1 . After a busy morning, lunch can feel like just the pick-me-up you need-but sometimes the meal that you thought would energize you is the very thing that makes you want to nap at your desk.

Feeling tired after lunch, or post-meals in general, is known as postprandial somnolence—or, colloquially, the food coma.

Part of this phenomenon is due to basic physiology (生理学): When humans eat, most of our blood goes to the digestive organs to process the food, said Sandra Arévalo, director of community health and wellness at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in New York state.

The tendency to get tired after eating isn’t inherently suggestive of something amiss (出错的). But there can be additional factors that worsen this natural response, making getting through the rest of the workday or any activities feel like a slog. Here’s what to watch out for and how to make adjustments.

When it comes to why you feel overly tired after eating, a common cause is consuming meals that are heavy in terms of quantity or quality. Not eating breakfast can lead to overindulging later in the day if excessive (过度的) hunger makes controlling your appetite difficult, Arévalo said.

Sometimes, however, the makeup of certain foods can contribute to tiredness. Fats are the hardest nutrient to digest because their molecules are much larger than those of protein or carbs, said Julie Stefanski, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. If you had a meal high in fat—such as fried foods or pizza—that could make you feel tired. Meals high in added sugar or refined or highly processed carbohydrates can have the same effect.

The fiber in so-called whole foods like corns slows the absorption of sugar into the body, which means they don’t cause blood sugar or insulin spikes and instead give you more stable, lasting energy, said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic.

“A five-minute walk or something helps to improve circulation and alertness (机敏), as well,” Arévalo said.

1. What can we know from the third paragraph?

A．Blood is bad for the digestive organs.

B．Blood has varieties of tasks to carry out.

C．Eating habits have a great effect on health.

D．Eating too much can burden the digestive organs.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “overindulging”?

A．over-consuming

B．overweight

C．felling sleepy

D．lacking energy

3. What is suggested by Kristin Kirkpatrick?

A．Sugar cake.

B．Pizza.

C．Fried egg.

D．Corn.

4. Why does the author write the passage?

A．To present a new study.	B．To clarify a concept.
C．To provide some guidance.	D．To show a social phenomenon.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A new chain of coffee shops has sprung up in the city of Wuxi, East China’s Jiangsu province, themed on the ancient Huishan clay figurine (泥人) culture—with a few modern adaptations. The Nanimomo Cafe chain has expanded     1     (rapid) since May last year and now has 11     2     (branch) in operation. The coffee shops display     3     range of figurines and related creative cultural products. In addition     4     drinking coffee, visitors can choose whether     5     (have) a go at making clay sculptures on site.

Huishan clay figurines are made from the black clay found at the foot of Huishan Mountain in Wuxi. They are said to have a     6     (record) history of more than 400 years. And they     7     (list) among the first batch (批) of China’s national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) in 2006. In Wuxi dialect, Huishan clay figurines are pronounced nanimomo. The two most famous     8     (tradition) figurines are A Fu and A Xi, meaning “good fortune” and “joy”, and the factory has designed and produced several new figurines, such as Nani and Momo,    9     are more modern and attractive to young consumers. There are also several cute and colorful characters,    10     (carry) different types of food for which Wuxi is famous: spare ribs (排骨), peaches and steamed buns.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Among the recent     1     (develop) of various technologies, the most used handy technology is the mobile phones with the Internet connection. In the past few years, mobile phones     2     (play) an irreplaceable part in our daily life. Without them, normal life was at a standstill. The experience forced us     3     (become) dependent on mobile phones. Now we are     4     (confuse) about the idea that mobile phones should not be allowed in schools. Mobile phones bring with them many advantages and disadvantages. Let us discuss this to understand the issue     5     (clear).

Generally speaking, mobile phones should not be allowed in schools because teachers provide students     6     all knowledge and guidance. Moreover, school is not only meant for academics, but it teaches discipline, values, good habits,     7     interactive skills which mobile phones can’t offer. If we talk about connectivity that means to contact someone in case of emergency, the school will help the students.

We cannot ignore some important cases     8     mobile phones may be required. Mobile phones provide a better way of learning and     9     (fast) access to information. Many parents feel safe to track the location of their kids as they travel to school on their own. But some     10     (regulation) should be made to ensure that the students use mobile phones properly.

4 . Noteworthy Theme Parks

Peppa Pig Theme Park, the US

The world’s first Peppa Pig Theme Park opened in February 2022 in Florida.

