1 . Who works only one day in a year but never gets fired?
A cashless society is defined as one that doesn’t use cash in monetary transactions (交易). These societies favor alternative means of payment, such
Of all the companies
There
China also has a vast cashless market,
Most merchants request payment via QR codes and it’s not uncommon
The growing cashless trend has led many people to wonder
3 . Rehan Staton was close to giving up on his dreams. His father, who was his family’s mere provider, struggled to make
His education suffered because of all the
The young boy was
At the company, he finally found people that saw his great
The 24-year-old’s success story now
A.harvest | B.ends | C.share | D.drops |
A.preparing | B.purchasing | C.begging | D.missing |
A.progress | B.changes | C.struggles | D.reforms |
A.worsened | B.developed | C.advanced | D.escaped |
A.taught | B.scheduled | C.encouraged | D.permitted |
A.enthusiastic | B.curious | C.concerned | D.particular |
A.serve | B.tutor | C.measure | D.record |
A.turn down | B.hold back | C.pay off | D.line up |
A.destroyed | B.refreshed | C.followed | D.postponed |
A.distinguished | B.celebrated | C.rejected | D.selected |
A.scholarship | B.job | C.deal | D.rise |
A.ceiling | B.curtain | C.roof | D.balcony |
A.turned out | B.kept away | C.showed off | D.broke out |
A.relief | B.fortune | C.privilege | D.potential. |
A.introduction | B.education | C.organization | D.invention |
A.Consequently | B.Obviously | C.Eventually | D.Hopefully |
A.promises | B.predicts | C.trains | D.inspires |
A.guiding | B.interviewing | C.targeting | D.understanding |
A.load | B.bid | C.range | D.kick |
A.on account of | B.instead of | C.in case of | D.regardless of |
4 . The Savitzs who move to Newton had found themselves welcomed into the neighborhood with truly open arms. Glenda was pregnant before the move and within three months, they gave birth to Samantha. About a week after Glenda and RaphiSavitz welcomed their daughter Samantha to the world, they learned that she was deaf. “We knew right away that we had to get involved in the deaf community, learn about the culture, and start getting fully lost in American Sign Language,” Glenda says. What the new parents didn’t know was that their neighbors in Newton, Mass., would decide they needed to start learning sign language, too.
“We really wanted to communicate with her and play with her,” says McNeil, who lives across the street from the Savitzs. “And since she couldn’t learn our language, we thought we wanted to learn hers.” McNeil and three other neighbors quietly signed up for local adult education classes in American Sign Language. “We met a teacher there that we really loved, and we asked him if he would come here and teach more neighbors,” McNeil explains. “So that’s how it started.” About 20 neighbors immediately signed up for the class. With the help of their instructor, Rhys McGovern, the neighbors are able to help Samantha feel like she belongs.
“We know how to say, ‘Are you riding your bike?’ or ‘You have pretty new pink sneakers.’ There’s a dog across the street that she loves to play with. So we all know the sign for ‘dog.’” McNeil adds, “Her parents translate for us because her fingers are very small right now and she signs very fast, so we’re trying and we’re getting better. ... Her first sign to all of us is ‘friend,’ which feels very good.”
The classes have been such a hit that there are now two offerings, on two different weeknights, bringing the number of neighbors learning the language to about 40. As a result of that neighborly effort, Samantha moves with ease where her family lives. She’ll stop in at neighbors’ homes just to draw pictures and chat.
1. When did Glenda and RaphiSavitz find Samantha deaf?A.Within three months of her pregnancy. |
B.About a week after their learning ASL. |
C.When Samantha was about one week old. |
D.Three months before their move to Newton. |
A.A teacher who instructs Savitz’s neighbors to learn ASL. |
B.A neighbor who helps Savitzinteract with her neighbors. |
C.A neighbor hired an instructor for Savitz’s neighbors. |
D.An organizer who calls on Savitz’s neighbors to help her. |
A.Bike. | B.Sneakers. | C.Dog. | D.Friend. |
A.Good neighbors, a piece of treasure. |
B.Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. |
C.Better to be friendly with a neighbor than to wear a fur jacket. |
D.Communication is one of the most efficient ways to understand. |
If history doesn’t quite repeat
For a few heady years in the 1890s, the bicycle was the must-have — swift, affordable, stylish transportation that could take you anywhere you cared to go, anytime you
Society
By 1898 cycling had become
6 . We all know how colors alter how we feel when looking at pictures, but shapes are just as powerful in affecting us psychologically. They not only provide the framework for the physical world,
Because of its structure, the triangle is often used to represent perseverance and achievement. Its wide base indicates the struggle or the journey,
Squares and, similarly, rectangles are the most common shapes you see in man-made objects.
