A. smoothing B. remain C. switched D. likelihood E. impact F. tip G. broadly H. headed I. booming J. positioning K. reliably |
Sea-level rise predictions
A team of University of Idaho scientists is studying a fast-moving glacier in Alaska in hopes of developing better predictions on how quickly global sea levels will rise.
Tim Bartholomaus, a professor in the Department of Geography and Geological Sciences, spent several weeks on Turner Glacier in Alaska’s southeastern
A surging glacier is defined,
During Turner’s surges, the mass of ice and rock will increase its speed from roughly 3 feet a day to 65 feet per day.
All of that is important because glaciers falling into the ocean are a major contributor to sea level rise, and current climate change models don’t
Glacial movement has something to do with water running underneath the glacier. Glaciers are full of holes, and water runs through those holes. When the water pressure is high underneath a glacier, it starts to move, partly because it’s lifting the mass of ice and rock off the ground and partly because it’s
But how exactly does that water move through the glacier, and how does the movement
Bartholomaus, some graduate students and researchers from Boise State University,
A. contributors B. publisher C. conferences D. alternatives E. chalked F. passive G. general H. inherited I. completely J. duly K. order |
Textbooks
Textbooks represent an 11 billion dollar industry, up from $8 billion in 2014. Textbook publisher Pearson is the largest
It is true that textbook publishers have recently reported losses, largely due to students renting or buying used print textbooks. But this can be
Today’s psychology texts, for example, ask: “How much of your personality do you think you
3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. unanticipated B. moments C. evolved D. basically E. explored F. clearly G. navigate H. rituals I. integral J. access K. inspiring |
Boat of Power
Dragon boat racing began in China more than 2,000 years ago as part of a cultural community event to memorize the ancient poet, Qu Yuan. The traditional holiday was a time to perform
The Toronto-based Dragons Abreast team stands out at this sport for a few reasons. For one, the79-member team includes people ranging in age from 30 to 93. Prior to joining Dragons Abreast, some members hadn’t been part of a sports team since childhood and wouldn’t have described themselves as particularly athletic ones. And what has brought these women together is something
The breast cancer survivors on this team are in the same boat in every way. For many, being part of a community that knows
“I was so surprised at how
Being out on the water and connecting to the environment is an important aspect of dragon boating for many of the team members. They talk about how it provides
A.normally B. boost C. sustain D. gains E. assessing F. substantially G. efforts H. mixed I. surprising J. anticipate K. assigned |
Your Social-Media Detoxes (脱瘾治疗) Probably Aren’t Helping You
We’ve all heard the supposed benefits of unplugging from digital devices, even for 24 hours. Such breaks are said to
The researchers recruited 600 undergraduate students in three places: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. All participants were randomly
Even short social-media breaks can be hard to
5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A.attractive B.bothered C.building D.contrasts E.crossed F.demonstrates G.dramatically H.greyed I.instrumental J.sustaining K.vividly |
A Review on Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man known as “the father of the atomic(原子的) bomb”. As a drama about genius, pride and error, it
Oppenheimer is a great achievement, partly because it
The story tracks Oppenheimer across decades, starting in the 1920s with him as a young adult and continuing until his hair
The path of Oppenheimer’s life
François Truffaut once wrote that “war films, even those who support peace, even the best, willingly or not, present wars in a certain
A. housed B. overcome C. mounting D. distress E. marveling F. instrument G. chain H. facilitate I. pilot J. confused K. striking |
Unlocking The Vatican Museums
Gianni Crea has, almost every morning for the past decade, unlocked the doors to the Vatican Museums. He has seen the splendor of the Sistine Chapel and admired the textures of ancient Egypt. “Yes, I’m a key keeper. But the doors I open are the ones to the history of art, and it’s here that exists the biggest and most beautiful history in the world,” says Crea.
The Vatican Museums have
“In the difficult current context the world is experiencing, in which sadness and
There is also
“Everyone can find something beautiful and moving here,” says Crea, who always welcomes travelers from around the world to accompany him during his morning routine on select dates. “The Vatican Museums will give you an understanding of art and history regardless of your faith.”
7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. advantage B. anticipating C. digitally D. facilitating E. geometry F. giant G. initiated H. painstakingly I. potentially J. reopened K. sought |
How Digital Modeling Plays a Key Role in Restoring the Notre Dame Cathedral (巴黎圣母院)
It’s been more than four years since a fire damaged Notre Dame, the Catholic cathedral in Paris that’s historically drawn millions of visitors every year.
Since then, people from around the world have united to support an effort,
But the builders, architects and engineers do have the
“It allows you to really understand a lot of how a building fits together, how it’s constructed,” says Andrew Anagnost, CEO of design software
It was a complex process. Onsite workers captured the point-by-point 3D
“It’s like Mission: Impossible when they plan,” says Nicolas Mangon, VP of architecture, engineering and construction industry strategy at Autodesk. “Every little piece is done
Even when the cathedral is
A. objected B. choices C. inequality D. combination E. paid F. respond G. personality H. fade I. reduce J. inherited K. environmental |
What makes us happy?
You probably know the type of personality in some people: they seem to be hopeful in almost everything. Are they simply born happy? Is it the product of their environment? Or does it come from their life decisions?
If you are familiar with genetics research, you will have guessed that it is a
To put this in context, the heritability of IQ is thought to be around 80%, so
Interestingly, many important life
Parenthood is even more complex. For decades, social scientists have found that people with children at home are significantly less happy than those without. More recent research, however, suggests that there are important regional differences.
Analyses show that these differences can be almost completely explained by variations in
Our life satisfaction, then, is shaped by our genes, health, economic prospects, relationships and the culture around us. While many of these things may be beyond your control, there is now good evidence that certain psychological strategies will help you to
A. characteristics B. diverse C. employ D. function E. issue F. integration G. hit H. military I. potential J. schemes K. wearers |
Future Fashion: Biometric Bodysuits
A team of the Applied NanoBioscience Center at Arizona State University has built prototypes (原型) of biometric bodysuits. They can detect chemical attacks, deliver drugs to their
Frederic Zenhausern, director of the Applied NanoBioscience Center at ASU, has joined with Ghassan Jabbour, a professor at the University of Arizona, to develop two prototypes of “biometric bodysuits” that contain embedded sensors, power sources, microfluidic devices and other gadgets not normally associated with the latest Paris fashions. Such “smart” clothing could
The civilian Chameleon will have somewhat different
Another possibility would be to download different designs from the Internet so the fabric could change colors and patterns, Zenhausern said. And it could all be made to look stylish by the
A. airflows B. block C. challenges D. cool E. critically F. disproportionately G. principles H. reduces I. sensitive J. site-specific K. stretches |
Skywell
A skywell, or “tian jin”, as it is commonly called, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. Skywells were designed to reduce temperature in buildings well before air-conditioning existed. When wind blows above a skywell house, it can enter the indoor space through the opening. Because outdoor air is often cooler than indoor air, the incoming wind travels down the walls to the lower stories and creates
The main purpose of a skywell is to allow in light, improve ventilation (通风) and harvest rainwater. In Huizhou, a skywell is small but tall, and the rooms around it
Architects are now looking towards the
Ancient “green wisdom” such as skywells continue to inspire today’s climate adaptive design and innovations in methods that depend on design and technology to
However, there are some