1 . Ru Ling loves spending time in skywells. To her, these courtyards of old houses are the perfect place to be in on a hot and humid day. From 2014 to 2021, Ru lived in a century-old wood-framed home in the village of eastern China’s Anhui province. She moved there for a change of life after living and working in air-conditioned buildings for many years.
A skywell, or “tian jing”, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. They are relatively common in historic residences in Sichuan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi. In today’s rapidly urbanizing (城市化) China, fewer and fewer people live in skywell dwellings—air-conditioned flats in multi-storeyed buildings and tower blocks are the main forms of homes.
But a revival (复苏) of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells to be restored for modern times. Meanwhile, as a government push has made low-carbon innovations in the building sector a trend, some architects are drawing inspiration from skywells and other traditional Chinese architectural features to help keep new buildings cooler.
Ancient “green wisdom” such as skywells continues to inspire today’s climate adaptive design and innovations in passive cooling, according to Wang Zhengfeng, a researcher at the Institute for Area Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Passive cooling is a method that incorporates design and technology to cool a building without the use of power.
However, Wang points out some challenges for bringing skywells into modern designs. The mechanisms of courtyards facilitating natural lighting, ventilation and rain collection are well known, but applying these principles needs to be site-specific. Because traditional skywells had different shapes, sizes and features, adding skywells into modern buildings requires designers to be sensitive to their project’s context (环境) and situation, she explains. When asked about why skywells have appealed to modern Chinese people, Wang says that the courtyard is also designed to serve as a gathering space for families or communities. “Perhaps changes in the lifestyle could also lead to nostalgia among people living in concrete and glass forests.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragragh?| A．To introduce Ru Ling’s love for skywells. |
| B．To inform readers of the benefits of skywells. |
| C．To lead in the topic of popularity of skywells. |
| D．To support the idea of living in skywells. |
| A．Features and importance of the historic residences. |
| B．Appreciation for traditional Chinese architecture. |
| C．Reasons for the comeback of traditional skywells. |
| D．Great efforts to restore the past glory of skywells. |
| A．combine | B．collect | C．invent | D．replace |
| A．Lack of enough money and experience. | B．Dependence on natural surroundings. |
| C．People’s specific requirements. | D．The fast speed of urbanization. |
2 . Heman Bekele, a 14-year-old student from Annandale, Virginia, has created a bar soap (肥皂) to treat melanoma, the most common kind of skin cancer, which earned him the title of America’s Top Young Scientist and a $25,000 cash prize after his innovation won first place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
“I made this soap by mixing regular medicinal soap with different cancer fighting chemicals.” Bekele said in an interview. Rather than a cure, Bekele’s soap aims to help the patient’s immune cells stay active while fighting melanoma.
While similar methods are available for skin cancer treatments, his solution is a more affordable alternative, especially for those in developing countries. Though the product is very promising on paper, studies would have to be carried out to test its efficiency in the real world.
For now, the young scientist said he has a five-year plan: At the end of it, he hopes to have created a nonprofit organization where he can provide fair and accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible. But to accomplish his goal, he would have to get his treatment through clinical trials, obtain a temporary patent and have it licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, he said.
“I applied for the 3M Young Scientist Challenge because I believe that young minds can make a positive impact on the world,” Bekele said. “I have always been interested in biology and technology, and this challenge gave me the perfect platform to showcase my ideas. The opportunity to work with 3M mentors and show my project to judges was an exciting prospect. I am passionate about finding sustainable solutions to global problems, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.”
1. Why does Bekele invent the bar soap?| A．To deal with a kind of skin cancer. |
| B．To reduce the cost of making soap. |
| C．To change people’s immune system. |
| D．To complete the task for 3M challenge. |
| A．Its making process. | B．Its working method. |
| C．Its advantage. | D．Its development. |
| A．To create a company. |
| B．To get approval by the authority. |
| C．To promote the soap in the market. |
| D．To work with a nonprofit organization. |
| A．Innovative and ambitious. | B．Inspiring and tolerant. |
| C．Honest and accessible. | D．Energetic and thoughtful. |
3 . Despite an ever-higher bar to grab the attention of students in large lecture hall, Tatiana Erukhimova, who teaches physics at Texas A&M University, has managed to get her students, as well as future generations, excited about the science.
