1 . Imagine getting ready for bed, brushing your teeth, setting your alarm and then putting a device on your head that allows you to control your dreams. It might sound like something unfeasible, but it’s the real-life promise of a new futuristic-looking headband called Halo, at present in development by US tech company Prophetic.
Expected to be released in 2025, Halo aims to allow you to have more lucid dreams (清醒梦). In some cases, you might also exercise a degree of control over what happens in these dreams, perhaps in ways that benefit your waking life, such as solving work problems, practicing guitar and more.
Earlier research has shown lucid dreams could be used for real-life benefits. For example, one study carried out by researchers at the University of Bern, Switzerland showed that participants who practised casting coins into a cup in their lucid dreams showed superior performance the next day.
The team behind Halo are using technologies like EEG (脑电图) to collect vast amounts of brain data from volunteers experiencing lucid dreams. The idea is to build a detailed map of what’s happening in the brain during different types of lucid dreams. This information will be key for the second main area of investigation, which involves using TUS (delivered via the headband) to control brain activity. TUS, a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, can change brain function by using high-frequency sound.
“It’s seemingly true that the sound stimulation could contribute to the high-frequency brain activity that’s associated with lucidity,” says Professor Mark Blagrove, a sleep scientist based at Swansea University. “Sound stimulation has been used to cause low-frequency slow waves in slow wave sleep, so the method suggested is believable.”
However, TUS is a relatively new approach to brain stimulation and it’s not entirely clear what the long-term results of stimulating your brain with high-frequency sounds might be. Moreover, some sleep scientists believe dreams have basic functions, including processing emotional experiences. By using a device to change the nature of your dreams, maybe you risk interrupting the usual purpose of your dreams.
1. What does the underlined word “unfeasible” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Impossible. | B．Significant. | C．Logical. | D．Meaningless. |
| A．To suggest a way to dream a dream. | B．To provide a theory for developing Halo. |
| C．To prove the benefits of lucid dreams. | D．To indicate the meaning of being awake. |
| A．The way in which EEG works. | B．The reason for designing Halo. |
| C．The changes brought by Halo. | D．The methods used by the team. |
| A．Hal o has got widespread recognition. | B．There may be some side effects about Halo. |
| C．Dreaming doesn’t have any functions. | D．Lucid dreams cause emotional experiences. |
2 . Norwegian playwright and author Jon Fosse has been awarded the Nobel prize in Literature for his “innovative plays and prose (散文) which give voice to the unsayable”.
The Swedish Academy considers Fosse as “one of the playwrights whose plays are the most widely performed in the world”, although the 64-year-old originally made his name as a novelist, beginning with Red, Black in 1983. He has since written many works of prose and poetry. “His literary works, including a variety of genres (体裁), consist of about 40 plays and a wealth of novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books and translations,” said Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel committee for Literature.
Jon Fosse draws inspiration from his rural living environment and personal struggles which have deeply influenced his distinctive writing style. Growing up in a small coastal village, Fosse was lost in the beauty of nature and the vastness of the sea, which filled him with a sense of being alone and introspection (内省) that is reflected in his works. Fosse’s writing discussed themes of loneliness, longing, and the search for meaning in life. Additionally, his battles with depression have enabled him to explore the depths of human emotions and existential despair.
“He touches you so deeply when you read his works,” said Anders Olsson. “What is special about him is the closeness in his writing. It touches your deepest feelings — anxieties, insecurities, questions of life and death — which are things that every human being actually faces from the very beginning. In that sense, I think he reaches very far and there is a sort of a universal impact of everything that he writes.”
Fosse is the first-ever winner of the award writing in Nynorsk, one of the two official languages of Norway, but only used by just 10% of the population. As The Guardian writes, “Many Nynorsk speakers see Fosse ‘as a kind of national hero’ for his supporting and using the language.” Fosse’s being recognized on a global stage contributes to the visibility of Nynorsk as a written standard. It will attract more attention to Nynorsk literature, inspire and encourage Nynorsk speakers to continue preserving and highlighting their language heritage.
