1 . A family attempting to travel to Australia without flying have arrived in the country after a three-and-a-half-month journey. Shannon Coggins, Theo Simon and their daughter Rosa, 19, left England to begin their 10 thousand-mile trip to Sydney on 16 August. The family was hoping to make it in time for Ms. Coggins’ sister’s wedding on 28 December.
The family saved up for several years to pay for the trip, which has cost them much more than air tickets would have done. They travelled through Kazakhstan, China, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia, and finally arrived in Dili, hoping to find a boat to cross the Timor Sea to Darwin, Australia. From there they planned to take a bus to Sydney.
“The world is a huge thing, and one personal thing that I do will never make the difference that we need but I want to live by my principles,” Ms. Coggins said. “I want a clean world for my daughter when she’s growing up in the future and the grandchildren. But the world is getting hotter. There is so much going on in Australia here at the moment with floods and fires, and I think we’ve all got to take that seriously.”
“All three of us have campaigned in different ways for action on climate change, so we decided our journey to Australia would have to be as low-carbon as practical,” Mr. Simon said.
The family arrived on the other side of the world just in time. But they said there were many moments during their journey across continents and oceans when they thought they might not make it to Australia. A conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the danger of travelling through Iran, forced them on a four day detour (绕行) through Russia where Mr. Simon almost get arrested.
“It hasn’t always been easy, but it was worth it”, Mr. Simon added. “We want to keep this beautiful planet, don’t we?”
1. Why did the family travel to Sydney?| A．To take a global tour. | B．To attend a wedding. |
| C．To explore the nature. | D．To advocate saving energy. |
| A．They couldn’t afford the air tickets. |
| B．They joined a nationwide campaign. |
| C．They were afraid of the terrible weather. |
| D．They tried to reduce their carbon footprints. |
| A．Mr. Simon was arrested when going through Russia. |
| B．The family was discontent with the adventurous trip. |
| C．The family’s journey was not quite straightforward. |
| D．The family didn’t manage to reach Australia at last. |
| A．Tough but worthwhile. | B．Smooth but expensive. |
| C．Relaxing and incredible. | D．Inappropriate and disappointed. |
2 . REGISTRATION OPENS FOR STUDENT ROBOTICS 2024
We’re excited to announce that registration for the 2024 season of Student Robotics is now open! Based in the UK, Student Robotics challenges teams of 16 to 19 year-olds to design, build and program fully autonomous robots to compete in our annual competition. Teams will have just three months to engineer their creations. As well as supplying teams with a kit, which they can use as a framework for their robot, we mentor (指导) the teams over this period. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we provide all of this to our teams at no cost.
The competition cycle will start with a live streamed Kickstart event on our YouTube Channel. During the event, the game and the structure of the competition will be announced and kits handed out to teams.
The competition year will culminate (达到高潮) in an in-person competition from September 30 to October 1, 2024, which will see the robots compete through a league stage and a seeded knockout. As usual the prizes will recognise not only the teams which come top in the knockouts, but also those who are excellent in other ways.
Details of the game and prizes will be revealed at Kickstart. Details of the Kickstart and competition events will be published when they are available. We expect to confirm places towards the end of August, 2024.
If you would like a chance to compete in Student Robotics 2024, please fill in the entry form with the required information. The deadline of the registration is May 30, 2024. Places are limited, so please click here and sign up soon to avoid disappointment.
We look forward to seeing your teams!
1. What should participants do in Student Robotics?| A．Prepare a kit themselves. | B．Design a robot on the spot. |
| C．Work as a team. | D．Pay for the framework. |
| A．Two days. | B．Two weeks. | C．One month. | D．Three days. |
| A．A brochure. | B．A magazine. | C．A newspaper. | D．A website. |
3 . Season Guide
Explore what’s in store for 2024 and plan your year of fantastic nights out.
West Side Story28 April—27 May 2024, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour
A musical masterpiece returns to Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour in a thrilling, larger-than-life staging. Dynamic dance numbers and fireworks soar across the harbour. A must-see if you love Romeo and Juliet, showstopping song and dance numbers, a touching ending.
