1 . Chinese scientists have identified a new protein that restricts HIV infection, a discovery that could pave the way for the development of new drugs against the virus. The protein, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1), which exists in human cells, can inhibit (抑制) the process by which HIV reproduces, according to research published in the science journal Nature Microbiology this month.
However, the study also showed that PSGL-1 can be negatively affected by Vpu — an accessory (附属) protein of HIV — which can neutralize the ability of PSGL-1 to resist HIV. Further research is under way to develop a drug that can inhibit the HIV protein so that PSGL-1 can restrict HIV, according to Tan Xu, a researcher at Tsinghua University's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a leading author of the study.
Several other proteins in human cells that could resist HIV have been discovered over the past 10 years, but the virus can also evade (避开) them. PSGL-1 shows particular promise in that it can inhibit HIV in multiple ways — especially by blocking the infectiousness of virus offspring, Tan said.
“We are starting to research into small molecule (分子) compounds in the hope of finding one that can restore PSGL-1’s anti-HIV function. In this way, we can develop a very effective antiviral drug for people with HIV/AIDS,” he said. Tan said it will require at least three to five years for the research to reach the preclinical stage, and more time after that before a clinical trial is possible. The research was conducted by researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Fudan University in Shanghai and George Mason University in the United States.
Existing treatment methods for people with HIV/AIDS, which mostly rely on a combination of different drugs, can prevent the disease from progressing but cannot cure it, and long-term use of drugs can result in drug resistance.
An estimated 37 million people in the world live with HIV, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. The study provides new leads to developing antiviral drugs, Tsinghua University said in a statement.
1. What can we learn about PSGL-1 from the passage?| A．Both the protein PSGL-1 and the protein Vpu are HIV proteins. |
| B．PSGL-1 can restrict the function of the protein Vpu. |
| C．PSGL-1’s molecule compounds have been identified. |
| D．The protein PSGL-1 functions better than others in resisting HIV. |
| A．The existing treatment for AIDS are far from perfect. |
| B．It will be a decade before the antiviral drugs is put on the market. |
| C．American scientists played a leading role in the research. |
| D．HIV/AIDS will no longer be a deadly problem owing to the new discovery. |
| A．There is a long way to go before curing AIDS. |
| B．More people are faced with the threat of HIV. |
| C．Chinese scientists are leading the way in curing AIDS. |
| D．A new protein to resist HIV was confirmed by scientists. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A fiction. | C．A magazine. | D．A brochure. |
2 . Many people think that the world is about to step into the fourth industrial revolution. This time, machines can do a lot of work in the charge of human beings, even better than human beings. In the future, the world can be more efficient and enjoy cheaper services, but unemployment will become more common.
It raises a troubling question for all of us — when will a machine be able to do my job? Katja Grace, a research associate at the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, and her colleagues from the AI Impacts project and the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, have surveyed 352 scientists and compiled (汇编) their answers into predictions about how long it may take for machines to outperform humans on various tasks.
The good news is that many of us will probably be safe in our jobs for some time to come. The researchers predict there is a 50% chance that machines will be capable of taking over all human jobs in 120 years.
“One of the biggest surprises was the overall lateness of the predictions,” says Grace. “I expected the amazing progress in machine learning in recent years, plus the fact that we were only talking to machine learning researchers, to make the estimates earlier.”
“I am a bit sceptical of some of the timelines given for tasks that involve physical manipulation (操纵),” says Jeremy Wyatt, professor of robotics and artificial intelligence at the University of Birmingham. “It is one thing doing it in the lab, and quite another having a robot that can do a job reliably in the real world better than a human.”
Manipulating physical objects in the real world — figuring out what to manipulate, and how, in a random, changing environment — is an incredibly complex job for a machine. Tasks that don’t involve physical manipulation are easier to teach.
Perhaps the hardest jobs for machines to perform are those that take years of training for humans to excel at. These often involve intuitive (直觉的) decision making, complex physical environments or abstract thinking — all things that computers struggle with.
