1 . A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health finds air pollution may negatively impact standardized test scores. Using data from the North Carolina Education Research Data Center, the researchers tracked 2.8 million public school students in North Carolina from 2001 to 2018 and measured their exposure to PM2.5 found in polluted air. While previous research has shown negative effects on academic performance, it has relied on relatively small or less representative samples. “The biggest strength of this study is that we tracked every student in North Carolina in those years, for the whole time period that they were in the public schools,” said Emma Zang, coauthor of the study.

The study also finds that test scores of ethnic minorities and girls are disproportionately (不成比例地) impacted by PM2.5 levels. “Females and ethnic minorities face sexism and racism,” said Zang. “There are a lot of policies that are not friendly towards them. So, when they’re exposed to the same level of air pollution, they don’t have the resources to lessen the negative influences.” More privileged populations, however, might have more resources that allow them to live in a better environment, such as in houses with air purifiers.

“The level of PM2.5 pollution in the US is relatively low, but students living in areas below the current air quality standard of annual PM2.5 concentration are still negatively impacted by air pollution when it comes to their test scores,” said Zang. “We should aim to strengthen the annual PM2.5 standard to better protect our children.”

Air pollution is known to contribute to disease and death, and it also negatively affects students’ academic performance even at low levels of pollution. The subsequent studies, the researchers said, would involve looking at whether the findings hold true in different areas, and also the reasons behind the ethnic and sexual differences.

1. What’s the greatest advantage of the study?

A．Tracking each student for 18 years.	B．Collecting more comprehensive data.
C．Measuring students’ PM2.5 exposure precisely.	D．Building links between air pollution and test scores.

2. According to Zang, ethnic minorities and girls ________.

A．benefit from current policies on PM2.5 pollution

B．have the lowest test scores due to their identities

C．lack resources to reduce the impact of air pollution

D．suffer from educational inequalities owing to their background

3. What’s Zang doing in paragraph 3?

A．Offering a suggestion.	B．Raising a doubt.
C．Making a comparison.	D．Giving a prediction.

4. What might be the focus of the follow-up studies?

A．Applicability of the findings to other regions.	B．Ways to address racial and sexual differences.
C．Long-term impacts of air pollution on children.	D．Establishment of PM2.5 standard fit for children.

2 . Whether you’re hiking through Yellowstone or camping in the Ozarks, choosing the best backpacking stove (炉子) to take with you can make a big difference. Read on for some of our top picks.

Soto Windmaster 4Flex

Backpackers love its convenient built-in igniter (点火器), powerful heat output, and four-pronged (四管的) pot stabilizer, which provides a more stable platform for cooking than three-pronged stoves.

Buy it now at REI
Solo Stove Titan

The Solo Titan burns twigs, pine cones, leaves, and any other biofuels you may find out in nature, offering a safe and natural alternative to burning gas. The Titan is considered mid-size, ideal for cooking for several people.

Buy it now at SoloStove
Fire Maple Star X2 Cooking System

Based on hundreds of reviews, hikers say they’re impressed by this gas-powered stove’s easy setup. The Star X2 also features Heat Exchange Technology, which the company says provides superior wind-resistance in different weather environments, helping to reduce overall boil time.

Buy it now on Amazon
Soto Amicus

Weighing just 2.9 ounces, the Soto Amicus is well known for its light weight and attractive appearance. Multiple Amazon reviewers praise this backpacking stove’s easy setup and four integrated pot stabilizers, which create a stable base for cooking in the wilderness.

Buy it now on Amazon or REI
1. Which stove suits you best if you want a quick meal?

A．Soto Amicus.	B．Solo Stove Titan.
C．Soto Windmaster 4Flex.	D．Fire Maple Star X2 Cooking System.

2. What feature do Soto Windmaster 4Flex and Soto Amicus have in common?

A．Easy setup.	B．Wind resistance.
C．Relative stability.	D．Attractive appearance.

3. What is the text?

A．An adventure travel report.	B．An outdoor travel guide.
C．An advertisement for facilities.	D．A cookbook for easy meals.

3 . Popular people are admired and loved by their peers (同龄人).     1     Popular people have plenty of friends and usually have a high social status in their peer group. Here are some general tips that will help you become a more likable and popular person.

