1 . Edinburgh is famous for its many museums where you can learn its rich history.
Museum on the MoundLocated in the heart of Edinburgh’s city center, this appealing museum takes a fresh look at money — and much, much more. You will see coins and banknotes from over the ages, including the first Scottish banknote printed in 1727. There are also interesting interactive displays and you can even try your hand at opening a safe!
The Writers’ MuseumIt is housed in the beautiful Lady Stair’s House, a category A listed building. The collection celebrates the legacy (遗产) of Scotland’s literary contributions, with special emphasis given to Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns. The museum is home to numerous paintings, books and manuscripts (手稿), and you can also see Burns’ writing desk and Scott’s chess set.
Our Dynamic EarthIt celebrates the beauty of the earth via technology. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to experience earthquakes, the ocean floor, ice ages and mountains by the use of computer software. Particularly interesting is the “tour” around the eleven Earthscapes. It is educational fun for the whole family and can serve as a good introduction to concepts surrounding the formation of the planet and the creatures we share the earth with.
National Museum of ScotlandThe diverse collections here include the history of Scotland with exhibitions of international interest. The natural world, science and technology, discoveries, art, and world cultures are all explored. There are interactive elements and activities to suit children of all ages, including science experiments and musical instruments.
1. Which might be the most attractive to finance majors?| A．Our Dynamic Earth. | B．Museum on the Mound. |
| C．The Writers’ Museum. | D．National Museum of Scotland. |
| A．They have an artistic atmosphere. | B．They have interactive exhibits. |
| C．They provide hands-on activities. | D．They showcase world cultures. |
| A．Play with your family. | B．Tour the world virtually. |
| C．Design computer software. | D．Learn about ancient creatures. |
2 . Writer Andrew Leland started losing his sight 20 years ago, when he was in high school, as a result of a progressive eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (色素性视网膜炎). His first experience of loss of sight happened temporarily at night, in which he was confused that everyone else seemed to see in the dark so much better than he did. Over the years, his disease has progressed gradually. He’s now legally blind, although he still has a narrow field of vision, which allows him to see about 6% of what a fully sighted person sees.
Leland analogized his vision to the view you might get by looking through a toilet paper tube or a keyhole. He said, “Imagine having that toilet paper tube tied to your head and trying to walk down the street; there’s a whole bunch of things you don’t see but that you really ought to, like dogs.”
In his new book, The Country of the Blind, Leland writes about losing his vision and preparing for blindness, how his condition impacts his identity, how the world sees him and his marriage, and something valuable he has learned.
He said he was not going to try to tell people that having vision was not an unbelievably useful thing for a human being for many reasons. When talking about the experience of being alive and being conscious, he referred to James Joyce — Joyce believed that he was only losing one world among many, and that vision was only a tiny part of experiences when he was going blind.
He thought if you looked at the things that blind people were capable of imagining, like John Milton writing Paradise Lost as a blind person, there was this unbelievable richness in humans’ consciousness that vision had nothing to do with. Other realms (领域) such as the mental and emotional realms were all so rich that they could also help unfold things on earth before you.
1. What do we know about Leland?| A．He went totally blind in high school. |
| B．He experienced night blindness at first. |
| C．He was born with a narrow field of vision. |
| D．He was aware of his condition throughout. |
| A．Connected. | B．Reduced. | C．Compared. | D．Exposed. |
| A．To help explain an opinion. |
| B．To stress the value of good vision. |
| C．To state his considerable influence. |
| D．To show the inconvenience of blindness. |
| A．Practice is the best teacher. |
| B．The blind have more vivid imagination. |
| C．Things are not set in concrete. |
| D．Vision is not the only window in the world. |
3 . About 12% of the total global energy demand comes from heating and cooling homes and businesses. A new study suggests that using underground water to maintain comfortable temperatures could reduce consumption of natural gas and electricity in this section by 40% in the US. The approach is called ATES, short for aquifer thermal energy storage (含水层热能储存).
“We need storage to absorb energy from the sun and wind. It’s crucial to creating affordable, reliable, and deeply environmental-friendly electricity systems. Most people are interested in batteries and other kinds of electrical storage. But we were wondering whether there was any opportunity to use geothermal (地热的) energy storage,” said first author A.T.D Perera. “With ATES, energy can be stored for a long period of time, without adding an additional burden to the grid (输电网).”