1. Why did the researchers conduct the survey on the future role of machines?| A．To make it clear how machines can replace humans. |
| B．To find why machines can take the place of humans. |
| C．To explain humans will be substituted by machines. |
| D．To learn when machines may be superior to humans on jobs. |
| A．She thought the time would be totally uncertain despite the survey. |
| B．She thought the time would be later than predicted. |
| C．She thought the time would be earlier than predicted. |
| D．She thought machines would take over all the jobs in 120 years. |
| A．A robot can do a job reliably in the real world better than a human. |
| B．Tasks that don’t involve physical manipulation are quite complicated. |
| C．It is difficult for robots to finish the jobs related to physical manipulation. |
| D．He is sure of the timelines given for tasks that involve physical manipulation. |
3 . With nations preparing to spend billions to redesign their cities with a new focus on cycling, it's worth remembering how the invention of the bicycle changed societies all over the world.
The person generally credited with inventing the modern bicycle was an Englishman named John Kemp Starley. In 1885, the 30⁃year⁃old inventor began experimenting in his workshop with a chain⁃driven bicycle featuring two much smaller wheels. When it first appeared at a bicycle show in 1886, his invention was regarded as a curiosity. But two years later, when the next model was paired with the newly invented rubber tire—which not only cushioned the ride but also made the new bicycle about 30 percent faster—the result was magic.
For a few years in the 1890s, almost anyone wanted to learn to ride, and almost everyone did. The sultan of Zanzibar took up cycling. So did the czar of Russia. But it was the middle and working classes around the globe that truly made the bicycle their own. For the first time in history, the masses were able to come and go as they pleased. No more need for expensive horses and carriages.
The rocketing demand led hundreds of new companies around the world to offer their own versions. At the Stanley Bicycle Show in London in 1895, about 200 bicycle makers exhibited 3,000 models. One of the biggest makers was Columbia Bicycles, whose factory in Hartford, Connecticut, could turn out a bicycle a minute thanks to its automated assembly line (流水线)—a pioneering technology that one day would become the backbone of the automobile industry. By 1898, a third of all patent applications in the US were bicycle⁃related.
The bicycle even improved the human gene (基因) pool. Newly liberated young people rode around the countryside at will, meeting up in distant villages. Women were especially enthusiastic. They abandoned their troublesome skirts and took to the road in groups. Marriage records in England show a marked rise in inter⁃village marriages during the bicycle craze of the 1890s.
1. What can we know about John Kemp Starley's first model?| A．It was invented in 1888. | B．It had two bigger wheels. |
| C．It did not have rubber tires. | D．It was accepted immediately. |
| A．In the 1860s. | B．In the 1870s. | C．In the 1880s. | D．In the 1890s. |
| A．The fast⁃growing demand for bicycles. |
| B．The huge success of the bicycle industry. |
| C．The great convenience offered by bicycles. |
| D．The popularity of the newly invented bicycles. |
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. |
5 . 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. |
6 . 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 |
7 . 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. |
8 . 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. |
9 . The world’s coral reefs do more for the planet than provide underwater beauty. They protect shorelines from the effects of hurricanes. An estimated 500 million people earn their livelihood from the fishing stocks and tourism opportunities reefs provide. The tiny animals that give rise to reefs are even offering hope for new drugs to treat cancer and other diseases.
Despite their importance, warming waters, pollution, ocean acidification, overfishing, and physical destruction are killing coral reefs around the world. So now scientists around the world are looking for all kinds of ways to protect and maybe even revive(复苏) corals. In the Bahamas, Ross Cunning, a research biologist at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, is focusing on corals with genes that could make them natural candidates for restoration projects. He recently published a study of two Bahamian reefs, one that seemed to survive an intense 2015 heat wave, and one that didn’t.“It sets the stage to find out which genes are responsible for thermal tolerance,” says Cunning, adding that he hopes discovering those genes will help scientists one day breed more heat-tolerant coral.