Avoid offering help in exchange for approval (认可). Trying to be helpful will have the opposite effect.     2     Popular people help others because they have a useful skill, not because they want to win someone else’s friendship.

Be the glue in your social circle. When you have plans to meet a group of friends for a social outing, make a habit of inviting someone who hasn’t met everyone in the group yet. If you re hanging out with a friend and run into another friend, remember to introduce them to each other.     3    

Practice positivity. People who often complain about life and are more pessimistic have fewer friends. Therefore, it’s important to have a positive attitude and avoid constant complaining.     4     It can be a key step in making close friends. But if you talk about your problems over and over again, your friends might not enjoy hanging out with you.

    5     Many people make the mistake of avoiding social relationships at their school or workplace. They think these places are for work or studying, not socializing. But most of us spend a lot of time at work or college. If you refuse to socialize with people you see almost every day, you’ll miss out on some valuable relationships.

A．Build relationships at work place and school.

B．Otherwise, your friends might feel awkward.

C．Make sure you are popular with your friends.

D．You’ll be regarded as people who need friendship.

E．And many people want to be associated with popular people.

F．However, sometimes sharing your problems with others is a good thing.

G．Peers have a special gift that enables them to make friends wherever they go.

4 . Jobs for Organic Chemists

Welcome to the Organic Chemistry Portal Job Market! Here you can browse recent job openings worldwide, and find jobs in research and development both in industry and academia. Some tips for your career as an organic chemist and the application process in particular can be found further down on this page.

Educational Requirements

Studying is an essential component of becoming a chemist. To become a chemist, you will need to complete a formal education program that provides you with a strong foundation in chemistry, mathematics, physics, or other related sciences.

Networking Opportunities

To find an interesting job, you should occasionally interact with industrial chemists and make personal contacts. This is best done at scientific conferences or via the social medium Linked In, where the Organic Chemistry Portal is also represented. This gives you interesting insights and allows you to focus your job search on suitable topics and companies. On the other hand, some people already know you and under some circumstances you already have references that could be listed in the application.

Acquire More Knowledge

For special fields, you can deepen your knowledge beforehand in order to show off some details in job interviews. Studying a specific textbook or reading journals in the field is suitable for this purpose. In some companies, you also have to talk to chemists during the application process, who ask for some basic or detailed knowledge. Name reactions in particular can be queried.

The Application Process

The application process for a job vacancy can vary depending on the company and the role you are applying for, but in general, it usually involves some common steps. Click here for more details.

→Application Materials：Cover Letter, Resume

1. What education background is needed for a student to become a chemist?

A．Evening school of Sciences.	B．Self study of chemistry.
C．College education of Maths.	D．High school optional course of Physics.

2. What should you do to increase the chance of finding a good job?

A．Attend some job hunting fairs.

B．Give detailed personal information.

C．Chat with chemists via social media.

D．Pursue further education in related sciences.

3. Where will you find this advertisement?

A．A website.	B．A magazine.
C．A newspaper.	D．A brochure.

5 . Animal products could produce electricity, one British power company warns — and to give consumers a choice, it's offering what it calls the world’s first vegan electricity.

Ecotricity, a renewable energy provider in the U.K., announced its electricity and gas would be certified vegan after it claimed half of British homes are powered by electricity made from animal byproducts. Company founder Dale Vince accused companies that consider themselves “ethical” or “green” of keeping consumers in the dark about their “secret ingredient.” “We need clear labeling of energy sourcing so that people can make informed choices,” he said in a statement.

The company offers “vegan energy” in wind and solar power, and it’s developing “sea power” produced by wave oscillation and marine currents. None of Ecotricity’s electrical sources contains animal byproducts that the company knew of before it made the announcement, but it registered with the Vegan Society to certify its green status.

Though not widely disclosed, it’s fairly common for power companies to derive electricity from animals through anaerobic digestion (厌氧消化). Animal waste is generally considered a clean, renewable energy source. Turning manure into fuel eliminates a sizeable chunk of carbon pollution and lessens power companies’ reliance on “dirtier” fossil fuels like coal and oil. Plus, animals provide a limitless supply of waste, while Earth’s natural gas stores are finite, so crackers wouldn’t need to drill into rock to extract it.

