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. |
2 . 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 |
3 . 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 |
4 . Concrete has served as the foundation stone of the construction industry for hundreds of years. However, the process of producing concrete is one of the most environmentally unfriendly processes in the world. In the process, not only is carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) released into the air by the energy used to heat the limestone, but the limestone itself also gives out a huge amount of the element.
Luckily, a number of start-ups throughout the world are using creative thinking to make the construction industry a whole lot more friendly for the planet.
A Canadian company called CarbonCure, has found a way to inject (注入) concrete with carbon dioxide itself. Not only does this trap the carbon dioxide into the concrete, keeping it from running away into the atmosphere, but it also creates a super strong material called calcium carbonate, which reduces the total amount of concrete that needs to be used.
California-based Brimstone, is creating carbon-negative concrete by doing away with limestone entirely and instead using silicate rock, a material that does not release carbon dioxide when heated. Instead, the process produces magnesium (镁) , which absorbs carbon dioxide, as the basis for their concrete.
Additionally, researchers at Australia’s RMIT University have recently released a study showing that adding coffee grounds instead of sand to concrete could make it much stronger, reducing both the amount of sand used, as well as the amount of concrete that would need to be used in the final product.
The biggest barrier at this point is convincing members of the industry that the new types of concrete are safe to be used, according to Stacy Smedley, director at a nonprofit focused on decarbonizing construction.
Hopefully these new solutions to the environmental problems of concrete will soon be widely adopted. Given the significant part the construction industry has in releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, great improvements can be made when more environmentally-friendly materials are used.
1. What is the environmental issue associated with traditional concrete production?| A．The high demand for energy. | B．The processing of waste materials. |
| C．The mass release of carbon dioxide. | D．The use of non-renewable resources. |
| A．By using silicate rock as the basis. | B．By putting carbon dioxide into concrete. |
| C．By replacing sand with coffee grounds. | D．By absorbing carbon dioxide with magnesium. |
| A．Difficulty in making profits. | B．Convincing the public of the convenience. |
| C．Lack of funding for research. | D．Removing the industry members’ safety concerns. |
| A．To promote an alternative to concrete. | B．To advocate environmental protection. |
| C．To introduce new ways to produce concrete. | D．To emphasize the significance of creativity. |
Wushu, the Chinese martial art form known as kungfu in the West, is a
Wushu, often
Wushu reflects the character of Chinese people and they apply their unique understanding of theory and principle to combat. It differs from European and American boxing. Wushu is a particular balance between external and inbuilt values,
Wushu, which aims to improve health and self-defense,
Having survived the difficult situations of life while
6 . Food waste is a growing problem throughout the world; on the one hand, we’ve got so many people starving, but on the other hand, in places like Western Europe or the US, people are wasting almost 50% of what they eat. It seems reasonable to find ways to send the excess food to the places where it’s most needed, but that doesn’t happen nearly as much as it should. With that in mind, people in Galdakao, Spain, took action.
They launched what they call the Community Fridge—a regular white fridge placed in the middle of the town where anyone can drop food or leftovers and anyone can come in and take it. This fridge has already saved 300 kg of food in just two months. The service is not a charity — anyone can come and just take whatever food they want.
Of course, there are a few regulations though—you can’t donate raw fish, meat or eggs, for health reasons. Also, all the food has to be within its expiration date and anything homemade should have a label with the ingredients. These are reasonable rules, and so far, the program seems to be enjoying success. Other Spanish cities have expressed interest in adopting their own Community Fridge.
This is not the first time this kind of idea has been put forward. A man in the Saudi city of Hail has also put a fridge outside his house and called on neighbors to fill it with food for the needy.
The idea doesn’t work in the US, and it seems like some people would rather throw food away than risk sharing it with others, but I certainly think this idea is worth spreading. Sure, you need someone to check the contents of the fridge and take out the food that goes bad, but for 150 kg of food per month, with one fridge, I think that’s worth it.
1. The first paragraph is meant to __________.| A．give the conclusion |
| B．introduce the topic |
| C．satisfy readers’ curiosity |
| D．describe a social fact |
| A．It is the first time such an idea has been put forward. |
| B．It is intended for the homeless. |
| C．It has some food security problems. |
| D．It has enjoyed success since it started. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．The Starving and Food Waste |
| B．Community Fridge to Deal with Food Waste |
| C．Community Fridge and Food Security |
| D．Community Fridge to Be Adopted in the US |
I was eight years old and wasn’t aware of all the arrangements being made for our journey as a family to London in 1950. My mother was in great pain and wished to visit specialists in London. My father reluctantly had to sell our property in Queensland. The day before we boarded the ship, Father unwillingly said goodbye to his five-year-old cattle dog, Spider, who was loved by us all. Father’s friend Sandy was to be his guardian while we were overseas, as he had been getting to know Spider for many weeks.
Six weeks later, an airletter arrived from Sandy, giving my father the news that Spider had run away just two weeks after we had sailed. Sandy had advertised constantly on ABC and other regional newspapers. Despite many “sightings”, the dog was never found. It seems Spider just kept running and searching for us. As he was cattle dog, my father thought he would shoe or dingo-trapped, because of his appearance. But our family thought that Father held a secrets hope that Spider was still alive.
