1 . Vishwanath Mallabadi Davangere has a unique talent for turning abandoned items into amazing works of art. From metal and plastic to old devices and circuit boards, Vishwanath selects only the finest “good stuff” with potential for transformation.
Vishwanath’s father was a well-known sculptor and painter, but he had hopes of his son becoming a doctor. But Vishwanath had other ideas. He was fascinated with upcycling second-hand objects from a young age, and decided to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Applied Art. Even as a high-level administrator at Wipro, working in Talent Transformation, Vishwanath wouldn’t shake his passion for eco-art. In his free time and on the weekends, he devoted himself to experimenting with e-waste and creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces before retiring two years ago.
With India facing a growing e-waste crisis, producing 10.1 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 with only 22.7% recycled, Vishwanath’s passion for recycling is more important than ever. As he learned more about the harm e-waste was causing to the environment, he took his art to the next level creating paintings and sculptures that spread awareness about this urgent issue.
From computer keyboard keys to data cards and even wristwatch parts, Vishwanath has transformed over 500 pieces of e-waste into amazing pieces of art! He has created a six-foot-tall sculpture, eco-jewellery and even wearable art for a fashion show. One of his masterpieces—an awesome landscape—was inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night.
In just a few short minutes, he can turn pieces of e-waste into great pieces of jewellery. When it comes to sculptures, the process might take weeks or even months. But it’s all worth it because sustainable initiatives and upcycled art are fashionable these days. Companies everywhere are looking to adopt a more sustainable culture, and Vishwanath’s art is the perfect addition to any eco-friendly office or home.
1. What was Vishwanath’s occupation before retirement?| A．A doctor. | B．A famous sculptor. |
| C．A conservation scientist. | D．A senior manager of a firm. |
| A．The features of Vishwanath’s works. | B．The seriousness of e-waste in India. |
| C．The motivation for Vishwanath’s creations. | D．The achievements of Vishwanath. |
| A．The Starry Night. | B．The eco-jewellery. |
| C．An impressive landscape. | D．A six-foot-tall sculpture. |
| A．It’s promising. | B．It’s unpredictable. |
| C．It will lose its appeal. | D．It won’t be accepted by companies. |
2 . Australia Post is celebrating the 10th anniversary of BirdLife Australia’s Aussie Bird Count with three of our most commonly seen birds set to be flying across the globe on a commemorative stamp issue launch today.
Rainbow Lorikeet: Known for its kaleidoscopic colors, the Rainbow Lorikeet has been the number one most seen bird every year of the Aussi e Bird Count. These social and energetic birds are often spotted in urban areas, parks, and gardens, feeding on flowering native plants and spreading joy with their playful calls, though in cities to which they have been introduced such as Perth and Hobart their presence is not so welcome as they out-compete local parrot species.
Noisy Miner: As the name suggests, the Noisy Miners are highly vocal birds with a complex range of calls. They are skilled communicators, using a variety of sounds to defend their home and communicate with their group. These fascinating honeyeaters are essential pollinators, but the number of these bold birds has increased so much that they have started to drive away many of our smaller bush birds.
Australian Magpie: The iconic Australian Magpie, with its distinctive black and white feathers, holds a special place in the hearts of many Australians. Known for their beautiful, melodious song, magpies are highly intelligent and form strong social bonds. They are also famous for their swooping (俯冲) behaviour during the nesting season, as their protective instincts kick in to safeguard their weak chicks in the nest.
The stamp issue includes various products, such as the Aussie Bird Count First Day Cover (Gummed Stamps), the Aussi e Bird Count First Day Cover (Minisheet), and a set of three Maxicards, which can be used as postcards and posted worldwide. Starting today, the stamps are available for purchase through Australia Post’s official website: https://auspost.com.au//stamps.
