1 . High school life, especially in the senior year, is a rollercoaster of emotions filled with challenges and pressures. The constant demand for academic excellence, combined with the expections of college applications, and managing extracurricular (课外的) activities can lead even the best students to feel the weight of stress. However, it’s not only possible but essential to find moments of joy and strategies to reduce the pressure efficiently.
Understanding the nature of stress is the primary step. Stress isn’t just a state of mental unrest; it’s a physiological response.
Interestingly, not all stress is harmful. We often overlook the distinction of different stress. Acute (急性的) stress, in contrast to the chronic (长期的), can act as a force.
However, long exposure to stress leads to chronic stress. This kind of stress, if left unchecked, can cause various health issues ranging from mental health problems like anxiety and depression to physical ailments like high blood pressure and even heart diseases.
To reduce the effects of stress, mindfulness and meditation have proven effective. Even on a busy day, sparing just a few moments to focus on one’s breathing or practicing guided meditation can significantly reduce stress levels.
Pursuing hobbies or activities that one is passionate about can also be a good way. Whether it’s painting, reading, playing a musical instrument, or engaging in sports, these activities not only divert the mind but also release endorphins, the body’s natural mood lifters.
Another aspect is communication.
So, with the weight of expectations, deadlines, and too many responsibilities, remember to prioritize mental well-being.
| A．When channeled correctly, stress can be our friend. |
| B．This response is a swift, automatic sequence designed for survival. |
| C．Prioritizing self-care isn’t a luxury (奢侈品); it’s a necessity. |
| D．Every challenge, it approached with a positive mindset, can be an opportunity for growth. |
| E．Seeding external help or just talking to a friend can be incredibly therapeutic. |
| F．They attach us to the present, clearing the mental disorder and lifting the spirit. |
| G．These parts often provide processes adjusted to individual needs. |
2 . In the modern age, social media platforms have emerged as powerful tools for communication, networking, and self-expression. With billions of active users worldwide, these platforms have profoundly influenced the human interaction. Recent psychological studies have delved into understanding the influence of prolonged (长期的) social media usage on individual self-esteem (自尊) and identity formation.
Context and Prevalence (流行)
Social media platforms, including Weibo, WeChat Moments, Douyin, and Little Red Book, offer ways for individuals to project curated versions of their lives. While this can serve as a medium of affirmation, it also compares one’s daily life against the specially edited highlights of others, which could potentially lead to feelings of failure and unsatisfactory.
Research Findings on Self-Esteem
A study conducted among adolescents aged 13-19 showed that extreme social media use correlates with lower self-esteem scores. Participants who spent over five hours daily on these platforms demonstrated significant tendencies towards self-devaluation (自我贬低) and negative self-perception (自体感受). The study believed that the constant exposure of idealized images and lives leads to an involuntary (不自主的) comparison, often placing the individual on the lesser end of the spectrum.
Implications for Identity Formation
For adolescents, a critical time of identity formation happens during the teenage years. Social media can often blur the lines (模糊界限) between personal identity and digital persona (面貌，形象). A study tracked teenagers for five years and found that heavy social media users often experienced identity confusion. Their digital avatars, formed under societal pressures, sometimes overshadowed their real personalities, leading to internal conflicts and a confusion to real selfhood.
Possible Solutions and Future Research
While the negative influence of social media on mental well-being are evident, it’s also essential to highlight its potential benefits. Platforms can help to add a sense of belonging, provide informational support, and serve as outlets for creative expression. Future research could explore potential interventions (介入，干涉) to reduce the negative effects.
In conclusion, while social media offers a huge number of opportunities and ways for expression, it’s important that teenagers approach it with awareness. The psychological landscape it shapes is hard to understand, and understanding its depths requires continued research, empathy (共鸣), and active measures.
1. What do we know about the study involving adolescents aged 13-19?| A．It took five hours for participants to take part in the study |
| B．It suggested that we should not compare our lives with others |
| C．It caused self-devaluation and negative self-perception to participants. |
| D．It showed that too much social media use resulted in low self-esteem. |
| A．Social media algorithms (算法). | B．Digital marketing tools. |
| C．Online versions of individuals. | D．Digital assistants. |
| A．They cause identity crises (危机) to them. | B．They lead to feelings of unsatisfactory. |
| C．They project version of their lives. | D．They overshadow their personalities. |
| A．Entirely negative. | B．Quite positive. | C．Mixed with caution. | D．Indifferent and neutral. |
3 . Guide to “Clean & Green” Home Recycling
Welcome to the “Clean & Green” home recycling initiative (倡议)! Our goal is to assist households in reducing their environmental footprint by providing step-by-step instructions on effective recycling practices.
