1 . There are many differences in ways of thinking between East and West. Many of them are reflected in daily behaviour. In particular, Chinese people sometimes attach more importance to their appearance and social status than to their inner qualities, while Westerners think the opposite. However, Socrates (Ancient Greek philosopher) and Confucius share significant similarities that are universal.
Both philosophers share several teachings in common; for example, their understanding of the nature of knowledge and their opinions on education. Socrates believed “There is only one good, knowledge;and only one evil, ignorance.” Similarly, Confucius said, “Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned?” But both also acknowledge the limits of knowledge. Socrates said: “All I know is that I know nothing.” Similarly, Confucius said, “When you know a thing, to hold you know it; when you don’t know a thing, to allow you don’t know it-this is knowledge.”
However, there are important differences in their understanding of morality. Confucius believed each person should follow certain regulations according to virtue(德行). Everyone should play their role in a society where people are interdependent in order to achieve harmony in the whole society. For instance, when asked how to govern a country, Confucius stated “An emperor should act like an emperor, a subject should act like a subject.” Socrates, however, places self-knowledge over social knowledge.
Another difference between them is their attitude towards political domination(支配). Confucius believed the best way to govern a country isn’t through legal system, but through virtue. Socrates, by contrast, declared that “nothing is more important than justice”.
Why have East and West developed such different cultural values? A widely accepted theory holds that Eastern civilization was an agricultural civilization. Hence the need for a collective society and friendly relations with neighbors was strong. Western civilization, however, was nomadic(游牧的). Their mobility makes them less dependent on society after migration.
In spite of their differences, the two cultures have more in common than differences. The shared concern for moral values in the teachings of Socrates and Confucius also shows us more fundamental similarities between Eastern and Western cultures in their pursuit of virtuous lives.
1. What do the two philosophers share about knowledge?| A．The learning of knowledge is easy. | B．The learning of knowledge is endless. |
| C．A man without knowledge is foolish. | D．A man shall not pretend to understand. |
| A．Nothing is more important than a legal system. |
| B．I am not a Chinese, but a citizen of the world. |
| C．Not everyone should play his own role in society. |
| D．A man does what is proper to the position he is in. |
| A．The difference in political atmosphere. | B．The difference in the length of history. |
| C．The difference in economic development. | D．The difference in levels of social dependency. |
| A．Reasons for similarities of Eastern and Western cultures. |
| B．The introduction of great figures of two different cultures. |
| C．Comparisons of the thoughts of the two great philosophers. |
| D．The contributions of two great philosophers to civilization. |
2 . The first apes evolved 20 million years ago in the forests where they would go up a tree to get their food, and then come back down to move on to the next tree. Getting out of a tree presents all kinds of new challenges. Big apes can’t afford to fall because it could kill or badly injure them. Natural selection would have favored those with body structures that allowed them to descend safely.
Dartmouth researchers report in the journal Royal Society Open Science that apes probably evolved free-moving shoulders and flexible elbows to slow their descent from trees as gravity pulled on their heavier bodies. These flexible body parts passed on from ancestral apes would have allowed early humans to climb trees at night for safety and comedown in the daylight unhurt. When early humans transitioned from forests to open savannas (热带稀树草原), flexible shoulders and elbows were crucial for gathering food and using tools for hunting and defense.
The researchers used sports analysis and statistical software to study how primates(灵长目动物) like chimpanzees and small monkeys called mangabeys climbed in the wild. They found that chimps and mangabeys scaled(攀爬) trees similarly, with shoulders and elbows mostly bent close to the body. When descending, however, chimpanzees extended their arms above their heads to hold on to branches, much like a person using a ladder, to counteract(抵消) their heavier weight pulling them downward.
Luke Fannin, the lead author of the study, emphasized that their findings highlight the importance of “down climbing” in the evolution of apes and early humans. He explained, “Our research introduces the idea that down climbing played a significant role in shaping the structural differences between monkeys and apes, which eventually manifested in humans.”
“Our field has thought about apes climbing up trees for a long time, but we’ve been ignoring the second half of this behavior,” said Professor Jeremy DeSilva, “The findings are among the first to identify the significance of “down climbing” in the evolution of apes and early humans.
