1 . More than 400 athletes across a variety of sports, ages and levels of experience were questioned for the study by sports psychology experts from Staffordshire University and Manchester Metropolitan University. The findings reveal that athletes’ belief systems — specifically irrational (非理性) beliefs — are related to poorer self-confidence, and in turn, greater competitive anxiety and depressive symptoms.
“Phrases that reflect self-depreciating (贬低) beliefs such as ‘If I lose, I’m a failure’ or ‘If I face setbacks, it shows how stupid I am’ are warning signs,” said the authors. Paul Mansell, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University, said, “Despite the psychological benefits of physical activity, studies frequently report poor mental health in athletes, which may be exacerbated by adversities, such as injury, de-selection, and performance pressure. We investigated athletes’ beliefs, how they view stress, their levels of self-confidence and put all this data together to work out what might predict psychological well-being. We found irrational beliefs to be a core reason for symptoms of poor mental health in athletes.”
This is the first known study that has examined irrational beliefs, self-confidence, and the psychological well-being of athletes all together. Irrational beliefs are extreme, rigid, and illogical ideas that people hold. For example, a person might believe that they “must” get what they want, or that just because they have failed, they are a “complete failure”.
“We can all work to help athletes develop mindsets that help them deal with the challenges of sport and life. By encouraging rational and logical beliefs about performance, we can help athletes to stay healthy amidst the high demands of competitive sport,” said Paul Mansell.
The author s propose Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as an effective tool for protecting self-confidence. REBT helps athletes to challenge these self-depreciating beliefs and develop beliefs that are more helpful and healthy. For example, rather than believe “I am a failure if I fail”, this might be countered with “Failing is not ideal, but it does not mean that I am a failure”.
1. What did the study centre on?| A．Physical health of athletes. |
| B．The competition state of athletes. |
| C．Psychological health of athletes. |
| D．Competition habits of athletes. |
| A．Worsened. | B．Examined. | C．Promoted. | D．Recognized. |
| A．Setbacks won’t stop me. |
| B．If I fail, I will lose everything. |
| C．It is a world full of competition. |
| D．What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. |
| A．Psychological benefits of physical activity |
| B．Effective tools for protecting self-confidence |
| C．Rational and logical beliefs about performance |
| D．Warning signs of poor mental health in athletes |
2 . “It is like nothing I’ve ever tried. Gentle, elegant and comforting,” said Max Falkowitz, digital editor of the food and wine magazine Saveur, after he tasted one of the most sought-after teas in the world: pu’er, a fermented (发酵的) dark tea sourced from ancient trees in the Yunnan Province in southwest China. “Pu’er is a ‘slow’ drink. It has to be boiled in hot water from 15 to 60 seconds again and again until the drinker arrives at the desired taste. To be considered true pu’er, the leaves must be grown in certain villages and allowed to ferment over weeks, months, years or even decades. That fermentation can produce a variety of complex flavors — from the most unpleasant one to the most desirable one that lasts for hours in the mouth.”
The price of pu’er varies greatly. Some pu’er can be had for just a few dollars a kilogram, while a few of the most prized producing villages sell maocha (the raw material used to make pu’er) for around $725 per kilogram. In 2005, a mere 500 gram of a 64-year-old pu’er from Lao Banzhang sold for nearly $150,000.
“Not surprisingly, the astonishing profits led to a crash in 2007, when widespread counterfeit (假冒的) pu’er was discovered, and prices then stabilized,” Max laughed.
Part of the attraction of pu’er is its presentation: It is routinely pressed into cakes, and wrapped in paper printed with the name of the tea. This method was developed centuries ago for the long journey along the famous Teahorse Road, which went all the way north into Russia and south into Thailand. For the convenience of transportation, several cakes were wrapped in bamboo, and then tied to either side of a mule or horse. Indeed, pu’er might be invented by luck, when tea being transported was exposed to rain and sun, and began to ferment.
“Pu’er is more than a drink,” said Jinghong Zhang, author of Pu’er Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic. “For example, it is given as a gift during local wedding negotiations, and offered to ancestors during religious ceremonies.”
