1 . As a high school student, you’re likely used to learning through reading textbooks.
To practice experiential appreciation, you can start by getting involved in hands-on activities related to your subjects. They will provide a firsthand understanding of the concepts you’re studying, making learning active and meaningful. So, try joining a sports team, picking up a paintbrush, or taking part in a local charity event.
As you dive deeper, immerse (沉浸) yourself fully in the surroundings and activities. When you’re in nature, don’t just look around.
Experiential appreciation transforms learning from a task to be completed into a journey to be treasured.
| A．It extends learning beyond textbooks. |
| B．These activities bring learning to life. |
| C．Mind the impact of your actions on the environment. |
| D．Instead, activate your senses for a stronger tie with it. |
| E．Take your experiences further by reflecting on them. |
| F．Textbooks offer a systematic introduction to essential concepts and principles. |
| G．Now consider expanding your learning from just reading to actively participating. |
2 . Yellow is usually the color of happy, joyful emotions. But according to a new study, not all people associate the color with good feelings.
To find out what factors might play a role, researchers tested a new hypothesis (假设): What if people’s physical surroundings affect their feelings about certain colors? For example, if someone lived in cold and rainy Finland, would he feel differently about the color yellow from someone who lived near the Sahara Desert?
The researchers looked at color-emotion data from an ongoing international survey of 6, 625 people in 55 countries. The survey asked participants to rate 12 colors on how closely they were associated with feelings including joy, pride, fear, and shame.
The researchers paid particular attention to the data for yellow, and analyzed how different factors — including hours of sunshine, hours of daylight, and the amount of rainfall — were associated with the emotions people reported for the color. The two best predictors of how people felt about yellow were the annual amount of rainfall, and how far they lived from the equator (赤道).
Overall, people were more likely to associate yellow with joy when they lived in rainier countries that lay farther from the equator, researchers reported in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. In Egypt, the likelihood (可能性) of yellow being associated with joy was just 5. 7%, whereas in chilly Finland it was 87. 7%. In the United States, with its mild climate and amber (琥珀色的) waves of grain, people’s yellow-joy association levels were between 60% and 70%.
The researchers also checked whether associations changed with the season — whether, for example, people in a certain country liked yellow more in the winter than they did in the summer. They found that opinions about the color remained fairly constant all year round — even when the weather changed, the data on yellow-joy associations were as good as gold.
1. What was the main focus of the researchers’ study on color-emotion associations?| A．The preferences of people from different countries for certain colors. |
| B．The influence of physical surroundings on people’s feelings about colors. |
| C．The popular color choices for feelings like joy, pride, fear, and shame. |
| D．The impact of hours of sunshine on color-emotion associations. |
| A．Annual amount of sunshine and distance from the equator. |
| B．Hours of daylight and temperature variations. |
| C．Rainfall levels and distance from the equator. |
| D．Environmental pollution levels and urban vs. rural living. |
| A．Finland | B．Egypt | C．United States | D．China |
| A．People in winter season preferred yellow less than in summer. |
| B．People in winter season associated yellow more with joy than in summer. |
| C．The study did not find any significant changes in yellow-joy associations with the season. |
| D．People’s preferences for the color yellow varied widely between different seasons. |
3 . Many college students turn to ADHD (注意缺陷障碍) medicine during the exam week, which is regarded as “smart drugs” that will help their academic performance. The thinking is that if the drugs help students with ADHD improve their focus, they should provide the same benefit for people who don’t have the disorder.
But a new study shows that drugs can actually damage brain function of healthy students who take the drug hoping to boost their intelligence. “It’s not a smart drug which will suddenly improve their ability to understand information they read,” said Lisa Weyandt, a professor at the University of Rhode Island.
To test whether this effect is real or not, researchers organized 13 students to take part in two five-hour study sessions (一段时间) in the lab. The students took the standard 30mg ADHD drugs before one session, and a sugar pill before the other. Students on ADHD drugs did experience an increase in their blood pressure and heart rates. “The medicine was having an effect on their brain,” Weyandt said. The students also showed an improvement in their ability to focus, the researchers found.
