1 . A spoonful of pickles (泡菜) can sometimes make a meal taste way better. Recently, a new kind of pickle, digital (电子的) pickled vegetables, is being discussed. It refers to the videos people watch while eating that make their food more delicious.
The topic received more than 16 million clicks on Sina Weibo and about 100,000 people joined in the discussion. Instead of being accompanied (陪伴) by friends and family during a meal, many young people in China are watching short videos while eating. Many believe that their food is more delicious with the “digital pickles.”
Can this habit affect your diet? According to research in 2019, you may eat more! The research team conducted the first test. They asked 62 volunteers to follow different eating patterns(模式) on four different days. The patterns included eating while looking at the mobile phone, reading magazines, and without distraction (干扰).
After the test, the team discovered that eating with a distraction increased the amount of food that people take in by about 15 percent.
To explore (探究) the reason, the team conducted another test. They invited two groups of people: one group ate while listening to an audio clip about another person eating, and the other listened to a clip (片段) that helped them imagine themselves eating. The results showed that the second group ate less because they paid more attention to their meals. When eating with the "digital pickles," our attention can be distracted(分歧), which leads to eating more than expected.
The study suggests that if you’re eating or drinking while your attention is distracted by a highly engaging(投入的) task, you’re less likely to be able to tell how full you feel.
1. According to the passage, a new kind of pickle is ___________.A.a kind of vegetable grown by farmers | B.the videos people watch while eating |
C.a kind of food that is popular online | D.the computer games played by children |
A.Through two tests with different people. | B.By starting the discussion online. |
C.With the help of some Chinese volunteers. | D.From people's changes of weight |
A.eat different food with digital pickled vegetables |
B.eat without listening to or watching anything |
C.eat while reading a colorful food magazine |
D.eat while listening to an audio clip about others eating |
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2 . At the age of 24, most people are still trying to figure out their way in the world. Not for Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman is on his way to greatness already.
Mbappe became known to the world in the Russian World Cup of 2018. At that time, he was just starting out in his career. But he showed everyone that he had all of the skills of a great football player. He was the scorer of four goals then. And after only two World Cups, the young man has already scored 12 World Cup goals. Messi only has one more goal than him over the course of five World Cups.
Mbappe’s performance in the 2022 World Cup final (决赛) was perfect. But the final night belonged to Argentina. Messi and his teammates performed a little bit better. Mbappe, however, is confident of his ability to make his mark in future World Cups. After all, he has just turned 24. If he remains injury-free, he should have at least two more World Cups ahead of him. After all, it’s common for players to get hurt in the field. If he plays for as long as Messi, that number will rise to three.
The future is uncertain, but we know one thing for sure: Mbappe will continue to challenge himself. “I’ve never said I was going to be the greatest player in history,” said Mbappe. “But I’ve never put limits (极限) on myself.” Let’s wait for his wonderful performance in The FIFA World Cup. America\Mexico\Canada 2026.
1. Mbappe has joined in ___________ World Cups.A.two | B.three | C.four | D.five |
A.France | B.Russia | C.America | D.Argentina |
A.无忧无虑的 | B.不受损伤的 | C.信心十足的 | D.完美无缺的 |
A.He is a great football player in Russia. | B.He is too young to be the winner. |
C.He will become better and better. | D.He doesn’t play as well as Messi. |
3 . Is it easy for you to get angry? Do you sometimes think others treat you badly? Maybe the story below can bring you something.
Rick was a young boy who was often angry at everything around him. To help Rick, his mom came home with a canvas (画布) and paint. “You are good at painting. Whenever you feel bad about something, paint it instead of getting angry,” said his mother.
Though not that happy. Rick gave it a try After creating many paintings, he took bis artwork to his mom. “Tell me, Rick. What are these paintings about?” his mother asked. “The first is about how some kids in my class show off (炫耀) their new clothes The next is about my teacher who always tells me about how I’m doing things wrong. And the last painting is about how one of my schoolmates said I should change my attitude (态度). They all make me so angry,” Rick replied.