Known as “Dr. Tatiana”, the professor performs physics tricks with boundless energy and enthusiasm in her videos. A range of everyday objects are used in her experiments, from pingpong balls and toilet paper to marshmallows, bicycle wheels and hair dryers. Videos of her dramatic demonstrations have received hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms.
However, things aren’t always easy. When she first started teaching college freshman classes two decades ago, she also struggled to grab the attention of her students. “I did not grab their attention on the first day-that was my mistake.” she says. “I missed this opportunity to bond with them from the very beginning, and then it took me a while to find my voice.”
By the second semester, she found her footing, adjusting her approach to get her students engaged. The key, she says, has been to make herself approachable and her instruction personal. And, of course, add showy demonstrations. “These demonstrations often help students to connect these abstract concepts with real life.” she says.
Physics department head Grigory Rogachev says Erukhimova’s work has helped bring visibility to the department, with about 2. 5 million subscribers on its department’s YouTube page, which has translated to a boost in research funds and physics major applicants.
As a leader in a STEM field in which women are underrepresented, she’s become a role model for some. Afiya Dhanani attended Texas A&M University after seeing Erukhimova’s videos online. “Watching Dr. Tatiana do the experiments online, especially since she was a female leader. Was more inspiring for me to even go into physics.” Dhanani said in an interview with CBS Mornings. That’s all Erakhimova says she can hope for -making physics less forbidding and more exciting.
1. What does Erukhimova’s online videos feature?| A．Rare materials. | B．Energetic presentation. |
| C．Plain demonstration. | D．Professional explanation. |
| A．All that glitters is not gold. |
| B．Sharp tools make good work. |
| C．First impressions are make or break. |
| D．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. |
| A．It leads more students to change their majors. |
| B．It makes more people to know about the department. |
| C．It helps the department translate more research papers. |
| D．It attracts more physics professors to join the department. |
| A．Inspirational. | B．Underestimated. | C．Cooperative. | D．Ambitious. |
4 . Sometimes, kids feel that they don’t like sports because they may not understand how to play them or they haven’t had much practice. Sports may seem tough because of all the rules and special equipment. Even the fields and courts sports are played on come in different shapes and sizes and have confusing (让人糊涂的) lines drawn on them.
People usually need to spend many years learning about their favorite sports and practicing how to play them well, so don’t feel bad if you don’t know the difference between a “corner kick” and a “goal kick” in soccer. If you want to learn more, you can go to camps or take part in activities that introduce kids to new sports. These may be better than just joining a team that starts playing games right away without much explaining first.
Gym classes and programs at school can also be good ways to try new sports with a mix of kids. But you need to focus your attention. Some of my students just don’t listen to me carefully when I explain the rules to them. They prefer to come back to me when they run into difficulty.
Another way to learn about a sport is to watch instructional videos that explain the rules and offer advice.
If you have an older friend or family member who’s good at a certain sport, you might ask him or her to help you practice. Some sports may seem easy to understand, but once you begin to play them, you’ll have great difficulty. Therefore, having someone teach you and play with you will be a good choice.
1. The underlined word “tough” is closest in meaning to “_____”.| A．unimportant | B．useless | C．dangerous | D．difficult |
| A．Going to camps that help you to learn about a certain sport. |
| B．Watching videos that teach how to play a certain sport. |
| C．Reading books that explain how to play a certain sport. |
| D．Asking a friend to practice with you. |
| A．a health expert | B．a PE teacher |
| C．the headmaster of a school | D．the manager of a sports club |
| A．How to Learn to Play a Sport. | B．Sports Are Good for You. |
| C．Why Do We Play Sports? | D．Sports Are Hard to Play. |
5 . Culture is the invisible bond which ties people together. The art, literature, language, and religion of a community represent its culture. The importance of culture lies in its close association with the ways of thinking and living. Differences in cultures have led to a diversity in the people from different parts of the world.
How we perceive things is largely affected by our judgment skills, preconceived notions, attitude, and emotions. These factors are closely linked with our culture. In perceiving something as good or bad, our biases play a role and so does our way of thinking. People who belong to cultures that promote individualism tend to look at only the main aspects of a situation, while those of a culture that promotes collectivism tend to consider even the minor details. People of Eastern cultures perceive success as being a collective effort, while those of the American culture perceive it as the fruit of individual effort.