Cows are pictured at a Wagyu cattle breeding center in June in Petit-Mars, France. A U.K. energy company announced the first “vegan electricity” after warning consumers about animal byproducts in energy production.

After anaerobic digestion, farmers can use the liquid remains of the manure as fertilizer and make chips for animal bedding from the solid leftovers, chemical engineer David Simakov told Popular Science.

“We are talking about producing the amount of renewable natural gas enough to heat thousands of homes from just a single large landfill site,” he said. “We need to stop pumping carbon from underground into the atmosphere and start caring about introducing more and more renewable energy to make our lives more sustainable.”

Renewable energy only accounts for 11 percent of energy consumption in the U.S., according to the Energy Information Administration. Fossil fuels and nuclear energy generate more than 80 percent of the country’s electricity, and that’s unlikely to change: like other clean energy sources, anaerobic digestion is still more expensive than traditional sources of energy.

1. According to Dale Vince, ____________________.

A．it’s necessary for consumers to know how electricity is produced

B．people don’t need to make choices of whether to use vegan electricity

C．vegan electricity and gas shouldn’t use animal byproducts

D．it’s not certain whether Ecotricity has used animal byproducts

2. In Paragraph 2, “secret ingredient” refers to ___________________.

A．an energy provider

B．vegan energy

C．animal waste

D．energy labelling

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．It’s forbidden to get exploited natural gas since it is limited.

B．Clean energy may not replace fossil fuels to be used by families.

C．Power companies can rely on animal waste to produce clean energy.

D．The waste of cows is first used to produce clean energy in the world.

4. What does the author think of clean energy?

A．It has been a mainstream.

B．It has a promising future.

C．Consumers tend to use more clean energy now.

D．Its producing cost has decreased its popularity.

6 . Shortly after the return of the NBA season in late July, the artist Victor Solomon showed an ambitious creation to mark the occasion: the “Kintsugi Court”. Using the Japanese craft of kintsugi, an ancient method of repairing pottery with gold, Solomon filled in the cracks of a run-down basketball court in South Los Angeles. In the process, he transformed the forgotten bit of concrete into something eye-catching and functional. He highlighted the court’s weak points instead of hiding them.

Basketball has been a frequent source for Solomon. But he’s far from alone. Over the past five years, basketball courts, some previously in disrepair or disuse, have been frequent canvases for public art. The work, from famous creators like Solomon as well as nonprofit organizations and art collectives, uses the courts to comment on the interconnected dynamics of race, class, and changing communities.

Artists say they’re drawn to basketball as inspiration because of the game itself—a sport described as a universally accessible, race-indifferent platform.

For other artists, that functionality—the opportunity to produce a useful public resource —is as important as the aesthetics (美感). DanPeterson is founding director of Project Backboard, an organization that changes old basketball courts into eye-catching murals (壁画) that double as durable public recreation spaces.

Since its founding in 2014, Project Backboard has made more than 20 courts active, using work by 17 artists, in locations around the US including Memphis, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. Repairs are done with the same material used to repair public tennis courts, ensuring they will hold up for years to come.

“The thing about the sport and the court itself is that it is indifferent to class or race or background of people it’s surrounded by,” says Vannatter. “These are meaningful contributions of public art in places that maybe would never have access to art.”

1. What inspired Solomon’s filling in the cracks of a basketball court?

A．The return of the NBA season.	B．An ancient method of repairing gold.
C．The Japanese craft of kintsugi.	D．The way to hide weak points.

2. What did artists do with the abandoned basketball courts?

A．Repair them to be the same as before.

B．Transform them into art works to appreciate.

C．Pull them down to make room for museums.

D．Rebuild them for basketball fans to play there.

3. Why were artists attracted by basketball?

A．Because basketball was a universally accessible platform.

B．Because basketball was more important than other sports.

C．Because too many abandoned basketball courts need repairing.

D．Because they liked to play basketball when they were young.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．Abandoned basketball courts are used to store goods.

B．Old basketball courts are painted into murals for profits.

C．Old basketball courts are served as public recreation spaces.

D．More and more artists tend to get inspiration from old objects.

7 . A new drug-delivery system could replace needles with puffs (股) of air. Gassensmith studies bioengineering at the University of Texas. His team’s new tech goes beyond patient comfort, though. The device quickly delivers drugs without touching the bloodstream. And that could reduce the risk of spreading disease. He tested it out on his own arm. “I could feel it, but it wasn’t painful,” he reports.