1. According to paragraph 1, apes would have been favored by natural selection if .| A．they have sufficient food resources. |
| B．they come down from trees securely. |
| C．they master skills of climbing up trees. |
| D．they cure themselves when they’re injured. |
| A．The similarity of two primates in tree climbing |
| B．The evolution of two primates’ adaptation to nature. |
| C．The analysis of primates’ tree scaling and descending |
| D．The application of different research methods and tools. |
| A．Descending trees has been neglected by researchers for a long time. |
| B．The study is the first to recognize the significance of down climbing |
| C．The evolution of apes and early humans is a result of down climbing. |
| D．Studies on climbing down trees are more likely to have new findings. |
| A．Chimpanzees and Mangabeys: Researches in Natural Settings |
| B．Apes and Humans: A Comparative Study of Climbing up Trees |
| C．Shoulders and Elbows: Evolved as Brakes for Downclimbing Apes |
| D．Apes’ Climbing Strategies: How to Use Different Body Parts Flexibly |
3 . IT’S A TYPICAL morning: you wake up, take a shower, brush your teeth, and then prick (刺; 扎) your arm with a tiny needle. Wait, what? Unless you have a serious disease such as diabetes, you probably haven’t ever tested your own blood. But in the future, that might change.
The company Cor already sells a system for home blood testing. You stick your arm using a supposedly painless, one-off , blood-drawing cartridge (针筒) about the size of a lipstick. Then you stick the cartridge into a device that looks like the base for an electric toothbrush. A few minutes later, an app on your phone buzzes with updated information, including your current health data and tips on what to eat and how to exercise during the day.
It’s true that blood contains a wealth of information about a person’s health. Blood tests can show if a person is infected with a disease or at risk for a variety of problems, including a heart attack or a stroke. But most people don’t test their own blood until a doctor says it’s time. Healthy young adults get regular blood tests about every five years. These tests happen at a lab, where a technician or a nurse sticks a long needle into the arm to draw out several tubes full of blood. Cor and similar companies, such as WellnessFX, are trying to change all that. They think people deserve access to more information about their own health.
But not everyone is convinced that regular blood testing for healthy people is a great idea. Cor’s system is expensive and may not offer much benefit. “The lightest result here is that you lose your money and then you’re reminded to get more sleep and to eat more fruits, vegetables, and fish,” Pieter Cohen of Harvard Medical School told the New York Times. “The worst result is that you end up getting frightened by probably abnormal results that are actually completely normal for you.”
Plus, the results of a home blood test might be wrong. It’s hard to get accurate results from a tiny amount of blood. So what do you think? Is monitoring your own health via pinpricks the way of the future? Or is it better to leave blood testing to medical professionals?
1. Why does the author mention the typical morning in the first paragraph?| A．To explain a scene. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To provide an example. |
| A．It is painless and cheap to use. |
| B．It has won popularity among people. |
| C．It offers accurate health information about our body. |
| D．It may give advice on our diet according to the health data. |
| A．Objective. | B．Subjective. | C．Supportive. | D．Negative. |
| A．Home blood tests: yes or no? | B．Should blood tests be allowed at home? |
| C．A new system of improving your health. | D．Home blood testing: your health monitor! |
4 . What are two things that make humans different from animals? One is language and the other is music. It’s true that some animals can sing. However, the songs of animals like birds are very limited. It’s also true that humans, not animals, have developed musical instruments.
Music is a strange thing. It’s clearly distinct from language. However, people can use music to communicate things — especially their emotions. When music is combined (组合) with speech in a song, it’s a very powerful form of communication.
If music is truly different from speech, then we should process music and language in different parts of the brain. The scientific evidence suggests that this is true. For example, Vissarion Shebalin, a Russian composer, had a stroke (中风) in 1953. It injured the left side of his brain. He could no longer speak or understand speech. He could, however, still compose music until his death ten years later. On the other hand, sometimes strokes cause people to lose their musical ability, but they can still speak and understand speech.
By studying the physical effects of music on the body, scientists have also learnt a lot about how music influences the emotions. But why does music have such a strong effect on us? That is a harder question to answer.
Geoffrey Miller, a researcher at University College, London, thinks that music and love have a strong connection. Music requires special talent, practice and physical ability. That’s why it may be a way of showing your fitness to be someone’s mate. For example, playing a musical instrument requires fine muscular control. You also need a good memory to remember the notes. And playing those notes correctly suggests that your hearing is in excellent condition. Finally, when a man sings to the woman he loves, it may be a way of showing off.
