1 . Compared to robots, human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements, and can change energy efficiently into movement. Drawing inspiration from human gait, researchers from Japan crafted a two-legged biohybrid robot by combining muscle tissues and artificial materials. This method allows the robot to walk and pivot.
“Research on biohybrid robots, which are a mix of biology and mechanics, is recently attracting attention as a new field of robotics featuring biological function,” says corresponding author Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, Japan. “Using muscles as actuators allows us to build a compact robot and achieve efficient, silent movements with a soft touch.”
The research team’s two-legged robot, an innovative bipedal design, builds on the legacy of biohybrid robots that take advantage of muscles. Muscle tissues have driven biohybrid robots to crawl and swim straight forward and make turns—but not sharp ones. Yet, being able to pivot and make sharp turns is an essential feature for robots to avoid obstacles.
To build a nimbler robot with fine and delicate movements, the researchers designed a biohybrid robot that copies human gait and operates in water. By alternating the electric stimulation between the left and right leg every 5 seconds, the biohybrid robot successfully “walked” at the speed of 5.4m m/min(0.002 mph). To turn, researchers repeatedly zapped the right leg every 5 seconds while the left leg served as an anchor.
The robot made a 90-degree left turn in 62 seconds. The findings showed that the muscle-driven bipedal robot can walk, stop, and make fine-tuned turning motions.
“Currently, we are manually moving a pair of electrodes to apply an electric field individually to the legs, which takes time,” says Takeuchi. “In the future, by integrating the electrodes into the robot, we expect to increase the speed more efficiently.
The team also plans to give joints and thicker muscle tissues to the bipedal robot to enable more complicated and powerful movements.
1. What is the weakness of a robot?| A．Awkward to move. | B．Complex to operate. |
| C．Tough to control. | D．Easy to lose energy. |
| A．More stylish. | B．More flexible. | C．More intelligent. | D．More suitable. |
| A．Add more power to the bipedal robot. | B．Expand the use of the bipedal robot. |
| C．Better the bipedal robot’s movements. | D．Apply an electric field to the bipedal robot. |
| A．Biohybrid robots are a mix of biology and mechanics |
| B．Human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements |
| C．Making sharp turns is essential for robots to avoid obstacles |
| D．Scientists designed a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissues |
2 . Some children love reading, some dislike it, and many are in between. Most children and adults are drawn to reading materials that are engaging and understandable.
Compare books to films.
Encourage curiosity about vocabulary. As your child reads books, suggest that you look up difficult or unfamiliar words in the dictionary together.
Strengthen spelling skills. If you are making flashcards with difficult words, have your child practice spelling the words out loud or on paper. Give your child the opportunity to double-check spelling and find mistakes independently. This is a great strategy to use throughout the year.
| A．Create literature with your child. |
| B．Ask your child to make up stories. |
| C．Compare how they are similar and how they are different. |
| D．Have your child read a book and then check out the video version of the book. |
| E．But, your child will eventually have to read uninteresting or complicated materials. |
| F．It teaches your child to self-correct and also reduces their fear of dealing with difficult words. |
| G．Consider making flashcards of these words and guessing the meanings before finding the definition. |
3 . Great whites, the largest predatory(捕食性的)sharks in the world with the most fatal attacks on humans, are tough to imagine as newborn babies. That is partially because no one has seen one in the wild, it seems, until now.
Wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and UC Riverside biology doctoral student Phillip Sternes were scanning the waters for sharks on July 9, 2023, near Santa Barbara on California’s central coast. That day, something exciting appeared on the viewfinder of Gauna’s drone camera. It was a shark pup(幼崽)unlike any they’d ever seen.
“We enlarged the images, put them in slow motion, and realized the white layer was being shed(脱落)from the body as it was swimming,” Sternes said. “I believe it was a newborn white shark shedding its embryonic layer.”
These observations are documented in a new paper in the Environmental Biology of Fishes journal. What Gauna and Sternes observed could help solve the longstanding mystery of great white birthing habits. This may well be the first evidence we have of a pup in the wild. Great whites, referred to only as white sharks by scientists, are gray on the top and white on the bottom. But this roughly 5-foot-long shark was pure white.