Rick’s mom took Rick by her side and told him, “Don’t you see, Rick? You’re getting so angry but you never try to understand why.” Then she explained carefully, “All the people you were angry with did nothing wrong. The kids were showing off their good clothes but never laughed at you for not being able to afford any. Your teacher scolded (责备) you but that was because you caused trouble in class. And your schoolmate was only trying to help you correct your mistakes.”
Rick’s mom smiled and said, “Next time you get angry, take a deep breath and walk away for a couple of seconds. And when you come back, talk to the person you’re angry with. You might keep your cool in this way.”
Rick took his mom’s advice and became less angry. Now he feels happy around other children.
1. Why did Rick’s mom ask him to paint?A.Because she wanted to know what would make him angry and helped him. |
B.Because the teacher thought painting was the best way to make Rick happy. |
C.Because every time Rick painted, he didn’t think about any unhappy things. |
D.Because only painting could keep Rick from getting angry with his friends. |
A.Rick’s classmates | B.Rick’s teacher |
C.Rick’s mother | D.Rick’s schoolmate |
A.Rick was often angry with others | B.Rick is good at painting |
C.the kids in Rick’s class aren’t friendly | D.Rick isn’t from a rich family |
A.An Angry Boy | B.Beautiful Paintings |
C.Trouble in Class | D.A Sad Story |
4 . For many of us, winter colds come regularly. Whatever we do, winter colds and the flu (流感) always find a way to get in, making us cough and sniffle (抽鼻子) into our scarves.
In fact, when a virus (病毒) like the winter cold enters the body through the nose, the cells (细胞) in the nose start producing simple copies of themselves called extracellular vesicles, or EVs (胞外囊泡)
Recently, a team of scientists think they may have found out why we get more viruses in winter. It's because cold temperatures actually make our noses worse at fighting viruses.
The scientists did tests on cells taken from the noses of human volunteers, because they wanted to find out more about how EVs fight viruses and how well they work in colder temperatures. The results showed that EVs are usually very good at catching viruses, but they don't work so well at lower temperatures. They found that in colder temperatures, the number of EVs produced decreases (减少) by more than 40%, meaning the nose might not be good at stopping viruses from getting further into the body.
Benjamin Bleier, one of the study's scientists, said the results gave the first perfectly reasonable explanation for why we get more colds in the winter months.
And, he said that wearing a mask in winter may not only stop some viruses from getting in, it may also help produce more of those EVs while keeping the nose a little warmer.
1. The writer begins the passage with _________.A.a story | B.an example | C.a fact | D.a conversation |
A.EVs are viruses produced in the nose. | B.They catch the viruses and kill them. |
C.Cells and EVs are viruses in the body. | D.They stop cells coming into the body. |
A.work better | B.work worse | C.become more | D.become viruses |
A.the body | B.the nose | C.fighting viruses | D.wearing a mask |
5 .
1996, 2008, 2020 1997, 2009, 2021 1998, 2010, 2022 1999, 2021, 2023 2000, 2012, 2024 2001, 2013, 2025
2002, 2014, 2026 2003, 2015, 2027 2004, 2016, 2028 2005, 2017, 2029 2006, 2018, 2030 2007, 2019, 2031
It’s 2023 of the Gregorian calendar (公历). You may hear someone says it is the Year of the Rabbit when they talk about the lunar calendar (农历). In ancient times, in order to make people easily remember the years, our ancestors came up with an idea — use the animals represent the years. Each lunar year is named after a different animal. There are 12 animals in total, Twelve Chinese zodiac (生肖) animals come in the order of time. The Year of the Rat comes first and the Year of the Pig comes last.
