1 . Science begins with mystery. Arguably, the two greatest mysteries are the universe and awareness-the vast world out there and the powerful world within. Scientists attracted by one can be called to study the other, led by the thought that these mysteries are connected. Science writer George Musser’s book Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation (方程) reviews their progress: Can physics unlock the mystery of awareness? Does awareness form the basis of fundamental physics?

The result is an ambitious but ultimately disappointing tour, filled with breathless encounters with well-known scientists. Representative of the cast is MIT’s Max Tegmark, who tells Musser, “If you look at the problems that were still difficult to answer in fundamental physics, pretty much all of them trace back to awareness.”

The book shows how physicists are contributing to understanding the mind, continuing a long history of physicists exploring other fields. Musser integrates physics with neuroscience, economies, mathematics and more. Yet a key source of local knowledge is obviously absent — psychology. An early example: Musser rightly applauds physicists’ contributions to artificial neural networks but is overly trustful of their implications, declaring that “ChatGPT” is already starting to demonstrate a generalized intelligence like that of humans. Interviewing more psychologists could have exposed the considerable gap remaining.

What about awareness itself? Why are some states associated with felt experience, such as the pain of a headache and the sight of a sunset, but others not? Musser’s focus is integrated information theory(IIT). IIT begins with five self-evident principles of awareness: awareness exists, and it is structured, specific, unified, and definite. It then concludes assumptions concerning the causal structure of awareness systems, identifying awareness with integrated information. Finally, IIT offers a mathematical measure of this quantity: an equation for awareness.

However, despite its enthusiasts, IIT has significant problems. Its working basis is unfounded, and serious doubts surround its testability and definability. Of course, a theory of awareness must detail when, why, and to what degree we are aware of ourselves. Here, psychology’s absence is most obvious. Over the last century, psychological research has revealed countless phenomena of awareness, from models that alter awareness to methods that stimulate unawareness; from extraordinary disorders of awareness to careful studies of metacognition (元认知).

Although questionable, such phenomena are the data that any scientific theory of awareness must account for. Yet these phenomena and ideas are almost nowhere in the book. Of course, psychology has not solved awareness, but one cannot hope to explain awareness without confronting these data.

Awareness is genuinely mysterious. So is fundamental physics. But hoping that physics can solve awareness while excluding other approaches is only a recipe for more mystery, not less.

1. What can we learn from Musser’s book?

A．IIT is acknowledged for its testability and definability.

B．Musser underestimates the impact of artificial intelligence.

C．Using psychology is a trend for physicists exploring other fields.

D．Musser highlights physicists’ efforts to uncover the secret of awareness.

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The link between physics and awareness has been established.

B．There is no doubt about the principles of an equation for awareness.

C．A multidisciplinary approach is essential to understanding awareness.

D．Study of awareness needs to ignore related psychological phenomena.

3. Regarding Musser’s view in his book, the author is          .

A．neutral

B．disapproving

C．supportive

D．uncertain

2 . A nurse named Aly Hogarth has reunited with a mother and daughter at the same hospital ship 30 years after saving their lives.

In 1993, Ms Hogarth was touring a hospital ship in Sierra Leone when she knew that a patient Catherine Conteh needed a Caesarean section (剖腹产手术), but she couldn’t _____ it. Ms Hogarth contacted her colleagues and they paid for the 170 surgery, so that Catherine’s daughter, Regina, could be _____. Later, Ms Hogarth volunteered to take care of her in the hospital, _____ her wound and teaching her how to feed the baby. In this way Ms Hogarth formed a _____ with the mother and the baby, but they lost _____ when she returned home to New Zealand.

Ms Hogarth, now 52, volunteered for charity Mercy Ships. Surprisingly, she _____ Catherine and Regina at the same hospital ship. They both became nurses, inspired by Ms Hogarth, and Regina now has a child of her own.

Ms Hogarth said, “To see Catherine in person again, it’s very unreal really. It’s not something I _____ expected until we made contact again. For me, I felt _____ at the moment when we met and didn’t know how to react.” “We just cried and cried,” Catherine said. “Regina and I would have died without Ms Hogarth’s pure love.”

“It’s really _____ to see Catherine again,” Ms Hogarth shared. “I thought about her every time I told that story for the last 30 years. I know it was a significant time — realizing that you can make a real ______ by doing something.”

1.

