1 . Have you ever wondered why thinking too much makes you tired?     1     Researchers from the Paris Brain Institute looked at why mental effort makes us tired. The research team looked at the behavior of 40 participants in their research. Twenty-four of these performed challenging tasks, which included looking at a computer screen and matching different letters that appeared. The other 16 participants did a similar, but easier task. Both teams worked for six hours, and had two ten-minute breaks.     2     And they found that the group who had the more difficult task had higher levels of glutamate (谷氨酸) in their brains. Glutamate is a chemical the brain releases.

    3     It affects people’s sleep, mood and brain activities. Meanwhile, it means the brain tells the body it is tired and that it must rest. And, given a choice between an immediate cash reward and a larger reward that would come months later, people were more likely to choose the smaller, short-term reward than they were at the start of the day.

Study author Antonius Wiehler now hopes to use this system to learn more about how to recover from mental exhaustion.     4     Studies of cognitive fatigue (认知疲倦) could also be key to understanding how workers react to and recover from high-risk mental work such as air-traffic control, in which even a brief loss of focus can cost lives.

The challenging part of this research is that glutamate levels can be experimentally changed.     5     By doing so, it causes the molecule to accumulate during difficult mental work.

A．Too much glutamate upsets the brain’s functions.

B．The researchers scanned the brains of the participants.

C．A new study has found out some answers to this question.

D．That is to say, we could break down the molecular mechanisms (分子机制).

E．Glutamate is a chemical messenger in the brain that plays a role in learning.

F．Healthy levels of glutamate provide energy for brain cells and promote a sleep health.

G．He thinks it would be great to find out more about how glutamate levels are restored.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The Champion of No Score

Maggie hated Tuesdays—Tuesdays meant gym class, gym class meant picking teams and picking teams meant Maggie would be picked last.

As a newcomer, she’d come up with a special title for each classmate to remember the other kids. There was Kevin, Champion of the Clean Desk. Lynnie, Champion of Knowing the Answer First… Thinking hard, she finally decided her own title: Champion of Quiet.

Maggie felt blue as Tuesday fell again. Mr. Murphy, the gym teacher, asked for volunteer captains to pick their own basketball teams. The usual hands shot into the air. Maggie sighed and glanced to her right. She caught the eye of Jasmine. Champion of Awkward, a girl who was sometimes picked last, too. Then Maggie had an idea. So when Mr. Murphy asked if anyone else wanted to volunteer, Maggie felt her hand slowly rise. Looking again at Jasmine, she took a big breath. Maybe it was time for her to use her voice.

“Maggie?” Mr. Murphy smiled. “You want a turn?”

“Yes,” she said.

The class whispered. Maggie leading a team?

“Yes,” she answered again, louder this time.

Mr. Murphy waved Maggie to the front, where the other three captains—Champion of Jumping Rope, Champion of Never Misses a Shot, and Champion of Doesn’t Know How to Lose—stood, ready to choose their teams.

“Maggie, you get first pick,” said Mr. Murphy. “Jasmine,” announced Maggie. The class snickered. A joke? More than once, Jasmine had tried to score on the wrong basket. Eyes wide, Jasmine took her place beside Maggie. The other three captains called out familiar names—the best players on the basketball court. It was Maggie’s turn again. “I choose Frank.” Frank (Champion of the Untied Shoelace) could not throw, or catch. He knew what it felt like to be the last pick. But not today.

Three very talented teams took shape. And then there was Maggie’s team. Maggie looked at her teammates. There stood Jasmine and Frank, plus Gillian (Champion of Chatter) and George (Champion of Sleepy). “I have chosen the worst team in the history of the world,” Maggie thought to herself.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Hand in hand, the Maggie team walked onto the court.

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They did lose big, but something positive began to unfold in them.

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3 . In 2022, the Nature Conservancy launched two 5-year pilot projects at working ranches (牧场) in Kansas and New Mexico to determine if virtual fences enable land managers to better perform regenerative management practices and to assess potential benefits for biodiversity and for ranchers’ bottom lines, as well as impacts on soil carbon storage.

