1 . “What do you mean by this phrase? It’s incorrect and adds nothing to the sentence. Omit (省略).” Professor Jones’s critical feedback on my paper hurt me when I first read it. I scanned his comments for a “Good job!” or “I love this idea,” but they were nowhere to be found.
Everyone likes warmth and encouragement, but purely positive affirmations (肯定) don’t communicate what can be improved. Research conducted on Character Lab Research Network finds that direct, useful feedback requiring students to revise their own work is more effective. For Professor Jones, this looked like a note at the end of another paper: “I’m sure things will improve as the term and year wear on.” However, feedback that does the work for a student—correcting a misspelled word, rewriting a sentence—can signal a teacher’s low expectations.
When kids see comments that suggest what needs to be changed, they come to realize they can do things on their own and become more independent learners. As a bonus, this kind of feedback lets students know that their teacher believes in them.
As for me, I was benedictory for Professor Jones’s pointed criticism which let me know that he took me seriously. He was expecting me to do better, and the detailed comments scrawled (潦草地写) on every page gave me the tools to improve. Teachers can add affirmations to their feedback as long as it’s not the only thing they’re doing.
Don’t confuse warmth with promoting a growth mindset. Being nice isn’t the same as showing someone you believe they can improve. So give detailed feedback that sets young people up to take charge of their own learning. For example, instead of rewriting a sentence, say: “This is a run-on sentence. Try reading it out loud and add punctuation in places where you naturally take a breath.” Ask worth-exploring questions that inspire students to think about their approach, then let them revise on their own. When it comes to writing, the easiest path isn’t always the best one.
1. How did the author initially feel about Professor Jones’s feedback?| A．Happy and motivated. | B．Upset and disappointed. |
| C．Indifferent and unconcerned. | D．Confident and encouraged. |
| A．It should be brief and to the point. | B．It should be warm and encouraging. |
| C．It should be written at the end of the paper. | D．It should be up to students to fix their own work. |
| A．Responsible. | B．Generous. | C．Regretful. | D．Grateful. |
| A．Give students general praise. | B．Rewrite sentences for students. |
| C．Provide students critical support. | D．Show students corrected assignments. |
2 . The award-winning documentary “Feeding Tomorrow” explores the American food system’s shortcomings and the urgent need for change. Directed by Oliver and Simon English, the film dives deep into the complex web of issues surrounding food, climate change, and agriculture, leaving viewers with a clear realization of the challenges ahead.
At its core, “Feeding Tomorrow” raises fundamental questions about humanity’s relationship with the planet and the consequences of our consumption patterns. As the global population reaches up to 10 billion, the film shows the serious reality that our current methods of food production are unsustainable. With agriculture already occupying half of the habitable land and consuming 70% of freshwater resources, the harm on the environment is reaching critical levels.
The documentary reveals the interconnectedness of food, climate, and health, weaving together narratives from diverse voices in the fields of farming, health, and education. Through the stories of innovators like Mark Shepard, Clare Fox, and Lisa McDowell, “Feeding Tomorrow” highlights the urgent need for systemic change.
One of the central themes of the documentary is the importance of regenerative farming practices. By promoting biodiversity and topsoil growth, regenerative agriculture offers a promising path towards sustainability. The film emphasizes the need to transition from conventional, monoculture (单一) farming to more overall approaches.
Moreover, “Feeding Tomorrow” shows the significance of adopting plant-forward diets and reducing meat consumption. With animal agriculture being a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation (恶化), the documentary advocates for a shift towards more sustainable dietary habits.
Ultimately, “Feeding Tomorrow” serves as a cry for collective action and social change. It challenges viewers to reevaluate their relationship with food and embrace sustainable practices that benefit both people and the planet. The documentary reminds us that the power to shape a better future lies in our hands. In the words of Mark Shepard, “What are you going to eat for dinner tonight? Start asking the questions.”
