1 . Song Yingxing was a Chinese scientist and encyclopedist (百科全书编纂者) who lived during the late Ming Dynasty. The British biochemist and historian Joseph Needham called him “The Diderot of China”.
Song Yingxing was born in Fengxin county in Jiangxi province in 1587. He took part in the second highest imperial (科学) examinations in Beijing six times, but failed to become a jinshi. After that, he decided to give up taking exams and turned to the practical knowledge of natural science. Then Song Yingxing spent four years teaching his students in his hometown.
Although it was a job like teaching, it was a very important stage in Song Yingxing’s life, because many of his works were written here. And Song Yingxing had been living in a secluded (隐居的) life in the past ten years. Because he didn’t want to be an official, Song Yingxing lived a very poor life in his later years.
He was the author of Tian Gong Kai Wu, an encyclopedia that covered a wide variety of technical subjects. As Joseph Needham has observed, the vast amount of accurately drawn illustrations in this encyclopedia dwarfed the amount provided in previous Chinese encyclopedias, making it a valuable written work in the history of Chinese literature. Tian Gong Kai Wu records all aspects of technology up to the mid-Ming period. The book constitutes a complete system of science and technology, and provides a systematic summary of ancient Chinese technology, the experience accumulated by China in agriculture, and China’s achievements in technology.
Many of the production techniques described in the book are still in use today. At the same time, Tian Gong Kai Wu broke from Chinese tradition by rarely referencing previous written work. It was instead written in a style strongly suggestive of personal experience. The book was translated into Japanese, French, English, German, Italian, and Russian, and was widely circulated in Europe and Japan.
In addition, Song Yingxing had made great achievements in many fields. His research was very extensive. In physics, he studied the occurrence of sound and, finally concluded that sound is transmitted in the air.
1. What can we learn about Song Yingxing from the text?| A．He adjusted the direction of life. | B．He dreamed to be a great scientist. |
| C．He received a science education. | D．He passed imperial examinations. |
| A．Busy but satisfactory. | B．Significant and rewarding. |
| C．Comfortable but worthless. | D．Challenging and intolerant. |
| A．Make something seem smaller. | B．Apply something to practice. |
| C．Provide evidence of something. | D．Take advantage of something. |
| A．It provided abundant first-hand experience. | B．It was written in multiple foreign languages. |
| C．It focused merely on agricultural technology. | D．It largely referenced previous encyclopedias. |
2 . Phonetic (语音) information—the smallest sound elements of speech - is considered by researchers to be the basis of language. Babies are thought to learn these small sound elements and add them together to make words. But a new study suggests that phonetic information is learnt too late and slowly for this to be the case. Instead, rhythmic (有韵律的) speech helps babies learn language and is effective even in the first few months of life.
Researchers from the Trinity College Dublin investigated babies’ ability to process phonetic information during their first year. Their study, published in the journal Nature Communications. found that phonetic information wasn’t successfully encoded (编码) until seven months old, and did not occur very often at 11 months old when babies began to say their first words. From then individual speech sounds are still added in very slowly—too slowly to form the basis of language.
The researchers recorded patterns of brain activity in 50 babies at four, seven, and eleven months old as they watched a video of a primary school teacher singing 18 nursery rhymes (童谣) to a baby. They found that phonetic encoding in babies appeared inchmeal over the first year of life, beginning with labial sounds (e.g. “d” for “daddy”) and nasal sounds (e.g. “m” for “mummy”), with the “read out” progressively looking more like that of adults.
“The reason why we use nursery rhymes is because that is the best way for babies to discover and connect sounds with language, so we are teaching them how to speak,” said Giovanni Di Liberto, lead author of the study at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. “Parents should talk and sing to their babies as much as possible or use baby-directed speech because it will make a difference to language outcome,” she added.
1. What should babies learn in the first few months of life according to the new study?| A．Small sound elements | B．Rhythmic information. |
| C．Phonetic information. | D．Individual words. |
| A．The poor phonetic encoding in babies. | B．The advantages of phonetic information. |
| C．The babies’ great ability to learn language. | D．The babies’ growing process in the first year. |
| A．Gradually. | B．Suddenly. | C．Successfully. | D．Occasionally. |
| A．When Babies Are Able to Say Their First Words |
| B．How Phonetic Information Changes Over Time |
| C．Why Phonetic Is Better Than Rhythmic for Babies |
| D．Why Babies Need Nursery Rhymes for Language Mastery |
3 . A group of fashion (时尚) design students have created 25 fidget blankets (毯子) to help senior patients keep busy while in the hospital — but what’s a fidget blanket?
