1 . After building some standard cargo bikes,
The first step was to do extensive research.
After researching and outlining a few ideas, I grabbed some parts and started with a very simple prototype. Building such a vehicle needs a high degree of accuracy, which was not the case with my prolotype.
Then I started building the tricycle. Building the structure was quite straightforward. As usual I took an old bike apart for the back triangle and then added the front part. After adding a cargo basket to the structure,
Now came the hard part the driving mechanism. I started with the usual design used for two-wheel cargo bikes, but it took me quite some time to figure out how to pass the driving force to both wheels without allowing the whole thing to lock itself in any angle.
| A．The project was demanding |
| B．I decided to get my hands dirty again |
| C．I fell in love with three-wheeler bikes |
| D．I put all the parts together for the first time |
| E．It took me quite some time to understand the ideas behind it |
| F．The engine driven constructions were always the most difficult to fix |
| G．The consequence was that the driving mechanism locked itself occasionally |
2 . Welcome to “Cash Poor Points Rich”, a new travel blog dedicated to sharing experience with credit card points and miles to help you get big travel but for small spend. With the right planning and maximization of available resources, traveling as a college student may be easier than you think.
Chengdu, China
If visiting a place with happy locals is a priority for you, there’s no better city to hit than Chengdu. It is home to pandas and spicy things. Moreover, the city’s abundance of cultural and historical sights, together with its laid-back lifestyle, make itself one of the most attractive and livable large cities too. Past travelers have spent, on average, ￥158 on meals and about a quarter of that on local transportation for one day.
Con Dao, Vietnam
Tourism is picking up in Vietnam lately, where you can travel for about ¥ 100 per day if you play your cards right. Con Dao Island Nation Park, a group of dramatic tiny islands off the southern coast, is a great destination to see sea turtles and other wildlife while exploring the area on foot. Its thick jungle will give you a good chance to uncover a paradise of your own.
Zakynthos, Greece
If you’re looking for an affordable European summer beach vacation, consider Zakynthos. Food is cheap and mouthwatering. There are plenty of free things to do. although the favorite is spending time on the beautiful beaches edged by electric blue water. There are countless options for swimming in the appealing sea, along with charming villages and museums to explore.
New Orleans, U. S.
New Orleans is an incredibly unique place in the U. S., full of fascinating history, absorbing culture, delicious food, and a constantly buzzing nightlife scene. There are actually a couple of hostels in and near the French Quarter that offer reasonable accommodation rates for students.
1. Which city best suits people who like to meet cheerful natives?| A．Chengdu. | B．Con Dao. |
| C．Zakynthos. | D．New Orleans. |
| A．Countless local cultures. |
| B．Free tourist attractions. |
| C．Impressive sea views. |
| D．Large charming museums. |
| A．Parents arranging family trips. |
| B．Students exploring affordable destinations. |
| C．Elders looking for quiet destinations. |
| D．Businessmen seeking high-end hotels. |
3 . “You’re so smart!” This encouraging response to children’s math performance is commonly heard. Recently, a new study, conducted by the University of Georgia, found that encouraging children with responses related to their personal characteristics or inborn abilities might weaken their math motivation and achievement over time.
Parents who make comments linking their children’s performance to personal characteristics like intelligence are using what’s referred to as person responses. In contrast, parents who link their children’s actions, such as efforts or strategy use, to their performance are using process responses.
For the study, researchers asked more than 500 parents to report on how they responded to their children’s math performance and their math beliefs and goals. Children were assessed in two waves across a year to measure their math motivation and achievement.
The results show that parents who view math ability as changeable are more likely to give process responses focused on their children’s strategy use and efforts rather than their intelligence or other personal characteristics. In contrast, parents who believe math ability is unchangeable and that math failure can’t be constructive give more person responses. Parents with high expectations for their children give a combination of both responses. While responses highlighting strategy and efforts are not related to any achievement outcomes, children who receive more responses about their personal characteristics -- in particular, related to failure -- are more likely to avoid harder math problems, exhibit higher levels of math anxiety, and score lower on math achievement tests.
