1 . In a world of music streaming services, access to almost any song is just a few clicks away. Yet, the live performance lives on. People still fill sweaty basements, muddy fields and gilded concert halls to hear their favourite musicians play. And now neuroscientists might know why—live music engages the brain’s emotion centres more than its recorded counterpart.

Concerts are immersive (沉浸式的) social experiences in which people listen to and feel the music together through crescendos, key changes and rhythmic drops. Moreover, they are dynamic—artists can adapt their playing according to the crowd’s reaction.

It was this last difference that led neuroscientists, based at the Universities of Zurich and Oslo, to study the brain responses of people listening to music. In the “live” experiment, participants lay in an MRI scanner listening to the music through earphones, while a pianist was positioned outside the room. The pianist was shown the participant’s real-time brain activity as a form of feedback. In the recorded condition, participants listened to pre-recorded versions of the same tunes.

The scientists were interested in how live music affected the areas of the brain responsible for processing emotions, particularly the amygdala, an area deep inside the brain. The results, just published in the journal PNAS, revealed that live music had a significantly greater emotional impact. Whether the music conveyed happiness or sadness, dynamic live performances led to increased activity not only in the amygdala but also other parts of the brain’s emotion processing network. The researchers also found that participants’ brain activity tracked the acoustic (声学的) features of the music, like tempo and pitch, far more closely when it was played live.

While the study didn’t fully recreate the live concert experience, the findings suggest that artists’ ability to adjust their performance in real time contributes to the emotional resonance (共鸣) of live music. Some musical acts now attempt to recreate live concerts, such as ABBA Voyage, an immersive pre-recorded VR concert, but without artists’ capacity to read audience’s mood and respond accordingly, it will never quite match the real thing.

1. Why do people attend live shows despite music streaming services?

A．Because they prefer being with friends at a concert.

B．Because they enjoy the process of finding popular music.

C．Because they intend to meet their favorite musicians in person.

D．Because they value the emotional connection live music brings.

2. The role of the pianist play in the “live” experiment is to _______.

A．observe the participants’ brain activity as feedback

B．compare the effectiveness of live performances and recorded ones

C．provide live accompaniment to participants inside the MRI scanner

D．demonstrate their ability to read and respond to the audience’s mood

3. What did the study published in PNAS find about the impact of live music on the brain?

A．Live music affected only the amygdala of the brain.

B．The brain responded more intensely to acoustic features of live music.

C．Live music had a reduced emotional impact compared to recorded music.

D．The participants’ brain activity was especially sensitive to dynamic music.

4. What does the author suggest by mentioning ABBA Voyage in the last paragraph?

A．It fails to create a perfect performing atmosphere.

B．It matches the sound quality of live performances.

C．It greatly stirs up the audience’s emotional response.

D．It lacks artists’ response based on audience’s feedback.

2 . Laughter comes in many forms, from a polite chuckle to an infectious howl of amusement. Scientists are now developing an AI system that can copy various forms of laughter accurately. The team behind the laughing robot, Erica, say that the system could improve natural conversations between people and AI systems.

Dr. Koji Inoue, lead author of the research from Kyoto University, highlights empathy (共情) as a crucial aspect of conversational AI, suggesting laughter sharing as a means for robots to connect with users. To achieve this, Inoue and his team gathered data from over 80 speed-dating dialogues between male students and Erica, initially operated by amateur actors.

Dialogue data labeled for individual, social, and joyful laughter was used to train an AI system to identify and produce fitting laughter responses. Based on the audio files, the algorithm (算法) learned their subtle differences, aiming to imitate social laughs subtly and hearty laughs empathetically.

“Our biggest challenge in this work was identifying the actual cases of shared laughter,” explained Inoue, emphasizing the need for careful categorization. Erica’s “sense of humor” was tested with four dialogues, integrating the new shared-laughter algorithm. These were compared to cases where Erica didn’t laugh or emitted social laughs upon detecting laughter.

The clips were played to 130 volunteers who rated the shared-laughter algorithm highly for empathy and naturalness. The team believed laughter could imbue robots with unique character traits, including conversational behaviors like laughter, eye gaze, gestures, and speaking style. However, Inoue acknowledged it could take over 20 years to have a “casual chat with a robot like we would with a friend.”