Applauded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a climate adaption strategy, virtual fencing is an innovative technology that enables ranchers to use a smartphone or web app to remotely monitor and control where and when cattle graze (吃草). Virtual fences can reduce the need for physical fences, which require significant time, expense and labor to maintain. Physical fences also limit land managers in their ability to change grazing boundaries to adapt to seasonal changes in vegetation or to exclude cattle from ecologically sensitive areas.

The cows are outfitted with battery-operated, GPS-enabled collars that send out a radio frequency to communicate with reception towers, creating virtual grazing boundaries set by a rancher. When a cow approaches the edge of the virtual boundary, the collar produces a sound signaling it to turn around. If the cow proceeds to cross the boundary, it receives a momentary mild shock, signaling that it’s gone too far and should rejoin its group.

Grasslands are the least protected habitat on earth and one of the most effective carbon sinks, storing up to 20% of the world’s soil organic carbon. Unfortunately, grasslands are continuing to rapidly disappear for several reasons. For ecological health, most grassland ecosystems need periods of disturbance to aerate (使透气) the soil, stimulate plant growth and recycle nutrients into the soil. Ranchers complete this disturbance-rest cycle by managing the timing, location, herd size and intensity of grazing activities, all of which can be time-consuming and painstaking.

“Currently, the costs of virtual fencing are still high, but in the long run it can help land managers better carry out management practices that regenerate land health, help address climate change and biodiversity loss,” said William Burnidge, director of the Nature Conservancy.

1. What’s stressed concerning virtual fencing in paragraph 2?

A．Its smart design.	B．Its major advantages.
C．Its wide application.	D．Its working principles.

2. What does the mild shock indicate to the cow?

A．It’s time to return.	B．It’s time to graze.
C．It’s in danger.	D．It’s in a wrong direction.

3. What’s unavoidable for ranchers to complete the disturbance-rest cycle?

A．Intense efforts.

B．Polluted soil.

C．Financial failure.

D．Ecological imbalance.

4. What’s Mr. Burnidge’s attitude to virtual fencing?

A．Intolerant.

B．Objective.

C．Doubtful.

D．Conservative.

4 . Travelling seemed like falsehood to me. I grew tired of backpackers expressing too much praise about how petting a baby elephant in Thailand “transformed” them. Globe-traveling to me held no more promise than finding a few bills in the pocket of an old coat. I needed something deeper than an Eat, Play, Love moment.

One day, Vasilis, my Greek best friend, reminded me of our decade-old promise: after our final exams, I would visit his hometown in Athens. Maybe, it was time to make good on that promise.

I finally boarded the plane. Vasilis picked me up at the airport. I smiled, thinking how improbable this moment seemed all those years ago.

The decade-long wait proved to be well worth it. Every step through the ancient streets revealed new wonders. However, none of them truly mattered. What would forever alter my perception of travel was a chance encounter with a local.

Vasilis and I were wandering Athens when a special sound caught our attention — a rhythmic clinking disturbing the quietness of the residential street. Curiously, we followed the sound to a humble workshop. Inside, a welder (焊工) gave no mind to our presence behind him. He wore no flashy protective suit — this was just another day for him, another dance with fire and metal that had become second nature. Under the sunshade, his orange cat rested in the comforting warmth...

As the man continued welding, I felt a bit of envy. I envied his peace and contentment. I admired the simplicity he embodied. I imagined the welder happy, finding fulfillment in his craft (手艺) and returning to his loving family...The moment moved me to tears. Leaving the workshop, rain blending with tears, I realized how easily life’s poetry could pass unnoticed.

Home again in Montreal, I stop simply pursuing better things, better experiences and better people that are never grasped. I realize the real journey is inward — to appreciate life’s ordinary magic. That sure beats petting any baby elephant. I may not have returned home “transformed,” but I’ll always think of the welder and his cat.

1. Which aspect of travelling makes the author feel uneasy?

A．Shortage of adequate funds.	B．Discomfort in dietary habits.
C．Overstatement of travel’s effects.	D．Danger of petting baby animals.

2. What drove the author to go to Athens?

A．Meeting a commitment.	B．Exploring a unique landscape.
C．Receiving further education.	D．Escaping from the current life.

3. What does the underlined word “poetry” in paragraph 6 probably refer to?

A．Poems written by masters.	B．Peace and simplicity.
C．Spirit of craftsmanship.	D．Special sound in the street.

