Patrick Sommier, a French theater director, is dovoted to passing on the true meaning of Chinese operas to the French public.
On the occasion of the
Recalling his first cooperation with the Chinese team, Sommier says he was impressed by the actors’ makeups, costumes,
Sommier began exploring into different performance forms and suggested introducing Chinese operas
2 . It has been more than 40 years since anyone spotted a Japanese river otter (水獭). And the once common Tangtze River dolphins have either disappeared or are very rarely seen.
A huge challenge scientists and conservationists encounter is tracking species facing extinction in order to help them.
In Brazil, AI quickly analyzed over 150, 000 satellite images, revealing that the world’s largest tropical wetlands lost 74 percent of its surface water.
The use of AI has helped to accelerate action and increase conservationists’ ability to protect the natural world for generations to come.
A.Give animals on the edge of extinction a fighting chance to survive |
B.In Zambia’s Kafue National Park, home to more than 6, 000 elephants |
C.Not until that revelation (揭露) were authorities aware of how desperate the situation was |
D.Saving them was challenging because their whereabouts (行踪) were relatively unknown |
E.These are just a few of the species that have been listed as extinct or locally extinct in recent years |
F.However, because of weather conditions, researchers knew next to nothing about their winter behavior |
G.This is where AI has brought about a revolution in the way data on these species is collected and analyzed |
3 . In 1990, Hal Donaldson was 23 years old, fresh out of college and found himself in Calcutta, India, where he was asked to interview Mother Teresa.
Donaldson says about the great woman famed for feeding the hungry, “She wasn’t wearing shoes and her ankles were swollen. She sat down with me and was very polite.” After the interview, Mother Teresa asked him, “What are you doing to help the poor?” Donaldson admitted that he was young and wasn’t focused on helping others. With a smile on her face, Mother Teresa said, “Everyone can do something.”
Those words deeply struck Donaldson and forced him to face hard truths about himself.
Hal Donaldson grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. When he was 12 years old, his parents were hit by a drunk driver; his father died, and his mother was seriously injured. To make ends meet, they went on welfare. Donaldson says, “I had holes in my shoes and clothes. When you’re teased at school for that, you just want to escape.”
He managed to do just that. Donaldson got into college and turned his focus to making money for himself. He says, “I was just trying to find my way out of insignificance.” However, it’s easy to overlook others along the way. I was the guy that would see a homeless person and cross the street, so I didn’t have to confront (面对) him. My focus was on climbing to the top instead of helping those trying to climb with me.
Donaldson returned home from India with a different thought. He traveled to eight cities in America and stayed on the streets and listened to stories of the homeless. “My heart broke,” he says. “I knew I could no longer just live for myself.”
Inspired by Mother Teresa’s words and the stories he’d heard across America, Donaldson loaded a pick up truck with $300 worth of groceries and handed them out to anyone who needed help. In 1994, Donaldson created the nonprofit organization, Convoy for Hope, which works with communities across America and around the world. Their work focuses on feeding children, women’s empowerment, helping farmers and disaster services.
1. What did 23-year-old Hal Donaldson do in India?A.He interviewed Mother Teresa. |
B.He fed the hungry with Mother Teresa. |
C.He attended an job-interview for a college. |
D.He did something to help the poor. |
A.He was born with disability. | B.He led a hard life as a child. |
C.He was well treated at school. | D.He survived as an orphan. |
A.Self-centered | B.Sympathetic | C.Popular | D.Generous |
A.He preferred traveling to volunteering. |
B.He suddenly fell in love with journalism. |
C.He turned his focus to living for himself. |
D.He gradually devoted himself to helping others. |
4 . Art and science may seem like opposite things. One means the creative flow of ideas, and the other means cold, hard data-some people believe. In fact, the two have much in common. Now, a study finds art can help students remember better what they have learned in the science class.
Mariale Hardiman, an education specialist at Johns Hopkins University, noticed that students who used art in the classroom listened more carefully. They might ask more questions. They might volunteer more ideas. What’s more, students seemed to remember more of what they had been taught when their science lessons had involved(涉及) art. To prove that, Hardiman teamed up with some researchers and six local schools.