Professor Sandra Wachter, of the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, said, “One of the things I’d keep in mind is that a robot or algorithm will never be able to understand you. It doesn’t understand the meaning of laughter. They fail to feel, but they might get very good at making you believe they understand what’s going on.”

1. Why do scientists develop the AI system that can copy various forms of laughter?

A．To make robots sound more human-like.

B．To help robots understand human emotions better.

C．To enable robots to have a sense of humor like humans.

D．To enhance the emotional interaction between people and AI systems.

2. What was the challenge Inoue faced while working on this project?

A．Creating an algorithm that can genuinely feel amusement.

B．Identifying the situations where laughter is truly understood.

C．Distinguishing between different types of laughter accurately.

D．Collecting sufficient data for training the machine learning system.

3. What does the underlined word “imbue” mean in Paragraph 5?

A．Equip.

B．Inspire.

C．Engage.

D．Influence.

4. What is Professor Sandra Wachter’s view on laughing robots?

A．They are not capable of capturing human laughter.

B．They can imitate laughter but lack thorough comprehension.

C．It is possible for them to play tricks on humans occasionally.

D．It will take long before humans have comfortable conversations with them.

3 . British cinema boasts a rich diversity of films that weave appealing narratives with stunning landscapes and fascinating characters. These films celebrate the diverse beauty and cultural heritage of Britain.

Local Hero

Local Hero digs into the conflict between a giant US oil company and a remote Scottish village when the former plans to build a refinery. However, the exceptionally beautiful landscapes and the firm attitude of the villagers sway the company’s decision. The story has been a lasting appeal to audiences, even after over four decades.

Kes

British director Ken Loach’s first triumph, Kes, describes the touching narrative of a young Yorkshire boy taking the journey of capturing and training an eagle. The film offers a rare description of Yorkshire, filled with a tender lens that celebrates its essence.

The Dig

The delightful counties surrounding London are vividly depicted in The Dig, set against the peaceful countryside of Suffolk before World War Ⅱ. Ralph Fiennes, a famous actor, plays the role of a self-taught archaeologist unearthing the mysteries of an Anglo-Saxon graveyard, adding to its fun.

Calvary

Irish director Michael McDonagh’s films set in Ireland are undoubtedly attractive, often integrating Ireland’s picturesque scenery into the story. Among these, Calvary, stands out. It records the difficult and tiring journey of a moral priest, dealing with the evil forces within his area.

1. Which of the following films will appeal to curious history lovers?

A．The Dig.

B．Local Hero.

C．Kes.

D．Calvary.

2. What is the setting of the film Local Hero?

A．A Yorkshire village.	B．A remote Scottish village.
C．The countryside of Suffolk.	D．The Anglo-Saxon graveyard.

3. What is the theme of the British films mentioned in the text?

A．The moral dilemma of an Irish priest.

B．The national and cultural heritage of Britain.

C．The beauty and diversity of British landscapes and characters.

D．The adventures of Yorkshire boys capturing and training eagles.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the conversation mainly about?

A．Fighting fire.

B．Detecting fire.

C．Preventing fire.

2. What can we know from the conversation?

A．Australia lost 4% of its trees.

B．The system is used in America.

C．The system will use heat cameras.

3. What size of fire can the new system discover?

A．The size of a car.

B．The size of a plane.

C．The size of a football field.

4. What is the woman’s concern besides trees?

A．Protecting humans.

B．Purifying the air.

C．Saving animals.

6 . 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。

I was doing homework with my friend Ollie at his home when he randomly started scribbling (乱画) a fish. But not just any fish. This fish was riding a skateboard and blowing a bubble that said “I’d rather be skating!”I laughed and drew a sea star saying “Quit fooling around and get to work!”

Just then, Ollie’s grandma Abuela and her friend Mr. Goldberg came into the kitchen. Mr. Goldberg was in charge of the local animal shelter. Abuela poured their tea and inquired about how things were going at the animal shelter. Mr. Goldberg sighed, shaking his head. He explained that not enough people were adopting pets, resulting in too many animals without homes.