The square’s positive attributes aren’t just limited to physical entities; it also works well in adding emotional and aesthetic (审美的) layers to images.
A.it can also produce mystery |
B.if you want to make a photo that looks different |
C.while its pointy tip, or the peak, represents the goal |
D.but they influence how we observe the space around us |
E.In graphic arts, this shape symbolizes balance and stability |
F.Its lines and angles make it perfect for framing a scene in a photo |
G.You find them everywhere from picture frames to large buildings |
7 . A recent discovery shows that our dance style is almost always the same, regardless of the type of music, and a computer can identify the dancer with astounding accuracy. Over the last few years, researchers at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Music Research at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland have used motion capture (动作捕捉) technology — the same kind used in Hollywood — to learn that your dance moves say a lot about you, such as how active or anxious you are, what mood you happen to be in, and even how much you empathize (共情) with other people. Recently, however, they discovered something that surprised them. “We actually weren’t looking for this result, as we set out to study something completely different,” explains Dr. Emily Carlson, the first author of the study.
The 73 participants in the study were motion captured dancing to seven different genres: Blues, Country, Dance/Electronica, Jazz, Metal, Pop and Rap. The only instruction they received was to listen to the music and move any way that felt natural. “We think it’s important to study phenomena as they occur in the real world, which is why we employ a naturalistic research example,” says Professor Petri Toiviainen, the senior author of the study.
The researchers analysed participants’ movements using machine learning, trying to distinguish between the musical styles. Unfortunately, their computer was able to identify the correct style less than 30% of the time. They were shocked to discover, however, that the computer could correctly identify which of the 73 individuals was dancing 94% of the time. “It seems as though a person’s dance movements are a kind of finger print,” says Dr. PasiSaari, co-author of the study and data analyst. “Each person has a unique movement signature that stays the same no matter what kind of music is playing.”Does this mean that face-recognition software will soon be joined by dance-recognition software? “We’re less interested in applications like surveillance(监视) than in what these results tell us about human musicality,” Carlson explains. “We have a lot of new questions to ask, like whether our movement signatures stay the same across our lifespan.”
1. What is the original purpose of the study?A.To test the dancers’ flexibility. |
B.To select more excellent dancers. |
C.To check the accuracy of motion capture technology. |
D.To analyze people’s personality with their dance moves. |
A.Move as they like. | B.Determine the style of music. |
C.Imagine they’re employers. | D.Recognize this tune that is playing. |
A.It’s an accidental discovery. | B.It’s an unbelievable example. |
C.It’s a misunderstood fingerprint. | D.It’s a unique method for computers. |
A.Developing a face-recognition software. |
B.Promoting it in the application market. |
C.Learning further about human response to music. |
D.Finding out the relationship between movements and lifespan. |
8 . DerlinNewey, an 89-year-old man from Weber County, Utah, has already reached an impressive age, but his Social Security checks aren’t covering his expenses. He works for a local Papa John’s as a delivery man, and despite being forced to work at his advanced age, he hasn’t let that affect his attitude — something the Valdez family recognized and honored.
Fans of pizza, the Valdezes order Papa John’s quite often. And when they do, they specifically request Newey, who always shows up with his signature greeting: “Hello, are you looking for some pizza?” The Valdezes, who have over 60,000 followers on TikTok, have featured Newey in the past, and their viewers have fallen in love with the elderly gentleman. “Everybody loves him,” Dad Carlos Valdez said.
The family has grown so fond of him that they decided to do something wonderful for the man. After they started a fundraiser for Newey, it wasn’t long before generous donors had given to the tune of $12,000 — a sizable amount by any standard, but especially so for someone in Newey’s shoes. “Collectively as a community, we all came together, and we were able to raise $12,000 for this amazing person,” CarlosValdez explained. “Somebody at that age should not be working that much.”
All that was left was to surprise Newey in his own home, making a special delivery to their special delivery man. “Good morning, dude! How are you doing?” CarlosValdez greeted Newey. The “TikTok famous” delivery man thought he was going to bring him a shirt with his signature saying (which he did), but he got far more than he had expected when CarlosValdez handed him a fat envelope stuffed with cash.
Newey didn’t even know what TikTok was, asking “Is that an online group you communicate with each other through the telephone?” “This couldn’t have gone any better,” CarlosValdez said. “He needed this. I’m just glad we could help him. We just need to treat people with kindness and respect the way he does. He stole our hearts.”