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

A．Friendship Lasts Forever	B．Travelling Shapes a Better Self
C．Pursuit of Happiness Never Stops	D．The Ordinary Makes Extraordinary

5 . Over the past few months, I’ve been invited to speak with well-known writers, musicians and film producers regarding my recent book, Extraterrestrial. Prior to these conversations, I was on the receiving (and admiring) end of their artistic work, but now they were curious about my own research as a scientist. The reverse led me to recognize the similarities between innovation in the arts and the sciences.

In sciences and arts alike, creativity appears magically as an unpredictable fountain of inspiration from the subconscious (潜意识). Its unexpected content breaks routines within traditional thinking. It delivers something new that is distinct from common practices, often taking people out of their comfort zone because it is ahead of its time. As a result, many innovators are laughed at and denied the recognition they deserve when they need it the most.

There are many examples of such circumstances. In 1933 Fritz Zwicky inferred the existence of “dark matter”, but it took four decades for this concept to gain recognition within the astronomy community. Vincent van Gogh was considered a madman and a failure throughout his life. Today, his paintings are among the most expensive ever sold, though.

Typically, life offers two ways of acquiring objects. One is by collecting available items, and the other is by creating things that never existed before. Whereas most items on the shelves of supermarkets are mass-produced, products that are newly created by artists or scientists are originally unique. Just like aging wine, a product of creative work acquires quality over time. It is colored by the response of the audience as well as by imitations. The initial circumstances are a reminder of an admirable baby. It is fascinating for a scientist or an artist to watch the interaction of their creation with the world, just as it is for parents to watch their children.

Creativity in arts and sciences establishes a backdrop for human existence, as the content it invents gives pleasure and meaning to our lives. The human act of creation is an infinite-sum game, from which all of us benefit. And we can all participate in the creative process.

1. Which can best replace the underlined word “reverse” in paragraph 1?

A．Priority.

B．Assumption.

C．Shift.

D．Preference.

2. What can best describe creativity in sciences and arts?

A．It tends to be forecastable.	B．It mirrors common beliefs.
C．It usually leads the times.	D．It enjoys instant acceptance.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 4?

A．Creative works withstand the test of time.

B．Mass-produced items are preferable.

C．Old wine can’t be put into new bottles.

D．Inventiveness starts from childhood.

4. What’s the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To clarify a concept.	B．To launch an appeal.
C．To offer an entertainment.	D．To advocate a lifestyle.

6 . For the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition, the Musée d’Orsay, which houses the world’s largest collection of this current, is offering a major retrospective (回顾展) of this artistic trend with Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism from March 26 to July 14.

150 years ago, on April 15, 1874, in a luxurious photographer Nadar’s studio in northern Paris, Berthe Morisot, Edouard Degas and Claude Monet came together as a cooperative limited company to open the first Impressionist exhibition, a movement that would forever change the course of art history.

The retrospective will take visitors on a virtual tour to the very moment 150 years ago. During the 40-minute immersive (沉浸的) tour, visitors will spend a virtual evening with the famous impressionists and travel by steam train to Bougival, west of Paris, where many of them worked. Visitors will then tour the main exhibition, which opens into a gallery with Renoir’s La Parisienne and La Danseuse that featured in the 1874 exhibition, and other impressionist paintings, drawings and sculptures.

“The immersive experience is unique and innovative. You can go into this exhibition and relive the evening with the artists and discover the origin of this movement. We want to recreate the emotion for visitors of the 1874 exhibition.” said Abastado, director of digital development at the Musée d’Orsay.

Guidelines:

* The experience is suitable for children of 11 y/o and above; children under 8 y/o are prohibited.

* We remind you that, in view of the technology used, virtual reality experiences are not recommended for people with balance or vision disorders.

* Walkers and motorized wheelchairs are not permitted in the space, but manual wheelchairs are accepted.

1. What’s the retrospective mainly aimed at?

A．Protecting cultural diversity.	B．Fueling people’s love for art.
C．Showing honor to late artists.	D．Marking the birth of a movement.

2. What can be experienced during the virtual tour?

A．Painting a picture on the spot.	B．Driving a steam train in person.
C．Meeting famous impressionists.	D．Staying overnight in the gallery.