Because person responses predict poor math adjustment in children over time, researchers suggest parents limit this type of responses at home. Another recommendation for parents is to think about their own beliefs and goals for their kids and examine how these might lead them to respond in person or process ways. Simply telling parents to avoid talking about math ability may not be enough. Focusing less on how children perform and more on their strategy and enjoyment of math might be a more effective way to enhance motivation.
1. Which of the following is an example of process response?| A．You are a lucky dog. | B．Running is in your blood. |
| C．What works well for your study? | D．Why are you such a math genius? |
| A．Parents prefer to give more process responses. |
| B．Children are more likely to be affected by math anxiety. |
| C．Process responses help with children’s math achievement. |
| D．Person responses can discourage children from learning math. |
| A．Restrict person responses. | B．Defend their own beliefs. |
| C．Stress children’s performance. | D．Ignore children’s math problems. |
| A．The Strategy Children Adopt to Learn Math Helps |
| B．The Way Parents Talk to Children on Math Matters |
| C．Responses to Enhance Children’s Math Performance |
| D．Suggestions for Parents to Teach Their Children Math |
4 . We’re growing more used to chatting to our computers, phones and smart speakers through voice assistants. Out of these assistants, Siri is the most well-known spoken web. Blind people have been using text-to-speech assistant for decades.
Some think voice could soon take over from clicking as the main way to interact online. They believe online interaction would soon depend mainly on voice.
Building the spoken web—web-to-voice and voice-to-web—is by no means an easy task. For software to answer simple questions about the weather and play music for us is easy.
Using voice interaction feels far closer than surfing the net the old-fashioned way.
| A．Spoken web requires more personality to become popular. |
| B．But what are the challenges of moving to ”the spoken web“? |
| C．It is also possible to search for different information you need. |
| D．The benefits of using voice obviously depend on the context. |
| E．The informal tone of the assistant helps create an emotional attachment. |
| F．But to have a conversation with users on diverse topics is a long way off. |
| G．People who can’t read can also obtain information using the spoken web. |
5 . Curiosity — the desire to know, to discover, to learn. Inspired by curiosity, humans are found everywhere on our planet, and beyond it in space. Yet according to human behaviourist and author of Curious, Ian Leslie, although we are all born curious, not all of us bring this into adulthood, and we can lose out as a result.
As Leslie explains, curiosity shapes us from the start. By trying new things, we build knowledge, and want to know more. “We are born aware that we don’t know stuff — we want to experience and discover.” However, the contrast between childhood and adulthood is clear. “We ask 40,000 questions a year between the ages of two and five,” says Leslie — around 110 each day; adults, in comparison, ask just 20.
As we get older, we may feel hesitant about asking questions, believing this reveals gaps in our knowledge. We can become scared to share unconventional ideas for fear of criticism or misunderstanding. We can also be a victim of our success, as Leslie explains. “Once you’ve worked out how to do your job, then you don’t feel curious anymore. The need to learn goes away — in a way, curiosity has done its job. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cultivate it.”
Leslie’s tips for cultivating curiosity begin with spending time with the experts — children. “Talk to your kids, and try to answer those weird, difficult questions they have — like ‘What is air?’ This makes you think about things you’ve taken for granted — it reawakens your curiosity in what’s around us and how we perceive the world.”
So does finding what Leslie calls an ‘informal mentor’, through work or other circles, who is happy to share their expertise, from a skill, technology, to a field of learning. “Try to think of people the way children think of adults — as sources of secret knowledge, a great store of learning you can tap into,” says Leslie.
Leslie also suggests creating a ‘spark file’ — a digital or physical notebook in which you collect interesting thoughts. “Fill it with facts you’ve come across, sentences you like, insights that strike you. Let it be random. And let it build. Over time you’ll build up a rich source of inspiration, and you’ll think, ‘Oh that’s interesting, that relates to this…’ And suddenly your mind starts firing away with new ideas and ways of thinking.”
