1 . New research indicates that physical activity lowers cardiovascular (心血管的) disease risk in part by reducing stress-related signals in the brain.

In the study, which was led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), people with stress-related conditions such as depression experienced the most cardiovascular benefits from physical activity.

To assess the mechanisms (机制) underlying the psychological and cardiovascular disease benefits of physical activity, Ahmed Tawakol, MD, an investigator and cardiologist in the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at MGH, and his colleagues analyzed medical records and other information of 50,359 participants from the Mass General Brigham Biobank who completed a physical activity survey. A subset of 774 participants also underwent brain imaging tests and measurements of stress-related brain activity.

Over a median follow-up of 10 years, 12.9% of participants developed cardiovascular disease. Participants who met physical activity recommendations had a 23% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with those not meeting these recommendations. Individuals with higher levels of physical activity also tended to have lower stress-related brain activity.

Significantly, reductions in stress-related brain activity were driven by gains in function in the prefrontal cortex (前额叶皮质), a part of the brain involved in executive (执行的) function (i.e. decision making and impulse control). It is known to control stress centers of the brain.

As an extension of this finding, the researchers found in a group of 50,359 participants that the cardiovascular benefit of exercise was substantially greater among participants who would be expected to have higher stress-related brain activity, such as those with pre-existing depression.

Analyses accounted for other lifestyle variables and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Moreover, reductions in stress-related brain signals partially accounted for physical activity’s cardiovascular benefit.

“Physical activity was roughly twice as effective in lowering cardiovascular disease risk among those with depression. Effects on the brain’s stress-related activity may explain this novel observation,” said Tawakol, who is the senior author of the study.

1. Why did the research group analyze medical data of the participants?

A．To assess the impact of cardiovascular disease.

B．To find out how exercise lowers cardiovascular risk.

C．To decide the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease.

D．To test how much physical activity the participants needed.

2. How may physical activity lower cardiovascular disease risk?

A．By promoting function of the brain.

B．By controlling stress centers of the brain.

C．By decreasing stress-related brain activity.

D．By reducing executive function of the brain.

3. What advice may Tawakol give?

A．To work out regularly.	B．To eat healthily.
C．To be in a good mood.	D．To avoid cardiovascular disease.

4. In which section may the text appear in a newspaper?

A．Mind and learning.	B．Matter and energy.
C．Science and society.	D．Health and medicine.

2 . Here are some of European cities for football lovers.

Munich

Germany’s most successful team regularly sells out the ultramodern 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena. The stadium is a real spectacle. If you can’t get there for a match, the behind-the-scenes tour is a good alternative. Tours include access to the FC Bayern Museum, where countless trophies are on display.

Stadium tour: £9.5 for children, £22 for adults.

Barcelona

Although Camp Nou stadium is being rebuilt, the museum remains open in another part of the Camp Nou complex. Ticket upgrades include a “Robokeeper” option for kids who want to practice their football skills in the stadium. Barcelona is a fun city to explore with kids, with beaches, ice-cream shops, the family-friendly CosmoCaixa science museum.

Museum entry: £18 for children, £24 for adults.

London

The 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was opened in 2019. On non-match days, the stadium tour is an eye-opener — kids can sit in the same dressing room seats as their heroes, but just as appealing for families is the Dare Skywalk, an ascent up the stadium exterior (suitable for ages eight and above).

Stadium tour: £16 for children, £27 for adults.

Dare Skywalk: £31 for children, £39 for adults.

Liverpool

Anfield Stadium is one of the best-known football stadiums on the planet. Young fans will find plenty to enjoy on the stadium tour, with photo opportunities, dressing room access and great views across the city. The Anfield Abseil is new this year, a chance to abseil down the side of the stadium (suitable for ages 10 and above).

Stadium tours: £14 for children, £23 for adults.

Anfield Abseil: £38 for children, £45 for adults.

1. Which stadium is impossible for children to tour at present?

A．Allianz Arena.	B．Camp Nou.
C．Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.	D．Anfield Stadium.

2. How much will a father with a kid pay for the tour to Anfield Stadium?

A．£37.

B．£59.

C．£61.

D．£83.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To point out the importance of having a break.

B．To encourage people to watch football matches.

C．To present several cities full of football atmosphere.

D．To introduce the functions of some famous stadiums.

3 . Louis Pasteur was a great scientist who not only made significant achievements in the field of microbiology but also invented a food preservation method that is still widely used today—the process of pasteurization (巴氏杀菌法).

