1 . What’s your first memory? Whatever it is, you’re bound to treasure it. But can we actually trust them? Nothing about memory is simple. Memory is malleable. What we remember is not necessarily what happened. A memory is not a recording. It’s more like a dramatic reconstruction and one that we can keep changing without realizing it.

For any experience to be remembered, it has to be encoded (编码). This encoding is not any kind of direct translation, though. It’s a rich and complex process that creates associations and meanings. We might be remembering something very similar, but slightly changed and colored by our own sets of associations.

Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus produced groundbreaking research on eyewitness testimony (证据). Her work showed that memories can easily be influenced, even after they’ve been created. For example, if two eyewitnesses talk with each other, their memories of events often change, absorbing what they’ve heard from the other one — but they won’t realize this has happened. Similarly, witnesses who are shown an image of an innocent person, can sometimes stick it onto their memory of the actual event — a process known as unconscious transference (无意识的转移). It is estimated that around 70% of wrongful convictions (定罪), later overturned by DNA evidence, are due to mistaken eyewitness testimony.

In some cases, memories can even be deliberately created and implanted. The Lost in the Mall experiment took a test group of subjects and talked to them in depth about key childhood memories while also adding an invented one — the experience of having been lost in a shopping center. It was found that between a quarter and a third of subjects not only accepted this new memory as genuine but enriched it with specific details.

Most of us have certain key memories of being a very young child. But research suggests that they’re highly unlikely to be actual memories due to the way memory is stored in the baby brain. Your precious first memory may well not be a real memory, and we’re all perhaps living in our imaginations more than we realize.

1. What does the underlined word “malleable” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Trustworthy.

B．False.

C．Easily changed.

D．Deeply impressive.

2. Which will influence the memory of eyewitnesses?

A．Powerful DNA evidence.	B．Pictures stuck in their memory.
C．Reduced accuracy of convictions.	D．Exchanged information between them.

3. What can we learn about “The Lost in the Mall” experiment?

A．It was designed to investigate mistaken eyewitness testimony.

B．Its subjects could recall specific details of a shopping center.

C．Its subjects made believe that they had been lost in a shopping center.

D．It demonstrated that invented experiences could be fixed in one’s memory.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Unreliable Nature of Memory.	B．Revised Eyewitness Testimony.
C．Reflection on Sweet Childhood.	D．An Exploration of Truth and Fiction.

2 . Wall Street bankers, investors and economists have for months argued over whether a US recession (衰退) is coming. But for some Americans, the unforgiving economic pain typical during recession has already set in.

Al Brown and his wife faced a tough call in May when reviewing their weekly budget: what’s a higher priority, more food or dish soap? Based in Concord, North Carolina, Brown was the main breadwinner for his wife and their two children. Then in April, he was let go from his job as a global director of business development at software company Cascade. He’s since quit his gym membership and sold various items around his home, including a computer and yard furniture. His 13-year-old son quit the basketball team.

Brown, 37, now spends his days searching the internet for jobs or reaching out to potential connections. After filing over 600 applications, only a handful have produced interviews. That’s a far cry from the labor-market strength described in government figures.

Investors and economists have been expecting a recession since last year as the Fed raised interest rates to control inflation (通货膨胀). That caused companies to focus on profitability over growth, which meant cutting spending and reducing their workforces.

“I think it’s unlikely that I will get another good paying job with great benefits like the one I had,” McCollum, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, said. More Americans are likely to encounter similar cases, some experts predict.

“As we go through this year, and into next year, there is still going to be this focus on trying to reduce costs, and it is going to result in more unemployment,” said Thomas Simons, a senior economist at Jefferies. “The impact of layoffs, currently concentrated among white-collar workers, will last throughout the economy through a ‘big pullback in overall spending’,” Simons said. “Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of economic output, so if more Americans are forced to cut back because they were laid off, that might throw the US economy into a recession.”

1. What are some Americans currently going through?

A．They can’t afford necessities of life.	B．They’ve lost interest in high-end gyms.
C．They are badly treated by their bosses.	D．They have difficulty making ends meet.

2. What does the author want to demonstrate through Brown’s job hunting?

A．One should try various ways to find a job.

B．American labor market is not that friendly to job-seekers.

C．Few companies are interested in middle-aged job-hunters.

D．The government provides accurate figures of the job market.

