1 . Scientists have confirmed that fossilized footprints found in New Mexico are between 21,000 and 23,000 years old — meaning humans existed in North America much earlier than previously believed.

It was believed humans existed in North America somewhere between 13,500 and 16,000 years ago. So, were the prints — some of which look distinctly human with five toes — really between 21,000 and 23,000 years old?

Researchers from the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other scientists decided to do a follow-up study, using two new approaches to determine the age of the prints.

“The immediate reaction in some circles of the archeological (考古的) community was that the accuracy of our dating was insufficient to make the extraordinary claim that humans were present in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum,” said co-author of the new study, Jeff Pigati, a USGS research geologist. “But our targeted methodology in this current research really paid off.”

The scientists initially used seeds from the Ruppia cirrhosa plant found in the fossils. They used radiocarbon dating to determine the age of the seeds, but because the plants are aquatic (水生的) and can hold carbon from the water instead of the air, the age estimate could have been off.

So, in the new study, they used radiocarbon dating on conifer pollen, which comes from plants on earth, that were found in the same layers as the seeds. “Even as the original work was being published, we were pushing forward to test our results with multiple lines of evidence,” said co-author Kathleen Springer, a USGS research geologist. “We were confident in our original ages, but we knew that independent time-related control was critical.” The researchers had to isolate 75,000 pollen grains from the same layer and found that their age was statistically identical to the Ruppia cirrhosa seeds.

To further check their dating, they also tested quartz grains found in the footprints using a different dating process, optically stimulated luminescence. They found the quartz had a minimum age of about 21,500 years.

USGS says with three supporting pieces of evidence, it is unlikely the age range of 21,000 to 23,000 years is incorrect.

1. What can be learned about the newly found fossils?

A．They contain diverse sea plants.

B．Most of them look like humans’ footprints.

C．They date bake to the Last Glacial Maximum.

D．They will bring about ground-breaking discoveries.

2. Why did the scientists use conifer pollen for dating in the follow-up study?

A．To improve dating accuracy.	B．To remove the public doubts.
C．To prove the previous assumption.	D．To test the most advanced approach.

3. What was Kathleen’s attitude toward their previous findings about the footprints?

A．Uncertain.

B．Optimistic.

C．Doubtful.

D．Reserved.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Age of fossilized footprints confirmed.	B．Challenges in dating ancient footprints.
C．Early human migration to North America.	D．Radiocarbon dating in archaeological research.

2 . Anna Steed doesn’t look much older than her students, but she is a practitioner of behavioral and motivational science, a shoulder to cry on, and the high school debate coach. Her class, which began as an elective class to give students exposure to skills that prepare them for college, has become the class on campus that creates winners.

Debate tests the teenage character perhaps more than any other activity. The shy and the unsure often have no desire to look up from their screens and engage in the oldest human interaction: persuasive oral arguments. It’s dreadful territory for the average teenager. Research, writing, delivering a speech in front of your peers, it all sounds like the kind of class students would be most likely to skip. But Anna draws them in.

Classroom 161 is always full. Anna’s debate teams have a case full of medals; most importantly, they have gone on to become leaders of their communities and examples to their families.

“This activity has changed my life. Just building connections with people I never, ever imagined building connections with,” relates Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez. Alexander suffered from social anxiety throughout his childhood. Then he discovered debate as a freshman, and it changed his life.

What drives young people to stand up and passionately deliver a speech in front of a crowd full of strangers, a panel of judges and opposing teams from more privileged high schools? The person who will always have their back: Anna Steed.

“I want them to just have the memory of making it through, succeeding in a place like that and expressing a story that leaves that place better,” Anna says.

That better place begins in room 161 when unsure and nervous students enter for the first time. After setbacks and adjustments, a lot of hugs, encouragement, and hours of late-night study and practice, they roll out a few years later with their shoulders back and a full tank of confidence, ready to take on the next stage of life.

1. What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about?

A．The challenging nature of debate.	B．The value of being a debate teacher.
C．The influence of debate on teenagers.	D．The difficulties of winning awards in debate.

2. What did debate offer Alexander that changed his life?

A．A stage to showcase his talent.	B．A drive for academic excellence.
C．A platform to establish social bonds.	D．A chance to connect with Anna Steed.

3. What do the underlined words “that place” in paragraph 6 refer to?

A．Anna’s class.	B．Classroom 161.
C．Unfamiliar territory.	D．The next stage of life.