1. According to Leslie, what happens as we get older?| A．We gradually lose our natural curiosity. |
| B．We are less aware of our knowledge gaps. |
| C．We are unwilling to let others benefit from our ideas. |
| D．We may think asking questions makes people foolish. |
| A．A day’s planning is best done at daybreak. |
| B．In the eyes of a lover, Xi Shi will appear. |
| C．A master can lead you to the door, but the rest is up to you. |
| D．When three people walk together, one can surely be my teacher. |
| A．It is carefully organized. | B．It can help people connect ideas. |
| C．It only contains complete sentences. | D．It can help people improve their memory. |
| A．To prove Ian Leslie’s arguments. | B．To summarise Ian Leslie’s viewpoint. |
| C．To question Ian Leslie’s conclusions. | D．To introduce Ian Leslie’s achievements. |
6 . Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has long worked to make her city less dependent on cars. She wanted to see more people using bicycles to get around. Over a number of years, the city government set limits on cars and increased the amount of bike paths from 200 kilometers to over 1,000 kilometers.
This year, Parisians are not complaining about too much automobile traffic. Instead, they say there are too many bikes. “Now, it’s really like a bike traffic jam(阻塞),” Thibault Quere, a spokesperson for France’s Federation of Bicycle Users, said. ”It’s kind of a good difficulty to have, especially when we think about what Paris used to be.”
Some famous roads along the River Seine are completely closed to cars. Now you see people riding bikes, running and walking with their families along the river. In another part of Paris, a bike path on Sebastopol Boulevard is one of the busiest in Europe, after opening in 2019. In one week in early September, it reached a record high of 124,000 riders.
The city will host the Summer Olympics in 2024 and plans to add more bike paths by then. Paris wants to reduce its pollution by half during the games, even as visitors from around the world will be in the city for the event. Organizers say all of the competition sites will be reachable by bike through a 60-kilometer network of bike paths.
The change to Paris, however, has not been easy. With more people using bikes, more people are making mistakes. Some of them are new to cycling and disobey traffic rules. But the environment may be improving. Cycling is good exercise and helps reduce pollution, which is still a problem for the large city. The French government blames atmospheric pollution for 48,000 early deaths in the country each year.
Hidalgo was re-elected in 2020 and plans to keep making what she calls a “Paris that breathes”. Her newest five-year bike plan includes over $250 million for more bike paths and bike parking. The new budget is an increase of over $100 million from her first five-year plan.
1. What can be learned from the second paragraph?| A．Hidalgo’s effort has paid off. | B．Parisians prefer to travel by car. |
| C．Parisians find it difficult to ride bikes. | D．Quere disagrees with Hidalgo. |
| A．To compare the famous roads in France. |
| B．To praise people enjoying riding bicycles. |
| C．To stress the importance of France in Europe. |
| D．To show how busy a cycle path is in Paris. |
| A．Tour local bike shops. | B．Ride to competition sites. |
| C．Promote the sights in France. | D．Support the athletes around the world. |
| A．Friendly. | B．Helpful. | C．Determined. | D．Honest. |
7 . Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have invented a new way to make electricity. Their method uses super-tiny holes to make electricity from moisture (湿气) in the air. The scientists hope the method will one day lead to cheap, clean electricity anywhere at any time.
Moisture in the air is what helps create electricity. Water droplets in the air carry an electric charge (电荷). In clouds, these water droplets build up large charges, which we later see as lightning. One of the researchers, Jun Yao, described the new invention as a “small-scale, man-made cloud”. Since the new device generates electricity from the air, the scientists call it “Air-gen”.
Currently, the device only makes a small amount of electricity- enough to power a small sensor. But in lab tests, the Air gen, which is a little bigger than a fingernail, produced electricity all day and all night for a week, powered by nothing but the air.
The scientists have tried to make electricity from humidity before, but those methods didn’t work for long, or were expensive to make. But in 2020, Dr Yao and his team found a way of getting electricity from humidity using special “nanowires” made from bacteria. That research led the scientists to the key discovery of the Air-gen: almost any material can create electricity in this way as long as it has nanopores (纳米孔) of the right size. This is important because it means in the future, the devices can be made very cheaply. The researchers hope that the Air-gen will become an important green energy source.
