1 . What kind of people can become scientists? When a group of researchers posed that question to ninth-and 10th-graders, almost every student gave such responses as “People who work hard” or “Anyone who seems interested in the field of science.”
Many of these same students struggled to imagine themselves as scientists, citing concerns such as “I’m not good at science” and “Even if I work hard, I will not do well.” It’s easy for them to see a scientist’s work as arising from an inborn talent.
But for high school students, learning more about some struggles of scientists can help students feel more motivated to learn science. Researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University and the University of Washington designed an intervention to change students’ beliefs that scientific achievement depends on ability rather than effort by exposing students to stories of how accomplished scientists struggled and overcame challenges in their scientific efforts.
During the study, the students read one of three types of stories about Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Michael Faraday. Intellectual(智力的)struggle stories: stories about how scientists “struggled intellectually,” such as making mistakes while addressing a scientific problem and learning from them. Life struggle stories: stories about how scientists struggled in their personal lives, such as not giving up in the face of poverty or lack of family support. Achievement stories: stories about how scientists made great discoveries, without any discussion of coexisting challenges.
Researchers found that students who heard either type of “struggle stories” improved their science performance after-intervention, compared to students in the control group. The effect was especially pronounced for lower performing students, for whom exposure to struggling stories led to significantly better science-class performance than low-performing students who read achievement stories. In addition, students who read struggle stories reported feeling more personally connected to the scientists. By recognizing a scientist’s struggles and introducing the growth mindset he or she applied to accomplish great works, the students were able to empathize(共情)with the scientists during their own struggles.
1. Why do students fail to imagine themselves as scientists?| A．They lack interest in science. | B．They are short of confidence |
| C．They don’t have inborn talent. | D．They have no ability to study science |
| A．To introduce some inspirational stories to students. |
| B．To expose students to scientists’ great achievements. |
| C．To ensure students will become scientists in the future. |
| D．To clear students’ misunderstandings of scientific work. |
| A．minimal | B．noticeable | C．doubtful | D．long-lasting |
| A．Science ability has nothing to do with efforts. |
| B．Students are more motivated by achievement stories. |
| C．Scientists’ struggle stories can influence readers’ beliefs. |
| D．Low-performing students tend to feel connected to scientists. |
2 . Rick Guidotti put aside his career as a fashion photographer to turn his lens to people living with genetic, physical and behavioral differences.
He says what changed his perception of beauty was a chance encounter with an albino (患白化病的) girl. “I was just tired of people telling me who was beautiful. Every season that face would change but I was always told who was beautiful. As an artist, I don’t see beauty just on covers of magazines. I see it everywhere. So that was my original intention—that opened my eyes a little wider and wider.”
Guidotti has created Positive Exposure, a not-for-profit organization that uses photography and video to transform public perceptions and promote a world where differences are celebrated. Guidotti and Positive Exposure are featured in a new documentary called On Beauty.
One of the women featured in the film is Jayne Waithera. “I never thought I was beautiful because nobody said that to me, but meeting him was my profound moment. I remember that particular day. He took my picture and I felt so good like I felt there’s somebody who, like, really loves me and sees me for who I am and who sees me more than my condition.”
Guidotti is traveling from city to city to promote On Beauty. He says his tour is not about money; it’s about the message. “As I travel from community to community,I’m taking photographs and I’m empowering individuals with a positive sense of who they are. They’re seeing beauty in their reflection but I’m also empowering their families and they in turn are empowering their communities as well. All is based on the philosophy of change—how you see, how you change.”
1. Why did Guidotti change his career?| A．Because he wanted to create his own company. |
| B．Because the beauty on covers of magazines is not beautiful. |
| C．Because he couldn’t earn enough money from his former career. |
| D．Because his comprehension of beauty changed owing to an albino girl. |
| A．It makes the public more beautiful. |
| B．It brings a lot of money for Guidotti. |
| C．It welcomes differences in the world. |
| D．It makes photography more popular. |
| A．Jayne was beautiful indeed. |
| B．Jayne’s picture was more beautiful than herself. |
| C．It was unfair that nobody discovered Jayne’s beauty. |
| D．Photographs gave Jayne a positive sense of who she was. |
| A．We should travel frequently. |
| B．Communities have a great influence on everyone. |
| C．We should make contributions to our community. |
| D．Your attitude to seeing the world decides your behavior. |
3 . China’s second national botanical (植物学的) garden, South China National Botanical Garden, was set up in Guangzhou on July 11th, 2022.
