1 . It’s a known fact that emissions (排放物) from gas-powered vehicles are harming the atmosphere. In response to this, Porsche, the German sports car company, began producing e-fuels at a pilot plant in Chile last year. Currently, the fuel will be used only in sports cars at Porsche’s performance and experience centers.
E-fuels are made by passing electricity through water. The electricity separates the hydrogen and oxygen from water. The hydrogen is then mixed with CO₂ to produce a liquid e-fuel, which can be produced using many renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. E-fuels follow the chemical structure of gasoline, making it possible for gas-powered cars to run on e-fuels almost without any change.
E-fuels can help ease the transform away from gas-powered cars, for those who may not be able to afford electric vehicles (EV). It will also help to reduce waste by keeping gas-powered cars in service, instead of throwing them away prematurely. Additionally, the use of e-fuels will not require new facility to be built unlike EVs. Existing gas stations and cars will be able to stay in use, which is already a big saving.
Despite the many benefits, opinions differ on whether e-fuels are truly eco-friendly. E-fuels are widely said to be nearly carbon neutral (碳中和), although an independent study indicates that e-fuels release the same amount of CO₂ as gasoline. Since e-fuels are still being developed and tested, their true impacts are still unknown. Meanwhile, e-fuels are very expensive to produce, partly due to energy loss during production. Unfortunately, only about half of the energy used in producing e-fuels is actually transformed into fuel. Additionally, only about 16% of the energy used in e-fuel production is actually used to power the car. Whereas, about 70% of energy is preserved when powering an EV. Even though the use of e-fuels will preserve existing facility, it will still take time and money to integrate it into everyday life. Currently, the price of e-fuels is nearly double the cost of regular fuel.
E-fuels are still a work in progress. Though opinions are divided on e-fuels, with more testing and development, they have been considered another way to help fight against the climate crisis. “There are currently more than 1.3 billion vehicles with combustion (内燃) engines worldwide. Many of these will be on the roads for decades to come, and e-fuels offer the owners of existing cars a nearly carbon-neutral alternative. With the e-fuels pilot plant, Porsche is playing a leading role in this development,” said Michael Steiner, member of the Executive Board for Development and Research at Porsche AG.
1. What can we learn from this passage?| A．E-fuels release no CO₂. |
| B．E-fuels were tested in Germany at first. |
| C．E-fuels are applicable to gas-powered cars. |
| D．E-fuels need to be mixed with CO₂ in actual use. |
| A．draw a conclusion. | B．present an opinion |
| C．further a discussion | D．provide a solution |
| A．Positive. | B．Dismissive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
2 . On Feb. 21, four students were standing on the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu when a driver going 110 miles per hour lost control of his car and it crashed into the parked vehicles.12 people were killed at the scene, including 2 drivers.
This kind of traffic death shouldn’t be called an accident. In Los Angeles, we seem to have accepted constant carnage (屠杀) in our streets in exchange for maximizing driver speed and convenience. The official responses to proven traffic dangers are mere gestures, if even that.
Los Angeles is a uniquely deadly city with a death rate that is four times the national average. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a city that has been designed with one thing in mind: a concept called level of service, which grades streets on how well they serve those in automobiles. To many Angelenos, that makes sense — to design our streets for car traffic, which is the way many get around the city. Unfortunately, we don’t recognize that there’s a trade-off. We can either have streets bettered for free-flowing traffic, or we can design streets for people to move around safely outside of cars.
City leaders consistently choose for the easy but deadly option. In one recent example, a resident asked the city’s Department of Transportation to block drivers from using Cochran Avenue at Venice Boulevard as a cut-through street, as they were speeding through a quiet residential neighbourhood. The department responded by suggesting a “speed awareness campaign” in which neighbours put up yard signs urging drivers to slow down.
People don’t drive based on signage, but they drive on the design of the street. The trunk roads of Los Angeles such as Venice Boulevard all need to be revised so that people are prioritized over cars. This would include narrowing travel lanes (道), building bike lanes, and banning right turns at red lights. These measures would make drivers feel like they’re in a city and not on a highway. A recent John Hopkins study says this would have substantial safety benefits.
With more than 7,500 miles of streets in the city of Los Angeles, they won’t all be rebuilt anytime soon. But with each road construction project, or each crash, we should be revising streets to make them safer for all road users.