1. What can be inferred about pu’er from the first paragraph?| A．Its flavors are always good. | B．It takes little time to boil the tea. |
| C．The fermentation is a key step. | D．The best tea comes from younger trees. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Tolerant. | C．Approving. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．To make it easier to transport. | B．To show the name of the tea maker. |
| C．To shelter it from sun and rain. | D．To let it ferment along the Teahorse Road. |
| A．Certain aspects of Chinese culture. | B．The role of pu’er in local society. |
| C．The high costs of local weddings. | D．The long history of pu’er in China. |
3 . Enjoyable and immersive hobbies have the power to make us happier and healthier. Hobbies lead to better physical health, more sleep, lower stress, greater life satisfaction, a larger social network and improved work performance.
Be open.
“Keeping an open mind and not dismissing potential hobbies even if they seem out of your wheel-house is key,” says Katina, a clinical psychology researcher. “We’re wired as humans to be curious and open, but in a very burned-out world, we forget that,” she says. “It’s the first thing to go.” So next time someone hands you a flier or invites you to an event, seize the opportunity.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? The answer could point you towards an appealing hobby. If you wanted to be a major league player, what can you do now that fulfills that urge for you? Joining a softball team or coaching some neighborhood kids could inspire a long-dormant passion.
Go back to school.
Consider auditing (旁听) a class at a university or signing up for a lesson to learn more about a potential hobby.
Take an assessment.
Lots of colleges offer career assessments to help students determine what to major in and how to guide their professional lives.
| A．Take a trip back in time. |
| B．But where do you start? |
| C．Turn your dream into a hobby. |
| D．Always dreamed of writing a novel? |
| E．It could introduce you to something you never guessed you’d love. |
| F．You can also use these tools to gather insights about potential hobbies. |
| G．If a hobby makes you healthier and happier, everyone around you will benefit. |
Due to temperature rise and safety concerns, the
Since opening on December 19, 2023, the winter wonderland
Crowded with people on the last opening day, the winter wonderland became a paradise where both adults and children were immersed in a
The recent temperature rise and windy weather have worried the park’s management about the safety of tourists. According to videos posted by visitors, some ice sculptures can be scratched and marked by nails. Local residents
The Ice and Snow World
5 . When it comes to what shapes me into who I am today, the first things coming to mind are my experiences as a child of immigrant parents. I was
I remember feeling
Like many people
But alongside that isolation, I usually
| A．taken in | B．brought up | C．focused on | D．picked out |
| A．proud | B．upset | C．relieved | D．fun |
| A．desert | B．remain | C．value | D．balance |
| A．characteristics | B．interests | C．strengths | D．feelings |
| A．keep | B．stick | C．stretch | D．break |
| A．in regard to | B．in charge of | C．in comparison to | D．in company with |
| A．torn | B．broken | C．energetic | D．mean |
| A．Therefore | B．Otherwise | C．However | D．Besides |
| A．straight | B．fine | C．parallel | D．simple |
| A．traditional | B．certain | C．special | D．universal |
| A．hesitating about | B．deciding on | C．setting about | D．holding on |
| A．Sadly | B．Surprisingly | C．Fortunately | D．Hopefully |
| A．sorry | B．anxious | C．afraid | D．safe |
| A．expose | B．limit | C．reduce | D．commit |
| A．inspired | B．attracted | C．shocked | D．surrounded |
| A．isolation | B．connection | C．relationship | D．division |
| A．doubt | B．admit | C．believe | D．grasp |
| A．insist on | B．refer to | C．end up | D．put off |
| A．resembles | B．copies | C．dislikes | D．favors |
| A．ability | B．right | C．privilege | D．room |
6 . Fingerprints have been used to identify individuals for centuries. But now scientists may have finally figured out how those patterns are formed, according to a paper published in the journal Cell in February.
Previous studies have shown that fingerprints can be influenced by the shape and size of the blood vessels in the skin and how fast the different layers of skin grow. Denis Headon at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and his colleagues started their study from a new viewpoint: how genes affect fingerprint patterns. They identified the genes related to limb (肢体) development, which could serve as the groundwork for print formation, according to their work published in 2022.
However, many genes are not involved in the process. “The key is how they form,” Headon told Nature, a science journal. The team studied the ridges (脊) on mouse toes and human cells grown artificially.
