1 . My dad worked in construction. His day started early and ended late. When he got home, all he
One hot summer, when my parents’ wedding anniversary (周年纪念日) was
I knew how important that evening was to Mom, but before long Dad was
Mom
As Dad looked up, he found Mom standing in front of him with his dinner. I’ll never
She kissed him on the cheek, “I know you would, but I’m also
That
| A．happened | B．wanted | C．agreed | D．remembered |
| A．appearing | B．passing | C．changing | D．approaching |
| A．eventually | B．secretly | C．surprisingly | D．naturally |
| A．comfort | B．convenience | C．celebration | D．exploration |
| A．bored | B．asleep | C．embarrassed | D．impatient |
| A．reached into | B．packed up | C．searched for | D．switched off |
| A．exchanged | B．refilled | C．decorated | D．piled |
| A．depart | B．awake | C．exercise | D．withdraw |
| A．copy | B．record | C．forget | D．understand |
| A．meant | B．made | C．admitted | D．regretted |
| A．afraid | B．ashamed | C．disappointed | D．aware |
| A．advice | B．lesson | C．comment | D．experiment |
| A．proud | B．relaxed | C．happy | D．amazed |
| A．shared | B．deserved | C．gained | D．witnessed |
| A．random | B．typical | C．special | D．familiar |
2 . A 17-year-old teenager who got lost while on a snowmobiling (摩托雪橇) trip in the Canadian wilderness was safely rescued on Saturday evening. He was found in good
Robert went snowmobiling that afternoon with his father James and his brother Peter near Mahood Lake. At some point, James stopped to
Trying to find a temporary
“This young man made our task a little less
| A．taste | B．faith | C．company | D．condition |
| A．tough | B．ordinary | C．silent | D．crucial |
| A．treated | B．honored | C．mistaken | D．identified |
| A．help | B．greet | C．encourage | D．protect |
| A．warming | B．guiding | C．following | D．blaming |
| A．crowded | B．even | C．magic | D．unfamiliar |
| A．checked | B．trapped | C．wounded | D．rescued |
| A．match | B．field | C．process | D．shadow |
| A．job | B．shelter | C．volunteer | D．partner |
| A．vehicle | B．message | C．key | D．package |
| A．hesitantly | B．eventually | C．randomly | D．secretly |
| A．showed up | B．turned around | C．looked up | D．hung around |
| A．rewarding | B．boring | C．significant | D．difficult |
| A．concepts | B．knowledge | C．chances | D．equipment |
| A．unrealistic | B．noble | C．extreme | D．mature |
3 . Austin Community College (ACC) offers a stimulating schedule of art classes year-round for beginners and seasoned artists of all ages, from toddlers (学步幼儿) to adults. Taught by experienced professional artists, ACC’s classes are small, scheduled around the school, and tuition fees are affordable. ACC’s art students have access to the excellent contemporary art in our galleries to help stimulate and inspire their own efforts.
Classes for Toddlers: In keeping with research suggesting the value of art in early childhood education, ACC offers its My First Portfolio program for preschoolers, forking alongside their caregiver, young children develop their cognitive (认知的), sensory, and motor skills, and explore their creativity with age-appropriate art activities. Both toddlers and caregivers benefit from this unique and artistic bonding experience.
Classes for Children: Classes for school-age students introduce techniques, including clay modeling, collage, and more. Many classes introduce themes such as art history and current events. Students interact with a professional instructor, meet contemporary artists, and see inventive artwork in the galleries, while developing their creative skills.
Classes for Teens: Classes for teens at ACC are focused on specific themes or techniques, and aim to develop fundamental skills as well as individual artistic voice.
Classes for Adults: Both beginners and experienced artists will find engaging classes at ACC. Our class schedule regularly features drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media classes. In addition to professional instruction, adult students are regularly exposed to the work of contemporary artists.
1. What does ACC promise to its participants?| A．Free tuition. | B．Small classes. | C．Great progress. | D．Online courses. |
| A．It is suitable for all ages. |
| B．It is beneficial to both toddlers and carers. |
| C．It helps teens improve their athletic skills. |
| D．It connects the researchers with the caregivers. |
| A．Classes for Children. | B．Classes for Adults. |
| C．Classes for Teens. | D．Classes for Toddlers. |
4 . “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” could eventually become less of a baby lullaby and more of an elegy (挽歌).