Tosca24-30 May 2024, Margaret Court Arena
25 June-16 August 2024, Sydney Opera House
A thriller with exciting music, opera’s best villain (反派主角) and an unforgettable ending, Tosca will keep you on the edge of your seat. A must-see if you love stories full. of action, films about love and war, amazing choral music.
The Magic Flute9-16 November 2024, Geelong Arts Centre
Start an exciting journey and meet many amazing characters in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. A must-see if you love adventure stories, famous music, happy endings, opera performed in English.
Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan14-16 June 2024, Sydney Opera House
An impressive new operatic work by some of Australia’s most celebrated creative talents, bringing a real-life tragedy, and eventual triumph (巨大成功), to the stage. A must-see if you love choral music, stories of triumph over adversity, visually stunning and physically thrilling productions.
1. Which event lasts the longest?| A．Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan. | B．Tosca. |
| C．The Magic Flute. | D．West Side Story. |
| A．Both involve choral music. | B．Both have happy endings. |
| C．Both are based on real life. | D．Both will be held in Margaret Court Arena. |
| A．West Side Story. | B．Tosca. |
| C．The Magic Flute. | D．Watershed: The Death of Dr. Duncan. |
4 . There’s been an enormous amount of progress in language-generating AI over the past couple of years. OpenAI’s GPT-3, for example, is a language generator that’s been trained on 570 GB of text, and is able to write convincing essays. Google, of course, is working on language generators too, and its latest one helps you write like a legendary poet.
Google’s new AI tool, Verse by Verse, allows users to compose a poem using “suggestions” from classic American poets. The AI generates these suggestions based on what it’s collected from reading the poets’ oeuvres. That is, the program uses machine-learning algorithms(算法) to identify the language patterns of a particular poet’s work, then applies those to text it generates as the suggestions.
The tool works by allowing users to select from 22 American poets for the suggestions, including legends like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Edgar Allen Poe. After a user has selected up to three poets, they then pick the type of poem they’d like to write. The program offers various poetic forms, and even allows users to select the number of syllables per line.
Users then give the program a first line, and AI generates the rest of the poem. The AI makes suggestions line by line, however, making it more interactive than other top language generator s out there. As far as results, they’re interesting, but not nearly as impressive as GPT-3’s writings.
According to Google engineer Dave Uthus, “The system was trained to have a general understanding of what lines of verse would best follow a previous line of verse. So even if you write on topics not commonly seen in classic poetry, the system will try its best to make lines that are relevant. The widely varying degrees of Verse by Verse output quality show that while good lyrical gems(宝石) may occasionally emerge, further work by the AI team remains to be done.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce a new AI tool for writing poetry. |
| B．To compare different language-generating tools. |
| C．To discuss the progress of langauge-generators. |
| D．To analyze the latest essays of OpenAI’s GPT-3. |
| A．Suggestions. | B．Works. | C．Messages. | D．Patterns. |
| A．Collect poems for inspiration. |
| B．Give the program a starting line. |
| C．Generate different poetic forms. |
| D．Compose poems as good as GPT-3. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. | C．Puzzled. | D．Confident. |
5 . People who spend time without distractions enjoy the moments alone with their thoughts more than they think they will, according to a new study.
For the study, researchers compared expectation versus their actual experiences for a total of 259 participants across six experiments to measure how much people enjoyed being free from distraction.
One experiment asked participants to predict how much they thought they would enjoy sitting alone without doing anything else for 20 minutes. People enjoyed sitting alone with their thoughts far more than they predicted, researchers said.
“Humans have a striking ability to immerse themselves in their own thinking,” said study lead author Aya Hatano of Kyoto University in Japan. “Our research suggests that individuals have difficulty appreciating just how engaging thinking can be,” Hatano continued. “That could explain why people prefer keeping themselves busy with devices and other distractions, rather than taking a moment for reflection and imagination in daily life.”
