1 . For decades, scientists thought of the brain as the most closely guarded organ. Locked safely behind a biological barrier, away from the disorder of the rest of the body, it was broadly free of destruction of germs (病菌) and the battles started by the immune system.
Then, 20-odd years ago, some researchers began to ask a question: is the brain really so separate? The answer, according to a growing body of evidence, is no — and has important effects on both science and health care.
The list of brain conditions that have been associated with changes elsewhere in the body is long and growing. Changes in the make-up of the microorganisms resident in the gut (肠道), for example, have been linked to disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Some researchers think that certain infections could provoke Alzheimer’s disease and some could lead to emotional disorder in babies.
The effect is two-way. There is a lengthening list of symptoms (症状) not typically viewed as disorders of the nervous system in which the brain and the neural processes that connect it to the body play a large part. For example, the development of a fever is influenced by a population of neurons (神经元) that control body temperature and appetite. The effect of brain on body is underlined by the finding that stimulating a particular brain region in mice can ‘remind’ the body of previous inflammation (炎症) — and reproduce them.
These findings and others mark a complete shift in our view of the interconnectedness of brain and body, and could help us both understand and treat illness. If some brain conditions start outside the brain, then perhaps cures for them could also reach in from outside. Treatments that take effect through the digestive system, heart or other organs, for instance, would be much easier and less striking to give than those that must cross the blood-brain barrier, the brain’s first line of defence.
In the opposite direction, the effects of our emotions or mood on our capacity to recover from illness could also be used. There is an opening work under way testing whether stimulating certain areas of the brain that respond to reward and produce feelings of positivity could enhance recovery from conditions such as heart attacks. Perhaps even more exciting is the possibility that making changes to our behaviour — to reduce stress, say — could have similar benefits.
For neuroscientists, it’s time to look beyond the brain. And clinicians treating the body mustn’t assume the brain is above getting involved — its activity could be influencing a wide range of conditions, from mild infections to long-time fatness.
1. The author writes paragraph 1 mainly to ______.| A．evaluate an argument |
| B．present an assumption |
| C．summarize the structure |
| D．provide the background |
| A．Delay. | B．Cure. | C．Cause. | D．Disturb. |
| A．Treatments that cross brain-blood barrier are less used. |
| B．Previous diseases could cause the production of new ones. |
| C．Emotions could affect the capacity to fight against diseases. |
| D．Treatment of the brain takes priority over other treatments. |
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
Uncertainty is all around us, never more so than today. Whether it concerns your health or relationships, much of what lies ahead in life remains uncertain.
We’re all different in how much uncertainty we can tolerate in life. Some people seem to enjoy taking risks and living unpredictable lives, while others find the randomness of life deeply annoying. But all of us have a limit. If you feel controlled by uncertainty and worry, it’s important to know that you’re not alone; many of us are in the same boat.
To cope with all this uncertainty, many of us use worrying as a tool for trying to predict the future and avoid unpleasant surprises. Worrying can make it seem like you have some control over uncertain circumstances. You may also believe that it will help you find a solution to your problems or prepare you for the worst. Unfortunately, long-term worrying just robs you of enjoyment in the present and weakens your energy. But there are healthier ways to cope with uncertainty.
Identify your uncertainty trigger (诱发因素). A lot of uncertainty tends to be self-generated. However, some can be generated by external sources, such as reading media stories that focus on bad news, or simply communicating with anxious friends. By recognizing your triggers, you can take action to avoid or reduce your exposure to them.
Shift your attention. Focus on solvable worries, taking action on those aspects of a problem that you can control, or simply go back to what you were doing. When the feelings of uncertainty return, refocus your mind on the present moment and your own breathing.
1. How are people different in tolerating uncertainty in life?2. Why do many people use worrying as a tool to deal with uncertainty?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶ Knowing the triggers of your uncertainty, you can learn to expose yourself to them.