With a total of 319 hectares of core functional area planned, the new national botanical garden was built based on South China Botanical Garden. It spans Guangzhou and Zhaoqing, two cities in Guangdong Province.
The South China National Botanical Garden aims to strengthen the conservation, scientific research and knowledge broadcasting of tropical (热带的) and subtropical (亚热带的) plants. The garden has three research centers, two national-level field stations and three key laboratories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. There are 17, 168 protected plants, 643 rare and endangered plants, and 337 national key wild protected plants in the garden at present.
The garden will participate in plant diversity protection both in China and the world and achieve the conservation goal of 20, 000 species. Meanwhile, it aims to play a world-leading role in collection and storage of living plants, among which 6, 000 species are economic plants.
Besides, 95 percent of rare and endangered plants in South China will be effectively protected, thus to provide plant resources for green development.
China is one of the countries in the world with the richest biodiversity, having more than 37, 000 known species of higher plants, accounting for about one tenth of the world’s total.
The South China National Botanical Garden, together with the national botanical garden in Beijing, has formed a system of collection and complete the retention of wild plant groups, which is helpful to maintain the country’s plant diversity.
1. What can be inferred about South China National Botanical Garden?| A．It is well equipped. | B．It only offers service for research. |
| C．It has become a popular scenic spot. | D．It is the largest national botanical garden. |
| A．They are dying out sharply. |
| B．Most of them will be protected well. |
| C．They will be used to improve economic development. |
| D．Most of them are transplanted to botanical gardens. |
| A．Development. | B．Comparison. | C．Preservation. | D．Improvement. |
| A．A Garden For Collecting And Studying Plants |
| B．A Novel Way To Strengthen Plant Conservation |
| C．China’s Various Environmental Protection |
| D．China’s Second National Botanical Garden |
4 . The State of Colorado has four of the best parks out of the 58 national parks in the United States. The parks have some of the best scenery of all the national parks.
Black Canyon (峡谷) of Gunnison National Park
This park offers the most breathtaking views from up in the mountains into the canyons below. While exploring the canyons, you will find that the walls drop nearly straight down into the narrow valleys of the snake-like rivers below. Visitors are offered more than 100 camping sites, and a lot of bird species and many animals are native to the area.
Rocky Mountain National Park
It is the only national park in the north central region in the state of Colorado. Elevations in this park are anywhere from 8,000 feet to 14,259 feet at the top of Longs Peak. While traveling throughout this park you will notice two very different climates because of the difference the upper peaks of the Rocky Mountains make. You can enjoy 359 miles of hiking trails, a lot of places for camping, horse-back riding and beautiful scenery.
Mesa Verde National Park
This is probably the most interesting national park, offering a fascinating trip back in time to 600 AD up to 1300 AD．This park was declared a protected national park in 1906 because of the cliff dwellings(住所) that were found throughout the area, which were once home to American Indians. Many of these dwellings can be walked through, while you imagine what each room may have been used for so many years ago.
Great Sand Dunes (沙丘) National Park
The Great Sand Dunes National Park lies in south central Colorado, about 127 miles from Pueblo. This park has the tallest sand dunes in all of North America and has trails for hiking. The natural sandy beaches around the small rivers and lakes are good for swimmers.
1. What’s the most breathtaking thing in the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park?| A．The animals. | B．The walls. |
| C．The hiking trails. | D．The camping sites. |
| A．the Mesa Verde National Park |
| B．the Rocky Mountain National Park |
| C．the Great Sand Dunes National Park |
| D．the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park |
| A．Telling people some traveling information in Colorado. |
| B．Persuading people to visit Colorado when in America. |
| C．Introducing the best four parks in Colorado to people. |
| D．Showing people which park is the best of the four in Colorado. |
5 . Ai-Da sits behind a desk, a paintbrush in her hand. She looks up at the person posing for her, and then back down as she applies another drop of paint onto the canvas(画布). A lifelike portrait is taking shape. If you didn’t know a robot produced it, this portrait could pass as the work of a human artist.
