1 . Whether you’re hiking through Yellowstone or camping in the Ozarks, choosing the best backpacking stove (炉子) to take with you can make a big difference. Read on for some of our top picks.
Soto Windmaster 4FlexBackpackers love its convenient built-in igniter (点火器), powerful heat output, and four-pronged (四管的) pot stabilizer, which provides a more stable platform for cooking than three-pronged stoves.
Buy it now at REISolo Stove Titan
The Solo Titan burns twigs, pine cones, leaves, and any other biofuels you may find out in nature, offering a safe and natural alternative to burning gas. The Titan is considered mid-size, ideal for cooking for several people.
Buy it now at SoloStoveFire Maple Star X2 Cooking System
Based on hundreds of reviews, hikers say they’re impressed by this gas-powered stove’s easy setup. The Star X2 also features Heat Exchange Technology, which the company says provides superior wind-resistance in different weather environments, helping to reduce overall boil time.
Buy it now on AmazonSoto Amicus
Weighing just 2.9 ounces, the Soto Amicus is well known for its light weight and attractive appearance. Multiple Amazon reviewers praise this backpacking stove’s easy setup and four integrated pot stabilizers, which create a stable base for cooking in the wilderness.
Buy it now on Amazon or REI1. Which stove suits you best if you want a quick meal?
| A．Soto Amicus. | B．Solo Stove Titan. |
| C．Soto Windmaster 4Flex. | D．Fire Maple Star X2 Cooking System. |
| A．Easy setup. | B．Wind resistance. |
| C．Relative stability. | D．Attractive appearance. |
| A．An adventure travel report. | B．An outdoor travel guide. |
| C．An advertisement for facilities. | D．A cookbook for easy meals. |
2 . The first time I had a roommate was during my freshman year of college. Lucky for me, she was great. She was clean and organized. I, on the other hand, was a horrible roommate.
Discuss the rules of your living arrangement. How are we splitting (分摊) rent? What’s our guest policy? Should we create a cleaning schedule? Make your expectations clear. If your roommates say they’re good about “paying rent on time”, for example, what does “on time” mean to them?
Deal with small things directly
If your roommate does something that annoys you, get it solved immediately, says Bayard.
Invite more play into your home
Learn from them
Living with a roommate is a good opportunity to meet someone with a very different background from yours.
| A．Set clear rules |
| B．It might feel awkward |
| C．I left my dirty clothes everywhere |
| D．We can develop friendships in many ways |
| E．Don’t forget to have fun with your roommate |
| F．In this case, you can learn something new from your roommate |
| G．Traditional ways of communication can be limiting and take time |
3 . Autonomously copying other people’s thoughts or options or simply going with the crowd is often referred to as “herd (群体) behaviour”. Herding can appear to make a lot of sense. In an earlier article, I discussed the so-called “wisdom of crowds”, which suggests that average judgments of large groups of people often outperform individual choices.
Psychology research has attempted to model herd behaviour and suggests that the phenomenon relies on the existence of social connections or patterns between individuals as well as specific mechanisms of passing on information. A key condition is the human ability to “mentalize”, which means being able to read and interpret someone else’s mental state and using the information to explain their options. This action of mentalizing is responsible for people’s tendency to attach meaning to options by the herd, even if many behaviours may have come about at random.
Herd behaviours, while common and easy to explain, hold significant dangers. Contrary to the so-called “wisdom of crowds”, which emerges when the judgments of individual group members are independently collected to produce an average opinion, herd behaviours typically rely on so-called “information cascades”, where people take on others’ beliefs or copy their options without critically evaluating the underlying reasons. This frequently leads to the mirroring of unreasonable or stupid behaviours.
Blindly following the herd can be dangerous. So how can we resist the tendency of following the crowd? The sad news is that psychology research suggests that it’s surprisingly difficult to withstand the influences of the herd. In an experiment, researchers found that warning messages about the potential errors of the crowd were surprisingly ineffective in helping subjects make better choices. It appears there is no quick and easy fix. Instead, long-term attitude changes may be necessary, which could involve individuals adopting more critical approaches towards their peers’ opinion, and questioning others’ behaviours as opposed to blindly following them.