A．cancel

B．bear

C．afford

D．accept

2.

A．examined

B．delivered

C．adopted

D．attended

3.

A．receiving

B．removing

C．dressing

D．discovering

4.

A．habit

B．tradition

C．plan

D．bond

5.

A．touch

B．control

C．hope

D．direction

6.

A．called on

B．came across

C．looked after

D．kept off

7.

A．ever

B．still

C．even

D．just

8.

A．inspired

B．disappointed

C．concerned

D．excited

9.

A．impossible

B．amazing

C．challenging

D．simple

10.

A．effort

B．commitment

C．decision

D．difference

3 . Studies about sleep and employee behavior typically focus on various activities that occur within the body during sleep, and their impact on daytime cognition. New research adopts a different method.     1    

The researchers conducted three studies involving thousands of dreams recalled by employees. The first study asked participants upon awakening to rate the degree of awe (敬畏) and wonder brought by their dreams and to write down their biggest work problem.     2     Another one they answered was whether they envisioned anything good arising from the difficult work situation—a measure of resilience, which meant the ability to become strong and happy again after toughness. Those who found positive meaning in dreams reported higher levels of awe.     3    

In the second study, participants who recalled a dream likewise reported its positive or negative meaning, and then wrote descriptions of the dream and what they took to be its causes and meaning. After work they answered questions about their resilience and progress on the day’s tasks.     4     The third study tracked similar measures among employees who participated daily for two weeks, and it looked at how naturally curious each person was. It found similar results about awe and showed that it raised resilience and productivity far more in the naturally curious.

    5     Awe can help people deal more effectively with challenges and progress toward goals. “Our research reveals how awe can be brought about at a time that has a critical impact on daily work outcomes,” the researchers write. “Employees could use dream journals and simple practices to ‘guide’ their nighttime visions, thus increasing their odds of having meaningful, awe-inspiring dreams.”

A．A positive dream brings a sense of sudden insight, giving rise to awe.

B．The increased awe was also proved to be associated with greater resilience.

C．In fact, dreaming may help improve problem-solving skills in daily routine.

D．Here, too, good dreams boosted awe and resilience, fueling progress on work goals.

E．Researchers acknowledge that dreams may involve content related to waking experiences.

F．It finds that remembering a good dream can help people make progress in the day’s tasks.

G．They then answered the question about whether they thought the dream was positive or negative.

4 .

It is perhaps easy to accept the statement that the universe is expanding. It is just some strange physics indicating that, as time goes on, galaxies (星系) get further away from each other just like two cars racing away from each other.

I personally don’t like it and prefer the balloon analogy. In this situation, there are dots all over a balloon. When we blow it up in real life, the dots would increase in size. In this analogy, let’s assume they don’t. What we are interested in is how the distance between the dots on the surface of the balloon grows as we put more air into it.

The balloon analogy relies somewhat on our geometric sensibilities which refer to our sense of shapes and how they change over time. At its core, what we are trying to develop a sense for is how we measure distances. This concept is also the fundamental goal of general relativity, Einstein’s theory of gravity. In general relativity, the most important piece of information is what we call the metric, an equation that describes how distances are measured, and therefore also tells us about the shape space-time is taking.

The whole idea that space-time is expanding was first noticed as a mathematical consequence of general relativity by Georges Lemaitre in 1927, when he solved Einstein’s equation and found a solution for the metric showing that distances grow with time. His work provided a theoretical explanation：the standard for measuring cosmic (宇宙的) distance was itself changing with time.

What is delightful is that it means we can quite reasonably say that universe’s expansion is a gravitational effect. I enjoy this because it is so deeply counterintuitive to our usual understanding of gravity, which teaches us that it is a force that always draws things together. But in this case where gravity is a geometric effect, we are offered a broader range of gravitational possibilities.

It is worth noting that the geometric explanation of general relativity hasn’t been universally popular. The late physicist Steven Weinberg wrote that the geometric explanation of the theory of gravitation has been reduced to a mere analogy, but is otherwise not very useful. Another challenge with the balloon analogy and our reliance on geometric explanation is to explain why gravity seems to pull things together in many situations, while universe is expanding. This difference is resolved by acknowledging that local gravitational effects due to massive objects dominate over large-scale expansion effects, leading to the formation of structures like stars, galaxies and, eventually us.