The technology works by blowing in a puff of air through the skin. That gas carries a powder made of tiny bits of vaccine (疫苗) wrapped in metallic crystals (晶体). The crystal coating is really strong, Gassensmith says. As a result, the vaccine powder does not have to be refrigerated while stored. The air contains carbon dioxide, or CO₂. Once in the body, the CO₂ that carries the powder will mix with water. It creates a weak acid that breaks down the crystal cover. Released, the vaccine bits are then able to enter the bloodstream.

This gas-based drug-delivery system is an upgrade over previous ones. For instance, adjusting the gas that carries the vaccine powder can customize how fast the tiny crystal capsules release the drug. Testing showed that the drug released fastest when delivered with carbon dioxide. Plain air led to a slower, gentler release. Vaccines work best when released slowly. That allows them longer contact with the immune(免疫) system. But the team hopes the device could work for other medicines too. And some medicines must be released quickly. One such example is insulin, a crucial drug for many people with diabetes.

Fear of needles keeps many people from getting vaccinations. Gassensmith is optimistic that this new system might get around that. Future research must ensure that gas-delivered vaccines build immunity to disease as expected, said Weniger, a doctor, who studied vaccine technology for 30 years for the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1. What can we learn about the new drug-delivery system from paragraph 1?

A．It causes the loss of feeling.	B．It improves the use of needle.
C．It cares about patient comfort.	D．It blocks the spread of disease.

2. What is the function of the crystals?

A．To create a weak acid.	B．To absorb carbon dioxide.
C．To clean the bloodstream.	D．To contain the vaccine.

3. What is the advantage of the upgraded drug-delivery system?

A．Flexibility.

B．Durability.

C．High speed.

D．Gentle release.

4. What should the future study focus on according to Weniger?

A．The effectiveness of gas-based vaccines.	B．The acceptance of getting vaccinations.
C．The influence of vaccine on disease control.	D．The operation of the new drug-delivery system.

8 . When you try a new restaurant or book a hotel, do you consider the online reviews? Do you submit online reviews yourself? Do you pay attention if they are filtered (过滤)? Does that impact your own online review submissions?

In 2010, Yelp shared a video to help users understand how its review filter works and why it was necessary. In recently published research, T. Ravichandran, Ph. D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and his team compared reviews of over 1,000 restaurants on Yelp to those same restaurants on TripAdvisor, which did not openly share its review filter policies. They found that the number of reviews submitted to Yelp decreased. Those submissions were increasingly negative and shorter in length compared to TripAdvisor. Also, the more positive a review, the shorter it was.

“Platforms are pressured to have content guidelines and take measures to prevent fraud (欺诈) and ensure that reviews are reliable and helpful,” said Ravichandran. Platforms use advanced software to flag and filter reviews. Once a review is flagged, it is filtered out and not displayed, and it is not factored into the overall rating for a business. “However, most platforms do not openly disclose their policies, leading consumers to suspect that reviews are controlled to increase profit by filtering so-called dishonest content,” Ravichandran added.

Whether or not to disclose review filters is a critical decision for platforms with many considerations. Users may put less time and effort into their reviews if they suspect that they have a significant chance of being filtered, or they may do the opposite to make their reviews less likely to be filtered. Since most false reviews are overly positive, users may assume that positive reviews are most likely to be filtered and act accordingly.

“Review moderation(审核) openness comes at a cost,”said Ravichandran. “Although openness helps to position a platform as fair toward advertisers, the resultant decrease in the number of reviews submitted impacts the platform’s usefulness to consumers.” Online reviews pose great opportunity for firms, but also raise complex questions. Platforms must earn the trust of users without sacrificing engagement.

1. What did Ravichandran’s research find?

A．Positive submissions to Yelp went up.

B．TripAdvisor adopted better filter policies.

C．Reviews on TripAdvisor dropped in number.

D．Yelp’s practice discouraged longer reviews.

2. Why do platforms use advanced software for reviews?

A．To increase net profit.	B．To protect user privacy.
C．To guarantee review reliability.	D．To improve business reputation.

3. What does the underlined word “they” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Users.

B．Reviews.