ATES is a pleasantly simple concept that takes advantage of the heat-absorbing property of water and the natural geological features of the planet. You simply pull existing underground water up and heat it at the surface in the summer with environmental heat or energy. Then you send it back down. It stays fairly hot because the Earth is a good insulator (绝热体).
“Unlike above-ground tank-based water or ice storage systems, ATES will not need space. It’s also more efficient and can support larger communities in cooling or heating than traditional geothermal heat pump systems that rely on heat moving with the underground soil,” added co-author Hong Tianzhen.
A major beneft of ATES is that it will become more efficient as weather becomes more extreme in the coming years due to climate change. The hotter summers and severer winters could increase the amount of free thermal energy that can be stored with ATES. “It’s very much a realistic thing to do and this work is really about showing its value,” said Perera. “This technology is ready to go, so to speak. We just need to do it.”
1. What do we know about ATES?| A．It is technologically demanding. |
| B．It is aimed at replacing natural energy. |
| C．It mainly relies on batteries to function. |
| D．It helps achieve an environmentally friendly society |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By discussing results. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing principles. |
| A．Temperature variations. | B．Insulated materials. |
| C．The duration of storage. | D．The category of energy. |
| A．A Turning Point in Energy Usage |
| B．A Solution to Green Cooling and Heating |
| C．A Transformation in the US Electricity System |
| D．A Discovery About Geothermal Energy Storage |
4 . The 2023 China-Germany Automobile Conference was held in Jilin, Henan, and Zhejiang recently. At the conference, people discussed plans for new energy vehicles (NEVs) and collaboration (合作) between Germany and China.
China has established a competitive edge in NEVs. In 2022, China’s market share of NEVs accounted for more than 65 percent of the global total, maintaining its position as the world’s leading NEV market for eight years, China Daily reported.
Reflecting on the journey of leading Chinese electric car manufacturer (制造商) BYD, Chairman Wang Chuanfu recalled about 2003 when BYD entered into the NEV industry amid doubts and mockery, as few people back then believed in the future of NEVs. Surprisingly, within a few years, China’s NEV exports increased greatly. In 2022, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported an impressive total export volume of 679,000 NEVs.
In the European market, Chinese brands, such as BYD and Hongqi, have entered the top 50 best-selling motor companies across Europe, The Times reported. Shu Youxing, general manager of BYD International Cooperation Division and the European Automobile Sales Division, said that the company’s pure electric buses have now hit the roads of more than 100 major European cities such as Amsterdam, London, and Copenhagen, helping Europeans cut carbon emissions by over 200,000 tons.
NEVs made in China are also popular in Mexico. One local, Israel Aguilar, is deeply impressed. After nearly a year of trying out a Chinese NEV, Aguilar said he may never go back to driving his traditional petrol car, stating that the NEV offers better comfort.
“Technology is truly very important in these times, especially for a vehicle. And it has been truly extraordinary for me to handle these technologies that come from China,” Aguilar told Xinhua.
The thriving global expansion of Chinese NEVs is primarily thanks to the efforts of companies to improve their capability for innovation. One major example of this is China’s drive to become the global leader in making EV batteries, fueled by an advantage in the supply chain and raw materials such as lithium (锂) and cobalt (钴).
1. What can we learn about BYD?| A．BYD always maintains the world’s leading position. |
| B．BYD lost hope due to doubts and mockery. |
| C．BYD suffered hardship in its development. |
| D．BYD exports 679,000 NEVs each year. |
| A．Only BYD and Hongqi have entered the European market. |
| B．Chinese NEVs can help protect the environment. |
| C．Pure electric buses have caused many road accidents. |
| D．Importing Chinese NEVs is a main task for The Times. |
| A．Dismissive. | B．Satisfied. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．The ability of creation. | B．Cooperation with partners. |
| C．The big overseas markets. | D．Making EV batteries. |
5 . A solar tree is a structure like a tree that generates solar energy using photovoltaic panels (太阳能光伏板). It helps solve an urgent global challenge: Replacing greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources like oil and gas with renewable energy. But the power generation potential of solar trees is relatively limited, and their primary purpose is to raise public awareness about renewable energy by getting people to notice and interact with solar energy in new ways.
