1 . When it comes to architectural skills, humans like to underestimate the astonishing achievements of social insects: spiders weave amazing webs with unbelievable skills. The true master builders, however, are stingless bees (无刺峰), which build honeycombs inside tree trunks.
Now a group of biologists led by Viviana Di Pietro at KU Leuven, in Belgium, reports that, like humans, these tiny-brained creatures are able of constructing according to different building traditions which are then handed down over generations. The finding, published in Current Biology, is the clearest display yet of cultural differences spontaneously (自发) appearing in insects. Insect culture would once have been thought impossible.
To collect their data, Ms Di Pietro and her colleagues observed more than 400 groups of the stingless bee species in Brazil in 2022 and 2023. Around 95% of the groups built combs in horizontal layers, while the rest adopted a spiral (螺旋的) structure. In both cases the tradition was maintained over many generations of worker bees. Capturing the insects’ behaviour on video, the team established that there was no difference in average cell-building rate between the two styles and hence no efficiency advantage to either.
In order to rule out a genetic explanation for the different styles, researchers transplanted workers between groups with different building styles, having first emptied combs built before. It turned out that the imported workers soon switched to the new style, which was then maintained by the group’s own larvae (幼虫) as they eventually matured into workers.
These results have left researchers talking it over, as they suggest that stingless bees can transmit different building traditions across generations without individuals needing to be instructed from their peers. This is a broader perspective about culture, which is often strictly defined as behavior directly transmitted from individual to individual until it becomes characteristic of a group.
1. What can best describe the finding by Viviana Di Pietro?| A．Pioneering. | B．Controversial. | C．Commonplace. | D．Conventional |
| A．Their location. | B．Their style. | C．Their building rate. | D．Their maintenance. |
| A．To test bees’ genetic difference. | B．To ensure efficiency advantage. |
| C．To confirm bees’ learning ability. | D．To exclude genetic considerations. |
| A．Cultural Diversity of Social Insects. | B．Stingless Bees’ Unique Honeycombs. |
| C．Social Insects Can Create Traditions. | D．Bees Can Preserve Cultural Traditions. |
2 . Exciting Changes Coming
Check out the highlights at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:New scoring rules
Olympic skateboarding has two disciplines: park and street. Park courses look like large pools with ramps where athletes perform tricks during two run while street courses create rails and steps for athletes to complete timed runs and perform great tricks.
There will also be a new “scoring refusal” rule. With this rule, skaters can now cancel a trick’s score. This way, competitors can tell the judges to ignore a previous attempt at a trick so they can do a better job and achieve a higher score.
New formatDo you think sport climbing is just about being faster? Not really. In the Olympics, it includes three disciplines: bouldering (攀石), speed and lead.
Speed climbing is the only discipline where faster is better. Lead climbing requires athletes to climb walls over 15 metres high in six minutes, the higher the better. As for bouldering, athletes climb a 4. 5-metre-high rock wall in a limited period of time and in the fewest attempts possible.
In Tokyo, athletes competed in all three disciplines, with total scores reflecting combined performances. For Paris 2024, there will be two distinct Olympic climbing events. One will be a combined competition of bouldering and lead events, and the second will feature a speed event.
New sportBreaking will make its Olympic debut at the Paris Olympic Games. It is a type of street dance that started in New York in the 1970s. It’s part of hip-pop culture and includes tough moves like spins and flips.
It will feature 16 males and 16 females born by Dec 31, 2008. They will compete in one-on-one battles to music randomly chosen by a DJ. The participants will be judged on five aspects: musicality, performance, originality, technique and execution.
1. Why is a “scoring refusal” rule introduced in Olympic skateboarding?| A．To perform more tricks. | B．To change disciplines. |
| C．To encourage better performance. | D．To question judges. |
| A．Bouldering climbing. | B．Speed climbing. |
| C．Lead Climbing. | D．Park skateboarding. |
| A．It’s open to all age groups. | B．It’s a traditional Olympic event. |
| C．Athletes compete to specific music. | D．It combines music, dance and strength. |
3 . When a new product totally fails, companies typically try to move on as quickly as possible and put all of their energies into developing fresh ideas that they hope will catch on.