4. Which of the following can best describe Anna Steed?

A．Devoted and tolerant.	B．Inspirational and honest.
C．Courageous and reliable.	D．Impactful and supportive.

3 . Looking to take that great American road trip you always dreamed of though from the comfort of your own home? From classic roadside diners to desert ghost towns, it’s time to explore the bygone era of one of America’s most famous highways, through the camera of one award-winning photographer.

Join New York Adventure Club as we embark on an inspirational photographic journey down Route 66, one of the original highways in America that redefined transportation, culture, and architecture throughout the AmericanWest over the course of 50 years. Led by NYC-based photographer Julien McRoberts, this virtual road trip down Route 66 will include:

●A brief history of Route 66, from its official start in 1926 and decertification as a highway in 1985, to how it earned itself nicknames like Mother Road and Bloody 66

●A discussion about the peak era of Route 66 and its enduring place in American culture

● A virtual tour along the route using Julien’s colorful photographs, which highlight the most interesting sites between Chicago and California

●Personal stories from her road trip, and what it was like to document the route

● Interesting details about the former highway’s many off-the-beaten-path and roadsides attractions, including American Giants and Duck Architecture

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar.

**A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week.

Date and time

Thursday, October 26.1-2:30am CST

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.

1. When did Route 66 formally become a highway?

A．1926.

B．1950.

C．1966.

D．1985.

2. Who might most probably be interested in this event?

A．Road trip enthusiasts.	B．Lovers of on-site travel.
C．Fans of New York culture.	D．Wilderness survival explorers.

3. What alternative is available for those unable to join in real time?

A．They can request a refund and rejoin the event.

B．They can contact the organizer for a replay link.

C．They can download the document within a week.

D．They can view the recorded video before Nov.3.

4 . A doctor walked into an operating room where an operation was being performed. Everything seemed to be going well, but the doctor noticed that no one was wearing a face mask. He was surprised -- wearing a face mask is a basic hospital procedure. But he didn’t say anything. The operation was a success, but a few days later the patient came down with a fever. It turned out that she had contracted a serious infection, probably because the doctors and nurses hadn’t followed a simple rule.

Atul Gawande was interested in that story and carried out a research on the importance of a checklist to boost hospital services. Gawande is a doctor himself, and in his research he suggests that if surgeons run through a simple checklist before every operation, then lives will be saved. And he’s got the numbers to prove it. In 2001, an experiment at an American hospital required doctors to use a five-point checklist before they carried out specific procedures. The checklist was just a list of routine things doctor should normally do without thinking -- wearing latex gloves, washing their hands before and after every patient, and so on. By making sure that the checklist was followed, there were almost no infections during the 27 months of the experiment, and they estimate that around eight lives were saved. When the checklist was tested again in hospitals in Michigan, infections went down by 66 percent.

In his study, Gawande looks at other professions, too, to support his argument that checklists reduce accidents and improve success rates. He points out that people like engineers and pilots use checklists all the time, and he comes up with some good examples. Just imagine that an airplane crashed because the pilot had failed to follow basic procedures. Suppose a skyscraper collapsed because the engineers hadn’t remembered to do some important calculations. People would demand that officials look into these events immediately.

Gawande’s study finding is really interesting and received much public attention. It reminds us that sometimes the easiest way to avoid making mistakes is to follow a very simple set of rules. It’s relevant for all of us, not just for doctors.

1. The function of the first paragraph in this text is to ________.

A．introduce the origin of the idea for Gawande’s study

B．explain the importance of the basic hospital procedure

C．explore the causes of infections among patients in hospitals

D．emphasize the urgency of providing relevant training to doctors

2. What are the two experiments in paragraph 2 intended to prove?

A．Young medical staff need to follow the checklists.

B．Checklists are necessary for hospitals in particular.

C．Hospitals are required to maintain good management.

D．Medical infections can be reduced by observing a set of rules.

3. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．Air crashes hardly occurred with the basic procedures.

B．Gawande intends to promote his idea to other professions.

C．High buildings may collapse due to engineers’ miscalculations.

D．It is a must for a pilot or engineer to use their checklists.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward Gawande’s study?

A．Unclear.

B．Dismissive.

C．Approving.

D．Doubtful.

5 . Jim owned a store. A customer once asked him how he managed to stay ______ all the time. His answer was, “When I wake up in the morning, I know that the day will have good and bad ______ for me, but whatever happens, I’m going to choose to be in a good ______.”

