1 . When you have to cancel your Thanksgiving plans due to the spread of the COVID-19, you may find yourself craving companionship as much as that pumpkin pie. That’s because parts of the brain respond to loneliness much like they react to hunger, according to a study in Nature Neuroscience.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology scanned the brains of 40 healthy, social young adults after 10 hours of either fasting (禁食) or social isolation (隔离). They found that after being alone, participants’ neurological responses to social signals were similar to hungry people reacting to food — that is, certain areas of the brain linked to desire were turned on to start working.
For an isolated person, a picture of people laughing together caused the same areas of the brain to light up as when a hungry person looked at a big plate of pasta.
“Just like hunger is an unpleasant sensation that motivates us to seek out food and thirst motivates us to seek out water, loneliness is a biological need that motivates us to reconnect to others,” Holt-Lunstad told Insider.
Researchers were surprised to find that people who were prevented from socializing became much more focused on that need, and less reactive to hunger. As their loneliness increased, they became less responsive to images of food.
These latest findings suggest that the relationship between food and loneliness might be more complicated than we thought, despite the popular opinion of stress-eating to cope with social isolation. More research is needed to understand the complex ways people deal with loneliness.
Studies like this can help scientists understand how the brain processes loneliness, and possibly reduce the negative consequences. However, although loneliness may be similar to hunger, fixing it isn’t as easy as serving someone a hearty dinner because people are unique and they need varying levels of social interactions to meet their needs.
1. The underlined word “craving” in the first paragraph can be replaced by .| A．avoiding | B．desiring | C．preferring | D．ignoring |
| A．to find their brain responses to both loneliness and hunger |
| B．to provide explanations for their feeling lonely and hungry |
| C．to find how loneliness can have a negative impact on health |
| D．after they have been hungry and socially isolated for 10 hours |
| A．Hunger is an unpleasant sensation. |
| B．Hunger and thirst motivate us to feed ourselves. |
| C．Socializing is supposed to be basic human need as it is. |
| D．The effects of loneliness on health are comparable to other factors. |
| A．Loneliness may be fixed just as hunger is satisfied. |
| B．Situations of loneliness are complicated and hard to cope with. |
| C．Scientists have understood how the brain processes loneliness. |
| D．Loneliness is such a common and serious problem that we all have to suffer. |
2 . The opening of California’s commercial crab season, which normally starts in November, is delayed once again to protect whales searching for their prey (猎物) along the coast.
California has been affected by a marine heat wave since May. The Blob, as this mass of warm water has become known, is squeezing cooler water preferred by whales and their prey close to shore, where fishermen set their traps. This crowding can lead to tangle (缠结) between whales and fishing equipment, endangering the animals’ lives and requiring rescue missions.
In a new study, scientists say they can now use global temperature models, commonly used in climate science, to predict up to a year in advance when hot ocean temperatures raise the risk of tangles between whales and fishing equipment.The tool analyzed in the new study, called the Habitat Compression Index, works by feeding sea-surface temperature measurements into an equation (方程式) that estimates the likelihood of whale habitat shrinking closer to shore.Regulators and fishermen agree that the new forecasting research could help them walk the tightrope between protecting whales and protecting local livelihoods (生计).
Mr Ogg, a commercial fishing boat captain, describes himself as a conservationist who doesn’t want to see whales harmed.“Fishermen have a big motivation to protect the natural environment,” he said, “because that’s where they make their living.” Previously, the challenge was adapting to changing conditions and fishing regulations on short notice, especially for smaller business owners and their crews.“One of the biggest problems we had was the unpredictability,” Mr Ogg said, “We were living from week to week then.”
Though scientists have shown the Habitat Compression Index can now forecast months in advance, state officials would probably wait to see conditions in real time before making decisions about the crab fishery, said Ryan Bartling, an environmental scientist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
1. What do the whales come to shore for according to the first two paragraphs?| A．Safety. | B．Shelter. | C．Leisure. | D．Food. |
| A．To take a risk. | B．To join in an act. |
| C．To strike a balance. | D．To walk on a rope. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Cautious. | D．Pessimistic. |
| A．How climate data gives whales room to swim |
| B．What causes the decrease in whale population |
| C．Why global temperature models are in great need |
| D．Whether to protect whales or the local livelihoods |
3 . A fully automated process, including a brand-new artificial intelligence(Al)tool, has successfully detected, identified(确认)and categorized its first supernova(超新星). Developed by an international organization led by Northwestern University, the new system automates the entire search for new supernovae across the night sky—effectively removing humans from the process. Not only does this rapidly speed up the process of analyzing and categorizing new supernova candidates(候选), but it also bypasses human errors.