1. What do we know about our current food production methods?| A．They are suitable to feed the increasing population. |
| B．They are inefficient and harmful to the environment. |
| C．They are too focused on producing large quantities of food. |
| D．They are all outdated and need to be replaced with new ones. |
| A．To praise their achievements. | B．To indicate different opinions. |
| C．To stress the necessity of change. | D．To give examples of farming methods. |
| A．Keep the balance of nature. | B．Take up sustainable practices. |
| C．Prioritize economic interests. | D．Invest in agricultural innovations. |
| A．To briefly introduce an award-winning film. | B．To explore American agriculture’s issues. |
| C．To present new food production methods. | D．To show the impact of climate on agriculture. |
3 . Our family was sitting on the porch swing enjoying the summer breeze when my husband pointed to something on the swing’s chain next to him. We
We wouldn’t have
I’m learning to
| A．struggled | B．put | C．bent | D．dropped |
| A．breath | B．attention | C．back | D．tool |
| A．casually | B．quietly | C．happily | D．nervously |
| A．looking | B．flying | C．climbing | D．falling |
| A．unbothered | B．undoubted | C．unattractive | D．inaccessible |
| A．grateful | B．anxious | C．impatient | D．responsible |
| A．selected | B．recognized | C．noticed | D．scolded |
| A．unfamiliar | B．proud | C．shameful | D．unaware |
| A．courage | B．wisdom | C．safety | D．reward |
| A．owe | B．take | C．bring | D．fetch |
| A．balance | B．measure | C．release | D．promote |
| A．defend | B．keep | C．imagine | D．stop |
| A．enjoy | B．deliver | C．produce | D．ignore |
| A．principle | B．purpose | C．wonder | D．puzzle |
| A．pull through | B．go out | C．turn up | D．come back |
Unbreakable
My brother and I were playing a game of tag in the house. “Tag! You’re it!”, shouted Alim and ran as fast as his 5-year-old legs could carry him. I chased closely behind. I watched him jump over the sofa and landed, falling sideways to hit our Mom’s favourite vase, the one late Grandpa gave her on her wedding day, off the side table. SMASH!! Alim burst into tears almost at the same time the vase broke. I was equally alarmed said “Ha! Alim, you are in trouble.” This made Alim cry more, “Mummy is going to beat me!”
He was crying so much that I felt sorry for him. Just then Mom came into the house. I rushed over to Alim’s side. “What is this? Who broke my vase?” My Mom shouted. Her eyes were wide open and bright with terrible anger. Alim tried to say something through his tears but I started to clean his wet face with my hand and I said, “I am so sorry, Mom. I broke the vase and told Alim that I would say it was him.” My Mom pulled me by my left ear and dragged me to our room. Alim followed quietly behind. My Mom said, “That’s it. You are grounded for the rest of the holiday.” As she closed the room door on me, I saw Alim’s face in the corner, his eyes very big, looking straight at me.
The door was shut and I felt very alone in the room as I nursed my painful ear. Why did I do that? I thought. Alim should be the one taking the punishment, not me. Humph. He owes me big time. I fell asleep thinking of the ways I could get back at Alim. I woke up suddenly with the realization that Alim was not in the room with me. He had not come to bed. I tiptoed out of the room to look for him. The house was quiet and dark and I was beginning to worry when I noticed the light through the kitchen door.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右;
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When I got there, Alim was picking out the pieces of the vase from the garbage bag.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next morning Mum walked into our room and stopped as she saw the “new” vase.
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5 . My mother was born on a farm in Wisconsin in 1897. She attended college in Milwaukee.
One of my earliest memories, when I was about 3, was on a bitter cold day in 1932, the middle of the Great Depression. A man knocked on our back door and asked my mother for something to eat, as he hadn’t eaten for three days. Mom gave him a plate of stew (炖菜) plus two slices of bread. When he took the plate and fork, tears streamed down his cheeks.At age 21, in 1918, my mother began employment with a local charity in northern Georgia. She was assigned alone to create valuable programs for a small community. She often told us the stories about those old days after she retired. In her later years, my mother established Georgia’s Garden Club, the Professional Women’s Club, the town’s first lending library and other “firsts”.
