1 . When was the last time you used a telephone box? I mean to make an actual phone call — not to shelter from the rain. Ages ago, right? The last time I used a phone box for its intended purpose was…2006. I was conducting auditions (试演) for my play in my tiny old shared house in London. Hoping to impress some talented actors to come and work for me for nothing, I spread some throws over the sofas and lit candles to make it seem a bit more ”young professional”.
As I rushed outdoors to empty the wastepaper baskets, the door swung shut behind me. Suddenly I was locked outside. My mobile phone was inside, but luckily there was a telephone box across the street. So, I called Directory Assistance, got put through to our landlady’s managing agent, and had a spare key sent to me with just enough time to get back in before the actors arrived.
As it has been many years since I last used one, I should hardly be surprised that then are no longer any public telephones near my house. The last one standing has just been turn into a “mini community library”: any passer-by can “borrow” a book from its shelves return it later, or replace it with another title from their own collection.
For a few months after the “library” opened, I didn’t bother taking a look, as I had assumed that it would be stuffed full of cheese love stories. Then I noticed fork conducting spring cleans dropping boxes of voluminous books on various subjects there. And these books were free. This unbeatable price-point encouraged me to experiment with dozens of titles that I would never normally consider buying. And I’ve discovered some great books!
If I ever get trapped outside my house again, my local telephone box will, sadly no longer be able to connect me with my keys. But it can certainly keep me entertained while I wait for my wife to rescue me.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?| A．The play. | B．The shared house. |
| C．The sofa. | D．The telephone box. |
| A．To place an urgent call. | B．To put up a notice. |
| C．To shelter from the rain. | D．To hold an audition. |
| A．It provides phone service for free. | B．Anyone can contribute to its collection. |
| C．It is popular among young readers. | D．Books must be returned within a month. |
| A．He wanted to borrow some love stories. |
| B．He was encouraged by a close neighbour. |
| C．He found there were excellent free books. |
| D．He thought it was an ideal place for reading. |
2 . Tom Sawyer Play Is an Adventure
A 35-minute hand-clapping, foot-stomping musical version of a Mark Twain favorite returns with this Tall Stacks festival.
“Tom Sawyer: A River Adventure” has all the good stuff, including the fence painting, the graveyard, the island and the cave. It is adapted by Joe McDonough, with music by David Kisor. That’s the local stage writing team that creates many of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s original musicals, along with the holiday family musicals at Ensemble Theatre.
This year Nathan Turner of Burlington is Tom Sawyer, and Robbie McMath of Fort Mitchell is Huck Finn.
Tumer, a 10th-grader at School for Creative and Performing Arts, is a familiar presence on Cincinnati’s stages. He is a star act or of Children’s Theatre, having played leading roles in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and is fresh from Jersey Production “Ragtime”.
McMath is a junior at Beechwood High School. He was in the cast of “Tom Sawyer” when it was first performed and is a Children’s Theatre regular, with five shows to his credit. This summer he attended Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts in Musical Theatre.
Note to teachers: Children’s Theatre has a study guide demonstrating how math and science can be taught through “Tom Sawyer.” For downloadable lessons, visit the official website of Children’s Theatre.
1. Who wrote the music for “Tom Sawyer: A River Adventure”?| A．David Kisor. | B．Joe McDonough. |
| C．Nathan Turner. | D．Robbie McMath. |
| A．They study in the same school. | B．They worked together in ”Ragtime“. |
| C．They are experienced on stage. | D．They became friends ten years ago. |
| A．Research funding. | B．Training opportunities. |
| C．Technical support. | D．Educational resources. |
Herman Cruse, a school bus driver from New Jersey, has been with Middle Township Public Schools for the past nine years. He believes bus drivers are the eyes and ears of students when they're away from home and they have a gift to discern what kids are feeling.
During one morning ride, Cruse noticed a kindergartner seemed a little sad. When Cruse asked him what was wrong, the boy explained that he wasn't able to complete his reading assignment because his parents were busy with his four siblings (兄弟姐妹). An idea suddenly crossed Cruse's mind. “Listen, if you don't mind, I'd like to come to the school and read with you. ”he said.
After receiving permission from the boy's teacher, Alex Bakley, Cruse showed up at her classroom the following week. When he walked in, the boy shouted proudly, “Hey, that's my bus driver!”They went into a quiet corner and began reading together. Later, a second student wanted to read with him, then a third. All the kids went to the teacher asking, “Can I read with Mr. Herman?”
