1 . Today, poetry and science are often considered to be mutually exclusive(互相排斥)career paths. But that wasn’t always the case. The mathematician Ada Lovelace and the physicist James Clerk Maxwell were both accomplished poets. The poet John Keats was a licensed surgeon. Combining the two practices fell out of favor in the 1800s. But translating research into lyrics, haiku, and other poetic forms is resurging(再现)among scientists as they look for alternative ways to inspire others with their findings.
“Poetry is a great tool for questioning the world,” says Sam Illingworth, a poet and a geoscientist who works at the University of Western Australia. Through workshops and a new science-poetry journal, called Consilience, Illingworth is helping scientists to translate their latest results into poems that can attract appreciation from those outside of their immediate scientific field.
Stephany Mazon, a scientist from the University of Helsinki in Finland, joined one of Illingworth’s workshops. In the workshop, she was grouped with other scientists and tasked with writing a haiku, a 17-syllable-long poem, which spotlighted water, a fluid that featured in all of the group members’ research projects. “It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly easy to write the poem,” Mazon says. She plans to continue writing. “We do a disservice(伤害)to ourselves to think that scientists can’t be artistic and that art can’t be used to communicate scientific ideas,” Mazon says.
That viewpoint is echoed by Illingworth, who thinks science communication initiatives are too often dominated by public lectures with their hands-off PowerPoint slides. “Actually, when science communication involves writing and sharing poems, it invites a two-way dialogue between experts and nonexperts,” he says. Scientist-poet Manjula Silva, an educator at Imperial College London, agrees. Poetry provides a way to translate complex scientific concepts into a language that everyone can understand, Silva says.
Scientists and poets are both trying to understand the world and communicate that understanding with others. The distinction between scientists and poets is less than people might think. We’re all just people with hopefully really interesting things to say and to share.
1. What is the purpose of mentioning the celebrities in paragraph 1?| A．To display they were talented. |
| B．To confirm they were out of favor. |
| C．To encourage different career paths. |
| D．To show poetry and science can be combined. |
| A．Promote a new science-poetry journal. |
| B．Inspire outsiders to pursue their careers in science. |
| C．Encourage science communication through poems. |
| D．Get scientists to exchange ideas about the latest research. |
| A．Conventional. | B．Effective. | C．Innovative. | D．Complex. |
| A．Scientists Take on Poetry |
| B．Scientists and Poets Think Alike |
| C．Poetry: A Great Tool to Question the World |
| D．Science Communication: A Two-way Dialogue |
2 . It is that time of the year, when a handful of world’s leading scholars, social activists and researchers are rewarded with what is often cited as the most prestigious acknowledgement of human effort-the Nobel Prize. Here’s a look at who has won the prize and for what.
Physiology or Medicine
Swedish geneticist Svante Peabo won the first Nobel of the year, for starting the field of ancient DNA studies. He is well-known for extracting, sequencing, and analyzing ancient DNA from Neanderthal bones.
Physics
Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger’s work in quantum (量子) technology landed them the second Nobel Prize announced in 2022. Although Aspect is from France, Clauser from the U.S, and Zeilinger from Austria, the three separately performed “groundbreaking experiments” as one team. “Their results have cleared the way for new technology,” the committee stated.
Chemistry
The Nobel Prize for chemistry went to another trio, Carolyn R. Bertozzi from the U.S., Morten Meldal from Denmark and K. Barry Sharpless from the U.S. “for the development of click chemistry and biorthogonal chemistry,” the committee stated. Dr. Bertozzi is the eighth woman chemist to be awarded the prize, while Dr. Sharpless is the fifth scientist to be awarded two Nobel Prizes.
Economics
The Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to three American economists, Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig “for research on banks and financial crises,” the Nobel Prize committee announced on Monday. By studying the history of American economics, particularly the Great Depression of the 1930s,they improved how we understand the role of banks during times of hardship and the bank’s impact on societal functions.
1. What prize is related to the research with bones?| A．Physiology. | B．Chemistry. | C．Physics. | D．Economics. |
| A．About societal functions. | B．About the history of America. |
| C．About banks and financial crises. | D．About the Great Depression of the 1930s. |
| A．Their winners are from different countries. | B．They have three winners. |
| C．They improve new technology. | D．They help people understand hardship. |
To write his own medical text, Li Shizhen referenced over 800 medical texts, countless books on history and geography, and works of literature. He even studied the complete works of many ancient poets, from
After over a decade of field research, Li
Since its first publication in 1596, the book
Today, there are a
4 . Eugene Newman Parker, a leading figure in heliospheric(日球层的) physics for the past half century, passed away peacefully at his home in Chicago on Mar. 15. He was 94.
Hailed(誉为) as a visionary in the field of heliophysics, Parker revolutionized our understanding of the sun and its effects on Earth and other bodies within the solar system. NASA even stated that “the field of heliophysics exists in large part because of Dr. Eugene Parker. In 2018, Parker became the first living scientist to witness the launch of a spacecraft that was named in his honor.