4. What are you most uncertain about right now? How will you deal with it? (In about 40 words)
3 . Borders, departments, or issue areas all represent what systems analysts call system boundaries. System boundaries divide the big, messy, interconnected world into smaller subsystems. This is useful, even necessary. Our minds and our collective governance systems would be stuck if we had to always consider all the connections of everything to everything else. But dividing systems into subsystems can sometimes break a natural cooperativity. For instance, a decarbonizing country will spend money in its energy and transportation sectors and save money in its health system.
Decarbonization could be a win for the whole, but it might be experienced as a bother for particular subsystems.
Donella Meadows, the early systems modeler, wrote that system boundaries are “lines in the mind, not in the world.” And that is actually good news. If departments, and disciplines are just ideas, then there is nothing immovable about them. We can make these borders less obvious and conduct partnerships across them. We can even redraw them to include more of what matters in a single project or investment. That’s the premise of multisolving — using one investment of time or effort to achieve several goals at once.
For instance, Warm Up New Zealand (WUNZ) upgraded the energy efficiency of residential buildings and provided jobs in the building sector after a financial downturn. The project resulted in better health for residents, as well. That translated into health systems savings. Taken together, a 2011 study estimated that across all these benefits, the project saved $3.90 for every $1 invested.
Multisolving seems possible everywhere and like an obvious choice. Yet, it is very much the exception, not the rule. Why is multisolving still so rare when it has the power to boost progress on some of the most urgent issues we face?
Unfamiliarity stands in the way, as does an often-unexamined assumption that making issues smaller makes them easier to address. We often hear the viewpoint, “I already work on poverty (or climate, etc.) and that’s hard enough. Why should I add biodiversity or pollution to the mix?” Fundraising for crossing borders can be a struggle too. Funders want the “visible results” shown, but they don’t always see crossing borders as an essential part of achieving those results.
It is easy to devalue and underemphasize connection-building. After all, it can be delicate and not always visible. But to realize goals in today’s world, from equitable policies and low-carbon facilities to values like cooperation and fairness, we do need deep shifts, and we need them soon. And facilitating the flow of ideas back and forth across borders is one way to speed change.
1. As for systems boundaries, the author is ______.| A．critical | B．puzzled | C．supportive | D．unconcerned |
| A．Prediction. | B．Precondition. | C．Prevention. | D．Presentation. |
| A．People are familiar with multisolving. |
| B．WUNZ performed multisolving successfully. |
| C．Raising money helps to produce visible results. |
| D．Multisolving is widely used to address problems. |
| A．Multisolving: Hard to achieve soon |
| B．Multisolving: Essential to solve small issues |
| C．Multisolving: Conducting partnership across borders |
| D．Multisolving: Making systems whole, healthy, and sustainable |
4 . We’ve all heard it before: to be successful, get out of bed early. After all, Apple CEO Tim Cook gets up at 3:45 am, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne at 3:30 am and Richard Branson at 5:45 am- - -and, as we know, “The early bird catches the worm.” Indeed, it may be true that those who get up early have a jump start on the day before others are even out of bed.
But just because some successful people wake up early, does that mean it’s a trait most of them share? And if the idea of having exercised, planned your day, eaten breakfast, visualized and done one task before 8 am. makes you want to roll over and hit snooze until next Saturday, are you really doomed to a less successful life?
For about half of us, this isn’t really an issue. It’s estimated that some 50% of the population isn’t really morning- oriented or evening oriented, but somewhere in the middle. Roughly one in four of us, though, tend more toward bright-eyed early risers, and another one in four are night owls. For them, the effect can go beyond falling asleep in front of the TV at10 pm or being regularly late for work.
Numerous studies have found that morning people are more self-directed and agreeable. And compared to night owls, they are less likely to be depressed, drink or smoke.
Although morning types may achieve more academically, night owls tend to perform better on measures of memory, processing speed and cognitive ability, even when they have to perform those tasks in the morning. Night-time people are also more open and more creative. And one study shows that night owls are as healthy and wise as morning types- and a little bit wealthier.
Still think the morning people sound more like CEO material? Don’t set your alarm for 5 am just, yet, as it turns out, overhauling (大修) your sleep times may not have much effect.