Researchers said their findings were consistent along several variations of the experiment. One experiment, for example, had participants sit in a dark area with no visual stimuli(刺激物).
Another experiment split up the participants into groups. One sat alone, thinking, while the other checked the news on the Internet. The group sitting alone predicted they would enjoy the activity far less than the group reading the news. Yet both groups reported similar levels of enjoyment at the end.
Study co-author Kou Murayama said people who think their life will be less boring by distracting themselves from their thoughts risk missing the opportunity to positively engage with themselves without relying on such stimulation.
Researchers noted that sitting alone with one’s thought was not rated a particularly enjoyable task, but it was better than participants thought. There are also dangers for some, they added.
“Not all thinking is naturally rewarding, and in fact some people tend to fall into cycles of negative thinking,” Murayama said.
1. How did the researchers get their findings?| A．By observing participants’ daily habits. |
| B．By analyzing a series of previous studies. |
| C．By asking participants to complete various tests. |
| D．By comparing what participants expected with reality. |
| A．Diverse experimental designs. | B．Different participant groups. |
| C．Varying patterns of thinking. | D．Similar experimental results. |
| A．Constant distractions may make life less boring. |
| B．Relying on distractions to avoid boredom is unwise. |
| C．Engaging with one’s thoughts can always be beneficial. |
| D．Balancing distraction and self-reflection is unachievable. |
| A．Fitness. | B．Business. | C．Psychology. | D．Entertainment. |
6 . Theo works day and night in the tulip (郁金香) fields in the Netherlands and never complains of sore muscles. How is this possible?
Theo is an artificial intelligence, or AI, robot that looks for diseased flowers each spring. The work prevents viruses from spreading among the valuable plants. The robot looks for troubled tulip bulbs and des troys them if necessary. They are removed from the healthy ones in a processing center after the harvest.
There are 45 robots like Theo working in the tulip fields of the Netherlands. Their work becomes important as the winter turns to spring and peak season nears. People come from around the world to see the colorful flowers.
Allan Visser’s family has been growing tulips for three generations. This is the second season that he has used a robot. He said it is very expensive—the same as a sports car—about $200,000. In the past, knowledgeable farmers would walk the fields looking for tulips that showed signs of sickness.
“I prefer to have the robot because a sports car doesn’t take out the sick tulips from our field,” he said, “Yeah, it is expensive, but there are less and less people who can really see the sick tulips.”
The robot has been trained to detect the sick plants. Red stripes show up on the leaves of infected plants. Rolling slowly through the fields at about one kilometer per hour, the robots search for sick tulips. Visser explained that the robot has cameras and takes thousands of photos of the tulips. And then, the AI software considers the photos and decides which tulips need to be killed.
H2L Robotics is the company that makes the robots. Erik de Jong is the managing director. He said all of the knowledge they use in the computer program that informs the robot comes from tulip farmers like Theo van der Voort. He is the farmer that the robot is named after.
Van der Voort retired after 52 years of looking for sick flowers in his fields. “It’s fantastic,” he said, “It sees just as much as I see.”
1. What can we infer from Visser’s words?| A．The robot has strong muscles. | B．The robot is costly but beneficial. |
| C．He fails to employ expert farmers. | D．He has a strong desire for a luxury car. |
| A．How the robot operates. | B．How much the robot costs. |
| C．How fast the robot moves. | D．What the robot is made of. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Tolerant. | C．Disapproving. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．An Intelligent “Farmer” | B．An Imaginary Robot |
| C．An Innovative Company | D．An Expert Surgeon |
7 . Compared to robots, human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements, and can change energy efficiently into movement. Drawing inspiration from human gait, researchers from Japan crafted a two-legged biohybrid robot by combining muscle tissues and artificial materials. This method allows the robot to walk and pivot.
“Research on biohybrid robots, which are a mix of biology and mechanics, is recently attracting attention as a new field of robotics featuring biological function,” says corresponding author Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, Japan. “Using muscles as actuators allows us to build a compact robot and achieve efficient, silent movements with a soft touch.”