Though the paper authors acknowledge it is possible that the white layer the shark shed could have been a skin condition, the two believe what they saw was in fact a newborn great white. First, great white females give birth to live pups. A second reason is the presence of large, likely pregnant great whites in this location. Finally, this location off the coast of central California has long been proposed as a birthing location for great whites. Many scholars believe great whites are born farther out at sea.
Great whites are listed as an international endangered species. “Further research is needed to confirm these waters are indeed a great white breeding ground. But if it does, we would want lawmakers to step in and protect these waters to help white sharks keep thriving,” Sternes said.
1. What do we know about what appeared on Carlo s Gauna’s camera?| A．It is rare in the world. | B．It is tough to identify. |
| C．It is not open to the public. | D．It is unbelievable to scientists. |
| A．Pure gray. | B．White only on the bottom. |
| C．Gray on the top. | D．Pure white. |
| A．How great white females give birth to pups. |
| B．How the authors prove they saw a baby shark. |
| C．Why the authors believe they saw a newborn shark pup. |
| D．Why the authors think the white layer is a skin condition. |
| A．Helping white sharks to stop breeding. |
| B．Using laws to protect shark pups and their habitats. |
| C．Listing white sharks as endangered species. |
| D．Further study to confirm white sharks breeding waters. |
4 . It’s time to put your worries aside and pack your bags for some of the top most relaxing places for holidays for 2024.
KosRelaxing holidays in Kos are all about blending soft sand beaches, sparkling water, lush green interiors, and history hunting. The coast is perfect for long leisurely walks on the beach, sunbathing in the Greek sunshine, and wallowing in the warm water. History buffs are in for a treat with some of the best historic architecture in Greece. Kos is home to abundant Roman ruins and a 15th-century castle that is ideal for an afternoon of exploring.
LanzaroteThe vast untouched landscape has made Lanzarote one of the most popular holiday destinations because it is truly somewhere you can relax in peace, with nothing but soft sandy beaches and the ideal water for first-time ocean swimmers. Family holidays to Lanzarote are as accommodating as parents could wish for, offering a host of fantastic family-friendly fun for all ages.
CorfuAs the greenest of the Greek islands, you’re in for a treat with over two million olive trees, rolling green hills, and pine forests that blanket the island in emerald beauty. Finding the perfect mix of history hunting, nature exploration, and relaxation is all within reach on a luxury Corfu holiday. The old towns, harbours, and traditional hostels will have you relax and enjoy the best of the Greek islands in no time.
RovinjFor a cultural holiday filled with exquisite architecture, national parks with untouched natural wonders, and long stretches of coastline, look no further than holidays in Rovinj. Located in the north of Croatia, Rovinj offers some of the best opportunities to explore the unique and moving culture. The town is home to narrow cobbled streets overlooking the ocean, with shops, galleries, and restaurants dotted throughout, bringing you the best of Croatia.
1. What can visitors do at Kos?| A．Visit art galleries. | B．Enjoy family-friendly fun. |
| C．Walk in national parks. | D．Admire historic architecture. |
| A．Kos. | B．Lanzarote. |
| C．Corfu. | D．Rovinj. |
| A．They all have sea view. |
| B．They all have old castles. |
| C．They all belong to the same country. |
| D．They all have untouched landscape. |
5 . International ShakeOut Day This Year
This year’s International ShakeOut Day is October 17, when millions of people worldwide will take part in earthquake drills (演习) at work, school, or home! It is a great way for your family or organization to become better prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.
At 10:17 am (local time) on 10/17, you can join millions of people across the world in practicing earthquake safety. While we encourage everyone to take part, you can sign up for your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year, and drill at a time of your choice. You can also include people in different locations through videos.
FIND YOUR REGION· Most participants (参与者) are in one of the official ShakeOut Regions listed below the page (with current sign-up totals). People and organizations in other countries can also sign up.
