1 . This question has fascinated behavioural scientists for decades: why do we give money to charity?

The explanations for charitable giving fall into three broad categories, from the purely altruisic (利他的)— I donate because I value the social good done by the charity. The “impurely” altruistic— I donate because I extract value from knowing I contribute to the social good for the charity. And the not-at-all altruistic— I donate because I want to show off to potential mates how rich I am.

But are these motives strong enough to enable people to donate as much as they would want to? Most people support charities in one way or another, but often we struggle to make donations as often as we think we should. Although many people would like to leave a gift to charity in their will, they forget about it when the time comes.

Many people are also aware that they should donate to the causes that have the highest impact, but facts and figures are less attractive than narratives. In a series of experiments, it was found that people are much more responsive to charitable pleas that feature a single, identifiable beneficiary(受益者), than they are to statistical information about the scale of the problem being faced. When it comes to charitable giving, we are often ruled by our hearts and not our heads.

The good news is that charitable giving is contagious—seeing others give makes an individual more likely to give and gentle encouragement from an important person in your life can also make a big difference to your donation decisions— more than quadrupling them in our recent study. Habit also plays a part— in three recent experiments those who volunteered before were more likely to do donate their time than those who had not volunteered before.

In summary, behavioural science identifies a range of factors that influence our donations, and can help us to keep giving in the longer term. This is great news not just for charities, but also for donors.

1. What can we learn about people who do charitable giving?

A．Most people support charity as often as they think they should.

B．Some people don’t want to leave a gift to charity until the time comes.

C．Those who donate because they can gain an advantage are purely altruistic.

D．Some people send money to charity simply to tell others they are wealthy.

2. In which way will people donate more willingly?

A．Not revealing the names of the donors.

B．Showing figures about the seriousness of the problem.

C．Telling stories that feature a single, recognizable beneficiary.

D．Reminding people to write down what to donate in the will in advance.

3. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 5 mean?

A．People will learn from others and follow the suit.

B．Many people are familiar with charitable giving.

C．Charitable giving helps the beneficiary in all aspects.

D．Charitable giving can bring a lot of benefits to donors.

4. What is the writing purpose of the passage?

A．To persuade more people to donate.

B．To explain the science behind why people donate.

C．To criticize some false charitable giving behaviours.

D．To explore approaches to making people donate more.

2 . Everyone deserves healthy meals. However, unfortunately, not everyone has ________ to fresh foods, ________ those in poor communities.

A teenager named Lauren Schroeder ________ this when she volunteered at a community food nonprofit. All vegetables for families in need came in cans and boxes, rather than straight from the fields. ________ to make a change, Lauren set out to grow produce so she could donate it to ________ families.

“I wanted people to get the nutrition they needed from fresh vegetables,” Lauren said. This ________ her to start a garden on her parents’ farm. While her mom was supportive, she made her ________ of how much work it would take-still, the teenager ________ the challenge.

To kick-start her project, Lauren got economic ________ from the National FFA Organization, which ________ agricultural education, to pay for seeds and gardening supplies. Then, the ________ work began. Since the summers in Iowa are very hot and dry, she had to water them daily. Lauren added, “I did a lot of research online and every day, it took about two or three hours.”

But all her efforts ________. Her first harvest resulted in 40 pounds of produce. “It was really good to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables would be able to get the ________,” Lauren said, “I knew that I wanted to keep going.”

So far, she has spent over 1,000 hours working in the garden, producing 7,000 pounds of vegetables. “I want to ________ community members. It makes a(n) ________ when you help other people out. That’s what makes me happiest,” Lauren said.

1.

A．invitation

B．access

C．admission

D．ticket

2.

A．especially

B．actually

C．obviously

D．extremely

3.

A．confirmed

B．appreciated

C．recognized

D．identified

4.

A．Arranging

B．Determining

C．Struggling

D．Pretending

5.

A．musical

B．familiar

C．unique

D．low-income

6.

A．recommended

B．reminded

C．inspired

D．requested

7.

A．aware

B．confident

C．certain

D．free

8.

A．took up

B．looked into

C．applied for

D．went over

9.

A．guidance

B．support

C．pressure

D．benefit

10.

A．organizes

B．expects

C．promotes

D．demands

11.

A．amazing

B．specific

C．professional

D．tough

12.

A．worked out

B．paid off

C．broke off

D．wore out

13.

A．reward

B．rescue

C．honour

D．donation

14.

A．impact

B．impress

C．challenge

D．observe

15.

