1 . Adaptation and innovation (创新) of traditional opera has been an important trend in Chinese opera circle in recent years. In order to attract young audience of new generation and catch up with the time, traditional opera circle makes efforts to create new works. In recent years, traditional opera has come across the change of time and society. It gradually lost the main elderly audience and was not attractive for the young.
In order to find new opportunities, using modern sound, light and digital stage effects, China’s traditional Peking Opera, also known as jingju, is appealing to young people in a fashionable and innovative way, as the classic art faces an aging audience.
The centuries-old Tianleyuan Theater in Beijing has introduced fashionable performances of Peking Opera. The opera combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime (哑剧表演), dance and acrobatics (杂技).
Tianleyuan has a jingju art experience section and fashionable performances. It has attracted more than 2,000 audience members, mostly young people, according to theater staff.
“Good art should keep pace with the times, so does jingju,” said Zhang Zishang, a22-year-old performer of The Drunken Beauty, one of the classic jing ju plays performed in the theater. “I feel today’s performance is very special,” Zhang added. She was born into a family of jingju performers and has had 10 years of stage experience. “Innovation is good, but we must also carry on the basic elements of jingju,” another young performer Deng said.
According to Deng, innovation is perhaps the best way for jingju to deal with the problem of an aging audience. The theatre has made successful attempts to combine jingju with local opera forms such as ballet when organizing performances abroad. “Innovation can help traditional arts go further. We are happy to see many young faces, and some of them even come twice to experience the ‘new’ art,” she added.
1. Why is adaptation and innovation of traditional opera important currently?| A．To run after fashion. | B．To attract the young generation. |
| C．To improve digital stage effect. | D．To change the traditional opera circle. |
| A．It was founded about 100 years ago. | B．It will introduce fashionable performances. |
| C．It has a jingju art creating section. | D．It has attracted many young audience. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unclear. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．The Traditional Opera Is Dying Out |
| B．The Future of the Traditional Opera Is Promising |
| C．The Performers of the Traditional Opera Are Supporting Jingju |
| D．Traditional Opera Circle Is Innovating to Attract Young Audience |
2 . The Academy Awards are fast approaching and we’ve got you covered. Before you head off to an Oscars party, check below for details and coverage of four films nominated (提名).
Past LivesCeline Song’s film about a woman, played by Greta Lee, who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and tries to understand both the path she took and the many paths she didn’t.
Nominations: Best picture, original screenplay
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Amazon
Review: Past Lives is the most affecting love story in ages.
Poor ThingsDirector Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark comedy about a young woman in Victorian London, who is found and experimented upon by a twisted scientist.
Nominations: Best picture, costume design, film editing, makeup and hairstyling
Where: In theaters
Review: Poor Things built its weird, unforgettable world from scratch.
The Color PurpleBlitz Bazawule’s adaptation of the Broadway musical is based on the Alice Walker novel. It tells the story of Celie, who survives the abuse by the men in her life and longs to be reunited with the sister who was taken from her.
Nominations: Supporting actress
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Google Play
Review: The new Color Purple exudes (散发) joy, but dances past some deeper complexities.
Anatomy of a FallDirected by Justine Triet, this French drama follows a wife who becomes the chief suspect (嫌疑人) when her husband is found dead, and rifts (关系不和) in their marriage are exposed.
Nominations: Best picture, director, actress, original screenplay
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on YouTube
Review: If you love courtroom dramas, this is not to be missed.
1. Which film gets the most nominations?| A．Past Lives. | B．Poor Things. | C．The Color Purple. | D．Anatomy of a Fall. |
| A．They are tragedies. | B．They are nominated for best picture. |
| C．They are all lady-related. | D．They can be viewed both in theaters and on media. |
| A．Critics who will comment on the films. | B．Movie-goers who are hunting for films. |
| C．Celebrities who will attend the Oscars. | D．Audience who have watched the films. |
3 . Steager is an engineer at the University of Pennsylvania. His colleague Hyun Koo is an inventor and dental researcher there. Together, they found a way to form the nanoparticles (纳米颗粒) into long, skinny bristles (鬃毛), a lot like the ones on a toothbrush. But these bristles shape-shift to fit whatever surface they encounter. They can even squeeze between teeth.
