1 . An Austrian company Tec-Innovation recently showed smart shoes that use ultrasonic sensors (超声波传感器) to help people suffering from vision impairment to discover obstacles(障碍) up to four meters away.

Known as InnoMake, the smart shoe aims to replace the decades-old walking stick that millions of people around the world depend on to get around as safely as possible. The currently available model relies on sensors to detect obstacles and warns the wearer through shaking and a loud alert sounded on a bluetooth-linked smartphone. That sounds impressive enough, but the company is already working on a much more advanced version that incorporates cameras and artificial intelligence to not only detect obstacles but also their nature.

“Not only is the warning that I am facing an obstacle relevant, but also the information about what kind of obstacle I am facing. Because it makes a big difference whether it’s a wall, a car or a staircase.” Markus Raffer, one of the founders of Tec-Innovation, told TechXplore.

”Ultrasonic sensors on the toe of the shoe detect obstacles up to four meters away. The wearer is then warned by vibration and/or acoustic signals. This works very well and is already a great help to me personally.” Raffer, himself visually impaired, added.

The current version of the InnoMake shoe is already available for purchase on the Tec-Innovation website, for €3,200 per pair.

The advanced system is integrated in the front of the shoes, in a waterproof and dustproof case. It is powered by a heavy-duty battery that can last for up to one week, depending on use. The battery can be charged in just three hours, using a USB cable.

The next step for Tec-Innovation is to use the data collected by its system to create a kind of street view navigation map for visually impaired people.

“As it currently stands, only the wearer benefits in each case from the data the shoe collects as he or she walks. It would be much more sustainable if this data could also be made available to other people as a navigation aid,” computer scientist Friedrich Fraundorfer explained.

1. Who are interested in the smart shoes?

A．The deaf people.	B．The injured people.
C．The blind or sight-impaired.	D．The sick people.

2. What does the underlined word “integrated” mean in the sixth paragraph?

A．Combined.

B．Separated.

C．Benefited.

D．Allowed.

3. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Why the smart shoes are developed.	B．What the smart shoes can do.
C．How the smart shoes work.	D．How the data are collected.

4. Where is the text probably taken?

A．A science report.	B．A fashion magazine.
C．An educational column.	D．A news report.

2 . You know the feeling — you have left your phone at home and feel anxious, as if you have lost your connection to the world. “Nomophobia” (无手机恐惧症) affects teenagers and adults alike. You can even do an online test to see if you have it. Last week, researchers from Hong Kong warned that nomophobia is infecting everyone. Their study found that people who use their phones to store, share and access personal memories suffer most. When users were asked to describe how they felt about their phones, words such as “hurt” (neck pain was often reported) and “alone” predicted higher levels of nomophobia.

“The findings of our study suggest that users regard smartphones as their extended selves and get attached to the devices,” said Dr Kim Ki Joon. “People experience feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness when separated from their phones.” Meanwhile, an American study shows that smartphone separation can lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

So can being without your phone really give you separation anxiety? Professor Mark Griffiths, psychologist and director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, says it is what is on the phone that counts — the social networking that creates Fomo (fear of missing out).

“We are talking about an Internet-connected device that allows people to deal with lots of aspects of their lives,” says Griffiths. “You would have to surgically remove a phone from a teenager because their whole life is ingrained in this device.”

Griffiths thinks attachment theory, where we develop emotional dependency on the phone because it holds details of our lives, is a small part of nomophobia. For “screenagers”, it is Fomo that creates the most separation anxiety. If they can’t see what’s happening on WeChat or Weibo, they become panic-stricken about not knowing what’s going on socially. “But they adapt very quickly if you take them on holiday and there’s no Internet,” says Griffiths.

1. Which of the following may Dr Kim Ki Joon agree with?

A．We waste too much time on phones.

B．Phones have become part of some users.

C．Addiction to phones makes memories suffer.

D．Phones and blood pressure are closely linked.