A．discovery

B．profit

C．difference

D．intention

3 . My kitchen may be the best kitchen on the planet. That is because when I look out of its window can see the west side of Grandeur Peak. Grandeur Peak is one of the most attractive mountains in central Wasatch, with its animals, trees, morning clouds, evening sunset, and the mountain’s paragliders (滑翔伞运动员).

The number of paragliders flying above Grandeur Peak has grown over the past 15 years, so much so that they have become part of the mountain. But during the past year they have largely disappeared. Some paragliders told me that the wind became too strong to fly in. The wind is too strong! Is this another character of our changing climate (气候)? Will paragliding be a sport affected by a warming planet? Utah has been much windier in the past few years. For me, a scientist who studies living things, it is easy to believe that our future will be windier. This year it’s getting super-hot, and the planet is warming faster than scientists expected. I can’t help but worry that the future of paragliding in Utah is not bright.

I’m writing to the brave people who fly from Grandeur Peak with beautiful wings. I want you to join Clean The Dam Air, a group that’ s working hard to fight climate change and air pollution — I’m part of it too. We are introducing a measure, which aims to remove the state sales tax (税) on grocery store food and put a carbon tax on fossil fuels (化石燃料) in its place: gas, electricity produced from fossil fuels, and natural gas. The goal isn’t to make taxes higher. The idea is to encourage everyone to reduce their use of fossil fuels. So, paragliders, join us. Now is the time to take care of our planet. If we succeed, then Utah can be an example to others in fighting climate change.

1. Why does the author mention his kitchen?

A．To share his love of cooking dishes.

B．To bring back his memories of paragliding.

C．To introduce Grandeur Peak’s paragliding.

D．To describe his adventures around Grandeur Peak.

2. What happened in the past year?

A．The author saw less paragliding.	B．Few people visited Grandeur Peak.
C．Air pollution became serious in Utah.	D．Strong winds stopped people going outside.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards the future of paragliding in Utah?

A．Uncaring.

B．Supportive.

C．Positive.

D．Worried.

4. What did the author call on paragliders to do?

A．Buy those foods that are taxed less.

B．Reduce flying with wings in Grandeur Peak.

C．Join him to support a program about taxing.

D．Join a group to improve their paragliding skills.

4 . Two very different movies were released on July 21 this summer in the West, bringing record numbers of people into cinemas as the “Barbenheimer (芭比海默)” trend took over social media.

Barbie and Oppenheimer have been huge hits around the world, with Barbie alone making over 1 billion US dollars just 17 days after release. This makes it Wamer Bros studio’s fastest movie to reach $1 billion and the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, the first-ever solo female filmmaker with a billion-dollar film.

Barbie and Oppenheimer are an interesting pair because of how different they are from one another. Barbie is about a famous toy coming to life and facing issues of sexism and finding her own identity. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer is a serious male-driven historical film about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb. The release of these two huge, wildly different movies on the same day led to the creation of countless memes (表情包) under the Barbenheimer hashtag. Filmgoers have even gone to see both movies one right after the other, with some dressing up in pink for Barbie going on to see Oppenheimer as well.

Meanwhile, people have found some of the “Barbenheimer” memes disturbing. Atomic bombs killed many people and they think the memes made light of a very dark time in history. But the films have brought a healthy boost to cinema ticket sales around the world, helping an industry that has faced many challenges in recent years. The increasing popularity of streaming services and the COVID-19 pandemic have kept people out of cinemas. Now, the strikes from writers and actors over concerns of pay and about the use of artificial intelligence by film studios are also having an impact. Add to that a public tired of yearly big movies about superheroes and fast cars, as declining ticket sales suggest.

Described as a historic moment for the movie industry. “‘Barbenheimer’ will go down as one of the biggest and unexpected milestones in the history of cinema,” Paul Dergarabedian at Comscore told CNN.

1. What made Barbie a significant achievement for Wamer Bros?

A．Representing male-driven films.	B．Reaching $1 billion in record time.
C．Addressing issues about identity.	D．Greta Gerwig becoming the director.

2. Why are Barbie and Oppenheimer described as an “interesting pair”?

A．They both feature female characters.	B．They were released on the same day.
C．They have opposite disturbing memes.	D．They explore completely different themes.

3. What is the impact of the releases of Barbic and Oppenheimer?

A．They have caused a decrease in streaming service.

B．They have stimulated cinema ticket sales globally.

C．They have motivated people to avoid the cinemas.

D．They have sparked controversy regarding sexism.