The team reported to the astronomical community the launch and success of the new tool．called the Bright Transient Survey Bot(BTSbot), this week. In the past six years, humans have spent an estimated total of 2,200 hours checking and categorizing supernova candidates. With the new tool now officially online, researchers can redirect this precious time toward other responsibilities in order to speed up the discovery.
To detect and analyze supernovae, humans currently work hand in hand with robotic systems. First, robotic telescopes repeatedly image the same sections of the night sky, searching for new sources that were not present in previous images. Then, when these telescopes detect something new, humans take over. The researchers developed the BTSbot to cut out these human middlemen.
To test the BTSbot, the researchers looked to a newly discovered supernova candidate called SN2023tyk. The ZTF, a robotic observatory that images the night sky in a search for supernovae, first detected the source on Oct. 3. Examining ZTF’s data in real time, BTSbot found SN2023tyk on Oct.5. After determining that the candidate was a Type la supernova, the automated system publicly shared the discovery with the astronomical community on Oet.7.
In the first days of running BTSbot, Northwestern’s Nabeel Rehemtulla, who co-led the technology development, felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. “The beauty of it is that, once everything is turned on and working properly, we don’t actually do anything. We go to sleep at night, and, in the morning, we see that BTSbot and these other AIs firmly do their jobs,” he said.
1. What does the underlined word “bypasses” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Causes. | B．Avoids. | C．Reduces. | D．Contains. |
| A．It is simple. | B．It is automatic. |
| C．It is meaningless. | D．It is time-consuming. |
| A．Detecting the supernova. | B．Sharing the supernova. |
| C．Identifying the supernova. | D．Categorizing the supernova. |
| A．He hasn’t had a good sleep for a long time. |
| B．Running BTSbot requires a lot of manpower. |
| C．Researchers benefit greatly from the BTSbot. |
| D．He has no confidence in the success of the test. |
4 . It’s not great when a person breathes in all the oxygen out of a room. When a battery does it to a tumor (肿瘤), though, it could be a good thing.
Scientists have developed a new type of battery that can be implanted (植入) directly into tumors to deliver a steady stream of electricity. The battery is made from salt water and can be recharged by the body’s own heat. It works by splitting (使分离) salt water into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The hydrogen gas is then used to generate electricity, which can be used to kill cancer cells. The oxygen gas is released harmlessly into the body.
The new battery has several advantages over traditional cancer treatment. First, it is more targeted, meaning that it can deliver the electricity directly to the tumor cells, while sparing healthy cells. This can reduce the side effects of treatment. Second, the battery is self-charging, which means that it does not require surgery to remove or replace. This can make treatment more convenient and less expensive for patients. Third, the battery is small and lightweight, and it can be implanted directly into tumors. This means that patients will not have to need surgery to remove the battery, which can reduce the risk of complications.
The battery has been tested in animal studies, and it has been shown to be effective in killing cancer cells. The scientists who developed the battery are now planning to begin clinical trials in humans. They are thinking about how the battery might have to be made more flexible and more powerful to work on human-sized tumors. If the trials are successful, the battery could become a new standard of cancer treatment. It is a more targeted, convenient, and affordable way to deliver electricity to tumors. This could lead to more effective ways to treat cancer in humans.
1. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the new battery?| A．Its benefits. | B．Its side effects. | C．Its weight. | D．Its working process. |
| A．Test the treatment in humans. | B．Reduce the cost of surgery. |
| C．Implant the battery into animals. | D．Make the battery affordable. |
| A．Negative. | B．Uncaring. | C．Optimistic. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Business. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Sports. |
5 . Imagine a school where students are taught by the best teachers in every subject, regardless of location. Imagine a school where students could go on safe field trips to the Amazon rainforest or Everest base camp. Well, such schools are already being built: in virtual(虚拟的)reality.
Last year, Optima Academy Online, an all-virtual school, delivered courses that aim to improve the hearts and train the minds of young people. These courses are of different levels, attracting 170 full-time students from all over Florida. In the progress of home-schooling, students use headsets for about three hours a day for formal lessons and then do course work independently with digital check-ins.
Future versions(版本)of VR will doubtless be widely used in education, but the only questions are: for what purpose and at what speed? There are enough reasons to doubt whether VR schools represent the future of education. Sticking a child in their bedroom with a heavy VR headset fastened to their face and no physical social interaction with other kids will fill many of them and their parents with horror.
A recent report concluded that digital education could significantly improve the quality and equality of schooling systems. But if managed poorly, it could have the opposite effect, turning a digital divide into an educational one. There is growing evidence to suggest that is happening. In Mexico, only 24 percent of 15-year-old students in poor schools have access(使用)to a home computer for schoolwork compared with 87 percent in rich ones.
