1 . At the end of the day, most of us find ourselves on the couch, eyes glued to the television or to our smartphones, doing everything we can to conserve energy.
According to Michael Inzlicht, a social psychologist at the University of Toronto, we’re lazy and also, we’re not.
All humans, given equal options, will take the easy way out. Does it mean we’re lazy? Maybe.
But there are the times when humans are the opposite of lazy and do very difficult things for no apparent reason. Some rewards only come from extensive effort.
So, in that sense, effort is worth the effort. While humans are economically aware of effort most of the time, “in some cases, the effort itself is rewarding,” says Inzlicht.
| A．Think about things like running a marathon. |
| B．It’s not completely clear why humans behave this way. |
| C．It seems that we humans are gifted in the way of laziness. |
| D．We similarly love to space out, our brain tired of focusing. |
| E．But it certainly means that we’re economic with our effort. |
| F．Some people who appear to be lazy are suffering from much more serious problems. |
| G．Likewise, we might get a sense of pleasure or mastery from doing a crossword puzzle. |
2 . Around the world, coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are in danger. Now, let’s check out a few ways conservationists are protecting these habitats.
Seaweed Smackdown
Hot ocean temperatures can supercharge seaweed growth — and that’s not good for a reef. So, in Hawaii, scientists have used an underwater vacuum (真空吸器) to suck up lots of seaweed into the device’s long tube. In Australia, scientists are studying a low-tech solution: pulling seaweed by hand.
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Some polyps (珊瑚虫) are harmed by heat waves and pollution. Scientists cut parts of coral from a healthy reef. Then these polyps are taken to a nursery, which could be in shallow protected areas underwater. After about a year, the healthy coral parts are attached to damaged reefs. The nursery-grown corals can bring new life to a struggling habitat.
Sound Saver
Healthy reefs are noisy. Fish make different sounds, and thousands of shrimp create and pop bubbles with their claws to create a sound. The biologists play sounds of healthy reefs through underwater speakers. They found that six weeks of broadcasting healthy reef sounds doubled the amount of fish in the area.
Bleaching Killer
One of the biggest threats to coral reefs is bleaching. Here’s how it works.
| Thriving coral Most coral species survive by partnering with tiny algae (藻类), which make food for the coral by changing sunlight into sugar. |
| Under stress But when the ocean water gets too hot, the algae produce too much oxygen, which can hurt the coral. |
| Bleaching So corals kick out the algae. As the algae leave, the color disappears and the coral appears to turn white. This process is called bleaching. |
Biologists have discovered that many corals in the Red Sea have a species of algae in their tissue that’s found nowhere else, so they can survive heat waves. Biologists hope their work will inspire governments and environmental groups to protect these corals.
1. Which of the following might be the subtitle of Paragraph 3?| A．Underwater Nurseries. | B．Fishing Guides. |
| C．Seaweed Cleaners. | D．Colour Designers. |
| A．Breathing in more oxygen. | B．Changing the appearance. |
| C．Absorbing more sound. | D．Partnering with algae. |
| A．To present the serious damages to corals. | B．To explain the reasons for coral habitat loss. |
| C．To introduce the methods of coral protection. | D．To compare the effects of different solutions. |
3 . A shopkeeper’s son breaks a window, causing a crowd to gather. They tell the shopkeeper not to be angry: actually, the broken window is a reason to celebrate, since it will create work for the glazier (装玻璃的工人). In the story, written by a 19th-century economist, the crowd envisions the work involved in repairing the window, but not that involved in everything else on which the shopkeeper could have spent his money — unseen possibilities that would have brought him greater happiness.
If that window were to be broken these days, people might have a different reaction, especially if they were NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) who oppose any local construction that affects their quality of life. Their concern might be with the “embodied carbon”. The production of a piece of glass would carry a sizeable carbon cost. Similarly, the bricks and concrete in a building are relics of past emissions. They are, the logic goes, embodied carbon.
Conserving what already exists, rather than adding to the building stock, will avoid increasing these embodied emissions — or so NIMBYs often suggest. At its worst, this idea is based on a warped logic. Greenhouse gases released by the construction of an existing building will heat the planet whether the building is repaired or knocked down. The emissions have been taken out of the world’s “carbon budget”, so treating them as anew debit means double counting. The right question to ask is whether it is worth using the remaining carbon budget to repair a building or it is better to knock it down.