“A new way to clean teeth could help out anyone who finds this chore boring,” says Koo. But it would be especially life-changing for people with disabilities or illnesses that make it difficult or impossible to hold and move a toothbrush.
The tooth-cleaning robot works thanks to two magnets (磁铁). One goes on each side of the teeth. The nanoparticles sit in a water-based solution between the magnets. When the magnets are turned off, the nanoparticles float randomly in the solution. As soon as one magnet gets turned on, the nanoparticles clump together near its center. When you turn on the other magnet and turn off the first one, the nanoparticles extend outward in long, skinny bristles.
When there’s a tooth in the way, these bristles can’t stretch out as far as they want. So they push against the tooth’s surface. If there’s a gap between teeth, they push into the gap. Moving the magnets makes the bristles move against and between teeth.
Besides, as a bonus, the nanoparticles can kill what harms the teeth and keep them health y because it contains something commonly added to toothpaste and mouthwash.
The new invention is just a proof of concept. The researchers still need to turn it into a product that people will want to use. It must fit comfortably and safely in people’s mouths. It can’t draw too much power or cost too much. “There’s a lot of engineering to get from here to there,” says Steager. But he adds, “every good idea needs to have a start.”
1. What is a feature of the bristles?| A．They can be solved into water. | B．They can change shapes. |
| C．They only work in liquid. | D．They feel much softer. |
| A．Its shape. | B．Its function. | C．Its structure. | D．Its working principle. |
| A．Subscribe. | B．Drag. | C．Gather. | D．Remove. |
| A．The invention still needs them to put more efforts. | B．The first step is always the hardest. |
| C．Engineering can be applied to every field. | D．A good beginning is half done. |
4 . Urban Transportation in Canada
Public transportation & Transit passes
All cities and most major towns in Canada have a public transportation system with one or more modes of transportation(bus, subway, train, etc.). The bus is the most common form of urban transportation in Canada. To use public transportation, you must purchase a ticket or a transit pass. Transit passes allow you unlimited use of public transportation for a specific period(one month or more). They are usually cheaper than buying many tickets if you plan to use public transportation often.
Transportation for people with disabilities
Public transportation often has features to assist people with disabilities. In many cities and towns, there are also transportation services available specifically for people with limited mobility, such as specially equipped buses. You can find out about these services in the same way you would learn more about other public transportation options.
Etiquette(礼节)on public transportation
When taking public transportation such as a bus or train, it is important to understand the unspoken rules of conduct in the shared space. Here are a few things to note:
Be polite and respectful to others around you. For example, maintain an appropriate noise level when talking or making a phone call.
If you are carrying a back pack or a large shoulder bag in a crowded public transit vehicle, keep it close to you, preferably at your feet to avoid hitting people with it as you walk by.
Avoid pushing or touching others in order to make more room for yourself. Sometimes public transit can become very crowded, but it is important to keep calm and give others appropriate personal space.
Have your proof (证明)of payment accessible in case you are asked to show it.
1. What is the advantage of using transit passes over buying tickets?| A．Safer trips. | B．Lower costs. |
| C．Longer service time. | D．More use of transport. |
| A．By offering fewer transportation options. | B．By limiting their mobility on city buses. |
| C．By running special transport services. | D．By providing free rides in towns and cities. |
| A．Staying close to other passengers. | B．Placing backpacks at your feet. |
| C．Having your proof of payment at hand. | D．Lowering your speaking voice. |
5 . The Mediterranean (地中海的) diet is the No. 1 Best Diet Overall. It’s also a top-rated diet for those looking for a heart-healthy and weight-friendly diet.
Don’t confuse Americanized Mediterranean menus -which often feature too much refined pasta, beef and cheese-with healthy eating. The food and eating habits of the Mediterranean region are undoubtedly both delicious and healthful. However, the “Americanized” version of Mediterranean food, deep-fried cheese and falafel, heavy pasta dishes and a lot of beef and pork is anything but healthy.
Though people living in the diverse Mediterranean region eat different types of food, their diet mainly consists of plant-based foods -whole grains, beans, nuts and unsaturated (不饱和的) fat from olive oil. A small amount of lean poultry (家禽肉) and plenty of seafood is also allowed.