Then one day, something ______ happened. Jim was about to leave the store when an armed robber came in, held him up at gunpoint, and made him open the ______. As he was trying to open it, Jim’s hand ______. The robber saw this and probably thought, “He’s about to attack me!” The robber ______ and fired his gun.

Jim was rushed to the hospital. In the ambulance, he felt ______ because the paramedic (医务辅助人员) kept telling him, “I’m sure you’ll be OK.”

But when Jim was in the operating room and he saw the faces of the doctors and nurses, he got the feeling that they thought he was______ dead. He knew he needed to do something to change their ______.

There was a ______ who was asking him lots of questions, very fast. One question was, “Are you ______ to anything?” “Yes!” Jim said loudly and everybody stopped what they were doing. There was total ______. “Bullets!” Jim said, and all the doctors and nurses burst out ______. And then Jim added, “Please operate on me thinking that I’ll live, and not that I’ll die.”

Jim survived, thanks to the skill of the doctors and nurses. But what also helped was that he managed to remain an optimist even in the most ______ moment of his life.

1.

A．friendly

B．enthusiastic

C．generous

D．positive

2.

A．moments

B．operations

C．tests

D．conflicts

3.

A．state

B．mood

C．event

D．luck

4.

A．ridiculous

B．awkward

C．terrible

D．challenging

5.

A．safe

B．door

C．window

D．parcel

6.

A．shook

B．waved

C．stretched

D．slipped

7.

A．refused

B．panicked

C．hesitated

D．withdrew

8.

A．fine

B．painful

C．worried

D．curious

9.

A．nearly

B．already

C．definitely

D．ultimately

10.

A．routine

B．schedule

C．direction

D．attitude

11.

A．nurse

B．policeman

C．robber

D．guard

12.

A．superior

B．accustomed

C．allergic

D．sympathetic

13.

A．confusion

B．silence

C．anxiety

D．violence

14.

A．crying

B．applauding

C．laughing

D．debating

15.

A．significant

B．impressive

C．crucial

D．desperate

6 . In the autumn of 2020, while stargazing on his balcony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Teju Cole was inspired to start taking photos of his kitchen counter. He compared the daily migrations of his pots, pans, spoons, and graters to the revolutions of celestial bodies (天体), and began to track them in a “counter history”. A year later, he published the results as Golden Apple of the Sun (2021), a book-length photo essay that expands his isolated domestic experiment until it seems to include the whole world. Cole writes about the hunger he suffered as a boarding-school student in Nigeria, Dutch Golden Age still-lifes, slavery and the sugary recipes in an ancient cookbook. “The later a photograph is in a given sequence, the heavier it is,” Cole explained. Somehow, from this kitchen sink of memoir (回忆录), art history, and observant boredom emerges a portrait of the pandemic’s collective solitude, “this year of feeling buried in the dark earth like bulbs.”

Cole’s work makes an art—and a necessary virtue—of close looking. Open City (2011), his first novel, won praise for its portrayal of post-9/11 New York, whose buried histories of violence and displacement resurface in the course of a medical student’s wanderings. In Cole’s essays, tranquil Vermeers reveal traces of empire in colonial times, and stormy Caravaggios picture beforehand the uncertain journeys of twenty-first-century migrants.

His great theme is the limits of vision, and the way that these limits can serve as the basis for a kind of second sight. “Among the human rights is the right to remain unseen and dark,” Cole writes in Black Paper (2021); a recent essay collection. In his own pictures, people seldom appear directly, but their presence is everywhere implied. Blind Spot (2017), an experimental photo book recording his travels, gathers images of hotel rooms, border fences, ships, and tombs. “Darkness is not empty,” Cole writes. “It is information at rest. Beauty, briefly, slips from the shadows.”

1. What made Cole start to take photos of his kitchen counter?

A．His isolated domestic lifestyle.	B．His great interest in photo-taking.
C．The inspiration he got while stargazing.	D．The suffering as a boarding-school student.

2. What do we know about Cole’s first novel?

A．It was praised for making a new art.	B．It was written through a student’s view.
C．It resurfaces traces of a colonial empire.	D．It foresees the uncertain journey of migrants.

3. Why does Cole prefer the limits of vision in his works?

A．People can feel what is unseen by themselves.

B．Human rights can be well protected in the theory.

C．It is one of the basic skills for the artists like him.

D．He starts a new style to write about common people.