Many scientists are impressed with the ideas behind the Air-gen. But some scientists have suggested that it might be hard for the Air-gen to create enough electricity to really make a difference especially compared to power sources like solar energy. But Dr Yao and his team are working on ways to make the Air-gen technology more powerful. Because the device is s0 thin, the scientists believe that many Air-gen layers could be piled on top of each other to create more electricity without taking up more space.
1. The Air-gen is invented ________.| A．to collect water droplets in the air. | B．to generate electricity from bacteria. |
| C．to create a small-scale artificial cloud. | D．to produce electricity from moisture. |
| A．By using large charges in lightening. | B．By changing sunlight into electricity. |
| C．By using the electric charge in water droplets. | D．By turning water into a usable energy source. |
| A．It might not produce enough electricity. | B．It has a negative impact on the environment. |
| C．It requires expensive materials to manufacture. | D．It is less reliable than traditional power sources. |
| A．Inventing the Air-gen. | B．Creating electricity from the air. |
| C．Experimenting with man-made cloud. | D．Looking for green energy source. |
8 . “FIND YOUR PASSION (热爱)! ” This inspiring instruction suggests it’s important to discover what truly excites us in life. But is it good advice?
Science tells us that passions are developed. They can be raised through curiosity and repeated practices. Our first interest can be developed into a true passion with positive experiences. But “finding” a passion means that it already exists and is waiting to be discovered. This misunderstanding can hold people back. Fortunately, our latest research shows there are ways to encourage a more open outlook about it.
To study these ideas, we use a framework of “fixed” and “growth” mindsets: fixed mindset sees interests as unchangeable, while a growth mindset views interests and passions as developed. A growth mindset of interest comes with many advantages, while a fixed mindset may discourage exploration. In one study, after we excited participants’(参与者的) interest in a topic of black holes with an easy-to-understand video, people with a fixed mindset came to dislike the topic when faced with a technical article. Those with a growth mindset kept their new-found interest despite the difficulty.
So can a growth mindset of interest be taught? We published findings with 700 liberal arts undergraduates, most of whom held limited interest in math and science. We offered students either our intervention (干预) or a study skills module. The intervention included reading and reflective writing activities that helped students think about interests and passions as developed rather than found and fixed. For example, students wrote a paragraph about a case when they developed interest in a new activity. The study skills module, meanwhile, stressed practices such as time management. By the end of the school year, the students who had received the intervention were more interested in their required math and science courses——and earned better grades in those courses—than their study skills peers.
While our intervention offers a way for schools to support their students, we also believe people can independently build up a growth mindset of interest. Realize that passions aren’t waiting to be “found.” Take an active role in developing them.
1. What does “this misunderstanding” underlined in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Passions can be developed with more practices. |
| B．Interest is of great help to build up confidence. |
| C．Passions are fixed and wait to be uncovered. |
| D．Interest can be discouraged by repeated work. |
| A．To make a prediction. | B．To show the difference. |
| C．To protest a decision. | D．To explain the rule. |
| A．Students were grouped based on types of mindset. |
| B．Reflective writings helped students build up interest. |
| C．Study skills were used to reduce students’ stress. |
| D．Better grades contributed to one’s favour to a subject. |
| A．Love what you do, and you’ll keep going and become better. |
| B．Find what you love, and you’ll never have to work a day. |
| C．It can always be easy and exciting to dig into new areas. |
| D．It is much better to get lost in the passion than to lose it. |
9 . The sales pitches tempt: Blue-light-blocking glasses are supposed to protect eyes from the effects of short-wavelength light emitting from our smartphones, computer screens and LED lights. Given how much time we spend on our devices, this sounds like a smart investment, right? After all, eye strain is a real issue and can lead to poor sleep and even eye diseases. The glasses can cost $15 all the way up to several hundred dollars. But do they work?
