1 . Have you ever wanted to be healthier? Get a pet! That is what the experts are saying. There are many advantages to owning a pet, no matter whether it is a cat, dog, or horse.

Some new parents are often in a rush to get rid of their pets when a baby is expected. Yet, studies have shown that having a pet at home actually reduces a child’s likelihood of developing certain kinds of diseases. In one study, a researcher studied 300 new-born babies and tested them again a year later. He found that if they had a dog at home the children had up to 33% fewer allergies (过敏症). In addition, the children had stronger immune systems (免疫系统) when compared to the babies of homes with no pets.

In another study, researchers tested nearly 4,500 people. They found that cat owners who spent time stroking (抚摸) their cats suffered 40% fewer heart attacks than those who did not own a cat. Some other studies also found that pet owners suffered less serious from depression (沮丧) than non-pet owners.

Horses have long been used in treatments for disabled people, both physically and mentally. Not only does the movement of the horse help people with physical problems, but the calming influence of the animals has a positive effect on them, too. Amazing changes have been noted in disabled people who are lucky enough to receive these treatments.

From cats to horses, having a pet can really have positive effects on our health.

1. What does the underlined word in the second paragraph probably mean?

A．Degree.

B．Possibility.

C．Opportunity.

D．Decision.

2. From the second and third paragraphs, we can infer that ______.

A．having a pet at home makes a baby weak

B．the children in home without a dog may have strong immune system

C．non-pet owners may easily suffer from depression than pet owners

D．keeping a pet cat is better than keeping a pet dog

3. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

A．How to raise a horse.	B．The way of keeping healthy.
C．How horses benefit disabled people.	D．How to treat disabled people.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．New parents sometimes refuse to have a pet when they have a baby.

B．If you want to keep healthy, do nothing but keep a pet.

C．Cat owners suffer more heart attacks than others.

D．Horses can cure the problems of disabled people.

2 . My father started learning French at 57, drawn by the potential benefits of bilingualism (双语能力) in delaying dementia (失智症). Now, 20 years later, he’s on his third teacher. Many people like my father have attempted to pick up a new language. But can this really boost brain health?

According to experts, regularly using a new language brings cognitive (认知的) benefits. If you’re trying to recall the right words in another language, your brain is forced to inhibit your mother tongue. This process, called cognitive inhibition, helps improve your brain function. Repeating this process makes your brain more resistant to diseases like dementia. The more you challenge your brain, the better it functions, even if your brain health starts to decline.

However, evidence for the benefits of learning a second language in your 60s is weaker. Research by Dr. Leo Antoniou found that older Italians who took English lessons for four months didn’t see any difference in their cognition scores, but people who didn’t saw their scores decline. Prof. Diana Smith’s 2023 studies found similar results.

Researchers offered a few potential explanations for their disappointing results. One is that the participants were highly motivated volunteers, probably of high cognitive level for their age, making it hard to see any improvements. “When choosing participants, we have to be careful, are they really representative of the population?” said Dr. Judith Ware. Another is that the language interventions were perhaps too short. These studies have used language lessons that “were very different in their length and frequency,” said Prof. Laura Grossman.

To Dr. Antoniou, the limited findings are not entirely surprising. No one would say that learning a new language for six months would be the same as having used two languages for your entire life. But he does think that language lessons can provide cognitive benefits by being cognitively stimulating.

Perhaps more important, Prof. Grossman said, learning another language offers other potential advantages, like traveling or connecting with new communities. My father, for example, has remained pen friends with his first teacher and traveled to France numerous times.

And at 76, he’s as sharp as ever.

1. What happens in the process of “cognitive inhibition”?

A．Memory improves.	B．Brain health worsens.
C．Dementia is cured.	D．Native language is held back.

2. Which is a possible explanation for the disappointing research results?

A．The poor choice of research participants.

B．The great length of the language course.

C．The intervention of the first language.

D．The age difference of the research subjects.

3. Whose opinion does the author support by mentioning his father’s experience?

A．Leo Antoniou’s.	B．Diana Smith’s.
C．Laura Grossman’s.	D．Judith Ware’s.

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

A．Is it never too late to learn a new language?

B．Can learning a new language delay dementia?

C．Why does my father start learning a new language?