Choosing between these possibilities requires thinking about the unseen. It used to be said that construction emitted two types of emissions. Besides the embodied sort, there were operational ones from cooling, heating and providing electricity to residents. Around the world, buildings account for 39% of annual emissions, according to the World Green Building Council, of which 28% come from operational carbon.
These two types of emissions might be enough for the architects designing an individual building. But when it comes to broader questions, economists ought also to consider how the placement of buildings affects the manner in which people work, shop and travel. Density (密度) lowers the per-person cost of public transport, and this reduces car use. Research by Green Alliance, a pressure group, suggests that in Britain a policy of “demolish (拆除) and densify” — replacing semi-detached housing near public transport with blocks of flats — would save substantial emissions. Without such demolition, potential residents would typically have to move to the suburbs instead, saving money on rent but consuming more energy.
Targeted subsidies (补贴), especially for research and development into construction materials, could speed up the pace at which the built environment decarbonises. What will never work, however, is allowing the loudest voices to decide how to use land and ignoring the carbon emissions of their would-be neighbours once they are out of sight.
1. The first two paragraphs are written to ________.| A．exemplify an outlook on energy conservation |
| B．present a new way of relieving energy crisis |
| C．explain people’s reaction to a broken window |
| D．introduce an argument on carbon emission |
| A．Unsound. | B．Complicated. | C．Distinctive. | D．Underlying. |
| A．Operational carbon accounts for a larger share of carbon emission. |
| B．Repairing old buildings outweighs demolition in energy conservation. |
| C．Higher residential density near public transport may help reduce emission. |
| D．Stopping residents from living in new buildings is sensible to energy saving. |
| A．Interests of NIMBYs are worthy of consideration. |
| B．A comprehensive insight into emission is essential. |
| C．Upgrading construction materials should be prioritized. |
| D．Every resident should do their bit in reducing carbon emission. |
4 . In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), water is more valuable than oil. To support its citizens, the nation relies on expensive campaigns of cloud seeding from aircraft, which spray particles(喷洒微粒) into passing clouds to make rainfall.
But according to Oliver Branch, a climate scientist, there may be another method to stir up a rainmaker: with city-size solar farms that create their own weather. The heat from dark solar panels can cause updrafts that sometimes lead to rainstorms, providing water for local people. “Maybe it’s not science fiction that we can produce this effect,” says Branch, who led the work.
Few studies have examined how renewable energy might shift weather patterns. In 2020, Branch found that incredibly large solar farms, taking up more than 1 million square kilometers in the Sahara desert, could boost local rainfall. But the reward would come with a cost, the researchers found: By altering wind patterns, the solar farms would push tropical rain bands north. That’s not good news for the Amazon areas.
To find more, researchers turned to a weather model that can account for land surface changes. They modeled the solar farms as nearly black fields that absorbed 95%of the sunlight, surrounded by relatively reflective sand. When the solar farms reached 15 square kilometers, they found, the increased heat they absorbed appreciably increased the updrafts, or convection, that drive cloud formation.
Hacking convection wasn’t enough, however: damp air was also needed. When conditions were ripe, the model also found, a 20-square-kilometer solar field would increase a storm’s total rainfall by nearly 600,000 cubic meters. If such rainstorms occurred 10 times in one summer, they would provide enough water to support more than 30,000 people for a year.
Solar farms in China and elsewhere are nearly big enough, Branch says. If they were built in the right spots, it wouldn’t take much to darken the panels and to plant dark crops between panel rows. Still they’re trying to improve the realism of their solar panel simulations by cross-checking them with field measurements at existing solar farms.
The UAE “is committed to studying the potentially dynamic strategies, such as optimizing convection,” says Alya Al, director of the UAE’s Research Program. For now, she adds, the UAE is deeply committed to its cloud seeding program, carrying out some 300 missions each year.