Elizabeth Esparaz, an ophthalmologist (眼科专家) based in Cleveland, Ohio, says the science that manufacturers share as they promote these glasses can be confusing. For starters, blue light is not just about tech devices, and it’s not always bad. “The sun emits a much higher intensity of blue light than human-made devices, of course, and it’s actually beneficial,” says Dr. Esparaz. It helps our mood, alertness and sleep-wake cycle.
The problem is blue light at night: It contains the release of melatonin. “Melatonin helps regulate our circadian rhythms (生理节奏) and makes us sleepy,” says Dr. Esparaz.
So, in theory, wearing blue-light-blocking glasses should help people who watch movies in bed or read from a tablet at night avoid sleeplessness. A 2021 review study from the University of Oklahoma that looked at 24 previous studies found that people affected by sleep disorders, jet lag and shift work fell asleep faster after using these glasses.
As for eye strain, a 2021 Australian study showed that those wearing the glasses did not experience less eye strain than those using clear glasses. And a 2018 review study, also by Australian researchers, found insufficient evidence that they prevent certain eye diseases.
“These glasses aren’t going to be harmful,” says Dr. Esparaz, But, she adds, a lack of standardization in the industry means there’s no way to know if one pair is better than another. A more reliable solution: Turn on the blue-light-filtering function on your devices and limit screen time before bed. To help with eye strain, Dr. Esparaz suggests taking breaks and using lubricating eye drops.
1. What is Dr. Esparaz’s attitude toward business publicity?| A．Unclear. | B．Dismissive. | C．Approving. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．It can be beneficial. | B．It may facilitate sleep. |
| C．It actually causes health issues. | D．It merely comes from digital devices. |
| A．helps prevent eye disease | B．are not harmful to eyesight |
| C．contributes to no less eye strain | D．benefits those with sleep disorders |
| A．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: Your Best Choice |
| B．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: Good or Bad |
| C．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: A Good Business |
| D．Blue-light-blocking Glasses: Smart and Cool |
10 . Jake and Max Klein were 4 years old when they first realized there was a world in need outside the front door of their home in Edgewater, New Jersey.
The twin brothers took all of the money out of their piggy banks and asked their parents, Mark Klein and Sandy Rubinstein, if they could buy birthday gifts for kids who weren’t expecting any.
Then, at age 6, the boys announced that they wanted money usually spent on their birthday presents to go to charitable donations. They bought computers for police officers, and they sold cookies to raise money for sick children.
Then they learned at age 8 that they were too young to volunteer at their town’s soup kitchen, “that’s when we decided we’d have to come up with a way to take things into our own hands,” Jake, now 15 says. “We thought, ‘What can we do to show that kids are able to make a difference and do more than is expected?’”
Last year, he and Max, now going into the 10th grade at Leonia High School, started Kids That Do Good, a nonprofit (非盈利性的) website that lists hundreds of ways for young people to get involved in charitable work, coast-to-coast.
It’s a lesson that has caught on with many, including 9-year-old Sophia Somerstein, who lives near the Kleins in New Jersey.
“Max and Jake encouraged me to help collect food and I really loved the feeling of making somebody’s life better,” she says. “Now this summer, I want to help people around me, and I hope I can teach other kids, too. It’s cool that kids just like me can do something to help others.”
The Kleins recently started a challenge for kids registered on their website (about 3,000 so far) to track their volunteer hours. Max notes that he hopes to continue running Kids That Do Good with Jake when they both go off to college.
1. What can we learn about the Kleins when they were kids?| A．They loved to help others. |
| B．They were in need of help. |
| C．They found it easy to collect money. |
| D．They always gave their parents presents. |
| A．To share wonderful kids’ stories. |
| B．To raise money for young people. |
| C．To encourage others to give back. |
| D．To discover kids’ natural abilities. |
| A．She is worried about them. |
| B．She speaks highly of them. |
| C．She wants to challenge them. |
| D．She loves teaching for them. |
| A．It is developing fast. |
| B．It faces an uncertain future. |
| C．It has made millions of dollars. |
| D．It has covered the whole world. |