But the Museum of Failure never forgets. This traveling exhibition (展览), which was first launched in Sweden in 2017, arrived in New York City in 2023. It is designed by Samuel West, a psychologist who specializes in organizational science.
He hopes it will help normalize the concept of failure, which he sees as a good learning opportunity. “My research is focused on helping organizations to be more innovative,” says West. “And one of the big difficulties in innovation is the fear of failure.”
Indeed, many companies are unwilling to show their failures to the world. When West first began putting together the exhibition, he had to find the failed products on eBay and Craigslist because “nobody wanted to have anything to do with this.”
However, in this traveling exhibition, when people see big well-known brands (品牌) and companies that have extreme amounts of money and experience still fail when trying new things, they may say, “As ‘big boys’ can fail, why can’t we?” People then try something new, accept the level of risk that comes with it and learn from it if the new thing fails.
West hopes to stress that failure usually isn’t as bad or scary as many imagine. “You fail, but you can reflect, build on your new thoughts, try a different method and come back again with something better. Simply trying again and again without adapting is not enough,” he adds.
In fact, many well-known brands featured in the Museum of Failure haven’t let one or two failures stand in their way. Oreo has made plenty of delicious new flavors; though Crystal Pepsi failed, PepsiCo is still popular among customers. Other notable examples of serious failures include Bic for Her pens, Colgate’s frozen dinner, and a “hula chair” for exercise.
1. What does Samuel West intend to do by putting on the exhibition?| A．To create a fun viewing experience. |
| B．To collect comments on failed products. |
| C．To tell the stories of unsuccessful businessmen. |
| D．To encourage people to accept and learn from failure. |
| A．Scared and puzzled. | B．Surprised and curious. |
| C．Relaxed and inspired. | D．Discouraged and worried. |
| A．To show failure can lead to creativity and success. |
| B．To explain companies are careful with new designs. |
| C．To prove popular inventions are based on real needs. |
| D．To stress famous brands are more likely to take risks. |
| A．A special exhibition that celebrates failures |
| B．The public attitude to the Museum of Failure |
| C．A unique way for companies to get over failures |
| D．The business advice from some well-known brands |
4 . “Helicopter (直升机) parenting” describes a style of raising children where parents are over-protective and do too much. The term describes parents who hover over their kids at home and on the playground like a helicopter. Today, modern technology allows these helicopter parents to hover from even far away. They can give their children directions at any moment from anywhere.
Julie Lythcott-Haims wrote a book titled How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kids for Success. In her book, she gives readers a closer look at this parenting style. She also explains why parents should stop it.
Julie Lythcott-Haims says she experienced the effects of helicopter parenting first- hand when she worked as dean of first- year students at Stanford University. The incoming students, or freshmen, she says, were very smart and accomplished on paper. But many were unable to take care of themselves. “They were turning to parents constantly for guidance, for problem- solving, to have them make the choice about something.”
Lythcott-Haims warns this kind of parenting has many short-term wins but long-term costs that harm the child. She uses an area common to most children-a playground. Lythcott-Haims suggests letting your child get a little hurt.
“If you do your child’s homework, it will be perfect. That is what she calls the short- term win. The long-term cost is that your child may not feel capable. And he does not become a determined learner, meaning he will give up easily when faced with a difficult problem to solve.” So what can parents do if they want to break the over-parenting “helicopter” cycle? Reading Julie’s book, you can follow some ways to stop hovering over your children. In a word, when kids have all the skills to take care of themselves, they will be prepared for adulthood.