4. Which challenge has the film industry faced in recent times?

A．Increasing costs of film production.

B．Conflicts with social media platforms.

C．Filmgoers’ preference for superhero movies.

D．Disapproval from writers and actors over Al use.

5 .

“Critic’s Pick. The movie is extremely emotional(like a Toni Morrison novel or a Mary Oliver poem).” LISA KENNEDY, THE NEW YORK TIMES Raven Jaskson *2023 *U.S. *97 minutes

2023 Gotham Award Nominee for Breakthrough Figure(Raven Jackson)

One of the most visually striking, profoundly moving American moviemaking debuts(首次亮相) in years, Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is an eye-catching immersion into a young woman’s inner world, filmed and edited with an extraordinary attention to the tiniest detail. This impressionistic journey skips ahead and back through decades to tell the story of Mack, whose upbringing in rural Mississippi is touched by grace, dotted with heartbreak, and always carried high in the sky by the surrounding natural beauty. As she ages, she loses loved ones and gains others, while making decisions that change the course of her life, and that of her beloved sister. Relying on sounds and images to tell her story, and employing minimal dialogue, Jackson has created something breathtakingly quiet and ultimately transporting a spiritual respect to the moments, feelings, and connections that make a life. An A24 release.

Show Times:

November 7—November 15

12:15 PM            2:15 PM             4:15 PM        6:15 PM          8:15 PM

Please note:

*Open caption screenings of the film will play on November 8—November 13

12:15 PM             6:15 PM

*Audio description available at all screenings.

1. According to the passage, Raven Jackson is a(n)____________.

A．critic

B．director

C．actor

D．editor

2. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Mack’s life is full of ups and downs.

B．All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is highly thought of.

C．New technology is used to create some thrilling scenes.

D．Mack, the leading role, is brought up in the countryside.

3. Which show time will be suitable for Jelly, a girl with hearing disorder?

A．11/7 at 6:15 PM	B．11/11 at 12:15 PM
C．11/12 at 8:15 PM	D．11/14 at 6:15 PM

6 . The silence of the Reference Library was broken only by the sound of pages being turned over. There were about twenty people in the room, most of them with their__________bent over their books. The assistant librarian sat at a desk in one corner.   She had a look at Phillip as he came in, then went on with her work.

Phillip had not been to this part of the library before. He_________around the room almost on tiptoe, _______of disturbing(打扰)the readers with his heavy shoes. The shelves were filled with thick books: dictionaries in many languages, biography and some others. He found nothing to interest him, _______he came to a small area on photography, which was one of his hobbies. The books in this area were on a high shelf out of his__________, so he had to fetch a small ladder(梯子) in order to get one down. Unluckily, as he was _______down the ladder, the book he had chosen slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a__________crash. Twenty pairs of eyes looked_________ at him together. Phillip felt himself go red as he ________up his book, which did not seem to have been damaged by its________.

He had just sat down when he found the young lady assistant standing alongside him. “You _____be more careful when you are holding these books,” she said seriously. Satisfied that she had done her duty, she turned to go back to her desk. Then a sudden________struck her. “By the way, how old are you?” she asked Phillip. “Thirteen,” he told her. “You’re not________in here under the age of fourteen, you know,” the assistant said. “Didn’t you see the notice on the door?” Phillip shook his head. He _________the assistant to ask him to leave. Instead, in a more _____tone(语气) , she said: “Well, never mind. But make sure that you don’t disturb the other readers again, or I shall have to ask you to leave. ”

1.

A．legs

B．hands

C．arms

D．heads

2.

A．jumped

B．ran

C．walked

D．danced

3.

A．afraid

B．confident

C．careful

D．certain

4.

A．when

B．until

C．because

D．although

5.

A．reach

B．control

C．pocket

D．balance

6.

A．looking

B．falling

C．bending

D．climbing

7.

A．little

B．strange

C．low

D．loud

8.

A．up

B．down

C．away

D．around

9.

A．held

B．picked

C．made

D．put

10.

A．fault

B．arrival

C．fall

D．limit

11.

A．may

B．must

C．can

D．would

12.

A．thought

B．picture

C．change

D．shock

13.

A．asked

B．provided

C．allowed

D．encouraged

14.

A．determined

B．expected

C．planned

D．refused

15.

A．relaxing

B．sharp

C．bored

D．kindly

7 . Have you ever imagined an insect-inspired robot, which weighs less than a gram, could one day help out in surgery (外科手术)?

