1 . A century ago, kids were transported to school by all kinds of random vehicles. Because there were no national standards, it was up to states or individual school districts to hire buses, trucks and even horse-drawn wagons to convey kids to and from school.

Frank Cyr didn’t like this system. Back in the 1930s, Cyr was a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and an advocate for rural education. Cyr traveled the country conducting a study of school transportation. “In many cases, standards have been set up by more or less hit-and-miss methods,” reported Cyr in a New York Times article. He decided that something needed to be done to keep America’s schoolkids safe.

So in 1939, Cyr organized a conference in New York City dedicated to improving and standardizing the American school bus. He invited educators, transportation officials from 48 states and bus manufacturers to design a newer, safer school bus. At the meeting, Cyr hung up 50 paint samples on the walls of the conference room and formed a special committee to pick a winner. They chose the symbolic yellow-orange color that was originally known as “National School Bus Chrome”.

Cyr wasn’t a scientist or a safety expert, but he instinctively made the connection between bright colors, visibility and vehicle safety. “Based upon the standards of 1939, yellow was a very intelligent choice,” says Dr. Stephen Solomon, a retired optometrist (验光师) and founder of Visibility in Motion, which does consulting for emergency services providers. “The colors that are most easily seen by the human eye are the yellows — the yellow-green to yellow to greenish-yellow,” says Solomon. “That’s at the peak of the visibility range.”

Solomon explains that color vision is determined by photoreceptor cells in the retina (视网膜) called cones (视锥细胞). There are three types of cones, each tuned to detect different wavelengths of light: red, green and blue. Yellow light stimulates both the red and green cones at the same time, which is why the eye is most sensitive to colors in the yellow range.

1. What does the underlined word “hit-and-miss” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Random.

B．Similar.

C．Effective.

D．Special.

2. What do we learn about the 1939 meeting?

A．Many schoolkids were invited.

B．A prize was chosen to award a winner.

C．Cyr was appointed as a transportation official.

D．The color yellow was selected for school buses.

3. Why is yellow a distinct color for the eye?

A．It has different wavelengths.	B．It determines photoreceptor cells.
C．It affects two cones at the same time.	D．It covers the most visibility range.

4. What can be a suitable title of this text?

A．Why Are School Buses Yellow?	B．Cyr: Father of School Buses
C．1939: a Year of School Bus Standards	D．What Vehicles Are Safe for Kids?

8 . Teachers across America are struggling to decide whether to view artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT as friends or enemies in the classroom. Our study on whether AI affects student creativity shows that the answer isn’t always simple.

In the study, we asked college students to brainstorm — without technology — all the ways a paper clip can be used. A month later, we asked them to do the same, but using ChatGPT. We found that AI can be a useful brainstorming tool, quickly generating ideas that can spark creative exploration. But there are also potential negative effects on students’ creative thinking skills and self-confidence. While students reported that it was helpful to “have another brain”, they also felt that using AI was “the easy way out” and didn’t allow them to think on their own.

The results call for a thoughtful approach to using AI in classrooms and striking a balance that inspires students’ creativity while utilizing AI’s capabilities. The good news is that the students in our study generated more diverse and detailed ideas when using AI. They found that AI was useful for kick-starting brainstorming sessions.

When it comes to brainstorming with AI, some students voiced concerns about over-reliance on the technology, fearing it might hurt their own thoughts and, consequently, confidence in their creative abilities. Some students reported a “fixation of the mind”, meaning that once they saw the AI’s ideas, they had a hard time coming up with their own. Some students also questioned the originality of ideas generated by AI. Our research noted that while using ChatGPT improved students’ creative output individually, the AI’s ideas tended to be repetitive overall.

The study results indicate that allowing students to practice creativity independently first will strengthen their belief in themselves and their abilities. Once they complete this, AI can be useful in furthering their learning, much like teaching long division to students before introducing a calculator. That’s to say, teaching students to be creative thinkers rather than rely on AI for answers is the key to answering the question mentioned above.

1. Why were the students required to use ChatGPT after a month in the study?

A．To clarify a concept.	B．To make a comparison.
C．To explain a definition.	D．To present an argument.