Devoted to the classic British animated TV show, the park welcomes guests with well-designed activities. The Daddy Pig ride takes families on a windy road in the show’s red car. They can also enjoy a dinosaur ride, and play games at the Fairground.

Tickets from $34.

Columbia Pictures Aquaverse, Thailand

Thailand’s Columbia Pictures Aquaverse opened in October 2022.

The movie-themed water park features rides and experiences inspired by popular films like Zombieland. In addition to the rides, the park hosts performances at its Mega Wave Pool, where guests can hang out in the pool while enjoying movie screenings and pop concerts.

Tickets from $41.

Katmandu Park, Dominican Republic

Opened in March 2023, the park is full of mystery (奥秘).

The 4D dark ride is brought to life by lighting and projection effects. Another key attraction is EtherQuest, an interactive walk-through experience. Aside from the rides, guests can also check out a sky-high ropes course, and climbing walls for younger adventurers.

Tickets from $120 for adults: $85 for children for a one-use pass.

Legoland Korea Resort, South Korea

Opened in May 2022, the park is designed for 2- to 12-year-olds.

This playful wonderland is devoted to all things of Lego, with more than 40 rides and attractions across seven thematic zones. Guests can get on family-friendly rides, visit Legoland Lookout for great park views, and get hands-on experience with creative workshops.

Tickets from $38 for adults; $30 for children.

1. Which of the four theme parks started the earliest?

A．Katmandu Park.	B．Peppa Pig Theme Park.
C．Legoland Korea Resort.	D．Columbia Pictures Aquaverse.

2. What can visitors do at Columbia Pictures Aquaverse?

A．Go to the Fairground.	B．Try the 4D dark ride.
C．Attend a pop concert.	D．Experience a workshop.

3. How much should a couple with a child pay at least to visit Legoland Korea Resort?

A．$106.

B．$123.

C．$205.

D．$240.

5 . A fourth color might be added to traffic lights to better realize the potential of self-driving vehicles, as stated in a recent paper by researchers at North Carolina State University in the US.

Autonomous vehicles can do more than just drive-they are able to sense their surroundings and upload information. A shared network gives orders to stop at a crossing based on traffic conditions.

The added white lights would be used to signal to human drivers that autonomous vehicles are managing the upcoming traffic flow intelligently. Drivers don’t have to check the traditional lights if the white one is on. “The white lights will tell human drivers to simply follow the car in front of them,” one of the study authors Ali Hajbabaie told the university’s website.

Simulated (模拟的) models showed that autonomous vehicles were able to improve traffic flow on their own. Introducing the white light also has a positive effect on reducing fuel consumption. The higher the percentage of autonomous vehicles at a crossing, the faster the traffic moves, reducing about 40 to 99 percent of the total delay time.

What kind of infrastructure (基础设施) is needed as self-driving technology thrives? In an interview with China Surveying and Mapping magazine, Liu Jingnan at the Chinese Academy of Engineering shared his answers.

To begin with, the vehicle’s network that collects data about the environment and shares the data with other vehicles needs to be intelligent. High-precision maps are needed for autonomous vehicles to plan routes in detail. They can provide both updated information on traditional maps and real-time changes, such as accidents.

For example, when driving around a curve, the navigation (导航) system in the vehicle needs to calculate the safe speed based on the map’s information. And if the area is foggy, the network has to alarm the other cars to slow down.

Other elements on the road need to be upgraded too. For example, road markings should be precise and readable for machines. Sensors should be built on sidewalks and roads to allow vehicles to predict potentially dangerous situations.

1. What is the purpose of adding a white light to traffic lights?

A．To signal to self-driving cars when to stop.

B．To help driverless cars assess traffic conditions.

C．To tell human drivers to go after the cars in front.

D．To signal to human drivers to pass the cars ahead.

2. According to the article, what effect would the introduction of self-driving cars bring about?

A．Increased road safety.	B．Reduced fuel efficiency.
C．Less time stuck in traffic.	D．Unpredictable traffic patterns.

3. What is a function of high-precision maps in self-driving technology?

A．To calculate a safe speed for vehicles.	B．To provide real-time weather updates.
C．To plan routes for autonomous vehicles.	D．To offer real-time data on road conditions.

4. What does the author intend to prove in the second-to-last paragraph?

A．The advantages of autonomous vehicles.

B．The role of the navigation system in self-driving cars.

C．The application of the infrastructure in self-driving cars.