· All regions take part in it on October 17, 2024, unless specified.
| (As of Today) | Global Totals | US Totals |
| Oct.17, 2024 Drills | Over 270,000 | Over 260,000 |
| All 2024 Drills | Over 1.10 million | Over 950,000 |
| All 2023 Drills | Over 57.3 million | Over 19.3 million |
ShakeOut began in California and has also been organized in many other states and countries. Official ShakeOut Regions require special local or regional cooperation, typically by an emergency (紧急情况) management agency or a union of many organizations. If you are interested in establishing ShakeOut for your region, please contact us at https://www.shakeout.org. If your state, province, or country is not yet taking part, you can sign up for yourself or your organization as part of the global participation total.
1. What is the purpose of the activity?| A．To raise people’s safety awareness. |
| B．To stress the challenges of earthquakes. |
| C．To help people get ready for an earthquake. |
| D．To warn people of the danger of earthquakes. |
| A．Over 270,000. | B．Over 950,000. |
| C．Over 57.3 million. | D．Over 19.3 million. |
| A．A website. | B．A book review. |
| C．A guidebook. | D．A diary entry. |
6 . Many kids find math difficult or boring. That feeling needs to go extinct as soon as possible as math is a pillar (支柱) of education. Beyond numbers, math pushes kids to think critically and become problem solvers.
Change how you talk about math to kids
When you hear the word “math” come up, put on a wide smile on your face. Our kids feed off our energy. Let’s be clear, we aren’t trying to make math cool.
Integrate (融合) math into daily life
Does your child love sports? Math helps them keep track of their performance and improve. Figure out a way to take the current math they are working on in school and then apply it to something they like. This may take some homework on your part, but it will pay off in no time!
Go along with math games
Let’s not try to force math homework to be fun, rather find a teaching aid that puts math in a new light. With advancement in technology, math games have become designed to teach entire lessons and concepts rather than simple problems like the games of days past.
| A．Listen to the outer voice |
| B．Connect math to kids’ interests |
| C．What is your learning approach to math |
| D．But how do we help kids build math confidence |
| E．A simple everyday event can turn into a math problem |
| F．Your kids will explore a different world while playing math games |
| G．Instead, we are trying to make math a positive part of a child’s education |
7 . Looking for the best music festivals in California in 2024? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
When: April 12 — 14 &. April 19 — 21, 2024
Where: Empire Polo Club, Indio, California
Coachella is one of California’s oldest and most impressive music & art festivals, and will certainly be a weekend experience that you’ll never forget. Every year it brings an unbelievably quality line-up covering different kinds of music, massively beautiful stage production, and a really fantastic festival atmosphere.
Outside Lands Music Festival
When: August 9 — 11, 2024
Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California Outside Lands is Northern California’s biggest and best music festival, and is definitely an event you’ll fall in love with! While it may be one of the pricier events on the list, it’s worth every penny! The line-ups are always impressively diverse, and the production is truly the best.
Bottle Rock Napa Valley
When: May 24-— 26, 2024
Where: Napa Valley, Northern California
Featuring one of the largest and most diverse line-ups brought to Northern California, Bottle Rock Napa Valley is an annual 3-day festival featuring music, wine, food, and beer! 80+ bands on five music stages, great sight lines throughout the event, and tasty food from the Napa Valley’s finest chefs and restaurateurs make every festival-goer feel like a VIP.
Hard Summer Music Festival
When: July 12 — 14, 2024
Where: San Bernadino, California
This annual mega-festival has been a Southern California favorite for over a decade, and always manages to put together an unbelievably impressive line-up, incredible stage production, and overall amazing festival experience. There are exciting events like HARD Day of the Dead, Holy Ship, and HARD Red Rocks. Attending one of their events will always impress!
