1 . On a bright September day in the French Alps in 2022, John McAvoy was 38 kilometres into a very exhausting ultramarathon through rough mountain paths. Battling tiredness, he pushed his body and mind through the final leg of the race. With the finish arch in the famous town of Chamonix just four kilometres away and the cloud-topped peak of Mont Blanc high over him, McAvoy welled up with emotion.
In that moment, he felt so free and alive. It was quite the opposite from where his life had been a decade before. He had just been released from prison after serving a 10-year sentence.
Now 40 years old, McAvoy has spent the last 10 years rebuilding his life from one of crime to one with purpose. It was on this day, while running the ultramarathon, that he realized how impactful conquering (征服) this mountain run could be for inner-city kids like him. After all, sport had helped him live a normal life again and open up his world. It could do the same for others.
With the help of Youth Beyond Borders, McAvoy started the Alpine Run Project, which recently led 12 disadvantaged British young people through their own Mont Blanc races. The participants, from refugees (难民) to young reformed criminals and those who grew up in Children’s home, were matched with coaches, consultants and physiotherapists. After a six-month training program, the youth travelled to the Alps to meet up with McAvoy for their race.
McAvoy says the highlight of this project for him was watching Yasmin Mahamud, a 20-year-old refugee from Syria, run through the finish arch and into the arms of her new friends. It was a life-changing high for Mahamud, too-inspiring her to keep running, take up martial arts and go to university to study physiotherapy.
“It changed my point of view on life, says Mahamud. Pushing herself to complete the race gave her a brief experience of her own potential through hard work and devotion.” I will always be thankful to John for giving me this opportunity and guidance.
1. How did McAvoy feel before the finish arch?| A．He felt totally collapsed. | B．He was peaceful and hopeful. |
| C．He was satisfied with his pace. | D．He felt as if completely reborn. |
| A．He was a builder 10 years ago. | B．He realized the importance of sport. |
| C．He ran to make up for his past wrongs. | D．He had sympathy for the inner-city children. |
| A．A running coach. | B．A travel lover. | C．A homeless teenager. | D．A skilled athlete. |
| A．Live for the moment. | B．Dream big and climb high. |
| C．After the storm comes the rainbow. | D．Run after the light and become the light. |
1. What is the first destination of the tour?
| A．The museum. | B．The City Hall. | C．The park. |
| A．At 9:30 a. m. | B．At11:30 a. m. | C．At 1:30 p. m. |
| A．Safety information. | B．The gathering time. | C．Meal plans. |
1. What does the woman think of herself?
| A．A skilled coach. | B．A reliable teammate. | C．A talented sportswoman. |
| A．To climb the wall. | B．To protect himself. | C．To share with the woman. |
| A．Careful. | B．Generous | C．Brave. |
1. Who is the speaker talking to?
| A．Tourists. | B．Students. | C．Writers. |
| A．Parking lots. | B．Car lots. | C．Car parks. |
| A．It is dry. | B．It is boring. | C．It is obvious. |
| A．The numbers of artists. |
| B．Styles of buildings. |
| C．Standards of living. |
| A．When she drank coffee. |
| B．When she intended to read a book. |
| C．When she was attending a meeting. |
1. Where does the conversation probably take place?
| A．At the man’s home. | B．On a street. | C．In a camera shop. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. |
| A．Cameras are old-fashioned. |
| B．There are fewer photographers. |
| C．People buy things on the Internet. |
| A．Go to a camera shop. |
| B．Take pictures for a wedding. |
| C．Take care of his friend’s kids. |
1. What is the talk mainly about?
| A．Guidance on acting. |
| B．Instructions before filming. |
| C．Requirements for being background actors. |
| A．A film director. |
| B．A costume designer. |
| C．A director’s assistant. |
| A．Sit at tables. |
| B．Ask James questions. |
| C．Pretend to be talking. |
| A．A waiter uniform. | B．A police uniform. | C．A school uniform. |
| A．He has won a lot of money. |
| B．His application has been accepted. |
| C．He has been invited to eat at a restaurant. |
9 . Countless stories have portrayed the deep connection between humans and horses, such as classic literary works Black Beauty and The Chronicles of Narnia. However, the extent to which horses comprehend their human companions remains a mystery. Recent research has shown that horses can distinguish between human expressions of happiness and sadness conveyed through facial movements or vocal tones.
