1 . Mosquitoes can carry various diseases and one of the most popular is dengue (登革热). Dengue is caused by any one of the four related viruses spread by mosquitoes, because of which numerous Filipinos died. One of the easiest ways to prevent mosquitoes is to use repellents. In the market, there are many commercial mosquito repellents available. The commonly used repellent in the Philippines is quite unaffordable. Meanwhile, it contains chemicals that may cause irritation (刺激). These account for why researchers seek to develop an alternative mosquito repellent.

The researchers plan to use natural components. Since the component is natural, the new mosquito repellent to be made from it is effective yet inexpensive and poses no risks to health or environment. One of the major components being explored is from lemongrass.

Lemongrass has natural anti-microbial features, suitable for use on various types of skin infections, usually as a wash, and is especially effective on skin diseases. It has mosquito repelling effects and is used to make a mosquito repellent. In using this product, you will spray it over all exposed skin areas. Contact with eyes should be avoided. If irritation occurs, wash off immediately and discontinue using. The very importance of this product is to prevent the spread of multiple diseases caused by mosquito bites. The new mosquito repellent containing lemongrass extract (提取物) also helps control the outbreak of other insect-borne diseases such as Malaria, Lyme Disease and West Nile Fever. After all, lemongrass is a popular plant found commonly in the country and its extract is used for medicinal and food products.

The new study is significant because there’s an increasing number of deaths concerning mosquitoes. While there are alternative solutions, Filipinos cannot deny their brothers and sisters living in poverty cannot afford to buy repellents. Yet, currently the researchers aim to test how effective their natural product is in repelling mosquitoes within households. This initial study will evaluate the product’s effectiveness before further trials in broader applications.

1. Why do the researchers want to create an alternative repellent?

A．The effect of original products is doubted.

B．There are too many mosquitoes to get rid of.

C．The providers fail to meet the market demands.

D．The existing products are costly and harmful.

2. What makes lemongrass extract an ideal choice for the mosquito repellent?

A．Its unique property.	B．Its distributing style.
C．Its easy extracting.	D．Its lower risk on eyes.

3. What can be inferred about the mosquito repellent from the last paragraph?

A．It will be long before being evaluated.

B．It is a popular mosquito-proof product.

C．Its cheapness is its crucial selling point.

D．Its natural makeup often appeal to its users.

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

A．A Therapy Fighting back Mosquitoes

B．A Cost-Effective Natural Mosquito Repellent

C．Dengue: A common Disease from Mosquitoes

D．Lemongrass: A Compound Extract from Nature

2 . Ariel Procaccia has thought a lot about how to cut a cake over the last 15 years. As the father of three children, he knows how hard it is to divide a birthday cake to everyone’s satisfaction. But it’s also because Procaccia’s work focuses on exploring the mathematical rules for dividing stuff up fairly. One way to do that is to think abstractly about dessert.

For decades, researchers have been asking the seemingly simple question of how to cut a cake fairly. The answer reaches far beyond birthday parties. A mathematical problem at its heart, cake cutting connects strict reasoning to real-world issues of fairness, and so attracts not only mathematicians, but also social scientists, economists and more. “It’s a very elegant model in which you can distill what fairness really is, and reason about it,” Procaccia says.

The simplest approach is called the “divider-chooser” method, where one person cuts the cake into two equal pieces in his view, and the other person picks first. Each receives a piece that they feel is as valuable as the other’s. But when personal preferences are taken into account, even the easiest rule becomes complicated. Suppose Alice and Bob are to divide a cake, and Alice knows Bob prefers chocolate, she may knowingly divide the cake unequally so the smaller piece contains more chocolate. Then Bob will choose according to his preference, and Alice will get the larger piece. Both of them are satisfied with what they get, but the meaning of fairness changes in this situation.

The cake is a symbol for any divisible good. When cake-cutting principles are employed to settle disagreements, they are potentially helping the world find solutions. Procaccia has used fair division algorithms (算法) to model food distribution. Social scientist Haris Aziz is exploring situations ranging from how to divide up daily tasks to how to best schedule doctors’ shifts in hospitals.