They found two kinds of elements work against each other. A protein called WNT, which is important in skin development, promotes ridge formation. Another molecule (分子), called BMP, impedes the ridges. With the two elements “fighting” each other, they create the patterns of waves. The team also changed the timing and the location of the origins of the waves in experiments. They discovered that the waves would collide in different ways, which helps to create the diversity of print patterns.
Interestingly, the analysis of the fingerprint patterns supported the Turing reaction-diffusion system. It was first proposed by UK scientist Alan Turing in 1952 to describe a self-organizing system that creates patterns in nature, such as the feather patterns in birds and stripes on zebra. The researchers also built a computer model that can recreate print patterns by following the Turing system.
Based on the new study, it may be possible that the structures of human skin might be all generated by the same mechanism, Sarah Millar, a US biologist, told the website Science News. However, more studies on how the skin matures are needed to solve the mystery.
1. What did Denis Headon and his colleagues focus on in their study?| A．The relation between skin growth and fingerprint formation. |
| B．The influence of blood vessels on fingerprint patterns. |
| C．The impact of genes on fingerprint patterns. |
| D．The analysis of mouse toes’ ridges. |
| A．They experimented with mouse toes and artificial human cells. |
| B．They compared mouse toes with human hands. |
| C．They did research on human hand anatomy. |
| D．They planted human cells in mouse toes. |
| A．Supports. | B．Stops. | C．Generates. | D．Influences. |
| A．It uncovers how the skin is generated. | B．It promotes Alan Turing’s theory. |
| C．It may further research on skin maturation. | D．It shows the mechanism of skin formation. |
7 . My husband made a little two-story house that mirrored our own in color and design for our Little Free Library, while I carefully selected books from our shelves. The idea resonated (引起共鸣) with us immediately — instead of loading boxes into the car for yet another used book sale, we could simply walk them to the roadside.
Fifteen or so years later, it’s safe to say that thousands of books, as well as the occasional DVDs, CDs and jigsaw puzzles have been shared through our little library. Situated on a busy street just a few blocks from a subway station, our little library sees dozens, perhaps hundreds, of passers-by each day.
Many of those who use our library do not hesitate to share their love of this neighborhood resource. One gentleman regularly stops by to pick up books for a nearby retirement home. At other times, we have received cards and gifts, including chocolates and even a personalized drawing from a local artist.
Like the people who use our library, the books that come and go reflect the broad diversity of our city. Arabic, French and Russian books are staples among the dominant English-language books. I’ve even collected favorite books of mine in languages I don’t understand, simply for the joy of adding another edition to my collection. Surprisingly, our library hasn’t dealt with our book storage problem —if anything, we now have more books than ever before.
I have heard some complaints that Little Free Libraries do not always serve the purpose of building community and may compete with our public libraries and independent bookstores. This has not been our experience. We continue to buy more books than we need and we are fiercely loyal users of the public system. Our Little Free Library has enhanced our love of reading and has connected us to a community of book lovers in the heart of our busy neighborhood.
1. Why did the author and her husband create the Little Free Library?| A．To make friends with book lovers. | B．To deal with their unwanted books. |
| C．To prepare for used book sales. | D．To make use of community resources. |
| A．The multiple resources of the library. |
| B．People’s contributions to the library. |
| C．The friendships between library users. |
| D．The author’s impression of her neighborhood. |
| A．Its superiority to public libraries. |
| B．Its close distance to a busy street. |
| C．Its success in solving book storage. |
| D．Its reflecting city diversity through books. |
| A．The Cozy Reading Corner: Promoting Reading |
| B．The Whispering Pages: Tales from a Shared Library |
| C．The Little Free Library: Contributing to Tighter Bonds |
| D．The Magic Bookshelf: Account of Neighborhood Harmony |
8 . The first wave of excitement about generative artificial intelligence (AI) has cooled a little. But an entirely new industry centred on generative AI models is taking shape. Three forces will determine what it eventually looks like.
The first factor is computing power, the cost of which is forcing model-builders to become more efficient. Faced with the eye-watering costs of training and running more powerful models, for instance, OpenAI is not yet training its next big model, GPT-5, but GPT-4.5 instead, a more powerful version than its current model, GPT-4. That could give deep-pocketed competitors such as Google a chance to catch up. Its soon-to-be-released cutting-edge model, Gemini, is thought to be more powerful than OpenAI’s current version.
