1 . When I started playing soccer as a kid, I just fell in love with it. I wanted to be a soccer player when I grew up. But when I was nine, I started losing my eyesight. At first, I told myself, “If I just work harder than everyone else, I can still compete.” However, my perseverance (坚持) wasn’t going to be realistic. And because I kept pushing, my mental health started to worsen. I developed an eating disorder and depression (抑郁症).
When I hit rock bottom in high school, I started to understand that I couldn’t just keep going down that path of trying to achieve something that wasn’t possible.
My older brother got me started on the right path after I hit rock bottom. He encouraged me to try swimming. The freedom of being in the water had a calming effect on me: It gave me a place where I could feel confident again. I was able to move from the dream of playing soccer to sports that I could do, like swimming, track and field, and cross-country. Naturally, that combination led to triathlon (铁人三项运动).
In my senior year, I signed up for my first triathlon. By that point, while I still had some eyesight, I was legally blind. My parents biked and ran the course with me the night before, which helped me learn and remember key landmarks.
That first race was great. Most importantly, that race opened a new door in sports and in life for me. When I went to Michigan State for college, I started the triathlon team there. That gave me another network of support, and surrounded me with people to train with and work with.
None of that would have happened if I had continued to play soccer. Sometimes you have to change the path you thought you’d be on, but you can still persevere on that new path.
1. What brought the author’s soccer dream to an end?| A．His failing eyesight. | B．His poor eating habits. |
| C．His insufficient training. | D．His lack of competitive spirit. |
| A．It changed his views on health. |
| B．It made him feel free and confident. |
| C．It helped him become a professional athlete. |
| D．It led to his dream of being a triathlon coach. |
| A．It improved his memory. | B．It made his family closer. |
| C．It broadened his path of life. | D．It opened his door to college. |
| A．Perseverance leads to success. | B．When one door closes, another opens. |
| C．Never put all your eggs in one basket. | D．The only true failure is the failure to try. |
2 . Magazines make great reading materials for kids. Libraries often have a large selection of periodicals (期刊) for every age group and reading level, and for many areas of interest. And some magazines may even have issues going back years and even decades! Below is a list of some of them!
Military Kids LifeIt is about finding the bright side of life as a military kid! Inside each quarterly issue, your child will encounter inspiring stories, articles, and photographs! (8 to 16 years)
FacesWith articles, folk tales, and hands-on projects, Faces magazine takes young readers around the world for an honest and objective view of how children in other regions live. (9 to 14 years)
MakeMake magazine publishes tested projects, skill-building tutorials, in-depth reviews and inspirational stories, accessible by all ages and skill ranges. (9 to 18 years)
BrioBrio magazine for teen girls has a fresh new look that includes more pages filled with inspiring profiles, cultural insights, health & beauty tips, faith-filled features and added fun! (13 to 18 years)
Please note: Though all the magazines on this list are written for children, some issues may contain content that you may feel inappropriate for your child. As always, please review all reading materials before giving them to your child to read.
1. Which magazine can help develop kids’ international awareness?| A．Military Kids Life. | B．Faces. | C．Make. | D．Brio. |
| A．Only magazines for kids are accessible in libraries. |
| B．Some magazines have long-ago issues in libraries. |
| C．All the magazines have inspiring stories. |
| D．All the magazines are proper for children. |
| A．To inform. | B．To argue. | C．To entertain. | D．To persuade. |
3 . An important lesson in the moral education of children could be as close as the book in their hands. Stories can play a role in shifting the importance of particular moral values in young audiences, according to the results of a new study.
“Media can markedly influence separate moral values and get kids to place more or less importance on those values depending on what is uniquely stressed in that content,” says Lindsay Hahn, PhD, an assistant professor of communication in the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.
Hahn is the first author of the new study, which adds an important part to a body of literature that explores how media content affects children. While many previous studies have focused on broad conceptualisations (概念化), like positive or negative effects of specific content, Hahn’s study looks at how reading of content featuring specific moral values (care, fairness, loyalty, and authority) might influence the weight kids place on those values. Do children reading about particular moral characteristics absorb those qualities as building blocks for their own morality? The findings suggest so, and further support how this indirect approach to socializing children’s morality can add to the direct teaching of moral principles kids might receive through formal instruction.
For the study, Hahn and her colleagues took the main character from a teen story and edited the content to reflect in each version (版本) the study’s focus on one of four moral values. A fifth version was changed in a way that featured an amoral main character. The stories were shared with about 200 participants between the ages of 10 and 14.
The team then created a scale (量表) designed to measure the importance kids place on moral values to find out how participants might be influenced by specific stories.
“Measuring these effects can be difficult,” says Hahn of the research, published in the Journal of Media Psychology, “That’s why one purpose of this research was to develop a measure of moral values for kids. Nothing like that exists yet, that we know of.”
