1 . Stress can cause physical impacts to the body, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, the release of adrenaline and cortisol (肾上腺素和皮质醇). If adrenaline and cortisol levels are increased for an extended period of time, that can damage DNA and cells.
In a new paper, published in April in the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers described how they measured biological age by looking for changes in DNA’s structure connected to aging.
In the first stage of the research, the researchers surgically attached three-month-old mice to twenty-month-old mice so that blood could flow between them. Over three months, the biological age of the younger mice increased while they shared blood with the older mice. But after the younger mice were separated and allowed to recover for two months, their biological age fell once again.
Then, the researchers looked at human DNA from blood samples gathered in previous studies to measure how human bodies react to stress.
In one stage, the researchers examined blood samples from elderly patients. Patients who had received emergency surgery for a fractured hip (髋部骨折) had an increased biological age the morning after the procedure, but it returned to pre-surgery levels four to seven days later. However, the researchers did not find the same effect in patients who had undergone elective hip surgery or colorectal (结肠直肠的) surgery.
The team also looked at patients who had been hospitalized with Covid-19, but these results varied by sex. While the biological age of female patients dropped within two weeks of recovery, that of men did not.
“The study looked at biological age both before and after stressful events. There are just very, very few studies that have looked at these clocks before and after some kind of intervention (干预),” Daniel Belsky, a medical scientist at Columbia University who did not participate in the study, tells The Scientist.
The study shows that biological age is “much more dynamic than people previously thought,” Jesse Poganik, a co-author of the study, tells Live Science. “You can have these very severe stress events, which increase biological age, but it can be short-lived, if the stress is short-lived, then the age can be restored.”
1. What did the researchers find about the biological age of the younger mice?| A．It increased during blood sharing. |
| B．It could be restored by blood sharing. |
| C．It dropped when they were attached to the older mice. |
| D．It returned to pre-sharing levels as soon as they were separated. |
| A．Those who had had fractured hip surgery. |
| B．Those who had received colorectal surgery. |
| C．Those who had undergone elective hip surgery. |
| D．Those women who had been hospitalized with Covid-19. |
| A．It stands out in similar studies. | B．It is truly remarkable. |
| C．It has some limitations. | D．It is influential. |
| A．Biological age can be measured easily |
| B．Recovering from stress is a long process |
| C．Stress ages you with not permanent effect |
| D．Stress’ harming human bodies means protecting them well |
2 . While most states have laws that prohibit relocating wild pigs, the practice still happens, and is one of the main factors contributing to the recent increase in pig numbers across the United States. “That’s why we did the study. All these pigs are being moved around and we really have no idea what’s happening with them,” said James Beasley, senior author of a new study.
Researchers made the study at the Savannah River Site outside Aiken, South Carolina. Because the area covers more than 310 square miles, Beasley said the researchers could move pigs to new locations within the area and still feel confident they were in an unfamiliar place. South Carolina law prohibits moving wild pigs unless they remain in the same area.
After catching a pig and fitting it with a GPS tracker, the researchers moved it to another location, usually at least 10 miles away, and tracked its movements over several months. The trackers showed the pigs were able to cover a lot of ground within a short time. Over a seven-day period, on average, the wild pigs would make sweeping paths across the landscape, seldom returning to their original drop-off point and often finally ending up several miles away.
The researchers also found that not long after being released, the wild pigs hooked up with other pigs in the area—sometimes joining an existing social group of pigs and other times creating new groups of relocated individuals.
In one example, two pigs from the same group were released more than a mile apart. “They started moving in different directions. Then, one seemed to cross the path of the other one and found that pig,” Beasley said. “They have this really extraordinary social bond.” More study is needed to understand how these social bonds form, but it’s clear that wild pigs are willing to accept unrelated individuals within their social group.
Infamous for the damage they cause to crops and landscapes, the research shows the potential for problems when wild pigs are relocated and the potential risks of them spreading diseases such as African swine fever when they are moved around the landscape. Beasley said, “This type of information is important to developing management plans for responding to new introductions of pig populations.”
