1 . The Academy Awards are fast approaching and we’ve got you covered. Before you head off to an Oscars party, check below for details and coverage of four films nominated (提名).
Past LivesCeline Song’s film about a woman, played by Greta Lee, who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and tries to understand both the path she took and the many paths she didn’t.
Nominations: Best picture, original screenplay
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Amazon
Review: Past Lives is the most affecting love story in ages.
Poor ThingsDirector Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark comedy about a young woman in Victorian London, who is found and experimented upon by a twisted scientist.
Nominations: Best picture, costume design, film editing, makeup and hairstyling
Where: In theaters
Review: Poor Things built its weird, unforgettable world from scratch.
The Color PurpleBlitz Bazawule’s adaptation of the Broadway musical is based on the Alice Walker novel. It tells the story of Celie, who survives the abuse by the men in her life and longs to be reunited with the sister who was taken from her.
Nominations: Supporting actress
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Google Play
Review: The new Color Purple exudes (散发) joy, but dances past some deeper complexities.
Anatomy of a FallDirected by Justine Triet, this French drama follows a wife who becomes the chief suspect (嫌疑人) when her husband is found dead, and rifts (关系不和) in their marriage are exposed.
Nominations: Best picture, director, actress, original screenplay
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on YouTube
Review: If you love courtroom dramas, this is not to be missed.
1. Which film gets the most nominations?A.Past Lives. | B.Poor Things. | C.The Color Purple. | D.Anatomy of a Fall. |
A.They are tragedies. | B.They are nominated for best picture. |
C.They are all lady-related. | D.They can be viewed both in theaters and on media. |
A.Critics who will comment on the films. | B.Movie-goers who are hunting for films. |
C.Celebrities who will attend the Oscars. | D.Audience who have watched the films. |
2 . The Mediterranean (地中海的) diet is the No. 1 Best Diet Overall. It’s also a top-rated diet for those looking for a heart-healthy and weight-friendly diet.
Don’t confuse Americanized Mediterranean menus -which often feature too much refined pasta, beef and cheese-with healthy eating. The food and eating habits of the Mediterranean region are undoubtedly both delicious and healthful. However, the “Americanized” version of Mediterranean food, deep-fried cheese and falafel, heavy pasta dishes and a lot of beef and pork is anything but healthy.
Though people living in the diverse Mediterranean region eat different types of food, their diet mainly consists of plant-based foods -whole grains, beans, nuts and unsaturated (不饱和的) fat from olive oil. A small amount of lean poultry (家禽肉) and plenty of seafood is also allowed.
The nutritional value and health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were first documented in the Seven Countries Study, which investigated the relationship between diet and heart diseases among roughly 13,000 men from 1958 to 1999. The study indicated that the type of fat affects cardiovascular (心血管的) health more than total fat intake does. Although standard nutrition advice calls for a 30% limit on total calories from fat, even up to 40% may be heart-friendly, if most of the fats consumed are unsaturated.
Since the Mediterranean diet focuses on nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and health y fats, it spares little room for the saturated fat, extra sugars and sodium. As a result, people who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have longer life spans, report a higher life quality and suffer from less chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. Also, Mediterranean diet offers an upper hand in weight loss as a further research suggested.
1. Which food is typically included in the Mediterranean diet?A.Deep-fried cheese. | B.Heavy pasta dishes. |
C.Refined beef. | D.Seafood. |
A.Total fat intake matters more. | B.Type of fat is more significant. |
C.We should take in no more than 30% fat. | D.Taking in up to 40% fat is unhealthy. |