1. What can we learn about the Aussie Bird Count?| A．It takes charge of BirdLife Australia. | B．It has existed for about ten years. |
| C．It has branches across the world. | D．It mainly focuses on three species. |
| A．Rainbow Lorikeet. | B．Noisy Miner. |
| C．Bush Magpie. | D．Australian Magpie. |
| A．To call on people to protect local birds. |
| B．To persuade people to count the number of local birds. |
| C．To encourage people to buy stamps about local birds. |
| D．To inform people of the situation of the endangered birds. |
3 . UK safety advisers have dismissed concerns that highly processed food, also known as ultra-processed food (UPF), is automatically unhealthy because of the way it is made or its artificial ingredients. The current way that the UK and most other countries assess the nutrition al value of foods—which is generally by how much fat, salt, sugar and calories they contain—remains the best approach to achieving a health y diet, said a team of scientists. They also warned that people who cut out all ultra-processed foods could make their diets more unhealthy, for instance, if they avoid foods such as yogurts, low-fat spreads, wholemeal bread and food made of grains.
Concerns about processed foods have been growing, but it is unclear if there is something uniquely bad about them or if they just tend to be higher in things like fat and sugar. The issue has come into focus this year since Chris van Tulleken, a doctor and TV presenter, published a book called Ultra-Processed People: Why do we all eat stuff that isn’ t food... and why can’t we stop? Chris van Tulleken has called for more countries to adopt dietary guidelines pioneered in Brazil, where people are advised to prioritise eating whole foods and homemade meals, and avoid eating factory-made foods.
On 27 September, researchers from nutrition organisations rejected the proposed system. “We absolutely need foods to be processed so that we can feed the world,” said May at the University of Leeds, UK, who is a member of the British Nutrition Foundation. May also said UPF includes products that are both healthy and unhealthy. “It’s important we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water here. There are many components that have a very important role to play in nutrition and in safety,” he said.
Benefits of food processing include the use of preservatives that make food last longest and artificial sweeteners that help people reduce their sugar intake, said May. Other examples of processed foods that can be beneficial include baby food, infant formula milk and breads with added vitamins and minerals, said the panel.
1. What can be known from paragraph 1?| A．Low-fat spreads are ultra-processed food. |
| B．Wholemeal bread is unhealthy to us. |
| C．Ultra-processed food doesn’t contain sugar. |
| D．The nutritional value of food needs to be precisely recorded. |
| A．They should avoid ultra-processed food. | B．They should not have homemade food. |
| C．They should consume more Brazilian food. | D．They should read more books on healthy food. |
| A．Kids should raise their awareness of food safety. |
| B．Children are the biggest victims of ultra-processed food. |
| C．Ultra-processed food does cause more damage to children. |
| D．Ultra-processed food has both advantages and disadvantages. |
| A．How Ultra-processed Food Benefits People |
| B．Ultra-processed Food Isn’t Always Unhealthy |
| C．A Popular Book Brings Focus on Ultra-processed Food |
| D．What Health Risks Ultra-processed Food Brings to People |
4 . The number of times I’ve been asked how I became a food and travel writer is too many to count. Frankly, I’m not exactly sure how to
I’m not a
There’s not a more
Traditions and culture are deeply
| A．write | B．recommend | C．count | D．answer |
| A．food | B．environment | C．appearance | D．mood |
| A．talented | B．typical | C．famous | D．creative |
| A．usually | B．currently | C．always | D．rarely |
| A．origins | B．impact | C．sources | D．production |
| A．path | B．reason | C．story | D．intention |
| A．research | B．mark | C．lesson | D．change |
| A．complex | B．delicious | C．natural | D．enormous |
| A．shopper | B．observer | C．critic | D．local |
| A．feel | B．travel | C．communicate | D．respond |
| A．included in | B．rooted in | C．kept in | D．applied in |
| A．taken | B．delivered | C．heard | D．judged |
| A．serve | B．comment | C．work | D．cook |
| A．enjoy | B．avoid | C．risk | D．regret |
| A．identity | B．difference | C．understanding | D．background |
5 . On the evening of June 22, a Kunqu Opera performance titled The Peony Pavilion took to the stage of Beijing’s Northern Kunqu Opera Theater, starring Wei Chunrong in the role of the female protagonist (主角), Du Liniang. Despite having performed the part on stage over 300 times, Wei still arrived at the theater four hours early, being the first actress backstage to get her makeup done and check the equipment. This is a habit she’s maintained ever since first entering the world of Kunqu in 1982.