1. Why did the researchers carry out the study on wild pigs?| A．To study their sudden population increase. | B．To improve their survival after relocations. |
| C．To manage their daily activities. | D．To understand their movement behavior. |
| A．They came back to their familiar places. | B．They explored the new area a lot. |
| C．They stayed near their release locations. | D．They moved in the same direction. |
| A．They were very lonely. | B．They were very curious. |
| C．They were very sociable. | D．They were very competitive. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Indifferent. | C．Uncertain. | D．Supportive. |
3 . I just returned from India. While driving home from the airport, I was amazed by how everything in American streets
During the two years I was away, my friends and family
While I was on my
Expats (侨民) in Laos say that sometimes, if you stay abroad too long, you become a permanent
| A．results in | B．results from | C．differs in | D．differs from |
| A．even though | B．as though | C．now that | D．in that |
| A．were devoted to | B．looked forward to | C．got used to | D．were addicted to |
| A．functioning | B．ringing | C．shining | D．shaking |
| A．lonely | B．energetic | C．curious | D．fortunate |
| A．encouragement | B．expectation | C．understanding | D．description |
| A．research | B．recall | C．relax | D．reconnect |
| A．ideal | B．extraordinary | C．international | D．dramatic |
| A．lives | B．studies | C．expectations | D．ambitions |
| A．travelling | B．surfing | C．exercising | D．competing |
| A．desperate | B．memorable | C．ashamed | D．nervous |
| A．factual | B．special | C．external | D．similar |
| A．native | B．foreigner | C．civilian | D．resident |
| A．content | B．uncontrolled | C．astonished | D．secure |
| A．acknowledge | B．bet | C．promise | D．disagree |
4 . Bridport Prize
The Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel AwardThe Novel Award is open to writers aged 16 and over living in Britain and Ireland and British writers living overseas.
IMPORTANT: All entries are judged anonymously(匿名地). Please do not include your personal information in the document or the file name, otherwise it will be disqualified.
General
Entries can be on any subject in any style or form.
Entries must be submitted online or by post. No email submissions.
Entries must be in English.
Do not add cover or title pages.
Do not send illustrated work.
Entries can be withdrawn by logging into your submittable account. Entry fees will not be refunded.
Deadline
The deadline date for entries is 12 midnight (UK time) on 30 July 2023.
Length
8,000 words maximum, 5,000 minimum taken from the opening chapter.
Fees
£24 per novel. There is no limit to the number of novel submissions.
Format
Entries must be typed in Arial 12 pt black font, double-spaced with numbered pages and the novel’s title on every page. Save as a Microsoft Word document(. doc or. docx) or PDF file with the novel title as the file name. Please do not include your name in the file name as this will lead to disqualification. The maximum allowed file size is 2MB. Include the word count for the submission on the top right first page.
Results & Awards
A prize-giving event will be held at Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset for the winner, runner-up and three Highly Commended winners on 22 October 2023. Full results and the Judges’ Report will be published on the website that afternoon.
If you want to learn more about the Novel Award, please contact kate@bridportprize.org.uk.
1. Which of the following will result in disqualification?| A．Writing a novel of 6,000 words. | B．Resubmitting your entry by post. |
| C．Including illustrations in your entry. | D．Forgetting to add the cover page of your entry. |
| A．Name your file with your name. |
| B．Ensure your file size is 2MB at most. |
| C．Add the word count to every page of your entry. |
| D．Include the title of your entry on the top right first page. |
| A．It charges £24 per competitor. |
| B．It demands a specific subject. |
| C．Its winners will be awarded prizes on the website. |
| D．Its Judges’ Report will be available on 22 October 2023. |
5 . For most ordinary purposes, machine translation (MT) has got a lot better in the past years. The biggest source of improvement has been the adoption of “deep learning” in training translating systems. But improvement has also come about through the expansion of clever companies solving individual tasks. Some have created specialist dictionaries so that important terms can be translated accurately and consistently. Other inventions combine MT with a human translator’s editing tools, which means translators spend most of their time checking and perfecting MT output, rather than doing the work of the translating themselves.
