1 . A fisherman from Portland, Maine, the US, caught a very rare bright blue lobster (龙虾) off the coast of Maine but chose to set it free back into the ocean. The photo of the blue lobster was shared by tech enterpriser Lars-Johan Larsson. “This blue lobster was caught off the coast of Portland yesterday and returned to the water to continue to grow. Blue lobsters are one in two million,” he wrote.
While the shells of lobsters are generally red or brown in color, the blue shell is a result of gene mutation (基因突变), which causes the lobster to produce more of a particular protein than other lobsters, leading to the rare blue color, as reported by the Toronto Sun.
Yellow, orange and crystal-colored lobsters are considered even rarer than bright blue ones. According to the Lobster Institute, yellow lobsters account for about one in 30 million of the total population. Two fishermen in Dorset caught a crystal-colored lobster in 2011.
“Whatever the odds of catching different-colored lobsters, there’s no denying that bright blue ones are truly beautiful creatures,” said Rob Bayer, executive director of the University of Maine Lobster Institute. “They might not be the most unusual, but they’re undoubtedly the best to look at.”
It’s become something of a trend for restaurants to spare blue lobsters. Austin Hopley, a chef at “The Hare” in Rochdale, the UK, made the news for sparing a bright blue lobster. He gave it to Sea Life in Manchester, as reported by the BBC.
“Now it’s there for people to enjoy,” said Hopley. “I felt responsible. Something so rare didn’t require a place on the menu. Every species deserves a fair chance at survival.”
Expert Brendan Malone from Sea Life said, “It is certainly an extraordinary find and worth saving to try to educate the public about these amazing creatures in the ecosystem.”
1. What is the root cause for the color of blue lobsters?| A．Gene variation. | B．Adaptation failure. |
| C．A specific protein. | D．A mix of red and brown. |
| A．They are the rarest. | B．They are easy to catch. |
| C．They are delicious to eat. | D．They are most beautiful. |
| A．It wouldn’t make a good dish. |
| B．He wanted to follow the trend. |
| C．He took on responsibility to save it. |
| D．It would bring him fame and profits. |
| A．Blue Lobsters Rebound Suddenly |
| B．Chefs Take Action to Protect Lobsters |
| C．Gene Mutation Has an Effect on Lobsters |
| D．Man Catches a “One in Two Million” Blue Lobster |
2 . Ready for a creative journey like never before? Welcome back to Axis Bank Splash! We are excited to invite you to dive into a world of imagination, where colors, words, and creativity come to life. But this year promises to be more exciting as entries showing your talents in drawing, craft, and literature are highly anticipated.
Themes
Choose the themes suiting yourself.
| Group | Theme |
| Kids 7—10 | Helping One Another |
| Kids 11—14 | Making The World A Kinder Place |
Prizes
The excitement doesn’t end with just showing your creativity. Winners in each age group have the chance to win fantastic prizes.
Cash Rewards: A generous reward awaits those whose creativity stands out.
Customized Campus Tours: Absorb yourself in the creative environment with a customized tour of noted art and design campuses.
Virtual Workshops from NID: Learn from the best! Winners will have the opportunity to attend virtual workshops conducted by the National Institute of Design (NID), a celebrated institution in design education.
Registration
Click on “Register”, add your phone number, and fill in the OTP (One-time Password). Fill in the “Submission Category” and attach your creative file. Need guidance? If yes, check out the sample submission here.
Don’t miss the chance to make a hit with your creativity. We are waiting for your masterpieces!
1. What is Axis Bank Splash?| A．An organization. | B．An art museum. | C．A tour. | D．A contest. |
| A．A check reward. | B．Admission to NID. |
| C．A visit to art colleges. | D．Access to design studios. |
| A．Completing the submission category. | B．Changing the password first. |
| C．Submitting the work by email. | D．Referring to the given sample. |
3 . Pick up any packaged processed food, and there’s a decent chance that one of its listed ingredients will be “natural flavour”. The ingredient sounds good, particularly in contrast to “artificial flavours” since there is a common belief that ingredients from nature are necessarily safer than something artificially made. But it’s not true. Then what exactly does the natural flavour mean? It refers to extracts (提取物) got from natural sources like plants, meat or seafood. When consumers see the “natural flavour” on a label, they are unlikely to assume that someone is squeezing the juice from oranges into their bottles. They know even though natural flavour must come from natural sources, it needn’t all come from the plant or meat. For example, orange flavours might contain not only orange extracts, but also extracts from bark and grass.