The nutritional value and health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were first documented in the Seven Countries Study, which investigated the relationship between diet and heart diseases among roughly 13,000 men from 1958 to 1999. The study indicated that the type of fat affects cardiovascular (心血管的) health more than total fat intake does. Although standard nutrition advice calls for a 30% limit on total calories from fat, even up to 40% may be heart-friendly, if most of the fats consumed are unsaturated.
Since the Mediterranean diet focuses on nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and health y fats, it spares little room for the saturated fat, extra sugars and sodium. As a result, people who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have longer life spans, report a higher life quality and suffer from less chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. Also, Mediterranean diet offers an upper hand in weight loss as a further research suggested.
1. Which food is typically included in the Mediterranean diet?| A．Deep-fried cheese. | B．Heavy pasta dishes. |
| C．Refined beef. | D．Seafood. |
| A．Total fat intake matters more. | B．Type of fat is more significant. |
| C．We should take in no more than 30% fat. | D．Taking in up to 40% fat is unhealthy. |
| A．The methods researchers conducted the study. |
| B．Additional benefits of Mediterranean-style diet. |
| C．Suggestions on weight losing with Mediterranean diet. |
| D．How the Mediterranean diet promotes weight loss. |
| A．A scientific report. | B．A local newspaper. |
| C．A food fair guidebook. | D．A food magazine. |
6 . You are what you eat and what you eat may be encoded (编码) in your DNA. Studies have indicated that your genes play a role in determining the foods you find delicious or disgusting. But exactly how big a role they play has been difficult to figure out. “Everything has a genetic component even if it’s small,” says Joanne Cole, a geneticist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “We know that there is some genetic contribution to why we eat the foods we eat . Can we take the next step and actually locate the regions in the genome (基因)?”
New research led by Cole has gotten a step closer. Through a large-scale genomics analysis, her team has identified 481 genome regions that were directly linked to dietary patterns (模式) and food preferences. The findings, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, were presented last month at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual conference.
The team based the new study on a 2020 Nature Communications study. This previous study, conducted by Cole and her colleagues used data from the U. K. Biobank, a public database of the genetic and health information of 500,000 participants. By scanning genomes, the new analysis was able to identify 194 regions associated with dietary patterns and 287 linked to specific foods such as fruit, cheese, fish, tea and alcohol. Further understanding how genetics impact how we eat could reveal differences in nutritional needs or disease risks.
“One of the problems with a lot of these genomics studies is that they’re very small. They don’t have enough people to really be able to identify genes in ways that are credible (可靠的). This study had a huge group of people, so it’s really powerful.” says Monica Dus, a geneticist at the University of Michigan. “The other thing that I thought was really great is that there are so many different features that they’re measuring related to diet including cholesterol (胆固醇), the body and socioeconomic backgrounds.” As the research advances, Dus says, such genome analysis could potentially assist health care providers and even policymakers to address larger issues that affect food access and health.
It’s definitely true that it may contribute to making sure there aren’t food deserts-areas which have limited access to fresh, healthy and affordable food or to making sure that there’s a higher minimum wage so that everyone can afford to eat, although the journey ahead remains lengthy and challenging.
1. How did researchers conduct the present study?| A．By collecting genome from a large number of participants. |
| B．By directly analyzing the data from a public database. |
| C．By building on a previous study based on large-scale data. |
| D．By identifying genome regions associated with dietary patterns. |
| A．Powerful participants were involved in the current study. |
| B．The methods used in the previous studies were credible. |
| C．The genome analyses have helped address larger social issues. |
| D．Various features linked to diet were considered in the present study. |
| A．The benefits of latest large-scale diet-related genome analyses. |
| B．The contribution of genes to diet patterns and food preferences. |
| C．The significance of a newly published diet-related genome discovery. |
| D．The introduction of a research on identifying diet-related genome regions. |
| A．National Geographic | B．Sports Illustrated for kids |
| C．Scientific American | D．The Wall Street Journal |
7 . The Arctic Could be Practically “ice-free”
The Arctic could have summer days with practically no sea ice within the next decade due to emissions (排放) from fossil fuels (化石燃料), a study has found.