The solution to traffic jam isn’t to make more space for cars. It’s to design the streets to be safe enough for alternatives such as biking, walking and mass transit, especially for the 50% of trips daily in Los Angeles that are less than three miles. The solution to protecting people dining outdoors isn’t crash barriers. It’s a street design that forces drivers to go slowly. The problem is carnage in the streets, and we know the solutions.
1. Why should the traffic death in Los Angeles be called “constant carnage”?| A．The traffic accidents happen quite often. |
| B．Too many people are killed in the traffic accidents. |
| C．The drivers’ speeding is to blame for the traffic death. |
| D．City leaders’ consistent choice contributes to the traffic death. |
| A．Balance. | B．Guideline. | C．Conflict. | D．Resolution. |
| A．To widen travel lanes. | B．To add more crosswalks. |
| C．To arrange more traffic police. | D．To punish speeding drivers. |
| A．Drivers first or walkers first? | B．Traffic death or constant carnage? |
| C．More warning signs or safer designs? | D．More narrow lanes or speedy highways? |
Winning a significant science award is a big deal, especially if you are 12 years old. But Marine Gill, a girl from Fresno, California, won the top award in the Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (SIIC) for designing a fire detection system superior to existing ones.
Marine’s inspiration came from a fire that destroyed a restaurant in her neighbourhood during the spring of 2023. “I had never really experienced something like that before,” she told The Washington Post about the early morning fire, which started in the kitchen. “They had smoke detecting device(设备), and yet it still burned down.”
After she studied fire statistics, Marine spent over half a year developing a fire detection system that could have prevented the fire. Unlike traditional smoke detectors that sense active fires from the smoke in the air, Marine’s thermal(热的) imaging device is designed to stop fires from occurring.
With a thermal camera and a tiny computer, the device detects when a heat source has been left unattended for ten minutes and sends a text message warning. The hardest part was the programming. “I had two designs, and my first design completely failed. It was a really big challenge I had to go through,” she said. The final device outperforms traditional smoke detectors in speed and accuracy. Marine wants to bring the costs down to make it even more common than hardwired smoke detectors.
“The top winners have , exhibited boundless possibility,” Maya Franklin, president of Society for Science, said in the press release. “Their remarkable research not only reflects their talent but also puts a stepping stone to an exciting new future.”
1. What design won Marine Gill the top award in the SJIC?2. From where did Marine draw inspiration for the design?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Unlike traditional smoke detectors, Marine’s thermal imaging device is designed to sense active fires from the smoke in the air.
4. What is the main quality that has made Marine a top winner? Why?(In about 40 words)
4 . About 40% adults and 19% children in the US are obese (肥胖的). Obese people are at increased risk of many serious diseases, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
Dietary “self-monitoring” is a common strategy. It involves recording what they consume, and how much. The theory is that when thinking of what you put in your body, you’ll make healthier decisions.
A good principle to follow may be “write when you bite”. Dietary self-monitoring can be performed in different ways — using an online program, using a pencil or using smart-phone applications.
| A．Can it really be that easy? |
| B．It is important to find what works for you. |
| C．Thus, long-term weight loss takes time and effort. |
| D．The risk factors that determine obesity can be complex. |
| E．In comparison, those who recorded less daily lost less weight. |
| F．Obesity is also associated with a lower life quality and poor mental health. |
| G．Study shows the more often you log your eating, the more weight you might lose. |
5 . Eleven o’clock at night saw a large woman with a large purse walking alone, when a boy ran up behind and tried to snatch (抢夺) her purse. But the boy lost his balance and fell on his back. The woman picked him up firmly by his shirt front.
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” shouted the woman. Two or three people passed, stopped, and stood watching.
“I’m very sorry, lady. I’m sorry,” whispered the skinny little boy, in broken tennis shoes.
“Um-hum! And your face is dirty,” said the large woman dragging the frightened boy. “Since you put yourself in contact with me, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Jones.”
He began to struggle, but Mrs. Jones continued to drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside. “What’s your name?” the woman asked.
“Roger,” answered the boy in a low voice. “Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” ordered the woman and finally let go of him.
“You gonna take me to jail (监狱)?” asked Roger, bending over the sink.
“Not with that face,” said Mrs. Jones. “I believe you were hungry to snatch my purse.”
“I wanted a pair of blue shoes,” replied the boy.
There was a long pause. After he had dried his face, the boy turned around. The door was open. He could run!
After a while the woman said, “I was young once and I wanted things I could not get. I have done things too, which I would not tell anybody else, son.” There was another long pause. The boy’s mouth opened.