Even after decades of investigation, cake cutting isn’t like a simple jigsaw puzzle (拼图) with a well-defined solution. Instead, over time, it has evolved into a kind of mathematical sandbox, a constructive playground that brings together abstract proofs and easy applications. The more researchers explore it, the more there is to explore.

1. What does the underlined word “distill” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Get the essence of.	B．Find the opposite of.
C．Keep the focus on.	D．Reduce the impact on.

2. What can we learn about fairness from the example given in paragraph 3?

A．Its standard is stable.	B．It prevents unequal division.
C．Its concept is complex.	D．It dominates personal preferences.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about concerning cake cutting?

A．The application of its rules.	B．The details of its process.
C．The problems it produces.	D．The harmony it symbolizes.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Who benefits most from fairness?

B．How has fairness changed over time?

C．What method works best in cake-cutting?

D．Why are researchers so interested in cake-cutting?

3 . To better understand the ocean’s overall health, researchers hope to utilize some simplest creatures as tools to assess aquatic ecosystems. All they need is stunning $20 worth of materials, a 3D-printer, and some natural jellyfish.

Although it’s extremely dangerous, technologically challenging, and expensive for humans to reach the ocean’s deepest regions, jellyfish do it all the time. Jellyfish first began dancing through Earth’s ancient oceans at least half a billion years ago, making them some of the planet’s oldest creatures. In all that time, however, their biological appearance has remained pretty consistent — a bell-shaped, brainless head attached to a mass of tentacles （触须）, all of which is composed of around 95 percent water. Unfortunately, that same steady state can’t be said of their habitat, thanks to humanity’s ongoing environmental impacts. “Since they don’t have a brain or the ability to sense pain, we’ve been able to cooperate with bioethicists to develop this biohybrid robotic application in a way that’s ethically principled,” a lead researcher of this study, John Dabiri said in a recent profile.

Previously, Dabiri’s lab implanted jellyfish with a kind of electronic pacemaker that controls the speed at which they swim. This time, the team went a step further, adding what they call a forebody to the jellyfish. It is like a hat that sits on top of the jellyfish’s bell. This 3D-printed, hat-like addition not only houses electronics and sensors, but makes its wearer even faster. In a specially built, three-story vertical aquarium, a jellyfish equipped with a combination of the swimming pacemaker and forebody can swim up to 4.5 times faster than its all-natural counterpart.

“It’s well known that the ocean is critical for determining our present and future climate on land, and yet, we still know surprisingly little about the ocean, especially away from the surface,” Dabiri said. “Our goal is to finally move that needle by taking an unconventional approach inspired by one of the few animals that already successfully explores the entire ocean.”By controlling their jellies’ vertical ascent and descent, Dabiri’s team believes the biohybrids could help gather deep ocean data previously obtainable only by using extremely price y research vessels and equipment.

1. What made jellyfish chosen for the study?

A．Its consistent habitat.	B．Its existence for long.
C．Its watery composition.	D．Its insensibility to pain.

2. What does the underlined word “addition” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．A forebody.	B．A pacemaker.
C．A hat-wearing jellyfish.	D．A speed sensor.

3. What’s the role of a natural jellyfish in the study?

A．A data collector.	B．A device carrier.
C．A climate change predictor.	D．The model of a robotic application.

4. What’s probably the most eye-catching advantage of this study?

A．Its potential to explore the ocean.	B．Its role in determining the climate.
C．The animal-friendly approach to research.	D．The significant decline in research funding.

4 . Get together in Doon Heritage Village

Doon Heritage Village, where you can experience what life was like in 1914, is newly enhanced with restored buildings, more farm animals and fun activities for the entire family to enjoy.

Waterloo Region Museum

The new gateway to Doon Heritage Village is Waterloo Region Museum, to be opened on July 1, 2024. Come share in the stories that connect us at the new Waterloo Region Museum! The colors in the glass façade of the Waterloo Region Museum were selected from bedding, mostly quilts, in the museum’s collection and represent the textile heritage of Waterloo Region.

Special Events for JULY

2nd A Day in the Life 1914

Daily, from Saturday, July 2 to Saturday, July 30

4th World In Kitchener Film Festival

Monday, July 4 to Friday, July 8

9th History Under the trees

—Looking After Your Family’s History

23rd Flower Bouquet Workshop

& New! Summer Patio Music Enjoy live music every Saturday afternoon on our patio in July.

