1 . People who get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their life spans, according to the first study to quantify the effect of physical activity this way.
The researchers looked at records of more than 5,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans and found that those who had moderate to high levels of activity lived1.3 to 3.7 years longer than those who got little exercise, with men and women benefiting about equally.
“This shows that physical activity really does make a difference — not only for how long you live but for how long you live a healthy life.” said Oscar H. Franco of the Erasmus M.C. University Medical Center in Rotterdam. “Being more physically active can give you more time.”
Previous studies have found that being physically active has a host of health benefits. It reduces the risk of being overweight and of developing many illnesses, improves overall quality of life, and lowers the death rate. But the new study is the first to directly calculate the effect on how long people live.
People who engaged in moderate activity — the equivalent of walking for 30minutes a day for five days a week — lived about 1.3 to 1.5 years longer than those who were less active. Those who took on more intense exercise—the equivalent of running half an hour a day five days every week—extended their lives by about3.5 to 3.7 years, the researchers found.
The findings show that even for people who are already middle-aged, exercising more can add years to their lives, Franco said.
Other experts said the study was consistent with the growing evidence that exercising on a regular basis is one of the most important things people can do for their health.
“At the end of the day, this is more evidence that the sitting lifestyle is the most damaging to health, longevity and chronic disease development,” said James O. Hill of the University of Colorado at Denver.
Hill and others said exercising regularly also enables people to live healthier lives, free from a host of chronic illnesses that can make it hard for people to enjoy their later years.
In addition, recent studies have also found that exercise has payoffs for the mind, too. It has been shown to improve overall well-being and reduce stress and depression.
“The benefits of physical activity extend well beyond the effects on longevity,” said Joann E. Manson of Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
1. What would be the best title for this text?| A．A Daily Workout Add More Years to Life. | B．How A Daily Workout Is Good to Health. |
| C．Men Benefit More from A Daily Workout. | D．Middle-aged People Benefit from Workout. |
| A．It finds that men and women benefited about equally. |
| B．Being physically active has a host of health benefits. |
| C．It’s the first to calculate the effect on how long people live. |
| D．Being more physically active can give you more time to live. |
| A．describing successful cases. | B．presenting findings of research. |
| C．offering professional comments. | D．explaining a certain phenomenon (现象) . |
2 . The Great Book Swap
Hi, sixth graders! My name is Tony Hill. I am president of the Windsor High School Student Council. Your teacher let me come to your class today to tell you about a reading project that we want to do, and we need your help.
If you’re like me, you love to read but sometimes have a hard time finding books you want to read. It seems as if the best books at the library are always checked out. To help get more books into people’s hands, we’re planning the Great Community (社区) Book Swap.
To make the project a success, we need everyone’s help. Ask your parents if there are any unused books taking up space. Ask your friends and neighbours to donate unwanted books. Maybe you have books you liked when you were younger but don’t read anymore. Bring them to school and make a young reader happy. We need all kinds of books for all kinds of readers!
There are many times I’d like to go buy new books, but I don’t have a lot of money to spend on them. Wouldn’t it be great to swap books right here in our community? Volunteers will organize the donated books. Then the books will be displayed at the community center. Everyone will be able to read and hopefully find the perfect book. Students will be allowed to choose up to two books during each day of the swap. Our plan is to have the book swap the first Saturday of every month.
If you like reading, just come and look through the collection of books. Each grade will have its own week to bring in books. Right now, eighth grade is bringing in books. When every grade has brought in books, we will have quite a selection. You will probably find at least one new book that you’d like to read. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a book so good that you won’t be able to put it down.
What are you waiting for? Go home and clean out your bookshelves and closets!
1. Why did Tony Hill come to the class of sixth graders?| A．To explain a reading project. |
| B．To introduce a newly-built library. |
| C．To ask the students to help donate books. |
| D．To give the sixth graders advice on reading. |
| A．How the book swap will work. |
| B．When books will be brought in. |
| C．What kinds of books are needed. |
| D．Why the book swap is necessary. |
| A．More books are needed in the future. |
| B．Volunteers play an important role in the project. |
| C．Everyone is sure to be able to find the books he wants. |
| D．Students have already started helping with the book swap. |
| A．Realistic. | B．Convincing. | C．Independent. | D．Ambitious. |
3 . An AI model can be used to detect stress in office workers based on how they use their mouse and keyboard. A new study suggests that a machine-learning model using these two elements was more accurate at detecting stress in people than a model that tracked their heart-rate data.