In fact, the analogy where universe is only expanding and this is the only gravitational effect at play is a very idealized situation where matter was initially spread out perfectly evenly across the universe.

1. The author presents the balloon analogy in Paragraph 2 mainly to          .

A．introduce a topic	B．draw a comparison
C．confirm a theory	D．evaluate a statement

2. What does the underlined word “counterintuitive” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Unchallenging.

B．Contradictory.

C．Satisfying.

D．Relevant.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Universe’s expansion results in the creation of structures like galaxies.

B．Lemaitre’s work suggests the standard for cosmic distance is consistent.

C．A uniform distribution of matter can overcome the universe’s expansion.

D．The metric is key to sensing the shape of space-time in general relativity.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Studying Galaxies— Has the Balloon Analogy Been Outdated?

B．Rethinking Gravity-Is it a Way to Make Sense of the Balloon Analogy?

C．Arguing against the Car Analogy— Does the Balloon Analogy Win Over?

D．Understanding Universe Expansion— Is the Balloon Analogy Acceptable?

5 . When I was nine, my best friend nearly choked to death on a gobstopper, a type of hard candy. After several attempts, she coughed up the candy. I haven’t had a gobstopper since and I have carried with me a fear of seeing that scene again. Sadly, as I discovered this week, lightning can strike twice.

I was getting off a tube train in London when I noticed a woman coughing. I slowed down, watching her carefully. I had learned that coughing is rarely a sign that something is terribly wrong. Suddenly, the woman stopped coughing, her eyes widened and she bent over.

When I went over to ask if she was OK, she looked up at me, panicked, and pointed to her back. I started hitting her back and screaming for help. Despite having watched a few videos, I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to correctly perform the Heimlich, a first-aid method, and that I would have to walk away with guilt for her death. But it was just the two of us, alone at an underground station; if I didn’t try to help, no one would. Thankfully, much like with my friend, after a few sharp hits, whatever had been stuck in her throat came loose. She thanked me, almost embarrassed, and walked up to the lift. I followed behind her, shaking, with tears in my eyes.

By the time we reached the lift, we had both calmed down. She took my hands and thanked me again, before disappearing. She might have been fine without my hurried hits on her back—I may not have actually saved her life—but at least she knew that someone, a stranger whom she would never see again, cared.

This experience also taught me about the bystander effect, where people assume others assumed to be available during an emergency, direct help from others is far less likely to will help, leading to inaction. I get it: the fear of making things worse, especially if you have no medical training, is real. Research suggests that when a “medically competent” person is assumed to be available during an emergency, direct help from others is far less likely to occur. Sometimes, though, regardless of who else could be nearby, it may be useful to get involved. So it was with the coughing woman on the tube.

1. How did the friend’s choking incident affect the author?

A．She lived with a sense of guilt.

B．She realized the importance of first aid.

C．She developed a fear of witnessing similar events.

D．She deepened her understanding of the bystander effect.

2. What did the author do to help the woman on the tube?

A．She relieved the woman’s coughing.

B．She walked the woman up to the lift.

C．She found a “medically competent” person for her.

D．She performed first aid by hitting the woman’s back.

3. Which situation can be described as the bystander effect?

A．You volunteered to help an old man carrying a heavy bag.

B．You asked your brother who is a doctor to save a dying woman.

C．You avoided involvement when seeing an injured lady on the road.

D．You walked away after the rescue men asked you to leave the scene.

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．A good tun deserves another.	B．Every cloud has a silver lining.
C．A friend in need is a friend indeed.	D．Action speaks louder than inaction.

6 . Do you want to boost your ATAR, a rank which indicates the overall achievements of all Year 12 students in Australia, and get a preview of university life? When you join the Deakin Accelerate Program, you’ll get a head start by completing two first-year university units while you’re still a high school student.

How Deakin Accelerate Program works

You’ll study two first-year university units through the program. If you choose to study and experience university life on campus, you’ll attend classes and conferences during the day. Or if studying online is more accessible for you, complete the program online in your free time at school or after hours when it suits you.

No matter how you choose to study, you’ll benefit from our online learning platform, which allows you to access classes, workshops, resources and more. Whether you’ re using your desktop, tablet or mobile, you’ll have access to course content all year round and get answers in real time.

After successfully completing your Accelerate units, you’ll gain credits which you’ can put towards a related Deakin university course. Plus, there is no charge for that.