1. What does the underlined word “shifting” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．increasing | B．changing | C．reflecting | D．replacing |
| A．Good virtues can help carry children through hard times. |
| B．Reading stories is a better approach than formal instructions. |
| C．Teaching moral principles directly to kids seems useless. |
| D．Good morals in stories help shape children’s values. |
| A．The response of the general public to Hahn’s study. |
| B．The contribution of Hahn’s study to children’s literature. |
| C．The difference between Hahn’s study and previous studies. |
| D．The branches of research on media influences on children. |
| A．They created a chain story out of an old character. |
| B．They tested different moral principles in children. |
| C．They illustrated the study for younger participants. |
| D．They adapted a character and created five stories. |
4 . Fishing trips to Canada are a tradition for Jeffrey Hardy and his three friends from America. This summer in 2023, the forest air polluted with wildfire smoke forced the men to give up their mid-June fishing plan. Canada’s wildfire season put its tourism industry at a crucial time.
Except some days of poor air quality, major Canadian cities remain unaffected by wildfires. The fires are in the country’s northern areas that have drawn travelers interested in outdoor experience s in years past.
In a recent report by Destination Canada, a marketing organization, half of the total spent by international visitors is in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. But other Canadian destinations attractive to visitors have been affected by the wildfires.
In preparation for increasing visitor sizes and ongoing wildfires, some businesses are thinking about changing their operations, which see outdoor recreation as a tourism opportunity. A nonprofit travel agency is considering creating a questionnaire for customers to show when they would cancel a booking because of road closes from the wildfires, poor air quality and a lack of visibility.
Tourism in British Columbia contributes greatly to its economy. The province has various recreational offerings from the major ski destinations to hiking along the coast. Blackcomb, a helicopter tour company, has canceled its sightseeing offerings, using most of its helicopters on the firefighting effort until at least early August. “It’s the question of flying our customers around on sightseeing tours or putting out fires within 10 kilometers of our bases and the communities that we live in,” said Jordy Norris, the company’s tourism director. “We made it clear to both our staff and our customers that we have a duty to protect the backyard.”
Darrin Rigo, a photographer recently saw a photo of a beautiful waterfall covered in fire on a media page. “I’m sure that’s not going to last long, and everything will return to normal.” he said.
1. Which part of Canada is most affected by the wildfire?| A．The northern areas. | B．Canada’s central parts. |
| C．Major Canadian cities. | D．Places with few visitors. |
| A．Using its helicopters on the firefighting effort. |
| B．Raising money to put out the fire. |
| C．Changing operations and developing outdoor recreation. |
| D．Creating a questionnaire for customers. |
| A．To save the cost due to the decrease in the number of visitors. |
| B．In an effort to put out the wildfire. |
| C．To fly its staff on sightseeing tours. |
| D．To be busy creating a questionnaire. |
| A．Positive. | B．Neutral. | C．Negative. | D．Indifferent. |
5 . Learn to Turn Your Favorite Photo into a Digital Illustration
That’s right. We’re about to seriously school you on the art of portraiture, using nothing but a photo, your computer, and our trusty friend, Adobe. Illustrator. In our brand-new class, Digital Illustration: Turn Your Photos Into Art, artist and designer Kristin Berry will teach you how to create your own digital portrait art using a photograph.
In Berry’s latest Digital Illustration class, you’ll be surprised and delighted by how just a few simple steps can result in a custom piece of art. It’s a great creative skill to learn for creating wedding invitations, holiday cards, birthday gifts, or wall art for your home. Plus, if you want to change the color of your shirt or add in a crazy color background, she’ll teach you how to do that too. There are endless ways you can customize your digital illustration, and this class will show you all the tips and tricks you need.
In the 82-minute online class, we’ll teach you:
·The best way to organize your Adobe Illustrator workspace
·How to illustrate the human form from the face all the way to the outfit
·Tips on how to add special touches to make your illustration unique and personalized
Once you sign up for the class, it’s yours to take on-demand, meaning you can watch it whenever（and at your own pace）. Students will also get access to a design class that will have you learning from a professional. You’ll also get to download an exclusive course workbook that will help guide you through the class.
Sounds amazing, right? So find your most portrait-worthy photo and sign up for Digital Illustration: Turn Photos Into Art TODAY!
1. What can you learn about Adobe Illustrator?| A．It can be an educational application. |
| B．It is probably a course guideline. |
| C．It may be an art teacher. |
| D．It is likely to be a portrait photographer. |
| A．You can master the skill of how to organize wedding parties in the class. |
| B．You need to sign up for the class in advance. |
| C．You will learn how to polish your illustration in the class. |
| D．You must keep pace with the class. |
| A．To make an advertisement for an application. |
| B．To promote a digital illustration programme. |
| C．To stress the importance of mastering the skill of digital illustration. |
| D．To appeal to people to learn more new skills. |
6 . Today I headed into town for a job interview. The weather was awful, for it was pouring with rain, and I would’ve loved to buy umbrellas for people. I decided to think of free or really cheap ways to make people smile. I knew I’d also have to deal with my shyness, or just create acts of kindness, but it was a challenge that I was willing to accept!
