even going to the moon, although there had never been a rocket into space at that time. Years later, Russia launched Sputnik, the first man-made object to go into earth orbit and later the US landed people and even a car on the moon.
When I was growing up there were also science-fiction stories about governments looking for solutions when the world’s natural resources were being over-extended, such as they are in the case of climate change. The solution in the stories was to assume that the cause of the problem was over-population and the solution, therefore, was to limit the number of people. Various plans were put forward for doing that, from limiting the birth rate to killing off anyone over a certain age. That age, if I remember correctly, was usually about 60 and when you reached that you were supposed to turn yourself over to a government facility where you would be put to death.
Still, a look at the old science-fiction stories provides an interesting and somewhat chilling approach to what is acknowledged to be a very serious and worsening world-wide problem. There is general agreement that urgent action is needed to stop us from literally making our world unfit to live on. The answers, at least so far, concentrate on managing those resources and the ways in which we use them However, I wonder if the day will come when life will imitate the art of the old science-fiction stories and someone will propose limiting the number of people on the planet as a way of making it more suitable for those who are left. It’s a grave thing to predict.
1. What does the author say about climate problems?| A．The problems can be tackled in a scientific way. |
| B．The problems are in urgent need of being resolved. |
| C．The explosion of extreme climates is under control. |
| D．The loss of natural resources leads to climate changes. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By using quotes. |
| C．By giving definitions. | D．By making contrast. |
| A．Removing overpopulated species. | B．Getting rid of seniors. |
| C．Over-extending natural resources. | D．Moving onto the moon. |
| A．Calm. | B．Serious. | C．Frustrated. | D．Anxious. |
9 . Extremely authentic-looking prosthetic (假体的) eyes can now be 3D-printed in a fraction of the time it would normally take to produce the eyes by hand, scientists demonstrate in a new study.
The new technology can create a prosthetic eye in just 90 minutes, compared with the eight hours it would normally take a skilled technician, or ocularist, to produce one by hand. The 3D-printed eyes require five times less labor to make than traditional methods, the scientists behind the technology wrote in a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications.
The 3D-printed eyes also look more natural than traditional prostheses; this could help improve a patient’s self-confidence in using the devices. “Patients are very conscious about wearing a prosthesis, and they don't want others to notice,” Johann Reinhard, lead study author and a researcher at the Fraunhofer
Institute for Computer Graphics Research in Germany, told us. “With these more realistic eves, it might help them to participate more in society,” he said.
The new printing approach involves taking a specialized image of a patient’s empty eye socket and of their healthy eye. These images are then processed and used to draft blueprints that can be sent to be 3D-printed in the lab. These 3D-printed eyes closely replicate the color, size and structure of the patient's healthy eye and are particularly good at capturing the colored part of the eye, known as the iris, and the white part of the eye, called the sclera. Once finished, the eyes take 15 to 30 minutes to be installed by an ocularist, Reinhard said.
“About 80% of adults in need of prosthetic eyes could theoretically have one made this way, either due to a birth defect that causes an eye to be small or missing or because they’ve lost an eye,” the team said. “However, this wouldn’t be possible for all patients, such as those who have a very complex eye socket, as the software wouldn’t be able to find a matching shape for the prosthetic eye,” Reinhard said.
“More data are needed to see if this technique could also be used to make prosthetic eyes for children,which would require more regulation,” Reinhard said.
1. Which of the following words can be best used to describe the 3D-printed eyes?| A．Eco-friendly. | B．Time-consuming. | C．Fit-of-all. | D．Realistic-looking. |
| A．By justifying an idea. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By providing evidence. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．The patients prefer to show off their prosthetic eyes. |
| B．Every adult in need of a prosthetic eye can’t possibly have one. |
| C．It normally takes a skilled technician, or ocularist, to produce one. |
| D．The installment of one is 5 times faster than a traditional prosthetic eye. |
| A．3D-printed Eyes——a Better Alternative |
| B．3D Printing—a Promising Technology |
| C．3D-printed Eyes—a Source of Confidence |
| D．Prosthetic Eyes—the Hope for all Blind People |
10 . In today’s digital era, social media users are increasingly coming across fake news online. This leads to the pressing issue: What causes people to fall for misinformation on the Internet?
According to researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, users can easily fall into an echo chamber (回声室)—a sort of virtual space where users consume only one-sided news, eventually distrusting any opposing views. “We all tend to agree with the group opinion. Hence, people naturally get together with others who hold the same opinion,” said Dongwon Lee, one of the researchers. “But if you’re not cautious, there is a high risk of falling into an echo chamber.”
To prevent this phenomenon, the researchers have crafted a novel tool, a game named ChamberBreaker, to help players resist echo chambers and reduce the rate of fake news spread. The fundamental approach employed by ChamberBreaker centers around a decision-making procedure that mirrors the creation of echo chambers. In ChamberBreaker, a player is tasked with trying to have community members fall into an echo chamber. To begin, the player is randomly assigned a situation that focuses on a health, political or environmental issue, and is presented with six pieces of news on that topic. Then, the player selects news that could cause the other members to fall into an echo chamber while at the same time maintaining their trust. If successful, the community members will fall into an echo chamber and the player will witness the resulting negative effects on the community.
After developing ChamberBreaker, researchers tested it with over 800 subjects to see if it raised awareness of echo chambers and changed news consumption behaviors. The researchers found that those who played ChamberBreaker were significantly more likely to state their intention to observe online information from more diverse perspectives and showed an increased awareness of the echo chamber phenomenon.
Ultimately, the researchers hope that their methodology can excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study related to information consumption. The application of tools like ChamberBreaker, which focuses on fostering analytical reasoning, may lead us towards a more informed online community.
1. What can be learned about an online echo chamber?| A．It encourages well-judged views. |
| B．It gathers like-minded individuals. |
| C．It functions as a virtual reality platform. |
| D．It serves as a tool for identifying fake information. |
| A．Assignment of situations. | B．Trust-building exercises. |
| C．News selection strategy. | D．Community impact assessment. |
| A．The results of scientific testing. |
| B．The theoretical framework of the game. |
| C．The description of the game procedures. |
| D．The common challenges faced during gameplay. |
| A．Reducing news inquiry. | B．Encouraging passive reading. |
| C．Strengthening prejudiced views. | D．Enhancing critical thinking. |
