1 . Soap (肥皂) might seem like a reasonable way to avoid mosquito bites (蚊子叮) on the basis that if mosquitoes can’t smell you, they can’t bite you. However, a recent study has found that rather than protecting you, certain soaps might actually make you more attractive to mosquitoes.
In the study, conducted at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, four volunteers were asked to wear a sleeve before and after washing with four different brands of soap. The researchers then watched female mosquitoes as only females feed on blood landing on the fabric sample to show their preference. They found that some people washing with some brands of soap, increased their attractiveness to mosquitoes, while washing with other brands of soap tended to repel (驱除) mosquitoes. The repellent effect of some soap may be due to its coconut scent, as coconut oil is known to act as a natural mosquito repellent. The reason behind this attraction is believed to be related to mosquitoes’ sugar intake. When mosquitoes are not feeding on blood, they add their diet with plant juice or sweet water from flowers, “The fact we are taking those flowery and fruity smells and putting them on our bodies means that now the same object smells like a flower and a person at the same time,” said Clément Vinauger, who led the study. It would be like waking up and smelling the smell of coffee and bread, very attractive.
Interestingly, the effects of the soap varied among people, possibly due to the interaction (相互作用) between the soap and each person’s unique body scent. “It’s remarkable that the same person that is extremely attractive to mosquitoes when he is unwashed, but he becomes even more attractive to mosquitoes with one soap, and then become repellent to mosquitoes with another soap,” said Vinauger. Further research is needed to better understand the interaction between different soap and body scents, as well as to develop more effective mosquito repellents.
1. What has the study found?| A．Soap attracts many mosquitoes. | B．Male mosquitoes feed on blood. |
| C．Some plants drive away mosquitoes. | D．Not all soap can stop mosquito bites. |
| A．By observing the mosquitoes’ behaviour. | B．By exploring the history of mosquitoes. |
| C．By interviewing a lot of volunteers. | D．By examining old studies. |
| A．To stress the importance of breakfast. |
| B．To discuss their probable health benefits. |
| C．To compare the difference of objects used in the study. |
| D．To prove the attractiveness of some soap to mosquitoes. |
| A．Health. | B．Chemistry. | C．Sports. | D．Tour. |
2 . The design theory behind a pair of tiny robots may one day find its way into environmental monitoring, as well as search and-rescue tasks. Modeled after a water strider (水黾), an insect, the two robots each weigh in at 8 and 55 milligrams, and may mark the smallest, lightest, and fastest fully functional micro-robots in the world, according to Washington State University (WSU).
Developed by a team of WSU researchers, the robots’ tininess largely relies on a material known as a shape memory alloy (合金). Although shape memory alloys change form when heated, they can “remember” their original shapes and return to them after cooling. Because of this, the two micro-robots do not require standard motors, and they use light and small ones instead of bulky moving parts.
Both the robots’ motors are each made up of two shape memory alloys, allowing them to move their fins as fast as 40 times a second while also lifting over 150 times their weight. “They’re very technologically sound. The development of the very lightweight robots opens up new possibilities in micro-robotics,” said Conor Trygstad, a material engineering PhD student and study lead author. “Although the robots are impressive when compared to other robots, the pair still fall behind their biological relatives’,” Trygstad said. They can currently move at a speed of about six millimeters a second; a water strider, by comparison, speeds along at about a meter per second. For now, the robots also require wired (连线的) power sources, thus seriously preventing any real-world applications for the moment.
Going forward, however, the team plans to copy other small insect species while also creating a new water strider robot which can move at a higher speed. Depending on using small batteries could also greatly increase the robots’ areas of use, If the breakthrough designs continue improving, similar micro-robots could one day be employed to monitor hard-to-reachor dangerous environments.
1. What is the inspiration for the two robots?| A．A special monitor. | B．The lightest micro robot. |
| C．An insect species. | D．A search-and rescue task |
| A．Cheap. | B．Huge. | C．Cool | D．Fast. |
| A．Both robots can identify sound. | B．Both robots need wireless power sources. |
| C．Both robots work better than water striders. | D．Both robots have weaknesses besides strengths. |
| A．Robots Are Saving Environment | B．Shape Memory Alloys Are The Key |
| C．Human Beings Learn From Animals | D．Two Micro robots Can Play A Big Part |
3 . Born in 1873 in an old town, the Carival of Viareggio now is one of the most popular events held in Vareggio, Italy. Some of the biggest carnival floats (彩车) in Viareggio are known to the whole world, turning into a kind of symbol (象征) showing peace, unity and love.