When I was on the bus, the seat I sat on next to the window was wet; somehow the rain had gotten in. I left a note on the seat, with the Smile Card, saying, “This seat is wet: sit with caution (谨慎) !” Later, while waiting at the road crossing, I held my card over the woman standing in front of me. She didn’t notice but obviously those extra moments of dryness would help!
After the interview, I’d devised a few more ways to create smiles. I checked my purse for change and put 50 pence and a Smile Card on top of a child’s automatic ride. I allowed an elderly gentleman to go in front of me as he was having trouble standing. At this point, I was really beginning to accept my day of kindness!
Before getting on the bus home. I had one more idea: I went and bought a small bag of chocolates and attached a Smile Card. When I got back to my street, I left the sweets and the Smile Card at a neighbour’s door. This neighbour had taken in a parcel (包裹) for me last week, so he deserved a treat.
After all this, my day of giving wasn’t yet over! I was so pleased that I managed to do all these little things for others today. It didn’t take much effort on my part, but I definitely had to push myself to overcome (克服) my lack of confidence, and I’m proud of myself.
1. What difficulty does the writer have to overcome?| A．The job interview. | B．The terrible weather. |
| C．Poor ability to pay. | D．The shyness character. |
| A．Thought up. | B．Focused on. | C．Cut out. | D．Looked forward to. |
| A．To please the neighbour’s children. |
| B．To thank the neighbour for the help last week. |
| C．To receive a welcome treat from the neighbour. |
| D．To try to trouble the neighbour to take in his parcel. |
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Any act of kindness matters. |
| C．Shyness makes it difficult to succeed. |
| D．Believe in yourself first, then others will believe you. |
7 . Researchers have developed a new soft robot design that conducts itself with three behaviours at the same time: rolling (翻滚) forward. turning like a record and following a path that goes around a central point. The equipment, which operates without human or computer control, holds promise for developing soft robots that can be used to AA-head and map unknown environments.
The new soft robots are called twisted ring-bots (扭曲环机器人) . They are made of something like the ribbon (缎带) and then joined together at the end to form a ring.
When the robots are placed on a surface that is at least 55 degrees Celsius, which is hotter than the surrounding air, one part of the ribbon touching the surface becomes smaller, while one part in the air does not. This induces a rolling movement: the warmer the surface, the faster the robot rolls. “The ribbon rolls on its horizontal axis (横轴) , giving the ring forward strength,” says Jie Yin, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
The twisted ring-bot also turns along its central axis. And as the twisted ring-bot moves forward it travels in a path around a central point, basically moving in a large circle. However, if the twisted ring-bot meets a boundary- like the wall of a box-it will travel along the boundary.
The twisted ring-bots are examples of equipment whose behaviour is governed by physical intelligence, meaning their actions are determined by their structural design and the materials they are made of, rather than being directed by a computer or human.
“Soft robotics is still a relatively new field.” Yin says. “Finding new ways to control the movement of soft robots in a repeatable and engineered way moves the field forward. And advancing our understanding of what is possible is exciting.”
1. What makes the robot roll faster and faster?| A．The ribbon. | B．The central axis. |
| C．The shape and material. | D．The higher surface temperature. |
| A．By explaining the robot’s working ways. | B．By quoting experts’ opinions. |
| C．By making some comparisons. | D．By offering reasons and results. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Favourable. | C．Negative. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．The New Soft Robots | B．Ribbons and Their Rolling |
| C．Three Creative Movements | D．Twisted Rings and the Axis |
8 . Four Places to Listen to Free Music Online
Pandora
Pandora is a popular Internet radio service that lets users create personalized stations and listen to music. To use Pandora, you will have to create an account using your email address and a password. As you find music you like, you can save songs to your collection. However, you can’t download any specific tracks to your computer or phone.
LiveOne
On LiveOne, you’ll mostly find big artists, bands and songs along with interviews and news. While you won’t be able to stream all songs on demand for free due to licensing restrictions (限制), you will be able to create a station of similar tracks/artists from nearly any song. There’s a tab (标签) named “My Library” where you can save and share your favourite music.
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio is a great website or app for listening to live radio stations. You can find local stations or check out stations from around the country. You won’t have to create an account to begin listening on iHeartRadio. but you can make one for free to save stations and playlists. Whether you decide to create an account or not. you won’t be able to download music from iHeartRadio.