Culture affects perception, and perceptions drive behavior. Thus, the culture we belong to has a direct impact on our behavior. Moreover, our environment, which has cultural influences, shapes our behavior. In a society where boys are discouraged from crying, men think of it as an odd gesture.
Group culture determines the behavioral norms for a group. To be accepted as a part of the group, we tend to follow what the group decides for us. Influenced by the norms or rules laid out by our culture, we act in accordance with them. Our culture defines people’s expectations from us. In the attempt to fulfill them, we shape our behavior and personality to suit our culture. Our religion, traditions, customs, all a part of our culture, play a major role in shaping our personalities. In a culture where children are taught to be independent early in life, they grow up to be individualistic. In a culture where boys and girls are not treated as equal, children may become aggressive and look at the opposite gender as their enemy, or those treated as inferior may grow up to be submissive.
1. What do people tend to do if they belong to a culture that promotes collectivism?| A．Ignore all unimportant aspects. | B．Think about as many details as possible. |
| C．View success as a result of individual effort. | D．Blame their own failure on others. |
| A．Harmless. | B．Acceptable. | C．Strange. | D．Interesting. |
| A．The ways of educating children. | B．The diversity of personalities. |
| C．The behavioral norms of a certain group. | D．The influence of culture on personalities. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By following the order of importance. |
6 . In recent years, studies have suggested how the bisphenol A (BPA) in some food-packaging plastics has been linked to various health problems including heart disease and developmental difficulties in children. Scientists are thus developing a more harmless alternative, and it’s made from tomato waste which would otherwise be got rid of.
However, BPA is still widely used in the plastic coatings which are applied to the inside of metal food packaging such as cans. These smooth waterproof coatings help protect the metal from corrosion (腐蚀), plus they keep the food from sticking to the inside of the container.
Building on previous studies, an international team has researched a type of agricultural waste known as tomato pomace. This material typically consists of tomato skins, seeds and stems, which are left over after the fruits have been processed for use in foods such as sauces or juices. Ordinarily, the pomace is simply dumped in a landfill, burned, or at best composted. It may also be used in animal feed, although it doesn’t have much nutritional value.
The scientists started by drying tomato pomace — first in the sun for three days, then in a 60℃ oven for 16 hours — after which they grounded it into a powder. That powder was subsequently mixed with a sodium hydroxide solution (溶液), which was then heated at 100℃ for four hours. After repeatedly filtering that solution to remove the sodium hydroxide, the researchers were left a lipid. That lipid was then mixed into an ethyl alcohol solution which was sprayed onto samples of some metal. Once the spray had dried and the samples had been heated in a 200℃ oven for 10 to 60 minutes, the result was a polymerized lacquer coating which proved to be very effective at protecting the metal.
The scientists now plan on testing the coating on actual cans. “We would take tomato sauce, and other foods that are usually sold in cans, and we would sterilize them, put them in tins and check if they withstand real conditions,” said a scientist.
1. Which of the following is the most likely to use the plastic coating?| A．A pot full of water. |
| B．A cup filled with coffee. |
| C．A tin containing apple juice. |
| D．An iron box stuffed with packaged food. |
| A．It’s used as animal’s food with rich nutrition. |
| B．It has been used in the plastic coatings. |
| C．People use it to make sauce or juice. |
| D．People usually treat it in many ways. |
| A．How the new coating is created. | B．Why heating is important. |
| C．Why high temperature is needed. | D．What other materials are included. |
| A．To present a scientific study. | B．To introduce a new material. |
| C．To show a complex process. | D．To teach an actual test. |
7 . A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Victoria has shown that common levels of traffic pollution can damage human brain function in only a matter of hours.
“For many decades, scientists thought the brain may be protected from the harmful effects of air pollution,” said senior study author Dr. Chris Carlsten. “This study, which is the first of its kind in the world, provides fresh evidence supporting a connection between air pollution and cognition.”
For the study, the researchers briefly exposed 25 healthy adults to diesel exhaust (柴油废气) and filtered air at different times in a laboratory setting. Brain activity was measured before and after each exposure using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The researchers analyzed changes in the brain’s default mode network (DMN), a set of inter-connected brain regions that play an important role in memory and internal thought. The fMRI revealed that participants had decreased functional connectivity in widespread regions of the DMN after exposure to diesel exhaust, compared to filtered air.