“We saw that the models that just used the mouse and keyboard data performed better than the models that had the heart-rate data in it,” says Mart Naegelin. a Ph. D. student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and one of the study’s authors.
Naegelin and her fellow researchers used machine-learning models to analyze data on keyboard-typing activity, mouse movements and heart-rate data. They also studied the data of a combination of two or all three of these elements to determine which performed best in terms of measuring stress. They found that the model trained on mouse and keyboard data performed better than the model that used mouse, keyboard and heart rates. Of the single-modality (形态) models, the heart-rate data performed the worst. “The test was conducted in an environment that simulated an office environment, so the results still need to be confirmed in real-life scenarios (情况),” Naegelin says.
In the experiment, participants were divided into three groups. A control group carried out assigned tasks, such as planning meetings and collecting data, with no additional work. A second group at times answered questions from managers in person in a mock interview scenario while completing other assigned tasks. And members of a third group were, at certain points, interrupted with additional questions sent through an online chat on top of tasks assigned to other groups. At regular intervals during the experiment, participants were asked to rate their stress levels through a computer questionnaire.
Researchers learned that workers made longer, less accurate movements with their mouse, as well as more typing errors, when they were stressed. Shorter, more direct movements with the mouse were tied to lower stress levels. The study didn’t focus on why increased levels of stress are thought to affect muscle activity.
The researchers say they believe a stress-detection system that logs keyboard and mouse movements might be beneficial as a self-help tool for employees alongside other initiatives to improve workplace mental health. But employee participation would need to be optional and based on informed consent (同意), and companies would need to commit to protecting user privacy.
It remains to be seen how this technology will evolve and be adopted in practice, but the potential for AI to contribute positively to employee well-being is an appealing avenue for future exploration.
1. What do we know from Naegelin’s study?| A．Heart-rate data has little connection with stress. |
| B．Mouse and keyboard data proves effective in stress detection. |
| C．Mouse data performs worst in measuring stress among all models. |
| D．Using more elements in a model increases accuracy in stress detection. |
| A．The research process. | B．The research findings. |
| C．The research purpose. | D．The research background. |
| A．AI models based on mouse and keyboard data have been widely applied. |
| B．Naegelin’s study explains why muscle activity can affect stress levels. |
| C．Employers need to respect employees’ privacy while detecting stress. |
| D．A stress-detection system improves physical health at the workplace. |
| A．To introduce a new model to detect stress. |
| B．To compare different models in stress detection. |
| C．To show the disadvantages of being overstressed. |
| D．To state the importance of a stress-detection system. |
When I was an undergraduate student studying ecology, I was used to discovering overall trends in large amounts of data. The thought of getting my hands dirty in the field never seemed interesting to me. I saw it as a boring and repetitive task. But I knew potential graduate schools would likely view my lack of field experience as a hole in my application letter. My mother also thought I should work for a few years to explore my interests before pursuing further education. So I decided to apply for field-based summer positions after graduation.
After landing a job assessing the sage grouse habitat in Utah, I found myself in the company of Sherel, a 75-year-old botanist and the leader of our field crew. On the very first day of the fieldwork, I noticed a special plant on the field. “Wonderful! Looks like you’ve got a Mahonia repens,” Sherel shouted excitedly. I gently touched the plant with yellow flowers by my feet, “This one here? How can you tell it’s a Mahonia?” He paused briefly to admire the plant and then began his energetic description of the plant’s typical features. That evening, while we were watching the sunset together, I texted my childhood friend. “Day I was actually kind of fun,” I started, “but we’ll see how long it takes before I get bored from just identifying plants in the field all day.”
But as the weeks of fieldwork rolled by, the boredom I had expected never arrived. I came home from the field each night with sore legs and a sunburned neck, excited by the day’s finds. By picking Sherel’s brain about different species of animals and plants, I discovered field days are about much more than identification. Each day is an opportunity to learn a little bit more. When the summer was over, I found myself in another field job, this time surveying forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
I’m now a third-year Ph. D. student in ecology. Fieldwork may be buggy, wet, and physically demanding, but working with others helps keep spirits high and the physical activity helps me stay sharp. And it constantly reminds me that any task can present an opportunity to learn — as long as I am open to it.
