1 . People who spend time without distractions enjoy the moments alone with their thoughts more than they think they will, according to a new study.
For the study, researchers compared expectation versus their actual experiences for a total of 259 participants across six experiments to measure how much people enjoyed being free from distraction.
One experiment asked participants to predict how much they thought they would enjoy sitting alone without doing anything else for 20 minutes. People enjoyed sitting alone with their thoughts far more than they predicted, researchers said.
“Humans have a striking ability to immerse themselves in their own thinking,” said study lead author Aya Hatano of Kyoto University in Japan. “Our research suggests that individuals have difficulty appreciating just how engaging thinking can be,” Hatano continued. “That could explain why people prefer keeping themselves busy with devices and other distractions, rather than taking a moment for reflection and imagination in daily life.”
Researchers said their findings were consistent along several variations of the experiment. One experiment, for example, had participants sit in a dark area with no visual stimuli(刺激物).
Another experiment split up the participants into groups. One sat alone, thinking, while the other checked the news on the Internet. The group sitting alone predicted they would enjoy the activity far less than the group reading the news. Yet both groups reported similar levels of enjoyment at the end.
Study co-author Kou Murayama said people who think their life will be less boring by distracting themselves from their thoughts risk missing the opportunity to positively engage with themselves without relying on such stimulation.
Researchers noted that sitting alone with one’s thought was not rated a particularly enjoyable task, but it was better than participants thought. There are also dangers for some, they added.
“Not all thinking is naturally rewarding, and in fact some people tend to fall into cycles of negative thinking,” Murayama said.
1. How did the researchers get their findings?| A．By observing participants’ daily habits. |
| B．By analyzing a series of previous studies. |
| C．By asking participants to complete various tests. |
| D．By comparing what participants expected with reality. |
| A．Diverse experimental designs. | B．Different participant groups. |
| C．Varying patterns of thinking. | D．Similar experimental results. |
| A．Constant distractions may make life less boring. |
| B．Relying on distractions to avoid boredom is unwise. |
| C．Engaging with one’s thoughts can always be beneficial. |
| D．Balancing distraction and self-reflection is unachievable. |
| A．Fitness. | B．Business. | C．Psychology. | D．Entertainment. |
2 . Theo works day and night in the tulip (郁金香) fields in the Netherlands and never complains of sore muscles. How is this possible?
Theo is an artificial intelligence, or AI, robot that looks for diseased flowers each spring. The work prevents viruses from spreading among the valuable plants. The robot looks for troubled tulip bulbs and des troys them if necessary. They are removed from the healthy ones in a processing center after the harvest.
There are 45 robots like Theo working in the tulip fields of the Netherlands. Their work becomes important as the winter turns to spring and peak season nears. People come from around the world to see the colorful flowers.
Allan Visser’s family has been growing tulips for three generations. This is the second season that he has used a robot. He said it is very expensive—the same as a sports car—about $200,000. In the past, knowledgeable farmers would walk the fields looking for tulips that showed signs of sickness.
“I prefer to have the robot because a sports car doesn’t take out the sick tulips from our field,” he said, “Yeah, it is expensive, but there are less and less people who can really see the sick tulips.”
The robot has been trained to detect the sick plants. Red stripes show up on the leaves of infected plants. Rolling slowly through the fields at about one kilometer per hour, the robots search for sick tulips. Visser explained that the robot has cameras and takes thousands of photos of the tulips. And then, the AI software considers the photos and decides which tulips need to be killed.
H2L Robotics is the company that makes the robots. Erik de Jong is the managing director. He said all of the knowledge they use in the computer program that informs the robot comes from tulip farmers like Theo van der Voort. He is the farmer that the robot is named after.
Van der Voort retired after 52 years of looking for sick flowers in his fields. “It’s fantastic,” he said, “It sees just as much as I see.”