1. Why does the author mention “wisdom of crowd” in Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the definition of herd behaviour. |
| B．To contradict the judgments of large groups. |
| C．To attract readers to his previous discussion. |
| D．To justify the behaviour of following others. |
| A．Heavy reliance on social activities. |
| B．Ineffective mechanism of information exchange. |
| C．Attaching meaning to crowd’s random choices. |
| D．Analyzing individuals’ mental state. |
| A．By defining. | B．By quoting. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By giving an example. |
| A．Following your heart. | B．Thinking twice before action. |
| C．Working out a quick fix. | D．Taking peers’ opinion seriously. |
4 . While work on lab-grown meat has made the headlines in recent years, similar work on fruit is less common. Scientists at Plant & Food Research in New Zealand are aiming to change that by growing fruit tissue (组织) from plant cells (细胞) that they hope will one day taste, smell and feel like real fruit. Researchers hope that the program will help guarantee the country’s food security.
“Here in New Zealand, we’re good at growing traditional horticultural crops (园艺作物),”said Dr. Ben Schon, the lead scientist for the Food by Design program at the government-backed Plant & Food Research, “but looking into the future, there’s a lot of change coming in the world with population growth, increasing urbanisation (城镇化) and climate change.”
The program aims to grow fruit tissue without the parts that are usually discarded like the peel of the banana. Providing consumers with only the tissue of fruit will help reduce food waste, said Schon.
Lab-grown foods could play an important role in sustainable (可持续的) agriculture but are still in the very early stages of development, according to Dr. Ali Rashidinejad, a senior food scientist at Massey University in Palmerston North. Since lab-grown food is a completely new idea, once it is developed, it will then have to prove its safety through long expensive experiments. The Plant & Food Research program started 18 months ago, but scientists warn that the end goal of getting something that is nutritional and enjoyable to eat is some years away and might not be achievable at all.
The technology would probably be suitable for growing fruit tissue within cities, said Dr. Sam Baldwin, a strategy leader at Plant & Food Research, in the hope that it would reduce the cost and carbon emissions created when transporting food into urban centres.
1. What is the purpose of the program?| A．To raise concern. | B．To promote well-being. |
| C．To balance diet. | D．To ensure food safety. |
| A．The plans for developing the fruit. | B．The process of designing the program. |
| C．The necessity of growing the fruit. | D．The problems with experimenting on the fruit. |
| A．Broken down. | B．Thrown away. | C．Brought up. | D．Taken in. |
| A．Its difficult research process. | B．Its short research period. |
| C．Its uncertain research result. | D．Its expensive research facilities. |
5 . A professor at the University of South Florida recently published a paper she knew barely anyone would read. At least, not outside her field. The paper had to do with the impact of algae (海藻) blooms and depletion (退化) of coral reefs on the region’s tourism industry.
The work of completing the paper was glum, says Heather O’Leary. It involved tracking visitors’ reactions to the environment on social media. “Part of the data for months was just reading posts: dead fish, dead fish, dead fish,” she recalled. “We were really thinking every day about the Gulf of Mexico and the waters that surround us, about those risks, and the risks to our coastal economy.”
O’Leary wanted people to pay attention to her paper and raise their environmental awareness. But she couldn’t come up with any solutions. However, attending concerts at USF’s School of Music inspired and gladdened her. She reached out to its director of bands, Matthew McCutchen. “I’m studying climate change and what’s going down at the coral reefs,” he remembered her saying. “And I’ve got all this data from my paper and I’d like to know if there’s any way that we can turn it into music. So people can know about my paper.”
Indeed there was. Composition professor Paul Reller worked with students to map pitch, rhythm and duration to the data. It came alive, O’Leary said, in ways it simply couldn’t be done on a spreadsheet.
“My students were really excited to start thinking about how students from other majors, such as the music students, heard patterns that they did not normally hear in some of the repetitions,” she said. In this case, she said, the patterns revealed the economic impact of pollution on coastal Florida communities.
With music, she added, “you can start to sense with different parts of your mind and your body that there are patterns happening and that they’re important.” “The world is going to see more and more of these ‘wicked problems’, the ones that take multiple people with different types of training and background to solve.”
Now,a group of professors and students are working to bring together music and the environment in related projects, such as an augmented (增强的) reality experience based on this composition. The group wants to spread awareness about the algae blooms, data literacy (数据认知) and environmental protection.