D．How does learning a new language benefit aging brain?

3 . Volunteer Art &Architecture Tour Guide for Boston Public Library, Copley Square

The goal is to generate public interest in the history, art, and architecture of Boston Public Library, including its special collections and exhibitions at the Central Library in Copley Square.

ROLE AND EXPECTATIONS

●To conduct public and private group tours of the Central Library’s art, architecture, and exhibitions, answering questions from groups and recording attendance statistics after tours conclude.

●To continue to inform oneself of the art, architecture, history, holdings, and exhibitions of Boston Public Library.

QUALIFICATIONS

● Interest in history, art, and architecture in general, and of Boston Public Library in particular.

● Confidence in addressing and presenting information to large groups; prior guiding or public speaking experience desirable.

●A strong command of the English language is required, and fluency in other languages is highly preferred.

TRAINING

Accepted candidates will be asked to attend tour guide training meetings. New guides are expected to complete training around four months. Progress evaluations will be ongoing throughout the training period, and continue through the first six months of working as a full guide.

REQUIREMENTS

●Minimum commitment of two tours per month (or 24 tours per year).

●Commitment to attending tour guide meetings and enrichment programs for continuing education.

REVIEW

Regular assessments and evaluations will be conducted based on the above criteria to ensure that volunteers meet the necessary qualifications.

Interested candidates should complete the application form below and send it to tours@bpl.org.

1. What does a volunteer tour guide need to do after tours?

A．Ensure safety of the artworks.

B．Maintain cleanness of the hall.

C．Document the numbers of visitors.

D．Answer questions about qualifications.

2. How long will the progress evaluations last?

A．4 months.

B．6 months.

C．10 months.

D．12 months.

3. Which will result in a poor review of the position?

A．Insufficient (不足的) working hours.

B．Absence of a second language.

C．Little relevant volunteer experience.

D．Limited knowledge about exhibitions.

4 . Imagine if your clothes could pick up the sounds of everything going on around you. Scientists have created a fibre (纤维) which can pick up sounds and could be used as a hearing aid, to monitor heartbeats or even in spacecraft.

The new fibre works like a microphone. It picks up sounds and turns them into vibrations (震动) and then electrical signals, in a similar way to how ears work. When woven (编织) into a shirt, the researchers say the fibre can even detect a wearer’s heartbeat. The fibre can hear sounds as low as those in a quiet library to louder sounds like heavy road traffic. It can even accurately tell the direction of sudden sounds like handclaps.

The fibre was created by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and researchers at Rhode Island School of Design. “Wearing a piece of clothing that can hear, you might talk through it to answer phone calls and communicate with others,” said lead author Yet Wan, who created the technology at MIT.

Once they had created the fibre, the team wove it into a more traditional piece of clothing which was much more flexible. When it was woven into the back of a shirt it was able to pick up the sound of people clapping, even picking up the direction the clapping was coming from. When woven into the shirt’s inner lining (内衬) it could pick up the person’s heartbeat, which the researchers think could be used in a pregnant woman’s clothes to monitor a baby’s heartbeat.

As well as wearable hearing aids, and clothes that track your heartbeat, the team says there are possibilities beyond clothing. “It can be integrated with spacecraft skin to listen to space dust, or embedded into (嵌入) buildings to detect cracks or strains,” Yet suggests. “It can even be woven into a smart net to monitor fish in the ocean.”

1. What is the scientists’ new invention?

A．A lightweight fibre.	B．A new spacecraft skin.
C．A fibre that can hear.	D．A microphone that can talk.

2. What can we learn about the new material?

A．It is easily distracted by loud sounds.

B．It can even pick up faint sounds.

C．It works more accurately than human ears.

D．It fails to recognise the direction of sounds.

3. What did the team do after creating the new material?

A．They wove it into babies’ clothes.	B．They turned it into a fishnet.
C．They put it into mass production.	D．They tested its performance.

4. What do Yet’s words in the last paragraph suggest?

A．The fibre has a wide range of applications.	B．The fibre can bring in a big profit.
C．The fibre needs to be improved.	D．The fibre is less flexible than traditional clothes.