In the mid-19th century, Pasteur noticed that wine and beer often turned sour during production, causing substantial economic losses for the brewing industry (酿酒行业). At that time, brewers did not understand the specific reasons why alcoholic drinks would turn sour.

Pasteur began conducting a series of experiments to determine the cause of the souring of alcoholic drinks. He discovered that the souring was due to microorganisms in the air entering the drinks. These microorganisms would multiply in the drinks, causing them to go bad.

To prove that microorganisms were not generated on their own but came from preexisting microorganisms, Pasteur designed a famous experiment known as the swan neck flask (鹅颈瓶) experiment. He attached a curved glass tube to a bottle containing soup. The soup was exposed to air, but microorganisms in the air could not directly enter the soup. This experiment demonstrated that soup without microorganisms would not go bad.

Based on these findings, Pasteur began searching for a method to kill the microorganisms in wine while preserving its quality. He discovered that by heating the wine to a certain temperature and maintaining it for a period, he could kill the microorganisms without destroying the flavor of wine. This method later became known as pasteurization.

Pasteurization was quickly adopted by the brewing industry and rapidly spread to other food and beverage industries. This method not only extended the shelf life of foods but also improved food safety.

The invention of pasteurization had a profound impact on the food industry. Even today, pasteurization is widely used in the production of milk, juice, and other foods, helping to reduce the risk of food-related illnesses.

1. What does the author want to state in paragraph 2?

A．The topic of the text.

B．The process of pasteurization.

C．Pasteur’s scientific contribution.

D．Pasteur’s inspiration for inventing pasteurization.

2. Why did Pasteur do the swan neck flask experiment?

A．To show that soup exposed to air will always go bad.

B．To demonstrate that microorganisms can generate themselves.

C．To prove that microorganisms come from pre-existing ones.

D．To indicate that soup can keep long without any air exposure.

3. What did Pasteur’s method achieve for the brewing industry?

A．The extended shelf life.	B．Improved wine flavors.
C．The faster production time.	D．Changed beverage colors.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．The Role of Temperature in Food Safety

B．The Invention and Impact of Pasteurization

C．The Economic History of Brewing in the 19th Century

D．The Discovery of Microorganisms and Pasteur’s Experiments

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the man talking about?

A．His wife’s hobbies.

B．His after-work activities.

C．His success as an expert climber.

2. What is the man going to do next year?

A．To climb the Alps with his wife.

B．To enter for the London Marathon.

C．To complete a course of climbing.

3. How long does the man run every day?

A．About 3 miles.

B．About 42 kilometers.

C．About 1,000 meters.

4. Where did the man do easy climb a few years ago?

A．In London.

B．In America.

C．In the Alps.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the woman travel alone?

A．She wants some time for herself.

B．She is on business.

C．Her family don’t like traveling.

2. What does the woman think of the hotel’s service?

A．It is common.

B．It is bad.

C．It is great.

3. What is the man’s favorite part of the hotel?

A．The service.

B．The breakfast.

C．The facilities.

4. What does the woman say about the hotel?

A．The prices are reasonable.

B．It doesn’t seem like a nice hotel.

C．The service doesn’t have anything special.

6 . In Mediterranean waters, off the coast of France, a diver recently visited the shipwreck La Lune, which lay untouched and unexplored on the ocean bottom since it sank in 1664. But the wreck’s first visitor in centuries wasn’t human. It was a robot.

Called OceanOne, the bright orange diving robot measures about 1.5 meters in length and has a torso (躯干), a head with stereoscopic vision (立体视觉) and arms. Its lower section holds its computer “brain”, a power supply, and an array of eight multidirectional thrusters (推进器).

Guided by a computer scientist from a boat, OceanOne combined artificial intelligence, sensory feedback and flexible mechanical construction to perform delicate tasks underwater, such as retrieving a delicate cultural relic from the ruins. It can place the cultural relic in a box so the thing can be brought to the surface.

OceanOne can not only investigate parts of the ocean that are less accessible to people, but can do so with the flexibility of a human diver. The engineers also created an interface (接口) that allows a person to not only control the robot, but to actually “feel” what the robot is touching. “The intention here is to have a human diving virtually,” said Oussama Khatib, who piloted OceanOne on its La Lune visit. Khatib, a professor of computer science at Stanford University in California, explained that the experience of guiding the robot is almost like being the diver. “You can feel exactly what the robot is doing,” said Khatib.