In the experiment, the researchers worked with teachers in 16 fifth-grade classrooms. They provided traditional science lessons and art-focused ones. In a traditional science class, for example, students might read aloud from a book. In the art-focused one, they might sing the information instead.
The team randomly assigned(随机分配) each of the 350 students to either a traditional science classroom or an art-focused one. Students then learned science using that way for the whole unit-about three weeks. When they changed to a new topic, they also changed to the other type of class. This way, each student had both an art-focused class and a traditional one. Every unit was taught in both ways, to different groups of students. This enabled the researchers to see how students did in both types of classes.
The team found that students who started off in a traditional class performed better after they moved into an art-focused class. But those who started off in an art-focused class did well even when they went back to a traditional science class. These students appeared to use some of the art techniques(技巧) after going back to a traditional class. Classroom teachers reported that many students continued to sing the songs that they learned after finishing the unit. “The more we hear something, the more we retain it,” Hardiman says. “It suggests that the arts may help students apply creative ways of learning on their own.”
1. Why did Mariale Hardiman do the study?A.To prove the importance of art at school. |
B.To see if art might improve science learning |
C.To find a way to help her students learn better. |
D.To know how to encourage students to ask questions. |
A.Take two types of classes. | B.Learn three units in total. |
C.Learn two topics for three weeks. | D.Choose what they’d like to learn. |
A.Finish. | B.Express. | C.Improve. | D.Memorize. |
A.Art helps students develop creativity. |
B.Art-focused classes interest students a lot. |
C.Art can make science easier to remember. |
D.Art has something in common with science. |
5 . Endangered polar bears are breeding (繁殖) with grizzly bears (灰熊), creating “pizzly” bears, which is being driven by climate change, scientists say.
As the world warms and Arctic sea ice thins, starving polar bears are being forced ever further south, where they meet grizzlies, whose ranges are expanding northwards. And with that growing contact between the two come increasing hybrids (杂交种).
With characteristics that could give the hybrids an advantage in warming northern habitats, some scientists guess that they could be here to stay. “Usually, hybrids aren’t better suited to their environments than their parents, but these hybrids are able to search for a broader range of food sources,” Larisa DeSantis, an associate professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, told Live Science.
The rise of “pizzly” bears appears with polar bears’ decline: their numbers are estimated to decrease by more than 30% in the next 30 years. This sudden fall is linked partly to “pizzly” bears taking up polar bears’ ranges, where they outcompete them, but also to polar bears’ highly specialized diets.
“Polar bears mainly consumed soft foods even during the Medieval Warm Period, a previous period of rapid warming,” DeSantis said, referring to fat meals such as seals. “Although all of these starving polar bears are trying to find alternative food sources, like seabird eggs, it could be a tipping point for their survival.” Actually, the calories they gain from these sources do not balance out those they burn from searching for them. This could result in a habitat ready for the hybrids to move in and take over, leading to a loss in biodiversity if polar bears are replaced.
“We’re having massive impacts with climate change on species,” DeSantis said. “The polar bear is telling us how bad things are. In some sense, “pizzly” bears could be a sad but necessary compromise given current warming trends.”
1. Why do polar bears move further south?A.To create hybrids. | B.To expand territory. |
C.To relieve hunger. | D.To contact grizzlies. |
A.Broader habitats. | B.More food options. |
C.Climate preference. | D.Improved breeding ability. |
A.A rare chance. | B.A critical stage. |
C.A positive factor. | D.A constant change. |
A.Polar bears are changing diets for climate change. |
B.Polar bears have already adjusted to climate change. |
C.“Pizzly” bears are on the rise because of global warming. |
D.“Pizzly”bears have replaced polar bears for global warming. |
6 . The University of Exeter is launching a new program in September 2024 called the Master of Arts (MA) in Magic and Occult Science. This program is all about exploring ideas in a different way, according to its leader, Professor Emily Selove.
Selove explained on BBC Radio 4’s Today program that this degree in magic takes a fresh approach to studying history, science, philosophy, religion, and literature. It looks at these subjects from a unique viewpoint that hasn’t received much attention from scholars before.