The blankets offer sensory and tactile stimulators (感觉和触觉刺激物) for the restless hands of those with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia (a serious illness of the mind), according to Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) officials. The blankets have different things such as fur, pockets or buttons fixed on them and these things can stimulate activity.
The blankets help to kill boredom and calm the users down through repetitive movements.
“The students are trying to make the best use of the cloth given by the community,” St. Clair College fashion design program professor Elaine Chatwood said. “The blanket is a perfect example of green design, by using supplies that would have been thrown away.”
According to WRH officials, the college’s fashion design students have a long history of helping out patients. Students have created and given away things like sleepwear for young children, hospital gowns (罩衣) for patients and 640 cloth masks that were used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I believe this is the third project our fashion design students have carried out with Windsor Regional Hospital. In the past, they created gowns for those having MRI exams and cloth face masks for doctors and nurses during the pandemic,” St. Clair College president Patti France said. “These fidget blankets are just the latest example of this mutually (相互地) beneficial relationship between our local educational and healthcare organizations. I hope this serves as a message to the whole community that if you think any of the programs at St. Clair might be able to help your organization, get in touch with us.”
The fidget blankets will be given out to patients in need in the coming months.
1. What can we learn about the fidget blanket?| A．It was made by old people. |
| B．It is worth about 25 dollars. |
| C．It can help fight off boredom. |
| D．It was developed for a competition. |
| A．Single-use. | B．Youth-centered. |
| C．Electricity-driven. | D．Environment-friendly. |
| A．The good things done by fashion design students with their skills. |
| B．The work done by fashion design students during the pandemic. |
| C．The long history of St. Clair College fashion design program. |
| D．The needs of patients from Windsor Regional Hospital. |
| A．Pay more attention to local hospitals. |
| B．Give more support to St. Clair College. |
| C．Reach out to St. Clair College if need be. |
| D．Develop a lifelong interest in fashion design. |
4 . It has been 100 years since the first Chinese animated work created. The animators living a century ago probably had never imagined that Chinese animation could advance as rapidly as it is today. Since the industry’s start, China’s traditional culture has provided the nutrition the industry has needed to grow. Looking back over the past 100 years, we can discover many characters who were inspired by China’s rich cultural heritage like the Monkey king and Po the kung fu panda.
Back in 1922, an only one-minute-long animated advertising short for the Shu Zhedong Huawen Daziji made its debut. The work used primitive techniques, but became the forerunner of Chinese animation. Over the following decades, more popular Chinese folk stories were adapted into animated films by Chinese animators.
Chinese Generation Z tend to follow cultural traditions and fall in love with ethnic styles, and many find domestic animated series based on Chinese mythology and folklore more interesting than other genres.
The works of Shanghai Animation Film Studio are some outstanding examples of this. The studio established different styles based on folk stories, including water-and-ink animation, paper-cutting animation and puppetry animation. The classic works the studio produced stunned the world and inspired numerous animators overseas, especially in Japan. Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka once said he tasted a great deal from China’s water-and-ink animation.
More and more Chinese animated works have been entering overseas markets, expanding the influence of Chinese culture. According to related data, the total output value of Chinas animation industry surpassed $29.9 billion in 2020. Additionally, major Chinese streaming platforms aired over 60 animated series during the second half of 2021.
Chinese studios have also begun tapping into the huge demand for diverse cultural content on international streaming platforms. For example, the international streaming service Netflix bought the overseas broadcasting rights for the Chinese traditional animated series Scissor seven and other Chinese animation works.
1. What can traditional cultures do for animated works?| A．by providing inspirations. | B．by presenting characters. |
| C．by narrating stories. | D．by describing background information. |
| A．the result of making something boring. |
| B．the purpose of adapting something bad. |
| C．the first public appearance. |
| D．the success of creating something unexpected. |
| A．Critical. | B．Objective. | C．Jealous. | D．Approved. |
| A．Chinese animated works are the best way to circulate cultures. |
| B．Chinese animated works industry are on the promising track. |
| C．Chinese people are making more profits from animation-industry. |
| D．International streaming service Netflix is the most influential streaming platforms. |
5 . Research found that when people saw others in their herd (群体) hesitating before making a choice, they were about twice as likely to break from the group and make a different choice.