The Location And Transportation
The huge street parades (游行) take place on the seaside walkway of Vareggio. To get to Viareggio before the parades, visitors can easily arrive here by direct trains from Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Cinque Terre. The train station is only 10-15 minutes walk from the seaside walkway.
The 2024 Time Plan Of The Carnival
2023 was special because it was the 150th birthday of the Carnival of Viareggio. All stories and cultures of the carnival come from different corners of the world. This is why people call it “a common carnival”. Only a few days after the end of the 2023 carnival, its organization already worked out the dates of the 2024 carnival’s parades, The following is the schedule of the 2024 carnival’s parades.
| Date | Time | Event |
| Saturday, Feb 3 | 4 pm | First floats parade |
| Thursday, Feb 8 | 6 pm | Second floats parade |
| Sunday, Feb 11 | 3 pm | Third floats parade |
| Tuesday, Feb 13 | 5 pm | Fourth floats parade |
| Sunday, Feb 18 | 3 pm | Fifth floats parade |
| Saturday, Feb 24 | 5 pm | Sixth and final floats parade |
The winners will be showed and there will be fireworks at the end of the parades.
1. What is the Carnival of Viareggio famous for?| A．Its carnival floats. | B．Its long history. |
| C．Its famous stories. | D．Its seaside walkway. |
| A．By boat B By plane C.By railway. D. By subway. |
| A．On Tuesday, February 13, at 6 pm. |
| B．On Sunday, February 11, at 3 pm. |
| C．On Sunday, February 1l, at 5 pm. |
| D．D.On Tuesday,February 13,at 3 pm. |
It is exciting and enjoyable for one to experience both being fired for being honest and being rewarded. It was a pleasant Tuesday morning. Sunray Mart, a high-end (高端的) supermarket opened its doors to its customers. 60-year-old Billy had just started his first day on the job as the store’s sales associate (业员), and he couldn’t have been happier. Getting a job at 70 was quite challenging, and Billy could not thank his fate enough for somehow bringing him this work.
Wearing a warm smile, he began his work. After a while, he noticed one customer, a man in a clean black suit, approaching the store manager at the checkout....
“Excuse me, young man,” the customer greeted the manager at the billing desk. “Could you please tell me how much this toy costs? I left my glasses in my office, so I can’t see the price clearly. Would you please help me out?” “It’s $ 800, sir!” the manager took a look and said.
Billy was quite surprised and raised a brow (额头). He had just arranged the toys from the collection the man had wanted, all of which cost at most $ 200. So Billy lifted the exact toy from the lower shelf to double check its price and learned that it was actually $ 200, not $800 like the manager had claimed. Without further hesitation, Billy decided to correct the manager and approached the two men at the checkout, “Excuse me, sir, I think there’s been a mistake... That toy costs $ 200, not $ 800,” Billy said, pointing to the toy box his manager held.
Billy’s manager frowned (皱眉) and was clearly frustrated as he stared angrily at him, “apologize on behalf of my new sales associate,” the manager rolled his eyes and turned to the customer. “He’s new here, sir... and is probably a bit confused about the items listed for sale, The toy is $ 800.” Billy realized that his manager was trying to cheat the customer.
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答.
But Bill could not openly oppose (反对) him.
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All of a sudden, the man Billy “helped” appeared from nowhere.
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Acupuncture (针灸),
Looking beyond China, acupuncture has become a
As a traditional Chinese medical practice with a rich history
6 . It’s never easy to say “no”, especially when we’re asked by someone close to us, Maybe a friend is asking you for a favor, or a co-worker is asking you to cover their shift for the afternoon
Be kind but forthright. Though you can always just say “no” on your own terms, you might find more success by padding your refusal with positivity.
Offer a brief explanation. Providing a concise explanation as to why you’re refusing a request is one polite way to say “no”. For instance, if you already have other work this week that would prevent you from hitting a pew deadline, let the person know that. You’d better avoid adding too much fluff (无价值的东西) to your explanation.
Know yourself. Knowing yourself and your needs will help you decide if you should say“no”. Have a brainstorming session about areas where you have too much on your plate.
| A．Set healthy boundaries. |
| B．Be honest about your own needs. |
| C．When should you say “no” to them? |
| D．Set boundaries between work and your personal life. |
| E．That can very likely give the other person false hope. |
| F．You can try keeping your voice calm, welcoming and kind. |
| G．How can you stand your ground politely without feeling guilty? |
7 . Dallas-based Knit Wits is made up of a group of grandmothers with a strong love for knitting (编织) who tum their love for crafting into a purposeful attempt. Meeting regularly, they pour their collective love into every stitch (针法) they make. The group has been working for over ten years, meeting every Friday, to support organizations that help others, locally and around the world. Over the years, they’ve crafted thousands of items insupport of the important things.