The university mentioned that this course will give students a chance to dig into the history and effects of witchcraft (巫术) and magic worldwide, including their influence on society and science. Expert s in various fields will teach the course and help students understand how magic has played a role in both Western and Eastern cultures.
The University of Exeter already received more than a hundred inquiries for MA degree. The “innovative” MA has been created following a “recent surge in interest in magic”, the course leader said. The interest in studying magic is on the rise, both within and outside of academic circles. This is because people are searching for fresh viewpoints on how we connect with other human cultures and the natural world, Selove explained.
Selove said that our ancestors had some interesting ideas that we may have ignored. These ideas have the potential to be valuable philosophical thoughts and could provide us with a new way of understanding society. “The MA in Magic and Occult Science would challenge the belief that the Western world is only characterized by rationalism (理性主义) and science while the rest of the world is associated with magic and superstition (迷信),” she added.
Furthermore, the university mentioned that this course can prepare students for various career paths, including teaching, consulting and tourism as well as work in heritage settings and museums, art organizations, and the publishing industry among other options.
1. What do we know about the MA in Magic and Occult Science?A.It provides a new way to study science and physics. |
B.It gives students the opportunity to be exposed to witchcraft. |
C.Its course focuses on the magic al world of Eastern culture. |
D.Its course allows students to do some magic experiments. |
A.Increase. | B.Drop. | C.Success. | D.Balance. |
A.Not many students are interested in the degree. |
B.Some ideas about philosophy from our ancestors are ignored. |
C.There are no supernatural phenomena in the rest of the world. |
D.The Western world is regarded as a rational and scientific world. |
A.Challenging. | B.Uncertain. | C.Brilliant. | D.Worrying. |
7 . Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, it has helped hundreds of species avoid extinction in the United States. The strong conservation policy has been used as a model in other countries. But it’s not as successful as it could be, a new study finds.
Researchers have discovered most species are not being protected until their numbers have become so low that their chance of recovery is slim.
“The ESA is an incredibly powerful, ambitious law for protecting our endangered wildlife. Yet, for decades, the agency primarily responsible for operating the ESA — the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) — has been starved of resources,” lead author Erich Eberhard says.
“As a result, we are very slow to give species the protection that they deserve. We typically wait until species are extremely rare and thus at extreme risk of extinction, and then, when a species is finally listed, the USFWS is straining its resources to try to recover it.”
In 1993, a study found that few species received protection under the ESA until their populations became very small. For the new study, researchers repeated the methods used in the earlier research to see whether protections have become better since the problem was first noted. They also looked at trends in “wait times” — the amount of time between when a species is identified as potentially needing protection and when it actually receives protection under the ESA.
“Our analysis suggests that, in the nearly 30 years since attention was first brought to this problem, we have not become more active in protecting endangered species,” says Eberhard.
The researchers found that the population sizes of species when they first became protected under the ESA are not statistically different from those in the 1993 study. They also discovered that there are long wait times between when a species is identified as likely needing protection and when they actually receive them.
“I can say that our study paints the current state of the ESA as a bit of cautionary (告诫的) tale for the strong conservation policy,” says Eberhard.
1. What problem does the USFWS have protecting endangered species?A.It takes ineffective measures. | B.It is lacking in resources. |
C.It can’t get timely information. | D.It is an irresponsible organization. |
A.To try out new ways to protect endangered species. |
B.To find out the exact number of endangered species. |
C.To check the time needed to save endangered species. |
D.To see if endangered species have been better protected. |
A.It found out many more endangered species. |
B.It pointed out the direction for the USFWS to act on. |
C.It proved the role of the public in conservation. |
D.It showed some effective ways to protect animals. |
A.The USFWS Needs Stronger Laws |
B.The ESA Has Achieved Great Success |
C.New Conversation Laws Are on the Way |
D.Endangered Species Act Isn’t Working Well |
8 . Trainers and parents saw children play sports at a young age and then saw them become professional. Many correlated the training to success. Competitive sports are good for young children because they teach children life skills, provide health benefits, and offer special opportunities.