“If people are left to their naturally preferred times, they feel much better. They say that they are much more productive. The mental capacity they have is much broader,” says Oxford University biologist Katharina Wulf. On the other hand, she says, pushing people too far out of their natural preference can be harmful. When they wake early, for example, night owls are still producing melatonin (褪黑激素 ). “Then, you disrupt it and push the body to be in the daytime mode. That can have lots of negative, physiological consequences,” Wulff says like a different sensitivity to insulin and glucose (葡萄糖) which can cause weight gain.
1. What can we know from the 4th and 5th paragraphs?| A．Neither night owls no morning persons perform better than the middle ones. |
| B．To beat night-time people, ask them to do maths calculation in the morning. |
| C．Night owls tend to sacrifice their health for their wealth. |
| D．Morning types are more conservative but more optimistic. |
| A．Don’t fall asleep in front of the TV. |
| B．Better not overhaul your sleep times. |
| C．Stop sting your alarm for 5 am. |
| D．Avoid being-regularly late for work. |
| A．raising the problem→analysing the problem→solving the problem. |
| B．presenting author’s viewpoint → providing supporting proofs→making a conclusion. |
| C．leading in the topic→challenging a viewpoint → discussing about the topic. |
| D．introducing a viewpoint -raising the question→presenting author’s viewpoint. |
| A．To argue against the view that the early bird catches the worm. |
| B．To compare the differences between early risers and night owls. |
| C．To advise people to get up neither too early nor too late. |
| D．To explain why some people are more successful. |
| What we do The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) responds quickly and efficiently to help people affected by armed conflict. We also respond to disasters in, conflict zones, because the effects of a disaster are compounded if a county is already at war. | |
| Coronavirus: COVID-19 pandemic For people living in conflict zones, the pandemic spread of coronavirus disease (also known as COVID-19) represents a dramatic threat to life. Health systems are destroyed by war, and it could be difficult for people in these areas to prioritize actions related to the coronavirus COVID-19 as there could be many other more immediate threats to life, such as gunfire and bombings. | Enabling people with disabilities& physical rehabilitation In addition to developing our own. Prosthetics technology we have acquired a high level of expertise and attach great importance to maintaining support for a project over many years. As well as providing physical recovery services, we help people with disabilities play a full part in society. This includes promoting the setting up of small business, providing professional training and promoting sport. |
| Migrants, refugees, shelter seekers The ICRC has adopted a broad description of migrants, to involve all people who leave or flee from their home to seek safety or better prospects abroad, and who may be in disaster and need of protection or humanitarian assistance. Refugees and shelter seekers, who are entitled to specific protection under international law, are included in this description. | Access to education Around the world, millions of people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence are unable to get an education. The fighting can destroy or damage education facilities, it can make it unsafe to get to school and to be in school. In prolonged (旷日持久的) conflicts, entire generations can remain without education due to economic hardship and to poorly resourced and weakened education systems. This increases social and economic vulnerabilities and raises the risk of exclusion and abuse for many people, particularly girls. For people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, the ability to continue or to restart their education is among their top priorities. Education enables people to live and rebuild their lives with dignity and provides them with knowledge and skills to make important decisions about their life, livelihood, and well-being. |
| A．particularly difficult for the girls only in prolonged conflicts |
| B．spoiled in conflict zones due to the loss of education facilities |
| C．the least important thing for those suffering from the war |
| D．effective in helping people flee their homes |
| A．The entire generations who have suffered so long from war may go without education. |
| B．All people away from home or in need take part in the charity campaign for migrants. |
| C．The ICRC not only provide physical recovery services but also help the disabled to play sports through professional training. |
| D．The victims of war also consider the prevention of COVID-19 the most important. |
| A．a newspaper |
| B．the ICRC official website |
| C．a booklet of charity activities |
| D．an academic journal |
6 . Nicholas Epley, a behavioural scientist, and I conducted a series of studies and concluded that kind acts as simple as buying a cup of coffee for someone can promote a person’s happiness. Everyday life affords many opportunities for such actions, yet people do not always catch them.
We firstly studied acts of kindness done for familiar people such as friends, classmates or family.
Across our studies, several strong patterns appeared. For one, both performers and receivers of the acts of kindness were in more positive moods than normal after these kind acts.