1. In his study, Branch attempts to produce rainfall ________.| A．by way of updrafts formed on solar farms | B．by spraying particles into passing clouds |
| C．by means of relatively reflective sand | D．by planting dark crops |
| A．the ripe conditions for building a solar farm |
| B．the realistic size of a solar farm for rainfall increase |
| C．the annual amount of water consumption in the UAE |
| D．the heat absorption rate of the solar panels in the black fields |
| A．It is not supported by the director. | B．It needs great investment if applied. |
| C．It remains to be further tested in practice. | D．It has promoted cloud seeding in the UAE. |
Family values are a set of principles and beliefs that a family agrees upon, such as emphasizing the importance of honest behaviors or valuing effort and persistence in achieving goals. They are fundamental and determine how members of a home interact with each other and with the world.
Family values determine what you think is important and what is good. These values can help you stay consistent when making decisions in everyday life, especially in moments of uncertainty. This is particularly true when you’re going to make quick decisions based on an emotional reaction. For example, if honesty and communication are your important family values, you’re more likely to approach conflicts with an open mind and a willing heart to talk through issues. When finding your family member has lied to you, instead of acting thoughtlessly, you know what to do—have a talk sincerely.
Family values serve as a guiding force within the home, but their impact extends far beyond, shaping societal norms and behaviors. For example, if several families plant generosity in their values, the next generation will grow up to be more generous. As a result, adults in this generation are more likely to take other people’s needs into consideration when making difficult choices. They become positive contributors to the society, developing an atmosphere of care and consideration that enhances communal well-being.
Great influence as it has, family values are not taught consciously. Often, they get passed down without being noticed. Those values don’t ever get questioned. Whether you’ve outlined them or not, they’re present. And once you take ownership of those values, you can shape them to be in line with what you expect your family to be.
1. What are family values?2. How can family values help to make decisions in everyday life?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Family values have great influence within the home, but they have nothing to do with shaping common behaviors and rules in a society.
4. Please share one of your family values and explain how it influences you. (In about 40 words)
6 . Too Much Information
Computer hackers, in order to get more secret information, constantly improve at breaking into cyberdefenses (网络防御系统) to steal valuable documents. So some researchers propose using an artificial-intelligence algorithm (算法) to hopelessly confuse them, once they break in, by hiding the real deal in a mountain of misleading documents and information.
The algorithm, called Word Embedding-based Fake Online Repository Generation Engine (WE-FORGE), creates decoys of patents under development. If hackers were after, say, the recipe for a new drug, they would have to find the relevant needle in a sea of false documents. This could mean checking each recipe in detail-and perhaps investing in a few dead-end ones. “The name of the game here is, ‘Make it harder, ” explains V. S Subrahmanian, its developer, Dartmouth College Cyber Security researcher. “Pain those stealing from you. ”
Subrahmanian says he tackled this project after reading that companies are unaware of new kinds of cyberattacks for an average of 312 days after they begin. “Hackers have almost a year to decamp with all our documents, patents and intellectual property, ”he says. “They have stolen almost everything. It’s not just the crown jewels-it’s the crown jewels, and the jewels of the cleaning lady, and the watch of the secretary!”
The documents produced by WE-FORGE could also act as hidden traps to confuse hackers, says Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security. These documents might alert security when accessed. Companies have typically used human-created false copies for this strategy. But now the algorithm is able to do that for us.
The system produces convincing traps by searching through a document for key words. For each one it finds, it calculates a list of related concepts and replaces the original term with one chosen at random. The process can produce dozens of documents that contain no patent information but still look credible. Subrahmanian and his team asked computer science and chemistry graduates to evaluate real and false patents from their respective fields. And the humans found the WE-FORGE-created documents highly believable.
WE-FORGE might eventually expand its boundary. Both Subrahmanian and Tobac think this research will attract commercial interest. “I could definitely see an organization investing in this type of product, ” Tobac says. “If this creates believable decoys without releasing sensitive details within those traps, then I think you’ve got a huge with there. ”
1. What does the underlined word “decoys” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Misleading documents. |
| B．Original terms. |
| C．Computer operating systems. |
| D．Cyber securities. |
| A．the greediness of hackers |
| B．the wealth of the companies |
| C．the unreliability of the network |
| D．the variety of intellectual property |
| A．It will sound alarm upon being operated. |
| B．It is profitable for the users by avoiding their loss. |
| C．It has attracted investors for its application in many fields. |
| D．It can compose irrelevant concepts in the false documents. |
7 . The Power of ”Like“
Like it or love it, social media is a major part of life. Teens spend more than half of their waking hours online. And most of what they do is read and respond to posts by friends and family. Clicking on a thumbs-up or a heart icon is an easy way to stay in touch.