The research team’s two-legged robot, an innovative bipedal design, builds on the legacy of biohybrid robots that take advantage of muscles. Muscle tissues have driven biohybrid robots to crawl and swim straight forward and make turns—but not sharp ones. Yet, being able to pivot and make sharp turns is an essential feature for robots to avoid obstacles.
To build a nimbler robot with fine and delicate movements, the researchers designed a biohybrid robot that copies human gait and operates in water. By alternating the electric stimulation between the left and right leg every 5 seconds, the biohybrid robot successfully “walked” at the speed of 5.4m m/min(0.002 mph). To turn, researchers repeatedly zapped the right leg every 5 seconds while the left leg served as an anchor.
The robot made a 90-degree left turn in 62 seconds. The findings showed that the muscle-driven bipedal robot can walk, stop, and make fine-tuned turning motions.
“Currently, we are manually moving a pair of electrodes to apply an electric field individually to the legs, which takes time,” says Takeuchi. “In the future, by integrating the electrodes into the robot, we expect to increase the speed more efficiently.
The team also plans to give joints and thicker muscle tissues to the bipedal robot to enable more complicated and powerful movements.
1. What is the weakness of a robot?| A．Awkward to move. | B．Complex to operate. |
| C．Tough to control. | D．Easy to lose energy. |
| A．More stylish. | B．More flexible. | C．More intelligent. | D．More suitable. |
| A．Add more power to the bipedal robot. | B．Expand the use of the bipedal robot. |
| C．Better the bipedal robot’s movements. | D．Apply an electric field to the bipedal robot. |
| A．Biohybrid robots are a mix of biology and mechanics |
| B．Human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements |
| C．Making sharp turns is essential for robots to avoid obstacles |
| D．Scientists designed a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissues |
8 . It’s time to put your worries aside and pack your bags for some of the top most relaxing places for holidays for 2024.
KosRelaxing holidays in Kos are all about blending soft sand beaches, sparkling water, lush green interiors, and history hunting. The coast is perfect for long leisurely walks on the beach, sunbathing in the Greek sunshine, and wallowing in the warm water. History buffs are in for a treat with some of the best historic architecture in Greece. Kos is home to abundant Roman ruins and a 15th-century castle that is ideal for an afternoon of exploring.
LanzaroteThe vast untouched landscape has made Lanzarote one of the most popular holiday destinations because it is truly somewhere you can relax in peace, with nothing but soft sandy beaches and the ideal water for first-time ocean swimmers. Family holidays to Lanzarote are as accommodating as parents could wish for, offering a host of fantastic family-friendly fun for all ages.
CorfuAs the greenest of the Greek islands, you’re in for a treat with over two million olive trees, rolling green hills, and pine forests that blanket the island in emerald beauty. Finding the perfect mix of history hunting, nature exploration, and relaxation is all within reach on a luxury Corfu holiday. The old towns, harbours, and traditional hostels will have you relax and enjoy the best of the Greek islands in no time.
RovinjFor a cultural holiday filled with exquisite architecture, national parks with untouched natural wonders, and long stretches of coastline, look no further than holidays in Rovinj. Located in the north of Croatia, Rovinj offers some of the best opportunities to explore the unique and moving culture. The town is home to narrow cobbled streets overlooking the ocean, with shops, galleries, and restaurants dotted throughout, bringing you the best of Croatia.
1. What can visitors do at Kos?| A．Visit art galleries. | B．Enjoy family-friendly fun. |
| C．Walk in national parks. | D．Admire historic architecture. |
| A．Kos. | B．Lanzarote. |
| C．Corfu. | D．Rovinj. |
| A．They all have sea view. |
| B．They all have old castles. |
| C．They all belong to the same country. |
| D．They all have untouched landscape. |
9 . In the past, music recording was primitive. A recording engineer placed microphones in front of instruments. The producer pressed record and signaled the band to play. There was a human touch to recordings, and this way of recording gave rock music its raw edge. But here we are today. Complex and advanced audio software sits in every recording studio. The higher cost and greater practicality make creating digital music common.