1. What can we infer from Visser’s words?| A．The robot has strong muscles. | B．The robot is costly but beneficial. |
| C．He fails to employ expert farmers. | D．He has a strong desire for a luxury car. |
| A．How the robot operates. | B．How much the robot costs. |
| C．How fast the robot moves. | D．What the robot is made of. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Tolerant. | C．Disapproving. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．An Intelligent “Farmer” | B．An Imaginary Robot |
| C．An Innovative Company | D．An Expert Surgeon |
3 . TikTok, the widely popular social media platform, has taken the world by storm with its short-form videos and addictive content. But did you know that there is also a Chinese version of TikTok?
The Chinese version of TikTok is called Douyin, and it has quickly become one of the most widely used apps in China. Launched in 2016 by Beijing-based tech company ByteDance, Douyin has attracted an enormous user base and reshaped the social media landscape in China.
So, how did Douyin gain such vast popularity in China?
One of the factors contributing to Douyin’s success is the large population of smartphone users in China. With over 1.4 billion people, China has a massive user base for social media platforms. Additionally, the rise in internet penetration and the availability of affordable smartphones have made it easier for people to access and use Douyin.
Douyin takes advantage of China’s culture of sharing and enjoying bite-sized content. In China. there has always been a strong demand for short-form entertainment, including popular formats like variety shows, quick comedy skits, and music videos. Douyin provides a platform for users to easily create and share short videos, allowing them to express their creativity and talent.
Douyin leverages the power of social network effects. Users can follow each other, like and comment on videos, and engage with a large community of like-minded individuals. This sense of belonging and community encourages them to spend more time on the platform.
Moreover. Douyin continuously improves its features and algorithms to enhance user experience and keep users engaged. The app uses advanced AI technology to analyze user preferences and provide personalized recommendations, ensuring that users see content that is relevant and interesting to them.
Overall, the rise of the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the large smartphone user base, the popularity of short-form entertainment in China, social network effects, and continuous improvements in features and algorithms.
1. How is Douyin different from TikTok?| A．Its algorithms. | B．Its target groups. | C．Its user experience. | D．Its main functions. |
| A．The popularity of long-form videos. |
| B．The low technology requirements to Douyin. |
| C．The large population of smartphone users. |
| D．The availability of different brands of mobile phones. |
| A．brings about | B．believes in | C．makes up for | D．makes full use of |
| A．Opinion — Description — Discussion | B．Topic — Argument — Emphasis |
| C．Introduction — Explanations — Summary | D．Main idea — Supporting examples — Conclusion |
4 . Handwritten notes in class might seem outdated as digital technology involves nearly every aspect of learning. But a steady stream of research suggests that compared with typing, taking notes with pen and paper is still a better way to learn. And scientists are zeroing in on why.
In a recently published study, scientists found that those writing by hand had higher levels of electrical activity across many interconnected brain regions. They added 256 sensors into a hairnet, which helped monitor 36 students’ brains as they wrote or typed words displayed on a screen. When students wrote by hand, the sensors picked up widespread brain connectivity including visual regions, regions that receive and process sensory information, and the motor cortex (运动皮层) . Typing, however, resulted in minimal activity in these brain regions.
Across many contexts, studies have shown that students appear to learn better when they’re asked to produce letters or other visual items using their fingers and hands. The educational neuroscientist Sophia Vinci-Booher says the recent study highlights the clear tie between motor action and conceptual recognition: “As you’re drawing a letter or writing a word, you’re taking this perceptual (感知的) understanding of something and using your motor system to create it. That creation is then fed back into the visual system, where it’s processed again — strengthening the connection between an action and the images or words associated with it.”
The new findings don’t mean technology is always a disadvantage in the classroom. Laptops, smartphones, and other such devices can be more efficient for writing essays and can offer fairer access to educational resources. But people now increasingly tend to “offload” mental tasks to digital devices, such as by taking a photograph instead of committing information to memory, says Yadurshana Sivashankar at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. “If we’re not actively using these areas, then they are going to worsen over time, whether it’s memory or motor skills.”