Parker is best known for his groundbreaking theory on the existence of a phenomenon called “solar wind”, a continuous stream of charged particles that flow off the sun. It can become violent, causing space weather that impacts the Earth. When Parker’s research was published in 1958, his theory was initially met with skepticism(怀疑) and ridicule by the scientific community. The general view at the time was that the space between planets was an absolute vacuum(真空), and was thus completely empty of any matter. But, there were no errors in his study or his calculations, and the theory was later proven to be correct in 1962, when a NASA spacecraft mission to Venus revealed the constant presence of a supersonic wind—exactly as Parker had predicted.
That experience likely led to the advice Parker often gave young researchers: “If you do something new or innovative, expect trouble. But think critically about it because if you’re wrong, you want to be the first one to know that.” Parker never co-authored a paper with his students, thus urging them to be independent.
Parker was humble, straightforward, and wise. His son Eric said, “My sister Joyce and I didn’t get a real feel for what a ‘big dog’ our dad was in the field.” They got an even better sense when a month after Parker’s death, they traveled to Lund, Sweden, to accept on his behalf the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．A spacecraft was named in memory of Parker. |
| B．The sun has less effects on Earth than expected. |
| C．Parker deserved credit for his great contributions. |
| D．NASA provided new insights into the lunar effect. |
| A．It went against the popular opinion at that time. |
| B．Some mistakes were found in his calculations. |
| C．The presence of a supersonic wind was proven by NASA. |
| D．Matter was believed to exist in the space between planets. |
| A．seek close cooperation | B．avoid high expectations |
| C．learn by trial and error | D．compete against others |
| A．straightforward and generous | B．responsible and accessible |
| C．intelligent yet conservative | D．distinguished yet modest |
5 . The Nobel Prize has been awarded to women 60 times between 1901 and 2022. These women have made outstanding contributions to the worlds of medicine, science, literature and so on. Here are four of them.
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Year: 1964
Dorothy Hodgkin was a British chemist whose interest in research began when, as a child, she received a chemistry book containing experiments with crystals. She studied at Oxford University and developed protein crystallography, which advanced the development of X-rays. This earned her the Nobel Prize.
Gertrude B. Elion
Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Year: 1988
Gertrude Elion won the Nobel Prize for her discoveries of important principles for drug treatment. Elion had watched her grandfather die of cancer, so she decided to fight the disease throughout her life. Elion, together with George Hitchings, with whom she shared the award, created a system for drug production that relies heavily on biochemistry.
Toni Morrison
Award: Nobel Prize in Literature
Year: 1993
Toni Morrison, whose book “Beloved” earned her the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award, was the first Black woman to ever receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Ohio, Morrison was a writer whose works are mostly about life in the Black community. She taught writing and served as an honorary professor at Princeton University.
Esther Duflo
Award: Nobel Prize in Economics
Year: 2019
Esther Duflo shared her prize with her research colleagues Michael Kremer and Abhijit Banerjee, who is her husband. Duflo has spent much of her career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned her doctorate degree in 1999. Duflo and her partners were awarded the Nobel Prize for their approach to fighting poverty around the world.
1. What won Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin the Nobel Prize?| A．Her book about crystals. | B．Her contribution to X-ray development. |
| C．Her research on medicine. | D．Her discovery of a new protein crystal. |
| A．Educational issues. | B．Community service. |
| C．Writing techniques. | D．Black American's life. |
| A．They won the Nobel Prize in the same year. |
| B．They devoted themselves to fighting diseases. |
| C．They shared the Nobel Prize together with others. |
| D．Their life experiences committed them to their fields. |
6 . China’s long history has seen many scientists making great contributions to the development of ancient China and even the world. We have selected several greatest scientists in ancient China and hope to help you learn more about Chinese science and technology.
Zhang Zhongjing (150-219) was a Chinese physician in Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). He founded medication principles and summarized the medicinal experience before his time. His famous work “ Shang Han Za Bing Lun ” had a major influence on the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Today, this great book was still considered very important in the practice of Chinese medicine.
Li Daoyuan (AD 427 or 469-527) was a great Chinese geographer during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). He wrote the famous work “ Commentary to the River Classic ” (Shui Jing Zhu). The book is a great work on the ancient geography of China and it sums up China’s geography and its surrounding areas before Northern Wei Dynasty.
Sun Simiao was an outstanding medical scientist in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). He was called “ China’s King of Medicine ” for his important contributions to Chinese traditional medicine. Sun authored two books — “Qian Jin Yao Fang” and “Qian Jin Yi Fang” that were both landmarks in Chinese medicine history.