Solar trees generally have a firm metal, plastic, or stone base that extends up and out into “branches” on which solar panels are mounted. Beyond this basic structure, there is great diversity in the design of solar tree units. The solar tree’s photovoltaic “leaves” absorb sunlight, converting it into electricity that is conducted down through the trunk-like central pillar of the structure to an inside battery. Many designs feature rotating (旋转的) panels that can move throughout the day in order to obtain the greatest amount of sunlight.
Solar trees help power homes, businesses, and public services. They can create shade to help reduce the urban heat island effect and provide shelter in severe weather such as rainstorms and heatwaves, creating greater urban adapting ability in the face of climate change. They also enhance public spaces, providing charging stations, and powering streetlights.
In comparison to other kinds of ground-mounted solar panel devices, solar trees don’t require much land. They make solar energy generation possible in areas with little land that can’t support vast solar arrays, as well as places that lack sufficient rooftop space for panels. However, solar panels are much cheaper than solar trees at present and have far greater energy generation capacity. Therefore, present solar tree designs often serve as a extra source rather than as a primary energy source.
At present, solar trees aren’t designed as large-scale solar projects, which limits their ability to contribute to the low-carbon energy transition. Still, their varied designs are appealing. This makes solar trees effective at displaying and thereby educating people about solar energy, and promoting a business or organization’s commitment to renewable energy.
1. What is the main purpose of building solar trees?| A．To beautify the urban environment. | B．To draw public attention to solar energy. |
| C．To replace non-renewable energy resources. | D．To provide charging services in emergencies. |
| A．It stores energy in its own battery. |
| B．It can adjust its height automatically. |
| C．It is made of environmentally friendly materials. |
| D．It transforms sunlight into electricity by its metal base. |
| A．The design features of solar trees. | B．The ways of saving energy in cities. |
| C．The benefits of solar trees to humans. | D．The difficulties of promoting solar trees. |
| A．They occupy much less land. | B．They are cheaper to manufacture. |
| C．They are more effective in generating energy. | D．They can work in various weather conditions. |
6 . Believe it or not, sheep are playing an important role in protecting the ruins of Pompeii, an ancient Roman city that was buried under volcanic ash about 2,000 years ago.
Archaeologists have been digging the ruins for over 250 years, but only two-thirds of the 66-hectare area have been explored, reported CNN. To prevent the unexcavated (未发掘的) parts of the ruins from being naturally damaged over time, archaeologists have turned to a group of 150 sheep for help.
Many grassy hills there are dotted (布满) with the remains of old houses and shops. Grass and other plants can cause problems if they are left to grow on ancient walls and houses. Therefore, the task of these sheep is to eat up the grass, preventing any overgrowth that may harm the ruins. Besides, turning to sheep instead of herbicides (除草剂) costs less and is more environment-friendly.
This sheepy solution is part of the Pompeii Archaeological Park’s protection efforts. Since 2018, new excavations have been launched (启动) in Regio V area, the northern part of the city. It has resulted in exciting discoveries such as frescoes (壁画), a snack shop, and the skeletal remains (遗骸) of people who died in the disaster.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, told Go Top News that the sheep initiative (倡议) is a sustainable (可持续的) project that saves money and protects the landscape. Besides, the sheep have become part of the landscape itself, bringing the ancient city back to life. “It’s also something that really gives an idea of what Pompeii was like when it was rediscovered,” said Zuchtriegel. “It was forests, vineyards, sheep and that kind of rural setting, and in the middle of it was Pompeii.”
1. Why do the archaeologists use sheep?| A．To excavate Pompeii quickly. | B．To reduce overgrowth of grass. |
| C．To save herbicides. | D．To promote economy of this area. |
| A．The sheep solution has caused some trouble. | B．It has cost a lot of money to excavate the ruins. |
| C．The discoveries have puzzled archaeologists. | D．Much work has been done to protect Pompeii. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Worrying. | C．Annoying. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．New Discovery in Ruins | B．Sheep Rescuing Pompeii |
| C．Archaeologists’ Achievements(成就) | D．People Worrying about Pompeii |
7 . The Bedford School has held activities to celebrate the Chinese New Year before the winter vacation—this time with a unique change compared to other years. The celebration is a blend (融合) of traditional food, calligraphy, and a performance using Chinese instruments.
