1 . Restrictive uniforms could be preventing primary school pupils, especially girls, from being physically active, research suggests. In countries where most schools require students to wear uniforms, fewer young people reach the World Health Organization’s minimum recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity a day across a whole week, according to a study by the University of Cambridge.
There was a greater difference between girls and boys of primary-school age in countries where uniforms were common. The finding was not copied among children of secondary-school age. This may be owing to the exercise younger children get throughout the day — for example, through running, climbing and active play at break and lunchtimes. The findings confirm earlier evidence that girls feel less comfortable participating in active play if they are wearing certain types of clothing such as skirts or dresses.
Dr. Mairead Ryan, a researcher at the institute of education and MRC unit at Cambridge, said, “ Schools often prefer to use uniforms for various reasons. We are not trying to suggest a blanket ban on them, but to present new evidence to support decision-making. School communities could consider design, and whether specific characteristics of a uniform might either encourage or restrict any opportunities for physical activity.”
A 2021 study in England found the design of girls’ PE uniforms prevented students from participating in certain activities. Other studies have suggested girls are much shyer about taking part in physical activity when wearing uniforms in which they do not feel comfortable. Dr. Esther van Sluijs, senior author and MRC investigator (调查员), said, “Girls might feel less confident about doing things like cartwheels and tumbles in the playground, or riding a bike on a windy day if they are wearing a skirt or dress. Social expectations tend to influence what they feel they can do in these clothes. Unfortunately, when it comes to promoting physical health, that’s a problem.”
The WHO recommends that young people get 60 minutes of at least moderate-intensity (中等强度) physical activity a day. The Cambridge study confirmed previous observations that most children and teenagers were not meeting this recommendation — especially girls, who have a gap of 7.6 percentage points with boys.
1. What is the author’s purpose of writing Paragraph 1?| A．To state the findings. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To explain a phenomenon. | D．To justify an assumption. |
| A．They have less physical activity daily. |
| B．They have much labor work at school. |
| C．Certain uniforms limit their physical activity. |
| D．Certain uniforms make them act well in active play. |
| A．It’s better to restrict physical activity. |
| B．It’s better to support decision-making. |
| C．Uniforms should be banned strictly in schools. |
| D．Schools should think about the uniform design. |
| A．Proper uniforms can set students free |
| B．Schools are responsible for uniforms |
| C．Students can benefit a lot from uniforms |
| D．Uniforms may prevent younger girls from being active |
2 . The Forest Eye project aims to create the largest living forest feature in England by growing 5,000 alder, beech and maple trees into the shape of a child’s eye. The trees are being planted in Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire, with the help of local young people. The trees will form an eye 300 meters wide that will be visible from the sky in about six years, when they have grown.
The project hopes to focus on the importance of young people’s ideas for creating a health y natural environment. It was designed by a company called Sand in Your Eye and has been created by Forestry England, an organization that protects forests and woodlands.
Josephine Lavelle, director at Forestry England, says, “Having the gaze of a child growing in the heart of this beautiful and ever-changing forest is a powerful symbol of how we need to listen and respond to the needs and vision of future generations.”
The project also aims to highlight the important role that forests play in fighting climate change. As well as providing a home for wildlife, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create oxygen that humans need to breathe. When the trees have grown, they will provide a place for lots of wild animals, like bats, birds and small mammals to live. The Forest Eye will also create a space for people to explore and connect with nature.
Jamie Wardley, artistic director at Sand in Your Eye, has plenty of experience creating pieces of “land art”. These are huge drawings and sculptures made from grass, ice and sand, including a 60-meter portrait of Swedish climate-change campaigner Greta Thunberg on a school field in Yorkshire. He says, “The trees are my paint.” “Our work is about prompting people to think deeply and respond emotionally to some of the biggest issues facing us, including the climate crisis.” Wardley also plans to develop the Forest Eye into an even bigger project. “It is our ambition to create the whole face of a young girl at the same scale, measuring 2,000 meters across. Those trees that are planted in the Forest Eye are the very beginning of this,” he says.
1. What can we know about the project?| A．It is planting trees to form an eye. | B．It is aimed at creating artworks. |
| C．It is proposed by the local youth. | D．It is carried out in the largest forest. |
| A．The argument for the project. | B．The benefits of tree. |
| C．The value of children’s ideas. | D．The fight against climate change. |
| A．Ignorant. | B．Adventurous. | C．Emotional. | D．Creative. |
| A．Land arts take off | B．Tree planting catches on |
| C．Giant eye planting kicks off | D．Environmental groups spring up |
3 . A new study by a team of researchers shows that searching to evaluate the truthfulness of false news articles actually increases the probability of believing misinformation, not the opposite.
The reason for this outcome may be explained by search-engine outputs in the study. The researchers found that this phenomenon is concentrated among individuals for whom search engines return lower-quality information.
“This points to the danger that ‘data voids’ — areas of the information ecosystem that are dominated by low quality, or even outright false, news and information — may be playing a resulting role in the online search process, leading to low return of credible information or, more alarming, the appearance of non-credible information at the top of search results,” observes lead author Kevin Aslett, an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida.
To study the impact, they recruited participants through both Qualtrics and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk for a series of five experiments and with the aim of measuring the impact of a common behavior: searching online to evaluate news (SOTEN).