To begin with, sports teach children life skills. A formal athlete stated, “I played soccer in high school and college and found team sports weren’t just about winning, but also about developing a solid ethic(行为准则), and learning why that’s important.” In short, playing highly competitive sports teaches kids many life skills like teamwork. People will have to use teamwork for the rest of their life, and sports can help them improve that skill. Taking part in sports can help develop a positive attitude towards life, which will help in the long run.
Sports are also good for kids because they provide health benefits. It is healthier for a kid to play a sport competitively than to waste time playing video games all day. Furthermore, a research group of University of California said, “96 percent of the participants(参与者) said they enjoy their sports. They’re all loving life.” That is to say, kids playing highly competitive sports tend to enjoy life instead of doing something else like watching TV.
On the other hand, some people might argue that competitive sports are bad for young children because they are so time-consuming. However, the time spent is not “robbing” kids of their childhood, but offers unique opportunities. Athletes can get success to live their dream life by playing sports. Even though sports are time-consuming, they offer distinctive opportunities.
In conclusion, competitive sports are good for children because they can provide wholesome benefits, create new experiences, and build skills that will last a lifetime.
1. Why is the formal athlete mentioned in paragraph 2?A.To show a reason | B.To give an example. |
C.To list a background. | D.To draw out a new point. |
A.Supportive. | B.Uncertain. | C.Uncaring. | D.Doubtful. |
A.Common | B.Unreasonable | C.Unique. | D.Frequent. |
A.The ways to play sports. |
B.The reasons for playing sports. |
C.The problems of kids’ playing sports. |
D.The benefits of kids’ playing sports. |
9 . How To Stop Bein g A People Pleaser
As a recovering people pleaser, I spent much of my life keeping others happy. Breaking this habit meant stepping on a few toes. However, I’ve become a happier person as a result. Here are some tips I used to stop being a people pleaser.
Identify your priorities. Take a moment to think about why you are trying to learn how to stop being a people pleaser.
Just say “no”. One reason why people pleasers say “yes” to everything is that they fear disappointing others.
Accept yourself. Many people pleasers are insecure about who they are.
Remember that you cannot please everyone. No matter what you do there will always be someone who is unhappy with your choices.
A.Learn to set healthy boundaries. |
B.Don’t mix up your boundaries with others’. |
C.Who are the people that you feel the need to please? |
D.Spend some time learning to love yourself for who you are. |
E.So why bother trying to please everyone if it isn’t possible? |
F.But saying “no” is the best way to take care of your own needs. |
G.That is why the more you seek security, the less of it you have. |
10 . While tea may have originated in Asia, now there are many countries all around the world that have tea woven into their food culture and traditions. This is one of the very special parts of tea as it has a way of connecting people all over the world in different ways and ceremonies that finally all results in a group of people sitting together and enjoying a cup of tea.
Chinese tea culture
Since China is viewed as the birthplace of tea, it is no wonder that Chinese tea culture is rich with history and tradition. Today, Chinese tea continues to be used in Chinese medicine and is commonly consumed on both casual and formal occasions both for personal enjoyment and to represent Chinese cultural traditions.
Japanese tea culture
Japan also has a long history with tea, especially Japanese Matcha, which is a kind of ground green tea that is commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and only in recent years became popular in western culture.
British tea culture
When many people think about tea, British tea culture is what comes to mind. A hot cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea serves with a little milk and a biscuit in the afternoon as a pick-me-up for the day. Even though tea may not be native to England, this British tea tradition is still going strong today.
Moroccan tea culture
When you visit Morocco, it is hard to miss the outstanding tea culture that is such a large part of Moroccan hospitality. Before any gathering, negotiation, or sale of a product, a pot of mint tea is always prepared and served among the host and guests. This is an expression of Moroccan tradition and hospitality, which should always be accepted by guests as a sign of appreciation and respect to the host.
1. Why can tea find its way into various food cultures?A.It originates in Asia. | B.It forms different ceremonies. |
C.It gets people connected easily. | D.It allows people to sit together. |
A.They have a long history. |
B.They are used in medicine. |
C.They are famous for ground green tea. |
D.They’ve long gained worldwide recognition. |
A.To get new energy. | B.To bring out respect. |
C.To show hospitality. | D.To observe a tradition. |