3. How do companies deal with the economic struggles?

A．By employing more workers.	B．By changing interest rates.
C．By giving priority to profits.	D．By cutting employees’ allowances.

4. Which statement will Thomas Simons probably agree with?

A．Laid-off workers tend to go into debt.

B．Lower consumption may worsen the current situation.

C．Americans will spend more to increase economic output.

D．Companies are to blame for the unemployment of white-collar workers.

3 . Medical Examination Instructions

These medical instructions are being issued as your immigration (移民) application has reached the stage where medical examination results are required.

When, who and how to complete your Immigration Medical Examination

You are required to have the medical examination within 30 days of the date of this letter; your medical examination must be performed by a doctor from the IRCC list of Panel Physicians; book an appointment with a Panel Physician in your area as soon as possible.

Once your medical examination has been completed, the Panel Physician will submit medical results to IRCC for assessment. To obtain a copy of your Immigration Medical Examination, please ask the Panel Physician at the time of your appointment.

Paying for your Immigration Medical Examination

Any costs related to the medical examination are your responsibility and are payable to the Panel Physician at the time of examination. This payment is for the Panel Physician's services and cannot be returned even if your immigration application is refused or the validity period (有效期) of your immigration medical examination ends.

Note: If you are qualified for coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program, the costs related to your immigration medical examination may be covered by the IFHP. Please confirm with the Panel Physician in your area that they are registered with the IFHP.

What must I bring to my appointment?

★ The attached Medical Report form

★Identification, including your passport if one is available (Proof of identity must include at least one government-issued document with photograph and signature, such as a passport.)

★Eye glasses or contact lenses (隐形眼镜), if worn

★Four recent photographs

★For individuals qualified for Migration Medical Examination coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program, please bring one of the following documents:

●Refugee Protection Claimant Document

●The Interim Federal Health Certificate

●Acknowledgement of Claim and Notice to Return for Interview

If available, you may be offered vaccinations (接种疫苗) by the Panel Physician.

1. After your medical examination, _________.

A．the previous health reports ought to be consulted

B．you will submit the results to IRCC for assessment

C．the Panel Physician will present the results to IRCC

D．you will surely obtain a copy of examination results by the physician

2. If your immigration application is refused, which statement is right about the costs?

A．The IFHP will cover them.	B．They cannot be returned.
C．The Panel Physician will pay in cash.	D．They will be returned if you apply.

3. Which of the following must be brought to the appointment?

A．Proof of identity.	B．The Federal Health Certificate.
C．The application form.	D．Medical examination instructions.

4 . In Belgium, a company called HydroVolta is improving ways to take salt water and turn it into fresh water under the Horizon-funded SonixED project.

The vast majority of the earth’s water is salt water. Only 3% is fresh water and less than one third of that is accessible, the rest being locked away in glaciers and groundwater. “We will need to treat salt water so people can drink it and industry can use it,” said George Brik, chief executive officer of Hydro Volta. “But with current technologies, desalination (脱盐) requires high operational costs. On top of that, existing technologies use high amounts of energy and chemicals.”

The basic technique now to turn salt water into fresh water is electrodialysis (电渗析), where a kind of membrane (隔膜) is used to separate salt from water. But the method has a weak point: the membrane gets dirty easily and requires chemicals and high pressure to clean. That in turn involves large amounts of energy. Under SonixED, HydroVolta has developed ultrasound technology that keeps the membrane clean in a much more efficient way.

Energy use in this field depends on pressure, which is measured in a metric unit known as bar. Existing technologies to desalinate seawater take around 50 to 80 bar, while the new desalination technology uses just one to three bar. What’s even better is that a greater amount of fresh water can now be generated. “Existing technologies waste around 60% to 65% of the seawater that’s taken in,” said Brik. “Our new technology improves the situation. If we take in 100 litres of seawater, we can produce 65 litres of drinkable water.”

HydroVolta thinks this technology will be beneficial to larger companies that generate drinkable water as well as to industrial businesses that need water to fuel their operations. Meanwhile, Brik says the new desalination technology may need a push from governments to encourage a bigger demand. “They can be the first customers,” he added.

1. What do George Brik’s words in Paragraph 2 imply?

A．Treating salt water is of great importance.

B．The world is facing a serious water shortage.

C．Better desalination technologies are needed.

D．Current desalination technologies are no longer useful.