These findings suggest that what might seem small when we are deciding whether or not to do something nice for someone else could matter a great deal to the person we do it for, These warm acts can improve our own emotional health and brighten the day of another person.
| A．So why not choose kindness when we can? |
| B．For another, it was clear that performers undervalued their impacts. |
| C．From one situation to the next, the specific acts of kindness differed. |
| D．We found that participants didn’t realize their positive impacts on strangers as well. |
| E．Our research also revealed one reason why people may not realize their actions’ impacts. |
| F．We compared the performers’ expectation of the receivers’ moods with their actual experiences. |
| G．It is because people performing kind acts undervalue how much receivers value their behaviour. |
7 . Episodic memory (情景记忆) allows humans to revisit past personal experiences in their minds, and it was once thought to be a special skill of humans. Although there are still arguments about the extent of this type of memory in non-human animals, scientists have proved that creatures like rats and dogs can pass tests that are developed to assess episodic memory over the past two decades. “Curiously, there is a lack of research investigating dolphins’ episodic memory,” University of Cambridge cognitive (认知的) scientist James Davies says. Therefore, this surprising fact encourages him to fill this gap.
The team used “where” and “who” questions in their research, each on a different test. Each dolphin was first trained to retrieve a ball from the water, and then trained to get a ball by approaching a person holding it in front of them while ignoring an empty-handed person standing at a different spot. During this training, the locations were randomized (使随机化) and the person holding the ball differed each time, so that those details were irrelevant to learning the retrieving behavior. Then, for the tests, the dolphins were asked to retrieve the ball as they had learned to do, but after 10 minutes, something changed-this time, the ball couldn’t be seen, as it was now behind one of the two people’s backs. In the “where” tests, the ball was hidden in the same spot as in the training, but both people had been changed, while in the “who” tests, the locations of the people changed but the ball remained with the person who’d had it previously.
Eight dolphins went through each of the two tests, separated by at least 48 hours. All the dolphins got it right in choosing the correct spot on the “where” experiments, and seven achieved success on the “who” experiments.
Kelly Jaakkola, a psychologist, says that based on their cognitive skills, dolphins are a good candidate for having episodic-like memory, and this study goes really far in showing that. She also says, “The more we look for such capabilities in non-human animals, the more species we’ll likely find them in.” She adds, “An exciting question is therefore ‘Where do we draw that line? Which animals do have it, which animals don’t, and what sort of cognitive or neurological or social characteristics do those animals share? ’ That’s going to be the fun part of the game.”
1. What does the underlined word “retrieve” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Fetch. | B．Move. | C．Throw. | D．Play. |
| A．The locations of the people involved in the tests. |
| B．The memory tasks that dolphins need to perform. |
| C．The ability of dolphins to communicate with humans. |
| D．The dolphins’ characteristics related to their memory processing. |
| A．Dolphins pass the tests as a result of training. |
| B．It is very likely that dolphins are affected by people during the tests. |
| C．Scientists will probably find episodic memory in all non-human animals. |
| D．The influence of dolphins’ familiarity with a location or a person is avoided. |
| A．Dolphins Are the Most Intelligent Animals |
| B．Dolphins May Remember Personal Experiences |
| C．Episodic Memory Is Important for Humans and Animals |
| D．A Scientific Method Is Used to Study Dolphins’ Memory |
8 . Students meet at the university campus for classes during their 20s. This classical model of time, action and place has traditionally produced famous universities, but it is now challenged by the digitalization of society—which allows everybody who is connected to the Internet to access learning—and by the need to acquire skills in step with fast development of technology. Universities must realize that learning in the 20s won’t be enough.
By teaching foundational knowledge and up-to-date skills, universities need to provide students with the future-proof skills of lifelong learning, not just get them ‘job-ready’. Some universities already play an important role in lifelong learning as they want to keep the value of their diplomas (文凭). This new role comes with a huge set of challenges and needs largely to be invented. One way to start this transformation process could be to go beyond the ‘diploma model’ to adapt university education to lifelong learning. We call this model the lifelong learning passport.