4. What can we infer about Cole?

A．He has a limited vision.	B．He published a cookbook.
C．He enjoys taking photos of people.	D．He focuses on stories behind pictures.

7 . Can humans really understand what animals are saying, or are we just barking up the wrong tree?

“Artificial intelligence (AI) holds the key to unlocking the fascinating insights. Beyond creating chatbots that charm people, machine learning may soon make it possible to decode (解码) animal calls,” says Raskin, co-founder of the nonprofit Earth Species Project. It’s developing AI models that imitate a variety of species, aiming to have “conversations” with animals. Its team is collecting diverse data from various species and building machine-learning models for analysis. Project CETI (鲸类动物翻译计划) focuses on understanding a particular species, in this case the sperm whale.

Sperm whales have complex social groups. When a familiar young male rejoined his family, researchers seized the chance to record their sounds. For two decades, scientists documented two sperm whale groups, capturing their clicking sounds. After manually decoding some sounds, they turned to AI for faster translation. Using a neural (神经的) network, the team trained it to discern individual whales from a subset of sounds. Next, their ambitious goal is to train a computer to speak whale.

As tech advances, the door has been opened to using machine learning to decode unfamiliar languages. It’s found that AI tools have practical value beyond research. Translating animal sounds aids endangered species. Scientists study caged birds’ calls to grasp sound changes, explaining difficulties in reintroduction. Machine learning decodes pets’ signals like barks and facial expressions. Raskin’s AI model translates dogs’ expressions, revealing their surprising capabilities to owners. Additionally, it helps predict pig emotions based on their sounds, enhancing animal welfare. Advancements deepen our understanding of animals.

Now enthusiastic scientists are committed to open-source data and model sharing. “Every time you invent a technology, you also invent a responsibility,” Raskin says. “Designing a ‘whale chatbot’ demands we imagine an animal’s experience. The true value of any language is that it helps us relate to others.”

1. What is the purpose of the Earth Species Project?

A．To gather vast data with a computer.

B．To create chatbots that imitate animals.

C．To understand animal languages using AI.

D．To study the social behavior of sperm whales.

2. What does the underlined word “discern” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Train.

B．Recognize.

C．Record.

D．Protect.

3. How do AI tools provide practical value in deepening our insights into animals?

A．By translating animals’ calls and looks.	B．By advancing animal well-being.
C．By reintroducing endangered species.	D．By studying animals’ negative emotions.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Lost in Translation? Not with AI

B．A Future of Chatting with Animals

C．Whales SOS: Human-AI Unite for Miracles

D．Practical Value of Machine Learning Models

8 . Living in a dorm is definitely one of the best parts of the college experience. You finally get your own space that you can decorate however you want. However, it can be pretty hard to decide how you want to decorate your dorm room so that it’s the perfect, comfortable, personalized space. It’s important that your dorm feels like your home. The following are some ideas for the coolest room on campus.

Try decorative plants

With all of your classes, you probably won’t have time to keep real plants alive, but thankfully you can get some realistic-looking greens online to bring some grown-up vibes into the space.

Miracliy Artificial Rose Flower Garland $16 AT AMAZON Now 45% Off The Current Price

RECUTMS Artificial Ivy With LED String Light $24 AT AMAZON

Add fun lights
You can go with the TikTok famous LED strip lights, or go with something a little softer, like a sunset lamp.

Tsrarey Sunset Lamp Projection $14 AT AMAZON Now 20% Off The Current Price

Rossetta Star Projector, Galaxy Projector $36 AT AMAZON Now 40% Off The Current Price

Try temporary wallpaper

This is probably the easiest way to decorate your dorm room. Just pick a cute pattern or color, and then at the end of the year, peel it off and leave a clean slate for the next student.

RoomMates Pink and Orange Cheetah Cheetah Peel and Stick Wallpaper $44 AT AMAZON

JiffDiff Peel and Stick Wallpaper $13 AT AMAZON

1. Why does the author recommend realistic-looking greens?

A．You can decorate your dorm however you want.

B．It is pretty hard to choose a really personalized plant.

C．Realistic-looking greens are more beautiful than real plants.

D．Students may not have enough time to look after the real plants.

2. What is an advantage of trying temporary wallpaper?

A．It is the cutest.	B．It is the simplest.
C．It is the loveliest.	D．It is the cleanest.

3. How much do you pay if you buy the Rose Flower Garland and the Sunset Lamp?

A．$30.

B．$27.2.

C．$22.8.