“We know that altered functional connectivity in the DMN has been associated with reduced cognitive performance and symptoms of depression, so it’s concerning to see traffic pollution interrupting these same networks,” said Dr. Jodie Gawryluk, a psychology professor at the University of Victoria and the study’s first author. “While more research is needed to fully understand the functional impacts of these changes, it’s possible that they may impair (损害) people’s thinking or ability to work.”
Notably, the changes in the brain were temporary and participants’ connectivity returned to normal after the exposure. Dr. Carlsten assumed that the effects could be long lasting where exposure is continuous. He said that people should be mindful of the air they’re breathing and take appropriate steps to minimize their exposure to potentially harmful air pollutants like car exhaust.
1. How does traffic pollution affect people according to the study?| A．Exhausting their body. | B．Decreasing their income. |
| C．Endangering their safety. | D．Harming their brain function. |
| A．Growth. | B．Sport. | C．Memory. | D．Behaviour. |
| A．Avoid being exposed to the polluted air constantly. |
| B．Be mindful of the air quality in a new city. |
| C．Measure the brain activity in laboratories. |
| D．Stay inside a house as often as possible. |
| A．A Role Of Brain Will Be Ruined |
| B．Traffic Pollution May Impair Brain Function |
| C．A Famous UK University Did A Vital Study |
| D．A Source Of Pollution Has Drawn People’s Attention |
8 . Susan Ringwood greets all guests with a simple invitation: to join her in swimming in cold water in the swimming pool. Her offer isn’t limited to the summer months, either. Ringwood and her husband Gary swim in cold water in the swimming pool all year round. “To me, it’s not just about swimming. It’s a unique experience,” she says.
Ringwood simply calls her hobby “swimming”, but some winter fans have begun to promote cold-water swimming as a treatment to a variety of diseases.
While cold-water swimming is a new found passion, scientists say that there’s not much evidence supporting the claims of these health benefits. Nor is the activity without risk. “Extreme temperature changes can potentially cause heart attacks, even death,” says Francois Haman, a scientist at the University of Ottawa in Canada.
When your body meets cold water, it can be shocking. Scientists call this the “cold shock” response (反应). When your skin senses the freezing water, it causes you to take a quick deep breath for air and your heart rate to rise quickly to a very high level, which leads to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
Haman says that being in cold water is more dangerous than in cold air. Water conducts heat much more effectively than air, meaning that it can draw the heat from your body more quickly and efficiently. For those new to the sport, Haman suggests starting slowly, getting used to colder water during the fall, especially paying attention to safety.
According to supporters, cold-water swimming can improve health and immunity (免疫力), and help relieve pain. But while there is some previous scientific research to back up these claims, Denis Blondin, a professor at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, says that many of these studies included only a small number of people taking part in survey who were mainly young men from European countries, which limits what scientists can say more broadly and in other populations.
1. Why does the author tell Ringwood’s story?| A．To attract visitors to swimming. | B．To call on guests to join Ringwood. |
| C．To stress the benefits of swimming. | D．To introduce the topic of cold-water swimming. |
| A．The “cold shock” response isn’t uncommon. |
| B．Swimming in cold water can be a danger for some reason. |
| C．Heart rate and blood pressure tend to increase in winter. |
| D．Some preparations can be made before a cold-water swim. |
| A．The health benefits of cold-water swimming should be showed. |
| B．Extreme temperature changes are dangerous but not deadly. |
| C．Staying in cold air is less dangerous than in cold water. |
| D．Cold-water swimming isn’t suitable for those new to the sport. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uncaring. | C．Supportive. | D．Uncertain. |
9 . It’s been three decades since The Color Purple (1985) brought Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel to life. The 1985 film earned 11 Academy Award nominations with its heart-wrenching yet inspiring story of a young Black woman getting through the hardships of rural Georgia in the early 1900s. The Color Purple 2023 film is a musical adaptation with a different vibe, though according to award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter, it’s still “a timeless story of love, friendship and power.”
Oprah Winfrey—the film’s producer—has encouraged viewers to wear purple when seeing the movie, referring to its holiday release as a “purple Christmas.” In a video posted to her Instagram account in May, she said, “OK, y’all have seen the trailer, and I’m giving you six months to get your outfit together for opening day. All things purple. What you gonna wear? Color purple.” And she’s led the way to promote the movie at press events, award shows, talk shows and early screenings.