HUNGRY?

The museum features a café open during busy periods. The café menu includes light snack items, including hot and cold beverages. Vending machines are also available for your convenience. Water fountains are located near the café, on the patio and in the Living History Village. Please do not eat or drink inside the historic buildings.

SHOP

Be sure to visit the museum gift shop to find one-of-a-kind souvenirs, toys and gift items.

ACCESSIBILITY

Washrooms are fully accessible and can accommodate large groups and bus tours. The Waterloo Region Museum and the ground floors of most historic buildings are wheelchair accessible. We offer many services and assistive devices for visitors with disabilities. Please ask for our Guide to Access.

1. What inspired the colors used in the glass façade of the Waterloo Region Museum?

A．The natural surroundings of Waterloo Region.

B．The art heritage of Waterloo Region.

C．The bedding items from the museum’s collection.

D．The stories connecting us around the region.

2. If you come to visit on July 9th, how many special events can you enjoy?

A．4

B．3

C．2

D．1

3. What do we know about the facilities?

A．The cafe featuring snack items is always busy.

B．Drinking in the Living History Village is banned.

C．The museum gift shop has something unique to offer.

D．The Doon Heritage Village is fully wheelchair accessible.

5 . “The mountains are calling and I must go” — the famous quote is from John Muir(1838-1914), who is described as “the wilderness poet” and “the citizen of the universe.” He once jokingly referred to himself as a “poet-geologist-botanist and ornithologist (鸟类学家)-naturalist etc. etc.!” He is known as the Father of American National Parks.

Famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns recently said, “As we got to know him… he was among the highest individuals in America; I’m talking about the level of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thomas Jefferson— people who have had a transformational effect on who we are.”

So where is the quote from? Well, John Muir was a productive writer. Whether he was writing poetry or simply letters to his family, John Muir was always putting pen to paper. The quote is from within one of his many letters written to his sister:

September 3rd, 1873 Yosemite Valley Dear sister Sarah, I have just returned from the longest and hardest trip I have ever made in the mountains, having been gone over five weeks. I am weary, but resting fast; sleepy, but sleeping deep and fast; hungry, but eating much. For two weeks I explored the glaciers of the summits east of here, sleeping among the snowy mountains without blankets and with little to eat on account of its being so inaccessible. After my icy experiences, it seems strange to be down here in so warm and flowery a climate. I will soon be off again, determined to use all the season in carrying through my work—will go next to Kings River a hundred miles south, then to Lake Tahoe and surrounding mountains, and in winter work in Oakland with my pen. Though slow, someday I will have the results of my mountain studies in a form in which you all will be able to read and judge them. The mountains are calling and I must go, and I will work on while I can, studying incessantly (永不停息地). I will write again when I return from Kings River Canyon. Farewell, with love everlasting. Yours, John

1. What can we learn from John Muir’s self-description in paragraph 1?

A．He longed to expand his own career.

B．He enjoyed his involvement in nature.

C．He wanted to find his real advantage.

D．He valued his identity as a poet most.

2. What did Ken Burns mainly talk about?

A．Muir’s political influence.	B．A documentary film on Muir.
C．Muir’s historic significance.	D．The social circle around Muir.

3. How did Muir feel when writing the first paragraph of his letter?

A．Relieved but regretful.	B．Exhausted but content.
C．Excited but lonely.	D．Defeated but hopeful.

4. Why must John Muir go into mountains again?

A．To go on with his mountain studies.

B．To seek freedom from social connection.

C．To attend an appointment in Oakland.

D．To experience the hardship of wilderness.

6 . Many of us remember the feeling of having our braces (牙套) regularly adjusted and retightened at the dentist’s. And interventions are based entirely upon the estimate of dentists and involve a great deal of trial and error, which can lead to too many visits to the dentist’s.

Professor Erleben and his team created a computer model that creates accurate 3D simulations (模拟) of an individual patient’s jaw, which dentists can use to predict how sets of braces should be designed to best straighten a patient’s teeth and plan the best possible treatment. To create these simulations, the computer model was used to map sets of human teeth after getting detailed CT images of teeth and the small, fine structures between the jawbone and the teeth. This type of precise digital simulation is referred to as a digital twin, a virtual model that lives in the cloud.