D．The efficiency of self-driving cars handling emergencies.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Drinking two or more cups of black tea a day     1    (be) associated with lower risk of death from all causes, according to a new study     2    (publish) Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study looked at nearly 500,000 men and women aged 40 to 69 years old who participated     3     the UK Biobank, which houses in-depth genetic and health information, between 2006 and 2010. The database included information participants reported about     4    (they) own tea drinking habits, such as     5    (frequent) and what they added to their cup.

Some participants didn’t drink black tea a tall, but since the data came from the United Kingdom, there were plenty of people who drank it     6    (regular) and some who drank up to 10 cups a day, said lead study author Maki Inoue-Choi.

The Biobank followed up about 10 years after the     7    (origin) survey, and researchers found that people who drank two or more cups of tea daily in the interim(其间) were less likely     8    (die) from causes such as heart disease.

The research is     9     exciting look into tea drinking habits, but there is still more work     10     needs to be done before recommending dietary changes, said Howard Sesso, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who was involved in the study.

7 . Shi lives with her family in Fuxin, a city in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province. Shi and her ________, Li, have devoted themselves to providing ________ education to their students. They encourage their students to attend after-school activities related to science, technology and innovation.

During the past dozen years, Shi has ________ her students as they have taken part in various contests. Several of Shi’s students have received ________. Given her achievements, Shi has been named the most excellent teacher.

Li has a(n) ________ impressive resume (履历). He is a professor ________ coal mining (开采) in a university. He often goes into the most ________ places in the mines while conducting scientific research. He measures data and collects samples, and then he ________ above ground to complete his analysis and calculations, and to design plans to solve the problem at hand. He ________ to his students in how to concentrate on one’s work and overcome difficulties.

Encouraging their students to ________ various contests is one of the ways Shi and her husband have tried to ________ their students. In this way, the students have obtained a sense of achievement, and their ________ has driven them to study harder.

Shi says education is like a ________ one takes in search of “treasures”. She believes it is important for teachers to discover each student’s interests and advantages, learn to ________ their interests and advantages, and encourage the student to live a ________ life he or she longs for.

1.

A．friend

B．student

C．daughter

D．husband

2.

A．online

B．personal

C．quality

D．special

3.

A．invited

B．stopped

C．led

D．beaten

4.

A．failures

B．awards

C．payment

D．attention

5.

A．fortunately

B．plainly

C．slightly

D．equally

6.

A．teaching

B．saving

C．limiting

D．sponsoring

7.

A．comfortable

B．dangerous

C．familiar

D．meaningful

8.

A．falls

B．returns

C．starts

D．points

9.

A．goes back

B．shows honor

C．sets an example

D．puts his mind

10.

A．escape

B．enter

C．hold

D．question

11.

A．please

B．assess

C．follow

D．inspire

12.

A．success

B．promise

C．faith

D．laziness

13.

A．gift

B．test

C．picture

D．journey

14.

A．grade

B．hide

C．appreciate

D．rebuild

15.

A．fantastic

B．simple

C．quiet

D．physical

8 . It’s late at night, the weather is bad, and you’re hungry. Your favorite restaurant is a mile away, but you don’t want to leave the house, and you don’t want to pay a $5 delivery fee and a tip for a $10 meal.

So, what can you do?

Back in the old days, you would have to go in the rain or learned to plan ahead. But those days are coming to an end, at least in Washington DC.

About 20 knee-high robots recently have appeared on the sidewalks of the nation’s capital, and they’re out to bring takeout food from restaurants to hungry customers at home—while keeping the delivery cost to just a dollar.

Each of the robots seems like a box on sixwheels, and drives at an average speed of 4 miles per hour. It has lights and a tall and bright orange flag to make it more noticeable on the sidewalk.

The robot relies on artificial intelligence technology that draws input from nine cameras, GPS and sensors. The cameras recognize a lot—including traffic lights, crosswalks and stop signs. If a robot finds itself in a situation it doesn’t understand, all the machine has to do is send a call for help. Then a human operator in a remote control center can look through the cameras and figure out the best action to take. That camera also provides security. If someone tries to steal the robot, for example, the cameras can photograph the thief.

Law-makers in Washington DC, Virginia, Florida and Idaho have already started to make such self-driving robots legal on the sidewalks. Other states have also expressed interest.

“Robots like these will complete deliveries that normally wouldn’t have been placed with the human-based delivery options of the past,” one of the law-makers says, “But we have to be sure that they are not going to put people out of jobs.”