1. ___________ is not in the Chinese zodiac.A.The dog | B.The goat | C.The cat | D.The horse |
A.Dragon | B.Monkey | C.Rat | D.Pig |
A.2008 | B.2012 | C.2015 | D.2020 |
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1. What is New Malden Airport Transfers probably?A.A taxi producer. |
B.A small start-up. |
C.A transfer station. |
D.A taxi company. |
A.It charges the lowest price. |
B.It can only be booked online. |
C.It is available around the clock. |
D.It can be enjoyed all over London. |
A.To advertise the New Malden taxi service. |
B.To show the benefits of New Malden taxis. |
C.To attract visitors to tour around New Malden. |
D.To stress the necessity of airport transfer service. |
7 . If a pancake could dream, it might long for legs so it could jump off your breakfast plate in pursuit of a better, unchewed life. But legs aren’t necessary for something as flat as a pancake to jump around. A group of scientists have designed a pancake-shaped robot that can jump several times per second and higher than seven times its body height. The new robot named Hop, which swiftly jumps without feet, is an important contribution to the soft robotics.
Many ground robots move by rolling or walking. But it’s more efficient for robots to jump over obstacles (障碍物) than to go around them. Although jumping can offer some robots a competitive edge, engineering that ability has been a challenge for robotics researchers. Some soft robots that store energy can perform a single impressive jump very infrequently. Some lightweight soft robots that don’t store energy can jump frequently but can’t jump high or far enough to successfully cross an obstacle.
For inspiration, the researchers looked to gall midge larvae (瘿蚊幼虫) that miraculously throw themselves across distances 30 times as long as their loglike bodies. A gall midge larva bends its body and squeezes the liquid in its body to one end, making it rigid (僵硬的). The accumulation of liquid builds up pressure, and releasing the pressure sends it soaring (飙升). The robot’s body doesn’t resemble (像) that of a gall midge larva, but it jumps like one. Its body is made of two small plastic bags printed with electrodes; the front bag is filled with liquid and the back one is filled with the same volume of air. The robot uses electricity to drive the flow of liquid, which causes the body to bend and generate force with the ground, resulting in a jump. And the air bag imitates the function of an animal’s tail, helping the robot keep a stable position.
While the robot is currently restricted to Earth, it might be right at home exploring another planet. If this is true, the researchers robot might jump over dusty rocks and large holes on the moon or Mars, going where no pancake has gone before.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning a pancake?A.A pancake’s dream to have legs is unrealistic. |
B.A robot is capable of serving a good pancake. |
C.A pancake-shaped robot can jump without legs. |
D.Research on pancakes advances our understanding of robots. |
A.Hop’s avoiding an obstacle. | B.Hop’s moving around by rolling. |
C.Hop’s performing one remarkable jump. | D.Hop’s jumping high and far continuously. |
A.They are shaped like logs. |
B.They have tails to change positions. |
C.They bend their bodies and increase force. |
D.They are filled with liquid and have rigid bodies. |
A.Intolerant. | B.Positive. | C.Indifferent. | D.Ambiguous. |
8 . A team from Newcastle University and Northumbria University in the UK has found that the thin, root-like threads produced by many fungi (真菌) can potentially be used as a biodegradable, wearable material that’s also able to repair itself.
In their tests, the researchers focused on the Ganoderma lucidum fungus, producing a skin from branching thin threads, which together weave into a structure called a mycelium (菌丝体). With a little more work, the fragile skins could serve as a substitute for leather, satisfying environmental and fashion tastes.
“The results suggest that mycelium materials can survive in dry and unfavourable environments, and self-repairing is possible with minimal intervention after a two-day recovery period, ” write the researchers in their published paper. However, the process used to produce these materials tends to kill off the fungal spores (孢子) that help the organism regenerate itself.
A new approach involving a mix of mycelia, proteins, and other nutrients in a liquid encouraged the growth of a skin. The results are currently too thin and delicate to be turned into a jacket. However, the researchers are confident that it’s possible that future innovations could turn it into a tougher skin, possibly by combining layers or plasticizing in glycerol. Crucially, the production process didn’t kill off the fungal spores. Tests on the material showed that it was indeed able to replace holes made in it. The material was as strong as before, though it was still possible to see where the holes had been.
