1 . Catherine Krestyn furnished (布置家具)her home mainly with hard rubbish, such as the chairs, doors and lamps, which have been collected from the street where she lives. And it’s a way of life she’s sharing with her community in the hope of making a difference.

Catherine leads a 6,000-strong online group called Boroondara Hard Rubbish Rehome, where members upload pictures of their hard rubbish piles for eager locals to find. She started the group in 2022 with her childhood friend Jennie Irving, hoping to build a community of thrift (节俭)where they lived. The pair have stopped more than 7,000 kg of hard rubbish going to landfill since they founded the group.

Some items are ready as they are, like chairs and lamps, and others take a bit of effort to clean up, like the old, wooden doors.

Local teacher Ruth Polgar discovered the group while surfing the Internet and has since decorated her classroom with second-hand items, including artwork she has rehomed from a neighbour. “We regularly take unneeded items from the group and use them for our school projects,” she says.

Running the group can be really challenging for Catherine. But she doesn’t resent those who have to let go of their possessions because of stressful circumstances. “If you’re downsizing or if you’re clearing an old house, quite often you’re desperate for access to easy options,” she says. “Hard rubbish piles are often that option.”

All Catherine wants to do is give her community a way to reduce their waste, and to send a message to those in charge that things need to urgently change.

“The government has big targets around sustainable development leading into 2030. We want to start speeding that up even sooner,” she says. “We’re suffering from our own waste really, so anything that we can all do on a practical level helps. We should first make lifestyle choices and be prepared to go second-hand.”

1. Why did Catherine set up Boroondara Hard Rubbish Rehome?

A．To create a community of thrift.	B．To donate her collection to charity.
C．To collect hard rubbish for locals.	D．To decorate the houses for the homeless.

2. What can we infer about Ruth Polgar?

A．She prefers second-hand items.	B．She buys items on the Internet.
C．She supports Catherine’s cause.	D．She teaches art at a local school.

3. What does the underlined word “resent” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Feel angry about.	B．Feel pleased with.
C．Show sympathy for.	D．Show interest in.

4. What does Catherine advocate in the last paragraph?

A．Setting ourselves a big goal.	B．Giving throwaways a second life.
C．Meeting the government’s requirements.	D．Replacing old furniture regularly.

2 . Summer Badminton Camp

Our annual badminton camps are back this June holidays! Come and join us for some fun and action! All camps will be held at the Chestnut Sports Hall. There are a total of 4 fun-filled camps lined up for this amazing holiday. The aim is to allow them to understand and lift their game to the next level or just for recreation, at the same time adding fun elements in training to build a strong interest in the sport.

Camps Available

Beginner: For those who want to learn basic badminton skills. Date: 12 to 14 June 2024 Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fees: $80 Ages: 5-8 years old only	Intermediate: For those who know the basics of playing badminton and want to improve their skills further. Date: 15 to 17 June 2024 Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fees: $100 Ages: 7-12 years old only
Advanced: For those who want to take up badminton as a competitive sport. Date: 19 to 21 June 2024 Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fees: $150 Ages: 11-12 years old only	Recreation: For those who want to make new friends while staying active. Date: 12 to 14 June 2024 Time: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fees: $60 Ages: 13-16 years old only

Camp Highlight

Guest Speaker Badminton world champion, Adrian Goh, will address the participants at the start of each camp. He will share invaluable tips and his experience of playing badminton competitively.

Special Camp Present All participants will receive our summer badminton camp sweater and water bottle.

Early Bird Special First 20 participants to register will be given a pair of Yinex badminton bats. For more information, call Mr. Tan at 67892111 or visit our website at www. sbssummer camps. com

1. Which should you sign up for if you want to become a national badminton player?

A．The beginner camp.	B．The advanced camp.
C．The intermediate camp.	D．The recreation camp.

2. Who is Adrian Goh?

A．A summer badminton camper.	B．The badminton camp organizer.
C．A badminton world champion.	D．A sponsor for the summer camp.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To give away free badminton bats.

B．To promote the special camp bottles.