Seeing stars keeps getting more difficult because artificial lighting is making the night sky about 10% brighter each year, according to a study that analyzed reports from more than 50,000 amateur stargazers. That’s a much faster rate of change than scientists previously estimated looking at satellite data.
To illustrate the change, researchers gave this example: A child is born where 250 stars are visible on a clear night. By the time that child turns 18, only 100 stars are still visible. “We are losing, year by year, the possibility to see the stars, which has been a universal human experience,” said Fabio Falchi, a physicist at Chile’s University of Santiago de Compostela. “If you can still see the dimmest stars, you are in a very dark place. But if you see only the brightest ones, you are in a very light-polluted place.”
“Prior studies of artificial lighting, which used satellite images of the Earth at night, had estimated the annual increase in sky brightness to be about 2% a year,” said Christopher Kyba, a physicist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam.
But the satellites used weren’t able to detect light with wavelengths toward the blue end of the spectrum (光谱) — including the light from energy-efficient LED bulbs. More than half of the new outdoor lights installed in the United States in the past decade have been LED lights, according to the researchers. The satellites are also better at detecting light that scatters (散射) upward, like a spotlight, than light that scatters horizontally (水平地).
Georgetown University biologist Emily Williams, who was not part of the study, said, “Skyglow disturbs circadian rhythms in humans and other forms of life. Migratory songbirds normally use starlight to find out where they are in the sky at night. And when sea turtle babies hatch, they use light to orient toward the ocean — light pollution is a huge deal for them.”
1. What did the researchers, example indicate in paragraph 3?| A．The rapid decrease in star visibility. | B．The severity of outdoor air pollution. |
| C．Children’s fondness for a clear night sky. | D．People’s regret for lost childhood activities. |
| A．It couldn’t discover the blue color. | B．It failed to detect the whole spectrum. |
| C．It was sensitive to light from LED bulbs. | D．It couldn’t find horizontal light resources. |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Concerned. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Stars Are Disappearing from the Night Sky |
| B．The Meaning Behind a Traditional Baby Song |
| C．Light Pollution Harms Wildlife and Ecosystems |
| D．Satellites Used in Measuring Night Sky Brightness |
Yixing teapot,
Zisha hu is
6 . The Inuit lived in their natural surroundings, and this required dwellings (住所) that were easy to build and were close to the places where the hunting was good.
During the winter it was sometimes necessary to build a temporary home if the hunters were away for longer periods or were caught out by bad weather.
An igloo is constructed of large blocks of snow that are cut out in different sizes with a special snow knife. The blocks are placed on top of each other in a spiral and form an effective dome-shaped shelter.
Turf huts — or earth huts — are still seen in many towns in Greenland, but mostly in connection with exhibitions at local museums. The turf hut was the most common type of dwelling, as they were so strong and well insulated that they could be lived in more or less permanently. A typical turf hut was low, square and its walls were made of large stones and turf and the roof was supported by wooden beams made of driftwood.
When families left the winter settlement and turf huts in early spring, youngsters and adults went out to gather berries, hunt reindeer and catch fish.
To avoid having to sleep out in the open, they took with them tents made of sealskin that were easy to carry and could be set up where the food was to be found. The tents were supported by a wooden frame of driftwood and the outer sealskin covering was attached to the ground using large stones.
| A．In this case the igloo was ideal |
| B．Joints and holes were filled with loose snow |
| C．This was particularly true of the winter dwelling |
| D．The dwellings were always situated close to the sea |
| E．The igloo was only used in the very north of Greenland |
| F．They lived in igloos before the introduction of modem homes |
| G．This enabled them to gather enough food for the long winters |
7 . Arctic reindeer (驯鹿) are quite busy in the summer — eating when the sun shines around the clock and the food is abundant. Like other ruminants (反刍动物), reindeer spend a great amount of time chewing on cud (反刍的食物), making it smaller and easier to digest. Finding time to sleep among all this cud chewing might be tough. But not if the reindeer could sleep while chewing.