1. What is the function of the sensors in the recent study according to Paragraph 2?| A．To record brain activity. | B．To activate brain waves. |
| C．To connect visual regions. | D．To process sensory information. |
| A．One’s motor system boosts his creativity. | B．One’s writing action enhances his perception. |
| C．Learning performance relies on visual memory. | D．Concrete images contributes to comprehension. |
| A．Owe. | B．Link. | C．Shift. | D．Bring. |
| A．Note-taking: the key to a good grade | B．Digital learning: beneficial or harmful |
| C．Typing vs handwriting: efficiency counts | D．Handwritten notes: conventional but effective |
5 . Compared to robots, human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements, and can change energy efficiently into movement. Drawing inspiration from human gait, researchers from Japan crafted a two-legged biohybrid robot by combining muscle tissues and artificial materials. This method allows the robot to walk and pivot.
“Research on biohybrid robots, which are a mix of biology and mechanics, is recently attracting attention as a new field of robotics featuring biological function,” says corresponding author Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, Japan. “Using muscles as actuators allows us to build a compact robot and achieve efficient, silent movements with a soft touch.”
The research team’s two-legged robot, an innovative bipedal design, builds on the legacy of biohybrid robots that take advantage of muscles. Muscle tissues have driven biohybrid robots to crawl and swim straight forward and make turns—but not sharp ones. Yet, being able to pivot and make sharp turns is an essential feature for robots to avoid obstacles.
To build a nimbler robot with fine and delicate movements, the researchers designed a biohybrid robot that copies human gait and operates in water. By alternating the electric stimulation between the left and right leg every 5 seconds, the biohybrid robot successfully “walked” at the speed of 5.4m m/min(0.002 mph). To turn, researchers repeatedly zapped the right leg every 5 seconds while the left leg served as an anchor.
The robot made a 90-degree left turn in 62 seconds. The findings showed that the muscle-driven bipedal robot can walk, stop, and make fine-tuned turning motions.
“Currently, we are manually moving a pair of electrodes to apply an electric field individually to the legs, which takes time,” says Takeuchi. “In the future, by integrating the electrodes into the robot, we expect to increase the speed more efficiently.
The team also plans to give joints and thicker muscle tissues to the bipedal robot to enable more complicated and powerful movements.
1. What is the weakness of a robot?| A．Awkward to move. | B．Complex to operate. |
| C．Tough to control. | D．Easy to lose energy. |
| A．More stylish. | B．More flexible. | C．More intelligent. | D．More suitable. |
| A．Add more power to the bipedal robot. | B．Expand the use of the bipedal robot. |
| C．Better the bipedal robot’s movements. | D．Apply an electric field to the bipedal robot. |
| A．Biohybrid robots are a mix of biology and mechanics |
| B．Human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements |
| C．Making sharp turns is essential for robots to avoid obstacles |
| D．Scientists designed a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissues |
6 . It’s time to put your worries aside and pack your bags for some of the top most relaxing places for holidays for 2024.
KosRelaxing holidays in Kos are all about blending soft sand beaches, sparkling water, lush green interiors, and history hunting. The coast is perfect for long leisurely walks on the beach, sunbathing in the Greek sunshine, and wallowing in the warm water. History buffs are in for a treat with some of the best historic architecture in Greece. Kos is home to abundant Roman ruins and a 15th-century castle that is ideal for an afternoon of exploring.
LanzaroteThe vast untouched landscape has made Lanzarote one of the most popular holiday destinations because it is truly somewhere you can relax in peace, with nothing but soft sandy beaches and the ideal water for first-time ocean swimmers. Family holidays to Lanzarote are as accommodating as parents could wish for, offering a host of fantastic family-friendly fun for all ages.
CorfuAs the greenest of the Greek islands, you’re in for a treat with over two million olive trees, rolling green hills, and pine forests that blanket the island in emerald beauty. Finding the perfect mix of history hunting, nature exploration, and relaxation is all within reach on a luxury Corfu holiday. The old towns, harbours, and traditional hostels will have you relax and enjoy the best of the Greek islands in no time.