For some translators, being a machine’s editor may sound depressing. This can be seen the other way around, however. A human repeatedly translating identical formulae can get bored. Allowing the machine to do these boring jobs frees the translator to apply specialized knowledge, solving more intellectually satisfying problems.
What are those problems? One Madrid-based translator for a big law firm describes a recent task. It involved making a critical distinction in a legal document: a Spanish word (dolo) that’s properly translated as “wilful misconduct” was translated only as “misconduct” by software. Since the law requires considerably severer punishment when the misconduct is “wilful”, the omission (省略) was potentially disastrous.
Today, many translation firms are proud of using MT, not as a crutch (依赖) but as a means to cut costs and turnaround times. Part of their job becomes knowing what can be automated and what cannot. Instruction manuals can be left to MT while others like a novel legal argument cannot.
The bad news for some translators is that a tap of repeatable, easy work is being turned off. The good news is that what remains will be brain-challenging stuff for people who know a language and something else. Tales of artificial intelligence usually test humans against machines. But the translators of the future will be neither entirely human nor machine. They will be human beings with mechanical enhancements.
1. What can we learn about machine translation from paragraph 1?| A．It has been mostly used by specialists. |
| B．Lots of efforts have been made to improve it. |
| C．Some clever companies have made a fortune from it. |
| D．It has replaced human translators in some simple tasks. |
| A．Experienced translators are hard to find. |
| B．Machine translation can be inaccurate. |
| C．Machine translation has led to many misjudgments. |
| D．It is difficult for translators to tell“wilful misconduct”from“misconduct”. |
| A．Positive. | B．Critical. | C．Uninterested. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Technology contributes to productive translators |
| B．Translation is faced with a great technical challenge |
| C．The translator of the future is a human-machine hybrid |
| D．Career opportunities in the field of translation are increasing |
6 . How much time do you spend doing the research before you make a big decision? The answer for many of us, it turns out, is hardly any. When picking a doctor, for instance, many individuals simply use recommendations from friends and family rather than consulting medical professionals or sources such as healthcare websites or articles on good physicians.
While there are people who go over every detail before making a choice, a fair number of individuals are quick to jump to conclusions. Psychologists call this way of thinking a cognitive bias (认知偏差), a tendency toward a specific mental mistake.
It has been found that hasty (仓促的) judgments often lead to errors in behavior and thinking. Jumpers made more errors than nonjumpers on problems that require thoughtful analysis. Consider this brainteaser: “A baseball bat and ball cost $1.10 together. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?” Many people jumped to the conclusion of 10 cents, but a little thought reveals the right answer to be five cents.
So what is behind jumping? Psychological researchers commonly distinguish between two pathways of thought: automatic, known as system 1, which reflects ideas that come to the mind easily and without effort; and controlled, or system 2, comprising intentional and effortful reasoning that is analytical and mindful. Jumpers and nonjumpers are equally influenced by automatic thoughts. The jumpers, however, do not adopt controlled reasoning to the same degree as nonjumpers.
It is system 2 thinking that helps people counterbalance (抵消) mental biases introduced by the more knee-jerk (本能地做出的) system 1. To put it another way, jumpers were more likely to accept the conclusions they made at first glance without thorough examination or questioning. A lack of system 2 thinking was also more broadly connected to their problematic beliefs and faulty reasoning. Happily, there may be some hope for jumpers: it is suggested that using training to target their biases can help people think more meticulously.
1. How do many people choose their doctors according to paragraph 1?| A．They surf healthcare websites. |
| B．They read articles by good doctors. |
| C．They talk with medical professionals. |
| D．They ask their friends and family for advice. |
| A．By making a prediction. | B．By giving an example. |
| C．By introducing a concept. | D．By referring to another study. |
| A．They are less engaged in system 2. |
| B．They are unable to think analytically. |
| C．They think less about maths problems. |
| D．They ignore the errors made in system 1. |
| A．Effortlessly. | B．Specifically. |
| C．Independently. | D．Thoroughly. |
7 . Scientists have calculated the total amount of plastic ever made: 8.3 billion tons. Looked at another way, that’s as heavy as 25, 000 Empire State Buildings or one billion elephants. And incredibly, almost all of it has been made in the last 65 years.