Used properly, technology can be great for enabling self-motivated students to access learning resources and connect with fellow students and teachers all over the world, says Beeban Kidron, a member of the UK’s Digital Futures Commission. The trouble is that Edtech is too often seen as a shiny new toy that will solve all problems and save money rather than being viewed as a different way to learn, she adds.
1. What can we learn about Optima Academy Online?| A．It has been widely accepted. |
| B．It holds faraway outdoor field trips. |
| C．It provides various online courses. |
| D．It requires parents to help with check-ins. |
| A．The development. | B．The concerns. |
| C．The advantages. | D．The popularity. |
| A．Mexican schooling quality has been improved |
| B．local schooling systems are not fully developed |
| C．technology access gaps may cause education inequality |
| D．family backgrounds shape people’s views on education |
| A．It enriches learning. | B．It’s irreplaceable. |
| C．It needs improving. | D．It’s undervalued. |
6 . There are thousands of languages in the world. But which language is the oldest? Experts use different methods to find out the age of a language.
Finding the oldest language is a challenging task, according to Danny Hieber, an expert in the study of endangered languages. “If we think that most languages can date back to an original human language, all languages are equally old,” Hieber said. However, it’s impossible to find out such language —the direct ancestor of every language in the world. Accordingly, some experts believe that the “oldest language” should belong to one with a well-established written record.
Many of the earliest recorded examples of writing come from languages that used cuneiform script (楔形文字). Among these languages are Sumerian and Akkadian, both dating back at least 4,600 years. Experts have also found Egyptian hieroglyphs that date to around the same historical period. These hieroglyphs, which can be translated into “He has united the Two Lands for his son, Dual King Peribsen,” are considered the earliest complete sentence ever discovered.
Experts generally agree that Sumerian, Akkadian and Egyptian are the oldest languages with a clear written record. All three are extinct, meaning that they are no longer used and don’t have any living followers which can carry the language to the next generation.
As for the oldest language that is still spoken, several competitors appear. Hebrew and Arabic stand out among such languages for having timelines that experts can reasonably find, according to Hieber. Although these earliest written languages only date back around 3,000 years, Hieber said, “both of them belong to the Afroasiatic language family, whose roots date back to 18, 000 to 8,000 B. C. E. , or about 20,000 to 10,000 years ago.” Even with this wide period of time, it is widely accepted that Afroasiatic is the oldest language family. But the exact point in time when Hebrew and Arabic separated from other Afroasiatic languages is heavily debated among experts.
1. How do experts determine the age of a language?| A．By studying its spoken dialects. | B．By analyzing its basic grammar. |
| C．By examining its written records. | D．By comparing it to other languages. |
| A．They’re an example of cuneiform script. | B．They belong to the Afroasiatic language. |
| C．They provide evidence of the oldest language. | D．They’re the earliest-known complete sentences. |
| A．Gone | B．Ancient. | C．Outdated. | D．Active. |
| A．The reason for their standing out. | B．The exact time of their separation. |
| C．The appearance of their competitors. | D．The roots of earliest written languages. |
7 . This page provides information and guidance about hands-only CPR and CPR with rescue breaths for children over one year old.
Hands-only CPR
To carry out a chest compression (压缩):
Place the heel of your hand on the breastbone at the centre of the person’s chest.
Place your other hand on top of your first hand and interlock your fingers.
Position yourself with your shoulders above your hands.
Using your body weight (not just your arms), press straight down by 5-6cm (2-2.5 inches) on their chest.
Keeping your hands on their chest, release the compression and allow the chest to return to its original position.
Repeat these compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 times per minute until an ambulance arrives or you become exhausted.
CPR with rescue breaths
For children over one year old:
Open the child’s airway by placing one hand on the child’s forehead and gently tilting their head back and lifting the chin. Remove any visible obstructions from the mouth and nose.
Pinch their nose. Seal your mouth over their mouth and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth, checking that their chest rises. Give five initial rescue breaths.
Place the heel of one hand on the center of their chest and push down by 5cm(about two inches), which is approximately one-third of the chest diameter. The quality (depth)of chest compressions is very important. Use two hands if you can’t achieve a depth of 5cmusing one hand.
After every 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute, give two breaths.
Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths until they begin to recover or emergency help arrives.