A.The methods researchers conducted the study. |
B.Additional benefits of Mediterranean-style diet. |
C.Suggestions on weight losing with Mediterranean diet. |
D.How the Mediterranean diet promotes weight loss. |
A.A scientific report. | B.A local newspaper. |
C.A food fair guidebook. | D.A food magazine. |
1. Why is the notice being made?
A.The weather is bad. |
B.There has been an accident. |
C.Repairs are being carried out. |
A.Change platforms. | B.Wait for longer. | C.Catch a bus. |
A.Three. | B.Six. | C.Eight. |
A.Hot drinks. | B.Free tickets. | C.Free meals. |
1. What made Julie leave work early today?
A.She had to see a customer. |
B.She had a dentist appointment. |
C.She had a bad cold. |
A.To make a new work plan. |
B.To know about work progress. |
C.To introduce a new work partner. |
A.It’s hard to produce. | B.It’s easy to get. | C.It’s expensive. |
A.Today. | B.Tomorrow. | C.On Thursday. |
1. Where does the woman have lessons?
A.In her house. | B.In an office. | C.In a classroom. |
A.She doesn’t know how to improve her English. |
B.She feels nervous about her work performance. |
C.She is afraid to speak English at work. |
A.The woman’s teacher. |
B.The woman’s boss. |
C.The woman’s co-worker. |
Thirty Buddhist cultural relics have been returned to the Chinese mainland
Most of the relics were believed to
Thirteen of the returned pieces, including the heads of broken Buddhist images and painted sculptures of Buddha,
In March 2016, Hsing Yun, the
He died about a year ago.
“Hsing Yun established
Sun said comprehensive studies of the relics will be soon launched. Related exhibitions will also be organized to allow people on
“Cultural communication has always played an
7 . Most people fail to achieve their goals because somewhere along the line, they lose focus.
The second technique you can use is this - commit to taking small steps. Success isn’t going to happen overnight. Success is the accumulation of many small steps.
The third method is to focus on progress, not results. This is one of the most important distinctions between someone successful and someone who is not. Successful people understand that progress is key, not results.
If you apply these methods, you too, can maintain your focus and reach your goals, slowly, but surely.
A.Dream big and set big goals to inspire you. |
B.They get distracted and then they stop taking action. |
C.Make sure you focus fully on just ONE goal at a time. |
D.They just want to get the work done and push forward. |
E.When you make an effort to develop your ability to focus, |
F.When you focus on getting started and taking small steps, |
G.You don’t have to commit to doing 100 push-ups every day. |
8 . The Arctic Could be Practically “ice-free”
The Arctic could have summer days with practically no sea ice within the next decade due to emissions (排放) from fossil fuels (化石燃料), a study has found.
This would transform the unique habitat, home to polar bears, seals and walruses, from a “white Arctic” to a “blue Arctic” during the summer months, scientists said.
The report defined (定义) “ice-free” as less than 1m sq km of ice, in which case the Arctic Ocean would be mostly water.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, suggest the first ice-free day in the Arctic could occur more than 10 years earlier than previously predicted.
The authors said continuously ice-free Septembers could be expected by 2035 to 2067, depending on fossil fuel emissions. By the end of the century, there was potential for ice-free conditions between May and January under a high-emission scenario (可能发生的情况), and August to October under a low-emission scenario.
Alexandra Jahn, a lead author of the research, said: “This would transform the Arctic into a completely different environment. But even if ice-free conditions are unavoidable, we still need to keep our emissions as low as possible to avoid prolonged (长期的) ice-free conditions.”
There was, however, potential to fix this issue, she said. “Unlike the ice sheet in Greenland that took thousands of years to build, even if we melt all the Arctic sea ice, if we can then figure out how to take CO2 back out of the atmosphere in the future to reverse (逆转) warming, sea ice will come back within a decade,” Jahn said.
1. According to the study, when could the Arctic experience its first ice-free summer day?A.By the end of this decade. | B.Within the next 10 years. |
C.From 2035 to 2067. | D.By the end of the century. |
A.The Arctic habitat would remain unchanged. |
B.The Arctic would still be friendly to polar animals. |
C.The Arctic would be a “blue Arctic” in summer. |
D.The Arctic would remain frozen throughout the year. |
A.Ice-free conditions are avoidable. |
B.The Arctic would under go no transformation. |
C.Emissions ought to be reduced. |
D.Prolonged ice-free conditions are certain to occur. |
A.Hopeful. | B.Indifferent. | C.Pessimistic. | D.Uninterested. |
9 . Coined by domestic (国内的) media as “deliveryman by day, poet by night,” 55-year-old Wang Jibing brings home the bacon by working as a delivery person in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Meanwhile, his passion for poetry has driven him to write over 4,000 poems. He also came under the spotlight as his name was on the 2023 list of new members for the Chinese Writers Association.