2. What is the problem with electrodialysis?

A．It consumes too much energy.

B．The membrane is rare to find.

C．The water it produces is a little salty.

D．It requires complex ultrasound technology.

3. What do we know about the new desalination technology?

A．It takes more energy than existing technologies.

B．It produces clean water more efficiently.

C．It gives up the use of membrane to function.

D．It needs more seawater to produce fresh water.

4. Which statement will Brik probably agree with?

A．HydroVolta can solve the water crisis worldwide.

B．The new desalination technology needs official support.

C．HydroVolta has great difficulty in finding its first customers.

D．The new desalination technology is unsuited to small companies.

5 . The power of human language comes not only from the precision of its signals and the complexity of its grammar but also from its links to cognition (认知). Babies as young as 3 months have begun to link language and core cognitive capacities.

Previous work in the lab had found that for babies aged 3 to 4 months, listening to both human vocalizations (发声) (their native language) and non-human primate vocalizations (calls of monkeys) boosted cognition. It remained unknown whether all human languages would have this advantageous effect.

In a new study, the researchers considered English-acquiring 3-to 4-month-old babies’ responses to two non-native languages (German or Cantonese) — in the context of the classic object categorization task. In this cognitive task, babies first viewed a series of “familiarization” images from one object category (e.g., dinosaurs). Then they viewed two new “test” images at the same time: a new example from the familiarized category (e.g., another dinosaur; “a familiar object”) and a new model from a novel category (e.g., a fish; “a novel object”). Babies’ ability to distinguish between the familiar and novel test images, measured by their looking times, indicates whether they have formed the object category.

Crucially, babies’ success in the task depends upon the sound information that accompanies the visual images presented during familiarization. “We found that German, which is phonologically (音系地) ‘near’ to English, facilitated object categorization. But Cantonese, which is phonologically ‘distant’, did not,” said Danielle Perszyk, lead author of the study.

“Babies’ responses to the two non-native languages tested, considered in combination with their responses to English and to the sounds of monkeys，are consistent with the possibility that babies’ earliest links to cognition originate from two distinct mechanisms. Only one of them is used specifically for human speech,” she added.

When babies are 3 to 4 months old, vocalizations of non-human primates may boost their cognition by engaging another system, one not specialized for speech. However, the cognitive advantage is short-lived: only lasts for 2 to 3months. The study also provides the first evidence that babies’ increasingly precise cognitive tuning to the sounds of their native language sets restrictions on the range of human languages they will link to cognition.

1. What can we know about babies aged 3 to 4 months according to previous work?

A．They get a cognitive bonus after exposure to animal sounds.

B．They can tell human languages from those of animals.

C．They have a gift for mastering diverse languages.

D．They show no interest in non-native languages.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．An evaluation of babies’ learning ability.

B．A story regarding babies’ ability to distinguish images.

C．An experiment on babies’ ways of native language learning.

D．An object categorization experiment on babies’ cognitive link.

3. Which of the following may Danielle Perszyk agree with?

A．People may prefer certain languages at a young age.

B．Babies may adopt different systems to build cognitive links.

C．Babies’ cognitive links are dependent on their learning habits.

D．People can develop early cognitive links through familiar languages.

4. What may babies’ precise cognitive tuning to sounds of their native language bring about?

A．Improving their speech processing system.

B．Enhancing their desire to pick up new languages.

C．Limiting their cognitive associations with other languages.

D．Affecting their ability to distinguish between different languages.

6 . You may have read that to stay fit and healthy, you need about 30 minutes of exercise each day, at least five days a week. New research suggests that the time we need to spend on daily workouts could be less than that.

Edvard Sagelv, a researcher at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, was part of a team that found being sedentary (久坐的) more than 12 hours a day was associated with a 38 percent higher death risk. This was only the case for individuals who managed less than 22 minutes of medium to high intensive physical activity a day, however, and it is relatively easy to achieve that minimum by taking a brisk (轻快的) walk.

“In research on physical activity, fast walking is estimated to be four kilometres an hour,” he said. Although it may not seem like a lot, it depends on a person’s fitness level. “It is interesting that 4 km/h — a pace achievable for the vast majority of the population — is what it takes to really invest in your physical health,” he added.