Ai-Da produces portraits of sitting subjects using a robotic hand attached to her lifelike figure. She’s also able to talk, giving detailed answers to questions about her artistic process and attitudes towards technology. She even gave a TEDx talk titled “The Intersection of Art and AI” in Oxford several years ago. Ai-Da’s creators have also been experimenting with having her write and perform her own poetry.
But how are we to interpret Ai-Da’s output? Should we consider her paintings and poetry original and creative? Are these works actually art?
What discussions about AI and creativity often overlook is the fact that creativity isn’t an absolute quality that can be defined, measured and reproduced objectively. When we describe an object-for instance, a child’s drawing—as being creative, we project our own assumptions about culture onto it. Indeed, art never exists in isolation. It always needs someone to give it “art” status. And the criteria for whether you think something is art are formed by both your expectations and broader cultural conceptions.
If we extend this line of thinking to AI, it follows that no Al application or robot can objectively be “creative”. It is always we—humans—that decide whether works created by AI are art.
Some may see robot-produced paintings as something coming from creative computers, while others may be skeptical, given the fact that robots act on clear human instructions. In any case, attribution (归属)of creativity never depends on technical arrangement alone—no computer is objectively creative. Rather, the attribution of computational creativity is largely inspired by contexts of reception. Through particular social information, some people are inspired to think of AI output as art, systems as artists, and computers as creators. Therefore, as with any piece of art, your appreciation of AI output ultimately depends on your own interpretation.
1. What can we learn about Ai-Da?| A．She has a complex many-sided personality | B．She beat others in the debate on art and AI. |
| C．She is capable of drawing high-quality portraits. | D．She can write poems without being programmed. |
| A．That art is content-based. | B．That art can take many forms. |
| C．That creativity is closely related to cultures. | D．That creativity is often measured subjectively. |
| A．Every coin has two sides. | B．Great minds think alike. |
| C．Four eyes see more than two. | D．Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. |
| A．Is AI-created Art Really Art? | B．Will People Accept AI Artists? |
| C．Can We Use AI to Create Portraits? | D．Do We Need to Improve AI’s Creativity? |
6 . Even though water covers about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, not all of it is safe to drink. In fact, less than three percent is fresh water, according to the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Most of the water is contained in the oceans and must be desalinated (脱盐)for use. Now researchers from MIT have developed a suitcase-sized desalination device that could be used to produce clean drinking water.
The new portable device produces water that actually goes beyond the World Health Organization standards, just by pushing a button, according to a press release from MIT. There are no filters required. The device powered by a small portable solar panel uses electricity to remove salt and other particles from the saltwater. This eliminates the need for repeatedly checking or repairing it.
Now most available portable desalination units use filters that require high-pressure pumps to push the water, which makes them heavier and less energy efficient. The filterless feature of the new device will allow it to be used in faraway places or places with limited resources like small islands and ships, and even for emergencies.
“This is really the highest point of a 10-year journey that I and my group have been on. We worked for years on the physics behind individual desalination processes, but pushing all those advances into a box, building a system, and testing it in the ocean were really meaningful experiences for me,” says Jongyoon Han, the senior author of the study.
After the researchers ran tests in the lab, the device was ready for field tests. At Boston’s Carson Beach, the device filled a plastic drinking cup with clear, drinkable water in just half an hour. Now the researchers are still working on a final design that could use cheaper materials so that it can be available to the general public, and a new model of the device could be ready by the end of 2022. This small but powerful desalination unit may be the key to bringing safe water to a thirsty world.
1. What does the underlined word “eliminates” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Proves. | B．Creates. | C．Satisfies. | D．Removes. |
| A．It allows high production of clean water. | B．It makes a breakthrough in application |
| C．It may provide power for faraway places | D．It can replace most desalination devices. |
| A．The public thinks highly of the device |
| B．The testing system for the device has been out of date. |
| C．Developing the device is challenging but worthwhile. |
| D．Further studies are needed before marketing the device. |
| A．Its affordability. | B．The energy it needs. |
| C．Its performance in dry areas. | D．The purity of the water it produces. |
7 . The scene of nearly 30 bikers queuing up at a young girl’s lemonade stand is remarkable on its own. But the heartwarming story behind this moment is even more touching. It involves the girl and her mother helping several of the motorcyclists out after an accident last year.