______ Much plastic is in the form of packaging which is used just once and then thrown away. According to a major new study from the University of California, 9% of this is recycled, 12% is completely burnt and 79% goes to landfill. And because most plastic is not easily disposed of, once it’s in the ground, it stays there.
It’s a situation that has led the paper’s lead author, ecologist Dr. Roland Geyer, to say that we are “rapidly heading towards ‘Planet Plastic’”. The team behind this report also estimate that eight million tons of plastic waste are escaping into the sea every year. This has caused concern that plastic is entering the food chain, through fish and other sea life which swallow the smaller fragments.
Of course, the reason why there’s so much plastic around is that it’s an amazingly useful material. It’s durable and adaptable, and is used for everything from yoghurt pots to spaceships. But it’s exactly this quality that makes it a problem. The only way to destroy plastic is to heat or burn it — although this has the side effect of harmful emissions.
So what’s the alternative, other than using less plastic? Oceanographer Dr. Erik van Sebille from Utrecht University says we’re facing a “tsunami” of plastic waste, and that the global waste industry needs to “get its act together”.
Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist from Plymouth University, says it’s poor design that’s at fault. He says that if products are currently designed “with recyclability in mind”, they could be recycled around 20 times over.
1. Which of the following is the best topic sentence for paragraph two?| A．So where does the plastic go? |
| B．So why is much plastic thrown away? |
| C．So what’s the problem? |
| D．So how is the plastic disposed of? |
| A．By being eaten and absorbed by sea creatures. | B．By being used as useful materials. |
| C．By getting into the food market directly. | D．By getting into the deep sea. |
| A．Plastic waste has caused tsunami. |
| B．The design of products should be environmentally friendly. |
| C．Plastics are currently recycled over 20 times. |
| D．Global waste industry is to blame for the plastic waste problem. |
| A．Global Waste Industry | B．Recyclability of Plastics |
| C．Planet Plastic | D．Plastic Waste into the Sea |
8 . There are no two identical leaves in existence, thus there is no perfect path but only the one that suits oneself.
My son asked me months ago if he could switch from his mainstream high school to a
He wasn’t doing well in his school, and I knew the best thing for him was to
My son then behaved
Then, we decided the vocational school (职业学校) was an option with the same general curriculum
By allowing him to go there, we have watched him
The most significant change is that he now often comes home
As his momma, it is all I need to know that my son has chosen what is
| A．academic | B．technical | C．compulsory | D．unprofessional |
| A．angry | B．nervous | C．confused | D．heartbroken |
| A．apply | B．adapt | C．transmit | D．transfer |
| A．stage | B．moment | C．dilemma | D．ceremony |
| A．decision | B．friendship | C．well-being | D．curriculum |
| A．shyly | B．boldly | C．generously | D．straightforwardly |
| A．conduct | B．anxiety | C．awareness | D．responsibility |
| A．banned | B．studied | C．canceled | D．required |
| A．medals | B．credits | C．subjects | D．reputations |
| A．suffer | B．thrive | C．worsen | D．graduate |
| A．formed | B．understood | C．abandoned | D．remembered |
| A．lines up | B．makes up | C．gets away | D．gets along |
| A．crying | B．yelling | C．smiling | D．complaining |
| A．share | B．learn | C．reflect | D．oversell |
| A．sensible | B．available | C．suitable | D．affordable |
9 . Over 2,000 years ago, Baiae was the most magnificent resort town in Italy. Wealthy statesmen including Cicero and Caesar were once drawn to its natural springs. But over the centuries, volcanic activity submerged this playground of the Roman nobility, leaving half of it beneath the Mediterranean.
Today, Baiae is one of the world’s few underwater archaeological parks open to visitors wanting to explore the remains of the ancient Roman city. A protected marine area, the site needs to be monitored for damage caused by divers and environmental factors. However, explains Davidde, Italy’s national supervisor for underwater cultural heritage, “Communication underwater is challenging.”