To find out if the reindeer could actually sleep-eat, neuroscientist Melanie Furrer and his colleagues trained four female reindeer to tolerate a pen and electrodes (电极) on shaved patches of skin. The researchers were looking for the brain waves that appear during non-REM sleep, a deep, restorative sleep stage. These waves appeared when the reindeer were chewing cud, though the chewing motion itself made it hard to say whether the signal was identical to that of a regular sleep session. “We couldn’t go into detail by looking only at the brain waves, because this chewing disturbs it a bit,” says Furrer.
Still, other signs also pointed to sleep while chewing. The reindeer were calm while chewing, often with their eyes closed. “They were in a very relaxed state that resembles (像) the body position of non-REM sleep,” Furrer says. “Light noise from neighboring reindeer was less likely to be noticed by a ruminating reindeer than usual. When reindeer are kept awake, they need catch-up recovery sleep. But time spent chewing decreased the time spent in recovery sleep.”
“Unlike fur seals, ducks and long-haul flying frigatebirds, reindeer show signs of sleeping with both sides of their brains while chewing. Figuring out exactly how reindeer pull this off would be interesting,” Furrer says. “Studying various forms of sleep might lead to insights into sleep walking in people, a poorly understood and potentially dangerous sleep disorder.”
“Reindeer need time and space to be quiet and to have peace, to ruminate,” says Wagner, a scientist of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research in Tromsφ. “This paper for the first time shows that this is a very real, physiological requirement to have enough peace to ruminate undisturbed in order to cover the sleep requirements.”
1. Why do reindeer need time to chew the cud?| A．For better taste. | B．For better digestion. |
| C．For more nutrition. | D．For more enjoyment. |
| A．It is harder to disturb ruminating reindeer. |
| B．The research process was recorded in great detail. |
| C．Reindeer weren’t fully relaxed even when sleeping. |
| D．The sleep form of reindeer resembles that of sleepwalkers. |
| A．Complicated. | B．Incredible. | C．Comprehensive. | D．Pioneering. |
| A．Sleep-Eating Makes Reindeer Busy | B．Reindeer Need Recovery Sleep |
| C．Reindeer Can Sleep While Chewing | D．Reindeer Need Time and Space to Ruminate |
8 . At first glance, spinning might seem like a mere repetitive behavior, the kind that animals exhibit out of boredom. Yet, for apes, it is far from a boring pastime; rather, it is an activity rich with creativity and engagement, as they become fully absorbed in their motions. They would often lose their balance, only to get back up and restart their spinning, again and again.
For apes, including humans, spinning transforms the world into a swirling feeling. The sensations it causes can disturb the vestibular system (前庭系统), which is responsible for detecting changes in movement, orientation, position, and the body’s speed. This can lead to feelings of dizziness, light-headedness, a sudden rush of blood to the head, and even a sense of pleasure or giggliness.
It is perhaps for this reason that spinning is such a common feature in children’s play activities. Human children frequently engage in merry-go-rounds, and other spinning rides at carnivals that send them swirl ing through the air. For individuals with autism, spinning serves as a form of self-stimulation.
Researchers have drawn comparisons between the speeds at which apes spin ropes and the spinning rates seen in human pirouettes (单脚尖旋转) during ballet performances. The apes achieved an average spinning speed of 1.43 revolutions per second, with the fastest recorded at 3.3 turns per second. These are speeds that can create a physiological state of excitement in humans.
Psychologist Marc Wittmann suggests that humans seek different mental states as a way to lose themselves. “In these different states, we become more present-focused, losing our sense of self and time,” he explains. “When we are present-oriented, without thinking about the past or future, we tend to feel much better.”
Observing apes engage in spinning raises the interesting possibility that nonhuman primates (灵长目动物) might enjoy the sensation of spinning in ways similar to how humans alter their consciousness through drugs, alcohol, or physical activities. This highlights the subjective nature of experience and how different species may seek out varied sensory stimulations for enjoyment.