However, students on ADHD drugs experienced no improvement in reading comprehension, reading fluency or knowledge reviews, compared to when they’d taken a sugar pill. “We read aloud stories to them and asked them to recall information from the stories, ”she said. “That didn’t improve.”
Worse, the ADHD drug actually harms students’ memory. It’s often misused because people pull all-nighters and they’re tired, and they think it’s going to keep them awake. Maybe it does, but it’s certainly not going to help their academic work. The brain is still developing until the mid to late 20s. It’s important to keep it healthy. There’s also a chance that ADHD drugs could endanger a student’s heart health.
1. Why do many college students turn to ADHD medicine during exam week?| A．To improve their focus and academic performance. |
| B．To boost their intelligence and understanding of information. |
| C．To stay awake during all-night study sessions. |
| D．To improve their memory and reading comprehension. |
| A．stabilize | B．make good use of | C．better | D．understand |
| A．The drugs significantly improved their reading comprehension. |
| B．The drugs enhanced their memory and knowledge recall. |
| C．The drugs increased their heart rate and blood pressure. |
| D．The drugs had no impact on their ability to focus. |
| A．Neither reading comprehension nor memory improved. |
| B．Reading comprehension improved but memory declined. |
| C．Reading comprehension and memory significantly improved. |
| D．Reading comprehension declined but memory improved. |
4 . When I was 10, I was always joked by my fellow Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) mates, including John. Words were like, “Dick is the best player in the CCA! He only knows how to play ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’ on the trumpet (小号) !”
Once, the moment I left the school, I took out my earpiece, listening to recordings like a broken recorder. I got so concentrated that I didn’t see the wall in front and fell on the ground. Luckily for me, a passer-by saw what had happened and immediately called the ambulance. When I woke up in the hospital, however, the nurse told me that I suffered severe leg injuries. I could have stopped practicing but that was not what I wanted. I wanted to practice even in the hospital. “One leg injury would not stop me; it would only make me feel more motivated,” I replied to the nurse.
That was a hard period of my life. If I had not been careless, I would not have this problem. Yet if I haven’t gotten myself into this problem, I would not be as motivated and would not have that experience teaching me a life lesson. My parents and my best friend had come to give me emotional support, telling me what had happened during CCA today and advising me on how to become a better player. After day-and-night hard practice, I finally perfected and went back to my CCA.
On the selection day, the conductor praised me and asked how I had improved so much. I explained that it was because of my determination, my family and my friends. The conductor then said that I was a role model and that the whole band should follow my motivation and practice instead of being like John.
This experience made me what I am today. Currently, I am the best player and the head of the secondary school military band.
1. After being in the hospital for days, the author returned to __________.| A．continuing CCA activities | B．performing music in school |
| C．staying in bed and resting | D．becoming a music teacher |
| A．He performed better than John. | B．He didn’t give up even with severe injuries. |
| C．He was selected the head of the band. | D．He got the first prize on the selection day. |
| A．Creative. | B．Intelligent. | C．Friendly. | D．Determined. |
| A．his own ability | B．a the advice of the conductor |
| C．strong willpower and a sense of responsibility | D．his family’s support |
5 . Have you ever wanted to be healthier? Get a pet! That is what the experts are saying. There are many advantages to owning a pet, no matter whether it is a cat, dog, or horse.
Some new parents are often in a rush to get rid of their pets when a baby is expected. Yet, studies have shown that having a pet at home actually reduces a child’s likelihood of developing certain kinds of diseases. In one study, a researcher studied 300 new-born babies and tested them again a year later. He found that if they had a dog at home the children had up to 33% fewer allergies (过敏症). In addition, the children had stronger immune systems (免疫系统) when compared to the babies of homes with no pets.
In another study, researchers tested nearly 4,500 people. They found that cat owners who spent time stroking (抚摸) their cats suffered 40% fewer heart attacks than those who did not own a cat. Some other studies also found that pet owners suffered less serious from depression (沮丧) than non-pet owners.