Shen Kuo was a great Chinese scientist and politician of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). He compiled (汇编) an scientific work “Dream Pool Essays”, which involves a lot descriptions about the animals and plants in the country. Shen also first described the magnetic needle compass, which would be used for navigation (航行). His discovery of concept of true north towards the north pole was four hundred years earlier than Europe.
| A．encourage readers to learn from these great scientists |
| B．explain what contributes to the development of ancient China |
| C．broaden readers’ horizons on Chinese science and technology |
| D．introduce the great medical contributions Chinese scientists made |
| A．Zhang Zhongjing’s | B．Li Daoyuan’s | C．Sun Simiao’s | D．Shen Kuo’s |
| A．He was a Chinese physician in Han Dynasty. |
| B．He worked on the ancient geography of China. |
| C．He was regarded as “China’s King of Medicine”. |
| D．He described the animals and plants a lot in his work. |
7 . As you walk around the UK in March, you might notice that some people are wearing a daffodil(水仙花) on their coats. The British wear these yellow flowers to show they support one of this country’s best-known charities: the Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The Marie Curie Cancer Care tries to ensure everyone diagnosed with cancer is cared for in the best possible way. It also helps fund research into possible cures through other organizations. Founded in 1948, it has been continuing with its goal ever since.
The charity was named after Marie Curie, a renowned scientist. She experimented with newly-discovered elements to create the theory of radioactivity. Unfortunately, over-exposure to the radioactive elements made her develop a disease and die in 1934. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in two different fields. Because of her pioneering work which led to chemotherapy (化学疗法), the charity shared the name of Marie Curie.
The daffodil is one of the first plants to flower during spring in the UK, which marks the return of flowering plants to the ecosystem after winter. Because of this, the charity uses the daffodil as a metaphor for bringing life to other people through charitable giving.
Everyone you see wearing a daffodil has donated money to the charity, but each daffodil is worth only what you want to pay for it. The charity does ask that you stick to a minimum amount of £1.
The charity encourages people to start wearing their daffodils at the start of March, when the “Great Daffodil Appeal” kicks off. But that doesn’t mean you can only wear them in March. People are sometimes seen walking around with daffodils on their clothes all year round.
1. What does it mean when the British wear a daffodil on their coats?| A．They support a charity. | B．They are recovering from cancer. |
| C．They’ve been helped by a charity. | D．They’ve been diagnosed with cancer. |
| A．Beautiful. | B．Modest. | C．Famous. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Because patients required that. | B．Because it was launched by her. |
| C．Because she greatly supported it. | D．Because it could show respect for her. |
| A．It can be used as medicine. | B．It’s thought to stand for hope. |
| C．It’s widely worn worldwide. | D．It’s sold to the wearers at a high price. |
Lots of foreigners don’t understand why so many Chinese people are sorrowful about Yuan Longping’s passing away.
This reminds me
Western scholars’ prediction of China back then was indeed analyzing China’s problems, but they failed
If they had had any knowledge of Yuan who worked devotedly for our country, they wouldn’t have made such pessimistic evaluations. Why did the Chinese people make
9 . Thirty-five years ago, with just one acre of land, a couple of seeds and a bucket of hope, one Nigerian-born scientist began his mission to defeat famine (饥荒) on his continent.
News of the drought across Africa in the early 1980s troubled Nzamujo. Equipped with a microbiology PhD and his faith, he travelled back to Africa. There, he found a continent ecologically rich, diverse and capable of producing food. He believes drought wasn’t the only reason for widespread hunger, and that sustainability had been left out.
Nzamujo began designing a “zero waste” agriculture system that would not only increase food security, but also help the environment and create jobs. In 1985, he started his sustainable farm “Songhai” in the West African country of Benin.
Nzamajo lives on the farm and constantly updates his techniques. He credits his degrees in science and engineering for Songhai’s success. But he also thanks his spiritual and cultural roots, and his father — a driving force in his life who encouraged him to pursue his studies to the highest degree and to use Songhai to share his knowledge.
Songhai has several “eco-literacy” development programs. They range from 18-month training courses for farmer-enterprisers, to shorter stays to learn techniques like weeding. People come from all over the world to study Nzamujo’s methods.
After seeing success on his first zero waste farm, he expanded throughout Benin and western Africa. Today, the Songhai model is applied across the continent, including Nigena. Uganda, Sierra Leone and Liberia, Nzamujo says they've trained more than 7.000 farmer-enterprisers and more than 30, 000 people in total since it began.
Nzamujo believes zero waste agriculture is now steadily tackling the issues he set out to defeat, hunger, unemployment and environmental declines. And he wants to see it go further.
1. Which factor related to famine was unnoticed in Nzamujo’s eyes?| A．Poor soil. | B．Water shortage. |
| C．Lack of resources. | D．Unsustainability. |
| A．Introduce a solution. | B．Give examples to the readers. |
| C．Add some background information. | D．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| A．By offering land. | B．By trading seeds. |
| C．By educating farmers. | D．By selling technology. |
| A．Critical and careful. | B．Learned and responsible. |
| C．Optimistic and generous. | D．Considerate and ambitious. |
Francoise Barre-Sinoussi shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008 for the discovery of HIV. She has always loved nature and spent her school vacations