Clicking ”like“ on a post can increase the number of people who see it. If other people have liked a post, new viewers will be more likely to like it too. Many social media sites share more of the higher-ranked posts.
According to recent studies, viewing one’s own posts with a lot of likes activates the reward system in their brains, especially for teens. Positive responses to teens’ own photos (in the form of many likes)tell them that their friends appreciate the material they’re posting.
A like is a social cue. Teens use it to learn how to navigate their social world. Clicking”like“ is a simple act that can have complex results. All tech users will be thoughtful about social media.
| A．As a result, that popularity can feed on itself. |
| B．It’s no surprise that feedback from peers affects how teens behave. |
| C．Joining social media can give people a sense of being in the know. |
| D．Their brains respond to those likes by turning on the reward center. |
| E．For example, images related to alcohol may encourage teens to drink. |
| F．And that can, inappropriately, make us feel less successful than them. |
| G．But those ”likes“ can have power that goes beyond a simple connection. |
The idiom “No ‘I’ in Team” is based on a pun (双关语)-The word “team” does not contain the letter “i”, which highlights the idea that instead of focusing on themselves as individuals, team members should work together to achieve their common goals.
When it comes to achieving success, there’s no denying that teamwork plays a crucial role. We’ve all been there-group projects at school, working with colleagues at the office or playing sports with teammates. A successful team agrees and sets goals based on outcomes and results to complete its tasks. It’s important that each member knows the direction the team is working toward, their responsibilities, and how they aim to achieve the team’s collective goals. It’s essential that group members within the team share workloads and help each other to succeed.
Mostly, in typical workplace culture, being focus on individual pursuits is considered plain selfish, but is supporting individuals in their own pursuits really anti-team? Evidence suggests that putting the “I” back into team can improve workplace productivity and employee engagement. In the 1990s the Harvard Business School did research, demonstrating the benefits of giving employees paid time to follow their own individual pursuits. Since then, some notable companies have introduced unstructured time into their workplaces.
Globally, 85% of employees are disengaged in their work. In Daniel Pink’s book Drive, he argues that the best way to motivate employees is not through the carrot and stick approach but rather through allowing and enabling them to direct their own lives. When teams understand what matters to the individuals within them, they are able to better empathize with each other and have each others’ backs.
There is an “I” in team and when we start to implement programs that support individuals in their pursuits, we may just find they are more creative, more engaged and more productive.
1. What idea does the idiom “No ‘I’ in Team” highlight?2. Why is it important to put “I” back into team?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
According to Danile Pink, the effective way to motivate the 85% employees is to set the goal the company would like their employees to achieve.
4. As an individual, how can you play your role in a team?
9 . The scientists behind a new database of more than 400 extreme weather attribution (归因) studies have performed an essential service. This piece of work, drawing together every study of this type, ought to create a greater sense of urgency around policymaking and campaigning. It shows that intense heatwaves, hurricanes, and floods have all been made far more likely by greenhouse gas emissions. And it spells out the alarming unpredictability as well as the extent of global heating’s consequences.
Until the early 2000s, when the first attribution studies were published, it was harder to link CO2 in the atmosphere with global heating’s sensible effects. Thanks to a growing body of research, now we know. The last summer’s record-breaking “heat dome”(热穹顶) across the globe would have been almost impossible without human-caused climate change.
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” wrote the poet John Keats just over 200 years ago. When it comes to climate, truth can feel closer to terror these days. But scientists are right to insist that the reality must be faced. Indeed, this is the only way to avoid the most disastrous outcomes. In a new book, Hothouse Earth, Prof Bill McGuire argues that we have reached a stage when minimising dangers should be regarded as “climate appeasement”.