1. What does the underlined word “glum” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Exciting. | B．Emotional. |
| C．Routine. | D．Miserable. |
| A．Turn her algae data into music. |
| B．Find some music about coral reefs. |
| C．Teach her some musical terms. |
| D．Compose songs regarding climate change. |
| A．The different types of training. |
| B．The repetition of pitch and rhythm. |
| C．The threat of pollution on the costal economy. |
| D．The complex challenges of wicked problems. |
| A．Providing solutions to the algae problem. |
| B．Exposing more wicked problems to the public. |
| C．Showing the economic growth in coastal cities. |
| D．Helping people experience the problems better. |
6 . LEGO is to begin selling braille (盲文) bricks to help blind and partially sighted children learn to read the touch-based alphabet (全部字母).
After the first announcement of its braille bricks in 2019, LEGO has announced that shoppers would be able to buy the accessible kit for the first time. Up until now, the LEGO Foundation has given out the kits free of charge, as part of a pilot program, to organizations specializing in the education of children with vision impairment (障碍).
While some view braille as old-fashioned, given modern technology that can turn written text into spoken word, blind adults say they like to read with their fingers while listening to other things.
The European Blind Union says knowledge of braille leads to improved spelling, reading and writing, contributing to higher levels of education and better employment opportunities for those who are vision impaired.
Dave Williams, who works for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, which acts for blind and partially sighted people, said, “Who would want a greeting card read to you? And there are things like board games.” And he added learning braille with LEGO helped give those who could not read print independence.
Lisa Taylor, mum to seven-year-old Olivia, said, “Olivia first discovered LEGO braille bricks at school and they had such a big impact on her curiosity about braille. Before then, she found it hard to get started with the symbols but now she’s improving all the time.”
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 2?| A．LEGO is the first firm to put braille into use. |
| B．LEGO began its sell of braille bricks in 2019. |
| C．LEGO integrates old tradition with modern technology. |
| D．LEGO has donated braille bricks to certain organizations. |
| A．Reading with their fingers. | B．Listening to a greeting card. |
| C．Writing with new technology. | D．Learning from past experience. |
| A．By improving their social skills. | B．By bettering their reading ability. |
| C．By helping them develop independence. | D．By awakening their curiosity about braille. |
| A．To express users’ satisfaction. | B．To start a new topic. |
| C．To erase doubts about LEGO. | D．To compare different opinions. |
7 . Known as kung fu in the West, Chinese martial arts come in many forms. From aunties in the park to Shaolin monks (和尚), everyone is, in fact, practicing kung fu.
Tai chi
Tai chi, or Taijiquan as it is more commonly known, is perhaps more connected with aunties in the park than with powerful martial artists. But tai chi is practiced for both its health benefits and as defense training. Tai chi features its slow movements. Meeting brute force (蛮劲) with brute force is sure to leave both sides injured. Meeting brute force with softness, however, allows the incoming force to exhaust itself so it can more easily be redirected.
Wing Chun
Like tai chi, Wing Chun is based on a philosophy of overcoming hardness by softness. Relaxation and calmness are central to Wing Chun’s fighting style. Wing Chun’s two most famous practitioners were Yip Man and his pupil, Bruce Lee.
Bajiquan
Bajiquan, meaning eight extreme fists, is much more forceful in style than tai chi or Wing Chun. It features explosive, short-range motions and is famous for its elbow and shoulder strikes. The first practitioner clearly identified in history was a man named Wu Zhong.
Sanda
Sanda, also known as Sanshou, is a mixture of traditional kung fu and modern combat practices. Sanda is believed to have originated from ancient Chinese Lei Tai fights. As part of the development of martial arts sports by the Chinese government, a standard curriculum (课程) for Sanda has been developed.
1. What do tai chi and Wing Chun have in common?| A．They have many ageing fans. | B．They rely on soft movements. |
| C．They belong to defense training. | D．They are famous for their practitioners. |
| A．Its long history. | B．Its explosive motions. |
| C．Its violent strikes. | D．Its extreme requirements. |
| A．Lei Tai fights. | B．A standard curriculum. |
| C．Traditional practices. | D．A philosophic thought. |
8 . Do you feel like there are too many things to do in a day, but not enough time to do them? If so, you’re experiencing what researchers call time poverty.
If you want a satisfying social life, buy time for it. You might pay to have a disliked housework done by others, get a direct flight instead of a cheaper one with a stopover, or pay extra to drive the fastest route home.
Another way to get more time is to give it away. In one study, researchers asked people to devote part of their Saturday morning to doing something for themselves that they weren’t already planning to do or doing something for someone else. The people who gave away their time later felt like they had more of it.