Scientists have designed this small, “insect-bot” called mCLARI that can control and even change its body shape as it travels in different environments to fit through gaps. It’s 2 centimeters long, weighs less than 0.97 grams and can travel at a speed of 6 centimeters per second.It’s the smaller, faster replacement to CLARI, which was designed by the same team.

“Because of the robot’s small size and ability to change shape, we expect usage of this technology in four important areas,” the lead author Kaushik Jayaram said. These include disaster (灾害) response , check on high-value objects, environmental monitoring and medical treatment.

“In the long term, we hope such robots will be used more widely in moving through human bodies and performing surgeries that can’t be easily done at present,” Jayaram said. With mCLARI, Jayaram’s team is moving closer to creating robots that can fit in different environments—just like the insects they’re inspired by.

The mCLARI robot has four legs and can move in narrow spaces by changing between running forward and side-to-side and can use different speeds in human bodies. Its legs are joined to its body through joints (关节), which enables mCLARI to change its body shape based on the environment it is in. For example, its legs can be lengthened up to 50% in certain spaces.

As follow-up work, the scientists want to give mCLARI more power and sensing ability while helping the surgeries. “We are also excited about understanding the effect of shape change on improving functions of robots,” Jayaram said. “And this is sure a great one-step forward of the technology. The robot will have entered the market by 2025 and will bring greater benefits to mankind, especially in medical treatment.”

1. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Possible application fields of the robot.	B．Different types of the robot.
C．Several important features of the robot.	D．Working process of the robot.

2. Which of the following can best describe mCLARI?

A．Valuable but uncontrollable.	B．Modern but high-cost.
C．Heavy and time-consuming.	D．Advanced and effective.

3. What is Jayaram’s attitude towards the robot?

A．Worried.

B．Positive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Uninterested.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Jayaram: A Scientist Studying Robot Intelligence

B．mCLARI Is Already Widely Available in the Market

C．CLARI: A Robot Invented by Inspiration from the Insects

D．A Tiny Shape-changing Robot Will Help Perform Surgeries

8 . Loss of slow-wave sleep as you age may increase your risk of developing dementia (痴呆), according to a new study.

“We found that aging was associated with a decline in the amount of the deepest stages of sleep, known as slow-wave sleep. We then found that people with greater declines in slow-wave sleep over time had a higher risk of getting dementia over the next 17 years of follow-up,” said Matthew Pase, senior author of the study.

Slow-wave sleep is the third and fourth stages of sleep, which is important for brain health. During this stage, the body removes unwanted or harmful materials from the brain. “For the brain, this deep sleep is thought to be the most restorative,” said Dr Richard Isaacson, who wasn’t involved in the study.

The researchers wanted to know whether chronic (慢性的) reductions in slow-wave sleep over time are linked to dementia risk in humans and whether dementia-related processes in the brain may contribute to getting less of this type of sleep. They studied 346 people with an average age of 69 and completed two overnight sleep studies—one between 1995 and 1998 and the second between 1998 and 2001—during which their sleep was monitored. The researchers also investigated whether any change in the amount of slow-wave sleep that participants got was associated with developing dementia up to 17 years after they completed the sleep studies. By that time, 52 participants had been diagnosed with dementia. Each percentage decrease in slow-wave sleep per year was linked to a 27 percent increased risk of developing dementia. The rate of slow-wave sleep loss accelerated (加速) from age 60, peaked from ages 75 to 80and slowed afterwards.

“This is an important study yet again showing the impact of quality of sleep on a person’s risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Isaacson said. “It’s important to not only pay attention to the total amount of sleep a person gets each night, but also monitor sleep quality as best as possible.”

1. What can we learn from the new study?

A．The older you are, the less sleep you will have.

B．Slow-wave sleep has been linked to the risk of dementia.

C．The rate of slow-wave sleep loss keeps going up with age.

D．The amount of sleep has an impact on the risk of dementia.

2. How did researchers get what they wanted?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By introducing a concept.
C．By referring to another study.	D．By making a survey.

3. What did Dr Richard Isaacson suggest?

A．Sleep quality needs more attention.

B．We should have enough sleep.

C．The elderly should sleep more than the young.

D．The amount of sleep is more important than sleep quality.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Sports.

B．Health.

C．Education.

D．Environment.

9 . To Their Own Beat

When Los Lobos perform in concert today, audiences in the thousands cheer them on. It’s hard to believe that the group started out as just another garage band playing popular rock-and-roll tunes from the radio, In 1974 four high school friends from East Los Angeles formed Los Lobos ( Spanish for “The Wolves” ) .