RovinjFor a cultural holiday filled with exquisite architecture, national parks with untouched natural wonders, and long stretches of coastline, look no further than holidays in Rovinj. Located in the north of Croatia, Rovinj offers some of the best opportunities to explore the unique and moving culture. The town is home to narrow cobbled streets overlooking the ocean, with shops, galleries, and restaurants dotted throughout, bringing you the best of Croatia.
1. What can visitors do at Kos?| A．Visit art galleries. | B．Enjoy family-friendly fun. |
| C．Walk in national parks. | D．Admire historic architecture. |
| A．Kos. | B．Lanzarote. |
| C．Corfu. | D．Rovinj. |
| A．They all have sea view. |
| B．They all have old castles. |
| C．They all belong to the same country. |
| D．They all have untouched landscape. |
7 . Thailand has somtam, India has bhel puri and South Africa has a snack of bunny chow. They are some of the most famous street foods in these countries. Around 2.5 billion people eat street food around the world. The significance of street food culture is obvious in the following areas.
●Cultural identity
Street food identifies community and tradition, keeping alive one of the most important aspects of local culture — the eating habits of the people.
●Employment and business opportunities
●Food accessibility
The significance of street food culture also includes improved access to food across countries, including their poor communities. Since the cooks have low operation costs, street foods are low in price.
In a word, support for street food businesses could help to preserve culturally significant recipes, provide employment opportunities and supply low-cost food options.
| A．However, the industry has developed without outside assistance. |
| B．The street food industry has offered new positions for low-income people. |
| C．And the owners can also aid small farms by buying ingredients from them. |
| D．Street food culture is able to create a connection within specific communities. |
| E．Making laws to ensure the safety of street foods is important for public health. |
| F．Thus, people with little income can depend on street foods every day to support themselves. |
| G．Additionally, the street food industry protects traditional recipes that are passed down through generations. |
8 . Jason Allen was almost too nervous to enter his first art competition. Now, his award-winning image has caused controversy (争议).
In August, Allen, a game designer from Pueblo West, won first place in the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition. His winning image was made with Midjourney—an artificial system that can produce detailed images when fed written prompts (提示符).
Allen’s winning image is one of three such images he entered in the competition. The definition for the category in which Allen competed states that digital art refers to works that use digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process. Allen used Midjourney to create his image.
Midjourney is one of a growing number of AI image generators. Others include Google Research’s Imagen and OpenAI’s DALL-E 2. Anyone can use Midjourney, while DALL-E 2 requires an invitation, and Imagen has not been opened up to users outside Google.
Whether these tools can truly make art or assist humans in making art came into sharp focus not long after Allen’s win. Some artists were angered by his win because of his use of AI to create the image. “This is really bad for the exact same reason we don’t let robots participate in the Olympics.” one artist wrote.
Cal Duran, an artist and art teacher who was one of the judges for the competition, said that while Allen’s piece included a mention of Midjourney, he didn’t realize that it was generated by AI when judging it. Still, he stuck by his decision to award it first place in its category, calling it a beautiful piece. “There’s a lot involved in this piece and I think AI technology may give more opportunities to people who may not find themselves artists in the conventional way.” he said.
Allen won’t yet say what the text prompt was behind his winning image—he’s planning to keep it a secret until he publishes a larger related work that he hopes will be finished later this year.
1. Which of the following is most accessible to common users to create images?| A．Imagen. | B．Google. | C．Midjourney. | D．DALL-E 2. |
| A．Went viral. | B．Be in a dilemma. |
| C．Made people surprised. | D．Come under the spotlight. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Ambiguous. | C．Doubtful. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．AI Defeated Human Artists in the Art Field |
| B．AI Won an Art Contest and Artists Were Angry |
| C．An Artist Won State Fair Art Contest and Laughed |
| D．An Artist from Pueblo West Was Defending His Work |
9 . Willful ignorance exists in large amount in daily life. People regularly look the other way rather than examining the consequences of their actions. Despite plenty of scientific evidence for climate change, for instance, many people still avoid engaging with facts about global warming.