The virtual model can answer what’s happening in the real world, and do so instantly. For example, one can ask what would happen if you pushed on one tooth and get answers with regards to where it would move and how it would affect other teeth. The model also helps to predict the post treatment effect, achieve “visualization” of treatment, and facilitate patients to understand the plan of straightening their teeth. What’s more, it has enabled more flexible and convenient digital medical follow-up services.

The area of research that uses digital twins is relatively new. “However, we need to set up a sufficiently big database if digital twins are to really take root and benefit the healthcare industry,” Erleben said, “In the future, the virtual model can be used to plan, design and improve, and can therefore be used to operate companies, robots, factories and used much more in the energy, healthcare and other fields.”

1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．The professional integrity of dentists.	B．The current state of dental treatment.
C．The procedure of retightening braces.	D．The intervention of modern technology.

2. Which was the first step in creating 3D simulations?

A．Predicting treatment effect.	B．Designing a computer model.
C．Drawing the shape of a mouth.	D．Obtaining the details of teeth.

3. What is Professor Erleben’s attitude towards digital twins?

A．Doubtful.

B．Curious.

C．Favorable.

D．Dismissive.

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

A．Why digital twins make a hit	B．Where virtual treatment goes
C．What trouble dentists encounter	D．How a virtual model aids dentists

7 . Yoga has been around for roughly 5, 000 years but it is more popular today than ever. An estimated 300 million people play yoga worldwide. Experts say its accessibility and the fact that you can practice it anywhere are big reasons why.     1    

Yoga can improve your posture and balance, strengthen bones and muscles and keep your back and joints healthy.     2     Downward-facing dog can help relieve back pain while plank (平板) pose is good for building a strong core and upper body. Typically the final position of a yoga class is ideally done for at least five minutes.     3     After that, you and your classmates usually acknowledge each other with a greeting: Namaste.

Many people adopt yoga as a form of exercise.     4     As recorded in the Yoga Sutras, a classic yoga text, the philosophy of yoga is based on the idea that the mind, body and spirit are one. The practice of yoga consists of not only physical postures but also moral guidelines, breathing techniques, and self-awareness, helping reduce anxiety and improve focus. It is an approach to health and well-being that aims to bring balance and harmony to all aspects of life.

    5     However, a 13-year U. S. study found that between 2001 and 2014, almost30, 000 individuals went to the emergency room with a yoga-related injury. Overstretching tends to be the most common issue, but serious injuries-although rare-can happen even to advanced coaches.

A．Different poses offer different benefits.

B．The detailed advantages are as follows.

C．Actually, yoga is a way of life at its roots.

D．This exercise is said to strengthen your body.

E．Yoga seems unlikely to send you to the hospital.

F．A lot of studies have been carried out about yoga.

G．The aim of this pose is to settle your mind and body.

8 . Language gives us the power to describe countless actions, properties and relations that compose our experiences, real or imagined. As for how languages were created, scientists found iconicity might play a key role.

People can’t bridge language gap and understand each other without iconicity. When playing a game of charades (猜字谜) , we act out our meaning, using our hands and bodies to describe the sizes and shapes of objects. The key to this process of forming new symbols is the use of iconicity. Not limited to gesturing, iconicity appears in our visual communication too. Traffic signs, food packaging, maps. . . wherever there are people communicating, you will find iconicity.

According to our research, iconicity might also exist in our voices. We organized a contest in which we invited contestants to record a set of sounds to express different meanings. The winner of the contest was determined by how well listeners could guess the intended meanings of the sounds based on a set of written options. Critically, the sounds that contestants submitted couldn’t include actual words or onomatopoeias (拟声词) .

Listeners were remarkably good at interpreting the meanings of the sounds. Yet, all of the contestants and listeners were speakers of English. Thus, it was possible that listeners’ success relied on some cultural knowledge that they shared with the speakers. Did the listeners also understand the speakers from completely different cultural backgrounds?

Later, an Internet survey translated into 25 different languages was carried out. Participants listened to each sound from the English speakers and guessed the meaning by choosing from six written words. Guessing accuracy for the different groups ranged from 74 percent for English speakers to 34 percent for Portuguese speakers. It is far from perfect, but well above the chance rate of eight percent expected by us.