C．To invite people to attend Mr. Goh’s talk.

D．To encourage people to sign up for the camps.

3 . Have you ever imagined an insect-inspired robot, which weighs less than a gram, could one day help out in surgery (外科手术)?

Scientists have designed this small, “insect-bot” called mCLARI that can control and even change its body shape as it travels in different environments to fit through gaps. It’s 2 centimeters long, weighs less than 0.97 grams and can travel at a speed of 6 centimeters per second.It’s the smaller, faster replacement to CLARI, which was designed by the same team.

“Because of the robot’s small size and ability to change shape, we expect usage of this technology in four important areas,” the lead author Kaushik Jayaram said. These include disaster (灾害) response , check on high-value objects, environmental monitoring and medical treatment.

“In the long term, we hope such robots will be used more widely in moving through human bodies and performing surgeries that can’t be easily done at present,” Jayaram said. With mCLARI, Jayaram’s team is moving closer to creating robots that can fit in different environments—just like the insects they’re inspired by.

The mCLARI robot has four legs and can move in narrow spaces by changing between running forward and side-to-side and can use different speeds in human bodies. Its legs are joined to its body through joints (关节), which enables mCLARI to change its body shape based on the environment it is in. For example, its legs can be lengthened up to 50% in certain spaces.

As follow-up work, the scientists want to give mCLARI more power and sensing ability while helping the surgeries. “We are also excited about understanding the effect of shape change on improving functions of robots,” Jayaram said. “And this is sure a great one-step forward of the technology. The robot will have entered the market by 2025 and will bring greater benefits to mankind, especially in medical treatment.”

1. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Possible application fields of the robot.	B．Different types of the robot.
C．Several important features of the robot.	D．Working process of the robot.

2. Which of the following can best describe mCLARI?

A．Valuable but uncontrollable.	B．Modern but high-cost.
C．Heavy and time-consuming.	D．Advanced and effective.

3. What is Jayaram’s attitude towards the robot?

A．Worried.

B．Positive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Uninterested.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Jayaram: A Scientist Studying Robot Intelligence

B．mCLARI Is Already Widely Available in the Market

C．CLARI: A Robot Invented by Inspiration from the Insects

D．A Tiny Shape-changing Robot Will Help Perform Surgeries

4 . Thinking on the Other Side of Zero Part 2

Alan Joseph Oliver

Hardback | Paperback | E-book

$40.99 | $20.99 | $4.99

From the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali he learned and how it works in theory and practice, Alan Joseph Oliver relates the Yoga theory to his limited understanding of quantum mechanics. He believes he has settled David Bohm’s concept of Wholeness and the Implicate Order, which physics may or may not accept.

The Adventures of a Train Trekker

Adriana Carboni

Hardback | Paperback | E-book

$35.99 | $16.99 | $4.99

This book tells of the excitement and adventure of long-distance train travel as Adriana shares her experiences travelling through the ancient continent of Australia.

Footloose!

Kosti Simons

Paperback | E-book

$28.99 | $4.99

This memoir (回忆录) is about a barefoot pilgrim’s (朝圣者的) 111-day adventure including both the body and the mind as he takes you on a deeply felt and inspiring walk with God.

www.kostisimons.com
Bonnie The Bandicoot

Peter Alway

Hardback |Paperback | E-book

$ 23.99 | $15.99 | $7.99

Bonnie The Bandicoot decides to move into Steve’s home while hers dries out. The only problem is that Steve owns a dog. Will they learn to co-exist living in Steve’s home?

1. Who writes a book related to physics?

A．Alan Joseph Oliver.	B．Adriana Carboni.
C．Kosti Simons.	D．Peter Alway.

2. Which book is about the relationship between humans and animals?

A．Footloose!

B．Bonnie The Bandicoot

C．The Adventures of a Train Trekker

D．Thinking on the Other Side of Zero Part 2

3. How much will you pay for a paperback book on travel and an. e-book on religion （宗教）?

A．$28.98.

B．$24.98.

C．$21.98.