We wanted to understand how common willful ignorance is and why people engage in it. After collecting data from multiple research projects that involved more than 6,000 individuals, we discovered that willful ignorance is common and harmful, with 40 percent of people choosing “not to know” the consequences of their actions to free themselves of guilt while maximizing their own gains. But we also found that about 40 percent of people are unselfish: rather than avoiding information about the consequences of their actions, they seek it out to increase the benefits to others.
In the experiments, the decisions were made in one of two settings. In the transparent (透明的) setting, decision-makers had information about how their choice would affect themselves and their partner. In an ambiguous (模糊的) setting, decision-makers knew how their choice would matter for themselves but not for their teammate — although they could request that insight.
The overall balance tipped toward selfishness when participants had the option to avoid information. Only 39 percent of people in the ambiguous setting made the choice that ultimately benefited their partner — a significant drop from 55 percent in the transparent condition.
If we can avoid putting a strong moral emphasis on decisions, it may make people feel less threatened and, as a result, be less willfully ignorant. Other research groups have found promising ways to do this. For instance, we could encourage people to think more positively about good deeds rather than guilt-trip them for what they have failed to do. Highlighting recent global achievements, such as healing the ozone (臭氧) layer, can inspire people to keep up the good work rather than feeling like the battle is lost and that the situation is hopeless.
In short, we can encourage one another and ourselves toward more selfless and generous actions.
1. Why do some people choose not to know the consequences of their actions?| A．To make easier choices to be a good person. |
| B．To increase their own benefits more than others’. |
| C．To avoid the influence of consequences on actions. |
| D．To get the most benefits without a sense of shame. |
| A．By focusing less on its morality. | B．By stressing its potential threat. |
| C．By being more positive about oneself. | D．By getting people aware of their actions. |
| A．Culture. | B．Environment. | C．Psychology. | D．Biology. |
| A．The reason for willful ignorance. |
| B．The results of willful ignorance. |
| C．The harmful effects of willful ignorance. |
| D．The influence of willful ignorance on environment. |
10 . Washington D. C. is home to over 70 museums, including 19 free Smithsonian museums and galleries. With each museum boasting numerous must-see exhibits, trying to choose where to start can be a challenge. Here, we’ve broken down a few exhibits coming to D. C. in 2024 you want to make sure you catch:
The National Museum of Women in the Arts
The NMWA has a stunning exhibition called “In Focus: Artists at Work” that highlights the practices and perspectives of eight contemporary collection artists via short documentary-style videos. In addition to other interesting exhibits, this museum is a must-visit in 2024!
Monet: The Immersive Experience
In this multi-sensory wonderland, Monet’s vivid masterpieces are brought to life through 360° digital projections of the French artist’s iconic pieces and his impressionist brushstrokes (笔画). Famous works like The Water Lily Pond, Poppies, Sunrise, and more will turn around the room, completely captivating you as you wander about the open space, or sit and take it all in.
Hirsh horn Museum: OSGEMEOS: ENDLESS STORY
The “OSGEMEOS: ENDLESS STORY” exhibit will be one of the largest displays of the Brazillian twin artists, Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo. The extremely interesting and innovative exhibit reflects the artists’ use of modern styles like street graffiti (涂鸦) and urban art, conveyed using mediums like wood and canvas.
The Rubell Museum’s Alexandre Diop: Jooba Jubba, l’ Art du Defi
It features the work of Franco-Sangalese Vienna-based artist Alexandre Diop. The work is inspired by concepts like colonialism and migration and their impact on themes like ancestry, tradition, and suffering.
1. How does the art come lively to audience in Monet: The Immersive Experience?| A．By documentary-style videos. | B．By digital projections. |
| C．By modern styles. | D．By lifelike artwork. |
| A．The National Museum of Women in the Arts. |
| B．Monet: The Immersive Experience. |
| C．Hirsh horn Museum: OSGEMEOS: ENDLESS STORY. |
| D．The Rubell Museum’s Alexandre Diop: Jooba Jubba, I’ Art du Defi. |
| A．Perspectives of artists. | B．Impressionist masterpieces. |
| C．Street graffiti and urban art. | D．The influence of history on art. |