1. Why does Newey still work in his later years?A.At his fans’ request. | B.For his love for the job. |
C.Out of financial necessity. | D.For experiencing a new lifestyle. |
A.Starred. | B.Surprised. | C.Sponsored. | D.Employed. |
A.Ask him for his signature. | B.Bring him a special shirt. |
C.Deliver him a large fortune. | D.Offer him a pizza for free. |
A.They’re ambitious and selfless. | B.They’re determined and creative. |
C.They’re serious and intelligent. | D.They’re friendly and considerate. |
9 . Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Hidden amongst the shops and cafes of colorful Chinatown at 578 Carrall Street, the walled Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is a little oasis(乐土) in the city of Vancouver, BC. Popular with locals looking for a quiet walk, tourists looking for an interesting attraction, and film crews searching for locations that look like China, the Chinese Garden is top of most people’s lists for a shot of nature in the heart of the city. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park is a public garden that features a lily pond, pagoda(佛塔) and winding pathways — it’s open to the public during daylight hours and has no admission fee. The museum part of the park has an admission fee of $12 from October to April ($14 from May to September) and is open daily, apart from Mondays and Fridays from November 1 to April 30. Explore independently or take one of the 45-minute guided tours that are included in your admission fee to find out more about symbolism in the garden.
Entrance to the garden is at 578 Carrall Street — the public entrance is via the gate in the courtyard and the museum entrance is through the door next to it. Chinatown is within walking distance of most downtown hotels and is served by TransLink buses and the SkyTrain system, which stops at the nearby Chinatown-Stadium station.
Educational events run throughout the year and the garden hosts musical events, art exhibits and author talks, as well as festivals, Halloween celebrations and special one-off concerts. Traditional tea service, and calligraphy(书法) workshops take place all year round, but the garden’s biggest celebration comes during the Chinese Lunar New Year in February. Lanterns light up the garden for three weekends of fun, when the garden is magically transformed for this traditional Chinese festival.
1. How much should a visitor pay for visiting Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park in Vancouver in October?A.$26. | B.$14. | C.$12. | D.$0. |
A.Mondays in December. |
B.Fridays in February. |
C.Mondays in September. |
D.Fridays in March. |
A.Educational events and author talks. |
B.Calligraphy workshops and art exhibits |
C.Traditional tea service and the lit lanterns. |
D.Traditional tea service and calligraphy workshops. |
10 . Scientists regularly make vital new discoveries, but few can claim to have invented an entirely new field of science. Chemist Carolyn Bertozzi is one of them. Her discovery of biorthogonal chemistry (生物正交化学) in 2003 created a brand-new discipline of scientific investigation, which has enabled countless advances in medical science and led to a far greater understanding of biology at a molecular (分子的) level. On October 5, Bertozzi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly with two other professors. She is also the only woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize in science this year, after an all-male line-up in 2021.
Bertozzi was the middle daughter of an MIT physics professor and a secretary. Few predicted that Bertozzi would be the most famous person in the family. While her academic performance was not bad in high school, she was fond of playing soccer. She end ed up being admitted to Harvard University. Despite her talent in soccer, she found it too time-consuming and quit the sport to devote herself to academics.
But before becoming a rock star scientist, Bertozzi almost became an actual rock star. When she started at Harvard, she was tempted to major in music. That idea was “unpopular” with her parents, and she was timid about defying them. Instead, she chose the premed (医学预科的) track that included classes in math and sciences, and declared herself a biology major at the end of her first year of college.
Her interest in music did not completely fall by the wayside, however. Bertozzi played keyboards and sang backup vocals for a hair metal band. Bertozzi, however, did not play with the band for long. Once the band’s practices and performances conflicted with her labs and classes, there was only one outcome.
Plus, she’d soon have organic chemistry to think about a course which is infamous for weeding out pre-meds. Without any clear career ambitions up to that point, Bertozzi had been thinking about possibly becoming a doctor when, in her sophomore year (大二学年), she suddenly fell so head over heels in love with her chemistry course that she couldn’t tear herself away from her textbooks long enough to go out on Saturday nights. A torture to many was pure pleasure for her. Bertozzi changed her major from biology to chemistry a year later.
Bertozzi has sometimes joked about her having missed out on her chance to follow Morello to LosAngeles. “I didn’t get on that bus, and my playing is now limited to ‘The Wheel's on the Bus Go Round,’ I’m waiting for my sons to get old enough to appreciate 1980s heavy metal!”
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?A.Bertozzi is one of those scientists who made significant new discoveries. |
B.Bertozzi was the only female to win a Nobel Prize in science in 2021. |
C.Bertozzi played keyboards and sang backup vocals throughout her college years. |
D.Bertozzi initially planned to become a doctor. |
A.tell | B.disobey | C.approach | D.threaten |
A.easy and enjoyable |
B.difficult to pass for pre-med students |
C.popular among hair metal band players |
D.a required course for all college students |
A.Brave and sympathetic. |
B.Athletic and critical. |
C.Humble and passionate. |
D.Talented and creative. |