1. What made Jon Fosse become famous in the beginning?| A．His news reports. | B．His novels. | C．His film reviews. | D．His poetry collections. |
| A．His appreciation for the vastness of the sea. | B．His struggles against his bad mental state. |
| C．His pleasant rural living environment. | D．His unfavourable family atmosphere. |
| A．How Fosse has got inspiration for his writing. |
| B．How Fosse’s works enlighten and affect readers. |
| C．How Fosse’s works deal with questions of life and death. |
| D．How Fosse expresses the bond between human and nature. |
| A．He has used a language spoken by a small number of people. |
| B．He promotes culture exchanges between different nations. |
| C．His works appeal to both the old and the young. |
| D．He has reset writing standards of Nynorsk. |
3 . Key railway stations in England
St Pancras International
Located in London’s city center on Euston Road, St Pancras International is one of the leading terminals (终点站) for Eurostar international train services from London to France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
St Pancras station was established in 1868 and is one of the masterpieces of Victorian engineering. It impresses people with Victorian Gothic architecture and is one of the world’s most elegant railway stations.
Paddington railway station
Paddington railway station is also known as Paddington Underground Station. Situated in Paddington, central London, the station is close to Marylebone and Bayswater. Paddington was opened in 1838 and is the London terminal of services operated by the Great Western Railway.
King’s Cross railway station
Located on the edge of Central London in the UK, King’s Cross station, or London King’s Cross, is one of the country’s busiest stations. It was opened in 1845 and named in honor of King George IV.
Today, London King’s Cross is one of the main hubs (中心) of the UK railway routes, connecting many major cities, including Edinburgh, Inverness, York, Cambridge, Newcastle, Glasgow and many other domestic routes. What’s more, the famous Harry Potter platform 9³/ ₄ is set on London’s King’s Cross station.
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is the central railway station in Liverpool, England. Established in 1836, the station is the oldest still-in-use grand terminal mainline station in the world. Plus, the building itself is quite impressive; its front was designed in the Renaissance Revival style.
Trips from Liverpool Lime Street cover plenty of destinations across England, Wales and Scotland. And being the busiest station in Liverpool, it serves over 16 million passengers a year.
1. Which station was put in use the latest of all?| A．St Pancras International. | B．Paddington railway station. |
| C．King’s Cross railway station. | D．Liverpool Lime Street railway station. |
| A．Outside of London. | B．On Euston Road. |
| C．Near Marylebone and Bayswater. | D．On the edge of Central London. |
| A．It can help people travel to England, Wales and Scotland. |
| B．It is a major terminal for Eurostar international trains. |
| C．It is one of the masterpieces of Victorian engineering. |
| D．It serves no more than 16 million passengers a year. |
4 . Besides healthy soil, all plants also need water. This makes it hard to grow plants where it’s dry. But researchers in Texas may have found a way to keep plants in dry areas from dying of thirst. They have developed a soil additive. When mixed into the ground, it will take water from the air to share with plants.
Their invention is a super-moisture-absorbed gel (凝胶), or SMAG. It absorbs water from the air during the night. When the sun warms it the next day, that gel releases the water it holds into the root area of the plants.
The gel-based material “can be used as a soil enhancer (强化剂), as well as a replacement for soil in greenhouses for crop planting,” said Mr. Brown. He’s an engineer at the University of Texas-Austin. He led the team that developed the gel. Depending on the plants being grown, he said, this material could be “directly mixed with soil in certain amounts”.
The research decided to use this process to aid plants. The gel they mix with soil absorbs morning dew (露水) and holds it. The next day, the ge l will slowly release that water into the soil.
The engineers tested the soil additive to grow plants on the roof of a building at the school. During an experiment, they compared plants grown only in sandy soil with plants grown in sandy soil that had been mixed with the gel. The gel-treated soil lost about 60 percent of the water that it had started with about a month earlier. By comparison, the untreated soil lost 80 percent of its water in just one week.
Scientists believe future studies will help them understand if the gel could be used for larger, outdoor fields. If it can, the water collected by the gel-treated soil could allow crops to be grown in drier climates, where irrigation is not practical.