There were quite a lot of people at her funeral in 1990, when she passed away at 93. My sister and I moved among her many friends, exchanging memories about her. At one point, we saw a stranger with tears on his face. We approached him and my sister asked, “Did you know my mother well?” He replied, “I owe my life to her!” He told us that when he was a young child, in 1918, his family of seven all came down with the flu. The “new lady from the charity” heard about their illness and came to help. He said, “We’d never have made it without her loving care.”
Amazingly, the night before I had read a brief account of that very incident in one of my mother’s diaries. I’m certain I have a responsibility to inform the world of what my mother’s life in northern Georgia was like.
1. Why does the author mention the story that happened in 1932?| A．To complain about the Great Depression. |
| B．To explain there were many poor people. |
| C．To prove his family was so wealthy then. |
| D．To show his mother was very sympathetic. |
| A．Ambitious and active. | B．Traditional but brave. |
| C．Determined and humorous. | D．Demanding but straightforward. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Grateful. | C．Proud. | D．Sad. |
| A．Her education experiences. | B．Her childhood memories. |
| C．The challenges in her career. | D．The stories in her programs. |
6 . Roosters (公鸡) act differently when faced with another chicken rather than just their own reflection. This may mean that the birds can recognize themselves in a mirror, a key indicator of self-awareness. In the traditional mirror self-recognition test, which originated in1970, researchers place a mark on an animal’s body in a spot that it only see when seeing its reflection. They note if the animal touches the mark while examining its mirror image, which suggests it understands that what it sees represents its own body. Few non-human species have passed this test, but they include some great apes, dolphins, elephants.
However, results from the test are often variable.Sonja Hillemacher and her colleagues from the University of Bonn in Germany wondered if this was because there is little natural reason for many animals to find out such marks. So, they have tried to adapt the test to the natural behaviour of roosters. Roosters usually make loud noises to warn other chickens when they see predators (捕食者) but generally stay quiet when they are alone.
In the lab, they tested 68 roosters one by one in an arena divided by a wire net. They placed a bird on one side, and either left the other side empty or put another rooster in it. Then they added a mirror to the divider for some tests. The results showed that when a rooster was paired with another rooster, it raised the alarm more often than when it was alone, regardless of whether it could see its own reflection. When another rooster was present but hidden behind a mirror, few alarms were raised, showing that roosters can distinguish between reflection and reality through vision rather than smell or sound.
Since the birds acted similarly when alone and with a reflection, they may realize their reflection is of themselves, say the researchers. While the research suggests that roosters may recognize themselves in mirrors, it is too early to claim that chickens possess this ability.
1. What can we learn about the traditional mirror self-recognition test?| A．The test was improved in 1970. |
| B．Elephants failed to pass the test. |
| C．Most non-human species have passed the test. |
| D．Animals touching the mark show self-awareness. |
| A．Their sharp vision. |
| B．Their poor smell. |
| C．Their loud sound. |
| D．Their native behavior. |
| A．They sent fewer alarm before another rooster. |
| B．They showed more interest in their reflection. |
| C．They used vision to tell reality from reflection. |
| D．They were unable to recognize their reflection. |
| A．Roosters: Quiet Reflection-observers |
| B．Roosters: Possible Self-recognizers |
| C．Roosters: Clever Mark-checkers |
| D．Roosters: Brave Alarm-raisers |
7 . International ShakeOut Day This Year
This year’s International ShakeOut Day is October 17, when millions of people worldwide will take part in earthquake drills (演习) at work, school, or home! It is a great way for your family or organization to become better prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.
At 10:17 am (local time) on 10/17, you can join millions of people across the world in practicing earthquake safety. While we encourage everyone to take part, you can sign up for your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year, and drill at a time of your choice, You can also include people in different locations through videos.
FIND YOUR REGIONMost participants (参与者) are in one of the official ShakeOut Regions listed below the page (with current sign-up totals). People and organizations in other countries can also sign up.
All regions take part in it on October 17,2024, unless specified.