But beyond pure marketing, purple holds a greater meaning here. According to cultural critics, it’s a symbol of power, ambition and luxury, as well as creativity, independence and peace—things the movie’s main character, Celie, does not have due to years of domestic violence. Thus, it’s very much a cultural moment when people wear purple in solidarity(团结一致) to support the movie and embrace this theme of empowerment, just like wearing pink to see Barbie (and black to see Oppenheimer, for that matter).
Thirty-three years later, The Color Purple continues to attract audiences, especially Black women. It’s these themes of sisterhood, spirituality and self-discovery that make the book and its adaptations so timeless. “Shakespeare can be performed so many times and in so many forms,” Porter says. “This is a classic text that has the same power.”
1. What is the difference between the old and new film versions of The Color Purple?| A．The old attracts more audience. | B．Only the old is a timeless story. |
| C．The new is adapted freely with a vibe. | D．A different art style is brought into the new. |
| A．The film’s first screening is on Christmas day. | B．The film tells a story of a woman without suffering. |
| C．Oprah Winfrey urges people to wear purple. | D．Oprah Winfrey tries every means to advertise her film. |
| A．Because people respond to Oprah Winfrey’s post to wear purple. |
| B．Because people back up the film and accept its theme. |
| C．Because people get misled by the marketing campaign. |
| D．Because people always wear different colors to watch films. |
| A．To explain the permanence of The Color Purple | B．To stress the achievement of The Color Purple |
| C．To show the themes related to The Color Purple | D．To appeal to people to read The Color Purple |
10 . Inside a fishbowl, the goldfish — a species of carp native to East Asia, bred for aesthetic delight and traditionally believed to bring good fortune — is among the easiest of pets to keep. But released into the wild, the seemingly humble goldfish, freed from glass boundaries, can grow to large proportions. They can even kill off native marine wildlife and help destroy fragile and economically valuable ecosystems.
“They can eat anything and everything,” said Christine Boston, an aquatic research biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Over the past several years, Ms. Boston and her colleagues have been tracking invasive goldfish in Hamilton Harbour, which is on the western tip of Lake Ontario (安大略湖), about 35 miles southwest of Toronto.
Their study, published last month in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, could help pinpoint goldfish populations for culling, said Ms. Boston, who is the lead author. “We found out where they are before they start spawning (产卵),” she said. “That’s a good opportunity to get rid of them.”
The fast-growing female goldfish, Ms. Boston noted, can also reproduce several times in one season. “They have the resources,” she added, “and they can take advantage of them.” Their football-shaped bodies can swell to a size that makes them too large a meal for predators (捕食者) — up to about 16 inches long. The feral goldfish are also destructive, uprooting and consuming plants that are home to native species.
Nicholas Mandrak, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough, studies in the “dramatically increase” of the wild population in the past two decades. Their spawning explosion, he said, resulted partly from people in densely-populated areas releasing pets in urban ponds. He added, environmental managers tend to forget the goldfish. “They just assume, ‘It’s been there for 150 years — there’s nothing we can do about it.’”
The problem is not unique to Canada. In Australia, a handful of unwanted pet goldfish and their offspring took over a river in the country’s southwest. And the discovery of football-size creatures in a lake in 2021 even led British officials to beg their citizens: “Please don’t release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes!”
People wrongly believe that because goldfish are “small and cute” they won’t pose a problem when released into the wild, said Anthony Ricciardi, a professor of invasion ecology at McGill University in Montreal.
Goldfish, he added, are just a small part of a vast invasion of non-native species whose outcomes can be unpredictable, and in some cases, are worsened by climate change.
“Under human influence, beasts are moving faster farther in greater numbers, reaching parts of the planet they could never reach before,” he said. “We’re talking about the redistribution of life on Earth.”
1. Which of the statements about the goldfish is correct?| A．Their place of origin is Canada. | B．They are capable of reproducing. |
| C．They will grow well over 16 inches. | D．They only invade Lake Ontario. |
| A．Killing | B．Controlling | C．Catching | D．Observing |
| A．Citizens wrongly set free the fish. | B．Climate change has a negative impact. |
| C．The environmental management is absent. | D．The food increases in habitats. |
| A．Now goldfish are turning into wild monsters. |
| B．Now goldfish are on the way to become a global issue. |
| C．Now goldfish are attracting scientists to study in. |
| D．Now goldfish are threatening the Great Lakes. |