However, Miller’s theory still doesn’t explain why certain combinations of sounds influence our emotions so deeply. For scientists, this is clearly an area that needs further research.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Music is a common language. | B．Humans are advanced animals. |
| C．Music is closely related to humans. | D．Animals can use music to communicate. |
| A．Different. | B．Direct. | C．Free. | D．Far. |
| A．Music is another form of language. |
| B．Music can inspire people’s creativity. |
| C．Gifted people have more opportunities to succeed. |
| D．’The brain processes music and language separately. |
| A．It was advanced at that time. | B．It made a valuable contribution. |
| C．It sill needs to be improved. | D．It will be confirmed by younger scientists. |
5 . When someone is homeless or trying to recover from a natural disaster, they are in great need of everyday goods. While people are often encouraged to donate canned goods, not everyone is thinking about things like shoes.
Of course, you can’t go looking for a new job or a home, if you have no shoes to walk in. One woman in Hays, Kansas took this into consideration, and found a great way to help hundreds of people.
Payless stores were going out of business, and shoes were selling for as little as $1 per pair, so a woman named Addy Tritt bought out all the remaining shoes at the Hays Payless store — more than 200 pairs and donated them to flood victims in Nebraska.
Those shoes were then sent to farmers in Nebraska by Fort Hays State University (FHSU). Tritt, who recently graduated from FHSU, wanted to “pay it forward”.
“I have been so lucky,” she said. “There have been so many great people in my life who have inspired me. I see so many terrible things in the news. So many people have helped me when I was down. They influenced me so much that I want to help if I can.”
Tritt has a history of kind acts. She has donated more than 60 bags of school supplies to Hays students, and organised a baby clothes drive and two supply drives for the animal shelter.
“I really feel I have been directed and guided to help people,” she said. “If you can do something for someone else, you need to find a way even if it is a pair of shoes.”
1. How did Tritt help flood victims?| A．By buying shoes for them. | B．By sending some food to them. |
| C．By helping them find new jobs. | D．By selling shoes to raise money for them. |
| A．Get extra support. | B．Share news with others. |
| C．Pass on kindness. | D．Put forward a plan. |
| A．FHSU’s education. | B．Flood victims’ situations. |
| C．Other people’s kindness to her. | D．Payless stores’ going out of business. |
| A．Brave. | B．Easy-going. |
| C．Clever. | D．Caring. |
6 . At noon, the Tongxin Cafeteria near the Jing’an Temple downtown has a queue that exemplifies its multi-generational popularity. The menu, with over 60 dishes rotated daily, is liked by a series of tastes.
“Compared with food ordered for lunch online, this place is much better.” said Chen Luo, an accountant from a nearby office building. Chen, who lives alone, formerly depended heavily on delivered meals ordered online until her parents raised concerns about the nutritional value and what they called “bad food materials.”
Cooking for herself is too time-wasting, she said. “I used to spend two hours cooking and washing dishes, only to eat for 10 minutes,” Chen said. “The nearby community canteen (餐厅) is a perfect solution. These cafeterias, once known as ‘senior canteens’, were originally built to provide healthy meals at affordable prices to older folks who might not be getting enough nutrition at home. From 2019 to 2021, the Shanghai government set a goal of building 200 new community canteens, bringing the total at the end of last year to 1,608.
A basic meal with one meat dish and two vegetables costs less than 20 yuan (US$2.70), far cheaper than prices in mainstream downtown restaurants. And all meals are prepared on site with fresh materials. The government supports these cafeterias—sometimes with rent-free space; sometimes with reduced water and electricity charges.
Li Jiajun, the manager of a local community canteen, said the prices of the dishes are 20 percent lower than popular market rates because of the government assistance. His canteen provides elderly diners from 10:30—11:30 am and 4:30—5:30 pm. Apart from those hours, people of all ages are welcome.
Li said cafeteria managers are required to maintain detailed records, including 48-hour food samples and daily uploads to food safety platforms. This approach ensures the paths of all materials. Some community cafeterias have become so popular that they appear on WeChat and other lifestyle sharing platforms.
