1 . The flashing green, red and purple curtains of the northern and southern lights—the auroras (极光) — may be the best-known phenomena lighting up the nighttime sky, but the most mysterious are the mauve (深紫色) and white streaks called Steve and their frequent companion, a shinning green “picket fence (尖桩栅栏)”.
First recognized in 2018 as distinct from the common auroras, Steve — a tongue-in-cheek reference to the mild name given a scary quick-fence in a 2006 children’s movie — and its associated picket fence were nevertheless thought to be caused by the same physical processes. But scientists were left scratching their heads about how these shiny things were produced.
Claire Gasque, a University of California, Berkeley, graduate student in physics, has now proposed a physical explanation for these phenomena that is totally different from the processes responsible for the well-known auroras.
Red — blooded auroras and shinning phenomena such as Steve and the picket fence are becoming more common as the Sun enters the active period of its 11-year cycle, and November was a good month for Steve observations in the northern latitudes. Because all these short-lived shinning phenomena are caused by solar storms and coronal (日冕的) mass cast from the sun, the approaching solar maximum is an ideal time to study rare events like Steve and the picket fence.
Gasque described the physics behind the picket fence in a paper published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. She calculated that in a region of the upper atmosphere farther south than that in which auroras form, electric fields parallel to Earth’s magnetic (磁的) field could produce the color spectrum of the picket fence, If correct, this unusual process has implications for how physicists understand energy flow between Earth’s magnetosphere, which surrounds and protects Earth from the solar wind, and the ionosphere at the edge of space.
“This would upend our modeling of what creates light and the energy in the aurora in some cases. It’s really cool,” she said, “It’s one of the biggest mysteries in space physics right now.”
1. What is special about Steve?| A．It is green in color. | B．It is from a film for kids. |
| C．It is scary but gentle. | D．It is produced the same way as auroras. |
| A．It is the active period of the Sun. | B．Solar storms become common in it. |
| C．It is the good time to study Steve. | D．Gasque published his paper before it. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Curious. | C．Ridiculous. | D．Unconfident. |
| A．When is an aurora appear? | B．How does Steve come into being? |
| C．How does auroras differ from Steve? | D．What are Steve and the picket fence? |
2 . The nature of compassion fatigue (同情疲劳) means that many working in traditional care-giving roles are likely to experience its symptoms. This includes first responders, medical professionals, social workers, journalists, and lawyers specializing in family law or criminal law.
Kelli Collins, a licensed family therapist, remarks “Think about muscle fatigue—if you work out too hard, your muscles might simply give out. In the same way, compassion fatigue means your ability to offer compassion to others is dramatically affected.”
Collins herself experienced compassion fatigue as a young therapist working in a community mental health setting, where she “had the strong desire to help” but quickly realized some things were out of her “rang of influence”. She felt herself becoming easily annoyed with loved ones, sleeping very little, and fantasizing about changing careers. It was an overwhelming time, during which she felt she was failing her clients.
“I thought that by giving endless compassion to my clients, I was ‘leaving it all on the field’. In fact, bearing the responsibility for my clients’ pain without consideration for my own needs and limits meant that I wasn’t a particularly effective therapist,” she says.
Lynne Hughes, who founded Comfort Zone in 1999 and now serves as CEO, lost both her parents as a child, experiencing first-hand the lack of resources and support for grieving children. Hughes expresses similar feelings about the challenge of compassion fatigue, stressing the importance of looking inward.
“Suffering from compassion fatigue does not mean you’re bad at helping or caring, it only means the scale between caring for others and caring for yourself is no longer balanced,” she says. “When you’re in a role where you’re nurturing and caring for others — it’s crucial to extend that nurture and care to yourself so that ‘your well’ does not run dry.”
But both Hughes and Collins emphasize that it’s not only traditional caregivers who experience compassion fatigue. “It is applicable to anyone in a caring role,” says Hughes, while Collins believes it is a uniquely human condition, occupational or not.
1. Why does Collins mention the muscle fatigue?| A．To describe she is in a bad mood. |
| B．To show she is eager to give a hand. |
| C．To suggest she has limited pity for others. |
| D．To explain she is much tired of her customers. |
| A．Care for yourself while caring for others. |
| B．Compassion fatigue has nothing to do with career. |
| C．Those with compassion fatigue are poor at helping. |
| D．Shy persons always tend to suffer compassion fatigue. |
| A．Pity. | B．Nurture. | C．Symptoms. | D．Occupation. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By quoting arguments. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing reasons and causes. |
3 . (CNN) —European Union lawmakers struck a deal Friday agreeing to one of the world’s first major comprehensive artificial intelligence laws.