（As of Today） | Global Totals | US totals |
oct.17,2024 Drills | Over 270,000 | Over 260,000 |
All 2024 Drills | Over 1.10million | Over 950,000 |
All 2023 Drills | Over 57.3million | Over 19.3million |
ShakeOut began in California and has also been organized in many other states and countries. Official ShakeOut Regions require special local or regional cooperation, typically by an emergency (紧急情况) management agency or a union of many organizations. If you are interested in establishing ShakeOut for your region, please contact us at https://www.shakeout.org. If your state, province, or country is not yet taking part, you can sign up for yourself or your organization as part of the global participation total.
1. What is the purpose of the activity?| A．To raise people’s safety awareness. |
| B．To stress the challenges of earthquakes. |
| C．To help people get ready for an earthquake. |
| D．To warn people of the danger of earthquakes. |
| A．Over 270,000. | B．Over 950,000. | C．Over 57.3 million. | D．Over 19.3 million. |
| A．A website. | B．A book review. | C．A guidebook. | D．A diary entry. |
8 . Improved mental health is on the agenda for many people in 2024 and being organized is the preferred method of realizing it.
Disorganization is often considered to have a negative impact on the way we see ourselves and the lives we lead. The studied downsides of living in a disorganized environment include memory problems, poor eating habits, and decreased self-control. “There’s an obvious link between increased stress and anxiety disorders and living in a messy space,” says Daniel Levitin, a behavioral neuroscientist (行为神经科学家) at McGill University.
“Disorganization brings a loss of productivity that is difficult to quantify (量化),” says Levitin. He points to the amount of time people lose looking for lost items, missing appointments, or falling behind at work or school because of disordered living. “The average person likely loses 5 percent of their time due to disorganization,” he says. “Take your annual salary, multiply that by 5 percent, and you can measure what disorganization may be costing you.”
Joseph Ferrari, one of the most recognized scholars on disorganization research, says that nearly every mental health downside that comes from disorganization can be improved by getting organized. “You’ll feel more energetic, enhance your productivity in the office, and greatly improve the quality of your life,” he says.
Tidy homes have been found to be a predictor of physical health. “Those whose houses are cleaner are more active and physically healthy,” says Libby Sander, an assistant professor of organizational behavior. Part of this is due to organized people being better at managing their time, but it’s also because research demonstrates that less clutter can help improve one’s diet. “Studies show an association between clutter and overweight,” says Libby.
Getting organized has also been shown to decrease one’s stress levels, increase personal efficiency, and even improve sleep. Another studied advantage of getting organized may be improving the quality of one’s relationships. Libby explains that relationships can be negatively impacted when too much clutter affects communication or distracts one’s brain from noticing important message from their partner. Research shows this can cause others to feel ignored, misunderstood, or unimportant.
1. What does Levitin say concerning living a disorganized life?| A．It has been well realized by people. |
| B．It’s many people’s New Year resolution. |
| C．It has an obvious impact on mental state. |
| D．It’s closely related to the living environment. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By repeating other experts’ words. | D．By referring to previous studies. |
| A．decoration. | B．mess. | C．furniture. | D．light. |
| A．The Neuroscience Behind Healthy Minds |
| B．The Cost of Chaos — How Disorganization Affects Your Life |
| C．Mental Health in 2024 — Self-control as a Priority |
| D．Organize for Success — Boosting Health and Productivity |
9 . Abstract painter Harold Cohen had represented Britain at important festivals with his oil paintings and was seeking a new challenge by the end of 1960s. “Maybe there are more interesting things going on outside my studio than inside it,” he thought. Cohen turned from the canvas to the screen, using computers to find new ways of creating art. In the late 1960s, he created a program that he named Aaron. It was the first artificial intelligence software in the world of fine art, and Cohen first presented Aaron in 1974 at the University of California.
Now, with AI dominating the headlines, a new exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art, “Harold Cohen: Aaron,” running through June 2024, draws attention to Cohen’s pioneering work. The Whitney is offering something deeper than most previous Aaron exhibits: a real-time experience, in which visitors can watch the software produce art.