The school’s Chinese Society introduced an art form that attracted the students: Chinese calligraphy. The students were surprised at the combination (结合) of visual art and the interpretation (解读) of literary meaning as they wrote Chinese characters with grace. And they tried their best to make what they wrote correct and beautiful. The students also enjoyed delightful Chinese New Year foods, including spring rolls, rice cake, dumplings. They ate fish-shaped sweets with great enjoyment, symbolizing abundance (富足) for the coming year as the Chinese character for “fish” can also mean “surplus”. The idea behind this is that if we manage to have something left over at the year’s end, then more can be made in the new year. Keeping with tradition, the students exchanged red envelopes filled with sweets, symbolizing good luck and prosperity (繁荣). In Chinese culture, the color red symbolizes good luck and good fortune for the year ahead. This is why red decorations are used during many important cultural festivals and significant events.
Due to(由于)China’s rocketing economy and reputation (声誉), Chinese New Year has become a worldwide event. The Bedford School provided a great opportunity for the students to gain (获得) a deeper understanding of Chinese tradition and culture.
1. What can we know about the celebration of this year?| A．It celebrated the winter vacation. | B．It focused more on Chinese traditional cultures. |
| C．It was aimed at raising school’s reputation. | D．It was celebrated the same way as before. |
| A．The writing time. | B．Teachers’ attitude. |
| C．The beauty of the characters. | D．The school’s Chinese Society. |
| A．To get pocket money. | B．To enjoy delicious fish. |
| C．To keep with tradition. | D．To expect a rich new year. |
| A．China’s role in the art world. | B．Chinese calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese instruments. | D．China’s fast development. |
8 . A visit to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World can be one of the most exciting and unforgettable vacations you and your family can take. For a quick introduction of the Wonders, this text presents only four of the historic sites.
Giza Necropolis of Egypt
Located (位于)about 12 miles from Cairo, Giza Necropolis features (以……为特色) the Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx of Giza and is about over 4,500 years old. It is easy to take public transportation from Cairo but families should consider booking a personal guide or group trip from a tour operator such as Go Travel Egypt or Viator.
Great Wall of China
With a history dating back to 476 BCE, the Great Wall stretches (绵延)13,170 miles across China. The most famous and most visited section of the Great Wall is Badaling. A number of tour operators can be found in Beijing, with recommendations including Viator, Great Wall Hiking and Discover Beijing Tours. Admission (门票费) to Badaling is just 45 Chinese Yuan(about $7.50)but a guided tour from Beijing starts at around $75.
Petra of Jordan
Rediscovered in 1812, Petra was the fourth century BCE capital of the Nabataean empire. Known for its intricate (错综复杂的) carvings into a sandstone mountain, Petra was a business center, located between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. Tours to the Lost City can be arranged in Israel or from Anman, the capital and largest city of Jordan 150 miles to the north.
Colosseum of Italy
Located in the ancient center of Rome, the Colosseum started to be built in 72 CE and was finished in 80 CE. Till today, the Colosseum is still the largest amphitheater (圆形竞技场) in the world. Guided tours are easy to find from a number of operators but tickets for self-guided tours can be bought on site for 12 euro.
1. What can Viator probably do for tourists?| A．Lend money to them. | B．Offer wonderful partners. |
| C．Arrange their work schedules. | D．Provide tour service. |
| A．Petra of Jordan. | B．Colosseum of Italy. |
| C．Great Wall of China. | D．Giza Necropolis of Egypt. |
| A．They are new sites. | B．They attract only young people. |
| C．They provide guides. | D．They feature ancient civilisation. |
9 . After decades of exploring the moon, a dramatic vision is finally becoming reality. The Guardian recently reported that a project called Lunar Codex is planning to send and store over 30,000 works on the moon from artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians from over 150 countries and regions. The goods to be stored range from novels and paintings to music, films，and even soil from Earth.
According to Artnet, the only rule for acceptance for these works is that they must have been pre-curated (预先策划) by a professional known to Samuel Peralta, the leader of the project.