Spotify
If you’re looking for free music online, you’ve most likely come across Spotify already. This resource is great for streaming popular hits while discovering new favourites. You can keep track of what you’ve recently played, and “favourite” songs. In addition to music. Spotify offers playlists of its most-played songs and information on local upcoming concerts.
1. Which is a must before using Pandora?| A．Saving some songs. | B．Creating an account. |
| C．Calling other users. | D．Sending a private email. |
| A．Download popular songs. | B．Make new friends online. |
| C．Share your favourite music. | D．Discover radio stations. |
| A．It offers news on local upcoming concerts. | B．It requires no membership card. |
| C．It allows users to download music for free. | D．It features a station of similar artists. |
9 . With mounting evidence that nanoplastic particles (纳米塑料微粒) are in our bodies, there is growing concern over their potential health impacts. Now a new study finds a relation between nanoplastics in the brain and a higher risk for Parkinson’s disease.
Nanoplastics appear when the plastic packaging breaks down into small pieces. These particles can enter the blood and cross the blood-brain barrier, with European researchers reporting earlier this year that in animal experiments, it can take two hours or less for certain nanoplastics to reach the brain after being eaten.
In humans, it’s long been thought that environmental factors play a role in Parkinson’s disease but specific causes are still unclear. The new study from the Duke University School of Medicine details how nanoplastics cause chemical changes in the brain that can, in turn, make Parkinson’s and related types of diseases more likely.
That’s because the nanoplastics attract a protein (蛋白质) called alpha-synuclein, known to play a role in Parkinson’s and related disorders. In lab and animal studies, the plastic’s interaction with it leads to increases in the affected neurons in the brain. This interaction appears related to favorable conditions in which Parkinson’s can develop.
The study authors note that Parkinson’s disease existed long before nanoplastics appeared in the environment, but they think that this “nanoplastics pollution in the human brain” may prove a new poison.
Further, the Duke team led by Dr. Andrew West notes that Parkinson’s disease is among the fastest growing nervous diseases in the world, even as the amazing amount of plastic pollution builds across the planet. This is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
“The technology to monitor nanoplastics is still at the earliest possible stages and not ready yet to answer all the questions we have,” West said. “But hopefully efforts in this area will increase rapidly, as we see what these particles can do in our experiments.”
1. Where is the text most probably taken from?| A．A product advertisement. |
| B．A science journal. |
| C．An art magazine. |
| D．A travel brochure. |
| A．The conditions leading to Parkinson’s. |
| B．The cause of alpha-synuclein’s appearance. |
| C．The principle of nanoplastics’ impact on Parkinson’s. |
| D．The difference between Parkinson’s and related disorders. |
| A．Plastic pollution will by no means be avoided. |
| B．Nanoplastics are impossible to deal with at present. |
| C．Fewer people will suffer from Parkinson’s in the future. |
| D．More efforts in the study of nanoplastics will be put in. |
| A．Nanoplastics can enter the brain through blood |
| B．Nanoplastics may promote Parkinson’s disease |
| C．Alpha-synuclein plays a role in Parkinson’s disease |
| D．Nanoplastics will do serious harm to human health |
10 . International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD) is now seeking plans for its 2024 programme edition responding to the theme of “Words Upside Down”. For this year’s open call, ILFD invites artists, creative practitioners (从业人员) and groups from all arts backgrounds to give in event plans responding to the theme and suitable for showing at ILFD’s new Literary (文学的) Village in one of Dublin City’s finest parks, Merrion Square Park, running from 17th to 26th of May, 2024.
We encourage plans which accept curiosity and wonder, cause conversation or new ways of listening. This year, we are especially interested in work that will bring its audience in close contact with either the natural or the artificial (人工的) world or both. We welcome plans which are suitable for audiences ages 16+. Above all, we welcome plans that break away from the forms of traditional literary events. We are only able to accept plans made from artists based in the island of Ireland.
Successful applicants (申请人) will be supported by the festival team to bring their ideas to life during this year’s programme which will be presented in Dublin City’s Merrion Square Park. The closing date for applications is Monday 11th of March, 5 pm.
Conditions:●The content of the plan must be presented during the festival dates.
●The festival expects that the artist or author is able to work independently and has a clear idea for the operation of their plan.
●The festival will provide access to its technological equipment(projectors, speakers, media players, etc).
●Funds ranging from € 500 to € 1,000 are provided for each project.
1. What do we know about the programme titled “Words Upside Down”?
| A．It will run on 11th of March. | B．It is one of ILFD’s 2025 programmes. |
| C．It will raise money for the new village. | D．It will be shown at Merrion Square Park. |
| A．By providing experts’ guidance. | B．By paying participants for € 2,000. |
| C．By offering technological support. | D．By deciding the content of each plan. |
| A．In a lesson plan. | B．In a science fiction. |
| C．In a health article. | D．In a literature magazine. |