Born in a rural area, and dropping out of secondary school, Wang tried various jobs, from a construction worker, working on sand mining boats to a garbage collector, yet he never stop reading and writing. While Wang gained likes from readers of the same mind, it wasn’t until ChenZhaohua, the former CEO of sohu. com, shared one of his poems on China’s social media plat form Sina Weibo that he gained wider popularity.
“The ones that race with time don’t have four seasons. They have one station and the next. The world is only the name of a place. Wang Family Village is the same.” read the poem shared by Chen. Titled “People in a Hurry,” it gathered more than 13 million views within a week.
Wang gained inspiration for the poem from an unpleasant food delivery experience in 2019. Due to a wrong address given by the consumer, he had to rush several times to get the food delivered on time, leading to delays with other orders, as well as penalties (处罚) and a decrease in his earnings.
Reflecting memories of his family and hometown, observations of society and life while working as a laborer (劳动者) and conveying simplicity, reality and sincerity, Wang’s poems capture the simple joy and sadness of common people, tugging at the heartstrings of tens of thousands of ordinary people just like him.
1. What is Wang jibing’s job to earn a living?A.A poet | B.A delivery man |
C.A writer | D.An Internet influencer |
A.He received a good education. |
B.He gained tons of likes from readers. |
C.He became a member of the Chinese Writers Association. |
D.His poem was shared by Chen on Sina Weibo. |
A.There’s unfairness in food delivery industry. | B.The delivery person is irresponsible and slow. |
C.The effect of an order delay is severe. | D.The consumer should take the blame. |
A.Arousing strong feelings. | B.Creating smooth music. |
C.Pulling on ordinary people’s hearts. | D.Causing tension among people. |
10 . Imagine the sound of a dog walking across a tile floor, the “click, click, click” of its claws tapping against the ground. Now, imagine a cat walking across the same floor — the difference is the cat moves in total silence. Cats can fully retract (缩回) their claws, giving them superior ability to remain silence.
But why do cats have retractable claws, whereas dogs do not?
It all comes down to how cats and dogs use their claws. Cats use their claws primarily to attack their target, said Anthony Russell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. They use their front claws to grab and hold on to their target and their back claws to cut open the target’s belly.
Cats need to keep their claws sharp to secure that next meal. Extended all the time, their claws would get less sharp as they scrape the ground, much like how a nail file deals with sharp points on a human fingernail.
Dogs, on the other hand, are social hunters. They work in groups to take down larger animals, wearing their target out over longer distances. For dogs, “if you’re hunting a moose or something, you wander along for kilometres and bite it until it is fatigued, and then you all jump on it,” Russell said. “Whereas cats essentially have a short burst, and then it’s over. Either the target gets away, or the target is captured.”
With more hunters working together, it’s less important for dogs to be able to grab and hold onto their target, so they don’t have to keep their claws as sharp. Sheer numbers are enough to give them the advantage.
But dogs’ claws aren’t completely useless. Dogs’ claws help them stand firmly on the earth and change directions quickly — a useful adaptation for pursuing target over long distances.
In nature’s silent dance, cats’ retractable claws are knives for quick attacks, while dogs’ strong claws make them good chasers. Each claw tells a tale of adaptation made to their unique hunting styles.
1. Where is the text most probably taken from?A.An animal novel. | B.A scientific report. | C.A zoology magazine. | D.A pet keeping guide. |
A.Hungry. | B.Scared. | C.Wounded. | D.Exhausted. |
A.Cats use front claws to grab and kill the target. |
B.Dogs use claws to attack and wear their targets out. |
C.Cats stop hunting if the target escapes from the first attack. |
D.Dogs work together to capture their targets in a shorter time. |
A.Cats are better adapted to hunting than dogs. |
B.Claws are more important for cats than for dogs. |
C.The sharper the claws, the more efficient the hunt. |
D.Cats and dogs find different ways to survive in nature. |