D．$20.98

5 . It all began on a cold, rainy day．

Sarah, a poor single mother, was ________ to make ends meet. While waiting for the bus with her two children, Sarah ________ an old man sitting on a nearby bench. He was shivering (颤抖), his ________ jacket providing little protection against the freezing weather.

Sarah ________ the man and offered him her coat. She knew it would make her cold, but the thought of this stranger ________ while she had something to give was too much to bear. ________ by her selflessness, the man thankfully accepted the coat and gave back a smile. Little did Sarah know that her simple act of ________ would make a huge difference.

A man, who saw the heartwarming ________, took a photo and shared it on social media. The post quickly became a ________, with thousands of people sharing and commenting on Sarah’s ________. Encouraged by her, people began organizing events to ________ those less lucky. Schools added lessons on the ________ of helping others, and businesses started a “pay it forward” project, where people could buy more and leave the ________ meal for those in need.

Reflecting on this unbelievable journey, we can ________ our individual power, which may create an effect that would ________ reach every corner of the globe.

1.

A．helping

B．continuing

C．struggling

D．seeking

2.

A．left behind

B．came across

C．looked for

D．turned to

3.

A．clean

B．cheap

C．fancy

D．thin

4.

A．followed

B．approached

C．respected

D．caught

5.

A．complaining

B．staring

C．suffering

D．surviving

6.

A．Attracted

B．Confused

C．Moved

D．Shocked

7.

A．connection

B．appreciation

C．duty

D．kindness

8.

A．exchange

B．invitation

C．option

D．performance

9.

A．story

B．symbol

C．chance

D．hit

10.

A．generosity

B．courage

C．curiosity

D．patience

11.

A．change

B．support

C．direct

D．educate

12.

A．creativity

B．strength

C．significance

D．description

13.

A．quick

B．main

C．different

D．extra

14.

A．recognize

B．expect

C．remember

D．admit

15.

A．regularly

B．obviously

C．eventually

D．slightly

6 . A physical checkup often begins with a series of questions: What foods do you eat? Do you smoke? Getting any exercise? New research suggests another telling indicator could be added to that list: What was your college major? The study finds one’s chosen field of college study is a statistically significant predictor of health in midlife.

The researchers find the four majors associated with the best midlife health are architecture/engineering, biology/life sciences, business, and—here’s a surprise—communications/journalism. Perhaps chasing after big stories keeps us journalists in shape.

It has long been established that people with more education tend to be healthier. But does one’s major matter? To find out, the researchers analyzed data from the nationally representative American Community Survey.

Their sample consisted of 3.7 million United States-born adults between the ages of 45 and 64—the time of life when physical functioning problems start to appear. Participants noted whether they had difficulty walking or climbing stairs, dressing or bathing. A “yes” answer in any of those categories resulted in a grade of relatively poor health.

The researchers focused on the 667,362 participants who earned a bachelor’s degree, but went no further in their education. They noted each person’s college major, which they placed into one of 15 categories. They found substantial differences in health across majors. Two majors are particularly disadvantaged in midlife. The chances of poor health are 1.9 times greater among psychology /social work and law/public policy majors compared to business majors. The researchers argue this is likely due to several factors. Psychology majors tend to suffer from high unemployment and low earnings. Law/public policy majors often enter the field of law enforcement(执行).

The researchers say that they have discovered associations, not proof of causality(因果关系). But they make a convincing case that some majors lead people to live healthier lifestyles than others.

Their findings might even inspire a warning country song: Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be psychology majors.

1. What can be learned from the first two paragraphs?

A．Smoking can lead to poor health.	B．Diet is more important than exercise.
C．Physical checkups keep you healthy.	D．College major chould be added to a checkup.

2. How do researchers draw their conclusions?

A．By doing face-to-face interviews.	B．By following participants’ daily routines.
C．By doing medical examinations.	D．By analyzing the representative data.

3. Which of the following is against midlife health according to the researchers?

A．Engineering.

B．Business.

C．Psychology.

D．Agriculture.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．College majors can predict midlife health.

B．More majors in college can improve health.

C．The annual physical exam is necessary to life.