So if flavours like orange are needed, why not just use oranges? The answer comes down to “availability, cost, and sustainability”, according to flavour chemist Gary Reineccius of the University of Minnesota. “If you’re going to use all your grapes on grape soda,” Reineccius says, “you don’t have any grapes for wine making; the products are going to be exorbitant; besides, what do you do with the by-products you create after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of the grapes?”
Actually, while chemists make natural flavours by extracting chemicals from natural ingredients, artificial flavours are made by creating the same chemicals artificially. The reason why companies bother to use natural flavours rather than artificial flavours is simple: marketing. “Many of these products have health titles,” says Platkin, professor from Hunter College. “Consumers may be talked to believe products with natural flavours are healthier, though they are nutritionally no different from those with artificial flavours. Natural flavours may involve more forest clear-cutting and carbon emissions from transport than flavours created in the lab.”
Platkin suggests getting more transparent (易懂的) labeling on packaging that describes exactly what the natural or artificial flavours are, so consumers are-not misled into buying one product over another because of “natural flavours”. Reineccius also offers simple guidance: “Don’t buy anything because it says ‘natural flavours’. Buy it because you like it.”
1. Which is misunderstanding about the “natural flavour” juice according to Paragraph 1？| A．It comes from 100% original fruit. |
| B．It is nothing but advertising tricks. |
| C．It certainly contains extracts made in the lab. |
| D．It is absolutely safer than juice with artificial flavours. |
| A．Popular. | B．Expensive. | C．Favorable. | D．Innovative. |
| A．To cut the costs. | B．To promote the sales. |
| C．To advocate a healthy diet. | D．To avoid food safety issues. |
| A．Gary and Platkin hold opposite perspectives. |
| B．Natural flavours are more environmentally friendly. |
| C．Customers are misled for ignoring labels on packaging. |
| D．Natural and artificial flavours are more alike than you think. |
4 . The Children’s Museum of Manhattan Exhibitions Beginning in 2024
PlayWorks (Ages: birth years)We’ve designed every aspect of PlayWorksTM to help families prepare children to enter school. By combining hands-on games and learning, PlayWorksTM creates a fun and rewarding experience for children.
For adults, PlayWorksTM provides an opportunity to observe each child’s unique learning style and appreciate how play creates a strong foundation for later learning. This innovative environment includes Alphie — a giant talking dragon who “cats” letters! Come to get more resources to support your child’s language development.
Adventures with Dora and Diego (Ages: 3-6 years)Join Diego on a series of animal rescue missions. Learn facts about animals and their habitats by helping Diego rescue animals in trouble. Explore a cave, a beach and the rainforest or rub animal footprints, even build a bear’s nest! By helping Dora and her friends, kids will learn problem-solving skills, and gain a greater appreciation and awareness of Latin American culture.
Inside Art (Ages: 4-10 years)The exhibition continues our tradition of providing families with access to beautiful, complex, and challenging art, as well as access to working artists and opportunities for art making. Come to celebrate art as a vehicle for building healthy communities and explore ideas of home and identity.
Superpowered Metropolis: Early Learning City (Ages: 2-6 years)The exhibit invites children and their grown-ups to feel like heroes, building their learning brain skills together. These skills, known as executive functions, include self-control and mental flexibility. Children practise these learning “superpowers” with Zip, Zap, and Zoom, who guide families on a series of city adventures exploring the subways, parks, music, travel, tree houses, and more.
1. Which exhibition is suitable for a boy aged 3 who is learning spelling?| A．Adventures with Dora and Diego. |
| B．Inside Art. |
| C．Superpowered Metropolis: Early Learning City. |
| D．PlayWorks. |
| A．Learn more about nature and culture. |
| B．Draw a map of city subways and parks. |
| C．Graduate with a specific qualification. |
| D．Get resources for language learning. |
| A．They are free of charge for kids. |
| B．They are only designed for kids. |
| C．They improve kids’ academic performance. |
| D．They provide kids with hands-on experience. |
Ten miles away stood a house with shiny red walls, a green garden and an apple tree. A young girl’s face would be seen reflecting from one of the large glassy windows. Her name is Maggie. Her eyes were sparkling and on her face there was a smile which could light a million candles. She seemed to be longing for a chance to play like a young child, but she had no strength in her legs because she and her family met with an accident, in which she lost both her legs.
But her spirit was strong. She would be inspired by seeing birds fly. The flying eagle would make her want to fly. She was lonely. She longed for a true friend who would talk to her and teach her to fly or at least tell her stories about soaring into the blue sky.