Horses have long been used in treatments for disabled people, both physically and mentally. Not only does the movement of the horse help people with physical problems, but the calming influence of the animals has a positive effect on them, too. Amazing changes have been noted in disabled people who are lucky enough to receive these treatments.
From cats to horses, having a pet can really have positive effects on our health.
1. What does the underlined word in the second paragraph probably mean?| A．Degree. | B．Possibility. | C．Opportunity. | D．Decision. |
| A．having a pet at home makes a baby weak |
| B．the children in home without a dog may have strong immune system |
| C．non-pet owners may easily suffer from depression than pet owners |
| D．keeping a pet cat is better than keeping a pet dog |
| A．How to raise a horse. | B．The way of keeping healthy. |
| C．How horses benefit disabled people. | D．How to treat disabled people. |
| A．New parents sometimes refuse to have a pet when they have a baby. |
| B．If you want to keep healthy, do nothing but keep a pet. |
| C．Cat owners suffer more heart attacks than others. |
| D．Horses can cure the problems of disabled people. |
6 . My father started learning French at 57, drawn by the potential benefits of bilingualism (双语能力) in delaying dementia (失智症). Now, 20 years later, he’s on his third teacher. Many people like my father have attempted to pick up a new language. But can this really boost brain health?
According to experts, regularly using a new language brings cognitive (认知的) benefits. If you’re trying to recall the right words in another language, your brain is forced to inhibit your mother tongue. This process, called cognitive inhibition, helps improve your brain function. Repeating this process makes your brain more resistant to diseases like dementia. The more you challenge your brain, the better it functions, even if your brain health starts to decline.
However, evidence for the benefits of learning a second language in your 60s is weaker. Research by Dr. Leo Antoniou found that older Italians who took English lessons for four months didn’t see any difference in their cognition scores, but people who didn’t saw their scores decline. Prof. Diana Smith’s 2023 studies found similar results.
Researchers offered a few potential explanations for their disappointing results. One is that the participants were highly motivated volunteers, probably of high cognitive level for their age, making it hard to see any improvements. “When choosing participants, we have to be careful, are they really representative of the population?” said Dr. Judith Ware. Another is that the language interventions were perhaps too short. These studies have used language lessons that “were very different in their length and frequency,” said Prof. Laura Grossman.
To Dr. Antoniou, the limited findings are not entirely surprising. No one would say that learning a new language for six months would be the same as having used two languages for your entire life. But he does think that language lessons can provide cognitive benefits by being cognitively stimulating.
Perhaps more important, Prof. Grossman said, learning another language offers other potential advantages, like traveling or connecting with new communities. My father, for example, has remained pen friends with his first teacher and traveled to France numerous times.
And at 76, he’s as sharp as ever.
1. What happens in the process of “cognitive inhibition”?| A．Memory improves. | B．Brain health worsens. |
| C．Dementia is cured. | D．Native language is held back. |
| A．The poor choice of research participants. |
| B．The great length of the language course. |
| C．The intervention of the first language. |
| D．The age difference of the research subjects. |
| A．Leo Antoniou’s. | B．Diana Smith’s. |
| C．Laura Grossman’s. | D．Judith Ware’s. |
| A．Is it never too late to learn a new language? |
| B．Can learning a new language delay dementia? |
| C．Why does my father start learning a new language? |
| D．How does learning a new language benefit aging brain? |
| A．Shopping lists. | B．Eating habits. | C．Cooking methods. |
| A．He pressed the wrong button. | B．He dropped her iPad. | C．He broke her purse. |
1. 展览的主题和目的；
2. 展览的内容：剪纸艺术历史以及剪纸艺术品；
3. 展览信息：8月12—8月16日，8：00-18：00；免费参观；
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1.内容要包括以上提示，可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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参考词汇：艺术馆art gallery 南北朝the Northern and Southern Dynasty
Notice
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. How much did the man weigh two months ago?
| A．About 150 pounds. | B．About 160 pounds. | C．About 170 pounds. |
| A．From a book. | B．From a friend. | C．From a cook. |
| A．Change his diet. | B．Learn about an author. | C．Start to exercise regularly. |