The landmark legislation, called the AI Act, sets up a regulatory (监管) framework to promote the development of AI while addressing the risks associated with the rapidly developing technology. The legislation bans harmful AI practices “considered to be a clear threat to people’s safety, livelihoods and rights”.
In a news conference, Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, called the law “a balanced and human-centered approach” that will “no doubt be setting the global standard for years to come”.
The regulatory framework, which classifies AI uses by risk and increases regulation on higher risk levels, was first proposed in 2021. The riskiest uses for AI are banned. According to the law, those include systems that exploit specific disadvantaged groups, biometric identification systems for law enforcement purposes and artificial intelligence that arranges controllable “subconscious techniques”. Limited risk systems, such as chat-bots like Open AI’s ChatGPT, or technology that generates images, audio or video content, are subject to new transparency (透明) duties under the law.
“The AI Act is much more than a rulebook—it’s a launchpad for EU start-ups and researchers to lead the global AI race,” Thierry Breton, the EU Commissioner for Internal Market, wrote on social media, “The best is yet to come.”
Artificial intelligence broke into the mainstream with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chat-bot in November 2022. Seemingly overnight, generative AI technology exploded in popularity and spurred an AI arms race. But AI’s disturbance reaches far beyond the world of big tech: Educators have struggled with generative AI’s ability to complete schoolwork assignments; artists and musicians have fought with the potential for Al-fueled imitation (模仿) and even the media industry has seen its debate.
1. What is the text?| A．A short story. | B．An art review. | C．A news report. | D．A research paper. |
| A．AI risk regulation, | B．AI risk classification. |
| C．AI regulatory framework. | D．AI regulatory framework usage. |
| A．Positive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Disapproving. | D．Suspicious. |
| A．Ruined. | B．Caused. | C．Updated. | D．Interrupted. |
4 . Alaska has much to offer travelers in the winter months. Even better, hotel rates can run half what they do in summer, making Alaska an affordable vacation destination.
Northern Lights Viewing
Witness one of the most spectacular lights shows around when you make time for Alaska in the winter months. Book a photography workshop or snowmobile tour in Fairbanks for excellent aurora (极光) viewing. Alternatively, head to Denali National Park for a stay at the five-room boutique hotel. Sheldon Chalet. Enjoy heli-skiing and snowshoeing by day followed by entrancing aurora viewing by night.
Alaska Railroad
In winter, book a trip on the Aurora Winter Train for a bucket list-worthy adventure into Alaska’s snow-covered backcountry, Ride the train all the way from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Or, get off the train along the way in Talkeetna for cross-country skiing and a berry delicious pie-making class at Talkeetna Roadhouse.
Wintry Zoo Animals
The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage is a true delight in winter. That’s when you can see the state’s native animals, like bears, moose and wolves, in their natural winter habitat. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Alaska Zoo boasts up-close views and interactions with more than 100 animals, Say hello to the zoo’s newest resident, Cranbeary, a 17-year-old polar bear that relocated from Denver last year.
Snowshoe Tours
Trekking through knee-deep fluffy snow in snowshoes can be loads of fun. Try your skills on a guided snowshoe tour in Fairbanks with Leaf Out Nature Guides. Led by expert biologists, the outfitter runs two-hour snowshoe tours. Guests venture into the boreal forest of Alaska’s interior. keeping a keen eye open to spot wildlife, like snowshoe hares, caribou and flying squirrels. Snowshoers are treated to expert knowledge on animal tracks. how animals survive in the harsh winter and how local plants are used.
1. Where can you learn the berry-pie making?| A．In Sheldon Chalet. | B．In the Alaska Zoo. |
| C．In Denali National Park. | D．In Talkeetna Roadhouse. |
| A．A polar bear. | B．An Alaska train. |
| C．A five-room hotel. | D．An expert biologist. |
| A．To entertain. | B．To instruct. | C．To describe. | D．To advertise. |
内容包括：
1.简单介绍微信能给你带来什么；
2.微信朋友圈浏览爱好比例分析；
3.简单给与评论；
4.参考词汇：朋友圈We Chat Moments；受访者respondents；文本text。
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A survey on WeChat Moments
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . A recent study suggests that groundwater is an answer to water shortages in African countries south of the Sahara Desert, This finding could help millions of people in an area which is expected to be strongly affected by climate change.
WaterAid, an international non-profit group, and the British Geological Survey (BGS), a British government organization, carried out the research.