5 . One of the best parts of travel is always the food. Or, more specifically, the junk food. It’s a delight people are unlikely to get to experience during the pandemic. But in one corner of the Internet, hungry people are keeping the joy of international snacks alive.

On r/SnackExchange, users trade the delights of their homeland by mail. First, you find someone on the board to swap (交换) with. You and your partner then post each other a box full of local finest processed foods, eventually uploading photos of your haul (收获) on the board for others to see.

First created in 2010, r/SnackExchange’s membership now totals 102,000. Most come to experience snacks they can’t find at home.

For the users who take part in snack exchanges, it’s a way to learn more about the world. For Meghan Quallick, a snack swapper from California, part of the motivation for swapping with an Australian was to get her hands on a specific item: Cadbury Black Forest bars. A colleague of hers had eaten the chocolate bars on a trip to Australia in years past and fallen in love with them, but was then unable to source them at home. Quallick’s snack partner included 10 bars of the chocolate in her package. “To get some and bring them to her was pretty exciting,” Quallick said. “My colleague had tears in her eyes.”

Snack exchanges do come with obvious financial disadvantages. Part of the process is to agree on a budget before you swap — on average that’s around the US$40-50 mark. But you should be prepared to spend twice as much on shipping as the actual snacks. Occasionally swappers get scammed (欺骗) by partners who don’t deliver on their end of the deal.

Often, the snack exchanges are about more than just the food. Heather Clarke, a snack swapper from Melbourne says, “They’re often cultural exchanges as well. You get people going, ‘Can you tell me what this is?’” Often, users enclose (随信附上) instructions on how to best consume the snacks. Going the extra mile is in the spirit of the community.

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The history of snack exchanges.	B．How users exchange snacks on r/ SnackExchange.
C．Why people love to exchange snacks.	D．The influence the pandemic has on snack exchanges.

2. Why did Quallick’s colleague cry?

A．She got what she desired to eat from Quallick.	B．She failed to find a swapper online.
C．She found the snack she ate before online.	D．She quarreled with Quallick.

3. What is a disadvantage of snack exchanges?

A．Swappers easily get scammed.

B．Swappers seldom find exactly what they want.

C．Swappers may spend more time than usual shopping.

D．Swappers have to spend more on shipping.

4. What does Clarke say about snack exchanges?

A．They should be improved.	B．They are lacking in community spirit.
C．They promote cultural exchanges.	D．They should have detailed guides from swappers.

6 . Before traveling to Lake Tahoe, make sure your plans are in order. Complete vacation packages of the area are now offered online.

Package 1. Get Outdoors in Lake Tahoe Package Get outdoors and explore! With this fun vacation package, you can stay in the Lake Tahoe area for three nights and have a few adventures along the way. This package also features Lake Tahoe Sport Fishing, allowing guests to get out and fish! Click here to book	Package 2. Lake Tahoe Family Vacation Package If your next trip happens to be in the Lake Tahoe area, then consider booking this one. It is great because it can offer you four full nights at the hotel of your selection and an amazing sightseeing tour through the Emerald Bay. You also can enjoy Lake Tahoe Hot Air Balloons tours and the Wild West Tour. Click here to book
Package 3. Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package This is perfect for people who want to have a romantic time. It includes a two-night stay at the hotel of your choice and one of the finest activities in all of Lake Tahoe — the Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Sunset Boat Tour on the Bleu Wave. During this romantic sail, you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Lake Tahoe. Click here to book	Package 4. Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package The Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package is great for people of all ages, so this is a great choice for families. This package includes a two-night stay at the hotel you choose. It also includes a trip which takes place on the Bleu Wave by boat. Click here to book

1. Which package offers the longest visit to Lake Tahoe?

A．Package 1.

B．Package 2.

C．Package 3.

D．Package 4.

2. What is the similarity between the last two packages?

A．Their boat tour.	B．The hotel for staying.
C．The places for traveling.	D．Their target customers.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．A guidebook.

B．A travel report.

C．A local newspaper.

D．A website.

7 . Researchers examined 120 babies aged 6 to 14 months as they watched a children’s opera performed at a concert hall (61 babies watched in person, the other 59 watched a recorded form). They carefully set the recording so the performers were at the same size, distance and volume as the live form. The babies’ responses were tracked through heart monitors and tablets, and afterward research assistants searched through the footage (镜头) to note when babies were looking at the stage and when they looked away.