Apply to the Deakin Accelerate Program if you’re:

·a high achiever with above-average Year 11 results;

·looking for an extra challenge in high school;

·a self-starter who can work independently;

·keen to make a head start on your university degree.

To be qualified for the program, you must:

·be completing Year 12 in 2024;

·meet the high school subject requirement;

·attain a minimum average grade of 65% across your subjects.

For more information about the Deakin Accelerate Program, you can read our FAQs or get in touch using our online inquiry form.

Submit an inquiry

1. What benefit do participants gain from the Deakin Accelerate Program?

A．Receiving a preview of their ATAR.	B．Experiencing different learning styles.
C．Completing two years’ university units.	D．Earning credits towards university courses.

2. What is available for participants on the online learning platform?

A．Real-time response.	B．Guidance on using devices.
C．High school course content.	D．An online learning schedule.

3. Which is a requirement for the applicants?

A．Submitting an inquiry form.

B．Graduating from university in 2024.

C．Having started to study for a university degree.

D．Achieving an average score of at least 65% in all subjects.

7 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

It can be hard not to let negativity go into your day, especially during     1    (stress) periods of life. A bit of optimism makes you become better and emotionally     2    (healthy) in the long term. An optimistic person is always looking for the best in any situation and expecting that good things     3    (happen). But being optimistic doesn’t mean you go into denial and pretend everything is fine when it’s not. It is a particular state of mind     4     you hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

8 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

The horse-face skirt, or mamianqun in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese skirt that dates back to the Song Dynasty. Traditionally it has two panels     1     (attach) to a single waistband, which overlap in front of the body to form a “skirt door”, like the horse-face defenses on ancient city walls. It primarily     2     (represent) a Chinese philosophical concept that harmonizes strength and gentleness. The skirt has gone beyond time and space to become a fashion item today. It     3     (prefer) by fans of traditional clothing, who have continued to develop it.

9 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

An elderly couple has become stars in the marathon community.     1     (win) at least 200 medals from sports meetings in the past ten years, they are regarded as role models by many people. Initially, the couple started running just     2     (improve) their health. Later, they decided to challenge themselves and signed up for a marathon. Though neither of them had run a full marathon before, they managed to complete it. They believe no matter     3     age it is, the marathon spirit of fighting to the end is essential.

10 . It was hard not to notice an 8-year-old kid storming in and out of his own house. “He doesn’t have a father,” said his neighbor, William Dunn. “I can probably do something for him.”

That something was fishing, a ________ Dunn’s father had shared with him. “It brought me peace and taught me how to be patient,” he said. He then took the kid fishing every weekend. Gradually he took groups of kids out to fish. Most didn’t have father figures. “They’d been through a lot, and their lives were ________,” said Dunn. “But when they were fishing, all of that disappeared. On the boat, they’d be laughing and making new friends. They just ________ the moment.”

________ by this scene, Dunn started the nonprofit Take a Kid Fishing. He and the volunteers have introduced 2,500 kids — most without fathers ________ — to the calming peace found on the water and the excitement of catching a fish.

Just as important as the fishing are the ________ Dunn forms with those kids. When they have a rough time, Dunn will talk with them, emphasizing self-respect and mental ________. One of the kids, Bella Smith, said she would forget about the past while fishing and concentrate on something positive. “Fishing is learning,” she said. “I’ve learned I ________ a better life than what I had. Whenever I feel down, I know it’s time to go fishing.”

Dunn’s father passed away this year, so fishing has ________ new meaning for him. “I have a stronger liking for it because now I’m fatherless too. There’s nothing like feeling that first pull on the line and seeing a kid light up with a smile,” said Dunn. “I feel ________ to witness that every weekend.”

1.

A．case

B．passion

C．duty

D．goal

2.

A．difficult

B．dramatic

C．adventurous

D．boring

3.

A．remembered

B．regretted

C．recorded

D．appreciated

4.

A．Entertained

B．Shocked

C．Inspired

D．Confused

5.

A．nearby

B．around

C．ahead

D．throughout

6.

A．identities

B．agreements

C．relationships

D．opinions

7.

A．toughness

B．dependence

C．sharpness

D．defense

8.

A．require

B．deserve

C．lead

D．secure

9.

A．left behind

B．turned into

C．carried out

D．taken on

10.

A．curious

B．nervous

C．lucky

D．hesitant