Cruse now volunteers to help kindergarten students with reading two days a week, and on a third day, he instructs the school's first-and second-graders. After dropping the kids off at school, of course. Every child looks up to Cruse, both on and off the school bus. “Herman is super positive and he's a bright light at our school who makes every child feel loved and heard. ”said Bakley.
For Cruse, what started out as a way to kill time has now developed into a way to make a difference in the heart of a child. He used to go to the gym or library after delivering students to schools. It wasn't until he offered to help the boy on the bus that he realized there was something more rewarding he could be doing. It's a joy for him to see the kids get excited when they learn to sound out words. He loves how reading opens up a new world for them.
1. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 1? (1 word)2. Why did the boy on the bus look a little upset? (no more than 11 words)
3. What help does Cruse offer after delivering students to schools? (no more than 12 words)
4. Why does Cruse think his voluntary work is rewarding according to the last paragraph? (no more than 16 words)
5. Who's “a bright light” in your life? Please explain in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
4 . Storytelling is an ancient art form that has been used to hand down legends, tales and factual stories. Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind when you think of storytelling is the fantasy land that took shape in your mind while Mom or Dad told you stories about princes, castles and monsters, with a unique voice for each character.
Storytelling does not just take place at bedtime or round a campfire, however. It can take some other forms, either via the books we read or the films we watch. But they usually have some elements in common: rather than a list of dry facts, stories have plots and they introduce characters. We respond to stories, particularly when there is emotional detail.
And unlike what we suppose, storytelling is not just a form of entertainment, but a form of learning as well. Long before reading and writing became widely spread and available, oral storytelling had already been a form that the wisdom and knowledge of the people were passed down from elders to children. A good story engages our curiosity, emotions and imagination.
Storytelling helps with learning also because stories are easy to remember. Research has found that learning obtained from a well-told story is remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than from facts and figures.
And above all, stories have a transformative power to allow us to see the world in a different way than we do if we just encounter it on our own. Stories are an entry point to understanding a different experience of the world.
This aspect of storytelling-presenting a different perspective of the world—is important when it comes to connecting with each other. It gives us an opportunity to learn from another person’s experience and it can shape, strengthen or challenge our opinions and values. So, when someone tells us their own personal story, we catch a glimpse (瞥见) of a view of the world that may be slightly or significantly different from our own. When we see the world as they see it, or walk in their shoes, the experience can inspire empathy (共情；同理心) with them.
1. What occurs to us the moment we think of “storytelling”?| A．A child's imaginary world. |
| B．Voices of Mom or Dad. |
| C．An ancient art form. |
| D．Factual stories. |
| A．Form and style. |
| B．Facts and figures. |
| C．Emotional and physical details. |
| D．A series of events and characters. |
| A．It carries more wisdom and knowledge. |
| B．It is more widely available to young learners. |
| C．It satisfies our imagination and releases our emotions. |
| D．It makes what is learned more precise and longer lasting. |
| A．By offering us more opportunities to know people. |
| B．By helping us stay connected with the contemporary world. |
| C．By allowing us to understand the world the way they see it. |
| D．By enabling us to tell reality from imagination. |
| A．The History of Storytelling |
| B．The Power of Storytelling |
| C．The Forms of Storytelling |
| D．The Art of Storytelling |
5 . Getting the “side-eye” look from your dog can make it seem like they are making a judgement about you, and some new studies suggest they really could be.
The ability to judge others’ intentions is an indicator of possessing “theory of mind” which was once thought to be unique to humans. However, new studies have shown that dogs can read human behaviour and have a preference to people who are more friendly or generous with food.
One such study published in 2023 aimed to see if dogs can tell the difference between humans who are “unwilling” or “unable” to give them a treat. 96 dogs were involved in both “unwilling” and “unable” scenarios (情境) designed for the study. Both scenarios involved a dog being placed on one side of a glass screen with small holes in it at nose-height, and an experimenter standing on the other. In the ‘unwilling’ scenario, the experimenter would hang a piece of sausage in front of the screen in a ‘teasing’ (戏耍的) manner, and approach one of the holes. But instead of passing it through the hole to the dog, they would then pull it out of its reach. For the “unable” scenario, the experimenter would again move the treat towards the hole while the dog watched, but “accidentally” drop it before they could pass it through.