1. The underlined words “hover over” in Paragraph I probably mean “______”.| A．deal with | B．fly over | C．stare at | D．circle around |
| A．Short- term wins can harm the kids. | B．Getting protection from parents is necessary. |
| C．Trying to make decisions should be valued. | D．Learning from failure is helping kids. |
| A．Encourage them to do what they can do. | B．Help them grow with parents’ protection. |
| C．Guide them in doing as parents do or say. | D．Prevent them from playing on a playground. |
| A．How to Break the Over- Parenting Cycle | B．How to Help Adults with Their Problems |
| C．Helicopter Parenting Is Well Worth Trying | D．Helping Children Too Much Is Hurting Them |
5 . Tully is a 13-year-old cat who recently met his new best friend, Ken Johnson. Johnson, 72, describes their relationship as “love at first sight”. Both are seniors looking for friends.
Creating this type of match is exactly what the Feline Urban Rescue and Rehab (FURR) organization aims to do. They create the perfect situation for seniors that have lots of love to give and cats that need it the most. The organization is run mostly by volunteers and their services include helping seniors who want to adopt (收养) cats but can hardly afford it.
Johnson was one of those people. He’s always been a cat lover and wanted to adopt one, but his financial problem made it difficult. One day, Johnson came across a notice from FURR that advertised the Seniors 4 Seniors program, which covers medical bills and unexpected costs for cats that are adopted by seniors. He applied to the program, got accepted and then the match with Tully was made! Johnson said, “Tully has made me the happiest I’ve been in years. He’s my little partner, and we have a great friendship.”
The organization has paired 11 senior citizens and cats to date, and hopes to continue bringing joy to more people and cats by making more matches. The support they give their seniors goes way beyond the financial aspect. Once cats are under FURR’s care, they do not have to return to shelters if their owners are unable to care for them for any reason.
Adopting pets greatly improves the pets’ quality of life. They now have a loving home. One of the most beautiful things about the Seniors 4 Seniors program is that it is clear to see how much better the seniors’ life is now too. Not only does pet ownership reduce loneliness for the elderly, but it also helps improve their memory and provides various emotional benefits.
1. What is the main task of FURR?| A．To improve the services of the nursing home. |
| B．To raise money for animal protection programs. |
| C．To closely connect homeless cats with the elderly. |
| D．To provide more job opportunities for seniors. |
| A．His experience in caring for animals. |
| B．The financial help from FURR. |
| C．The encouragement from his friends. |
| D．An improvement in his financial situation. |
| A．It provides free medical care for seniors. |
| B．It develops cats’ ability to survive in the wild. |
| C．It teaches seniors to take care of themselves. |
| D．It offers long-term support to cats and their owners. |
| A．It is beneficial to the parent-child relationship. |
| B．It helps more animals return to nature. |
| C．It attracts interest from young people. |
| D．It brings about a win-win result. |
6 . Small endangered animals are often hard to find in their natural habitats (栖息地), making it difficult for scientists to spot them and develop conservation plans. But new technologies can help. Australian researchers have equipped flying drones (无人机) with cameras so they can spot koalas hiding high in trees.
Koalas spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees (桉树), whose leaves are their favorite food. Since the leaves are low in calories and nutritional content, koalas are not very active — they sleep up to 20 hours a day. Living in high branches, they are not easy to spot from the ground, and they have few natural predators (捕食者). The greatest threat to them is that lots of trees are being cut down. “Every single tree in Australia, right now, needs to be protected, and unless that happens I can promise you the koala is going to become extinct,” said Deborah Tabart, from the Australian Koala Foundation.
Scientists studying koalas say one of the keys to saving animals is to know where they live and how many of them are left. Using drones fitted with cameras to conduct a census (数目调查) was an untested concept. Queensland Institute of Technology technician Gavin Broadbent said they were doubtful at first. “But when we saw the images come through, we saw the koalas were very clear compared to the trees and the environment. So we thought, yes, this is absolutely a proof of a concept that could work,” he said.
The images sent back to a computer clearly show the animal’s position, even from a distance far enough away not to disturb its sleep. Scientists can scan the trees from all angles, picking out koalas even in the densest (稠密的) areas.
Scientists say it is now clear that drones with cameras can be used for spotting, and perhaps saving, other animals in the wild.