The Bachelor’s degree could be students’ passport to lifelong learning. For the first few years, students would ‘learn to learn’ and get endowed with reasoning skills that remain with them for the rest of their lives. For instance, physics allows students to observe and integrate (融合) observations into models and, sometimes, models into theories or laws that can be used to make predictions. Mathematics is the language used to develop the laws of physics or economy. These two subjects naturally form the basic pillars (支柱) of education in technical universities.
Recent advances in computational methods and data science push us into rethinking science and engineering. Computers increasingly become the most important actors in processing data and formulating questions, which requires completely new ways of reasoning. Therefore, a new subject integrating computer science, programming, statistics and machine learning should be added to the traditional foundational topics of mathematics and physics. These three pillars would allow you to keep learning technical subjects all your life.
According to this new model, the Master of Science (MSc) would become the first stamp in the lifelong learning journey. The new MSc diploma becomes a set of accomplished projects and a list of technical skills. It is open-ended and must be updated throughout life, as technologies and their applications change faster than ever.
Universities have a fundamental role to play in this journey, and higher education is in for a change. The old university model produced talent and value for society. We are not supporting its abolition (废除) but rather calling for the adaptation of its characteristics to meet the needs of today.
1. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?| A．Technological development challenges the university model. |
| B．The classical model serves famous universities well. |
| C．Students don’t meet at campus due to digitalization. |
| D．Universities continue to improve worker skills. |
| A．The students get a lifelong passport with a Bachelor’s degree. |
| B．The three pillars help with continuous learning in technology. |
| C．Physics and mathematics are enough for learning technology. |
| D．MSc programmes are the most important for lifelong learning. |
| A．Be concerned with. | B．Make room for. |
| C．Be equipped with. | D．Make preparations for. |
| A．Changes to university projects |
| B．Importance of Lifelong Learning |
| C．Development of Further Education |
| D．Necessity to Adapt University Model |
9 . The first time I heard about my classmates engaging with social media was in the fourth grade. A lot of my friends and classmates had excitedly jumped onto platforms like Instagram at such a young age. On the other hand, I hesitated. I only knew the basics, but was foreign to some words on social media.
All throughout middle school, I stuck with the same thinking. And now, as a freshman in college, I am looking back and wondering why I, unlike my classmates, have never been naturally interested in social media.
Scanning Instagram, you ought to find dozens of pictures of people in beautiful countries, taking part in exciting activities, and spending time with friends and family, among many other things. The thought of doing this has never related to me. I respect and understand those who do believe using social media allows them to express themselves and share aspects of their lives with others. However, I have never had any interest in doing the same. In my eyes, when not shared with others, family gatherings and friend get-togethers are just as meaningful, if not more so.
Most people have experienced feeling insecure (不安全) and unconfident on social media. Images that are changed represent unrealistic beauty standards that can only be obtained through dangerous ways. Even without using social media, I knew that using apps like Instagram and Facebook would make me embarrassed about all the aspects that make me a unique individual. I’ve never wanted to look at a post on social media and immediately compare myself and my life.
I constantly observe my classmates getting easily distracted (使分心) by social media.While trying to complete their homework, they have a powerful urge to open up Instagram or Facebook to see if there are any new messages. With homework and after-class activities consuming the majority of my day, I cannot wait to finish every task on my to-do list, so I can finally spend time with my family or have some time for myself to relax from my busy day.
1. What can we know from the first two paragraphs?| A．Social media are popular in schools. |
| B．Young pupils suffer from social media. |
| C．The author has no access to social media. |
| D．Social media contribute to students’ study. |
| A．students get easily distracted by social media |
| B．pictures of people taking part in exciting activities are not real |
| C．family gatherings are not meaningful if not shared with others |
| D．the author never shares aspects of his lives with others on social media |
| A．They post their images on social media. |
| B．They follow other people’s beauty standards totally. |
| C．Social media change the way they look at themselves. |
| D．Social media encourage them to be a unique individual. |
| A．A to-do list can stop people using social media. |
| B．Social media can waste people’s valuable time. |
| C．Spending time with family always enjoys first priority. |
| D．Students pay more attention to social media than to study. |