The researchers observed that the dogs were much more patient, making more eye contact and staying closer to the screen after the “unable” scenario played out. In the “unwilling” scenario, however, the dogs looked at the experimenter less often, sat, lay down and wandered around more frequently.
Another study from 2021 tested for “theory of mind” in dogs in a similar way, but the dogs were able to walk round the screen to obtain the treat after witnessing the experimenter’s “unwilling” or “unable” behaviour. The main finding was that the dogs approached the experimenter significantly sooner in the unable scenario than in the unwilling scenario.
However, the researchers of the 2023 study challenged that the food dropped on the floor in the clumsy (笨拙的) manner might have motivated the dogs to approach the experimenter considering that they probably often obtain food dropped on the floor in their daily lives.
Now, more evidence has been provided that dogs distinguish between similar actions associated with different intentions. But how exactly they acquire such intention-reading abilities will be an exciting topic for future research.
1. What is one of the new research findings according to Paragraph 2?| A．Dogs also have “theory of mind”. |
| B．Dogs prefer food from generous people. |
| C．Human behaviours are mostly intentional. |
| D．Friendly animals can get food more easily. |
| A．They acted awkwardly while feeding the dog. |
| B．They pretended to walk slowly away from the dog. |
| C．They teased the dog by fixing the treat to the screen. |
| D．They pulled the sausage beyond the dog’s reach. |
| A．By moving closer to the experimenter. |
| B．By keeping wandering around. |
| C．By ignoring the experimenter. |
| D．By lying still on the floor |
| A．The dogs can watch the experimenter. |
| B．The dogs can go to the other side of the screen. |
| C．The dogs’ responses are under close observation. |
| D．The dogs’ habitual behaviours are under analysis. |
| A．Dogs can tell “being friendly” from “being mean” |
| B．Dogs’ intelligence is gradually evolving. |
| C．Dogs’ intentions can be easily identified. |
| D．Dogs are a lot more emotional than other animals. |
6 . I looked through the window of the charming little violin shop, and my heart began to race.
I'd been out to dinner that evening. Since it wasn't dark yet after the meal, I decided to walk home from the restaurant. I had traveled that way before, yet I had never noticed that old little shop. But that night I felt drawn to the violin shop the moment I came across it.
I wiped the dirt from the window to get a better look inside. Several violins hung from the dark walls, quietly waiting to be chosen. As my eyes rested on them, I felt as though I were looking through a window into my own past.
My childhood was all about the pursuits I had attempted, most of which had been chosen by Mom. She was like, “Join the swim team, Tara. Your sister is a good swimmer;surely you will be, too. ”What she refused to acknowledge, however, was that I was visibly afraid of water.
Every Saturday I begged Mom not to make me go to the swim meet, but had little chance of success. That said, with a bang of the starting gun, I would dive into the cold water with all my strength and swim to the other side of the pool as fast as I could, only to find that the other swimmers slid past me. I would have given it up if I had not heard my father's encouraging shouts to cheer me on. When at last my hand would grab the edge of the pool, he would always be there with a warm, dry towel, telling me how proud he was of my desperate efforts.
Then came a turning point in my life the day our school orchestra( 管弦乐队)visited my class, and gave a demonstration. The drums annoyed me. The flutes(笛子)bored me. But the violin…ah, the violin. It made the sweetest sound I'd ever heard!My heart was dancing along with its flowing tune. For the first time in my life, I went so wild with joy.
Tightly holding the permission slip from the orchestra director, I ran all the way home after school, and shakily handed it to my parents with a fear that they might dismiss my desire. They didn't. Mom was thrilled to see me finally excited about something, and Dad winked(眨眼示意)at me while eagerly signing the slip.
I began practicing the violin with great passion, and rose quickly in ability. Before long I had won the first seat in the community orchestra …
1. What did the sight of the violins in that little shop bring to Tara's mind?| A．Her miserable past. |
| B．An unforgettable sport event. |
| C．The stories behind the violins. |
| D．Her childhood memory. |
| A．mindless and bad-tempered |
| B．caring and supportive |
| C．strict and demanding |
| D．tolerant and sympathetic |
| A．The tune of the flutes. |
| B．The beat of the drums. |
| C．The sound of the violin. |
| D．The manner of the musicians. |
| A．The steady improvement in her taste. |
| B．Her strong desire for success. |
| C．Her natural gift for music. |
| D．The rapid progress in her ability. |
| A．It's never too young to learn. |
| B．A passionate interest works wonders. |
| C．Hard work will pay off in the long run. |
| D．Like mother, like daughter. |
7 . 阅读表达
Growing up in San Francisco, Grace Young used to watch her father shop daily in Chinatown for whatever he needed to make traditional Chinese meals at home. As an award-winning cookbook author, Ms. Young, now 66, has spent decades shopping the same way in New York’s Chinatown.