Then Mrs. Jones went to do the cooking. She did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run, nor did she watch her purse left behind her. She did not ask him anything about where he lived, or his folks. Instead, as they ate, she told him a lot about her job in a hotel shop and how all kinds of people came in and out. She cut him another piece of her cake.
When they finished eating, she got up and said, “Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue shoes. Do not make the mistake, because shoes come by devilish ways like that will burn your feet.”
She led him to the front door. “Good night! Behave yourself, son!” she said, looking out into the street.
1. How did Roger feel when Mrs. Jones mentioned her past?| A．Frightened. | B．Surprised. | C．Settled. | D．Ashamed. |
| A．She intended to go easy on him. |
| B．He reminded her of her own son. |
| C．He put himself to be in contact with her. |
| D．She lacked an excuse to teach him a lesson. |
| A．Kind and generous. | B．Able and ambitious. |
| C．Frank and cooperative. | D．Calm and courageous. |
| A．Home is where the heart is. |
| B．Life is full of ups and downs. |
| C．A best parent is to lead by example. |
| D．A good deed shines the light into the dark. |
6 . We need people like you, who understand the power of science, to fund the research that will change lives in the future.
By donating to the Medical Research Foundation (MRF), you’ll be funding the research that future generations will depend on. MRF is an independent charity, focused solely on funding quality medical research. With close links to the Medical Research Council (MRC), we’re able to choose the most impactful studies and adapt quickly to meet any emerging health crisis, thanks to the support of people like you.
Your gift can support some of the brightest scientific minds. Many of these scientists are at the beginning of their careers, when funding is hardest to secure. Your support at this critical time can provide the springboard that a scientist needs to drive their research and career forward, ensuring they can continue to make life-changing discoveries.
MRF has supported researchers tackling pressing challenges like the Bird Flu, as well as vital areas of research that are often overlooked by other funders, ensuring we fill the gaps in our medical knowledge and protect the future of human health.
As someone interested in science, you will understand that while no one can predict what we will face next, we can be certain that it is only through ambitious, high-quality medical research that we will meet whatever new challenges come our way. By leaving a donation, you can have a lasting impact on science and on the future of human health.
| A．Provide service for the MRC. | B．Predict emerging health crisis. |
| C．Fund quality medical research. | D．Donate to people interested in science. |
| A．fill the gaps in medical knowledge |
| B．tackle the future pressing challenges |
| C．choose the most impactful medical studies |
| D．support some of the brightest scientific minds |
| A．To raise medical research funds. |
| B．To introduce the impact by donation. |
| C．To analyse the health crisis in the future. |
| D．To employ people devoted to medical research. |
7 . My House
My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army. She hated having to adjust to new schools and make new friends. That’s why I thought she was joking when she put forward the idea of moving. But she was completely serious. “For just the two of us,” my mother said, “an apartment in the city will suit our needs much better.” Personally, I think she’s lost her mind. I guess I can understand why she would want to move, but what about me and what this house means to me?
I suppose if you looked at my house, you might think it was just another country house. But to me it is anything but standard. I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first day like it was yesterday. The first thing I noticed was the big front yard. To me it seemed like an ocean of grass — I couldn’t wait to dive in. The backyard was full of gnarled (扭曲的，粗糙的) and scary trees that talk on windy nights. But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room. My father and I even built a small treehouse, where I often go to remember all the wonderful times we had before my father’s death.
This house is special — maybe only to me — but special nevertheless. It’s the little seemingly insignificant things that make this house so special to me: the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight; the smell of my father’s pipe that still exists: the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my bedroom window.
This house holds too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.
1. Why did the author’s mother decide to move?| A．Because she hated the countryside. |
| B．Because Grandpa was on constant move. |
| C．Because Dad’s death made her lose her mind. |
| D．Because she thought a city flat more fit for them. |
| A．The treehouse. | B．The green grass. | C．The big trees. | D．The cold floors. |
| A．By arguing whether the house was standard. |
| B．By explaining why the house suited their needs. |
| C．By describing the small things related to her house. |
| D．By comparing the differences between country and city life. |
8 . A relationship between the amount of adult speech children are exposed to and the concentration of myelin, a substance in the brain, has been found, researchers say. “I think the take-home message is, absolutely talking to your kids. It’s literally shaping the structure of the brain,” says the lead author, Prof John P. Spencer of the University of East Anglia.