The researchers brought 28 horses into a room one by one, each wearing heart rate monitors as their actions were recorded. The horse faced two screens playing two different videos: one showed a happy person and the other a sad person. A voice was played at the same time, sounding happy or sad.
When the picture and voice didn’t match—for example, if the voice was sad but the picture showed a happy person—the horse seemed puzzled and looked for a longer time, compared to the one that did match, as if it knew something didn’t make sense. “You could imagine that they have a particular box in their mind labeled ‘human sadness’ containing the characteristics of both a sad face and a sad voice, and that when we are sad, they expect what we say to match how we look,” said Doctoral Researcher Océane Liehrmann of the University of Turku, in Finland.
The researchers also saw that horses were more attentive to the screen displaying the happy face. They looked at it more often and for a longer time and their heart rates increased when they heard a happy voice and decreased when they heard a sad voice as well.
It is possible that the horses might have associated happy human expressions with positive memories from their past. Another theory is that seeing a happy person could actually make a horse feel happier—a process known as emotional contagion. “We don’t know whether horses themselves understand what it is to be sad. It is possible that they learn it means something for a human,” said Liehrmann.
1. How did the researchers carry out the experiment?| A．By comparing different horses’ expressions. |
| B．By monitoring horses’ odd behavior in the lab. |
| C．By summarizing the characteristics of the horses. |
| D．By observing horses’ reaction to human emotions. |
| A．Horses had a preference for happy people. | B．Horses were too nervous about the videos. |
| C．Horses recognized people’s identity quickly. | D．Horses looked excited at a voice of sadness. |
| A．Support. | B．Influence. | C．Outbreak. | D．Control. |
| A．Humans Impact Horses Hugely | B．Horses Dislike Sorrowful People |
| C．Humans and Horses Interact Closely | D．Horses Know When You are Happy |
10 . Writing out the same word again and again may bring back bad memories for some, but handwriting can boost connectivity across brain regions, some of which are involved in learning and memory, a new study shows.
In the study, psychologists Audrey and Ruud, both at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, stuck electrodes (电极) on the participants’ heads. They asked the participants to type out or hand write with a digital pen words that appeared on a computer screen. Sensors in a cap recorded electrical brain activity. Then the psychologists looked for when two brain areas are active with the same frequency of electrical waves at the same time. This result can reveal the connectivity among different regions across the brain.
With handwriting, the researchers saw increased activity, specifically in low frequency bands, not only in the expected motor areas but also in others associated with learning. These low frequency bands have previously been shown to support memory processes. When the team compared the two tasks, they realized that handwriting —but not typing —increased the connectivity across parietal (顶叶) brain regions, which are involved in sensory and motor processing, and central regions, many of which are involved in memory.
“Even when the movements are very similar, the activation seems much, much higher in handwriting,” Audrey says. “It shows that there’s more involvement of these brain regions when you’re handwriting, which might give you some specific advantages.”
These findings suggest that there are distinct processes of brain activation happening while a person types or writes. This boost of stimulation of handwriting facilitates learning because these particular waves between these areas are involved in memory formation and encoding (编码) .
And although handwriting may help with learning processes, typing is often easier, faster and more practical. “Students and teachers alike should therefore consider the task at hand to decide to hand write or type,” Audrey says. Despite the need for more studies to determine the best learning strategy, experts say that handwriting shouldn’t be left behind in the digital age. “Schools need to bring in more writing into curriculum design,” Ruud says.
1. What did Audrey and Ruud mainly do in their research?| A．They tested the function of electrodes. | B．They analyzed the brain structure. |
| C．They monitored the brain activities. | D．They recorded the writing speed. |
| A．It involves more specific brain activation. | B．It promotes better muscle memory. |
| C．It allows for more innovative thinking. | D．It encourages better concentration. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Objective. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Taking Notes by Hand is Becoming Uncommon in Class |
| B．Using Keyboard is Recommended Due to Its Convenience |
| C．Widespread Brain Connectivity is Crucial to Human Learning |
| D．Handwriting Boosts Brain Connections More Than Typing Does |