Ms. Young developed a passion for cooking at an early age. At 13, she started to sit in on cooking classes. After college, Ms. Young moved to New York and worked in a book-packaging company. In her 30s, she realized that while she had helped create more than 40 cookbooks, she didn’t know how to make the dishes that tasted of home. “I knew if I recorded all of my parents’ recipes, it would be a great gift that I could give my family and the next generation.” she says.
Yet what began as a recipe book became a kind of memoir. Talking about food encouraged her parents to finally open up about their past, like the fact that her father had owned a Chinatown restaurant in the 1940s. “It was really an amazing way to learn not only my family’s recipes, but also my family’s story. “she says. The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen (1999) launched Ms. Young’s work in preserving and sustaining Chinese culinary (烹饪的)traditions.
Ms. Young has also devoted herself to supporting the restaurants in Chinatown. Since early 2020, Ms. Young has raised money to buy meals from Chinatown restaurants and deliver them to those in need. This year, instead of cooking at home for her husband and friends, she celebrated the Chinese New Year with various dishes from local restaurants in Chinatown. “If these restaurants don’t survive, Chinese culinary traditions in our city won’t survive.” she says.
1. What is Ms. Young known as?(no more than 5 words)8 . Most people with good sense would accept that we can and should learn from accidental failures. It would be impossible to progress in anything, after all, without taking the occasional misstep. And by understanding how we slipped, we can avoid falling in the future.
Few would advocate making intentional mistakes, however. Yet consciously erring (犯错) can promote deeper understanding and better recall. The phenomenon is known as the derring effect — coming from “deliberate (故意的) erring” — and when applied properly, it may bring benefits in many unexpected areas of life.
In one experiment carried out at the National University of Singapore, participants were given the task of learning concepts on a difficult subject. For some terms, they simply copied out the correct definition; for others, they were asked to first add an error in their description of the term before correcting the mistake.
Naturally, you would expect the addition of the errors to have increased unwanted confusion. Yet the exact opposite was true: the participants who made deliberate errors learned about twice as much as the people who simply copied out the correct definitions.
The derring effect could be applied in other situations. So a music teacher may find the addition of deliberate errors could help a student remember the right musical notes. Such a playful approach could fuel their creativity for composition, if the student looks for ways to develop those wrong notes into something more attractive. It is encouraging to discover that by readily accepting our errors and wisely placing ourselves in the way of being wrong, we can in fact overcome weaknesses and rise stronger.
The derring effect could be useful for many other challenges too. If you enjoy cooking, for example, you may faithfully follow a recipe without questioning the instructions. But why not try to break away from those habits and deliberately do the “wrong” thing for a change, and see where your derring takes you? If you are painting,meanwhile,you could relax one of the constraints (限制) that you usually put on your work and see what you produce.
At worst, you will have refreshed and deepened your knowledge of the rules you normally apply, so that you can be even more effective next time. At best, you may just find that you have discovered something completely new and unexpected, through a flash of inspiration that you would have missed with perfectionism. Either way, your apparent missteps will have moved you a little closer to true mastery.
1. In Paragraph 1, the author presents ____________.| A．a routine warning |
| B．a popular misbelief |
| C．a commonly-held view |
| D．a theoretical assumption |
| A．Adding intentional errors facilitates learning. |
| B．Correcting mistakes is the key to learning. |
| C．Errors contribute to confusion in learning. |
| D．Learners make fewer errors in difficult subjects. |
| A．disappointing performances |
| B．greater creative power |
| C．the discovery of problems |
| D．the admission of weaknesses |
| A．Strictly follow traditional recipes when cooking. |
| B．Avoid making mistakes and be a perfectionist. |
| C．Occasionally ignore traffic regulations. |
| D．Try unconventional coloring in painting. |
| A．The Challenge of Derring |
| B．Erring Prevents Failure |
| C．To Err is Fruitful |
| D．Errors: Accidental or Intentional |
9 . I love making art and looking at artworks. I’ve found myself wondering how we gain pleasure from art. And now neuroaesthetics, a combination of neuroscience (神经科学) and aesthetics (美学), may provide an answer.