The findings have meanings for group behaviour in finance, fashion—any situation where there might be herd behaviour, Krajbich said. “Even if it appears at first that everyone is following the same trend, hesitation may show that they are not all on the same page,” he said.
The research studied 72 college students. They participated in groups of eight. When their predecessor (前任) responded slowly, participants chose against the herd about 66% of the time, compared to only 33% of the time when their predecessor chose quickly. In cases where the group was making the wrong decision, this often led people to break from the herd and make the correct choice, he said.
“A couple of bad decisions at the beginning can lead everyone to the wrong road. That’s the herd behaviour,” Krajbich said. “But what we found is that if people can see the hesitation in others’ choices, that can help them break the chain and change the course of the herd.”
Fast decisions by others can consolidate one’s own belief. For example, if a person sees their friends quickly choose to get a vaccine for COVID-19, that may make them more comfortable making the same choice, Krajbich said. If friends hesitate before getting a vaccine—even if they eventually get one—that may make a person less sure about whether to get the shot, he said.
Krajbich said the findings in the research aren’t necessary a universal rule. There may be some decisions for which taking longer to choose could indicate a more thoughtful choice. “It will be important to figure out when fast decisions signal confidence or when instead they signal thoughtlessness,” he said.
1. What will people probably do when seeing others in their herd hesitate?| A．Stop and see. | B．Criticise the trend. | C．Adopt other options. | D．Follow the majority. |
| A．A wrong beginning leads to a wrong road. |
| B．Predecessors help speed up decision making. |
| C．People tend to choose against the herd without hesitation. |
| D．Hesitation in others’ choices helps when the majority is wrong. |
| A．Strengthen. | B．Challenge. | C．Weaken. | D．Change. |
| A．They may lack confidence. | B．They are persuaded by friends. |
| C．They are affected by COVID-19. | D．They may act without due consideration. |
6 . In astronomy, star classification is governed by the Morgan-Keenen system, which categorizes stars based on their composition and surface temperature. The origins of this system can be traced back to the work of Annie Jump Cannon, a late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century astronomer who spent over forty years classifying stars based on their unique spectra (光谱) of transmitted light.
Beginning early in her life, Cannon demonstrated an exceptional talent for the physical sciences. As a child, she developed an interest in astronomy and transformed her study into a temporary observatory. Later, as a student at Wellesley College, Cannon earned a degree in physics and became an expert in spectroscopy, the process by which light is separated into its component wavelengths. During this period, she also took up photography and traveled extensively in order to experiment with the newly invented black-box camera.
Cannon’s background in physics, astronomy, and photography provided her with a unique skillset that would serve her well for the rest of her career. After working as a research assistant for a number of astronomers at Wellesley and Radcliffe Colleges, Cannon was hired by Professor Edward Charles Pickering, the director of the Harvard College Observatory. Under Pickering, she classified over 300,000 stars — more than any other human in history — using only a telescope, a spectrometer, and a camera. Using this knowledge, she developed her own classification system that relied on the surface temperature of the stars, which could be accurately estimated using the spectra of light transmitted from stars. It was said that Cannon could classify three stars a minute and, using a magnifying glass, could classify stars down to the 9th magnitude — sixteen times fainter than what can be seen by human eyes.
Today, Cannon’s unique classification system is used by countless astronomy enthusiasts around the world. Harlow Shapley, the astronomer who succeeded Pickering, once referred to Cannon’s contribution to astronomy as “a structure that probably will never be duplicated (复制) in kind or extent by a single individual.”
1. What do we know about Cannon according to the passage?| A．She invented black-box camera. | B．She built a star-watching spot at home. |
| C．She majored in photography in college. | D．She spent forty years in studying light transmission. |
| A．The camera could receive the spectra of light. |
| B．A star’s light could tell its external temperature. |
| C．The light of stars could be classified into nine types. |
| D．Approximately 300,000 stars possessed the same spectra. |
| A．Ambitious and generous. | B．Persistent and brave. |
| C．Work-addicted and honest. | D．All-around and creative. |
| A．A Woman Classifying the Stars | B．A Pupil Outdoing Her Master |
| C．Science Knows No Gender | D．Astronomy Taps Potential |
7 . A tree planting initiative in Kenya has seen over 30,000 trees being planted. The Green Generation Initiative is a Kenyan charity that has been planting trees to counter climate change and the reduction in forest in the East African nation since 2016.