For a walk to positively affect your heart, which will then impact your brain and your circulation, you need to “feel it”. To feel the work your body is doing, you need to walk at 4 to 6 kilometres an hour. If you wear a fitness tracker, aim for more than 100 steps a minute.

A recent study published by researchers at the Cambridge University found that just 11 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activities — a brisk walk — was enough to lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers.

Lead author Soren Brage was not surprised by the findings. “Doing some physical activities is better than doing none. This is also a good starting position — if you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount,” he said. The point is that a relatively short period of high-intensity exercise isn’t just better than nothing; it has a measurable and positive impact on health.

1. What is the recommended pace for fast walking?

A．7 kilometres per hour.	B．8 kilometres per hour
C．9 kilometres per hour.	D．4 kilometres per hour.

2. How can people “feel it” when working out?

A．By putting into more effort.	B．By wearing less clothing
C．By walking at a quick pace.	D．By joining a group.

3. What point does the last paragraph try to make?

A．People should exercise 75 minutes a week.

B．It pays to increase the intensity of workouts.

C．People should stop being sedentary immediately.

D．It's important to measure the impact of exercise.

4. What does the text intend to do?

A．Reflect the influence of a new study.	B．Share the findings of a new research.
C．Assess a research process.	D．Clarify a research method.

7 . Yuck! Chicken blood splashes onto the floor and insects fly everywhere in the market. The old Indian woman waves the butcher knife. You’re speechless. Your friend who moved to India a few months before you notices your horror. “It’s just something they do,” he clarifies.

You’ve heard living abroad is good for you. Experiences like this one make you say “Seriously?”

Yes. Seriously.

Researchers William Maddux and Hajo Adam have discovered not only that cultural experiences are good for you, but they’ve also discovered why they’re good for you. Cultural experiences can make you more creative.

Maddux and his team discovered that learning about new cultures you encounter deeply is key to obtaining cognitive rewards. The team did a series of experiments with people who had lived abroad for a long time. They asked the sojourners (旅居者) to recall experiences where they: learned something about the culture they lived in abroad; learned something about their own culture; did something unrelated (like visiting a supermarket). Those who recalled learning something about a new culture did much better on a creative problem-solving task immediately afterward.

Maddux and his team wondered, though. Does learning new cultures always help? Is it enough to just notice that another culture is different? In another experiment they had a group of people recall an experience where they learned something new about a foreign culture but hadn’t been able to learn about the reasons for it.

The people who later were made aware of the hidden reasons for the novel, different, or unexpected behaviors they had come across were much more creative afterward than those who weren’t.

This means that even though discovering cultural differences exist is great, it’s not enough to influence how you think in other situations. You have to learn why a cultural difference exists. That’s what helps you spot new connections later, in other aspects of your life.

1. Why is the scene mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To show us an appropriate example.

B．To prove the advantages of living abroad.

C．To provide evidence for the writer’s viewpoint.

D．To draw readers’ attention to the following exploration.

2. What did the researchers find by asking the sojourners to recall their experience?

A．What is necessary to be creative.

B．What influence creativity has on people.

C．What benefits cultural experiences bring.

D．What they can learn from their own cultures.

3. From the experiment in Paragraph 6, we can conclude ______.

A．learning new cultures is always of great help

B．it’s not enough just to notice similarities between cultures

C．knowing the reasons for the difference is the key to creativity

D．culture difference has an impact on your way of thinking

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A research report.	B．A geography textbook.
C．A travel brochure.	D．A science magazine.

8 . NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORERS

Anand Varma

In the woods near his childhood home in Atlanta, Varma discovered his passion for being immersed in the natural world. Then he picked up his father’s camera and found a way to share that enthusiasm. Now living in Berkeley, California, Varma has spent years developing innovative photography techniques to reveal aspects of science and nature, such as the rapid motions of hummingbirds that normally go unseen.

Katie Orlinsky

During almost a decade of living in and visiting Alaska, Orlinsky has been examining the effects of climate change on the Arctic. Her images of its melting permafrost appeared in the September 2019 issue of National Geographic, and for this issue she hiked solo for days in a remote stretch of Alaska to document migrating caribou. The June 2023 cover story featured her photographs of the world’s first designated wilderness area, in New Mexico.

Neil Shea

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Shea is an award-winning writer who works in print, film, television, and audio. His first book Frostlines: Dispatches From the New Arctic will be published by Ecco in 2025. It covers cultural and environmental shifts in places from Iraqi Kurdistan to East Africa.