“Due to their functional properties, the ability of this regenerative mycelium material to heal micro and macro defects opens interesting future prospects for unique product applications in leather-goods replacements such as furniture, automotive seals, and fashion wear,” write the researchers.
There’s a long way to go here before you’ll be wearing clothes made out of fungus. The growing and healing processes take several days to happen at the moment for example, something which could be sped up over time.
1. What did the team find in their tests?A.An alternative to fungal spores. | B.Thin threads shaped like roots. |
C.Many different fungi. | D.Mycelium materials with self-healing function. |
A.The recovery period of fungal spores. |
B.Crises of mycelium materials’ survival. |
C.Imperfection in producing mycelium materials. |
D.The method of intervening organisms’ regeneration. |
A.It speeds up the creation of mycelia. | B.It keeps fungal spores from destruction. |
C.It makes the holes in materials invisible. | D.It combines the liquid with layers of skin. |
A.A flash in the pan. | B.Promising but challenging. |
C.Inspiring but unachievable. | D.A growth and decline cycle. |
9 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.
But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.
Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.
Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.
In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.
Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?A.To tell about true friends. | B.To start a discussion. |
C.To encourage online friendships. | D.To summarize(总结) the text. |
A.In any case. | B.In public. | C.In person. | D.In advance. |
A.Unconcerned. | B.Positive. | C.Worried. | D.Confused. |
A.Teenagers need to focus on real-world friendships. | B.It’s easier to develop friendships in real life. |
C.It’s wise to turn to friends online. | D.Social media help people stay closely connected. |
10 . On Saturday, Jacob Kohut finally had breaktime during his 12⁃hour standing guard outside the U.S. Capitol. He could have spent his break resting. Instead, he sat in the back of a Humvee, teaching students via his laptop how to play Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, which meant he was on double duty, as an active member of the National Guard and as a devoted school band teacher.
“I’m a soldier for the National Guard, but I’m as much a solider for music education,” he says.
When on duty, Kohut’s days began in the morning with teaching his elementary class remotely from the drill floor of DC Armory, finishing the lesson minutes before his Guard shift started at 10 a.m. Later in the day, during his break, he would go online to teach his middle school students from the back of a Humvee.
Music has always been a driving force in Kohut’s life. He was a saxophone player throughout high school, and finally earned his Doctor degree in music composition at George Mason University.
“What I really wanted was to teach,” says Kohut, who is married and has a three⁃year⁃old son. “My mom, who is a single mother, was a music teacher. That’s why I do what I do. She is such a good role model.”
Kohut’s double duty has caught the attention of parents at Canterbury Woods Elementary School.
“I just wanted to share how impressed I am with Dr. Kohut this week,” Susi Britain said. “This morning he taught the band online from DC Armory, in his tiredness — which just seems so beyond the expectations of a teacher in these circumstances.”
But during the long and sometimes stressful hours of standing guard, Kohut said his teaching time offered comfort. As the 11 instruments were played by his virtual students, the familiar melody of “Ode to Joy” rang through the Humvee. In that moment, Kohut realized there wasn’t a timelier tune to teach his students
“It’s a symbol of unity and peace,” he says. “And that’s what the world needs right now.”
1. Where did the students study music from Kohut?A.In the back of a Humvee. |
B.At the drill floor of DC Armory. |
C.In online courses. |
D.Outside the U.S. Capitol. |
A.Peace⁃loving and mild. |
B.Enthusiastic and devoted. |
C.Hopeful and positive. |
D.Faithful and helpful. |
A.He should teach the tune to his students earlier. |
B.No tune was taught to students before. |
C.It’s the time that he should teach the tune face to face. |
D.The tune is the most suitable for students at that moment. |
A.Jacob Kohut fights for the country and music. |
B.Jacob Kohut wants to change his job. |
C.Jacob Kohut has double duty at Canterbury Woods Elementary School. |
D.Jacob Kohut is a virtual music teacher. |