Understanding Recycling Types
Every city has its own recycling standards, but the followings are generally universal:
Plastics: These include bottles, containers, and other packaging materials. Always clean plastics before recycling to avoid pollution.
Paper: Newspapers, magazines, and cardboard are recyclable. However, soiled or wet paper should be discarded as regular waste.
Glass: Bottles and jars of all colors can be recycled. Ensure they are free of food waste.
Metals: Common recyclables are aluminum cans and tin foil (锡纸). Remove any food waste before disposal (处理).
Steps for Effective Home Recycling
Collection: Use separate bins for each type. Mark containers to avoid confusion (迷惑).
Preparation: As mentioned above, clean the items. This prevents waste and increases the recyclability of the materials.
Storage: Avoid overfilling recycling bins. Overpacked bins might lead to improper sorting at recycling facilities.
Drop-Off: If your city doesn’t offer roadside pickup, locate your nearest recycling drop-off point.
Stay Informed: Recycling guidelines can change. Regularly check city websites for “Clean & Green” updates.
Recycling DOs and DON’Ts
DO encourage neighbors and friends to adopt recycling habits.
DON’T mix different types in one bin.
DO invest in composting if possible; it’s another great way to reduce waste.
DON’T recycle dangerous or electronic waste with regular recyclables. Ask your city for proper disposal methods.
Benefits of Recycling:
Reduces landfill (垃圾填埋) waste.
Conserves natural resources and energy.
Prevents pollution by reducing the need for raw materials (原材料).
Supports public health by minimizing exposure to harmful things.
Join the “Clean & Green” initiative today and play your part in creating a bright future for the next generations!
1. Which of the following materials needs to be cleaned before recycling?| A．Paper | B．Plastics | C．Metals | D．Glass |
| A．To sell recycling bins. | B．To encourage composting (堆肥). |
| C．To reduce households’ environmental footprints. | D．To update recycling guidelines frequently. |
| A．Electronic waste can be recycled with regular recyclables. |
| B．You should mix different types in one bin to save space |
| C．It’s important to stay updated on recycling guidelines. |
| D．Wet paper is preferred for recycling as it’s easier to process |
Alle Pierce knows how to plan a holiday. A few months ahead of time, she constructs a spreadsheet of what she wants to do and see. She examines the menus of restaurants she is planning to visit. She uses a picture of the destination as her phone’s locked screen image and downloads a countdown app. “What’s so exciting about a trip is the anticipation before it,” says Pierce, founder of a luxury travel company.
Experts stay she is right. Recent studies suggest that hoping for something boosts your mood and lowers your stress. “Imagining good things ahead of us can increase motivation, optimism and patience,” says Simon Rego, a psychologist from New York.
Of course we can’t just book a flight every time we need a little cheering up or feel low. But there are ways to incorporate the power of anticipation into your everyday life.
Get excited about little things. Write down one thing you’re excited for tomorrow. Maybe it’s a new book, or a package you’re expecting. The collection of these mini thrills means you will still gain the benefits of looking forward to something. Plus, with the nearer stuff, there’s more of a sense that it’s going to happen for sure.
Remember that anxiety and anticipation can coexist. “The dark side of positive anticipation is anticipatory anxiety. Anxiety and excitement are sister emotions,” says Christian Waugh, a psychology professor from North Carolina. But it is harmful only when you just focus on the anxiety part and ignore the excitement part. The key is acknowledging the happy, positive aspect of what you are doing, along with the nervous feelings. When you consider anxious things as exciting, it actually makes you feel better about them.
Connect with your future self. Research has shown feeling as if you are on a path to your future self can have a positive effect on your well-being by getting you out of short-term thinking. Thinking ahead may help you prioritize your goal and move toward it. As you start seeing progress, you will look forward to doing the things that get you closer to your future self.
In short, to enjoy life more, embrace anticipation. It’s worth waiting for.
1. What makes a trip exciting according to Alle Pierce?2. How does hoping for something benefit us?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
According to the research, connecting with your future self can have a negative effect on your well-being.
4. Please give an example to show how you can incorporate the power of anticipation into your daily life. (In about 40 words)
5 . 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. |
7 . In the annals of human history, few subjects have generated as much excitement, debate, and guess as artificial intelligence (AI). This revolutionary technology, which enables machines to perform tasks that once required human intelligence, has the potential to transform every part of our society, from healthcare and finance to transportation and entertainment.
