1 . When you go running in the woods in your running tights, elastane (氨纶) is the reason why they fit you so comfortably. Elastane is an elastic material that allows the fabric to stretch and adapt to your body.

But when elastane fibres are mixed with cotton, wool, nylon or other fibres, as is the case in many clothes today, the clothes become almost impossible to recycle. It is extremely difficult to separate out the different fibres, and therefore the materials in the clothes cannot be recycled.

But this may change, says Assistant Professor Steffan Kvist Kristensen from the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center at Aarhus University. Together with a number of colleagues, he is behind a new technology that can separate out fibres in mixed fabrics.

“We’ve developed a method to remove elastane completely from nylon. We’re not quite there yet with cotton, because some of the cotton fibres are broken down in the process. But we believe that, with some minor adjustments, we can solve this problem,” he says.

It is not easy to separate elastane and other fibres once they have been woven(编织) together. Clothes are made by winding the main fibres, such as nylon or cotton, around the elastane fibres, which consist of long chains of molecules (分子). The fibres only break apart if we break the long chains of molecules, explains Steffan Kvist Kristensen.

By heating the clothes to 225 degrees Celsius and adding a specific alcohol, the researchers have found a method to break down the bonds in elastane chain. When this happens, the chains fall apart and the materials separate. “The whole process takes place in what is in effect a large pressure cooker that we feed the clothes into. We then add a little alcohol and a potassium hydroxide(氢氧化钾) base and heat it up. Then we let it cook for just over four hours, and when we open the lid again, the different fibres will have been separated.” says Steffan Kvist Kristensen.

So far, Steffan Kvist Kristensen and his colleagues have only experimented with two nylon stockings at a time. The technology is therefore not yet ready for application at industrial scale.

1. What can we learn about elastane from the passage?

A．It is an eco-friendly material.	B．It is a kind of stretchable fabric.
C．It makes the clothes far from recycling.	D．It is made up of short chains of molecules.

2. Why is a pressure cooker used in the experiment according to the text?

A．To separate more fibres.	B．To reduce the heating time.
C．To increase the temperature to 225℃.	D．To ensure the safety of the experiment.

3. What can be inferred about this new technology?

A．It can separate all sorts of fibres.

B．It needs plenty of energy to work.

C．There is a long way before it is widely used.

D．There is no possibility to separate elastane from cotton.

4. What is Steffan Kvist Kristensen’s attitude to this new technology?

A．Satisfied.

B．Confident.

C．Critical.

D．Unclear.

2 . The Ministry of Education and three other ministries have jointly issued a notice about launching a national campaign on short-sightedness prevention and control to protect children’s eyesight.

A paragraph in the notice says that primary and secondary school students should engage in appropriate outdoor activities during class breaks. Additionally, 30 minutes of physical activity during the daily midmorning break will be organized to give students more time to engage in outdoor activities and long-distance viewing, enabling their eyes to rest fully from visual fatigue.

Midmorning breaks can address more than just vision problems. Physical activity during breaks helps children to not only exercise but also reduce stress, making subsequent classroom learning more focused and effective. At the same time, midmorning physical activities provide children a platform to engage in social activities, strengthening their social adaptation abilities.

Sometime toward the end of 2023 there was a huge demand after some schools did away with even 10-minute breaks for primary and secondary school students. The Ministry of Education responded by saying that it would further regulate activities in schools. Before the latest notice was introduced, several related policies had been guaranteeing midmorning physical activity for primary and secondary school students, which have now been implemented in many cities, showing good results.

To effectively utilize (利用) the 30-minute midmorning break, teachers play an essential role because they can enrich the activities to the maximum extent by combining the interests and hobbies of children of different age groups and adding various sports activities that will benefit children the most. At the same time, it should be clear that the midmorning break is not only the responsibility of physical education teachers. It requires joint efforts from physical education teachers, class teachers and other staff members to ensure the breaks are used effectively.

To make the most of the 30-minute midmorning break, it is also crucial to stimulate the enthusiasm of children. Innovating the form and content of the midmorning break and mobilizing children’s enthusiasm and initiative to participate in midmorning activities are urgent priorities.

1. What do the underlined word “fatigue” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Failure.

B．Disability.

C．Loss.

D．Tiredness.

2. Which of the following is true according to the last two paragraphs?

A．Midmorning activities should appeal to children.

B．Children should be forced to engage in midmorning activities.

C．Midmorning activities should be restricted to traditional sports.

D．Physical education teachers should take full charge of the the midmorning break.

3. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．Children Should Participate in More Activities

B．Midmorning Break Should Be Extended to 30 Minutes

C．Kids Should Have a Better Break for Eyesight Protection

D．Physical Activities Should Be Organized for Children’s Health

3 . Showing the rites (仪式) stuff

Nearly a hundred objects of historical value from the Confucius Museum are now on show at the exhibition, Rites, Music, and Costumes, which runs until May 26 at the China National Silk Museum, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. It shows how Confucianism was an essential part of the Chinese liyue culture, an education of social etiquette (礼仪) through engaging in poetry, rites, music and dancing.