Recently the Knit Wits member Mary Ann Stover was inspired to have the group knit hats for infant (婴儿) patients with heart disease at Children’s Health Hospital. The hats, each a unique work of art, designed with holiday themes, reflect the skill of the Knit Wits. More importantly, the special of Knit Wits is its understanding of the emotional effect these small objects can have on the infants experiencing medical treatments.
Bealle, a certified child life specialist at Children’s Health Hospital, explained how the hats are making a difference to the tiny patients and their families. “Caregivers are able to wear the hats on their body to move their smells before placing the hats back on the infants, encouraging connecting and making the infants less stressful,” he said.
Throughout the infants’ admission, many holidays are celebrated. At times, some infants are seriously ill and unable to dress up for holiday photos the families have planned. Thanks to the donations from Knit Wits, the hospital team is able to prove the family with a suitable themed infant hat the family can use for their photos and holiday celebrations.
1. What do we know about the hats from paragraph 2?| A．They centre on spiritual comfort. |
| B．They have holiday food subjects. |
| C．They are knitted by the caregivers |
| D．They are worn on child parents’ birthdays. |
| A．To hold an artistic activity. |
| B．To see off the recovered patients. |
| C．To relax the infants for treatments |
| D．To welcome the arrival of various holidays. |
| A．Why some holiday celebrations are held. |
| B．What the hats can be used as on holidays. |
| C．Why some special photos are important. |
| D．What the hats can be matched with. |
| A．Unsuccessful | B．Impractical. | C．Warm-hearted | D．Dishonest. |
8 . Have you ever taken photos by using mobile phones with selfie sticks (自拍杆)?
However, a pair of US artists from New Mexico, Aric Snee and Jutin Crowe believe they have invented a better one and they call it “selfie arm”.
The pair say it offers a far better experience than using a straight stick. The selfie arm makes people feel they are not alone when they take photos.
The “selfie arm” is made of fiberglass.
The project that they work on show the growing selfie stick phenomenon (现象) directly and the increasing need for narcissism (自恋) and Internet agreement.
| A．This new invention is a small, useful, and clever-designed tool. |
| B．And better yet in the future, it’ll take in a friendly way and never get angry or upset. |
| C．It seems that they are together with their friends. |
| D．For better or worse, they have taken the world by storm. |
| E．It is lightweight and easy-taking. |
| F．Thousands of “selfie arms” have been made. |
One night a hotel caught a fire, and people in it ran out in their night clothes.
Two men stood o
“Before I came out,” said one,“I ran into some of the rooms and found a lot of money. People don’t think of money when they’re
“You don’t know my work,” said the other.
“What is your work?”
“I’m a policeman.”
“Oh!” cried the first man. He
“I’m a writer. I’m always telling s
In China and even in the world, Huawei is a wonder. Although it started producing mobile phones not many years ago, it has become one of the most famous phone companies.
Now Huawei has got third place at the mobile market, just following Apple and Samsung. After seeing more of its smartphones were sold last year, Huawei appears to be more confident in its bigger goals.
“We hope that in three years our market share can be the top two and in five years our market share can be the top one,” Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s Consumer(消费者) Business Group, said in a recent TV interview.
The company sold 108 million smartphones in 2015, compared with 2014, the number increased by 44 percent, though it was much smaller than Apple’s 231.5 million iPhones and Samsung’s 317.2 million smartphones.
“The number of our smartphones is still growing,” Yu said, “and our company is expecting an increase of 30% in smartphone shipments (出货量). It’ll be a great success.”
Although Huawei’s smartphones sold well in Western Europe and China, the market in the US is another example. Yu said that the company was “so late” to the US. However, we are trying hard to raise our market share there in the next few years.
1. According to the passage, which are top two biggest smartphone companies now?| A．Apple and Huawei | B．Samsung and Apple | C．Samsung and Huawei |
| A．份额 | B．分享 | C．股票 |
| A．108 million | B．231.5 million | C．317.2 million |
| A．Huawei has a very long history of making smartphones. |
| B．Huawei’s market share will be the top one in two years. |
| C．Huawei is trying hard to make its market share rise in America. |
| A．Travel | B．Science | C．Food |