The live performance kept their attention for 72% of the 12-minute show and also had them continually watching for longer periods of time. The findings suggest that even babies feel the impact of being at a live show, through both musicians’ interactions with an audience and the social experience of being in a crowd. “Their heart rates were speeding up and slowing down in a similar fashion to other babies watching the show. Those babies were dealing with all these distractions (使人分心的事) in the concert hall, but still had these interests in the performance,” says Laura Cirelli, an assistant professor. In comparison, the recording held the babies’ attention for just half of the 12-minute show.

“If there’s something happening that we collectively are engaging (参与) in, we’re also connecting with each other. It speaks to the shared experience,” says Cirelli. “It’s well established that socialization (社会化) is important during early childhood development — a baby’s brain is laying the groundwork for future life skills and abilities as it grows. Music can play a powerful part in making those important bonds. Babies are more likely to socialize with someone after hearing them sing a familiar song or dancing to music with them.”

The study, which was co-authored by Haley Kragness, now an assistant professor at Bucknell University, will also feed into some of Cirelli’s other work. “If a baby is frequently brought to these kinds of events, will that provide the foundation (基础) for their engaging in music and the community later in childhood?” Cirelli says. “It speaks to why we are inborn to consume music and attend live shows in the first place.”

1. How did the researchers make the experiment convincing?

A．By airing two different performances.

B．By tracking babies’ activity with caution.

C．By asking a smaller group to see the live show.

D．By making the recording similar in every detail to the live form.

2. What can we learn about babies enjoying the live show?

A．They watched the show more carefully.	B．They had faster heart rates.
C．They formed bonds with musicians.	D．They enjoyed it without distractions.

3. What might be Cirelli’s attitude to babies’ watching live performances?

A．Concerned.

B．Uninterested.

C．Supportive.

D．Indifferent.

4. What will Cirelli’s further study focus on?

A．The reasons for our attending live shows.

B．The benefits of socialization for babies.

C．Live performances’ other influences on babies.

D．Babies’ growth after seeing recorded shows.

8 . A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health finds air pollution may negatively impact standardized test scores. Using data from the North Carolina Education Research Data Center, the researchers tracked 2.8 million public school students in North Carolina from 2001 to 2018 and measured their exposure to PM2.5 found in polluted air. While previous research has shown negative effects on academic performance, it has relied on relatively small or less representative samples. “The biggest strength of this study is that we tracked every student in North Carolina in those years, for the whole time period that they were in the public schools,” said Emma Zang, coauthor of the study.

The study also finds that test scores of ethnic minorities and girls are disproportionately (不成比例地) impacted by PM2.5 levels. “Females and ethnic minorities face sexism and racism,” said Zang. “There are a lot of policies that are not friendly towards them. So, when they’re exposed to the same level of air pollution, they don’t have the resources to lessen the negative influences.” More privileged populations, however, might have more resources that allow them to live in a better environment, such as in houses with air purifiers.

“The level of PM2.5 pollution in the US is relatively low, but students living in areas below the current air quality standard of annual PM2.5 concentration are still negatively impacted by air pollution when it comes to their test scores,” said Zang. “We should aim to strengthen the annual PM2.5 standard to better protect our children.”

Air pollution is known to contribute to disease and death, and it also negatively affects students’ academic performance even at low levels of pollution. The subsequent studies, the researchers said, would involve looking at whether the findings hold true in different areas, and also the reasons behind the ethnic and sexual differences.

1. What’s the greatest advantage of the study?

A．Tracking each student for 18 years.	B．Collecting more comprehensive data.
C．Measuring students’ PM2.5 exposure precisely.	D．Building links between air pollution and test scores.

2. According to Zang, ethnic minorities and girls ________.

A．benefit from current policies on PM2.5 pollution

B．have the lowest test scores due to their identities

C．lack resources to reduce the impact of air pollution

D．suffer from educational inequalities owing to their background

3. What’s Zang doing in paragraph 3?

A．Offering a suggestion.	B．Raising a doubt.
C．Making a comparison.	D．Giving a prediction.