It was September 2 when Daryn Sturch, a nurse, and her daughter Bryanne, came across an accident involving several motorcyclists from the Milwaukee Iron. Sturch quickly jumped into action. She did the best she could to comfort them and keep them awake and calm. All five bikers involved in the crash had suffered severe injuries.
After the accident, Sturch began receiving thank-you messages from some bikers associated with the Milwaukee Iron.They sent Sturch updates on the recovery of those injured, and have kept in touch with her ever since.
Fast forward to nearly a year later, when Bryanne, 8, decided to set up a lemonade stand to raise money to buy equipment for her horse. Her mom announced the sale on Facebook. A biker saw the post and commented, asking whether there would be a good place to park motorcycles if some club members were to stop by. But Sturch never expected to see nearly 30bikers come over to the stand. “My daughter was over-the-moon excited,” she says. “She thinks they’re the nicest people in the world.” The stand also provided a place for reunion between Sturch and the motorcyclists she’d aided, some of whom she hadn’t seen since the accident. The moment she reconnected with a rider called Lumpy brought tears to her eyes. “I remember trying to help him and him telling me ‘I’m fine. Please check on and take care of the others,’” Sturch recalled.
1. What happened on September 2 last year?| A．Bryanne decided to start her own lemonade stand. |
| B．Daryn Sturch took part in Milwaukee Iron’s activity. |
| C．Some motorcyclists were seriously injured in an accident. |
| D．Daryn Sturch was called in to treat some injured motorcyclists. |
| A．From a website. | B．From a group of bikers. |
| C．Through his friend’s comment. | D．Through contact with Daryn Sturch. |
| A．Moved. | B．Appreciative. | C．Puzzled. | D．Surprised. |
| A．He always came to her daughter’s aid. | B．He volunteered to help treat the injured. |
| C．He cared about others despite his own injury. | D．He did his best to comfort the injured motorcyclists. |
8 . Four Historic American Theatres
Today, theatres remain a key part of a city’s lifeblood. The following are four historic theatres in America.
Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
The Pantages Theatre, which now seats 1,014, opened in 1916 as part of Alexander Pantages’s well-known group of theatres. It was designed by the local firm Kees and Colburn. In 1922, the theatres was rebuilt by Scottish theatres architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca. After going through several owners, in 1984, it was closed and remained unopened until 1996. Some theatre supporters had it repaired and improved, resulting in its reopening in 2002.
Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA
New Orleans’s Saenger Theatre was built two years before the Great Depression, in 1927, and cost a then unheard-of $ 2.5 million. It was designed by Emile Weil, featuring a 15th-century Florentine courtyard and gardens, and Greek and Roman statues. Although the theatre was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, after a $ 53 million renovation (修葺), it reopened in 2013.
Thalian Hall, Wilmington, NC
Thalian Hall has been in almost continuous use since its opening in 1858. It is the only surviving theatre designed by John Montague Trimble, one of America’s foremost 19th-century theatre architects, and originally housed the town government, a library, as well as an “Opera House”, seating 1, 000 people. Some repairs in 1909 led to the removal of the side balconies and the installation of electric stage lights.
Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI
It was originally opened as a movie palace in 1928, and the silent movies it showed were accompanied by a $ 90, 000 Robert Morton organ. After several decades, the theatre suffered from the increased popularity of television, as well as damage by two hurricanes. Over the past decade and a half, it has undergone extensive renovations and modernization.