Like many garage bands, these friends might have simply gone their separate ways after high school. But the members of Los Lobos wanted to keep making music together. They decided to change their musical style and began focusing on traditional Mexican music that showed their tradition.

“We pulled out all those records we used to beg our parents not to play around our friends and found an incredible wealth of music,” says Perez. “These guys (on the records) were doing amazing things with their instruments, and we started trying to pick up on it. ”

The group put aside its electric guitars for the acoustic ones used in traditional Mexican music. For several years Los Lobos played at weddings or parties—any event that needed live music. They also landed a regular engagement (合同)   at a Mexican restaurant.

By 1978 Los Lobos had made enough money to record their first album   (唱片) , and they sold copies of it wherever they performed. They also returned to their electric guitars to get closer to a Tex-Mex sound, which is a mixture of traditional Mexican music, rock and roll, country music, and the blues. This new, louder sound produced one unexpected result: the group was fired from the restaurant.

But it didn’t matter that Los Lobos had lost their one steady job, because they had found a position that no other group took up. They had combined electric and acoustic instruments and blended (混合) musical styles in their own way. Steve Berlin joined the band in 1983 as the saxophone and keyboard player, adding to the band’s unusual sound.

“We didn’t so much want to recycle the music we’d grown up with as much as find the common links between it and all the other styles and sounds that were all around us,” Perez explains.   “It became a mission ...   bringing music together to bring people together. ”

In the 1980s Los Lobos gained the attention of several record companies. They were hired to perform on the soundtrack to the film La Bamba, which earned them a Golden Eagle Award. They have since earned many awards, including two Grammys and an MTV Video Music Award. Their many records have been very successful, and they have toured the world.

Even after 30 years of making music together, Los Lobos continues to experiment with their sound. They never moved far away from their Mexican roots, however.   They still include traditional music in their live performances, sharing their history—and their culture—with their fans.

1. Los Lobos recorded their first album after they_______.

A．lost their job at a restaurant

B．began playing acoustic guitars

C．won an award for a film soundtrack

D．added saxophone and keyboards to their sound

2. Which paragraph writes about the great success of the band?

A．Paragraph 1.

B．Paragraph 4.

C．Paragraph 6.

D．Paragraph 8.

3. What makes Los Lobos special and successful?

A．The way they recorded their first album.

B．Their blending of different types of music.

C．Their decision to play traditional Mexican music.

D．The fact that they performed and toured the world.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Music is best when played with traditional instruments.

B．Music must be recorded to be passed down.

C．Music should remain the same over time.

D．Music can show many cultures.

10 . It all began on a cold, rainy day．

Sarah, a poor single mother, was ________ to make ends meet. While waiting for the bus with her two children, Sarah ________ an old man sitting on a nearby bench. He was shivering (颤抖), his ________ jacket providing little protection against the freezing weather.

Sarah ________ the man and offered him her coat. She knew it would make her cold, but the thought of this stranger ________ while she had something to give was too much to bear. ________ by her selflessness, the man thankfully accepted the coat and gave back a smile. Little did Sarah know that her simple act of ________ would make a huge difference.

A man, who saw the heartwarming ________, took a photo and shared it on social media. The post quickly became a ________, with thousands of people sharing and commenting on Sarah’s ________. Encouraged by her, people began organizing events to ________ those less lucky. Schools added lessons on the ________ of helping others, and businesses started a “pay it forward” project, where people could buy more and leave the ________ meal for those in need.

Reflecting on this unbelievable journey, we can ________ our individual power, which may create an effect that would ________ reach every corner of the globe.

1.

A．helping

B．continuing

C．struggling

D．seeking

2.

A．left behind

B．came across

C．looked for

D．turned to

3.

A．clean

B．cheap

C．fancy

D．thin

4.

A．followed

B．approached

C．respected

D．caught

5.

A．complaining

B．staring

C．suffering

D．surviving

6.

A．Attracted

B．Confused

C．Moved

D．Shocked

7.

A．connection

B．appreciation

C．duty

D．kindness

8.

A．exchange

B．invitation

C．option

D．performance

9.

A．story

B．symbol

C．chance

D．hit

10.

A．generosity

B．courage

C．curiosity

D．patience

11.

A．change

B．support

C．direct

D．educate

12.

A．creativity

B．strength

C．significance

D．description

13.

A．quick

B．main

C．different

D．extra

14.

A．recognize

B．expect

C．remember

D．admit

15.

A．regularly

B．obviously

C．eventually

D．slightly