1. Why is the menu mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To describe the menu. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To arouse readers’ curiosity. | D．To highlight the dishes. |
| A．Chen Luo’s parents were too busy to cook nutritional meals for her. |
| B．From 2019 to 2021, the Shanghai government built 1,608 new community canteens. |
| C．The community canteens needn’t pay for electricity with the government assistance. |
| D．The community canteens were once built to provide healthy meals for seniors. |
| A．nutrition value | B．fresh materials |
| C．government support | D．lower prices |
| A．Community canteens growing in popularity |
| B．Tongxin canteen liked by multi-generations |
| C．Community canteens shared on platforms |
| D．More community canteens built for seniors |
7 . This week in our national park’s journey, we explore a vast area with mountains, beaches, forests, and glaciers. Olympic National Park! It covers more than 400,000 hectares with several different ecosystems.
Elwha Valley
The Elwha Valley is in the central part of the park. It is the Olympic Peninsula’s largest watershed. A watershed is an area of land that separates waters that flow to different rivers or seas. Today, the Elwha River is the site of one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in National Park Service history.
Hoh River Valley
The Hoh River is on the west side of the park. The river is formed from melted glacial ice on top of Mount Olympus. The river is 80 kilometers long. It empties into the Pacific Ocean. The area receives about 400 centimeters of rain each year. It is a temperate rainforest. Because of the amount of rain, many different types of plants grow in the Hoh rainforest, from mosses and ferns to huge Sitka spruce trees.
Hurricane Ridge
Hurricane Ridge is a mountain area in the northern part of the park. It is easy to enter, and provides incredible views of the Olympic Mountains. The ridge has many hiking paths. In winter, people come here to ski. They also come here to take part in other fun winter activities, like sledding and snowboarding. Hurricane Ridge usually has snow from December through the end of March. Visitors must be prepared for icy roads and severe weather.
The Coast
The westernmost part of the park is Pacific coastline. Olympic National Park has many breathtaking beaches. One of them is Rialto Beach, known for its tall seastacks while North of Rialto Beach is Hole-in-the-Wall. It is a natural arch that has been carved by the powerful sea.
1. What can you do on the west side of the park?| A．Swim in the river. | B．Learn about various plants. |
| C．Go hiking with your friends. | D．Walk on the beaches. |
| A．Elwha Valley. | B．Hoh River Valley. |
| C．Hirricane Ridge. | D．Rialto Beach. |
| A．They are all very cold. | B．They are all rich in ecosystems. |
| C．They can all be reached easily. | D．They are all part of Olympic National Park. |
8 . In habitats across the planet, animals periodically drop everything to walk, fly or swim to a new place. Some animals such as whales and geese learn migration paths by following their parents. Others, including small songbirds, gain the distance and direction of their migration within their genetic code. And some animals use a combination of genetics and culture to guide their migration.
Another group of migrators does not quite fit either model, and researchers have only recently started to figure out how they find their way. The Cory’s shearwater is an oceangoing seabird that migrates over the Atlantic every year. The young do not migrate with their parents, so culture cannot explain their journeys. And the exact paths vary wildly from individual to individual, making genetics equally unlikely.
Cory’s shearwaters are long-lived, rarely producing young successfully before age nine. This leaves an opening for learning and practice to develop their migration patterns. Researchers call this the “exploration-refinement”, and until now it has been hypothetical (假设的) because of difficulties in tracking migratory animals’ movements.
But a team of researchers has done that by attaching small geolocators to more than 150 of the birds aged four to nine. They found that younger birds traveled longer distances, for longer periods, and had more diverse paths than older birds. “We finally have evidence of the ‘exploration-refinement’ for migratory birds,” says Letizia Campioni, who led the study. Younger Cory’s shearwaters are able to fly just as fast as the adults——but they do not, suggesting that the young do more exploring, which gradually fades as they mature and settle into a preferred course.
“Although it may seem less efficient than other strategies, exploration refinement could be beneficial to birds and other organisms in a rapidly changing world due to unpredictable man-made changes,” says Barbara Frei. “It might be safer to repeat a behavior that was recently successful than to rely on patterns that were perfected long ago but might no longer be safe.”