Like the historical responsibility for carbon emissions, attitudes and experiences in the present crisis are unevenly and unjustly shared out. Billions of people around the world, and above all in the global south, are caught up day-to-day in a struggle for survival. This doesn’t mean they don’t recognise global heating; subsistence (勉强维持生活) farmers and fishers are more directly exposed to environmental damage than anyone else. But western governments, businesses and people who are relatively sheltered from global heating’s worst effects should recognise this as the privilege that it is. With this year’s Climate Change Conference fast approaching, western governments must follow through on their promises of climate finance to enable a green transition in the developing world.
The purpose of attribution science is not simply to warn the world about what is happening, but to aid preparations for what has not happened yet. The most alarming global trend, apart from still-rising emissions that mean we are on course for 2. 5°C of heating, is the unexpected speed with which it is already causing chaos. Given what we now know about the impact of 1°C of warming, it is no exaggeration to say that this trend is disastrous.
But alternatives exist, and insisting on this point has never been more important. The alarming findings of attribution scientists can give rise to desperation-but must not be allowed to end determination and hope.
1. The attribution studies imply that ____.| A．policies addressing climate issues are ineffective |
| B．it is hard to link CO2 with the effects of global heating |
| C．the extent of global heating’s consequences is unpredictable |
| D．humans are to blame for the increased occurrence of disasters |
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Puzzled. |
| A．The global south is in urgent need of financial support. |
| B．The speeding up of global warming has spelled trouble. |
| C．Global heating affects western countries to a larger extent. |
| D．The effort to reduce greenhouse gas emission has worked. |
| A．To urge the public to follow the science. |
| B．To persuade the scientists to further their study. |
| C．To assess the current policy on the climate crisis. |
| D．To confirm the public’s concern for global heating. |
10 . Mouth open in wonder and horror, Laurent Pelletier stares at the bush cricket that has landed in front of him on the picnic table. “Can we eat it?” he asks his mum. “Can I take it as a travel companion?”
In early 2022, Laurent’s parents decided to quit their jobs. They took their four children, Mia, Léo, Colin, and Laurent, travelled over 52, 000 miles and visited 13 countries. Over the months, the world constantly unveiled (显露) itself. The kids played pat-a-cake with uniformed schoolchildren in Botswana, and while in Tanzania they tried African traditional dances with locals and stayed on a banana farm. In Thailand, they touched an elephant, calling out in surprise at how rough it felt. Rarely did they talk about why they were abroad in the first place, with one exception. While travelling along a dusty Mongolian highway last summer, Laurent, who had seemed unaware of what was to come, asked, “What does it mean to be blind? How will I cross the street? Will I be able to drive a car?”
“It’s like when you have your eyes closed,” his mother said. “It won’t happen overnight, but slowly, over years. ”Being blind, she continued, didn’t mean the end of the world. Rather, the world would be different. Nothing would prevent them from doing most things, including skiing, swimming or even becoming scientists who worked on cures for their disease. Laurent nodded, then went back to making up his own games to pass the time.
The four kids will become blind, likely in adulthood. They have a disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a group of related eye disorders that cause progressive eyesight loss. By far, it has no effective treatment, and it will gradually take away their eyesight. However, their parents still want their kids to lead full lives, whether they’re blind or not. The trip has reinforced (增强) what they believe all these years-the kids will find their way.
Each day, their parents watch the kids change, physically and emotionally. Laurent grows taller and needs more independence. Both Léo and Colin become more confident and outgoing, unafraid to engage with strangers. “Today, my eyesight is good and I’m going to make the most of it, ”says Mia. “Tomorrow, we will rise to the challenge. ”
1. According to the passage, what did the family experience on their trip?| A．They did the farm work. |
| B．They took elephant rides. |
| C．They completed zoo tours. |
| D．They enjoyed the folk dance. |
| A．Their kids’ health. |
| B．Their work challenges. |
| C．Their family dreams. |
| D．Their passion for nature. |
| A．Strong bodies. |
| B．Social skills. |
| C．Positive mindset. |
| D．Language ability. |
| A．Travelling is to seek for an interesting life. |
| B．Nothing is impossible to a determined heart. |
| C．One’s potential cannot always be underrated. |
| D．Treasure what you have and live life to the fullest. |