1. What can we learn about koalas from the second paragraph?| A．Koalas eat nothing but eucalyptus leaves. |
| B．Koalas’ food is high in calories and rich in nutrition. |
| C．Koalas are not very active because they are fat. |
| D．Koalas live in high branches so they are difficult to spot. |
| A．Excessive hunting. | B．Their natural predators. |
| C．Their habitat being destroyed. | D．Climate change. |
| A．It can help prevent koalas from becoming extinct. |
| B．The pictures shot by the cameras clearly show koalas’ position. |
| C．It can be carried out without disturbing koalas’ sleep. |
| D．The koalas in thick areas can be picked out with this method. |
| A．How Koalas Live in Australia |
| B．The Number of the Koalas Is Decreasing Sharply |
| C．Measures Must Be Taken to Protect Koalas’ Habitat |
| D．Drones Help Scientists Spot Endangered Koalas |
7 . Lawrence Ganti from the US has lived in Switzerland, Japan, and India. When his work with Merck, a company that develops treatments for many of the world’s most challenging diseases, first took him to Japan, he was struck by how comfortable his Japanese co- workers were with silence. During meetings in the US, people are usually uneasy with quiet and fill a quiet period with talk. Not so in Japan. “You don’t break the silence unless you have something important to say,” says Ganti. Surprisingly, when he next lived in India, he found conversations were typically lively, loud and full of interruptions (打岔). “Silence is never expected,” he says.
The Japanese value the building of trust and relationships, Ganti adds. In Japan, nothing might be achieved in the first meeting, and no real progress may be made until the parties sit down for a lunch or dinner. Ganti remembers greeting foreigners who flew to Japan with the intention of holding their meeting and flying out that same day. “It’s just a half- hour discussion,” they told him. He replied, “That half- hour discussion won’t go anywhere.”
Cyrus Sabouri from New Jersey, the US, had similar experiences in the Middle East. He lives in Bahrain, where he works for American Express Middle East. “Meetings can require personal introductions, which often take up more of the meeting than the things to be discussed,” he says. He was frustrated by this custom when he first moved to the island nation. “You eventually learn that it is hard to draw the line between business and personal life,” he says. “Warm and friendly relationships can be the difference between a deal or no deal with the Bahraini.”
Ganti’s current job with Merck takes him throughout Latin America. While each country presents its own cultural puzzle to figure out, Ganti has found that cultures have a lot in common. In many parts of Latin America, for instance, giving straight advice or criticism in conversation isn’t typical. To make a point, he did just that in meetings, and attendees were often shocked. “I’m usually sent to places where change is needed,” Ganti says. “You have to make changes.”
1. How do Indians differ from the Japanese according to Ganti?| A．They dislike being interrupted. | B．They seem nervous in business meetings. |
| C．They easily accept silence. | D．They usually talk excitedly. |
| A．They would have a very interesting meeting. | B．They could get their tasks done soon. |
| C．They could leave Japan the next day. | D．They would be invited to dinner. |
| A．Bahrainis value relationships very highly. | B．There are a lot of long business meetings. |
| C．Personal introductions are often ignored. | D．Work is more important than life there. |
| A．introduce his working experience in Latin America |
| B．discuss American’s impression on Middle East |
| C．talk about some cultural differences |
| D．give some facts about Japanese manners |
8 . I was born with perfect hearing. When I was five, I started getting ear infections but my parents couldn’t afford the treatment. Over time, my hearing dropped to 20 percent, where it is today.
There was always music on in my house in my childhood. I loved listening to Metallica, and Michael Jackson. My dad was a DJ, so he played all music. For my 18th birthday, my dad asked me to deejay at the restaurant he owned. I was hooked. I desired to learn more. I e-mailed DJ Shiftee, a distinguished New York City DJ, when I was 25: “I know you like a challenge. How about teaching a deaf person to deejay?” He wrote back the next day: “Challenge accepted.” He tutored me twice a week for two years, helping me develop correct technique. I practiced four hours a day.