These artifacts mark the significance of Confucius and how his teachings have been followed throughout centuries. Several exhibits are being shown in Zhejiang for the first time.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 73-1 Yuhuangshan Lu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. 0571-8703-5223.

A brush with greatness

In his life, Li Jianchen taught at several universities to help cultivate (培养) for the country many artists and architects of note. Besides his respectable accomplishments in teaching, he was also acknowledged as the “father of modern Chinese watercolor”.

An exhibition now on at Jiangsu Art Museum shows selected watercolors by Li, from his donations to the museum. Painted at different stages of his career, these works trace the evolution of his art, reflecting changing social needs and artistic tendencies. The show ends on March 31.

9 am-85 pm, closed on Mondays. 333 Changjiang Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu province. 025-8961-0810.

Spanish expression

Different Cycles from Different Eras United by a Single Paintbrush, an exhibition currently running at Shenzhen Art Museum in Guangdong province, brings together 118 paintings produced by Spanish expressionist Jorge Rando since the 1960s. They are from the dozen series he has created over the past five decades, revisiting themes such as a mother’s love, nature, landscapes, butterflies and cycling, to name a few.

In 2019, Rando’s works were shown in Hunan and Sichuan provinces. The current exhibition in Shenzhen runs until May 26.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 32 Donghu Yijie, inside Donghu Park, Aiguo Lu, Luohu district, Shenzhen, Guangdong province. 0755-2542-6069.

1. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．A textbook.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A newspaper.	D．A club leaflet.

2. What can people enjoy at the exhibition “Rites, Music, and Costumes”?

A．Music and dancing.	B．Paintings.
C．Watercolors.	D．Sculptures.

3. What do the exhibitions at Jiangsu Art Museum and at Shenzhen Art Museum have in common?

A．They are about Chinese art.

B．The exhibits are donations.

C．They will end on the same day.

D．They are painting exhibitions.

7 . Where to find your favorite food may be one main thing that comes to your mind while travelling. Thankfully, fast food services are available across the world. Followings are some fast food services across the world.

Papa John’s Pizza

Papa John’s is the fourth largest pizza delivery service in the US. This service is available in 34 countries in total. Out of 4,000 restaurants of Papa John’s, 3,200 are situated in the United States. The founder, John Schnatter opened the first restaurant of Papa John’s Pizza in 1984 in Indiana. “Better ingredients, Better pizza” is the slogan of Papa John’s pizza service.

In 2002, Papa John’s became the first pizza chain service in the United States with online ordering facility. Today, over 205,000 employees work in Papa John’s with a net revenue of US$1.4 billion.

Dairy Queen

The Dairy Queen service is available in 6,000 locations across the world. Dairy Queen operates in 18 countries apart from the United States. Among the US states, Texas has the most number of Dairy Queen restaurants — 600 restaurants.

Dairy Queen was founded by John Fremont McCullough in 1940. The first Dairy Queen store started in Joliet city of Illinois state. Soft serve ice cream is the signature product of Dairy Queen. It has also featured on company logo. The stores of DQ also serve burgers, French fries, processed fried chicken, frozen treats and hot dogs.

Starbucks

Seattle-based Starbucks is the largest coffee company in the world. Starbucks has 23,187 stores across 64 countries. Among them, 12,973 are located in the US. Starbucks serves cold & hot beverages, wines, beer and snacks. Starbucks offers 87,000 drink combinations for the customers.

Starbucks was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl. Interestingly, since 1987, Starbucks has been adding minimum two new stores on daily basis. They also use 93 million gallons of milk and 2.3 billion paper cups per year for the service.

1. Which of the following brands is the earliest to be founded?

A．Papa John’s Pizza.	B．Starbucks.
C．Dairy Queen.	D．Better Pizza.

2. What is the common feature of the three fast food services?

A．They all operate in over 15 countries.

B．They have the same problems now.

C．They all set up the first store in China.

D．They are all located in the US states.

3. What do we know about Starbucks from the text?

A．It is the largest food company in the world.

B．Its stores have been increasing since 1987.

C．Its ice cream is the hottest product in its stores.

D．It sticks to the idea of the environmental protection.

8 . Thinking hard for several hours can leave us feeling mentally tired — and now we may know why. Prolonged concentration leads to the build-up of a compound called glutamate (谷氨酸盐) in regions at the front of the brain. This may provide an explanation as to why we avoid difficult tasks when mentally exhausted: the glutamate overload makes further mental work difficult.