High computing costs have also encouraged the development of much smaller models, which are trained on specific data to do specific things. Replit, a startup, has trained a model to help developers write programs, for instance.
All these models are now fighting for data—the second force shaping the generative AI industry. The biggest, such as OpenAI’s and Google’s, are always hungry: They are trained on more than one trillion words, which amount to more than 250 English-language Wikipedias. As they grow bigger, they will get hungrier.
Generative AI’s hunger for data and computing power makes a third factor more important still: money. Many model-makers are already turning away from generative AI models for the general public, and looking instead to fee-paying businesses. OpenAI, which started life in 2015 as a non-profit venture, has been especially energetic in this regard. It has not just licensed its models to Microsoft, but is setting up tools for companies including Morgan Stanley and Salesforce.
Who will emerge victorious? Firms like OpenAI, with its vast number of users, and Google, with its deep pockets, have a clear early competitive edge. But for as long as computing power and data remain limited, the model-builder with the smartest method to process data could yet steal the lead. So, the AI craze may have cooled, but the drama is just beginning.
1. Gemini is probably more powerful than __________.| A．GPT-4 | B．GPT-4.5 | C．GPT-5 | D．GPT-5.5 |
| A．By buying the latest technologies abroad. | B．By designing specialized smaller models. |
| C．By building bigger and smarter models. | D．By partnering with other AI companies. |
| A．The number of users. | B．The depth of pockets. |
| C．The computing power. | D．The data-processing methods. |
| A．What Are the Disadvantages of Big AI Models? |
| B．Who Will Have the Last Laugh, OpenAI or Google? |
| C．What Are the Determining Factors in the AI Drama? |
| D．How Can Startups Reduce the AI Model Training Costs? |
9 . Having just finished a show in Times Square, Italian rocker Maneskin and his band learned that their Madison Square Garden show scheduled for the week was a sellout. Pleasantly surprised, Maneskin called the news very special, because it’s one of the most important places where every musician can ever dream to perform.
In an era when rock bands seem endangered and most of the top rockers came from the last century, Maneskin and his band seem to be an anomaly. Coming to public attention in 2021 after an unexpected win at the Eurovision Song Contest with their high-energy song, Zitti E Buoni, the Italian band seems to be reviving (复兴) rock music, or at least, providing a breath of hope.
“The band was born out of pure passion between four friends who met in high school,” Maneskin told reporters. “We never had the ambition to make a breakthrough in the music business as a rock band.”
Maneskin thinks that their success has something to do with the band’s experience on the streets of Rome as teenagers. “We had to get the attention of the people. So, we saw that interacting and getting close was something that really worked,” he admitted.
That is carried over to their live show, as they always break away from the main stage for a few songs to get closer to the audience. They also have brought fans onstage. The relationship between the artists and audience was intensified during their South America tours where the band was exposed to some of the most energetic audiences.
“People went crazy. They really screamed at the top of their lungs,” Maneskin laughed.
While they can easily be mistaken for rockers of a new era with their distinctive style and songs like I Wanna Be Your Slave or Supermodel, their music is strongly influenced by the rock of the 1970s and 1980s.
“We grew up listening to the rock music our parents played. When we started playing our instruments, our teachers introduced us to all the classic rock music bands of the past. It’s something that really shaped us into who we are today,” he said.
1. What does the word “anomaly” underlined in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Great success. | B．Classic combination. | C．Unusual thing. | D．Normal phenomenon. |
| A．The interaction with audience. | B．The innovative music. |
| C．The high energy of the songs. | D．The special performance venues. |
| A．Good rock bands are very rare nowadays. | B．A totally new era of rock music is coming. |
| C．The 70’s and 80’s are the rock’s best time. | D．The band has not made a big breakthrough. |
| A．A music review. | B．A news report. | C．An advertisement. | D．A biography. |
1. Why do white-collar workers turn to farming?
| A．To get cheaper vegetables. |
| B．To reduce stress. |
| C．To learn farming skills. |
| A．Buy more land. | B．Grow some rice. | C．Raise some animals. |
| A．A popular lifestyle. | B．A monitoring system. | C．An animal farm. |