The first four studies tested the following aspects of online search behavior and impact:
◎ The effect of SOTEN on belief in both false or misleading and true news directly within two days an article’s publication
◎ Whether the effect of SOTEN can change an individual’s evaluation after they had already assessed the truthfulness of a news story
◎ The effect of SOTEN months after publication
◎ The effect of SOTEN on recent news about a key topic with significant news coverage
A fifth study combined a survey with web-tracking data in order to identify the effect of exposure to both low- and high-quality search-engine results on belief in misinformation.
Across the five studies, the authors found that the act of searching online to evaluate news led to a statistically significant increase in belief in misinformation. This occurred whether it was shortly after the publication of misinformation or months later. This finding suggests that the passage of time does not lessen the impact of SOTEN on increasing the likelihood of believing false news stories to be true. Moreover, the fifth study showed that this phenomenon is concentrated among individuals for whom search engines return lower-quality information.
“The findings highlight the need for media literacy programs to ground recommendations in search engines to invest in solutions to the challenges identified by this research,” concludes Joshua A Tucker, professor of politics.
1. What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?| A．The more you assess the realness of fake news online, the more you’ll believe it. |
| B．There is little low quality, or false news in the areas of the information ecosystem. |
| C．Evaluating online the realness of fake news would prevent you believing it. |
| D．Fake news and information usually can’t be found at the top of search results. |
| A．Knowledge level. | B．Time effect. |
| C．Web-tracking data. | D．News type. |
| A．Rely on. | B．Focus on. | C．Work on. | D．Hold on. |
| A．Economics | B．Entertainment | C．Science | D．Insights |
Archaeologists have made a stunning discovery of more than 80 stone carvings and building units, dating back about 1,300 years, at the Leigutai caves of the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan province. The Longmen Grottoes Research Institute,
The relics, unearthed during renovation inside the west wall of the south cave of Leigutai, are believed to have been used as materials
“This is the first time archaeologists
Lu said the relics inside the wall
Luoyang was the national capital during Empress Wu’s reign. Many members of the royal family and aristocracy then held the belief
In November 2000, the Longmen Grottoes were included on the UNESCO World Heritage list,
1. What is the main purpose of the speech?
| A．To get more support. | B．To get rights for the state. | C．To report on work. |
| A．Asking for help from the public. |
| B．Reducing the money on army. |
| C．Increasing taxes on wine and gas. |
| A．Banning sales of guns in stores. |
| B．Training police officers. |
| C．Making more city laws. |
1. What did the woman look like in middle school?
| A．She had a long face. | B．She had red hair. | C．She was overweight. |
| A．She is a lawyer. | B．She sells insurance. | C．She works in a restaurant. |
| A．The pay is low. | B．It is boring. | C．It is a fair trade. |
1. What is a caddie in this conversation?
| A．It is a type of car. |
| B．It is a senior golf player. |
| C．It is a person serving a golf player. |
| A．Next week. | B．Next month. | C．In three months. |
| A．He doesn’t like hard work. |
| B．He doesn’t like watching TV. |
| C．He doesn’t know many golf words. |
| A．She’s a student. | B．She’s a cleaner. | C．She’s a teacher. |
| A．They only like its music. |
| B．Both of them think highly of it. |
| C．They only like the performance. |
| A．A camera. | B．A notebook. | C．Pens and paper. |
10 . A little stream flowed down from a high mountain far away through many villages and forests, until it reached a desert. The stream then thought, “I’ve been through countless obstacles. I should have no problem crossing this desert!” But soon she found herself gradually disappearing into the mud and sand. After numerous tries, she found it was all in vain and was very upset. “Maybe it’s my destiny! I’m not destined to reach the vast ocean in the legend.”
At this time;a deep voice came, saying, “If a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river.”
It was the voice of the desert. Unconvinced, the little stream replied, “That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”
“That’s because you stick to what you are If you’re willing to give it up, and let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach your destination,” said the desert in its deep voice.
The little stream had never heard of such a thing. She could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before. Wouldn’t it be self-destruction to give up what she was now?
“How do I know if this is true? and will I still be what I am now?” asked the little stream.
“Yes, and no. Whether you’re a river or invisible vapor, your inner nature never changes. You stick to the fact that you’re a river because you don’t know your inner nature,”answered the desert.
Deep down, the stream vaguely remembered that before she became a river, it was perhaps also the breeze that had carried her halfway up a high mountain, where she turned into rain and fell onto the ground and became what she was now. Finally the little stream gathered her courage and rushed into the open arms of the breeze; which carried her to the next stage of her life.
The course of our lives is like the experience of little stream. If you want to surpass the obstacles in your life in order to head for the destination of Truth, Virtue and beauty, you should also have the wisdom and courage to renounce (放弃) your ego (attachment to yourself).
Perhaps you can try asking yourself these questions: What is my inner nature? What is it that I cling to? and, What is it that I really want?
1. What obstacle did the stream come across when starting to cross the desert?| A．Her effortless attempt. | B．Her unrealistic goal. |
| C．Her bowing to fate. | D．All that struggle for nothing. |
| A．Confident — shocked — determined — withdrawn |
| B．Sad — determined — disappointed — shocked |
| C．Disappointed — doubted — confident — surprised |
| D．Hopeful — upset — shocked — determined |
| A．Give up what you are, and you will never owe it again. |
| B．While you change physically, your inner nature will never change. |
| C．Only by sticking to yourself can you realize your dream. |
| D．Changing yourself means losing control of everything. |
| A．When you can’t change the environment, change yourself. |
| B．Stick to your inner nature rather than what you are. |
| C．Once starting the journey, you should stick to your goal. |
| D．Be flexible and adaptable, venturing into the unknown. |