Overhearing the conversation, Ollie offered to adopt some excitedly. But Abuela said that one noisy parrot was plenty for this house.

“Blue isn’t noisy,” defended Ollie. “He’s just musical.”

“I’d have a whole farm full of animals if I could,” I said. “But my parents say two cats and a hamster (仓鼠) are enough.”

Mr. Goldberg said he kept trying to attract people to adopt animals, but found it hard to get people’s attention these days. Ollie drew a sad whale, and I wrote the words “Please adopt me” in the shape of a whale spout (喷水). Mr. Goldberg took a look at our drawings and made favorable comments on them, saying that these clever talking animals just might grab people’s attention. And he asked us if we were willing to design a poster for his animal shelter, a proposal we happily accepted. We decided to draw some ideas on our own and meet up again the next afternoon.

That night, when I was sitting in the living room brainstorming ideas for the poster, my little brother brought in our hamster, Mr. Nibbles, to give him a little run-around time. He made a hamster playground out of couch pillows and Mr. Nibbles began to run around merrily.

Suddenly, an idea formed in my mind.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We decided to make both Mr. Nibbles and Blue the stars of the poster.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . I found a brown bag outside after our move. “Grass Seed,” it said in big letters. My husband and I _________ the seeds all over the dirty yard in front of our new house. “I have no idea if they will _________,” I told him, “but it’s worth a shot.” Just like our _________ to move to the rural Arizona.

Near our new house sat a charming cottage, which was _________ to tourists. I got a job offer to _________ the cottage. I’d worked in hotels for years, so when offered the _________, I jumped at it. Still, it was a big change. I _________ that it would be a right move.

While we waited for our grass to grow—or not—we _________ settled into our new house through our efforts. We made it a cozy home, despite the _________ in the front yard, which was still bare now. Meanwhile, many of the cottage guests became __________, and I got to know them well. I felt __________ to make their stays memorable. Perhaps I was better at that than __________.

But after a monsoon (季风) swept through, I woke up to a beautiful morning and looked out the window. There was no grass growing in the sunlight. __________, our yard was covered in a rainbow of zinnias (百日菊)! The front yard turned out even better than I could have __________, just like our new life. And it remains a powerful __________ of the beauty that awaits us in our new chapter.

1.

A．sought

B．spread

C．collected

D．removed

2.

A．remain

B．last

C．dry

D．root

3.

A．need

B．intention

C．decision

D．agreement

4.

A．rented

B．given

C．sold

D．introduced

5.

A．green

B．advertise

C．fill up

D．look after

6.

A．help

B．chance

C．service

D．accommodation

7.

A．pretended

B．decided

C．understood

D．prayed

8.

A．naturally

B．hardly

C．gradually

D．temporarily

9.

A．uncertainty

B．potential

C．danger

D．untidiness

10.

A．locals

B．employers

C．regulars

D．gardeners

11.

A．proud

B．grateful

C．curious

D．stressed

12.

A．house renting

B．yard cleaning

C．keeping house

D．growing grass

13.

A．Otherwise

B．Instead

C．Besides

D．Therefore

14.

A．imagined

B．designed

C．remembered

D．appreciated

15.

A．test

B．memory

C．reminder

D．choice

9 . American families don’t save money like they used to. In 2018 the personal saving rate was somewhere around 7%, which is well below the rate of a few decades ago.

There are a lot of potential explanations for this. Wage growth has slowed while necessities such as housing and medical care have grown more expensive. The rise of easy credit has made overspending easier than ever. And the number of people who make a budget is decreasing.

Now, a team of U.S. and Canadian economists have proposed a new explanation for the declining savings rate, one rooted in individual psychology. At its heart lies a simple observation: Spending is a lot more visible than not spending. Humans are social creatures, and we have a tendency to evaluate our own standing in life relative to how our friends and neighbors are doing. We want to keep up with the Joneses, and stay ahead of the Smiths. Because of this, when we see other people spending money we have a tendency to believe that we can — or should — be spending too. Nowadays, changes in the media landscape have made other people’s spending more visible than ever. That, in turn, is making all of us spend even more — and save even less.