OceanOne is also capable of interpreting and responding to its environment autonomously, detecting whether its hands-on work requires a lighter touch and when it needs to make adjustments to stay in place or change direction.

The team behind OceanOne viewed the robot as a means for studying Red Sea’s coral reefs at depths that were inaccessible to a human diver. OceanOne would conduct underwater research—operated by a scientist on the surface—without damaging the reef or its inhabitants.

1. What do we know about OceanOne?

A．It has replaced a diver’s job.	B．It functions as a human.
C．It is a fish living in the ocean.	D．It can conduct demanding tasks.

2. What does the underlined word “retrieving” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Carving.	B．Recovering.
C．Guiding.	D．Crashing.

3. What is the engineers’ purpose of creating an interface?

A．To make a diver operate it conveniently.

B．To connect the robot to other computers.

C．To satisfy an operator’s virtual experience.

D．To learn well how the robot performs tasks.

4. Which word can best describe OceanOne?

A．Tiny.	B．Traditional.
C．Human-like.	D．Multifunctional.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

This is a story about an act of kindness that I did, which in turn changed my life in a way.

I used to teach in a university with a master’s degree. In my country, it was better to have a PhD for career advancement, and my qualifications needed to be improved. So I telephoned Professor Smith for help. I had heard that he was a good doctoral supervisor in the university, but I hadn’t met him. I tried to call him once, but to my disappointment, he said he was a little busy at that time and that he would contact me later.

One day, I was driving home from the university when I saw an accident at the side of the road. The two cars collided (碰撞), but fortunately the drivers were not injured. They argued with each other about the accident and became annoyed. Then I stopped my car to see if they might need my help.

“Calm down, gentlemen. What’s the matter?” I approached them and said.

“It’s just a minor scratch (划痕). There were some disagreements when we tried to work things out privately. I think he is asking for a little too much,” one driver said to me. I learned that he didn’t have enough money on hand to pay for the damage. Understanding the situation, I offered to help. I paid the amount needed to settle the matter.

A troublesome matter turned into a peaceful resolution with my involvement. When the driver offered to exchange our business cards, I agreed. “It was so kind of you to reach out. I’ll repay your money tomorrow,” he said. “Forget it. It’s just a small thing,” I responded. Finally, we said goodbye to each other. However, I didn’t expect my kind behavior would really bring me good luck.

When I went back home, I happened to see the driver’s business card. I was surprised to find that the driver I had helped was Professor Smith who I wanted to turn to for help. I confidently decided to call him again the next day to make an appointment.

注意：
1．续写词数应为150个左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Unexpectedly, early the next morning, my phone rang.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That afternoon, I met Professor Smith in his office.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Shenzhen in Guangdong province has become the first city in China to allow specialist nurses to prescribe (开药方) selected drugs and order tests, in a move that is expected to increase efficiencies in the healthcare system and reduce the patient-load burden on physicians.

Under a new rule in October that took effect in January, eligible nurses will be permitted to order examinations, treatments considering their expert skills and knowledge of specialist nursing or community healthcare. Their prescriptions must be based on existing diagnoses (诊断) made by physicians.

To become a nursing specialist, applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, five years of working experience, obtained an advanced nursing qualification and have attended a months-long specialist training program and passed a final test.

“Medical institutions must review inappropriate prescriptions given by nurses,” said the regulation. “Nursing specialists who are found to have given three or more improper prescriptions will have their prescribing power stopped for three to six months and will have to undergo retraining before regaining the authorization,” it added.

“Considering the difference in professional positioning, medical education background and work experience between physicians and nurses, it is necessary to fully analyze the necessity and practicability of the nurses’ prescriptive authority,” the commission said.

Zhou Wensi has a bachelor’s degree in nursing and is now a specialist nurse in periodontitis (牙周炎) , or gum disease, at Shenzhen Stomatology Hospital in the city’s Pingshan district.

“Our hospital has not begun allowing us to prescribe. If the rule goes into effect in the future, we’ll likely be able to directly prescribe mouthwash, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers to patients,” she said.

   However, she also noted that most patients visiting the hospital are in need of treatment delivered by doctors with assistance from nurses like her, so the new regulation is not expected to have a major impact.

1. Why does Shenzhen give permission for specialist nurses’ special rights?

A．To improve the overall ability of the specialist nurses.

B．To speed up the development of the healthcare system.