Kunqu Opera originated in Jiangsu Province some 600 years ago. As one of the oldest traditional Chinese operas, Kunqu is regarded as the “ancestor of Chinese dramas” and the “mother of Chinese operas”.
Kunqu Opera prospered (兴盛) during the Ming Dynasty, but suddenly experienced a downturn in the mid-Qing Dynasty. Its lyrics (歌词), originally flowery, eventually became non-understandable, while its melodies slowed down to what some people called a “funereal level”. Kunqu therefore became unacceptable to all but a small number of fans.
But when UNESCO officially listed Kunqu Opera as intangible cultural heritage in 2001, it returned to the spotlight.
“When our application proved successful, we were all so happy and proud. However, I suddenly realized that it actually meant its decline (衰退) and that it required protection.” Since then, Wei has devoted herself to preserving and passing on her beloved art of Kunqu Opera.
To address the lack of young talent in Kunqu Opera, Wei herself today also teaches younger actors, doing for them what her teachers did for her. Offstage, Wei is their friend; onstage, she aims to bring out the best in them as performers of the art through her masterly knowhow and strict demands.
1. Which of the following can best describe Wei according to paragraph 1?| A．Devoted. | B．Creative. | C．Promising. | D．Curious. |
| A．It is the oldest opera. | B．It is especially popular with the young. |
| C．It once lost its appeal. | D．Its lyrics are long and difficult. |
| A．Promoting herself as a master. |
| B．Passing it down to a younger generation. |
| C．Getting people to learn more about its history. |
| D．Giving as many performances as possible globally. |
| A．Kunqu Opera—Intangible Cultural Heritage |
| B．Kunqu Opera—from Prosperity to Decline |
| C．The Origin and History of the Kunqu Opera |
| D．One Master’s Commitment to the Kunqu Opera |
6 . It sounds like a math problem. How do you make one of the world’s most famous ancient sites bigger? You can’t build more of it.
So with ever more tourists pouring into the site, the team behind the Archaeological（考古的）Park of Pompeii have found a plan B—dividing visitors around ancient sites that are farther, with all-in-one tickets and buses laid on between the sites.
The ancient city of Pompeii will be a scattered archaeological park, including the archaeological areas of Pompeii itself, as well as famous old houses in nearby villages or towns. The sites have already become part of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, but until now, they have been selling their own tickets. They are also far away from each other—the park’s sites cross around 8 miles—with little public transport to some of them.
The inaccessibility（难达到）to the old houses means that visitor numbers are low. While nearly four million people visited Pompeii itself in 2019, only 55,000 made it to see House A, which is thought to have been owned by the emperor Nero and his second wife. Only 52,000 went as far as the two houses at Stabiae, House Arianna and House San Marco. But visitor numbers to Pompeii rose from under 2.7 million in 2014 to over 3.9 million by 2019. In July 2023, a record 21, 141 people visited the park in a single day.
A bus service around the sites—the Pompeii Artebus—was started in 2021. Tickets for the connected sites will be acceptable for three days, with free buses connecting all the sites.
1. How is the Archaeological Park of Pompeii made bigger?| A．By building more of it. | B．By improving the service. |
| C．By connecting nearby sites. | D．By attracting more tourists. |
| A．Narrow. | B．Private. | C．Impressive. | D．Spread-out. |
| A．It has lost its attraction. | B．It was rebuilt in 2019. |
| C．It is free for visitors all the time. | D．It is overcrowded with visitors. |
| A．The Archaeological Park of Pompeii getting bigger. |
| B．The ancient Pompeii bringing in modern transport. |
| C．The Archaeological Park of Pompeii getting more popular. |
| D．The ancient houses in Pompeii changing their tickets. |
7 . When John Watson leads a fitness class, he lights up. And the athletes in front of him respond (回应)in kind, often breaking into cheers. But what sets his classes apart are the students he teaches: All of them have intellectual and developmental disabilities (残障). Wellness and movement are important for this population. Individuals with these disabilities are more likely to have higher levels of fatness than the general population and face a much greater risk of many diseases.