D．$20.

9 . Last year we were stuck in a little restaurant in France on Christmas Eve. My wife ______ for us in French. Somehow, the waiter brought us the wrong meal, so I scolded her angrily. She began to cry and I felt even______. Everything had gone wrong. There was no Christmas ______ in our hearts.

Suddenly, in came an old flower woman who went from table to table but no one ______ any. Tiredly she sat down at a table where a young sailor finished his meal. He stood up and ______ two corsages (小花束), smiling, “How much are they?”   “Two francs, Monsieur.” He then _______ the woman a 20-franc note, leaning over and ______ her ancient cheek.   “My Christmas present to you.” Then, ______, he came to our table, gave my wife a corsage, ______ us a Merry Christmas, and departed.

Everyone had stopped eating. Everyone was silent. A few seconds later, Christmas ______ throughout the restaurant like a bomb. The flower woman jumped up, waving the 20-franc ______, and did a merry dance. She was so _____ and appeared 20 years younger. My wife waved her corsage in time with the rhythm and the______ had left her eyes.

______ the Christmas spirit in his soul, the young sailor released the ______ and joy hidden by anger within us. He gave us Christmas!

1.

A．ordered

B．prayed

C．waited

D．interpreted

2.

A．more concerned

B．worse

C．guiltier

D．more scary

3.

A．holiday

B．service

C．spirit

D．gift

4.

A．admired

B．accepted

C．paid

D．bought

5.

A．checked out

B．picked out

C．brought out

D．carried out

6.

A．dropped

B．handed

C．sent

D．wrote

7.

A．observing

B．touching

C．kissing

D．stroking

8.

A．unexpectedly

B．unfortunately

C．uncomfortably

D．unwillingly

9.

A．sang

B．told

C．gave

D．wished

10.

A．arrived

B．floated

C．happened

D．exploded

11.

A．cheque

B．bill

C．receipt

D．debt

12.

A．quick

B．surprised

C．happy

D．moved

13.

A．excitement

B．fear

C．sadness

D．regret

14.

A．Because of

B．Instead of

C．Apart from

D．As for

15.

A．romance

B．energy

C．life

D．love

10 . In nature, octopuses (章鱼) hunt mainly with their sense of touch, using their eight arms to feel out their environment for hidden creatures. Researchers at the University of Minnesota recently studied a different way octopuses hunt—when they identify prey (猎物) based on sight. The study findings show that the marine creatures are quite consistent and methodical in how they approach prey.

Lead researcher Trevor Wardill and his team placed California two-spot octopuses into water tanks, hiding them in caves where they would have one eye looking out. They then placed either fiddler crabs or white shrimp in the tanks to see how the octopuses would try to catch them, capturing the interactions on video. The crabs and shrimp behave differently when trying to escape from predators (捕猎者), so using both species gave the researchers an opportunity to see whether this led the octopuses to use a different arm for hunting depending on the prey.

Wardill’s team found that the octopuses almost always used the same arm to grab their prey. Specifically, the second arm from the middle of the octopuses’ body, on the same side of their body as the eye, caught the prey. If they needed more arms to grab prey, they would use the ones next to the second arm.

The octopuses also attacked differently depending on the prey. When faced with crabs, an octopus would move suddenly on top of the crab with its whole body. However, when catching shrimp, the octopuses would take one arm and reach out very slowly toward the shrimp, then grab it and latch (缠住) onto it with its other arms to pull it in.

Wardill and his team hope to do more research. They want to study the octopus’s brain as it attacks pre y to develop a better understanding of what role the creature’s nervous system plays in selecting the arms it uses.

1. What is the recent study mainly about?

A．Octopuses’ ability to hide itself.	B．Octopuses’ way to track prey.
C．Octopuses’ hunting mode via eyes.	D．Octopuses’ method of perceiving the environment.

2. What can we learn about the octopuses in the study?

A．They adopt different strategies to hunt.	B．They stretch arms slowly to catch crabs.
C．They move suddenly to prey on shrimps.	D．They use the second arm to catch prey anytime.

3. What does the follow-up test aim to find out about the octopuses?

A．Whether they’re nervous in hunting.	B．How their nerves work during hunting.
C．How they choose their arms in hunting.	D．Whether they use their brain during hunting.

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

A．Octopuses: Skillful Hunters	B．Octopuses: One-armed Predators
C．Octopuses: A Sharp-eyed Species	D．Octopuses: A Mysterious Creature