C．To enhance the work efficiency and lighten doctors’ load.

D．To respond to the demands of doctors, nurses and patients.

2. What does the word “eligible” underlined in the second paragraph refer to?

A．well-recognized

B．Qualified

C．flexible

D．hard-working

3. What do we learn about the new regulation?

A．A specialist nurse should follow the rules strictly.

B．No institutions take charge of the prescriptions .

C．Not all specialist nurses can prescribe drugs freely .

D．A specialist nurse always has the prescribing power.

4. What is Zhou Wensi’s attitude toward the prospect of nurses’ prescribing drugs?

A．Doubtful.

B．Indifferent.

C．Neutral.

D．Hopeful.

9 . Once referred to as an ‘Insta-hiker’, Josh is a juggler (玩杂耍的人) of many different joys: his wife, children, friends, job as a Corporate Actions analyst, a directorship at Black Professionals Scotland. The label could be far from the truth.

His job is high-pressured and time-sensitive, a suit-and-tie environment, in which one tiny mistake can cost millions. But hill walking is not a way to run from reality. “I’m not escaping from anything,” Josh claims firmly. You wouldn’t encourage someone to live for their job, and he applies that logic to the things he loves to do, welcoming the outdoors into his life on his own terms.

Rather, people means everything to Josh. “I’m not a solo explorer. It’s about the journey, people and conversations, the little moments as much as it is about big moments.” This inspired Black Scottish Adventurers. His relationship with the Highlands began keeping pace with his move to Scotland over a decade ago, born of a sense of fun and freedom, rather than a desire for challenge.

With over a decade of hillwalking behind him, Josh started encouraging Black people into the mountains through a WhatsApp group for like-minded individuals. Now, the BSA community and team are promoting inclusion and outdoors access for the Black community.

Josh says, “Being in the hills is an extension of my life, of who I am, and who I want to be.” He goes into the mountains when he wants to, in order to integrate with the natural world. But he’s as likely to see friends in Edinburgh as he is to walk a Munro. He quickly admits “I’m a social animal, anyway!”

Josh’s ability to live in the moment, mountainside or not, is refreshing. He gives “glory to those who seek the mountains as a shelter,” but adds, “I want to find balance between doing what I love and being with people I love so I don’t put myself in a hole. I strengthen the relationships I have with my non-hillwalking family and friends, and won’t separate myself from possibilities.”

1. Why does Josh climb mountains?

A．To escape from stressful work.	B．To enjoy the pleasure and freedom.
C．To satisfy his curiosity about nature.	D．To encourage black people to live for job.

2. What does Josh do for Black people?

A．Make hill accessible to them.	B．Further inclusion of black people.
C．Encourage them to climb mountains.	D．Help them find balance between work and play.

3. What does the author want to tell us in the last but one paragraph?

A．Josh expects to be an adventurer.

B．Josh gets lost in his pressured work.

C．Josh thinks highly of hillwalking as well as friends.

D．Josh climbs mountains so as to make peace with nature.

4. Which words can describe Josh best?

A．Considerate and warm-hearted.	B．Cautious and people-centered.
C．Ambitious and highly-motivated.	D．Straightforward and independent.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Yuan Longping, a Chinese scientist     1     is known in China as the “Father of Hybrid Rice”, is a great man with a humble mind and a warm heart.

His lifetime research in hybrid rice made him a     2     (nation) hero and a symbol of dogged (顽强的) scientific pursuit.

It was in the 1970s that Yuan achieved his scientific breakthroughs that would later make him     3     household name.     4     (create) the hybrids, he added the genetic material of a wild rice from Hainan Island to commercial rice strains.

Yuan Longping was born in 1930 in Beijing, or Beiping, as it     5     (all) at that time. He entered college in 1949, and chose to study agriculture despite the doubts of his     6     (parent). After     7     (graduate) in 1953, Mr. Yuan took a job as a teacher at an agricultural college in Hunan province and devoted     8     (he) to the research into crop genetics.

“Famished (饥饿的), you would eat whatever there was to eat, even grass roots and tree bark,” Mr. Yuan recalled in his memoir (回忆录). “At that time I became even more determined to solve the problem about     9     food production can be increased so that ordinary people would not starve.”

“There’s no secret to it; my experience can     10     (actual) be summed up in four words: knowledge, sweat, inspiration and opportunity,” Mr. Yuan said in a video message that encouraged young Chinese to go into science.