Emma Lira

A travel writer and specialist in Spain, Lira has authored historical novels, A Lonely Planet Granada Guide, and A National Geographic Story On Tenerife’s Mummies. She’s a resident of Madrid and the Canary Islands and leads small group tours for women throughout the Islamic world.

These contributors have received funding from the National Geographic Society, which is committed to protecting the wonder of our world.

1. What is unique to Anand Varma?

A．His exploring passion.	B．His adventurous experiences.
C．His environmental awareness.	D．His new photography techniques.

2. What did Katie do for the images chosen by National Geographic in 2019?

A．She covered a long distance in Alaska alone.

B．She investigated the impact of climate change.

C．She explored the wildness area in New Mexico.

D．She spent 10 years living in and visiting Alaska.

3. What do Neil and Emma have in common?

A．They are both travel enthusiasts.	B．They are both expert in writing.
C．They have both published their books.	D．They both care about climate changes.

9 . Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is one of the major and popular airports in China. Completed in 1999 with now existing 4 take-off runways and 2 terminals (航站楼) , it serves as the key aviation hub (枢纽) for visiting Shanghai and transferring to other cities in China.

Terminals

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 1 (Tl) handles both domestic and international flights. It is divided into international (left) and domestic (right) areas. Terminal 1 was opened on September 16, 1999 and it is shaped like a seagull.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 2 (T2) was opened on March 26, 2008 and has a similar structure as Terminal 1 although it is slightly larger. It is split into international services, on the left, and domestic flights, on the right.

On September 16, 2019, Shanghai Pudong International Airport Satellite Terminal was opened, which is located south of the airport's existing Tl and T2. This H-shaped satellite hall is the world's largest single-building satellite terminal.

Facilities and services

Currency exchange; restaurants and shops; duty free; ATMs; assistance for passengers with special needs; vending machines.

Parking

Parking lot Pl and P2 (Rates) :

First 20 minutes: Free.

First 2 hours: 10 yuan per hour. If the time is more than one hour but is less than two hours, it is charged as two hours.

Over 2 hours: 5 yuan per hour. If the time is more than two hours but is less than 3 hours, it is charged as three hours.

From 1 hour to 24 hours: Maximum of 130 yuan.

Every 24 hours: Calculated of the standard price.

1. When was Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal I opened?

A．On March 26, 2008.	B．On September 16, 1999.
C．On September 16, 2019.	D．On March 16, 2008.

2. What do we know about Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 1?

A．It is shaped like the letter H.	B．It was completed on September 16, 2008.
C．It mainly handles domestic flights.	D．It is a little bit smaller than Terminal 2.

3. How much does it cost to park for one and a half hours?

A．10 yuan.

B．15 yuan.

C．20 yuan.

D．25 yuan.

10 . Skeet shooting is a type of target sport in which the shooter uses a special gun to hit moving clay target, which are sometimes referred to as “clay pigeons (陶土飞靶)”. This target sport is an important, competitive sport in the Olympic games.     1    

Skeet shooting was invented by the bird hunter in the early nineteenth century under the original name of “clock shooting”. The game was changed slightly and reached a wider audience over the coming years. Once, a competition was held to determine a new name for this shooting game.     2     The term “skeet” is a Scandinavian word meaning “to shoot”.

Today, skeet shooting is as American as apple pie and McDonald’s. At first, fans of the sport were male, but now, a fair number of women also love skeet shooting.     3     For friends or families, skeet shooting at a sporting club can be a fun activity.

    4     Generally, people will need to purchase related equipment, including something guaranteeing personal safety such as safety glasses. And they’d better have a large, private yard. If the players have never done shooting of any kind before, they should also take a safety course, which will teach them about the proper use and storage of the equipment.

Like most skills, skeet shooting takes a lot of patience and practice.     5     But those folks are few and far between, especially if they’ve never picked up a shotgun before. If you aren’t a patient person, that’s okay because skeet shooting can help you develop patience.

A．Why do people love skeet shooting?

B．At last, the game was called skeet shooting.

C．How can one participate in the sport at home?

D．Unfortunately, no recommended name was chosen.

E．Sure, some people might have a natural talent for it.

F．There are many clubs offering skeet shooting in America.

G．Therefore, many countries attach much importance to it.