Founded by climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti, the initiative's primary focus is on developing young climate activists through environmental education in schools and addressing food insecurity in the region through planting fruit trees. Since its foundation, over 30,000 trees have been planted in Kenya, while thousands of school children have not just planted trees but adopted them to ensure that young people learn the importance of acting as a guardian of the health of the environment. The trees have recorded a survival rate of over 98 percent, as they continue growing from young trees to maturity.
Speaking to world leaders at the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26)，Elizabeth issued a serious warning about the threat of climate change: “Over two million of Kenyans are facing climaterelated starvation. In 2025, half of the world's population will be facing water shortage. By the time I'm 50, the climate crisis will displace over 80 million people in subSaharan Africa alone.”
Elizabeth said, “I have been doing what I can.Inspired by the great Wangari Maathai, I founded a tree growing initiative that enhances food security for young Kenyans. So far, we have grown 30，000 fruit trees, providing desperately needed nutrition for thousands of children.” “Every day we see that when we look after the trees, they look after us. We are the adults on this Earth right now, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the children have food and water, ”she added.
1. What is the initiative intended for?| A．Making policies. |
| B．Raising money. |
| C．Educating adults. |
| D．Fighting climate change. |
| A．Hunger. | B．Sickness. |
| C．Water shortage. | D．Economic risks. |
| A．Over 3,000 trees have been planted. |
| B．Green awareness has been raised. |
| C．Over 80 million people have been saved. |
| D．School education has been guaranteed. |
| A．Friendly and talented. |
| B．Caring and responsible. |
| C．Honest and determined. |
| D．Ambitious and humorous. |
8 . Humans spend approximately one-third of their lives sleeping, which means that by the time you reach 15 years old, you will have slept for about 5 years! However, the question remains: why do we do it? Sleep has long been a puzzle for people, leading scientists to explore its mysteries. They have found that during sleep, our brains and bodies do not simply shut down; instead, complex processes unfold.
What causes sleepiness? It’s caused by our biological clock releasing a special chemical signal at the same time daily, signaling it’’s time to wind down. The feeling of heaviness comes from the buildup of old nerve messenger chemicals. When the message gets too much, the brain senses that it’s time to sleep. During sleep, the body breaks down and clears away these old messengers, preparing for a fresh start.
As you slip into sleep, your heart and breathing slow down, and your brain ignores the most sounds and surroundings around you. Despite appearances, your brain remains active during sleep, performing essential tasks. Throughout the night, you cycle through light, deep, and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stages every 90 minutes. Early on, slow-wave sleep is the primary stage, aiding in brain cleaning, while towards morning,REM sleep increases, leading to vivid dreams. During sleep, your body repairs and grows, creating new skin, muscle, and other tissues with released chemicals. It’s also a time for hormone (荷尔蒙) production, aiding growth, and boosting the immune (免疫) system to fight infections.
Scientists still have many questions about sleep, such as why some people need more sleep than others and how certain animals can function with less sleep. They aim to find ways to improve sleep quality. However, one thing is clear: getting enough sleep is vital for health and intelligence. Think of sleep as a free magic potion that strengthens you, aids growth, boosts immunity, and enhances intelligence, happiness, and creativity. Simply lie down and rest to enjoy these benefits.
1. What inference can be drawn from scientists’ findings about sleep?| A．Sleep serves no purpose. | B．Sleep has fundamental processes. |
| C．Sleep involves complex processes. | D．Sleep has minimal impact on brain function. |
| A．Determining the best time for sleep. |
| B．Controlling chemicals within the body. |
| C．Managing eating and digestion patterns. |
| D．Regulating daytime and nighttime activities. |
| A．Describing the different stages and functions of sleep. |
| B．Discussing the benefits of daytime activities for overall health. |
| C．Exploring the effects of inadequate sleep on the body and mind. |
| D．Analyzing the impact of stress on the immune system during sleep. |
| A．Narrative of personal sleep experiences. |
| B．Comparison of human and animal sleep patterns. |
| C．Imaginary stories illustrating the advantages of sleep. |
| D．Explanation of sleep importance, with body processes described. |
9 . When temperatures climb, many people reach for ice-cold beverages (饮料) to cool down. But others put the kettle on: Hot tea is a go-to beverage year-round in countries such as Bangladesh, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Many people find hot tea refreshing on hot days. Can hot drinks really cool you down on a hot day?