At its heart, AI is all about data. Massive amounts of data are fed into algorithms that learn from this data, allowing them to make predictions, recognize patterns, and even make decisions. This “machine learning” is the driving force behind many of the AI applications we see today, from virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to more advanced systems like IBM’s Watson, which can analyze vast amounts of information to assist doctors in diagnosing diseases.
The transformative potential of AI is undeniable. In the medical field, for instance, AI can assist in early detection of diseases, predict patient outcomes, and even suggest treatment options. In finance, algorithms can predict stock market trends, and provide personalized financial advice. In transportation, self-driving cars equipped with AI systems promise to reduce accidents, ease traffic jams, and transform urban landscapes.
However, with great potential comes great responsibility. The rise of AI has caused debates about is ethical implications (道德含义). The machines are only as good as the data they are fed, and there’s a growing concern about biases (偏见) being built into AI systems. For instance, facial recognition technologies, used in everything from unlocking phones to police monitoring cameras, have come under check for misidentifying individuals based on race or gender.
Moreover, the widespread adoption of AI could lead to significant job displacement. While new roles and industries might emerge as a result of AI, it is not sure that these will pay off the jobs lost. This could increase income inequalities and causes difficulties to social systems.
Another major concern is the “black box” nature of AI. Many AI systems operate in ways that even their creators don’t fully understand. This can be problematic, especially in critical applications like healthcare or criminal justice where understanding the logic behind a decision is important.
Then there’s the potential for AI to be weaponized. In the hands of evil actors, AI could be used to spread misinformation, control public opinion, or even engage in internet warfare. The global community must come together to set standards and regulations to prevent such misuse.
On the brighter side, many experts believe that by setting the right frameworks and investing in education and retraining, we can use the power of AI for the greater good. By fostering (促进) a culture of continuous learning and staying abreast (并排的，并肩的) of technological advancements, society can benefit from the promise of AI while avoiding its potential dangers.
In conclusion, artificial intelligence stands as one of the most profound inventions of our time. While it offers vast opportunities, it also poses significant challenges that we, as a society, must welcome. As we stand at this technological crossroads, our choices will determine whether AI serves as a benefit or a harm for humanity.
1. Which of the following best describes the method by which machines acquire the capability to perform tasks that traditionally required human intelligence?| A．By programming predefined rules. |
| B．Through user interactions every day. |
| C．By ingesting and processing vast amounts of data. |
| D．Via regular software updates from developers. |
| A．By citing numerous statistical data. |
| B．By presenting both the positive potential and the challenges of AI. |
| C．Through personal experiences. |
| D．By focusing on the negative effects of AI. |
| A．The Rise of Virtual Assistants: Siri and Alexa |
| B．Understanding the Mechanisms Behind AI Algorithms |
| C．Artificial Intelligence: Charting the Course for Tomorrow’s Tech |
| D．Balancing the Potential and challenges of AI in Modern Society |
| A．AI has already replaced most human jobs and is the leading cause of unemployment. |
| B．The global community has taken measures to prevent AI misuse. |
| C．The operation of many AI systems is easily understood by their creators. |
| D．The solving to the dilemma brought by AI needs collective efforts of our society. |
8 . Microgreen Farming
Microgreens have been used in cooking since the 1980s.
As with most vegetables, it all starts with seeds. But instead of allowing the plant to grow to its full potential, microgreens are created when the plant is harvested shortly after it starts to grow. The result is a strong flavor and an ingredient that packs a variety of nutrients and health benefits in a tiny, delicious package. The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry states that microgreens have increased levels of vitamins E, C and K.
One of the most significant benefits of using microgreens in dishes is that they provide an intense experience that will improve the overall flavor of any dish. Many chefs use them to add depth of flavor and to create complex flavor. Another benefit of microgreens is the convenience factor — they are incredibly easy to cook with!
Traditional plants require an extended amount of time and large amounts of land.
| A．Microgreens, on the other hand, are easy! |
| B．They were initially used as a form of decoration. |
| C．There is no prep and cutting work as with most vegetables. |
| D．They have as much as 40 times more nutrients than a mature plant. |
| E．One popular form of microgreens is a mix of purple and green radish. |
| F．Some beginners like to start with a familiar plant, such as radish, cabbage, or peas. |
| G．Mature traditional vegetables are generally harvested 2 to 4 months after they are planted. |
9 . Think of the words in your head: that tasteless joke you wisely kept to yourself at dinner; your unvoiced impression of your best friend’s new partner. Now imagine that someone could listen in.