Watson partners with programs that serve people with intellectual disabilities and Watson’s trained volunteer instructors give classes like cycling, yoga, Pilates and dance. Classes are free to the athletes, many of whom are low-income, and they’re also designed to be fit for anyone.
But helping them get fit isn’t Watson’s only goal. He wants to connect with the adults in his classes on an emotional (情绪)level. “We all want to be a part of something. They just don’t get the opportunity that often,” Watson said. “We create a sense of pride, belonging and love and they’ll show up to exercise. There’s a wide range of abilities of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We serve that whole range. And we call everyone an athlete, no matter what their ability is.”
The work doesn’t end when class is over. Afterwards, the athletes gather at a large wall chart, known as “The Champions Board”, where they put a sticker next to their name—a public record of their attendance and hard work. Athletes earn water bottles, T-shirts or hats, based on their attendance as well as different titles, like “coach”. Every few months, athletes are recognized at a celebration. The system works. The retention rate (保留率)for participants is more than 90% and in surveys, most report that they lose weight, gain strength, and feel less lonely.
1. What do we know about John Watson’s students?| A．They are kind of disabled. | B．They have many diseases. |
| C．They are professional athletes. | D．They are much fatter than others. |
| A．They are designed for competition. | B．They are easy to learn. |
| C．They are of a single form. | D．They are highly thought of. |
| A．He is strict with them. | B．He considers them equal. |
| C．He protects them all the time. | D．He makes them practice at home. |
| A．An encouraging system. | B．A standard of punishment. |
| C．A tool to explain courses. | D．A way to help each other. |
8 . If you’ve ever awoken from a vivid dream only to find that you can’t remember the details by the end of breakfast, you’re not alone. People forget most of the dreams they have—though it is possible to train yourself to remember more of them. Dreaming happens mostly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During this sleep stage, brain activity looks similar to that in a waking brain, with some very important differences.
Short-term memory areas are active during REM sleep, but those only hang on to memories for about 30 seconds. You have to wake up from REM sleep to recall (记起) a vivid dream. If, instead, you pass into the next stage of sleep without waking, that dream will never enter long-term memory. If you sleep only six hours, you’re getting less than half of the dream time of an eight-hour night. Those final hours of sleep are the most important for dreaming. And people tend to remember the last dream of the night — the one just before waking.
Other factors also contribute to whether you’ll remember your nighttime adventures. Women tend to remember a few more dreams than men on average. Young people remember more dreams than older people. Memory of dreams increases in kids from the age at which they can communicate about those dreams, plateaus (停滞) from the early teens to the early 20s and then very gradually declines in adults over the rest of their life. There are a lot of individual differences in dream memory, though. Some people almost never remember a dream while others regularly recall several each night.
It is possible to train your brain to remember more of your dreams. If you want to remember your dreams, you’d better take a moment when you wake up, before you even move your body, to think about what you were just dreaming and remember as much as possible. This moves the dream from short-term memory to long-term memory.
1. What can be learned about dreaming?| A．People are less likely to wake up when dreaming. |
| B．It causes the same brain activity as in a waking brain. |
| C．It hardly ever takes place beyond REM sleep. |
| D．People tend to forget their dreams in a short time. |
| A．When we wake up from REM sleep. |
| B．When we sleep with rapid eye movement. |
| C．When we pass into the next stage of sleep. |
| D．When we just sleep for about 30 seconds. |
| A．A 54-year-old male worker. | B．A 3-year-old kindergartener. |
| C．A 23-year-old female artist. | D．A 30-year-old male engineer. |
| A．By remembering more details immediately after waking up. |
| B．By not moving our body for a moment after waking up. |
| C．By training our brain before sleeping during the night. |
| D．By reading through articles until falling asleep. |
9 . In the animal kingdom, there are many species that give birth to spotted young, from deer to birds and fish. Even species that we don’t typically link with spots, such as lions, wear the pattern as babies, only to lose it later in life.