1. Why did the author join the fieldwork in Utah?| A．To find out overall trends in data. | B．To assess the sage grouse habitat. |
| C．To improve his application letter. | D．To realize his mother’s dream. |
| A．argued with Sherel | B．complained to his friend |
| C．became a leader of his group | D．discovered a Mahonia repens |
| A．Easy but interesting. | B．Boring but fruitful. |
| C．Tiring but meaningful. | D．Repetitive but demanding. |
| A．We should explore fun in daily tasks. | B．We should be open to new experiences. |
| C．We should respect the people around us. | D．We should be determined about our goals. |
5 . Frozen in time, a 125-million-year-old mammal attacking a dinosaur. A 39-million-year-old whale, the heaviest animal that ever lived. The oldest known jellyfish, from 505 million years ago. Paleontology (古生物学) produces newsworthy discoveries.
Fossils (化石), moreover, provide direct evidence for the long history of life, allowing paleontologists to test hypotheses (假设) about evolution with data only they provide. They allow investigation of present and past life on Earth. Flows of biological diversity, appearances of new life forms and the extinctions of long existing ones, would go undiscovered without these efforts. But the headlines over exciting new fossils greatly underestimate the true importance of paleontology. Its real significance lies in how such discoveries brighten the grand history of life on Earth. From its beginnings, more than three billion years ago, to the present day, fossils record how life adapted or disappeared in the face of major environmental challenges.
Paleontologists provide us with a unique vantage on modern climate change. They play an essential role in interpreting ancient environments, in reconstructing ancient oceans, continents and climates. Fossils provide key limitation on the climate models that are essential for predicting future climate change. And the fossil record gives important insights into how life will respond to predicted future climate conditions, because these have occurred before in Earth’s history.
In addition, paleontology has provided a fundamental contribution to human thought: the reality of species extinction and thus of a world that has dramatically changed over time. In documenting the history of life, paleontologists recognized that many extinction episodes could occur suddenly, such as the event 66 million years ago that ended the dinosaurs. The search for the causes of past mass extinctions started pioneering studies from across the scientific spectrum (科学界), focusing on potential future threats to humanity.
Not only do paleontologists know what happens to life when things go bad, they also know how long it takes for ecosystems and biodiversity to recover from these disasters, which can take far longer than modern humans have existed.
Paleontologists thus provide a unique perspective on the nature and future long-term ecological impact of the current human-produced biodiversity crisis, the so-called Sixth Extinction, and therefore the importance of protecting modern biodiversity. The very concept of a Sixth Extinction would not exist without paleontologists documenting the first five.
Paleontologists know that understanding life’s past is critical to anticipating and adapting to life’s and humanity’s future. Paleontology is important because it brings its unique and critical perspective to current challenges in climate change, biodiversity loss and the environment. Paleontologists can predict the future because they know the past.
1. The first two paragraphs are written to _______.| A．describe an event | B．raise a question |
| C．present an opinion | D．make a comparison |
| A．A positive effect. | B．A valuable suggestion. |
| C．A quick decision. | D．A comprehensive view. |
| A．Ecological recovery takes shorter than imagined. |
| B．Past lessons can help to predict the future threats. |
| C．Paleontologists can handle the biodiversity crisis. |
| D．Fossil studies focus on the causes of mass extinctions. |
| A．Paleontology: A Pioneering Study |
| B．Paleontology: A History Recorder |
| C．Paleontology Tells More About Nature Than Humans |
| D．Paleontology Is Far More Than New Fossil Discoveries |
6 . Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) is the oldest and most important science research competition for high school students all over the nation. Started in 1942, Regeneron STS recognizes and empowers most promising young scientists. Each year, nearly 2,000 students enter Regeneron STS. The competition awards 300 student scholars and their schools annually and invites 40 student finalists to Washington, D. C. to participate in final judging. Regeneron STS provides an important platform for their original research which is examined and reviewed by professional scientists.
What are the requirements?●Applicants must be over 13 years of age and have legal parental permission to submit (提交) the application and participate, or be 18 years of age or older;
●Applicants must complete individual research projects to enter Regeneron STS. Research conducted as part of a pre-collegiate student team project is not qualified for Regeneron STS;
●Applicants must submit application package through our online system, and must not have entered any previous Regeneron STS.
What are the core components of an application?●Essays, short answer responses, activities and basic information;
●Scientific Research Report (maximum 20-page research paper about one of the applicant’s original research projects);
●Recommendations submitted by adults;
●Test Scores (optional).