2. According to Griffiths, which of the following may be the reason of our getting nomophobia?

A．We worry we may miss out what our friends are doing

B．We fear without phones we will run into a lot of trouble

C．We are accustomed to having a phone on us

D．We need our phones to help us store information

3. Which of the following phrases has the closest meaning to the underlined phrase “ingrained in” in paragraph 4?

A．Approved of.

B．Relied on.

C．Opposed to.

D．Determined by.

4. Where can you probably find the above passage?

A．In a research report.

B．In a science textbook.

C．In a popular science magazine.

D．In a fashion brochure.

4 . Aron Ralston was a pretty normal guy, but he always had an extremely adventurous desire to travel and see the world. During his childhood, his family moved to Denver, Colorado, a place offering many opportunities to climb mountains, explore, and eventually become the adventurer he’d always wanted to be. Back in 2003, Ralston was climbing in the remote, mountainous area of Southwestern Utah, when the unthinkable happened: Aron got stuck in a crevice (裂缝) in the rocks and pinned by a big stone that weighed over 360 kilograms. The weight of the rock crushed his arm, and he was pinned by it. Aron took photos of his bad situation (which was going to get a lot worse), hoping rescue teams (救援队) would know where he was and came to remove the rock so that he could get out and home safe.

But rescuers never came. Aron waited for them for days till he lost his hope. He knew he had to do something. He was 18 meters above the floor of the valley where he was pinned in, and he had a pocketknife. He made what must have been one of the most difficult decisions of his life: to cut his own arm in order to survive. Aron cut the lower part of his arm off, having to wrench (扭动) his forearm against the big stone to break the bones, and then got himself down to the bottom of the valley, where he would begin to walk and search for help. Luckily, help arrived in the form of a helicopter (直升机) that spotted him, covered in blood. Aron had tied off the wound to keep himself from bleeding to death pretty successfully and would eventually make it out alive.

Ralston went on to become an inspiring speaker and continued to travel and climb mountains—he didn’t let an incident that forced him to cut his own arm off, stop him from doing what he really loved.

1. What can be inferred about Aron’s getting stuck?

A．It was unavoidable.	B．It resulted from his being lost.
C．It was unexpected.	D．It was caused by a moving stone.

2. Why did Aron take photos of his bad situation?

A．To send them to rescuers for help.	B．To keep a record of his adventure.
C．To remind his friends of the danger.	D．To tell the doctors about his wound.

3. What did he do to survive when no rescue was expected come?

A．He waited for the rescue to come.

B．He cut the stone using his pocketknife.

C．He moved off the stone using all his might.

D．He cut his lower part of his arm and broke the bones.

4. What helped Aron Ralston survive?

A．His cruelty and anger.	B．His effort and bravery.
C．His talent and creativity.	D．His calmness and determination.

6 . You’ll make new friends in each stage of your life. Some of them will come and go, while others will last for the rest of your life.     1    .

    2    . According to experts, many people regret not keeping friendships going and end up living a life with no close friends or even enduring mental and physical sufferings. So making time for your friendships is vital to a healthy life. People who have healthy friendships tend to enjoy life more and may even live longer.

If you are lacking in good friendships, it’s not too late. There are a lot of ways to make new friends that can stay with you for the rest of your life.     3    . If you have kids, join a mom’s group, or sign your child up for classes where you’ll naturally meet other parents. It is also a wise choice to make friends with people you work with.     4    .

Sometimes it’s a good idea to let a friendship go, even if you’ve been friends for a long time. If one party isn’t making an effort to keep things going, it can lead to feelings of hurt and betrayal.     5    . While this can be sad, it can actually improve your quality of life. Besides, it can encourage you to focus on the partnerships that are healthy and where both of you are committed to keeping it going for your entire life.

A．Look for people who share things with you.

B．Friendship can help you get through mental and physical sufferings.

C．There are many benefits of having strong friendships.

D．It might be time to let things cool off and pursue other friendships.

E．Lifelong friendships are what most people desire.

F．This toxic friendship may bring you nothing but hurt.

G．You can get built-in opportunities to spend time with each other.