1. Why did the researchers develop SMAG?| A．To make soil much softer. | B．To help soil get extra water. |
| C．To protect water resources. | D．To increase agricultural output. |
| A．It can be mixed with soil. | B．It needs to be used after rain. |
| C．It should be used in the morning. | D．It can only be suitable for greenhouse crops. |
| A．By comparing plants in different types of gel-treated soil. |
| B．By comparing the gel-treated soil on roofs with that in greenhouses. |
| C．By comparing different plants with the same kind of gel-treated soil. |
| D．By comparing the water content of the gel-treated soil with that of the normal soil. |
| A．Whether SMAG can help with farming in dry areas is uncertain. |
| B．Scientists will study the side effects of SMAG. |
| C．SMAG should be tested in cold areas. |
| D．SMAG is a practical way of irrigation. |
5 . Tai chi, a traditional form of Chinese martial art that combines slow, gentle movements and postures with mindfulness, is known to increase flexibility and improve balance. Now, a new research suggests it’s better than aerobic (有氧的) exercises for lowering blood pressure in people with prehypertension (高血压前期).
In the study, researchers in China employed 342 adults whose average age was 49. Roughly half the people participated in the supervised aerobic exercise, including jogging, climbing stairs, brisk walking and cycling. The other half was trained to practice tai chi. Both groups got hour-long sessions four times a week.
After 12 months, those in the tai chi group saw bigger drops in their blood pressure than those in the aerobic exercise group. Besides, nearly 22% of the people who practiced tai chi saw their blood pressure fall to within normal range, compared with nearly 16% of people in the aerobic exercise group. Fewer patients in the tai chi group went on to develop hypertension than in the aerobic exercise group.
So what’s it about tai chi that helps lower blood pressure? The practice tends to cause more of a response from the parasympathetic (副交感) nervous system, says Ruth Taylor-Piliae, a professor at the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing, who wasn’t involved in the study. The parasympathetic nervous system is the network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger.
Tai chi is appealing as it requires little space or equipment. “I think the beauty of tai chi is that you don’t have to have a special gym membership,” Taylor-Piliae says. “Once you learn tai chi, you can do it anytime, anyplace and anywhere. It does provide that calming and relaxing effect.”
Studies have also shown practicing tai chi can help reduce the risk of falls, improve balance and walking speed in older adults, and reduce depression and anxiety. “But you have to have enough ‘dose’ of tai chi,” Taylor-Piliae says. “You can’t just do it one hour, one time.”
1. What happened to those practicing tai chi during the study?| A．Some began to have normal blood pressure. | B．Few aged in an unhealthy manner. |
| C．Many went on to develop prehypertension. | D．Most got nervous more easily. |
| A．It needs the least time of practice. | B．It produces a relaxing effect. |
| C．It puts the nervous system in order. | D．It makes its practicer inactive. |
| A．By combining it with dieting. | B．By exercising it as early as possible. |
| C．By practicing it consistently. | D．By balancing it with other workouts. |
| A．Tai Chi Serves as a Convenient Exercise | B．Tai Chi Is Getting Popular Among Foreigners |
| C．Tai Chi ls Critical to Stopping Falls Happening | D．Tai Chi Helps Reduce Blood Pressure Effectively |
6 . A New Jersey high schooler, Selina Zhang is no stranger to the spotted lanternfly (斑衣蜡蝉). The now 18-year-old first noticed it when visiting a market near her hometown of Annandale in primary school. It jumped from a plant to a plant to feed on their sap (汁液), affecting over 70 species. In its wake, the plants became stressed, which increased their chances of falling ill and being attacked.
“As I got older, I wanted to take concrete action,” says Zhang. “So I’ve built ArTreeficial, a solar -powered, self-cleaning and artificial -intelligence-driven tree that attracts the spotted lanternfly and removes it using an electric shock.”
On top of conducting an extensive literature review of existing researches, Zhang carefully observed the spotted lanternflies in the wild for weeks, tracking how they grew over time and how they travelled over unfamiliar structures. She took over 500 photos of them, which she logged in a personal database.
Zhang wanted to create a tree-like structure that copied the tree of heaven, a known host plant of the spotted lanternfly, as the primary lure (诱饵) for her trap. So, she uprooted the umbrella from her family’s yard and got to work. First, she used ultrasound to give off a smell made from the essence of the tree of heaven from ArTreeficial’s trunk to attract them. Second, she designed a double-layered electric net for the tree, which would use machine learning to shock spotted lanternflies once they landed on the tree. Then, Zhang used her database of photos to inform and program her AI model.