One evening, Maggie slowly rolled her wheelchair to the giant window and looked out to the many houses that lay across the road. Suddenly she heard someone singing and then could see an old man in a pilot suit singing in glory. The beautiful sound and the melody made the little girl happy. Suddenly he stopped and gazed up toward her. “What are you staring at?” he said angrily. “You think I’m a circus clown? (马戏团小丑)” “No, Sir. I was just listening to you. You sing very well,” she said. “I don’t need your praises. I don’t need anyone!” he shouted. He started to walk to his house and shut the door. Tears rolled down from her apple-red cheeks as the man shouted at her. She was lonely.
Next morning, Maggie pushed her wheelchair across the garden to the stone road as little children played hide-and-seek around her. Suddenly out of nowhere a loading truck came rumbling across toward her. Terrified, she tried to move away from its path but the wheels of her chair were stuck. “Oh my,” she thought as the truck came in her direction fast, with the driver unaware of the obstruction in front of him. She screamed loudly but in a split second she was pulled out of her wheelchair by someone and fell on the ground. She closed her eyes and shivered as the truck passed her whistling. As she opened her eyes, she could see a man standing beside her.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
She gazed up to him and immediately recognized him as the man she saw singing last night.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Maggie got to know his name was Ken and that he was a retired pilot.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1.你喜欢的音乐；
2.音乐给你带来的好处。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Khan Lab School is bringing back the one-room model to teach young students in Mountain View, California. The school is
Students aged 5 to 15 attend the experimental Khan Lab School. It has no grade levels and no homework. The students are in school from 8:30 in the morning until 6:00 in the afternoon. And, the school is open all year long, with small
The school is the idea of Salman Khan, the founder of Khan Academy. Khan Academy is
Khan
The one-room model lets the older students help younger students,
Khan said students also learn the study material at their own speed through videos. At last, they get more attention through one-on-one discussions with teachers. They also learn by
You can be happy even when you’re suffering from illness, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the aspects of your health
Making exercise a regular habit isn’t just good for the body. It also has a
It doesn’t really matter
Also, getting quality sleep every night directly
9 . I’ve always loved horses, but for years my riding took a back seat to my four kids’ soccer games, dance recitals and so on. As my children became more
I have a work-to-ride rent at a nearby stable (马厩). As soon as I arrive at the stable, I always
One day, as I wiped off my bridle (马笼头), my friend Mary asked with sad eyes, “Did you hear about Heather? She
“No, how awful! Heather’s son is around my age.” I murmured.
“Yes, it’s tragic,” she said. “I
“Yesterday? She was out here?”
“She and her grandsons went for a trail
I nodded
Relief from real life. We all need it, somewhere, somehow, because life is
| A．ambitious | B．enthusiastic | C．independent | D．responsible |
| A．on | B．in | C．off | D．behind |
| A．forget | B．hesitate | C．regret | D．stop |
| A．persuaded | B．joined | C．refused | D．forced |
| A．replacement | B．recovery | C．recharge | D．repair |
| A．lost | B．beat | C．abandoned | D．raised |
| A．wrote | B．talked | C．explained | D．whispered |
| A．adventure | B．walk | C．visit | D．ride |
| A．get through | B．get over | C．get away from | D．get across |
| A．silently | B．hurriedly | C．gratefully | D．eagerly |
| A．spread | B．developed | C．controlled | D．prevented |
| A．result from | B．recover from | C．depart from | D．suffer from |
| A．concern | B．affection | C．escape | D．value |
| A．tough | B．precious | C．simple | D．unclear |
| A．neater | B．smoother | C．softer | D．higher |
10 . It is not hard to learn more about a piece of famous painting, but identifying an unknown painting can be tricky. What do you need to do to get its specific information? Here are tips to identify a painting.
·Use the signature or monogram (字母组合图案) to dig online and find the image. Look in the corners of the painting to see if there is a signature or monogram.
·Turn to an image recognition app to identify the painting immediately. If you’re struggling to remember an artist’s name or you want additional information on a particular painting, download an image recognition app designed specifically for art. There are several apps for both Android and iPhone that allow you to snap a photo of a painting to search through museum catalogues, university databases, and art history texts.
·Ask an expert to identify the era, style, or painter of an image.
·
In a word, the tips above are helpful.
| A．This is the easiest way to find a specific painting. |
| B．Locate its exact location when you appreciate the painting. |
| C．If the name is easy to read, search the artist’s name up online to find it. |
| D．Email or visit an art history professor to ask whether he can look at the image. |
| E．Take advantage of obvious clues in the subject matter to narrow down the date. |
| F．Thus, you’ll find it easier than you think to find the information you’re looking for. |
| G．If the professor mainly focuses on newer artists, a contemporary abstract piece is going to be easier to identify. |