1. How much should you pay for a $10 meal delivered by robots?

A．$10.

B．$1l.

C．$15.

D．$17.

2. Which paragraph mainly focuses on the robots’ appearances?

A．Paragraph 3.	B．Paragraph 4.
C．Paragraph 5.	D．Paragraph 6.

3. What are the law-makers worried about?

A．The robots’ reliability.	B．The safety of the passers-by.
C．The high delivery costs.	D．The possible unemployment.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Technology.	B．Advertisement.
C．Law.	D．Politics.

9 . I did a crazy thing last weekend. I signed my family up for a six-mile hike out in the Yunmeng Mountains in Huairou District, Beijing.

Ever since we arrived in Beijing two years ago, my family has never walked around in any Beijing park for longer than two miles. I had signed up on Beijing Hikers’ hike several times before, but had always backed out at the last minute because of my son and husband’s protest. This time, I was not getting out of it!

When we woke up early on Saturday morning, it was raining cats and dogs. My husband turned to me and said, “Perfect hiking weather!”

But, I wasn’t backing down. If the other hikers thought that the weather was safe for hiking, then we were going! I did not regret even when our tour bus drove right into the heavy rain. Luckily, the rain stopped before we entered the mountains.

For the hike I had packed various snacks. When one treat stopped providing motivation for my 6-year-old son to put one foot in front of the other, I would turn to another to keep him moving. After I ran out of snacks, the guide cleverly asked him to look out for the red ribbons(丝带) that the Beijing Hikers use to mark the trail, and allowed him to collect them for her. This trick helped keep him moving for the first five miles of the well-kept road along the White River. However, the last mile was almost vertical(垂直的). While the kid had been moving like a snail for most of the walking part, he became a mountain goat when it came to the vertical climb. He actually led the group alongside the guide, leaving me and my husband far behind! We couldn’t even see him through the trees, and could only hear his merry voice carried by the wind.

Just then I turned to my husband and asked whether we would do it again. He replied, “I might feel much better if I were lying in bed dreaming about this hiking.”

1. What was the weather like early in the morning?

A．Rainy.

B．Cloudy.

C．Sunny.

D．Windy.

2. Which worked the best to encourage the little child?

A．The snacks.	B．The blue ribbons.
C．The easy hike.	D．The difficult climb.

3. What did the author’s husband imply in the last paragraph?

A．He loved hiking in the rain.	B．He was too sleepy to walk.
C．He preferred staying at home.	D．He didn’t have the final say.

4. What can we know about the author according to the text?

A．She is romantic.	B．She is determined.
C．She is humorous.	D．She is good at scheduling.

10 . Most athletes who earn a chance to compete at the Olympics do not go home with medals. Here, some of them share how they get through their disappointments.

Moritz Muller

Sport: Ice hockey

Country: Germany

“I have learned through the years that setbacks (挫折) are a part of life and that everyone has them and that the most successful people are the ones who have had the biggest setbacks,” Muller says. “My biggest trick is not to take myself too seriously.”

Lewis Gibson

Sport: Ice dancing

Country: The United Kingdom

Gibson says that positive attitude has been the key to help him through disappointments. “I have learned the importance of replacing any doubts I might be feeling with belief in myself,” he says. “You fill your head with thoughts and it’s very powerful. You’re your own biggest influence.”

Adrian Diaz

Sport: Ice dancing

Country: Spain

After failing to make to the Olympics four years ago, Adrian Diaz worked on communicating more positively with his dancing partner so there wouldn’t be any tension on the ice. “Whether it’s a teammate, friend or family member, improving communication takes time and patience. But breakthroughs do come,” he says. “It took five years for us to fully understand what we had to do. Not just for skating and training but for life.”

Karen Chen

Sport: Figure skating

Country: The United States

“Athletes aren’t always open about all of the challenges they overcome to compete in front of the world at the Olympics,” says Chen. “I didn’t ever talk about them. Before the team event, I actually fell down stairs and hurt my legs. But I fought through with all the strength I had and went through this challenge.”

1. Where is Lewis Gibson from?

A．Spain.

B．The US.

C．Germany.

D．The UK.

2. How does Karen Chen deal with her problems?

A．By making fun of them.	B．By keeping them to herself.
C．By seeking support from friends.	D．By thinking positively about them.

3. Who stresses the importance of positive communication?

A．Adrian Diaz.

B．Moritz Muller.

C．Lewis Gibson.

D．Karen Chen.