Now when I’m performing, muscle memory takes over. When I started, I wouldn’t tell the club managers that I was deaf. I would just show up, introduce myself, and start playing music. At the end of the night, someone would say, “Oh, here’s the check.” And I’d say, “What? Oh, I can’t hear.” They were always so astonished. Sometimes I would bring doctor’s notes because they wouldn’t believe me. It was reassurance that they were giving me opportunities to perform because I was brilliant, not out of sympathy. Eventually people started calling me “that deaf DJ,” and the name stuck.
What fascinates me about deejaying is the creativity. I use software that turns the music into lines of color on a computer screen. I’m visually hearing the music. The next time you go dancing, cover your ears, and you’ll “see” the music. Music is not all about hearing. I go to elementary schools for the deaf and talk to them about motivation and believing in themselves. I tell them, “Just chase your dreams. I’m a deaf DJ, so why not?”
1. What inspired “my” passion for being a DJ?| A．Hearing loss. | B．Father’s influence. |
| C．Music education. | D．Teachers’ guidance. |
| A．To surprise the audience. | B．To avoid discrimination. |
| C．To keep the secret. | D．To show off talent. |
| A．Became established. | B．Changed. |
| C．Became ordinary. | D．Faded. |
| A．It strengthens my confidence. | B．It improves my hearing ability. |
| C．It enhances my physical fitness. | D．It wins me reputation and money. |
9 . We are all creatures of habit. We tend to wake up at the same time each day, brush our teeth, have morning coffee and travel to work, following the same patterns every day.
Behavioral scientists who study habit formation say that many of us try to create healthy habits the wrong way.
| A．It was just enough of a delay. |
| B．Why do we stop doing what’s good for us? |
| C．But why is it so hard to form new healthy habits? |
| D．We probably form new habits when we clear away the barriers. |
| E．The better way to form a new habit is to tie it to an existing habit. |
| F．It explains why friction prevents the progress of forming good habits. |
| G．For example, we set big goals to lose weight without taking proper steps. |
10 . In a digital, global world where thinking critically and generating new ideas count, a cradle-to-career approach to educating children must be mindful of how children learn to learn, not just what they learn. The Intellectual Lives of Children allows readers to look into the minds of kids as they explore and learn in everyday moments, emphasizing what constitutes real learning.
Children are born with playful curiosity. They ask questions about everything — Why does a tree have leaves? Why does the Sun come up? These questions help children discover the causal relationships among things — all with the guidance of adults.
Yet explorations take time. As Engel writes, “when children are allowed to dive into a topic thoroughly, they connect unrelated facts and generate new ideas.” The real mental work takes place as they play — when a child builds a platform of chairs to get cookies from an out-of-reach cookie box. Hidden in these moments are strengthened curiosity and innovation. Hurried parents often lack the ability to allow that time, fearing that their children might be late for their next scheduled activity.
“It becomes clear that the educational system in U. S. does not concern itself with children’s intellectual lives,” warns Engel in the book. Instead, she hopes to reimagine schools as “idea factories” built on inspiring curiosity: “Imagine assessing students progress under some new headings: poses interesting questions, ... and spends time solving them.
In one lovely example, Engel describes a teacher who challenged her students to construct a record- breaking straw chain measuring 3.8 miles. “Winning would be fun, but the cognitive (认知的) benefits would be far-reaching,” explains the teacher, whose goal was to help the children better understand the depth of the Mariana Trench.
With scientific insight and vivid examples, Engel’s book offers tips for how to make the learning more apparent. She encourages parents to see children as active thinkers and suggests that by asking open-ended questions and letting them explore, children will be better prepared for a complex and ever-changing world.
1. How will children’s playful curiosity become real learning?| A．By giving kids a time limit. | B．By planning out extra activities. |
| C．By remembering casual facts. | D．By allowing kids to fully explore. |
| A．Critical. | B．Unclear. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Tolerant. |
| A．It presents a complicated world. | B．It promotes scheduled activities. |
| C．It combines science and practice. | D．It features open- ended questions. |
| A．Fun Inspires Kids’ Curiosity | B．Play Develops Better Thinkers |
| C．Learning Feeds Young Minds | D．Hurried Parents Teach Kids Well |