Neuroaesthetics is a relatively young field of research on what happens in the brain when we make aesthetic assessments. Researchers use brain imaging technique to see which brain areas light up when we view paintings that we consider beautiful. Similar research has been done to understand the “neuronal fireworks” that occur when we look at inspiring sculptures, attractive faces, impressive dance, etc.
But why do we find some art beautiful and other art ugly? According to research, it all comes down to the “aesthetic triad (三元组合)”.
The first part of the triad is sensory-motor. This involves perceiving things like colours, shapes and movements. Movement in art has an interesting role. If you see a painting of a movement, like of a man pulling his arm away after being bitten by a dog, you feel like going through a similar experience. The part of your brain that controls your own movements lights up in response.
Second is emotion-valuation. This is how a piece of art makes you feel, and whether or not you appreciate or enjoy that feeling. The part of the brain related to pleasure is activated in response to something we find beautiful. This system can be affected in fascinating ways, as found by research using transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS) (经颅磁刺激). If TMS is applied to a specific part of your brain behind your forehead that is particularly important for decision-making, you suddenly like different kinds of art. Such stimulation produces significant changes in aesthetic appreciation of faces, bodies and artworks.
The third part is meaning-knowledge. This is to do with how we can connect with a piece of art and what meaning we can create in it. Art is deeply personal, because when two people see the same artwork, our perception can create vastly different experiences of meaning. If we find meaning, then we often find pleasure. We also get enjoyment from the knowledge of how something was made. For the images that an artist creates, viewers will probably get far more enjoyment once they know the process used to create them.
Informed by neuroaesthetics, the next time I create my art I will value the process even more, enjoying the activation of the aesthetic triad in my brain as I admire the vivid images that I have created.
1. What does “neuronal fireworks” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．A beautiful painting or sculpture. |
| B．The lighting-up of specific brain areas. |
| C．An advanced brain imaging technology. |
| D．The aesthetic assessment of modern art. |
| A．Certain part of their brain is activated. |
| B．Their experience of pain is reduced. |
| C．Their aesthetic sense is sharpened. |
| D．Their body reactions are delayed. |
| A．raised memory capacity |
| B．enhanced painting skills |
| C．changed artistic taste |
| D．improved decision-making ability |
| A．Knowing how it is created. |
| B．Having a pleasant personality. |
| C．Learning how science develops. |
| D．Understanding the meaning of life. |
| A．To propose an abstract theory of art making. |
| B．To reveal the beauty of science in an artistic way. |
| C．To share some personal understanding of artworks. |
| D．To introduce a new research field for art appreciation. |
Habit formation is the process by which behaviours become automatic. People develop countless habits as they explore the world, whether they are aware of them or not. Understanding how habits take shape may be helpful in changing bad habits.
Habits are built through learning and repetition. A person is thought to develop a habit in the course of pursuing goals by beginning to associate certain cues(刺激) with behavioural responses that help meet the goal. Over time, thoughts of the behaviour and ultimately the behaviour itself are likely to be triggered(触发) by these cues.
A “habit loop(环)” is a way of describing several related elements that produce habits. These elements are called the cue, the routine, and the reward. For example, stress could serve as a cue that one responds to by eating, which produces the reward﹣the reduction of stress. While a routine involves repeated behaviour, it’s not necessarily performed in response to a deep﹣rooted urge, as a habit is.
Old habits can be difficult to shake, and healthy habits are often harder to develop. But through repetition, it’s possible to form new habits. The amount of time needed to build a habit will depend on multiple factors, including the individual and the intended behaviour. While you are able to pickup a new habit in a few weeks, it takes many months to build a healthy habit. Take some time to think about what leads to bad habits and re﹣evaluate what you get out of them (or don’t). Consider and keep in mind why you want to make a change, including how the change reflects your values.
1. How are habits built?2. In what way is a routine different from a habit?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Picking up a new habit takes a few week, while building a healthy habit takes a shorter time.
4. What benefit(s) have you got from one of your good habits?(In about 40 words)
