A cashless society is defined as one that doesn’t use cash in monetary transactions (交易). These societies favor alternative means of payment, such
Of all the companies
There
China also has a vast cashless market,
Most merchants request payment via QR codes and it’s not uncommon
The growing cashless trend has led many people to wonder
2 . Rehan Staton was close to giving up on his dreams. His father, who was his family’s mere provider, struggled to make
His education suffered because of all the
The young boy was
At the company, he finally found people that saw his great
The 24-year-old’s success story now
A.harvest | B.ends | C.share | D.drops |
A.preparing | B.purchasing | C.begging | D.missing |
A.progress | B.changes | C.struggles | D.reforms |
A.worsened | B.developed | C.advanced | D.escaped |
A.taught | B.scheduled | C.encouraged | D.permitted |
A.enthusiastic | B.curious | C.concerned | D.particular |
A.serve | B.tutor | C.measure | D.record |
A.turn down | B.hold back | C.pay off | D.line up |
A.destroyed | B.refreshed | C.followed | D.postponed |
A.distinguished | B.celebrated | C.rejected | D.selected |
A.scholarship | B.job | C.deal | D.rise |
A.ceiling | B.curtain | C.roof | D.balcony |
A.turned out | B.kept away | C.showed off | D.broke out |
A.relief | B.fortune | C.privilege | D.potential. |
A.introduction | B.education | C.organization | D.invention |
A.Consequently | B.Obviously | C.Eventually | D.Hopefully |
A.promises | B.predicts | C.trains | D.inspires |
A.guiding | B.interviewing | C.targeting | D.understanding |
A.load | B.bid | C.range | D.kick |
A.on account of | B.instead of | C.in case of | D.regardless of |
3 . When it comes to protecting your mental health, you can take steps to adjust your daily routine to be a bit kinder to yourself. Here’s some of the advice some experts offered.
Stephanie Roth-Goldberg, a licensed clinical social worker, says this could mean allowing time to relax with your coffee for a few minutes before leaving the house or getting some physical activity before work. See how long you need to accomplish something good for yourself.
Take breaks during the workday
Designate a screen-free time during the day
Goldberg explains that designating a time during the day when you completely disconnect from screens is “a great mental health tool that people don’t make use of.”
Set up a bedtime routine
Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential to our mental and physical health. Katie Leikam, a licensed clinical social worker, recommends setting up a nighttime routine to ensure you get the shut-eye you need.
A.Start the day off on a positive note |
B.Keep it cool for a good night’s sleep |
C.Wash your face, put down your phone |
D.It’s healthy to do this at any time of day |
E.Dance around while you do your housework |
F.Sometimes it’s just three to five minutes of letting your brain do nothing |
G.Get away from your computer screen by stepping outside for some fresh air |
4 . The Savitzs who move to Newton had found themselves welcomed into the neighborhood with truly open arms. Glenda was pregnant before the move and within three months, they gave birth to Samantha. About a week after Glenda and RaphiSavitz welcomed their daughter Samantha to the world, they learned that she was deaf. “We knew right away that we had to get involved in the deaf community, learn about the culture, and start getting fully lost in American Sign Language,” Glenda says. What the new parents didn’t know was that their neighbors in Newton, Mass., would decide they needed to start learning sign language, too.
“We really wanted to communicate with her and play with her,” says McNeil, who lives across the street from the Savitzs. “And since she couldn’t learn our language, we thought we wanted to learn hers.” McNeil and three other neighbors quietly signed up for local adult education classes in American Sign Language. “We met a teacher there that we really loved, and we asked him if he would come here and teach more neighbors,” McNeil explains. “So that’s how it started.” About 20 neighbors immediately signed up for the class. With the help of their instructor, Rhys McGovern, the neighbors are able to help Samantha feel like she belongs.
“We know how to say, ‘Are you riding your bike?’ or ‘You have pretty new pink sneakers.’ There’s a dog across the street that she loves to play with. So we all know the sign for ‘dog.’” McNeil adds, “Her parents translate for us because her fingers are very small right now and she signs very fast, so we’re trying and we’re getting better. ... Her first sign to all of us is ‘friend,’ which feels very good.”
The classes have been such a hit that there are now two offerings, on two different weeknights, bringing the number of neighbors learning the language to about 40. As a result of that neighborly effort, Samantha moves with ease where her family lives. She’ll stop in at neighbors’ homes just to draw pictures and chat.