Cabled systems are the most reliable, but they are difficult to maintain and cover a limited operational area. And wireless internet doesn’t work well in water, because of the way water interacts with electromagnetic waves.
So Davidde teamed up with a group of engineers led by Chiara Petrioli, a professor at Sapienza University. Petrioli’s team has developed a network of underwater wireless sensors capable of gathering environmental data and transmitting it to land in real time. The system relies on AI algorithms (算法) to constantly change the network protocol (网络协议). As the sea conditions change, the algorithms adjust the information path, allowing the signal to travel up to two kilometers and data to be sent between transmitters one kilometer apart.
At Baiae, underwater internet allows remote, continuous monitoring of environmental conditions. Besides, it allows divers to communicate with one another and with colleagues above the surface, who can also use the technology to locate them with a high degree of accuracy.
Davidde anticipates that the network will be available to tourists visiting the archaeological site in the coming months. As they swim over the ruins, visitors will use waterproof smart tablets to communicate and to view 3D reconstructions of the ruins.
“Underwater internet has made monitoring of the archaeological site simpler and more efficient,” says Davidde, “At the same time, we can offer the public a new, interactive way to explore the underwater park.”
1. What do we know about Baiae?| A．It was noted for natural springs. | B．It is a playground for sports lovers. |
| C．It was destroyed by human activity. | D．It is not open to adventurous visitors. |
| A．Applications of underwater internet. |
| B．Different types of underwater network. |
| C．Difficulties of underwater communication. |
| D．Conditions of the underwater environment. |
| A．Reconstructing the ruins of the underwater park. |
| B．Making it easier to monitor archaeological sites. |
| C．Bringing more visitors to submerged Roman city. |
| D．Only allowing divers to communicate underwater. |
| A．To explain underwater communication. |
| B．To analyze the effect of climate change. |
| C．To introduce a new underwater network. |
| D．To attract more visitors to explore Baiae. |
10 . Proper questioning has become a lost art. The curious four-year-old asks a lot of questions—incessant streams of “Why?” and “Why not?” might sound familiar—but as we grow older, our questioning decreases. In a recent survey of more than 200 of our clients, we found that those with children estimated that 70-80% of their kids’ dialogues with others were comprised of questions. But those same clients said that only 15-25% of their own interactions consisted of questions. Why the drop off?
Think back to your time growing up and in school. Chances are that you received the most recognition or reward when you got the correct answers. Later in life, that motivator continues. At work, we often reward those who answer questions, not those who ask them. Questioning conventional wisdom can even lead to being distanced, or considered a threat.
Because expectations for decision-making have gone from “get it done soon” to “get it done now” to “it should have been done yesterday”, we tend to jump to conclusions instead of asking more questions. And the unfortunate side effect of not asking enough questions is poor decision-making. That’s why it’s vital that we slow down and take the time to ask more and better questions. At best, we’ll arrive at better conclusions. At worst, we’ll avoid a lot of rework later on.
Aside from not speaking up enough, many professionals don’t think about how different types of questions can lead to different outcomes. We should lead a conversation by asking the right kinds of questions, based on the problem we’re trying to solve. In some cases, we’ll want to expand our view of the problem rather than keeping it narrowly focused. In others, we may want to challenge basic assumptions or confirm our understanding in order to feel more confident in our conclusions. Therefore, asking the right kinds of questions is what counts in achieving a goal.
1. What does the underlined word “incessant” in paragraph 1 most probably mean?| A．Simple. | B．Random. | C．Constant. | D．Annoying. |
| A．One poses a threat to the company if they ask questions. |
| B．Adults don’t get as many chances as they did in childhood. |
| C．Those who question popular beliefs are thought to be wise. |
| D．Those asking questions don’t always get positive feedback. |
| A．Redoing is unavoidable despite thoughtful questions. |
| B．Decisions made in a hurry may turn out to be wrong. |
| C．Better questions can surely bring desirable outcomes. |
| D．More attention should be paid to making conclusions. |
| A．Proper questions that should be raised. | B．Important goals that we are to achieve. |
| C．Right kinds of answers to the questions. | D．Ways to expand our view of the problem. |