1. Which can describe apes’ spinning?| A．A random act. | B．An intended move. |
| C．A meaningless repetition. | D．An exhibition of boredom. |
| A．It reduces the sense of dizziness. | B．It enhances the sense of balance. |
| C．It destroys the sense of happiness. | D．It upsets the sense of direction. |
| A．To escape reality. | B．To lose track of time. |
| C．To gain confidence. | D．To increase self-awareness. |
| A．To argue and persuade. | B．To amuse and entertain. |
| C．To present and analyze. | D．To reason and conclude. |
9 . Explore ART X Lagos on Artsy
31 October-3 November 2024
ART X Lagos was launched as an active platform to show and support the breadth of contemporary art from Africa and beyond. The fair, begun in 2016 by Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, has become a cornerstone of the African art every year. The first of its kind in West Africa, ART X Lagos is a special cultural event that goes beyond the traditional art fair. The fair, which hosted over 40 artists and galleries from Africa and worldwide, bridges the gap between continent-based and foreign artists.
ART X Lagos has become renowned for its ambitious program, which includes ART X Talks — a lively discussion series; ART X Live—a one-of-a-kind music show; ART X Cinema — a film theatre; and ART Books — a feast to the latest books on art.
For its 2024 edition, the fair’s theme “The Dialogue” will place an emphasis in this unique year, on conversation and community, and will see audiences raising their voices on these present challenging times, not just for Nigeria, but on the continent and globally.
“We decided to go ahead with this different format for ART X Lagos 2023 due to the current socioeconomic challenges Nigeria is facing, and to fulfill, at the same time, our desire to continue to support the ecosystem in a way that is responsible and sustainable,” said the fair’s founder, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, in an email exchange, “We want people to take time to talk to each other and this is why we have placed our talks at the center of the fair — we are inviting our audiences to get deeply involved and encourage the act of dialogue, at this key time.”
1. Which is true about ART X Lagos?| A．It lasts about a month. | B．It is open only to African artists. |
| C．It was the first exhibition in Africa. | D．It’ll come to the ninth edition in 2024. |
| A．ART X Talks. | B．ART X Live. | C．ART X Cinema. | D．ART Books. |
| A．Conservation. | B．Economy. | C．Entertainment. | D．Communication. |
10 . In recent decades, it has become clear that consumers’ decision-making process is influenced by their emotions. Traditionally, people have been asked how they feel about products and services, but since individuals are often unaware of their own emotions, their responses may not accurately reflect reality.
Consumer neuroscience investigations have helped create a deeper understanding of the role of emotions in consumer-related choices. Emotions can be broadly categorized as positive or negative; examples of positive emotions include love, pride, and happiness, while negative emotions include anger, disgust, and fear. Both types of emotions cause physiological responses.
Distinguishing between different types of emotions is more important than classifying them as positive or negative. When sad, consumers tend to be willing to pay more for goods and are drawn towards high-risk, high-reward options. For instance, an environmentalist shopping at a supermarket might focus on getting one item for free in a two-for-one offer rather than thinking they don’t need two identical products.
Anxiety can reduce the likelihood of making risky choices and make individuals careless about rewards, similar to the effect of some positive emotions. Negative moods like fear and anger also influence risk-related decision-making differently: anger leads to more optimistic assessments, while fear results in more pessimistic risk assessments. Stress is perhaps the most problematic emotion for consumers when it comes to risk-seeking. It’s common for consumers to rush into decisions between work or social activities, feeling pressured to make quick choices. This stress can increase risk-seeking behavior, leading to regrettable decisions.
Purchases often involve making predictions about how we may feel when we have bought something. For example, will buying a new hat make me feel good? Unfortunately, consumers are not good at predicting how they will feel in the future. This means that people often purchase something on the basis that they think it will make them happy. However, as it is common to overestimate the future emotions of happiness linked to products, consumers often feel disappointed with the item as it does not live up to their emotional expectations.
1. What probably causes consumers to make improper decisions?| A．Misjudgement of reality. | B．Unaware of emotions. |
| C．Slow reflection to service. | D．Preference for certain products. |
| A．Love. | B．Pride. | C．Anxiety. | D．Sadness. |
| A．Consider only immediate rewards. |
| B．Avoid making decisions under pressure. |
| C．Focus on product quality when shopping. |
| D．Predict future emotions before making a purchase. |
| A．They accurately predict their future emotions. |
| B．They underestimate the happiness linked to products. |
| C．They have very high requirements for products. |
| D．They don’t get the pleasure they expected of the products. |