7 . Generation Z is different. As a whole, Americans born between the late 1990s and early 2000s are less likely to have work or look for it: their labour-force-participation rate is 71%, compared with 75% for millennials (born between 1980 and the late 1990s) and 78% for Generation X (born in the decade or so to 1980) when each came of age. As a result, they make up a smaller share of the workforce. With graduation ceremonies behind them, the latest group of diploma-holders are entering the job market. What they want from employers is also not quite the same as in generations past.

Although Gen-Z employees felt more lonely and isolated than their older colleagues at the start of the pandemic, the ability to work remotely has brought new possibilities. The benefits go beyond working in your pyjamas. Many are taking calls from beach chairs and hammocks (吊床) in more comfortable places or fleeing big cities in search for cheaper or larger homes.

This has big implications. Industries with jobs that cannot be done from home are falling out of favour with recent graduates. A study by ManpowerGroup, an employment company, suggests an inverse relationship (反比关系) between talent shortages and flexible working policies. The sectors which are either less able to offer remote work or have been slower to embrace it-including construction, finance and manufacturing-have faced some of the biggest skills gaps for all types of jobs.

That in turn has accelerated a pre-existing trend of young employees trading Wall Street for Silicon Valley. Now technology bosses are more willing than their opposite competitors in finance to let employees work from home (or anywhere else). Annual rankings of employer desirability by Universum, a graduate-staffing consultancy, bear this out. In 2008 the list of best employers graded by American graduates was dominated by big banks and the Big Four consulting firms. By 2021 seven of the ten highest spots were occupied by tech and media giants.

1. What does the underlined word “diploma-holders” in the first paragraph refer to?

A．Employees.

B．Students.

C．Graduates.

D．Shareholders.

2. Why do Gen-Z employees prefer work remotely?

A．They can’t afford to live in big cities.

B．They want to spend their days on the beach.

C．They want to work in a more flexible way.

D．They prefer wearing pyjamas while working

3. What does the study by ManpowerGroup suggest?

A．All walks of life are facing some of the biggest skills gaps.

B．Industries with jobs that cannot be done from home are less popular.

C．Industries with flexible working policies may suffer talent shortages.

D．Construction, finance and manufacturing can’t offer remote work.

4. Why does the author mention Wall Street and Silicon Valley?

A．To show that job-hopping among young employees is popular.

B．To indicate that young people prefer to work in big companies.

C．To weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of the two industries.

D．To prove that tech firms are more attractive due to its flexible working ways.

8 . Leek Town Warriors was a girls’ football team which used to get routinely defeated every time they turned out, until James Henry stepped in two years ago. He tended to transform the team’s fortunes and then took the job when the previous coach quit. With the help of his assistant Andy Austin, they started training hard in April 2020.

Some players had never kicked a football before joining the team, so training them took hours of hard work and patience. After a good few weeks, they got down to training and really started to take it in what the coach wanted. “I insist on doing the basic stuff well and letting the girls decide what they feel they need to work on.” James said.

James’ first season was ruined by the pandemic, which forced him and Andy to get creative with training. They organized team-building activities with the girls to help them bond on and off the field. James then spent the sessions they could hold focusing on the basics of football like passing and shooting, bringing the girls up to a good standard.

James watched the girls develop over the course of last year, and in September they played their first match of the new season. They won the game, and since then went on an unbeaten run of eight games. The team’s star player, 15-year-old Chelsea, has also impressed the audience individually, becoming the top scorer in the league with incredible 30 goals.

James said, “All the effort that the girls, us coaches and parents have put in to get this point has been enormous. If I hadn’t had the support of Andy helping me every week, this would have been an impossible task. So I’m incredibly grateful to have him on side. All we want is to bring more girls into the game and show that it’s not all about having the best players; it’s about hard work and giving everyone the chance to play.”

1. Why did James Henry take over the soccer team?

A．Because he wanted to try his luck.

B．Because he wanted to turn things around.

C．Because the previous coach recommended him.

D．Because he hoped to fulfill his champion dream.