The team find, for the 30-month-olds, larger amounts of adult speech are associated with higher quantities of myelin in language-related pathways in the brain; however, for the 6-month-olds, it goes the opposite way.
While the latter is unexpected, Spencer points out one possible factor: the brain’s stage of development.
“When babies are six months old, they experience massive growth of new nerve cells,” he says. “So the input comes in and may help extend the period of brain growth.” “While at 30 months, the brain starts to cutback some of the cell growth, and form specific connections. That’s where myelin comes in. So now the input starts to help structure the myelin,” he adds.
The researchers conclude adult speech is significant for both age groups and that the more adult speech children go through, the more sensitive they will be to language. The next step for them is to figure out whether the 6-month-old babies showing that negative connection will surely turn into 30-month-old kids who show positive relationship.
Dr. Saloni Krishnan, Reader in cognitive neuroscience (认知神经科学) at Royal Holloway, University of London, who is not involved in the work, however, notes individual differences in language ability are linked to genetics. “Children who are exposed to more language at home and have higher myelination will also have inherited genes(经遗传获得的基因) from parents who are more excellent in languages,” she said. “No final conclusion could be made before this potential genetic effect are tested. And yet there being currently no standard around the amount of input children should receive, caregivers should not necessarily feel pressure to talk more to their children.”
1. What surprises the team?| A．The finding for the 6-month-olds. |
| B．The finding for the 30-month-olds. |
| C．How the input help nerve cells grow. |
| D．How the input help structure the myelin. |
| A．It is positively related to myelin. |
| B．It cuts back some of the cell growth. |
| C．Its effect varies with the size of brains. |
| D．It is helpful for both groups’ language ability |
| A．The team should do more research. |
| B．Parents must talk more to their kids. |
| C．Inherited genes decide language ability. |
| D．The concentration of myelin makes no sense. |
9 . There exist cruel wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, so it’s not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us tide through difficult times in our lives. Putting a smile on someone’s face when you know they are feeling depressed, as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don’t know the person I’m joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (礼貌) to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don’t get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keeping your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to bypass the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
1. What is the author’s attitude towards the present world?| A．Positive. | B．Satisfied. | C．Critical. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．evidence and argument | B．opinions and persuasion |
| C．examples and conclusion | D．descriptions and analysis |
| A．speaking loudly | B．laughing hard |
| C．acting strangely | D．explaining carefully |
| A．talk about his own understanding of humor |
| B．introduce a practical way to get through daily life |
| C．encourage people to make jokes about serious matters |
| D．convince people of the power of being optimistic about life |
10 . Research has shown that people tend to get more happiness from spending their money on experiences, such as travel and entertainment, than on things, such as clothes and electronic goods. But are people happier during the purchased experience itself? Or does the happiness come more from expecting or remembering the experience?
A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, offers an answer. Our experiential purchases bring us greater pleasure in terms of expectation and remembrance than do our material purchases, but they also bring us greater in-the-moment enjoyment, the study found.
For the study, the researchers found 2,635 adults who agreed to receive texts at any time during the day. The texts began with a happiness question, which asked the participants to rate how they felt “right now” on a scale from very bad to very good. Half of them were then asked if they had made a material purchase within the past hour, such as clothing or electronic goods. The others were asked if they had made an experiential purchase within the past hour, such as eating in a restaurant or attending a concert.
The researchers found that the purchasers of the experiences express higher levels of happiness than the purchasers of the material goods, no matter how much the purchases cost.
To address possible differences in types of purchasers, the researchers made a second study in which they researched more than 5,000 adults. “We still observed the same result,” said Steve Lacy, the study’s lead author.
The researchers said a possible explanation is the endurance (持久) of experiences in people’s memories, while the observed value of material goods weakens over time.
“If you want to be happier, it might be wise to move some of your spending away from material goods and a bit more toward experiences,” Lacy said. “That would likely lead to greater happiness.”
1. The author put forward two questions in Paragraph 1 to _______.| A．make a fact clear | B．introduce a new research |
| C．list possible problems | D．doubt the opinion presented |
| A．To ask them about their spending plans. |
| B．To understand their needs and spending habits. |
| C．To track their purchasing activities and feelings. |
| D．To find out the change in their purchasing choices. |
| A．One picks up a few good bargains. |
| B．One pays for an amusement park trip. |
| C．One buys electronic goods in an online shop. |
| D．One spends a great deal on high-end products. |