Too much glutamate is potentially harmful, says Antonius Wiehler at the Paris Brain Institute in France, who led the research. “The brain wants to avoid this, so it is trying to reduce activity.”

To learn more, Wiehler and his team used a technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), which measures levels of various chemicals in living tissue harmlessly. They focused on a region towards the front and sides of the brain called the lateral prefrontal cortex (侧前额叶皮层), which much previous work has shown is involved in difficult mental tasks.

The team asked 40 people to do memory tasks while lying in an MRS scanner. These included watching sequences of numbers appear on a screen and stating if the current number was the same as a previous one. Twenty-six of the participants did a harder version of this task, while the other 14 were given an easier one.

Levels of eight different brain chemicals were measured, including glutamate. After completing the memory tasks for six hours, those doing the harder version had raised levels of glutamate in their lateral prefrontal cortex compared with the start of the experiment. In those doing the easier task, levels stayed about the same. Across all participants, there was no rise in the other seven brain chemicals that were measured.

Among the participants doing the harder tasks, their glutamate level rise corresponded with dilation (扩大) of the pupils (瞳孔) in their eyes, another broad measure of exhaust. Those doing the simpler task reported feeling tired, but had no glutamate rise or pupil dilation.

“Measuring brain glutamate could be used to reveal how hard a region of the brain has been working,” says Reto Huber at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. “We never had a good measure for that on the molecular (分子的) or neurotransmitter (神经传递素) level. This looks really promising. It could potentially be used by doctors to assess people with conditions that can make concentrating difficult.”

1. Why does the brain reduce activity when it feels mentally tired according to the text?

A．To stop causing damage to memories.	B．To prevent glutamate from harming us.
C．To complete more difficult work.	D．To make quick decisions.

2. How did Wiehler and his team do their research?

A．By monitoring pupils’ glutamate levels.

B．By monitoring the participants’ responses to different tasks.

C．By comparing the changes of participants’ chemical levels after tasks.

D．By analyzing different people’s glutamate levels.

3. What can we infer from Reto Huber’s words in the last paragraph?

A．We will have a good measure for brain glutamate in the future.

B．Measuring brain glutamate can show which brain area is working.

C．We have a new direction in studying the brain glutamate.

D．Measuring brain glutamate may be adopted in medicine.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How to relax your brain after thinking hard for several hours.

B．Why thinking hard for several hours can make you mentally tired.

C．What can you do to help your brain make right decisions.

D．What makes you tired after working for a long time.

9 . Electric vehicles (EVs) have long been advertised as environmentally friendly vehicles. This is true, to some extent. EVs do not emit any carbon dioxide into the environment, unlike conventional cars.

But scientists foresee a new problem. Cars run on batteries, and electric cars are no different. So once the battery reaches the end of its useful life, what will be done with it?

As the number of electric vehicles in use increases greatly, scientists must discover an effective recycling method for EV batteries.

While electric cars and gas-powered cars essentially function in the same way, a major difference between the two is their batteries.

Electric vehicles use lithium-ion (锂离子) batteries, which are larger and heavier than a non-EV car’s lead-acid (铅酸) batteries. Instead of fuel, EVs rely directly on their batteries for a source of energy.

When charging, electricity triggers (引起) chemical changes within the battery. On the road, the chemical changes are converted into electricity, thus powering the car. The continuous charge-discharge process reduces the charge (电荷) the battery can hold. Thus, the distance and time between the car’s next charging session decreases.

The battery’s average lifespan ranges from five to eight years to 10-20 at most, so drivers will need to replace EV batteries many times in the car’s life.

A major issue with EV batteries is the inconvenience they pose during dismantling (拆卸). EV batteries are made up of several hundred lithium-ion cells. Each cell contains risky materials and must be dismantled individually. If not dismantled correctly, the battery cells may even explode.

Additionally, recycling methods that do exist for these batteries are energy- and cost-intensive. In fact, in the European Union and the US, lithium-ion battery recycling rates are only 5%.

Companies are trying to find solutions. Nissan, a car company, is reusing their electric car batteries in automated guided vehicles in their factories. These vehicles deliver car parts to workers. Volkswagen also uses its batteries like Nissan, but also recently opened its first recycling plant.

1. What can we learn from the sixth paragraph?

A．The chemical changes within the battery can power the car directly.

B．The charge process can prolong the life of the battery.

C．The battery’s lifespan may be affected by the continuous use of the car.

D．Chemical changes have no effect on the battery.

2. What does the underlined word “inconvenience” in the eighth paragraph refer to?

A．The complexity and danger when dismantling EV batteries.

B．Battery charging is very complex.

C．A lack of charging equipment for EVs.

D．Battery recycling performance is poor.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Some companies are improving the battery’s lifespan.

B．Some companies are establishing EV plants.

C．EVs are becoming more and more popular these days.

D．Recycling methods help solve the EVs’ battery problem.