2. What does the underlined word “utilizing” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Learning.	B．Designing.
C．Taking advantage of.	D．Having control of.

3. What does paragraph 4 focus on concerning AI?

A．Its negative aspects.	B．Its limited creativity.
C．Its reliable originality.	D．Its potential development.

4. What does the author intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．The future of AI use is uncertain.	B．Traditional teaching still has a place.
C．AI’s capabilities are unquestionable.	D．Human creativity should come first.

9 . Could short interactions with other people’s dogs really be good for us?

Nancy Gee, a professor from Virginia Commonwealth University, says there’s growing evidence that levels of the stress hormone cortisol (激素皮质醇) drop in people after just 5 to 20 minutes spent interacting with dogs — even if it’s not their own pet. “Also, we see increases in oxytocin, which is a feel-good kind of bonding hormone,” she says. And it’s not just humans that benefit from these brief exchanges. “We see the same thing in the dogs, so the dogs’ oxytocin also increases when they interact with a human,” says Gee.

And of course, not everyone is a dog person. “They’re not necessarily going to be great for every single person. But for people who really get it, who really connect with the animals, they really can make a big difference,” Gee says.

Research on the health benefits of human interactions with animals — especially with dogs — has exploded in recent years, thanks to funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Waltham Petcare Science Institute. Though the field is still young, Gee says the quality of the evidence is improving all the time, including more randomized controlled trials looking at short interactions. “We’re seeing really nice effects,” she says.

Professor Megan Mueller, whose research focuses on the psychology of human-animal relationships, says watching dogs sniff the grass or explore the world around them makes us pay more attention, too. “They sort of pull you out of your phone and into whatever environment that you’re in.” She says there’s some evidence that the act of really touching a dog might be an important part of their calming effect. For instance, one study done in Canada found that college students reported their improved learning results and reduced feelings of homesickness after brief interactions with dogs, and that effect was much bigger in those who really got to pet the animals. She’s currently running a study that’s found similar results.

1. What can we say about humans’ interacting with other people’s dogs?

A．It’s a two-way street.	B．It’s a risky behavior.
C．It’s human nature.	D．It’s an act of love.

2. Why have so many researchers studied human-animal interaction?

A．This field is new to them.	B．They are supported financially.
C．There is already much to refer to.	D．The research methods are mature.

3. What has Mueller discovered in her study?

A．Watching dogs helps us communicate better.

B．Walking dogs stops us playing on the phone.

C．Interacting with dogs randomly affects us less.

D．Touching dogs makes us learn more effectively.

4. What's the suitable title for the text?

A．Owning a Dog Is Not for Everybody	B．Petting Dogs Briefly Does Us Good
C．Dogs Interact with Humans on Purpose	D．Dog Ownership Is a Big Responsibility

10 . Staying focused can be a challenge even when you are doing one thing at a time.     1    , concentrating might appear impossible. Here are a few strategies that can really help you.

Unfocus your brain.     2    . It’s a place where your unfocused mind often make better decisions. This involves pairing your daydreaming with some unimportant activities such as walking and gardening. Doing this several times a day can offer your mind a fresh approach to the job at hand.

Block interruptions before diving into important work. Our days are filled with distractions (干扰), from others and ourselves. To help, turn off text messaging and social media notifications. Pretty basic?     3    . When distracting interruptions are shut off, your brain will get a chance to complete full sentences of thought.

    4    . Do you feel more sharp-minded in the morning? Or are you more clear-minded late in the night? Either way, it doesn’t matter as long as you can do the most important tasks when your brain is at its best performance. Avoid spending your best brain hours doing unimportant work. Instead, reserve it for the big tasks.

Try new hobbies. Hobbies not only give you fun, but also can help you come up with creative solutions to problems you’re facing at work or home.     5    .

A．Release your mind occasionally

B．Make friends with your body clock

C．If you purposefully let your mind wander

D．Then with multiple tasks going on in the world

E．Sure, but they are vital when you want a deep dive into focus

F．So occasionally engage in your favorite activities to unload your stressed brain

G．Schedule into your workday some breaks to let your mind wander into a dreamland