1. When did Glenda and RaphiSavitz find Samantha deaf?A.Within three months of her pregnancy. |
B.About a week after their learning ASL. |
C.When Samantha was about one week old. |
D.Three months before their move to Newton. |
A.A teacher who instructs Savitz’s neighbors to learn ASL. |
B.A neighbor who helps Savitzinteract with her neighbors. |
C.A neighbor hired an instructor for Savitz’s neighbors. |
D.An organizer who calls on Savitz’s neighbors to help her. |
A.Bike. | B.Sneakers. | C.Dog. | D.Friend. |
A.Good neighbors, a piece of treasure. |
B.Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. |
C.Better to be friendly with a neighbor than to wear a fur jacket. |
D.Communication is one of the most efficient ways to understand. |
If history doesn’t quite repeat
For a few heady years in the 1890s, the bicycle was the must-have — swift, affordable, stylish transportation that could take you anywhere you cared to go, anytime you
Society
By 1898 cycling had become
6 . We all know how colors alter how we feel when looking at pictures, but shapes are just as powerful in affecting us psychologically. They not only provide the framework for the physical world,
Because of its structure, the triangle is often used to represent perseverance and achievement. Its wide base indicates the struggle or the journey,
Squares and, similarly, rectangles are the most common shapes you see in man-made objects.
The square’s positive attributes aren’t just limited to physical entities; it also works well in adding emotional and aesthetic (审美的) layers to images.
A.it can also produce mystery |
B.if you want to make a photo that looks different |
C.while its pointy tip, or the peak, represents the goal |
D.but they influence how we observe the space around us |
E.In graphic arts, this shape symbolizes balance and stability |
F.Its lines and angles make it perfect for framing a scene in a photo |
G.You find them everywhere from picture frames to large buildings |
7 . A recent discovery shows that our dance style is almost always the same, regardless of the type of music, and a computer can identify the dancer with astounding accuracy. Over the last few years, researchers at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Music Research at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland have used motion capture (动作捕捉) technology — the same kind used in Hollywood — to learn that your dance moves say a lot about you, such as how active or anxious you are, what mood you happen to be in, and even how much you empathize (共情) with other people. Recently, however, they discovered something that surprised them. “We actually weren’t looking for this result, as we set out to study something completely different,” explains Dr. Emily Carlson, the first author of the study.
The 73 participants in the study were motion captured dancing to seven different genres: Blues, Country, Dance/Electronica, Jazz, Metal, Pop and Rap. The only instruction they received was to listen to the music and move any way that felt natural. “We think it’s important to study phenomena as they occur in the real world, which is why we employ a naturalistic research example,” says Professor Petri Toiviainen, the senior author of the study.
The researchers analysed participants’ movements using machine learning, trying to distinguish between the musical styles. Unfortunately, their computer was able to identify the correct style less than 30% of the time. They were shocked to discover, however, that the computer could correctly identify which of the 73 individuals was dancing 94% of the time. “It seems as though a person’s dance movements are a kind of finger print,” says Dr. PasiSaari, co-author of the study and data analyst. “Each person has a unique movement signature that stays the same no matter what kind of music is playing.”Does this mean that face-recognition software will soon be joined by dance-recognition software? “We’re less interested in applications like surveillance(监视) than in what these results tell us about human musicality,” Carlson explains. “We have a lot of new questions to ask, like whether our movement signatures stay the same across our lifespan.”
1. What is the original purpose of the study?A.To test the dancers’ flexibility. |
B.To select more excellent dancers. |
C.To check the accuracy of motion capture technology. |
D.To analyze people’s personality with their dance moves. |
A.Move as they like. | B.Determine the style of music. |
C.Imagine they’re employers. | D.Recognize this tune that is playing. |
A.It’s an accidental discovery. | B.It’s an unbelievable example. |
C.It’s a misunderstood fingerprint. | D.It’s a unique method for computers. |
A.Developing a face-recognition software. |
B.Promoting it in the application market. |
C.Learning further about human response to music. |
D.Finding out the relationship between movements and lifespan. |
8 . It’s breathtaking to watch the delicate spring wildflowers come out from their blanket of leaves, bloom, develop and disperse (传播) fruit, all in a matter of a few short days or weeks.
Although they look fragile, these are tough little plants, each focusing its efforts on spreading its species. They have evolved to have a wide range of flower structures and colors, some with fragrances, attracting many different insect species to assist them in pollination (授粉).
There is one strategy (策略) that a surprising number of spring blooming native plants have evolved in common: seed dispersal by ants. As many as thirty percent of the spring flowering plant species in the forests of eastern North America have evolved to take advantage of this situation to benefit themselves. These species have evolved to provide food attached to their seeds to encourage ants to disperse those seeds. This food, called an elaiosome, is a specialized fat body whose chemical composition more closely matches that of the insects that ants prefer than it does that of a seed.
When a fruit opens to disperse its seeds, the elaiosomes are an instant attraction for ants. They take the seed with its attached elaiosome back to their nests for consumption there, but they just eat the elaiosome, their preferred food, and dispose of the seed on their trash pile. This tends to be an environment that is rich in nutrients, and will benefit the growth of the new plant. Just to make sure the ants don’t eat the seeds in addition to the elaiosome, some plant species have hard seed coatings that ants can’t really bite through.