Zhang’s net s are divided into multiple squares going up and down the structure. When a spotted lanternfly steps on the inner net, the Al model operates. Electricity courses through that particular section, while the rest remain inactive, and the insect is attacked.
Julie Urban, a spotted lanternfly expert at Pennsylvania State University, says that Zhang’s AI approach is incredibly innovative and could be useful in multiple environments.
1. Why does the spotted lanternfly jump onto the plants?| A．To avoid falling ill. | B．To satisfy its hunger. |
| C．To attract other species. | D．To play with them. |
| A．She conducted field observation. | B．She copied online photos. |
| C．She referred to others’ database. | D．She consulted researchers. |
| A．The electricity. | B．The net. | C．The smell. | D．The umbrella. |
| A．Critical. | B．Unclear. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Approving. |
7 . Leading museums in the United States are covering up or closing displays featuring Native American cultural objects owing to new federal rules. The new regulations require museums to obtain “free, prior and informed permission” from tribal leaders before displaying ancestral heritage items.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the largest natural history museum in the world, announced on Jan 26 that it would close two halls spanning 10,000 square feet with Native American exhibits, as the exhibits are “severely outdated”. “The halls we are closing contain artifacts(历史文物) of an era when museums such as ours did not respect the values, perspectives and indeed shared humanity of Native Americans,” museum President Sean Decatur said in a letter to the staff, The New York Times reported. “The number of cultural objects on display in these halls is significant, and because these exhibits are also severely outdated, we have decided that rather than just covering or removing specific items, we will close the halls,” Decatur said. The move comes because of the implementation(执行) in early January of update d regulations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
Over the next five years, museums, universities, art institutions and similar places are required to undertake essential updates to prepare all human remains and related funerary(葬礼的) objects for repatriation(遣送),making sure that tribes have more power and increased authority throughout the process. “The ultimate goal of the law is not to cover up exhibitions. It’s not to prevent appropriate education about diverse native cultures. It’s about repairing and repatriating items that have been stolen over the last couple of centuries and returning them to the rightful people,” Shannon O’Loughlin, the CEO of the Association on American Indian Affairs said.
Chicago’s Field Museum earlier this month also closed several displays featuring Native American cultural items. The Field Museum has one of the biggest collections of Native American remains in the country and opened a new permanent exhibition in the spring of 2022 that displaced the museum’s longstanding Native American exhibition since the 1950s.
Harvard University, which has more than 5,000 Native American human remains, has said it will remove all Native American funerary items from its exhibits. “Exhibitions have always been discussed during tribal discussions and cultural items have been removed from display at the tribal request. With the new NAGPRA regulations, the museum is in the process of removing all the funerary belongings and likely funerary belongings off display,” Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, said in a statement.
1. Which has the same meaning as the underlined word “perspectives” in Paragraph 2?| A．Occupations. | B．Faults. | C．Challenges. | D．Viewpoints. |
| A．It opened a new permanent exhibition. |
| B．It collected some Native American belongings. |
| C．It handed funerary objects to American Indians. |
| D．It set about displaying Native American cultural objects. |
| A．By selling them to other people. | B．By putting them in some labs. |
| C．By taking them away from its exhibits. | D．By covering them with pieces of cloth. |
| A．US New NAGPRA regulations scheduled to be in effect |
| B．US museums stop displaying Native American exhibits |
| C．US museums feature Native American cultural items |
| D．US museums prefer ancestral heritage items |
8 . Four Computer Science Summer Programs in 2024
Wolfram High School Summer Research Program
The program aims to introduce high schoolers to programming, computational thinking and technology. Students participate in lectures and activities led by Wolfram instructors and build hands-on experience developing a project from ideation (构思) to completed products. About 50 students are admitted to the program annually.
Dates: June 25—July 13
Location: Bentley University
Cost: $4, 200
UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program
The program enables participants to do hands-on experience, university-level research in various fields, including computer science. Students work with a teacher to learn about research techniques and grow their academic goals. The program concludes with participants reporting their findings in a technical research paper and presenting them at a formal academic meeting.