If you have too many things to do and not enough time to do them, try to cut back on some things.
| A．Time poverty is a sign of the times |
| B．Helping others expands our sense of time |
| C．Buying time is a good way to free you from the boredom of repeated tasks |
| D．The choices we make with our time greatly affect our happiness and social lives |
| E．Then invest your free time in something socially engaging |
| F．You don’t have to keep up with the pace of the modern world |
| G．Yet, feeling short on time is associated with lower level of happiness and connection |
9 . Ignoring message is frowned upon (皱眉) in this always-on times. And according to most people, dropping out of communication is blamed as “ghosting”, which in the years since the term became widespread, has become a deadly killer of digital communications.
But in these exhausting times, when so many are overburdened with family responsibilities, stress, grief and anxiety, perhaps we should let go of the outdated, demanding requirement to participate in endless back-and-forth conversations. As Daniel Post Senning of the Emily Post Institution said, “You have to be a civil and decent person, but you don’t have to give your time and attention to everyone who asks for it.”
In an era when we understand more and more the importance of rest and time away from screens, triaging (优先选择) can be necessary for our peace of mind and relationships with the people in our lives: When we are on vacation. When it’s after 7 pm. When we are at the dinner table. When we are exercising. If you don’t reply immediately to a message during one of these times, don’t apologize. Just reply when you can. Or don’t.
Is triaging a blanket permission to fall into unexplained silence or become a bottleneck to your colleagues’ work? No. Instead, establish boundaries with your work colleagues frankly so that they don’t panic when they can’t reach you.
It’s also worth asking yourself who is putting the pressure on for immediate response. Perhaps it’s not the message sender, but you.
1. Which statement do most people agree with?| A．Giving full attention to whoever asks for it is a must. |
| B．Dropping out of a conversation equals killing other people. |
| C．It’s considered improper to cut off from an ongoing conversation. |
| D．It’s highly advised to carry on conversations despite heavy burdens. |
| A．By listing figures. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By comparing facts. | D．By stating reasons. |
| A．Barrier. | B．Milestone. | C．Opportunity. | D．Masterpiece. |
| A．Important Emails: Send Them Quickly | B．Urgent Calls: Answer Them Immediately |
| C．Unfriendly People: Avoid Them Carefully | D．Unnecessary Messages: Ignore Them Directly |
10 . Campus life at SMC connects you with people from all walks of life and provides ways to explore the world around you. With many student clubs and organizations, there are plenty of ways to find something that speaks to you-whether it’s rediscovering an old hobby, trying something new, learning more about cultures different from your own, or anything else that you find fulfilling. Engaging with your fellow SMC students offers endless possibilities to shape your college experience. Join a club—you just might make some forever friends along the way.
Acting Club
This club is for students in pursuit of an acting career in film or theatre. As part of SMC’s creative club coalition, Acting Club connects theater students with the scriptwriting, media and film club s in order to gain acting experience and confidence.
For more information, visit: www.smeactingclub.com
Meeting Time: Tuesdays, 3:45pm-5pm
Chess Club
Chess Club at SMC promises to provide a home for all interested in chess, regardless of proficiency or background. Its purpose is to strengthen the play of its members and shape their character of never giving up easily by promoting discipline.
For more information, visit: www.smecheselub. com
Meeting Time: Mondays, 3:30 pen—4:30 pm
Choir Club
To develop SMC students’ leadership skills and enhance their musical experiences, this club supports student singers in the SMC choral program through recruitment, fundraising, and events for the choirs.
For more information, visit: www.smecheirclub. com
Meeting Time: Wednesdays.5:30 pm-6:30 pm
Guitar Club
The purpose of this club is to being together aspiring musicians interested in learning guitar. In this club we will practice various styles and techniques of guitar playing and learn how to perform with other musicians.
For more information, visit: www.smoguitarclub. com
Meeting Time: Saturdays, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm
1. What may Chess Club help develop?| A．Leadership skills. | B．A strong will. |
| C．A cultural awareness. | D．Speaking ability. |
| A．Acting Club. | B．Chess Club. | C．Guitar Club. | D．Choir Club. |
| A．www.smeactingclub.com. | B．www.smechessclub.com. |
| C．www.imeguitarclub.com. | D．www.smecheirclub.com. |