D．People with more education tend to be healthier.

7 . Researchers have long thought that rewards like food or money encourage learning in the brain by causing the release of dopamine (多巴胺), known to enhance the storage of new information. Now, a new study describes how learning still occurs in the absence of rewards.

The study explored the relationship between dopamine and acetylcholine (乙酰胆碱). Past research had shown that they compete with one another. To provide some clarity, the study authors focused on when and under what circumstances dopamine levels are high at the same time as acetylcholine levels are low. They found that this situation occurs frequently, even in the absence of rewards.

“Our findings challenge the current understanding of when and how dopamine and acetylcholine work together,” said study lead author Anne Krok. “Rather than creating unique conditions for learning, rewards take advantage of a mechanism that is already in place and is constantly at work.”

The study team gave dozens of mice access to a wheel on which they could run or rest. On occasion, the researchers offered the animals a drink of water. Then they recorded the mice’s brain activity and measured the amount of dopamine and acetylcholine released at different moments. As expected, the drink treats created the typical patterns of dopamine and acetylcholine release that are prompted by rewards. However, the team also observed that before receiving water treats, dopamine and acetylcholine already followed “rise and fall” cycles approximately twice every second. Krok notes that this pattern continued regardless of whether the mice were running or standing still. “Similar brain waves have been observed in humans during periods of self-examination and rest,” she adds.

“These results may help explain how the brain learns on its own, without the need for external rewards,” said study senior author Nicolas Tritsch.

Tritsch says, “The results of the study may also offer insight into new ways of understanding depression. Lack of motivation is a common symptom of depression, making it challenging to perform basic tasks. It is possible that a disruption (扰乱) in the internal-drive system might be contributing to this issue.”

1. What does the new study find about dopamine and acetylcholine?

A．Their competitive relationship.

B．The effective cooperation between them.

C．Their existing working mechanism.

D．The role they play in information storage.

2. What do the experiments on mice show?

A．How mouse brains process new information.

B．The release patterns of dopamine and acetylcholine.

C．What causes the release of dopamine and acetylcholine.

D．The difference between mouse brain waves and those of humans.

3. What might be the cause of depression according to the text?

A．Lack of motivation.

B．Lack of external rewards.

C．The inability to deal with tasks.

D．The disorder of the internal-drive system.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Learning ability can be improved constantly.

B．Learning can occur without external rewards.

C．Rewards encourage learning in the brain.

D．Dopamine release is the key to learning.

8 . A self-described “girly girl”, nine-year-old Zandra Cunningham was constantly begging her parents for the latest beauty products. One day her dad simply told her “no”, which inspired her to make her own.

Zandra has been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the youngest millionaires in America. When asked about her experience as a child entrepreneur (企业家), Zandra says, “It wasn’t frightening. When you’re young, you don’t have that fear mentality. ‘Maybe it’s not going to work’ never really crossed my mind.” For Zandra, it became a challenge to separate her personal interest from what her customers actually wanted. “There were a lot of things that I felt were good ideas, but they wouldn’t fit into the market,” she says. Being part of the market herself, Zandra felt she had a unique perspective that allowed her to truly listen and respond to her customers.

It started as a hobby for Zandra and her mom. They’d play around with different ingredients until they found formulas they liked “through trial and error”. Slowly, they started transforming the pastime into a brand. Zandra began selling her products at local markets, and a few years later—when Zandra was 12 years old — the family started a shop for Zandra Beauty. At the time, Zandra Beauty was one of the first brands to offer plant-based and organic beauty products at an affordable price. The 21-year-old has essentially grown up alongside her brand—but her goals have remained the same: “Our main focus is to push out amazing products that are safe for everyone and the earth.”

“There’re so many brands doing similar things, but there’s still so much room to grow,” says Zandra. “Your customers are out there, and you just have to find something that’s going to set you apart.”

1. What can be inferred from Zandra’s words in paragraph 2?

A．Her young mind made her fearless.

B．Her parents supported her greatly.

C．She had much precious experience.

D．She was always very caring.