But what purpose do these spots serve, and why do only some species seem to have them? Kiyoko Gotanda, a biologist at Brock University, said it is likely so common because it functions as excellent camouflage.
For example, spotted young tend to be more common in species that live in habitats with some high grass or forests, and less common in environments that are plain, like pack ice. Indeed, baby seals (海豹) born on pack ice are pure white, and develop spots only when they leave the ice for rocky beaches because spots are easy to be seen on pack ice, which may get them into difficulties.
In other rarer cases, spots actually help babies stand out. Young garibaldi, a fish found in California — have bright-blue spots that advertise their low social positions. As the fish grow and start to engage in the social ranking order, their spots disappear.
Other species may lose their spots as they age because their color goes on to serve another purpose. Lions are born with many spots, yet the spots mostly disappear in adulthood. Males, in particular, trade their spots for thick hair, which can help them attract female ones. Reproducing, rather than hiding, becomes the main focus.
It’s unclear why an animal like a cheetah would maintain its spots while a lion doesn’t. Gotanda said it may come down to hunting practice. Lions hunt in groups, while cheetahs tend to hunt alone and rely more heavily on the smokescreen power of their spots to get near prey (猎物).
1. Which can best replace the underlined word “camouflage” in paragraph 2?| A．Guidance. | B．Reminder. | C．Attractant. | D．Protection. |
| A．Cheetahs. | B．Seals. | C．Garibaldi. | D．Lions. |
| A．White spots need more energy to grow and maintain. |
| B．The way of hunting may affect the existence of spots. |
| C．Male lions tend to use spots to attract strong female ones. |
| D．Spotted young animals often appear in featureless environments. |
| A．How spots help animals escape danger. |
| B．Why so many baby animals have spots. |
| C．Which kind of young animals have spots. |
| D．What might happen to spotted young animals. |
10 . Pu’er is the home of the world-known tea of the same name. Since other tea-growing centers in Pu’er may have a larger output, more famous brands (品牌) and heritage surrounding the history of the Tea-horse Ancient Road, Jingmai , also in Pu’er, may not be people’s first choice to look for the best Pu’er Tea.
However, being cut off from the outside by rivers, this mountainous area has become a perfect place for an ancient planting technique, growing tea trees under forest, known as the “under-story” method, which filters (过滤) sunshine while ensuring water.
Nan Kang, former head of Mangjing village, said, “Compared to modern plantations, we’ll surely produce less tea in the ancient forest. But we have to respect our tradition and belief. Birds eat insects to protect the tea and the fallen leaves from trees provide fertilizer. Everything improves the other, but also limits each other. It is the way of nature.”
Nan is an old-time Blang leader’s grandson. Following an old leader named Pa Aileng, his ancestors (祖先) came to settle near the Jingmai Mountain centuries ago. It is believed that Pa Aileng found that tea leaves made his people recover from diseases they suffered from during their moving to other places, so the hero is also considered as a “tea ancestor”. Blang people chose a mountain to remember him. They call it Peak Aileng.
“We Blang people believe tea has its own spirit,” Nan says. “The first planted tea tree in every field is called the Tea Spirit Tree. That means the field has an owner. And the symbol also makes everyone follow moral codes and protect the plants.”
Now, this mountain of tea, also a storehouse of the time-tested traditions of local ethnic groups, attracts global attention. The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er was named as a World Heritage Site, becoming China’s 57th entry on the list.
1. What is Jingmai famous for in planting Pu’er Tea?| A．A larger production. | B．More famous brands. |
| C．Its unique planting method. | D．Its transport system. |
| A．It is widely used in Pu’er. | B．It was invented by Nan Kang. |
| C．It follows the laws of nature. | D．It makes sure to produce more tea. |
| A．Main food. | B．Gifts for friends. |
| C．Medical treatment. | D．A kind of nice drink. |
| A．The Long History of Pu’er Tea | B．A Tea Planting Tradition to Treasure |
| C．The Main Planting Areas of Pu’er Tea | D．A Mountainous Climate Fit for Pu’er Tea |