According to Peter McNaughton, a professor at King’s College London who studies thermoregulation (温度调节), hot drinks really can cool you down. “It seems totally counterintuitive (反直觉的，违反直觉的),” McNaughton said. “Drinking a hot drink really does make you drop your temperature if it’s not too humid out.”
“If a drink is warmer than your body at first, obviously, that drink makes you hotter,” McNaughton said. But humans, like all warmblooded animals, are constantly adjusting to maintain a consistent internal temperature. McNaughton found that hot drinks activate a receptor (接受器) in our nerves called TRPV1, which tells the body it needs to cool down. In response, humans sweat.
“Sweat pooling on skin is uncomfortable, but add a breeze or a fan, and the air blowing past helps sweat evaporate (蒸发), taking heat with it,” McNaughton said. “In general, your life depends on sweating. Sweating can help humans survive in some of the highest temperatures documented on Earth, at least in dry heat. Sweat is less effective in high humidity because the air is already full of water vapor and can’t absorb as much from the skin, that’s why in high humidity, the survivable temperature is much lower.”
A 2012 study in the journal Acta Physiologica found that when sweat fully evaporates, hot drinks can help cool people off overall, at least temporarily. That study looked at cyclists biking quickly enough to create their own breeze in a climate with no humidity: ideal conditions for sweat evaporation.
In the reverse effect, cold drinks lower body temperatures and then make the brain reduce sweating in order to bring body temperature back to its baseline. A 2018 paper suggests that with less wind, more humidity, or other barriers to effective sweating—like the heavy clothing worn by firefighters—it may make more sense to cool off by drinking crushed ice.
1. What do we know about people in Bangladesh, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia?| A．They like ice-cold beverages on hot days. |
| B．They favor hot tea over cold drinks year-round. |
| C．They doubt whether hot tea can help cool them down. |
| D．They believe ice-cold beverages are harmful to their health. |
| A．TRPV1 helps adjust blood temperature. | B．Blood helps add heat to the human body. |
| C．Sweating helps increase our body temperature. | D．TRPV1 sends signals related to body temperature. |
| A．To show the danger of high humidity. | B．To reveal why some people sweat more. |
| C．To tell us about the function of sweating. | D．To display how people survive extreme heat. |
| A．Drinking enough water benefits our bodies. |
| B．We should avoid cold water in high humidity. |
| C．Hot water cools us down better than cold water. |
| D．Hot drinks help cool the body under certain conditions. |
10 . Protecting and serving is more than checking for imminent (紧急的) danger. One officer in South Hill, Virginia, makes it his mission to make people of all ages feel safe after giving the all-clear, starting with the younger generations.
And because of his kindness, many parents and their children look on C. B. Fleming as something of a superhero. 28-year-old Mom, Lesha Roper-Boswell said that the neighborhood kids need someone “larger than life” they can depend on to protect them and their town, and Fleming fits the role beautifully. “He’s awesome. That’s the only word you can really use to describe C. B.,” she told reporters. “It’s just amazing — the bond he has with the children.”
Recently, residents in an apartment complex had a scare when emergency crews came to investigate a gas leak. Though he could have just left the scene after making sure the leak wasn’t harmful, Officer Fleming made sure everyone in the building felt safer.
Seeing some kids play outside with dolls, he sat down and joined them, reassuring them that everything was going to be okay. The kids were happy to have another playmate, regardless of his uniform. Impressed and grateful, Roper-Boswell took a video of the kind act and posted it on Facebook, where it’s gained thousands of views from people living all over the country.
Fleming, who is celebrating his 15th year on the force, said he’s always desired to do more than fine people for violating (违反) parking rules. “It’s something I’ve always tried to do,” he said about also looking out for the children. “When I got into this job, I knew there was something different, other than just writing tickets and being the ‘bad’ person all the time. I figured if I could be that bright spot in someone’s day, then that was all that mattered.”
1. What kind of role did C. B. Fleming play according to Roper-Boswell?| A．A risk-taker. | B．A superhero. | C．A decision-maker. | D．A teacher. |
| A．His devotion to work. | B．His professional skills. |
| C．His striking uniform. | D．His connection with kids. |
| A．Bringing joy to people. | B．Performing his duties. |
| C．Looking after the kids. | D．Raising people’s awareness. |
| A．Neighborhood Spared from Fire Thanks to Crews |
| B．Police Officer’s Kindness Rewarded by Residents |
| C．Police Officer Becomes Hero to Neighborhood Kids |
| D．Police Officer Aims to Reduce Residents’ Violations |