This would transform the unique habitat, home to polar bears, seals and walruses, from a “white Arctic” to a “blue Arctic” during the summer months, scientists said.
The report defined (定义) “ice-free” as less than 1m sq km of ice, in which case the Arctic Ocean would be mostly water.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, suggest the first ice-free day in the Arctic could occur more than 10 years earlier than previously predicted.
The authors said continuously ice-free Septembers could be expected by 2035 to 2067, depending on fossil fuel emissions. By the end of the century, there was potential for ice-free conditions between May and January under a high-emission scenario (可能发生的情况), and August to October under a low-emission scenario.
Alexandra Jahn, a lead author of the research, said: “This would transform the Arctic into a completely different environment. But even if ice-free conditions are unavoidable, we still need to keep our emissions as low as possible to avoid prolonged (长期的) ice-free conditions.”
There was, however, potential to fix this issue, she said. “Unlike the ice sheet in Greenland that took thousands of years to build, even if we melt all the Arctic sea ice, if we can then figure out how to take CO2 back out of the atmosphere in the future to reverse (逆转) warming, sea ice will come back within a decade,” Jahn said.
1. According to the study, when could the Arctic experience its first ice-free summer day?| A．By the end of this decade. | B．Within the next 10 years. |
| C．From 2035 to 2067. | D．By the end of the century. |
| A．The Arctic habitat would remain unchanged. |
| B．The Arctic would still be friendly to polar animals. |
| C．The Arctic would be a “blue Arctic” in summer. |
| D．The Arctic would remain frozen throughout the year. |
| A．Ice-free conditions are avoidable. |
| B．The Arctic would under go no transformation. |
| C．Emissions ought to be reduced. |
| D．Prolonged ice-free conditions are certain to occur. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Indifferent. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Uninterested. |
8 . Coined by domestic (国内的) media as “deliveryman by day, poet by night,” 55-year-old Wang Jibing brings home the bacon by working as a delivery person in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Meanwhile, his passion for poetry has driven him to write over 4,000 poems. He also came under the spotlight as his name was on the 2023 list of new members for the Chinese Writers Association.
Born in a rural area, and dropping out of secondary school, Wang tried various jobs, from a construction worker, working on sand mining boats to a garbage collector, yet he never stop reading and writing. While Wang gained likes from readers of the same mind, it wasn’t until ChenZhaohua, the former CEO of sohu. com, shared one of his poems on China’s social media plat form Sina Weibo that he gained wider popularity.
“The ones that race with time don’t have four seasons. They have one station and the next. The world is only the name of a place. Wang Family Village is the same.” read the poem shared by Chen. Titled “People in a Hurry,” it gathered more than 13 million views within a week.
Wang gained inspiration for the poem from an unpleasant food delivery experience in 2019. Due to a wrong address given by the consumer, he had to rush several times to get the food delivered on time, leading to delays with other orders, as well as penalties (处罚) and a decrease in his earnings.
Reflecting memories of his family and hometown, observations of society and life while working as a laborer (劳动者) and conveying simplicity, reality and sincerity, Wang’s poems capture the simple joy and sadness of common people, tugging at the heartstrings of tens of thousands of ordinary people just like him.
1. What is Wang jibing’s job to earn a living?| A．A poet | B．A delivery man |
| C．A writer | D．An Internet influencer |
| A．He received a good education. |
| B．He gained tons of likes from readers. |
| C．He became a member of the Chinese Writers Association. |
| D．His poem was shared by Chen on Sina Weibo. |
| A．There’s unfairness in food delivery industry. | B．The delivery person is irresponsible and slow. |
| C．The effect of an order delay is severe. | D．The consumer should take the blame. |
| A．Arousing strong feelings. | B．Creating smooth music. |
| C．Pulling on ordinary people’s hearts. | D．Causing tension among people. |
9 . “I spilled soup all over the table, but it wasn’t my fault”. “I got into trouble at school, but it wasn’t my fault.” Such statements are often heard. “It’s not my fault” is actually a common response for so many people and especially teenagers. Parents complain that they’re tired of the “excuses”.