In Massachusetts, Cohen’s research has found two key elements that seem to protect corals. The first: internal(内部的) waves beneath the ocean’s surface that bring cooler currents to heat-struck corals, essentially air-conditioning them as temperatures rise. The second: adaptation, a quality that corals found in Palau’s warm lagoons(环礁湖) seem to display.On average, these lagoons submerge(淹没) coral in water that is two degrees Celsius warmer than the water outside the lagoons. “We think the fact that they can deal with these higher temperatures is built into their genetics and allows them to deal with the heat waves.”
She’s also found evidence of corals evolving more quickly in the past two decades to withstand rapidly warming temperatures. The big question scientists are now enquiring into, says Cohen, is whether there’s a cap on how much more heat corals can adapt to. Cohen calls these regions with heat-adapted corals as “super reefs,” and like Friendlander, advocates for using marine reserves to protect them.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The protection for coral reefs |
| B．The great value of coral reefs. |
| C．The benefits for tourism from coral reefs. |
| D．The relationship between animals and coral reefs. |
| A．Cooling down the waters is the key to their success. |
| B．Some corals have been genetically improved successfully. |
| C．He expects to identify the genes of the heat-tolerant corals. |
| D．Some corals that survived 2015 heat wave surprised people. |
| A．How corals survive in the warm lagoons. |
| B．What are the key elements to protect corals. |
| C．How they can use natural reserves to protect corals. |
| D．What is the high temperature limit of the surviving corals. |
| A．Science. | B．Environment. | C．Animal. | D．Climate. |
10 . Even if we’ve never laid eyes on a certain person, the sound of their voice can relay a lot of information: whether they are male or female, old or young, or perhaps an accent indicating which nation they might come from. While it is possible for us to randomly deduce someone’s facial features, it’s likely that we won’t be able to clearly piece together what someone’s face looks like based on the sound of their voice alone. However, it’s a different matter when machines are put to the task, as researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have discovered in developing an AI that can vividly reconstruct people’s faces with relatively impressive detail, using only short audio clips(音频片段) of their voices as reference.
Named Speech2Face, the neural(神经的) network — a computer that “thinks” in a manner similar to the human brain — was trained by scientists on millions of educational videos from the Internet that showed over 100,000 different people talking. From this dataset, Speech2Face learned associations between vocal cues(声带) and certain physical features in a human face, researchers wrote in a new study. The AI then used an audio clip to model a photorealistic face matching the voice.
However, the tool was far from perfect. Speech2Face turned out “mixed performance” when confronted with language variations. For example, when the AI listened to an audio clip of an Asian man speaking Chinese, the program produced an image of an Asian face. However, when the same man spoke in English in a different audio clip, the AI generated the face of a white man, the scientists reported.
Thankfully, AI doesn’t know exactly what a specific individual looks like based on their voice alone. Voice privacy otherwise would be a concern like face recognition for us. The neural network recognized certain markers in speech that pointed to gender(性别), age and ethnicity(种族), features that are shared by many people, the study authors reported.“As such, the model will only produce average-looking faces,” the scientists wrote. “It will not produce images of specific individuals.”
1. What can best replace the underlined word “deduce” in Paragraph1?| A．Mistake. | B．Guess. | C．Record. | D．Search. |
| A．It produces the results with great accuracy. |
| B．It allows thousands of people to talk at the same time. |
| C．It has learnt the connection between speech and appearance. |
| D．It can tell the differences between the Chinese and the Europeans. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Confused. | C．Favorable. | D．Worried. |
| A．MIT’s New Discovery Give a Surprise to People. |
| B．AI Generated Your Faces by Listening to Your Voices. |
| C．Your Voice Could Give Away Your Nationality with the AI Tool. |
| D．Speech2Face: Neural Network Recognized You Behind a Picture. |