The report released in March said underground water could help develop agriculture in the area. Additional water resources could help farming in an area where only three to five percent of agricultural land is irrigated (灌溉). For example, BGS information shows Senegal has an aquifer (地下水层) that has been kept in good condition by years of rainfall
“We can’t drink enough to satisfy our thirst,” said Oumou. Drame. She is 40 years old and a mother of five. “We don’t sleep at night.
| A．Tata Bathily is a village in northern Senegal. |
| B．But getting to the water is difficult and costly. |
| C．We leave our children at home to fetch water. |
| D．That is ten times deeper than the wells in Tata Bathily. |
| E．Improvements in the existing water supply may take time. |
| F．Many people think the hot weather is partly to blame for the water shortage. |
| G．They found that underground water could deal with at least five years of drought. |
7 . BRICS (金砖国家) grouping major emerging (新兴的) economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is to more than double its members with the admission of six more countries This historic expansion, which was announce data press conference during the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, involves Argentina, Egyptl, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and their membership will take effect from Jan 1.2024.
Observers said that the expansion bears witness to BRICS’ charm and vitality, helps improve the voices of the Global South, and mirrors the resolve of the group and the wider developing world to safeguard global equity (公平) and justice and promote peace and development.
Seventeen years since its establishment, BRICS has witnessed fruitful cooperation results in economic, political and cultural areas, and continues to prosper in a spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. The BRICS countries have written a wonderful story of the joint development of countries with different systems, cultures and regions, which has become a flagship of South-South cooperation.
Experts believe the expansion will represent a historic and new starting point for BRICS cooperation.
Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, posted his celebrations to Iran’s accession to BRICS, calling it a “historic move”.
BRICS’ expansion in a well-studied manner “would increase its strength and effectiveness and improve its regional and international role, in a way that contributes.to achieving greater and faster development rates,” said Abdel-Sattar Eshrah, secretary-general of the Cairo-based Egyptian-Chinese Business Council. “It would create many opportunities for joint cooperation among BRICS members in various fields,” the Egyptian business leader said, adding that BRICS’ expansion is to increase the abilities of its members to address economic, financial and political crises and challenges.
Filipe Porto, a researcher at the Federal University of ABC and a member of the Brazilian Foreign Policy Observatory, said although the five founding member states have very different national conditions, the spirit of win-win cooperation has kept the BRICS mechanism (机制) dynamic and drawn interest from more countries.
The rise of emerging economies, represented by BRICS nations, is fundamentally changing the global landscape. With the historic expansion, the BRICS inechanism will have a greater voice in driving global governance reforms toward a more just an id equitable direction, filling the world with greater certainty and stability, said experts.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “resolve” in paragraph 2?| A．Limitation. | B．Freedom. | C．Determination. | D．Appointment. |
| A．The benefits BRICKS has brought. |
| B．The management of BRICKS. |
| C．The regulations of BRICKS. |
| D．The founding of BRICKS. |
| A．Exhibiting strong leadership skills, |
| B．Creating win-win opportunities, |
| C．Driving global governance reforms. |
| D．Making the world have greater stability. |
| A．Why BRICS is recovering |
| B．History of BRICKS’ development |
| C．BRICS grouping major emerging economies |
| D．BRICS shines brighter after historic expansion |
My mother influenced me a lot. When I made a mistake, she never turned a blind eye to it. She also helped me develop many good hobbies. In my childhood, reading books was one of my favorite hobbies. Especially during holidays, I often went to the library to borrow books.
One Saturday morning after breakfast, I told my mother that I’d go and borrow one or two books in the local public library. Then, I set out, expecting what wonderful books I’d come across. After cycling there, I was amazed to notice a new children’s book that I had expected for long. The book was from abroad and was beautifully designed.
Eager to go through it, I quickly took the book out of the shelf and hurried to a chair nearby. Once seated, I opened the book and turned pages. Suddenly, a terrible thing happened. Because of my finger’s too much force, one page was torn (撕破) by accident, which produced a clear sound. It made me immediately shocked and anxious. “If the librarians find I have made the book damaged, they may ask me to buy a new one, which can be expensive. And they may angrily blame me for my carelessness,” I thought. Soon, my face turned pale and my heart pounded fast. Just then, I noticed a librarian was walking in the direction of me. “Is she coming for me?” I wondered, with my legs shaking with fear. Afraid she’d notice the broken page, I hurried to close the book.
Finding something wrong with me, the librarian was concerned and asked gently, “Do you feel uncomfortable?” I shook my head, replying, “No, I’m fine. Thank you!” The librarian smiled |and then left. When she was out of my sight, I quickly stood up and put the book back. I had no intention of reading other books, so I left the library in a hurry, without borrowing any book.
Once reaching home, I breathed a sigh of relief. However, my mother, who was doing housework, stopped.