This evolutionary adaptation is somewhat similar to the strategy of plants that have evolved to surround their seeds with fleshy fruits to attract birds to assist them with seed dispersal. Given the fact that there are fewer birds available in early spring to help with seed dispersal, it makes sense that the early blooming plants evolved to partner instead with the ants for this service.
Did you ever wonder how your Spring Beauty managed to pop up in new locations in your lawn or garden? Thank an ant!
1. How many methods do wildflowers have to attract animals according to the text?A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Four. | D.Five. |
A.It’s hard to digest. | B.It’s impossible for ants to resist. |
C.It makes the earth rich in nutrients. | D.It’s often thrown into the trash pile. |
A.Ants are creative and hardworking. |
B.Ants are better at dispersing than birds. |
C.The birds in the early year are not enough. |
D.The birds are not interested in their fleshy fruits. |
A.Thank Ants for Wildflowers |
B.Wildflowers Discover Their Treasures |
C.New Species of Wildflowers are Found |
D.Ants Are Superheroes Protecting Environment |
9 . DerlinNewey, an 89-year-old man from Weber County, Utah, has already reached an impressive age, but his Social Security checks aren’t covering his expenses. He works for a local Papa John’s as a delivery man, and despite being forced to work at his advanced age, he hasn’t let that affect his attitude — something the Valdez family recognized and honored.
Fans of pizza, the Valdezes order Papa John’s quite often. And when they do, they specifically request Newey, who always shows up with his signature greeting: “Hello, are you looking for some pizza?” The Valdezes, who have over 60,000 followers on TikTok, have featured Newey in the past, and their viewers have fallen in love with the elderly gentleman. “Everybody loves him,” Dad Carlos Valdez said.
The family has grown so fond of him that they decided to do something wonderful for the man. After they started a fundraiser for Newey, it wasn’t long before generous donors had given to the tune of $12,000 — a sizable amount by any standard, but especially so for someone in Newey’s shoes. “Collectively as a community, we all came together, and we were able to raise $12,000 for this amazing person,” CarlosValdez explained. “Somebody at that age should not be working that much.”
All that was left was to surprise Newey in his own home, making a special delivery to their special delivery man. “Good morning, dude! How are you doing?” CarlosValdez greeted Newey. The “TikTok famous” delivery man thought he was going to bring him a shirt with his signature saying (which he did), but he got far more than he had expected when CarlosValdez handed him a fat envelope stuffed with cash.
Newey didn’t even know what TikTok was, asking “Is that an online group you communicate with each other through the telephone?” “This couldn’t have gone any better,” CarlosValdez said. “He needed this. I’m just glad we could help him. We just need to treat people with kindness and respect the way he does. He stole our hearts.”
1. Why does Newey still work in his later years?A.At his fans’ request. | B.For his love for the job. |
C.Out of financial necessity. | D.For experiencing a new lifestyle. |
A.Starred. | B.Surprised. | C.Sponsored. | D.Employed. |
A.Ask him for his signature. | B.Bring him a special shirt. |
C.Deliver him a large fortune. | D.Offer him a pizza for free. |
A.They’re ambitious and selfless. | B.They’re determined and creative. |
C.They’re serious and intelligent. | D.They’re friendly and considerate. |
10 . Day tour from Edinburgh
Start our journey in Edinburgh at 8:30am and travel north to South Queensferry Forth Bridges Viewpoint to get a great view of one of Scotland’s greatest man-made landmarks, the Forth Rail Bridge.
You then travel the short distance to Blackness Castle. It’s an impressive castle that’s known as the ‘ship that never sailed’ because it resembles a giant stone boat. Stand in awe of the formidable fortress — this was not only a noble residence but also a stronghold built for war. Climb the towers and curtain wall for sweeping views of the Firth of Forth and its rail and road bridges. Your next stop is Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s greatest stone castles. The castle peaked in importance in the 1500s, but its volcanic crag has been fortified since ancient times. You then travel the short distance to the National Wallace Monument. It is one of Scotland’s most celebrated landmarks. The stunning 67 metre tower is instantly recognisable, and attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year. The NationalWallace Monument is a tower standing on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero.Your final stop of the day is Linlithgow Palace. Here you have time to walk by the loch for about an hour. Explore the magnificent ruins of the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. Linlithgow Palace was built and added to over two centuries by the Stewart kings, resulting in a superb Renaissance residence.
From here, it’s a short drive back to Edinburgh at about 6:30 pm.
Kids friendly (0+ age)
You have more free time for sightseeing compared to similar bus tours.
Small group tour with a maximum of 4 passengers.
Enjoy privileged, personalized attention from your driver/guide on this small group tour.
1. Which is the third stop of the travel?A.The Forth Rail Bridge. | B.Blackness Castle. |
C.Stirling Castle. | D.Linlithgow Palace. |
A.4 hours. | B.7 hours. | C.10 hours. | D.12 hours. |
A.Art & music. | B.Architecture. |
C.Galleries & museums. | D.Bike & mountain bike. |