1. What’s the first step of CPR with rescue breaths for children?| A．To blow into their mouth. | B．To do 30 chest compressions. |
| C．To clear something blocking the airway. | D．To push hands down on the chest by 5cm. |
| A．To apply chest compressions properly. |
| B．To call an ambulance for treatment. |
| C．To put oneself in a particular position. |
| D．To blow steadily and firmly into the mouth. |
| A．A business report. | B．A fashion magazine. |
| C．An emergency brochure. | D．A travel journal. |
8 . When Shakespeare called a good night’s rest the “cure of hurt minds,” he was really onto something. According to a recent survey, “Most days or every day” in 2020, nearly 15 percent of American adults had trouble falling asleep in the previous month. So you’re a little sleepy — no big deal, right? Wrong. A 1999 article in the medical journal The Lancet showed and decades of research suggest that “sleep debt” can have significant harmful effects on your health.
Happiness is the first to suffer. Everyone knows what it feels like to run on insufficient (不足的) sleep — you can be foggy, inattentive, and bad-tempered. A paper published in the journal Health Psychology in 2020 found that the participants without enough sleep experienced a less positive mood when they came across quite ordinary stress, and smaller increases in positive mood from pleasant events. When lacking sleep, people felt annoyed more and easier, and things feel less fun.
More seriously, sleep loss can cause clinical depression and anxiety. In 2014, Australian scholars studying young women found that a year of frequent sleep difficulties predicted the onset of depression and anxiety in later years.
Some researchers have identified long-time sleep debt as a disease — insufficient sleep syndrome (ISS). Given the reported evidence for how widespread the syndrome is, it might even be classed as an epidemic. Although no study has yet established a connection, it seems reasonable to think about whether the long-term declines in American happiness and increases in social conflicts may be connected to loss of sleep.
Whether you are a sleep-deprived student, or workaholic, or just an old-fashioned insomniac (失眠症患者), attending to sleep is a critical strategy for health and happiness. And adjusting this aspect of your life could be one of the best things you do all year.
1. Why does the author mention Shakespeare?| A．To show Shakespeare’s wisdom. |
| B．To introduce the topic of sleep loss. |
| C．To highlight a serious health problem. |
| D．To give reported evidence of sleep debt. |
| A．It made people feel negative. | B．It led to poor eyesight. |
| C．It caused depression and anxiety. | D．It was not worth much concern. |
| A．Reduction of happiness is linked to sleep loss. |
| B．Long-term lack of sleep is not a disease. |
| C．Sleep debt might affect both individuals and the society. |
| D．Insufficient sleep syndrome is a recognized epidemic. |
| A．To confirm sleep loss is a disease. |
| B．To advocate getting sufficient sleep. |
| C．To tackle widespread sleep problem. |
| D．To prove happiness suffers from sleep debt. |
9 . What goes on in our brains when we decide to hit the share button, and what makes something go viral? Since the dawn of the Internet, businesses, media outlets and influencers alike have been trying to answer these questions. Now, researchers have come one step closer to cracking this mysterious model by shining a light on the neuroscience (神经科学) of viral content.
“Our study finds a way to obtain brain signals that would predict how much information gets shared.” said Emily Falk, professor of communication, psychology and marketing and Hang-Yee Chan, a lecturer of communication.
Their new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on October 23, investigated both the U. S. and the Netherlands using a broader range of news categories—including health and climate change.
“When we see greater activation of regions that track self-relevance (Is it important to me) and social-relevance (Is it important to people I know), the news articles are more likely to be shared widely,” Falk and Chan said. By studying these brain responses, the team managed to build a value-based model to accurately predict how widely the articles would be shared online. This link between brain activity and sharing was seen in both the American and Dutch participants, suggesting that this model is accurate across cultures.
“Seeing how people’s brains react inside the scanner gives us insight into why people ultimately share information nowadays,” Chan said. “If we understand these signals, we might be able to use that knowledge to help important news get shared and stop misinformation from going viral.” It is also helpful for content creators to maximize their reach. “Our current study demonstrates how tapping into the brain would help content creators optimize their messages’ influence,” Falk and Chan said. “We are interested in building on these results to develop ways to counter harmful information and false news, in addition to spreading high-quality content.” “A lot of our most pressing problems in society are influenced by the decisions people make, and the decisions we make are influenced by the news. What you share matters, and so understanding why you share it matters, too.”
1. What do researchers intend to do in their study?| A．To find a way to get brain signals. |
| B．To work out a mysterious model. |
| C．To use a broad range of news categories. |
| D．To predict how much information get shared. |
| A．The basis and process of the study. |
| B．The way to predict brain activation. |
| C．The pattern of a value-based model. |
| D．The reason why certain news is shared. |
| A．To solve most urgent problems. |
| B．To understand why viral news matter. |
| C．To influence the decisions people will make. |
| D．To better the efficiency of positive publicity. |
| A．How to Share a Viral News |
| B．How to Obtain Brain Signals |
| C．How Certain Studies Get Shared |
| D．How Brain Identifies Viral Content |
10 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Supportive. | C．Positive. | D．Worried. |
| 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. |