1. Which of the four music festivals begins the earliest?| A．Bottle Rock Napa Valley. | B．Outside Lands Music Festival. |
| C．Hard Summer Music Festival. | D．Coachella Valley Music&-Arts Festival. |
| A．It lasts for a whole week. | B．It is open to all festival-goers. |
| C．It charges more for the tickets. | D．It is recognized as the oldest one. |
| A．In Napa Valley. | B．In San Bernadino. |
| C．At Golden Gate Park. | D．At Empire Polo Club. |
8 . Large language models (LLMs) have become a household name thanks to the role they have played in bringing generative (生成式) AI to the forefront of the public interest, as well as the point on which organizations are focusing to apply generative AI into numerous business functions and use cases.
LLMs, like ChatGPT, are trained on huge amounts of data — mostly everything on the Internet, including soft copies of countless printed books. They can “learn” different kinds of things in their reading — not just words but also phrases, symbols and mathematical equations.
LLMs’ arrival has triggered a heated debate among experts in the field. At the heart of the debate is whether LLMs actually understand what they are saying and doing, rather than just seeming to. Some researchers have suggested that LLMs do understand, and can reason like people. But computer scientist Melanie Mitchell holds a different view.
Consider this letter-string problem: You start with abcd and the next string is abce. If you start with ijkl, humans almost always say the second string should end with m. And so do LLMs. They have, after all, been well trained on the English alphabet. But suppose you raise the problem in a different order, such as a u c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t b v w x y z. Humans are still very good at solving letter-string problems. But LLMs usually fail. They are not able to generalize’ the concepts (概念) used on an alphabet they know to another alphabet.
“Being dependable and doing the right thing in a new situation is the central part of what understanding actually means,” Mitchell says. Human understanding, she says, is based on “concepts” — basically mental models of things like situations and events. Concepts allow people to infer cause and effect and to predict (预测) the probable results of different actions — even in new cases.
1. Why do LLMs receive public attention?| A．They give us free access to all e-books. | B．They can perform a wide range of tasks. |
| C．They make ChatGPT part of our life. | D．They will create large numbers of jobs. |
| A．Caused. | B．Hosted. | C．Rejected. | D．Marked. |
| A．Shape our views on technology. | B．Read an English passage. |
| C．Understand the world like humans. | D．Answer general questions. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A research plan. | C．A children’s story. | D．A science magazine. |
9 . In January, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, appeared at a hearing to answer questions about how social media potentially harms children. Zuckerberg opened by saying: “The existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link (关联) between using social media and young people having worse mental health.”
But many social scientists would disagree with that statement. In recent years, studies have started to show a causal link between teen social media use and reduced well-being. One of the most cited studies into this link focused on Facebook.
Researchers tried to discover whether the platform’s introduction across college campuses in the mid-2000s increased symptoms (症状) related to mental health problems. The answer was a clear yes, says Alexey Makarin, a coauthor of the study. “There is still a lot to be explored,” Makarin says, “but to say there is no causal evidence that social media causes mental health issues, and I definitely object to that.”
The concern and the studies come from data showing that social media use in teens aged 13 to 17 is now very common. Two-thirds of teens report using TikTok, and some 60 percent of teens report using Instagram or Snapchat, a 2022 survey found. Another survey showed that girls, on average, spend around 3. 4 hours per day on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, compared with about 2.1 hours among boys. At the same time, more teens are showing signs of depression than ever, especially girls.
As more studies show a strong link between these phenomena, researchers are starting to move their attention to possible solutions. Why does social media use seem to bring about mental health problems? Why do those effects unevenly exist among different groups, such as girls or young adults? And can the good points of social media be teased out (梳理) from the bad points to provide more targeted guidance to teens, their caregivers and policymakers?
1. Why does the author mention Zuckerberg’s words?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To offer a piece of advice. |
| C．To present the image of a company. | D．To add background information. |
| A．It is important to network with others. | B．Social media harms teens’ mental health. |
| C．The Internet plays a key role in our daily life. | D．Messaging tools cause parents mental suffering. |
| A．34%. | B．60%. | C．67%. | D．76%. |
| A．Focus on all the Internet users. | B．Turn to teenagers’ caregivers. |
| C．Limit adults’ social media use. | D．Work out targeted solutions. |
1. 野生动物减少的原因（人为捕猎，环境污染……）；
2. 需要采取的措施（至少两条）。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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