C．Considerations.

D．Platforms.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Enhance User Trust Through Review Moderation

B．To Filter Online Reviews? Think Before You Start

C．How Review Moderation Openness Shapes User Conduct

D．Online Reviews: Filter the Fraud, But Don’t Tell Us How

9 . The best way to really see a city is to explore it slowly by walking around. It’s easy, healthy, and also benefits the environment. When on foot, you can do as the locals do. Here’s what you can find under your own steam.

Best for families: Planetenweg, Zurich

The 2,854 ft-tall, forest-covered peak that towers from Zurich’s doorstep is the envy of every European city. To get there, try the four-mile, two-hour-long route on Planetenweg. This family-friendly wander cuts in and out of spruce forests and gives you a proper flavour of being up in the mountains without ever actually leaving the city.

Best for arty vistas: Ekebergparken, Oslo

Come at sunrise or sunset, when the sky blazes above shining fjords (峡湾) and transforms the dark, rocky islands into shadows, and you can see why Oslo’s Ekebergparken inspired Munch to paint The Scream. Starting at the Ekebergparken Museum, the two-mile sculpture trail (小道) winds through pine, fir and ash forest, where plenty of phenomenal works of art await—Dalí’s surrealist Venus de Milo with Drawers and Damien Hirst’s Anatomy of an Angel among them.

Best for getting off the beaten track: Vienna Ugly, Vienna

The guided walks led by locals across Vienna dive into neighbourhoods that are off the usual tourist trail. Among them is Vienna Ugly, a 2.5-hour wander through Leopoldstadt and Innere Stadt. At the end of the tour, you’ll vote on which of the city’s buildings are the ugliest. Tours from £9.

Best for architecture: Ørestad, Copenhagen

Copenhagen rode high as World Capital of Architecture 2023. A guided walk with the Danish Architecture Center throw you in at the architectural deep end for 2.5 hours, taking you to Copenhagen’s Ørestad neighbourhood on the island of Amager. From £18.

1. What attracts travelers to Planetenweg?

A．Mountains.

B．Local flavour.

C．Art works.

D．Architecture.

2. Which of the following best suits sculpture-lovers?

A．Planetenweg, Zurich,	B．Ekebergparken, Oslo.
C．Vienna Ugly, Vienna.	D．Ørestad, Copenhagen.

3. What do the walks in Vienna and Copenhagen have in common?

A．They are free of charge.	B．They feature a voting activity.
C．They are guided tours.	D．They go deep into the forests.

10 . The Surprising Strength of “Weak” Social Ties

It’s long been known that a community of supportive relationships improves our quality of life and can even help us recover from illness.     1    . Regularly interacting with a wide variety of social ties, both “weak” and “strong”, enhances our satisfaction. A rich diversity of ties provides more significant benefits to well-being, and “weak” social ties can prove just as important to life satisfaction as core, or “strong” ties.     2    . There you can find the people who cheer, serve, support, comfort, educate, motivate, and entertain you.

Claire gets cheered up by going to the library and chatting with her favorite librarian every week. Sherry gets great joy from her Sunday breakfasts at a local diner because the manager and her favorite waitress are nice to her.     3    . I remember discussing Anna Karenina on an airplane with a wise economics professor, and finding meaningful moments of joy with street musicians and performers.

    4    . When you show kindness to a stranger, your seemingly small act might stay in their memory as a source of support and positivity. Everyone needs to feel significant in the eyes of another. You could be that person for someone in your extended circle. That’s why it’s so important to reach out to people around you, especially when they’re going through hard times.

When we feel blue or lonely, we tend to turn down social engagements, either to avoid the imagined embarrassment of being the only sad person in a group or because socializing with people we don’t know well can be awkward at first.     5    . Being open to both our strong and weak ties allows us to benefit from the comfort, connection, and community they provide.

A．All of those connections matter — and so do you

B．Harvard researcher Hanne Collins discovered something new

C．Even those we meet only once can leave a lasting impression

D．Our shared kindness and familiarity offer me a sense of community

E．Interacting with the weak ties encourages us to behave more professionally

F．But saying yes, despite the hesitation, offers an opportunity to feel less lonely

G．So notice, pay attention to, and be grateful for your big, wide world of loose social ties