What could the applicants win?●PARTICIPATION AWARDS: All competitors will receive a T-shirt, laptop stickers, and a free one-year subscription to Science News magazine.
●SCHOLAR AWARDS: Each of the 300 scholars will receive a $2,000award.
●SCHOOL AWARDS: The schools of each scholar will receive $2,000 per scholar. The award is intended to contribute to excellence in science, math and/or engineering education at the school.
●FINALIST AWARDS: Judges select 40 finalists from among the scholars. In addition to an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D. C., finalists receive a minimum award of $25,000.
1. From Paragraph 1, we know that Regeneron STS ________.| A．was started before the 1940s |
| B．recognizes 40 scholars every year |
| C．is a platform for professional scientists |
| D．is a nationwide science research competition |
| A．be over 18 years old |
| B．submit applications online |
| C．have entered Regeneron STS before |
| D．have completed the research for a team project |
| A．Each finalist. | B．Each participant. |
| C．Each scholar. | D．Each of the scholars’ school. |
7 .
Partners in the Community The Community Police Station: A Local Presence That Makes a Difference The community police station is proud to announce that police officer Julie Francoeur will offer free judo classes in local schools.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A．schedule of classes | B．instructor’s background |
| C．skills students will learn | D．secrets of success |
| A．self-respect | B．punishment |
| C．regular practice | D．healthy enthusiasm |
| A．describes the activities in the judo classes |
| B．repeats information about the judo classes |
| C．gives less important information about the judo classes |
| D．provides additional information about the judo classes |
8 . If you’re looking for any sort of career advice, it’s likely you’ve heard a certain suggestion before: Pursue your passion! In this economy, you’ll barely make any money no matter what you do, so why not do something you’re passionate about?
However, that’s not exactly how the world works. Passion is rarely enough to get you through on its own. Finding a project you love is all well and good on a sunny day when you’re feeling okay. But on those gray days when you’re suffering from the flu or you’re otherwise down, passion is rarely enough to get it done.
I know that feeling. At the most basic level, I spend every day writing. I’m passionate about writing and the topics I cover. But today, it’s too cold outside. I didn’t get enough sleep and all I can think about is crawling into a nice warm bed. Yet, I’m sitting here, typing up a post just for you. How do I keep it up?
There’s another route you could go. You could take on anything that pays the bills, then find fun projects you’re passionate about on the side. This is exactly the route I took when I was a freelancer (自由职业者) fresh out of college. That approach, as it happens, leads straight to passion burnout.
The reason I’m still planted firmly at my keyboard on a day when I don’t have an immediate deadline is not just because I’m passionate about writing. I also have a sense of purpose. Besides following your passion, you also need to define your purpose. I write to help businesses with their content because I know my writing makes a difference for them.
My purpose keeps my passion. My work is something I’ll stick to whether or not I feel passionate about writing anything today.
You can find your purpose as well as your passion-and then find a place where both intersect (交叉). It may be easier to find a day job you can tolerate. But the only way to find something that works for you is to get involved with different groups and to explore different purposes you care about. You don’t need an all-consuming cause, but you do need something you care enough about to give up sleeping in on the weekends. Only then will you really be capable of pursuing your passion, and your purpose along with it.
1. Who do you think the passage is written for?| A．Writers. | B．Job hunters. | C．Managers. | D．Career planners. |
| A．People can work with passion if they earn a lot of money. |
| B．People work well only on sunny days or when they are well. |
| C．People need to find as many jobs as possible to discover their interest. |
| D．People work hard even though they are not passionate about something. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Determined. | D．Challenged. |
| A．The difference between passion and purpose and how it affects your job search. |
| B．The importance of passion and how it gets you through when facing problems. |
| C．The relationship between passion and purpose and how it improves your life. |
| D．The importance of purpose and how it helps you keep a job. |
9 . If you’ve ever worried that we’ve solved all the mysteries of nature, fear not. Minnesota’s Devil’s Kettle Falls has been attracting hikers and geologists for generations. At the falls, along Lake Superior’s North shore, a river forks at a rock outcrop. While one side runs down a two-step stone bank and continues on like a normal waterfall, the other side vanishes into a deep hole and disappears apparently forever.
And this baffling situation only gets strange when geologists start explaining Devil’s Kettle. Consider, for instance, the sheer quantity of water pouring into the kettle every minute of every day. While the idea of some kind of broad, underground river is an exciting device in movies, the reality is that those sorts of deep caves are rare.