However, the modern recordings aren’t beneficial to a rock record. Let’s not forget, being in a band is laborious. You need like-minded musicians to rehearse for hours on end. Nowadays, this isn’t a necessity.
Programming drums on a computer is as simple as filling cells on a spreadsheet, and there you have it, a drumbeat. Only a few professionals are aware that they aren’t listening to true live drums. Such tech is even accessible on your smartphone. Whether on a train or in a bedroom, you can create a full band track without a live band.
What happened to rock music? With pop and hip hop dominating the charts, it feels like the time for bands is over. Is rock music really dying out? Is it really on its last legs, or are we just not trying hard enough?
Artists, inspired by the great rock bands, seek to put their own spin on this classic genre. The spirit of rock music still remains. One singer mixed soul and rock while one band combined indie rock with elements of techno, both with underlying rock characteristics.
The truth is that fresh rock bands are out there and you just need to dig deeper. A search through online music blogs shows a growing number of new rock bands. While rock bands are now not as popular as before and not receiving mainstream exposure, the flame still burns brightly.
1. Which words can best describe the past music recording?| A．Underdeveloped and low-cost. | B．Easy and time-saving. |
| C．Demanding and complex. | D．Digital and creative. |
| A．Low demands for music. | B．Advanced audio software. |
| C．Deep understanding of music. | D．Help from professional musicians. |
| A．To tell rock music has lost its original attraction. |
| B．To show rock music may be presented in new styles. |
| C．To stress rock music is no longer mainstream music. |
| D．To compare rock music with some other kinds of music. |
| A．Is Rock Music Going Dead? | B．Why Is Rock Music Disappearing? |
| C．A New Kind of Music Is Emerging | D．A Way of Recording Music Is Getting Accepted |
10 . Chinese material scientists have found the soil on the moon may potentially be able to generate oxygen and fuel, a finding that means more possibilities of humans to use lunar resources to further exploration of the moon and beyond.
The researchers at Nanjing University showed that the lunar sample brought back by China’s Chang’e-5 contains active compounds (化合物) that can change carbon dioxide into oxygen and fuel. Initially, they hoped to design a system that took advantage of lunar soil and solar radiation, the two rich resources on the moon, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Joule.
After analyzing the Chang’e-5’s lunar soil, the team found the sample contained metal-rich substances, which could work as a catalyst (催化剂) to make oxygen using sunlight and carbon dioxide. The team proposed a strategy using lunar soil to electrolyze water from the moon and the astronauts’ life support system into oxygen and hydrogen. The process was powered by sunlight. The carbon dioxide breathed out by moon inhabitants can be collected and combined with hydrogen to produce the fuel, also catalyzed by the lunar soil, according to the study. The researchers said with this method, no external energy apart from sunlight would be used to produce oxygen and fuel to support life on a moon base.
“We use the environmental resources to minimize rocket payload, and our strategy provides a scenario for a sustainable and affordable living environment for life out of the Earth,” said the paper’s first author Yao Yingfang from Nanjing University, expressing his assumption.
“The challenge lies in the fact that catalytic efficiency of lunar soil is lower than catalysts on the Earth,” said the researchers. They are testing different approaches in order to improve the design. The team is looking for an opportunity to test the system in space with China’s future manned lunar missions.
1. What is the main implication of Chinese scientists’ discovery of the moon’s soil?| A．The moon is rich in rare elements. | B．Lunar soil can be used for exploring space. |
| C．The moon can be lived on by human beings. | D．Lunar soil is a new renewable energy source. |
| A．The process of the sun producing light. |
| B．The analysis of China’s Chang’e-5’s work. |
| C．The supportive method producing metal-rich substances. |
| D．The sustainable living strategy employing lunar resources. |
| A．Profession. | B．Contract. | C．Vision. | D．Sponsor. |
| A．The discovery of active compounds on the moon. |
| B．The testing approaches to improving the lunar soil. |
| C．The research on the environmental system of the moon. |
| D．The study of using lunar soil for oxygen and fuel production. |