Cohen seeded Aaron with all sorts of knowledge: about basic objects, physics, and fundamental techniques of drawing. Aaron uses this knowledge to follow instructions, complete tasks, and make decisions like human beings — a very different approach from today’s generative AI art programs, which don't draw from scratch (从零开始) but rather rely on databases of images. Versions of Aaron still generate output, but anything done after Cohen’s death in 2016 is not considered genuine.
The Whitney is showcasing two versions of Cohen’s software, along with the art that each produced before Cohen died. The 2001 version, Aaron KCAT, generates images of figures and plants and projects them onto a wall more than ten feet high, while the 2007 version produces jungle-like scenes. The software will also create art physically, on paper, for the first time since the 1990s. “It is absolutely thrilling,” said Christiane Paul, the museum’s director of digital art, “to have one of those remarkable treasures of digital art in the collection.”
1. What made Aaron created?| A．Harold’s curiosity. | B．The museum’s donation. |
| C．Visitors’ expectation. | D．The university’s support. |
| A．See the original 1960s version of Aaron. | B．Generate images with the help of Aaron. |
| C．Learn about the physical rules in art. | D．Observe Aaron creating art on the spot. |
| A．Its ability to assign tasks. | B．Its use of modern techniques. |
| C． Its capability to make choices. | D． Its dependence on existing database. |
| A．The masterpieces of digital art. | B．A new show of the art world’s first AI. |
| C．The latest technologies in the Whitney. | D．Harold Cohen’s impact on generative AI. |
10 . Where do you expect to see graffiti (涂鸦)? Probably not in a museum. Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, in the south-west of England, was the kind of place you went to see classical statues and stuffed animals in cases until the arrivals of the ‘Banksy Versus the Bristol Museum’ exhibition in 2009. The exhibition hosted more than 100 works by Banksy, one of the world’s most famous graffiti artists.
Banksy is a man of mystery (神秘). He hardly ever gives interviews and likes to be anonymous (匿名的). Nobody knows much about his life or his background but many people believe that his real name is either Robin Cunningham, Robert Banks or Robin Banks and that he was born in 1973 near Bristol.
Banksy’s questioned ‘street art’ includes paintings on live sheep and cows and graffiti on the huge wall put up to divide two areas. Brand Pitt spent over 82 million on a Bansky original. Banksy designed an album cover for the Britpop group Blur in 2003 but he has refused requests to do adverts for Nike. A year after the Bristol exhibition, Banksy made a film called Exit Through the Gift Shop. The film tells the story of a French street artist in America. Exit Through the Gift Shop received many positive reviews. Nobody knows if it was about a real artist or an invented character from Banksy’s imagination.
Bristol isn’t the only place in Britain to welcome graffiti. The DPM Park in Dundee, Scotland has the longest legal graffiti wall (almost 110m long) in the UK. Anyone can paint on the council-owned wall any time they like. Mike Crilley, the graffiti wall project organiser, promotes the positive side of graffiti and runs workshops for local children.
Is everyone doing graffiti? Can we do graffiti where we want these days? Not exactly. It’s illegal to paint on somebody else’s possessions, so make sure you find a legal graffiti wall like the one in Dundee if you want to have a go.
1. Why is Banksy a man of mystery?| A．His works are mainly set in Bristol. | B．His works are not universally recognized. |
| C．He’s likely to use a penname in his works | D．He comes from an area unfamilar to others. |
| A．It was produced in the year 2010. | B．It was based on Banksy’s true story. |
| C．It was directed and starred by Banksy. | D．It was filmed for the Bristol exhibition. |
| A．On any wall in the UK. | B．On somebody’s outer wall. |
| C．In Mike Crilley’s workshops. | D．In any nation-owned parks. |
| A．Different opinions on graffiti. | B．Britain’s famous graffiti artist. |
| C．Banksy’s most successful graffiti. | D．Graffiti in major cities in the world. |