4. What might be the focus of the follow-up studies?

A．Applicability of the findings to other regions.	B．Ways to address racial and sexual differences.
C．Long-term impacts of air pollution on children.	D．Establishment of PM2.5 standard fit for children.

9 . Edinburgh is famous for its many museums where you can learn its rich history.

Museum on the Mound

Located in the heart of Edinburgh’s city center, this appealing museum takes a fresh look at money — and much, much more. You will see coins and banknotes from over the ages, including the first Scottish banknote printed in 1727. There are also interesting interactive displays and you can even try your hand at opening a safe!

The Writers’ Museum

It is housed in the beautiful Lady Stair’s House, a category A listed building. The collection celebrates the legacy (遗产) of Scotland’s literary contributions, with special emphasis given to Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns. The museum is home to numerous paintings, books and manuscripts (手稿), and you can also see Burns’ writing desk and Scott’s chess set.

Our Dynamic Earth

It celebrates the beauty of the earth via technology. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to experience earthquakes, the ocean floor, ice ages and mountains by the use of computer software. Particularly interesting is the “tour” around the eleven Earthscapes. It is educational fun for the whole family and can serve as a good introduction to concepts surrounding the formation of the planet and the creatures we share the earth with.

National Museum of Scotland

The diverse collections here include the history of Scotland with exhibitions of international interest. The natural world, science and technology, discoveries, art, and world cultures are all explored. There are interactive elements and activities to suit children of all ages, including science experiments and musical instruments.

1. Which might be the most attractive to finance majors?

A．Our Dynamic Earth.	B．Museum on the Mound.
C．The Writers’ Museum.	D．National Museum of Scotland.

2. What do The Writers’ Museum and National Museum of Scotland have in common?

A．They have an artistic atmosphere.	B．They have interactive exhibits.
C．They provide hands-on activities.	D．They showcase world cultures.

3. What can you do at Our Dynamic Earth?

A．Play with your family.	B．Tour the world virtually.
C．Design computer software.	D．Learn about ancient creatures.

10 . To produce the classic clothing, blue jeans, producers rely on indigo dye (靛蓝染料), the only molecule known to provide jeans’ unique, beloved color. While indigo itself naturally comes from a plant, growing demand for blue jeans throughout the 20th century gave rise to synthetic (合成的) indigo, which is now more commonly used.

Indigo is the dye that makes jeans blue, but it doesn’t mix with water. To dye clothes, usually, chemicals are needed to make the color stick to the cloth. But in Denmark, scientists have created a new way to dye clothes using an enzyme (酶), which is a kind of protein that can cause chemical reactions, instead of harmful chemicals. This new method is better for the environment and doesn’t use poisonous stuff.

The chemical process for dyeing blue jeans has persisted for the last century. Workers are exposed to the poisonous chemicals, which also pollute the environment near factories. Waste water from those factories often ends up in waterways, decimating local ecosystems and even dyeing rivers blue.

Ditte Hededam Welner, the study’s lead researcher, says their new enzyme works really well and is strong enough for making lots of jeans without breaking down. This enzyme makes dyeing with indican, which is like indigo, much less harmful to the planet — about 92% better than the old way.

However, the new method doesn’t fix all the environmental problems of making jeans. Making a single pair of jeans uses a lot of water — enough to fill many bathtubs — from growing the cotton to putting the final touches on the jeans.

Even though the new dyeing process is better for the environment, it’s not always easy or cheap to change to it. Welner’s team isn’t sure if jeans companies will find it easy or affordable to switch to this method. It costs a little bit more — just seven cents extra per pair of jeans — to use the enzyme for dyeing. But Welner believes it’s worth it because it’s much better for the environment.

1. Why was synthetic indigo created in the 20th century?

A．It made jeans’ color unique.	B．It was easy to dye cloth with it.
C．People liked jeans made from it.	D．People were in greater need of jeans.

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

A．Troubling.

B．Entering.

C．Destroying.

D．Defeating.

3. Which is an advantage of the new method?

A．The colour is more beautiful than the synthetic indigo.

B．The market can keep stable goods supplies.

C．Enzyme facilitates the advance of science.

D．The dye is more environmentally friendly.

4. What makes Welner worried about the new method?

A．Production costs.	B．Environmental benefits.
C．Water consumption.	D．Laborer shortage.