2. Which of the following is the most important in Zandra’s opinion?

A．Sharing her personal interests.	B．The diversity of hobbies.
C．Changing the global market.	D．The need of customers.

3. What kind of product does Zandra mainly pursue?

A．The one that is cheap and useful.

B．The one that is enjoyed by her mom.

C．The one that is created by trial and error.

D．The one that is reliable and eco-friendly.

4. What is Zandra’s attitude towards the future of her brand?

A．Hopeful.

B．Concerned.

C．Doubtful.

D．Relieved.

9 . 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。

South Koreans have enjoyed their first close-up look of new baby giant pandas at a name-revealing ceremony that is also     1     early celebration of the 100 days since the twins’ birth.

What to name the twin sisters was widely discussed among netizens after they were born on July 7 in theme park Everland. The names were     2     (ultimate) decided on through two public voting     3     (procedure). One is named Rui Bao, which means wise treasure, and the other is Hui Bao or shining treasure. Half a million panda lovers helped choose their names with a handful of lucky fans     4     (invite) to the ceremony. “They are even     5     (cute) in real life than they appear on screen,” said a college student in attendance.

The baby pandas,     6     have just begun teething and crawling, are very healthy. Everland has shared videos documenting the pandas’ growth online. The twins’ birth has gained 640,000 views since it     7     (upload). “This feels like a great opportunity to call for better     8     (preserve) of pandas,” said Donghee Chung, head of the park’s zoo. Chung noted that between 40% and 50% of panda births result     9     twins.

Everland said it would monitor the twins’ health     10     (determine) when the twins are ready to be open to the public.

10 . Scientists have been experimenting with playing sounds to plants since at least the 1960s, during which time they have been exposed to everything from Beethoven to Michael Jackson. Over the years, evidence that this sort of thing can have an effect has been growing. One paper, published in 2018, claimed that an Asian shrub known as the telegraph plant grew substantially larger leaves when exposed to 56 days of Buddhist music — but not if it was exposed to Western pop music or silence. Another, published last year, found that marigolds and sage plants exposed to the noise of traffic from a busy motorway suffered growth difficulty.

Plants have been evolving (进化) alongside the insects that eat them for hundreds of millions of years. With that in mind, Heidi Appel, a botanist now at the University of Houston, and Reginald Cocroft, a biologist at the University of Missouri, wondered if plants might be sensitive to the sounds made by the animals with which they most often interact. They recorded the vibrations made by certain species of caterpillars (毛毛虫) as they chewed on leaves. These vibrations are not powerful enough to produce sound waves in the air. But they are able to travel across leaves and branches, and even to neighbouring plants if their leaves touch.

They then exposed tobacco plant — the plant biologist’s version of the laboratory mouse — to the recorded vibrations while no caterpillars were actually present. Later, they put real caterpillars on the plants to see if exposure had led them to prepare for an insect attack. The results were striking. Leaves that had been exposed had significantly higher levels of defensive chemicals, making them much harder for the caterpillars to eat. Leaves that had not been exposed to vibrations showed no such response. Other sorts of vibration — caused by the wind, for instance, or other insects that do not eat leaves — had no effect.

“Now speakers with the right audio files are more often being used to warn crops to act when insects are detected but not yet widespread,” says Dr. Cocroft. “Unlike chemical pesticides, sound waves leave no dangerous chemicals.”

1. What can we learn about plants from the first paragraph?

A．They may enjoy Western music.	B．They can’t stand Buddhist music.
C．They can react to different sounds.	D．They can make different sounds.

2. What’s the basis for Appel and Cocroft’s research?

A．Plants can make a cry for help.	B．Plants evolve alongside insects.
C．Plants are sensitive to the sounds.	D．Plants have been studied for years.

3. What can we infer about plants from Paragraph 3?

A．They can recongnize harmful vibrations.	B．They look like laboratory mice.
C．They can threaten the caterpillars.	D．They can release poisonous chemicals.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Disadvantages of chemical pesticides.	B．Application of the experimental results.
C．Interaction between plants and insects.	D．Warning system of widespread insects.