Paragraph 1：She came to check what books I borrowed.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2：
Then, I carried glue and headed towards the library.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . Socially, few things are more annoying than someone repeatedly checking their phone in the middle of your conversation with them. Soon enough, you’re having unhappy thoughts, thinking of their way like, I’m boring you; you’re more concerned with whoever’s on that phone than me; you don’t care about me. None of that is necessarily true, but this is: “If someone is engaged in a great conversation, they wouldn’t care about their phones,” says Leslie, a psychologist and researcher at NYU.
Do you sometimes wonder: What should I have said to a rude person like this? What if we have to talk to such maddening persons? Experts have advice about how to deal with this.
Whether you say something or not, remember that the cell-addict’s annoying habits aren’t about you. “It’s rude, for sure, but sometimes we mistake the behavior for more than what it is,” says Leslie. “It’s possible that they are facing something tough and merely experiencing nervousness or anxiety,” he adds. It’s also possible that their partner is stuck with a flat tyre (轮胎) or their kid is sick in hospital. The point is that you don’t know.
So before you become angry at the cell-addict’s open rudeness, focus instead on building a better conversation than whatever’s going down on Instagram. You might never be able to achieve this, given the power of today’s social media, so if you’re close enough to a person, Leslie advises you to directly ask them: “What’s on that thing that’s so interesting?” Chances are that they will apologise at once and quickly put the phone away. But if the answer is something real, talk about it. Better yet, you can avoid the situation in advance by saying something like, “I’m really interested in catching up properly, so how about we leave our phones in the car?” If they indeed have that flat tyre or sick kid, at least you won’t have to assume that it’s because your stories are boring.
1. Why do people often check their phones according to Leslie?| A．They are anxious about something. |
| B．They are enjoying the conversation. |
| C．They are bored with the conversation. |
| D．They are interested in what’s on the phone. |
| A．They may be nervous or anxious. |
| B．They are being rude intentionally. |
| C．They are avoiding the conversation. |
| D．They are disinterested in social interactions. |
| A．Talking about something real. |
| B．Asking the other person directly. |
| C．Avoiding the situation in advance. |
| D．Asking the other person for explanation. |
| A．What is a cell-addict. |
| B．How to deal with a cell-addict. |
| C．Why people repeatedly check their phones. |
| D．When to cut in appropriately during a conversation. |
10 . Sleep-deprived human parents know the value of a quick nap, but it turns out chinstrap penguins have us all beat. When nesting, these Antarctic birds take four-second-long “micro- sleeps”, a strategy that allows parents to keep constant watch over weak eggs and chicks, all while having 11 hours of total sleep a day, according to a new study.
Like other penguins, chinstrap parents take turns guarding the nest. While one bird protects the chicks, the partner finds food at sea. Then the penguins trade places. For two months between egg laying and fledging(羽化) , it’s a series of nonstop demands.
To study how penguins manage to accomplish all this and get the necessary sleep, Lee, a leader researcher, first stuck biologgers, small battery-powered devices, to the backs of 14 nesting penguins of both sexes. This device functions like a smart-watch, measuring physical activity, pulse, and the ocean depths of foraging birds.
Next, the team humanely arrested each of the penguins, attaching the devices temporarily into their skull to measure brain activity. When an animal is awake, the brain constantly buzzes with activity. During sleep, however, brain waves slow down and stretch out. When Lee started reviewing the data, he was surprised to discover the birds, slept in four-second intervals throughout the day and night while looking after their eggs or chicks.
“In both humans and penguins, micro-sleeps occur during times of exhaustion, yet nesting chinstrap penguins seem to have a near-exclusive reliance on it,” Cirelli, another scientist, says. Studying sleep in natural environments is difficult, so “the simple fact that they were able to record data in these conditions is incredible. ”
While the data is convincing, Cirelli notes that the researchers only studied the penguins during nesting periods, making it impossible to tell if the birds micro-sleep when they’re not parenting. The other challenge is understanding how micro-sleep impacts the brains and bodies of the pen-guins. Sleep deprivation in humans causes a range of health problems, and it’s not clear whether penguins experience this, too.
1. When do the birds have micro-sleeps?| A．When they lay eggs. | B．When they hunt for food. |
| C．When they care for babies. | D．When they exchange places. |
| A．A charger. | B．A smart-watch. |
| C．A sleep monitor | D．A safety alarm. |
| A．The micro-sleep study is successful. | B．Chinstrap penguins sleep more than human. |
| C．The data from the micro-sleep study is simple. | D．Chinstrap penguins rely entirely on micro-sleep. |
| A．Effects and occurrence of micro-sleep. | B．Short-term strategies for tired bird parents. |
| C．Problems caused by lack of sleep in humans. | D．Approaches of chinstrap penguins’ parenting. |