Speaking with The New York Times, Peralta said that the aim of the project is to create “a message in the bottle for the fixture”，showing that “during this time of war, pandemic and economic crisis, people still found time to create beauty.”
In fact, this is not the first time that people have tried sending human legacies (遗产) to outer space. In 1969, the Apollo 12 mission carried a ceramic piece with drawings. In 1971, the Apollo 15 staff left a sculpture to honor those who had died in space exploration. What’s more famous is the Golden Record carried by spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2 from NASA in 1977, which contains human language, music and images. For example, a piece of Chinese guqin music, called Flowing Streams was included in it.
Although we don’t know who determines which symbols of human legacy get sent out to space in most projects, it’s obvious that the criteria keep changing. In the past，space heritage products only focused on space-related works; but gradually, more human-related contemporary goods which held great importance in their respective eras have been added to the list. In the Lunar Codex, films, diverse art and literary works produced by women, disabled artists, and even AI have been collected for the first time to be sent to the moon.
These changing criteria also leave space for ordinary people to imagine and think. Many people are now trying to store their DNA information digitally. Will people be able to find even more surprising and inventive ways to preserve their legacy in the future? Only time can tell.
1. What is the goal of the project?| A．To make the moon livable. | B．To show respect to artists. |
| C．To preserve the existing beauty. | D．To continue the work of Voyager 2. |
| A．To explain the missions are important. |
| B．To complain people explored outer space not so often. |
| C．To show Chinese culture was included gradually. |
| D．To prove people have been delivering legacies to the moon. |
| A．Human civilization is inclusive. |
| B．People don’t care about space-related works. |
| C．Women’s position has been improved. |
| D．People take AI seriously. |
| A．A brochure. | B．A magazine. | C．An advertisement. | D．A poster. |
10 . A series of books in Chinese and English covering eight classic works of Peking Opera recently released, with the aim of revealing details about the art form in a direct way.
The bilingual (双语的) books are from the Translation Series of a Hundred Jingju Classics, a project originated from 2011, which is part of the effort by the central government to promote Chinese culture overseas.
Peking Opera, with its complex and colorful costumes and make-up, as well as the unique performance combining singing, dialogue, acting and acrobatics (杂技), has become a symbol of traditional Chinese culture. Over the last 200 years, more than 1, 000 Peking Opera shows have been produced telling the most classic historical stories in China, as well as giving glimpses of society, according to Wang. The art form was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (非物质文化遗产) by UNESCO in 2010. Famous performers such as Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu have also taken Peking Opera abroad. And though foreign fans are impressed by it, few understand the stories told on stage.
To help foreigners understand the art form better, Sun Ping, dean, School of Art, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and her team have edited the new books. Different from previous English translations of books that mostly covered the scripts (剧本) of Peking Opera plays, the new series introduces nearly all aspects of the art form, including the script, actors and actresses, performance skills, musical instruments and costumes, according to Sun, who is herself a highly regarded Peking Opera artist.
“It fills the blank in overseas promotions of Peking Opera,” says Liu Jian, a professor at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts. “The inheritance and promotion of Peking Opera are very important. In a sense, promotion is even more important. The project sets a good example.”
Scott Ian Rainen, an expert from the United States, who works at China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, says he was happy to read the new books. Foreigners often don’t understand the plot in a Peking Opera play, but the books introduce the cultural and historical background, its character modeling, costumes and props, artistic theories and so on.
1. Why are the set of bilingual books released?| A．To stress the importance of Peking Opera. |
| B．To attract foreigners to learn Peking Opera. |
| C．To promote the diversity of Peking Opera. |
| D．To present Peking Opera more effectively. |
| A．The advantage of learning Peking Opera. |
| B．The brief introduction of Peking Opera. |
| C．The benefits of releasing these bilingual books. |
| D．The reason for people’s attachment to Peking Opera. |
| A．They cover stories about Peking Opera. |
| B．They share a more significant art value. |
| C．They are better in covering the scripts of Peking Opera. |
| D．They are overall in showing the features of Peking Opera. |
| A．Subjective. | B．Sceptical. | C．Positive. | D．Tolerant. |