3. Who is the most suitable to visit the exhibition?

A．An eight-year-old boy.	B．An adult with a walker.
C．A visually-challenged girl.	D．A teenager in a manual wheelchair.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

When I started high school, I was fourteen years old and six foot tall. The scary thing about being so tall when you’re so young is that people automatically teat you as if you’re older. Yes, I was the size of an adult (actually, bigger than most! ) , but I was still just a kid. And acting more like an adult wouldn’t win me any fiends. As a card-carrying Good Boy, I wanted to meet adults’ expectations and get their praise, but as a Regular Kid, I wanted to be like my peers and get their friendship.

I walked into school that first day in my bluejacket and trousers, the school uniform. I noticed some of my old classmates from my junior high, the ones who had turned their backs on me, and we continued our policy of actively ignoring one another. I felt the pain of their betrayal (背叛) , but I forced my face to remain expressionless. I was here to study hard at academics and to work hard at basketball under my new coach, Jack Donahue. I was here to be excellent. Nothing else mattered.

Indeed I was excellent. I made the honor roll in the first semester, pleasing my parents and teachers. Leaming came naturally to me. I loved reading, especially about history and adventure stories like The Three Musketeers. Basketball, however, I had to work at to do well in.

As a freshman, my style of play reflected my personality: politely passive. I had some skills, but I didn’t have an aggressive nature: The good player around me knew how to play rough, use their bodies with authority, and power their way to a rebound (抢篮板球) . I knew I had to toughen up, and I was committed to getting better, but it wasn’t happening fast enough.

One morning, our school team was scheduled to play a game against Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, and Coach Donahue surprised me by taking me into his office. I figured he was going to discuss his disappointment in my progress as a player, maybe even say something about it all being a big mistake.

注意：
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。

To my surprise, he handed me a team uniform.

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All day, I allowed myself to imagine the game.

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9 . Antarctica has not always been a land of ice and snow. Earth’s southernmost continent once was home to rivers and forests full of life.

Scientists are using satellite observations and radar imagery to look deep under the ice. The researchers report finding a large ancient landscape buried under the continent’s ice sheet. It is full of valleys and ridges (山脊) , shaped by rivers before being covered by glaciers long ago.

The landscape is located in East Antarctica’s Wilkes Land area bordering the Indian Ocean. The researchers said the landscape appears to date back to at least 14 million years ago and perhaps beyond 34 million years ago, when Antarctica entered its deep freeze.

“It is difficult to know what this lost world might have looked like before the ice came along, but it was certainly warmer back then,” said Stewart Jamieson, a professor at Durham University. “Depending how far back in time you go, you might have had climates that ranged anywhere from the climate of present-day Patagonia through to something more approaching tropical.”

“Such an environment likely would have been populated by wildlife”, Jamieson said. “But the area’s fossil record is too incomplete to know which animals may have lived there.”

The researchers said the surface of the planet Mars is better known than the earth surface below the ice in Antarctica. They said one way to learn more would be to drill through the ice and take a piece of the earth below. This could uncover evidence showing ancient life, as was done with samples taken in Greenland dating back two million years ago.

Jamieson said the researchers think that when Antarctica’s climate was warmer, rivers flowed toward a continental coastline that was created as the other land masses broke away. When the climate cooled, some small glaciers formed on hills next to the rivers. When the climate cooled even more, an ice sheet grew which covered the whole continent, the landscape got preserved, likely for 34 million years.

1. What can we learn about the ancient landscape?

A．It locates in the center of Antarctica.	B．It’s discovered by drilling through the ice.
C．It’s once a warmer area than it is now.	D．It has a history of no more than 14 million years.

2. In Stewart Jamieson’s opinion, why is it hard to know Antarctica’s past animals?

A．There is a lack of complete fossil record.

B．The ice sheet of Antarctica is melting quickly.

C．Scientists lack enough advanced equipment.

D．Climate conditions vary greatly from place to place.

3. Why is the planet Mars mentioned in paragraph 6?

A．To attract more scientists to study Antarctica.

B．To strengthen the importance of the Mars.

C．To indicate the complex situations of the Mars.

D．To show the difficult to know Antarctica’s earth surface.

4. What made the landscape get preserved for such a long time?

A．The colder climate.	B．The protection offered by coastlines.
C．Other land masses’ reduction.	D．A decrease in the number of wildlife.