Dates: June 17-August 2
Location: UC Santa Barbara
Cost: $4, 975-$11, 874
Terp Young Scholars
This program, offered through the University of Maryland, allows students to learn college level coursework, earn college credits and learn on a college campus. Participants choose one course to explore, where they attend classes, work on projects, take exams and cooperate with each other.
Dates: July 8-26
Location: University of Maryland
Cost: $1, 500-$2, 500
UT Computer Science Summer Academy
This week-long summer program is open to students of all skill levels in grades 10-12. Participants will learn about C++, project management and careers in technology. In University of Texas, Austin, all of them will share a room in a dormitory hall with a roommate, eat in the dining hall and deal with college-level coursework.
Dates: July 7-13
Location: University of Texas, Austin
Cost: Free
1. How much should a student pay for the program in Bentley University?| A．$2, 500. | B．$4, 200. | C．$4, 975. | D．$11, 874. |
| A．Terp Young Scholars. |
| B．UT Computer Science Summer Academy. |
| C．UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program. |
| D．Wolfram High School Summer Research Program. |
| A．They focus on career choices. | B．They require students to live together. |
| C．They last for more than one month. | D．They involve the same level coursework. |
9 . With amazing Christmas lights and some very special guests, Pallion Action Group kicked off the festive season in style after another year of giving much-needed support to the Sunderland community.
“We’ve got wreath making, our singers and dancers and, of course, a visit from Santa. This event brings out so much enthusiasm in the community,” said organizer Karen Noble. “We’ll also go and surprise anyone we know who’s going to be lonely at Christmas.”
Pallion has been at the heart of the community here since 1993, but the past couple of years have seen people increasingly struggling financially and feeling lonely. “This time last year, people were in great poverty,” said Karen. “But if we’ve done our job properly, they’ve become more financially resilient (可迅速恢复的) or less lonely and we should be helping different people this year. And a lot of those who were helped last year are volunteering for us now. People are so kind — we get loads of homemade thank-you cards. But I think the biggest thanks we get is knowing we’ve helped somebody to the point where they’re independent and getting on with life.”
Karen and the team organize a wide range of activities, from after-school clubs and cookery sessions to line dancing and computer classes to keep older people connected. But all this wouldn’t be possible without funding from People’s Health Trust, with money raised through The Health Lottery (彩票). Every time you play The Health Lottery, not only could you win up to £100,000, but you’re also helping to raise much-needed funds that go straight to the heart of the community. “So playing The Health Lottery is not just the chance to win a prize. You could be making a real difference,” said Karen.
1. What can we know about Pallion Action Group from the first two paragraphs?| A．It needs much support. |
| B．Its main task is holding festivals. |
| C．It cares for the community. |
| D．It offers a chance to visit Santa. |
| A．It is of no use. | B．It has paid off. |
| C．It needs improving. | D．It is not satisfactory. |
| A．By funding from an organization. |
| B．By raising money themselves. |
| C．By receiving donations from different people. |
| D．By receiving money from the government. |
| A．Sensitive and skeptical. | B．Ambitious and energetic. |
| C．Talented and intelligent. | D．Caring and enthusiastic. |
10 . In school, kids are told to drink water in class.
For many years, people have followed the unofficial advice of drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, known as the “8×8 rule”. It’s said that this seems to have partly come from the guidance that was published almost 80 years ago. In 1945, the US Food and Nutrition Board of National Research Council advised drinking one millilitre (毫升) of liquid for every recommended calorie of food. This is equal to around two litres of water a day, or eight glasses per person.
There are, of course, undeniable benefits to drinking water.
So, next time you feel thirsty, reach for a glass of water, but otherwise, don’t worry about it!
| A．Your body knows what it’s doing. |
| B．Is that the probable origin of the “8×8 rule”? |
| C．So should we control our water intake at all? |
| D．Yet the reality is that individuals have different needs. |
| E．After all, drinking more water is far from unreasonable. |
| F．Announcers encourage us to remember our bottles on public transport. |
| G．Water helps our bodies regulate temperature, aids digestion and acts as a shock absorber for our joints. |