2. What did James do to change the situation?

A．Lay stress on basic skills.	B．Develop players’ patience.
C．Pick experienced players.	D．Make decisions for the girls.

3. What did the team achieve after James was in charge?

A．They became an unbeaten team in the new season.

B．They stood out in James’ first season.

C．They scored 30 goals in the new season.

D．They won regularly and secured progress.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Talent is the key.	B．Joint efforts matter.
C．Every dog has his day.	D．Time and tide wait for no man.

9 . Weald & Downland Living Museum

Fun fact

Over 50 historic buildings from across the Weald and Downland area have been dismantled (拆除) and then reconstructed across a lovely 40-acre site in the south downs national park.

The collection of buildings represents almost a thousand years of rural life in south-east England: furnished just as they would have been in the past-complete with the homes, farms and public buildings. There’s a sense of exploring a real village as you wander between them along green paths, stopping to climb the stairs of a 17th-century craftsman’s (工匠) cottage to lie on the straw bed or sheltering from a shower in a smoky, 14th-century hall.

Getting there

The Stagecoach 60 bus service from Chichester to Midhurst stops just five minutes away at Grooms Yard, Singleton. The nearest railway stations are Chichester (2 miles) and Haslemere (7 miles). The museum is on Town Lane in Singleton, reached via the A286 from Chichester to Midhurst. Parking is free and there are disabled parking spaces opposite the museum shop.

Value for money?

Yes. It’s not cheap but it’s a special experience that easily fills a day. Plus it’s a valuable cause worth supporting. Adults £14, children 5—17 and students £6.50, under-4s free, family £38 (two adults and two children) or £25 (one adult and three children).

Opening hours

Daily 10 a.m.—5 p.m. (last entry 4 p.m.).

1. What can visitors do in Weald & Downland Living Museum?

A．Take a shower in the smoky hall.	B．Learn construction techniques.
C．Experience rural life centuries ago.	D．Stay overnight at craftsman s cottage.

2. How much would a couple with their 3-year-old daughter pay for admission?

A．£25.

B．£28.

C．£34.5.

D．£38.

3. What do we know about Weald & Downland Living Museum?

A．It charges parking fees.

B．It allows visitors to enter until 5 p.m.

C．It is inconveniently located for bus riders.

D．It offers the disabled thoughtful service.

10 . Some of the world’s most famous musicians recently gathered in Paris and New Orleans to celebrate the first annual International Jazz Day. UNESCO( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music, its significance, and its potential as a unifying (联合) voice across cultures.

Despite the celebrations, though, in the U.S. the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older, and the music has failed to connect with younger generations.

It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that. As the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz, Moran hopes to widen the audience for jazz, make the music more accessible, and preserve its history and culture.

“Jazz seems like it’s not really a part of the American appetite,” Moran tells National Public

Radio’s reporter Neal Conan “What I’m hoping to accomplish is that my generation and younger start to reconsider and understand that jazz is not black and write anymore. It’s actually colorful, and it’s actually digital.”

Moran says one of the problems with jazz today is that the entertainment aspect of the music has been lost. “The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958. It has to continue to move, because the way the world works is not the same,” says Moran.

Last year, Moran worked on a project that arranged Fats Waller’s music for a dance party, “Just to kind of put it back in the mind that Waller is dance music as much as it is concert music,” says Moran. “For me, it’s the recontextualization. In music, where does the emotion (情感) lie? Are we, as abstract as a Charlie Parker record gets us into a dialogue about our emotions and our thoughts? Sometimes we lose sight that the music has a wider context,” says Moran, “So I want to continue those dialogue. Those are the things I want to foster.”

1. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Jazz becoming more accessible.

B．The production of jazz growing faster.

C．Jazz being less popular with the young.

D．The jazz audience becoming larger.

2. What can we infer about Moran’s opinion on jazz?

A．It will disappear gradually.

B．It remains black and white.

C．It should keep up with the times.

D．It changes every 50 years.

3. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Exploring the Future of Jazz

B．The Rise and Fall of Jazz

C．The Story of a Jazz Musician

D．Celebrating the Jazz Day