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．It describes animals’ habitats. | B．It compares different species. |
| C．It talks about migration models. | D．It introduces a tracking technology. |
| A．The opening for learning and practice. |
| B．The unique living habit of Cory’s shearwaters. |
| C．The process scientists track Cory’s shearwaters’ movements. |
| D．The way Cory’s shearwaters form their migration patterns. |
| A．They travel as much as adult birds. | B．They lower the speed for exploration. |
| C．They move in a predictable manner. | D．They look for a course with their parents. |
| A．Exploration refinement contributes to birds’ adaptability. |
| B．Man-made changes make migration easier. |
| C．Animals make a safer journey via a fixed track. |
| D．A combination of strategies assures migration success |
9 . We’re all familiar with the feeling―it usually starts with a little itch (痒) deep inside the nose. Next comes the awareness that it’s going to happen. Then, achoo! Air rushes out of our nose at a shocking 100 miles per hour, bursting out whatever was causing the itch. The high-pressure from a sneeze (喷嚏) has led some people to think that if we didn’t close our eyes, they could be pushed out.
For decades, countless people have tested the theory. When finding it almost impossible to keep their eyes open while sneezing, many have concluded that the theory must be true. If you try it yourself, the possibilities are that your eyes are still where they belong. That’s because they are held firmly by the muscles in the eyes. Furthermore, increased pressure from sneezing actually builds up in the blood vessels (血管), which may cause vessels to break but may not be possible to push the eyeballs out.
Why did this theory start, anyway? Some say that it all began in 1882, when the New York Times reported an incident of a woman who burst one of her eyeballs during a sudden sneeze. Others point at the fact that different high-pressure experiences, such as childbirth, can cause blood vessels in the eyes to break out. Still others say that closing our eyes when we sneeze shows the theory is true. Scientists, on the other hand, explain that we close our eyes for the same reason we sneeze ― to prevent unwanted things from entering our bodies. Either way, as far as we know, there are no actual recorded cases of anyone losing an eyeball because of a sneeze, so don’t lose any sleep over it!
1. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 1?| A．The cause of a sneeze. | B．The danger of sneezing. |
| C．The importance of a sneeze. | D．The experience of sneezing. |
| A．Because they are fixed firmly in the eyes. |
| B．Because high pressure builds up in the eyes. |
| C．Because they are held strongly by blood vessels. |
| D．Because increased pressure prevents them from bursting out. |
| A．Sneezes usually cause an itchy nose. |
| B．People sneeze to burst out unwanted things. |
| C．The high pressure caused by a sneeze will become less through breathing. |
| D．People close their eyes when sneezing to stop their eyeballs from popping out. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A magazine. |
| C．A storybook. | D．A textbook. |
10 . Food festivals are a common occurrence in the UK and take place in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times. Whatever your taste, there’s a food festival to match — no matter how specialized.
1. Meatopia
This three-day, London-based festival takes place at the end of August and is a meat lover’s paradise. In addition to a range of legally sourced meat products, from juicy burgers to tender steaks, attendees can listen to live music, watch butchery demonstrations, and attend informal meat-based workshops.
2. The National Honey Show
If you have a sweet tooth, then it could be that the National Honey Show, which started in 1921 and is the largest event of its kind, is the place for you to be. This three-day event attracts many local entries who showcase their sweet golden honey, some of which is sold globally.
3. The Orange Sauce Festival
Have you heard about a festival that is devoted only to orange sauce? Held in Cumbria, this sweet, fragrant festival has been running for 3 years. What attracts people most is a competition to find the best homemade orange sauce. There are thousands of participants from over 30 different countries across the globe, bringing their local snacks to share here.
4. The Ginger and Spice Festival
If you’d prefer something with a little more kick to it, then you could attend The Ginger (姜) and Spice Festival held in Market Drayton. Unlike other food festivals, it celebrates its town’s historic connection to Robert Clive, who returned from India with ginger. Because of this, they specialize in baking gingerbread, but also sell a range of traditional spices from mild to hot.
1. What do Meatopia and the National Honey Show have in common?| A．Both of them last for three days. | B．Both of them hold workshops. |
| C．Both of them originated from London. | D．Both of them have a long history. |
| A．The Meatopia. | B．The Ginger and Spice Festival. |
| C．The National Honey Show. | D．The Orange Sauce Festival. |
| A．It has something to do with a historic figure. |
| B．The ginger used in the festival is from India. |
| C．It sells spicy food. |
| D．The food is cooked by Robert Clive. |