David Hirshleifer, one of the economists, said that “it’s easy to think that you’re saving enough because you are not throwing luxury parties or taking expensive journeys the way some people you know are.” But, he warned, “those journeys and parties may not really be typical of your acquaintances — they just stand out in memory.”

The economists imply that finding ways to make non-spending more visible might help individuals develop more realistic views of overall spending and saving behavior. “Make a special effort to notice when your friends are careful with money, such as holding on to their 15-year-old car,” Hirshleifer said.

1. Which of the following is a potential explanation for the low saving rate in America?

A．The reduction in the income.	B．The easy access to money.
C．The growing desire for housing.	D．The difficulty in sticking to a budget.

2. The “individual psychology” mentioned in paragraph 3 refers to a tendency to ______.

A．show off wealth	B．connect with others
C．compare oneself to others	D．adapt oneself to social change

3. What is the warning of David Hirshleifer?

A．It is improper to copy others’ spending habits.

B．It is unwise to spend more than one can afford.

C．One may spend too much on journeys and parties.

D．One may have misunderstanding of others’ spending habits.

4. What do the economists suggest people do?

A．Make good use of money.	B．Save as much money as possible.
C．Pay attention to non-spending behavior.	D．Change overall spending and saving behavior.

10 . Picture this: you’re out to dinner with a friend who you know makes a lot more money than you do. When you open the _________, your heart sinks. There’s not a dish in sight that is less than $35, and even a soup is going to run you $18. You probably vow (发誓) to _________ dollar pizza slices the rest of the month to balance out this dinner. _________, this time, what if you just turned to your friend, closed the menu, and said, “Sorry, I have to be honest. I can’t afford this. Let’s go somewhere else?”

That’s the idea behind “loud budgeting”, a trend that could not only relieve you of the _________ burden, but help you deal with these sorts of stressful situations both mentally and emotionally. In an age when everybody is showing off nice things on social media and _________ to be something they’re not, it feels somewhat revolutionary to just tell the truth about what you can’t afford.

The term was first introduced by TikTok (抖音) comedian Lukas Battle. Battle explained his concept in an interview: simply put, loud budgeting is being _________ about what you do and don’t want to spend money on. Since his video, the concept has caught on rapidly among the _________, who are pointing out that it has come at a significant time when everything is uncontrollably expensive.

It’s not just a TikTok thing though. Even those in the financial services industry are on board with the _________. Nikolina Cuca, a financial advisor, says that she’s seen social media add pressure to her clients, causing them to spend _________ on luxury items. “There should be no shame about trying to match your spending to your means. This trend helps young people moderate spending by __________ the idea of living within budgets.”

Beyond just saving money, loud budgeting is also bringing people closer. Honest money talks lead to greater respect among friends and family. By __________ discussing money goals, people are creating stronger bonds based on mutual understanding for each other’s financial situations. And perhaps the most valuable part of the loud budgeting trend is that it provides a sense of __________. For example, if you tell a friend you are trying to cut back spending on drinks out, you are much __________ to stick with the goal than if you just keep it to yourself.

With its focus on being open, spending wisely, and building __________, loud budgeting is more than just a passing trend, but a cool way for the younger generation to __________ their finances. As more people adopt this approach, it is likely to stay a big part of how we handle money in the future.

1.

A．door

B．menu

C．bill

D．wallet

2.

A．appeal to

B．lead to

C．stick to

D．object to

3.

A．Otherwise

B．Meanwhile

C．Therefore

D．However

4.

A．financial

B．cultural

C．physical

D．economical

5.

A．refusing

B．pretending

C．agreeing

D．guaranteeing

6.

A．worried

B．angry

C．honest

D．excited

7.

A．male

B．female

C．young

D．old

8.

A．tradition

B．truth

C．treasure

D．trend

9.

A．below their standards

B．beyond their means

C．towards their goals

D．despite their differences

10.

A．normalizing

B．criticizing

C．memorizing

D．visualizing

11.

A．endlessly

B．intelligently

C．openly

D．formally

12.

A．belonging

B．accountability

C．flexibility

D．rigidity

13.

A．less motivated

B．less equipped

C．more hesitant

D．more likely

14.

A．connections

B．business

C．habitats

D．reputation

15.

A．lose faith in

B．take charge of

C．do away with

D．make up for