Taken together, these studies show that our capacity for iconic communication has played a critical role. Without this special talent, language would likely never have gotten off the ground.

1. Which of the following can explain “iconicity” ?

A．A skill in foreign language learning.	B．The process of acting out our meanings.
C．The connection between form and meaning.	D．A barrier between different language speakers.

2. What can we know about the contest?

A．It required sounds containing meanings.	B．Its winners were creative in recordings.
C．It aimed to prove iconicity in words.	D．Its entries were familiar to listeners.

3. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．English pronunciations differ.	B．The research has a limitation.
C．The cultural gap is narrowing.	D．Listening skills vary in cultures.

4. What is the significance of the research?

A．Clarifying the influence of sounds.	B．Proving the necessity of exchanges.
C．Uncovering the origin of languages.	D．Identifying the function of gestures.

9 . Welcome to the hands-down Big 5 game reserve in South Africa. Volunteering in our camp in the African bush is definitely a rewarding and convenient way to help you gain a sense of devotion and satisfaction with no extra material rewards.

Why to join

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, where you get to give back to the natural environment and the local community. It not only is an extremely satisfying feeling when you know that you’ve helped to protect this incredible part of the world for generations to come, but enables you to gain invaluable skills and knowledge in conservation.

Requirements

Priority will be given to those candidates with great patience and devotion. Rich experience for wildlife conservation as well as a certificate in wildlife protection is not necessarily important. Refusal goes to animal abusers.

What to expect

Working alongside trained forest protectors, conservation staff and other volunteers from Monday to Friday (8: 30 a. m. —4: 30 p. m.), you’re expected to help with fence guards to keep animals safe from poachers (偷猎者), feed animals, and even help catch animals for medical treatment. During term-time, you may also work with the local community, delivering meals with nutrition to local children.

Entertainment

After work, you’ll have plenty of time to relax on the reserve. Be bathed in the sun by the reserve’s pool, play a few rounds of tennis or relax in the common room with your new friends. The program contains various overnight short-distance journeys in the surrounding areas such as Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay and Grahamstown, where you can go hiking, windsurfing, whale-watching, horse-riding and much more.

1. What will participants acquire in the program?

A．Survival skills in wilderness.	B．Knowledge of wildlife protection.
C．Certificates of animal conservation.	D．Experience in community management.

2. What should a volunteer do in the camp?

A．Give food to animals.	B．Keep animals in cages.
C．Study diseases of animals.	D．Train animals for research.

3. What is an advantage of volunteering in the camp?

A．Material rewards are plentiful.	B．Accommodations are top-class.
C．Flexible working hours are allowed.	D．Recreational activities are provided.

10 . There’s no doubt that loneliness hurts. Functional MRIs show that the area of the brain triggered by social rejection is the same area that’s triggered by physical pain. To understand why loneliness hurts, let’s take a closer look at friendship through the eyes of two heavyweight philosophers.

In one corner we have Aristotle, who wrote that without friends, there’s no reason to live. The Greek great believed that friendships are based on the virtues of the friend.     1     But the problem with Aristotle’s theory is that if you lose some virtues, you should also expect to lose some friends. And that’s not how friendships work — at least not the good ones.     2    

So as a sharp counterpunch to Aristotle, let’s turn to the renowned Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, who said that all people have value regardless of their virtues. Since we view our true friends with this kind of unconditional love and respect, we can assume they view us the same way.     3     Being away from our friends takes away these life-affirming interactions. Worse, having no friends means our value, or dignity, isn’t being appreciated.

    4     This may seem obvious, but there’s a catch. Your connection has to be oriented (以……为方向) toward the other person — not in what they can do for you and your loneliness. So say hi to a neighbor, hold the door for someone, or volunteer at the soup kitchen.     5     However, they’ll help you feel more connected to the world. And the more of these small steps you take toward connection, the farther away from loneliness you’ll get.

A．This may sound fine at first.

B．They last through thick and thin.

C．This tells us why loneliness hurts.

D．These acts may not make you a lifelong friend.

E．The more friends you have, the happier you’ll be.

F．We feel like we’re not accepted by the people around us.

G．Thus, the cure for loneliness can be found in other people.