1. What can we know about the Pantages Theatre?| A．It has a seating capacity of 1, 916. | B．It will be turned into a movie house. |
| C．It was designed by Alexander Pantages. | D．It was once shut down for over a decade. |
| A．Pantages Theatre. | B．Saenger Theatre. | C．Thalian Hall. | D．Providence Performing Arts Center |
| A．They went through major renovations. |
| B．They were hit by terrible natural disasters. |
| C．They were built by American theatre architects. |
| D．They belong o Alexander Pantages’s group of theatres. |
9 . That youngsters were glued to online games on their smart phones was a great concern for Ngurang Meena, a school teacher in Nirjuli.The 30yearold social science teacher, who ran the Ngurang Learning Institute, an adult literacy centre, said that she felt disheartened when she read student papers.“The graph of student performance is falling every year.It breaks my heart whenever I see answer sheets — basic grammar skills are missing and there’s an absence of any cohesive (连贯的) expression.They lack guidance and their reading culture is almost zero,” Meena said.When her school and the centre she ran had to close due to infectious diseases, she planned to do something to address the problem.
Inspired by a similar proposal in Mizoram, Meena set up a bookshelf with around 80 books as well as some benches on the side of the road in Nirjuli on 30 August 2020, where passersby could spend time reading.The selections included motivational books, biographies and novels as well as comics for young children.“I have to please the minors with sweets to sit and read, but that is okay,” she laughed.
Meena’s bookshelf became a hit among youngsters who spent hours in the reading corner.Within two months, her effort became the talk of the town.
Now, generous contributions of books come in from the public and she is even receiving requests to set up such libraries in other parts of the state, including one in the capital, Itanagar.Since the tiny libraries are far from the main town, she also lends books out to those who want to read at home.
“I never thought that this would become such a big inspiration,” Meena said.“Since childhood, we have been told that books are our best friends.The next generation of kids is focused on games and other things.I don’t want them to head on the wrong track,” she added.
1. What’s the aim of Meena’s reading program?| A．To care for youngsters lacking in reading. |
| B．To help adults learn some cohesive expression. |
| C．To keep Ngurang Learning Institute running well. |
| D．To highlight the importance of reading for adults. |
| A．She offered some rewards to them. |
| B．She provided them with transportation. |
| C．She chose novels with beautiful covers. |
| D．She selected books covering every category. |
| A．Small and useless. |
| B．Influential and meaningful. |
| C．Large but impractical. |
| D．Widespread but unwelcome. |
| A．Books：Sources of Knowledge |
| B．The Roadside Reading Corner |
| C．The Library：an Ideal place for the Young |
| D．New Ideas about Setting a Reading Plan |
10 . People will tell you the only way to really learn a language is to completely immerse(浸入)yourself in a country where that language is spoken. Not all language learners, of course, will have the opportunity to spend some time in an immersion environment. But if you can't actually fly across the world to learn a new language, you can always create an immersion environment where you can talk to native speakers.
That's where Babbel comes in. Babbel is one of the most popular language learning apps on the market for studying new languages at your own pace. The app emphasises real-life conversational skills, so you won't be stopped by grammatical structures and verb patterns.
And right now, you can get 15%off a lifetime subscription (订阅)to Babbel Language Learning（$150; stacksocial. com）.A lifetime subscription is huge when it comes to getting the most out of the app, since you'll be able to return to lessons time and time again and brush up on whichever section or topic you might need.
So how does it all work? First, you'll choose one of the 14 languages. While Babbel offers familiar languages like Spanish and Italian, it also offers less commonly studied ones like Polish, Indonesian and more. Once you pick your language, you'll choose a wide range of real-life topics. Each course takes about 10 to 15 minutes, so you can pick one up on the way to work, during your lunch break, or really at any point you have some time to kill.
Beyond this, Babbel includes a ton of additional features tailored to making sure you learn the language in a real, practical and accurate way. The app uses speech recognition technology to make sure your pronunciation is accurate compared with how native speakers would say certain words.
1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly tell us?| A．The terrifying experiences of travelling. | B．The importance of language learning environment. |
| C．Different ways to learn a new language. | D．Opportunities to communicate with native speakers. |
| A．It's a tool for learning languages. | B．It is designed in various types. |
| C．It focuses more on grammar structures. | D．It's the most popular app in the market. |
| A．Choose the place to learn a course. | B．Pick the language they want to learn. |
| C．Calculate the reading time. | D．Choose a proper topic. |
| A．To represent its additional features. | B．To meet the needs of native speakers. |
| C．To compare differences between words. | D．To make the pronunciation correct. |