Another idea is that millions of years ago, a hollow lava tube may have formed beneath the falls, in the subsurface layer of basalt (玄武岩) . Over time, the theory suggests, the falling water eroded (侵蚀) the surface and fell straight down into the ancient lava tube, providing wide-open access to the floor of Lake Superior. Again, there are problems with this theory, because no lava tubes have ever been found in any of the hundreds of exposed basalt beds in the area.
In February 2017, scientists said that water that disappears into the rock at Devil’s Kettle resurges in the stream below the falls. To confirm the theory, scientists plan on conducting a dye trace during a low-water flow period. They’ll pour a vegetable-based dye into the pothole and watch where the dye resurfaces. This is a fluorescent (发荧光的) , biodegradable dye that’s noticeable at 10 parts per billion, so the scientists will use only a few quarts.
“What we think is happening is the water is going in the kettle, and coming up pretty close to immediately downstream of the falls,” Green said.
Green admits that if the dye is found below the falls like the scientists suspect, then much of the Devil’s Kettle Falls mystery will be gone. “There’s a little bit of that,” he said, “that folks aren’t going to stand there and wonder. But it will still be a fascinating spot, and a beautiful spot.”
1. What is the purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To explain the formation of waterfalls. |
| B．To introduce a mysterious natural phenomenon. |
| C．To describe a beautiful landscape scene. |
| D．To recommend an unusual waterfall to readers. |
| A．Astonishing. | B．Interesting. | C．Puzzling. | D．Challenging. |
| A．It hasn’t been proved yet. | B．It is considered ridiculous. |
| C．It is deeply doubted. | D．It is supported fully in evidence. |
| A．The exploration of Devil’s Kettle Falls |
| B．The disappearance of Devil’s Kettle Falls |
| C．The truth behind Devil’s Kettle Falls |
| D．The mystery of Devil’s Kettle Falls |
10 . Paula Perry has a multi-page spreadsheet (电子数据表) titled “Squirrels”, which details the health and wellness of tiny, injured baby squirrels she keeps in her house.
Perry keeps careful notes on the more than 70 struggling baby squirrels she has rescued and rehabilitated (使康复) over the past 13 years at her home.
“They’re tiny little helpless things, and they’ll die,” said Perry, 62, who, appropriately, is known around her neighborhood as the “Squirrel Lady”.
Perry’s squirrel rescue efforts started in 2010, when her neighbor spotted a baby squirrel hanging from a tree. Perry did what seemed obvious to her: She brought the 3 week old squirrel in for medical assistance. “I could tell he was seriously injured,” said Perry. She took him to a local vet that offers wildlife care. While at the vet’s, Perry struck up a conversation with Trish Styles, a veterinary technician, who told her about wildlife rehabilitators—people who volunteer to house ailing (有病的) wild animals, and nurse them back to health. On the spot, Perry decided to become one.
“They chew your electrical wires, which they do,” she said. “A lot of people don’t like squirrels because they’re quite destructive. I don’t care. I love them.” Although squirrels can have bad effect on homes and telephone lines and are therefore considered pests, they are not as destructive as rats and mice. They also serve an important ecological function and have been called “nature’s gardeners”, since they regularly bury seeds—which helps to expand forest diversity and growth.
As she helps the baby squirrels heal and grow, they bring her joy. Letting a squirrel go can sometimes be sad, she said, but it also gives her a sense of pride and purpose. “You can tell when they’re ready to release, because they go crazy in the cage,” she explained. Often, though, they come back to visit her—which, she said, is a major thrill. She keeps pecans and walnuts on hand to supply them with snacks. “I think they recognize my voice,” Perry said, adding that she can recognize them, too. “I always know that it’s one of mine.”
1. Why is Perry called “Squirrel Lady”?| A．She likes to take squirrels as pets. |
| B．She keeps track of squirrels in the wild. |
| C．She attends to the injured squirrels carefully. |
| D．She has food in store for squirrels at any time. |
| A．A medical assistant. | B．A volunteer at a clinic. |
| C．A vet technician. | D．A wildlife rehabilitator. |
| A．They eat up the seeds of plants. |
| B．They often cause damage at home. |
| C．They love burying telephone lines secretly. |
| D．They usually destroy forest diversity and growth. |
| A．Their uneasiness in the cage. | B．Their reluctance to eat snacks. |
| C．Their keeping motionless all day. | D．Their letting out sharp sounds. |