Recently, scientists from the University of Texas, have made another step in that direction. In a study published in Neuroscience, the team showed it was possible to read people’s thoughts with a non-invasive brain scanner called fMRI and large language models (LLMs) built with GPT.
The study centered on three subjects, who lay in an fMRI scanner recording their brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow in parts of their brains while they listened to online stories. By integrating this information with the LLMs’ ability to understand how words relate to one another, the researchers developed an encoded (编码的) map of how each individual’s brain responds to different words. Then, the team worked backward. They recorded the fMRI activity while the participants listened to a new story. Using a combination of the patterns previously encoded for each individual and LLMs, the researchers attempted to translate this new brain activity.
While many of the sentences it produced were inaccurate, the decoder generated sentences that got the main idea of what the person was thinking. For instance, when a person heard, “I don’t have my driver’s license yet,” the decoder spat out, “She has not even started to learn to drive yet.” Alex Huth from the university said, “We were shocked and impressed that this worked as well as it does.”
The researchers also found that the technology isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each decoder was quite personalized and worked only for the person whose brain data had helped build it. Additionally, a person had to voluntarily cooperate for the decoder to identify ideas. If a person wasn’t paying attention to an audio story, the decoder couldn’t pick that story up from brain signals.
While the technology was still far from perfect, the result could ultimately lead to seamless devices that help people who can’t talk or otherwise communicate easily. However, the research also raises privacy concerns about unwelcome neural overhearing. The team said the potential of the technology was such that policymakers should proactively address how it can be legally used. Jerry Tang from the team said, “Nobody’s brain should be decoded without their permission. If one day it does become possible to get accurate decoding without a person’s will, we’ll have a regulatory foundation in place.”
1. What is the study mainly about?| A．The working principle of a smart scanner. |
| B．The potential impact of mind-reading GPT. |
| C．The advance in brain-decoding technology. |
| D．The breakthrough in large language models. |
| A．They fed the decoder data on people’s brain activities. |
| B．They employed the scanner to encode people’s thoughts. |
| C．They recorded the fMRI activity to assess thinking ability. |
| D．They used brain activity patterns to read the subjects’ mind. |
| A．The decoder worked as expected. |
| B．The decoder can get the wording right. |
| C．The decoder required willing participation. |
| D．The decoder can be applied to different people. |
| A．Personalize the technology. | B．Establish proper regulations. |
| C．Apply the technology across fields. | D．Break limitations of the technology. |
10 . As you leave the Bandhavgarh National Park in India, there is a notice which shows a huge tiger. The notice says, “You may not have seen me, but I have seen you.” There are more than a billion people in India and Indian tigers probably see humans every single day. Tigers can and do kill almost anything they meet in the jungle. However, it is a little strange that attacks on humans are not that frequent.
Some people might argue that these attacks were in fact common in the past. But there were far more tigers around in those days. So, to some extent, attacks appear to have been as rare then as they are today.
People think it is because of fears, but what exactly are tigers afraid of? Can they really know that we may be even better armed than they are? Surely not. Has the species programmed the experiences of all tigers with humans into its genes to be inherited as instinct? Perhaps. But I think the explanation may be simpler and, in a way, more interesting.
I suspect that a tiger’s fear of humans lies in the way he actually observes us visually. Imagine a tiger sees a man who is 1.8 meters tall. A tiger is less than 1 meter tall but he may be up to 3 meters long from head to tail. So when a tiger sees the man face on, it might not be unreasonable for him to assume that the man is 6 meters long. If he met a deer of this size, he might attack the animal by leaping on its back, but when he looks behind the man, he can’t see a back. From the front the man is huge, but looked at from the side he all but disappears. This must be very disturbing. A hunter has to be confident that it can kill its prey, and no one is confident when they are disconcerted.
The opposite is true of a squatting human. A squatting human is half the size and presents twice the spread of back, and appears like a medium-sized deer. Many incidents of attacks on people involve villagers bending over to cut grass. The fact that humans stand upright may not just distinguish them from other species, but also help them to survive in an unpredictable environment.
1. As for some people’s opinion on tiger attacks, the author is ________.| A．objective | B．unconcerned | C．supportive | D．disapproving |
| A．To present assumptions. | B．To evaluate arguments. |
| C．To question findings. | D．To confirm opinions. |
| A．Confused. | B．Annoyed. | C．Depressed. | D．Surprised. |
| A．It is the genes that cause the tiger’s fear of humans. |
| B．It is hard for a tiger to make out the shape of humans. |
| C．Tigers sense the danger the moment they spot humans. |
| D．Tigers are less confident when facing squatting humans. |