The reason why variations of “it’s not my fault” are so popular is that they get us out of guilt, blame and anger. Those emotions may come from others’ reactions or our own self-talks. In the case of adolescents, they are often trying to escape responsibility and punishment for mistakes.
Some teens would benefit from decreasing their self-blame. Those who blame themselves for things that they can’t control tend to be highly self-critical and are more likely to be anxious.
Many teens overly rely on “it’s not my fault”. However, overuse of the phrase can result in feelings of helplessness to control their own lives. Besides, “it’s not my fault” focuses a teen’s attention on what is done as opposed to what needs to be done. In trying to get them to assume responsibility, many parents attempt to convince their children that something is their fault, but the approach tends to be ineffective. A more effective approach is to face up to drawbacks to find solutions to the drawbacks actively.
People may not have caused all their problems, but they have to solve them anyway. Getting stuck in sharing blame often keeps people from moving forward effectively. What does one do if he is pushed into a deep lake? One could certainly stay in water, yelling, “It’s not my fault.” However, that is not going to get him out of water. At some point, he needs to swim to shore, regardless of the fault.
Like most things in life, freeing ourselves from blame has its advantages and disadvantages. The question isn’t what is “right”, but what is most effective in moving forward.
1. Who is likely to rely on “it’s not my fault”?| A．A highly self-critical teenager. |
| B．A teenager unwilling to admit a fault. |
| C．A teenager facing up to his responsibilities. |
| D．A teenager anxious about uncontrollable things. |
| A．Letting them focus on what is done. |
| B．Persuading them to admit their fault. |
| C．Making them correct the mistake actively. |
| D．Helping them analyze the reason for the mistake. |
| A．To put forward a new solution to drawbacks. |
| B．To show handling problems should come first. |
| C．To explain why teenagers get stuck in sharing blame. |
| D．To analyze what kind of problem is caused by others. |
| A．To help teenagers out of self-blame. |
| B．To tell parents how to educate children. |
| C．To help teenagers face mistakes properly. |
| D．To tell children to do self-talks consciously. |
10 . With the ocean covering more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said scientists and researchers had depended on sonar (声呐) technologies to understand and map the sea floor which had charted only about 10% of the world’s ocean. For the ocean and coastal waters in the US, the number is just around 35%.
We know less about our planet’s ocean than what we know about the far side of the moon or the surface of Mars. Part of the reason for the lack of observation is the challenge of powering an underwater camera. Researchers have used ships to recharge cameras or observed with a camera tied to a ship to solve the issue, which is expensive and unsuitable for long-term observations.
Recently, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have taken a major step to iron out this problem by developing a battery-free, wireless underwater camera that could harvest energy underwater on its own for long periods.
To keep power consumption as low as possible, the researchers used off-the-shelf, ultra-low-power imaging sensors. The device takes color photos, even in dark underwater environments, and sends image data wirelessly through the water.
The camera is powered by sound. It changes mechanical energy from sound waves traveling through water into electrical energy that powers its imaging and communications equipment. After getting and encoding image data, the camera also uses sound waves to send the data to a receiver that reconstructs the image. Those sound waves could come from any source, like a passing ship or marine life. As it doesn’t need a power source, the camera could run for weeks on end before getting it back, enabling scientists to search remote parts of the ocean for new species.
Now that researchers have demonstrated a working prototype (原型), they plan to enhance the device so it is practical in real-world settings. For future application, these cameras may be used to take images of ocean pollution and create more accurate models to monitor climate change to better understand how climate change impacts the underwater world, and advance various undersea scientific fields.
1. What do the data in paragraph 1 mainly show?| A．Undersea exploration is poor in the US. |
| B．Much of the planet’s ocean remains unexplored. |
| C．The mapping of the sea floor is time-consuming. |
| D．Technology development matters a lot to sea observation. |
| A．The complexity of the sea environment. |
| B．The concern about potential sea pollution. |
| C．The shortage of investment in ocean exploration. |
| D．The inability to effectively power underwater cameras. |
| A．Overcome. | B．Face. |
| C．Analyze. | D．Illustrate. |
| A．Secure and stable. | B．Expensive but effective. |
| C．Impractical but advanced. | D．Self-sufficient and energy-saving. |