We sailed back to Australia two years later and re-established our home. My father immediately began his own search for Spider. One cold winter’s Saturday morning eight months after our return, my father had a call from an elderly lady living on her own on the outskirts of the town. As she told my father on the telephone, it was “just glimpses of a dingo-type dog in the shadows” of her disused tennis court. That was enough for my father to interrupt my homework.
We set off in his blue and black Jensen car which he had brought back from England. It was hardly the right vehicle for the rough roads we travelled that day. Five and a half hours later, we found the run-down old property. Sadly, she told my father that the “dingo dog” hadn’t been around for a few days. My father had a strange look in his eye. He put two fingers to his lips and did his special whistle for Spider.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Suddenly there was a sound in the bush.
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Once home we had the task of getting all the prickles (刺) off him.
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8 . People have come to understand the enormous impacts-beneficial as well as harmful- plastics have on human lives and the environment. As polymer (聚合物) scientists committed to inventing sustainable solutions for real-world problems, we set out to tackle the issue of plastic waste by rethinking the way polymers are designed so we could make plastics with recyclability built right in.
Everyday items including milk jug, grocery bags, and takeout containers are made from a class of polymers called polyolefins. These plastics are really durable (耐用的) because the chemical bonds in those polymers are extremely stable. In a world set up for disposable (一次性的) items, durability is no longer a design feature but rather a design drawback. Imagine if half the plastics used today were recyclable through twice as many processes as they are now. Also conventional recycling requires careful sorting of all the collected materials, which can be challenging with so many different plastics. For example, separating paper from metal doesn’t require complex technology, but sorting a container from a milk jug of a different polyolefin is difficult to do without the occasional mistake.
In a study published in Science in October 2023, we described a series of polymers with only two building blocks-one soft polymer and one hard polymer-that behave like polyolefins but could be chemically recycled. Connecting two different polymers multiple times until they form a single, long molecule (分子) creates what’s called a multiblock polymer. By changing how much of each polymer type goes into the multiblock polymer, our team produced a wide range of materials with properties that covered all polyolefin types.
Using the same strategy but by adding hydrogen, we could disconnect the polymers back into their building blocks and easily separate them to use again. When we made new polymers out of these recycled plastics, they performed just as well as the original materials even after several rounds of chemical recycling. So we were able to create materials with similar properties of the plastics the world relies on. We believe this work is a step toward more sustainable plastics.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about concerning plastics?| A．Their multiple uses. | B．Their chemical properties. |
| C．Their recycling challenges. | D．Their classification criteria. |
| A．mixing building blocks with long molecules |
| B．integrating chemicals into the two polymers |
| C．combining two different multiblock polymers |
| D．adjusting the percentage of the two polymers |
| A．They are made from sustainable materials. |
| B．They can be recycled by adding hydrogen. |
| C．Their reliability outperforms traditional plastics. |
| D．Their properties change with rounds of recycling. |
| A．Designing for Recycling | B．Classifying Plastic Waste |
| C．Replace Plastics with Polymers | D．Technology Creates the Future |
Wing Chun is a southern Chinese kung fu style descends from Shaolin Kung Fu. It has the distinction of having been founded by two women, Ng Mui and Yim Wing-chun.
The Wing Chun style is known for placing
Legend has it that Wing Chun founder Ng Mui was living at Shaolin Temple
Ip Man, featured in the eponymous (同名的) hit films,
10 . Hiring processes can be thought of as a battle between integrity and dishonesty. You might imagine this is a simple fight between truth-seeking firms and self-promoting candidates, and to a certain extent it is. But companies themselves are prone (有倾向的) to bend reality out of shape in ways that are self-defeating.
Start with the obvious wrongdoers: job applicants. When it comes to writing the resume (简历), they tend to massage (美化) reality into the most appealing shape possible. Everyone beyond a certain level of experience is a transformational leader personally responsible for generating millions income; the world economy would be about 15 times bigger than it actually is if all such claims were true. The average British spends four and a half hours a day watching TV and online videos. But each average job candidate is an enthusiast for public welfare, using their spare time only for worthy purposes, like volunteering in soup kitchens.
But the tendency to stretch the truth infects companies as well as applicants. The typical firm will write a job description that invariably describes the work environment as fast-paced and innovative, and then lays out a set of improbable requirements for the “ideal candidate”, someone who almost by definition does not exist. Sometimes, the requirements include an ability to go back and change the course of history.
Too few firms offer an accurate account of what a position actually involves in their job previews, which are supposed to give prospective employees a genuine sense of the negatives and positives of the job, as well as a clear idea of the company’s corporate culture. One effective strategy is to lay out in text or video, what a typical day in the role would look like.
Such honesty can be its own reward. Research has long suggested that realistic job previews lead to lower turnover and higher employee satisfaction. A paper in 2011 by David Eamest of Towson University and his co-authors concluded that favourable perceptions of the organisation’s honesty are the best explanation for why. So a process designed to uncover the truth about job applicants would run a lot more smoothly if firms were also honest about themselves.
1. Why are “leader” and “enthusiast” mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To present a rule. | B．To clarify a fact. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To explain a phenomenon. |
| A．Overstate. | B．Overturn. | C．Overlook. | D．Overestimate. |
| A．They show a position as it is. | B．They are made either in text or video. |
| C．They are favorable for bigger firms. | D．They mainly contain negatives of a job. |
| A．Pains and gains of employees. | B．How to get the lying out of hiring. |
| C．How to be more appealing in hiring. | D．A wrestle between applicants and companies. |
