1 . For decades, scientists thought of the brain as the most closely guarded organ. Locked safely behind a biological barrier, away from the disorder of the rest of the body, it was broadly free of destruction of germs (病菌) and the battles started by the immune system.

Then, 20-odd years ago, some researchers began to ask a question: is the brain really so separate? The answer, according to a growing body of evidence, is no — and has important effects on both science and health care.

The list of brain conditions that have been associated with changes elsewhere in the body is long and growing. Changes in the make-up of the microorganisms resident in the gut (肠道), for example, have been linked to disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Some researchers think that certain infections could provoke Alzheimer’s disease and some could lead to emotional disorder in babies.

The effect is two-way. There is a lengthening list of symptoms (症状) not typically viewed as disorders of the nervous system in which the brain and the neural processes that connect it to the body play a large part. For example, the development of a fever is influenced by a population of neurons (神经元) that control body temperature and appetite. The effect of brain on body is underlined by the finding that stimulating a particular brain region in mice can ‘remind’ the body of previous inflammation (炎症) — and reproduce them.

These findings and others mark a complete shift in our view of the interconnectedness of brain and body, and could help us both understand and treat illness. If some brain conditions start outside the brain, then perhaps cures for them could also reach in from outside. Treatments that take effect through the digestive system, heart or other organs, for instance, would be much easier and less striking to give than those that must cross the blood-brain barrier, the brain’s first line of defence.

In the opposite direction, the effects of our emotions or mood on our capacity to recover from illness could also be used. There is an opening work under way testing whether stimulating certain areas of the brain that respond to reward and produce feelings of positivity could enhance recovery from conditions such as heart attacks. Perhaps even more exciting is the possibility that making changes to our behaviour — to reduce stress, say — could have similar benefits.

For neuroscientists, it’s time to look beyond the brain. And clinicians treating the body mustn’t assume the brain is above getting involved — its activity could be influencing a wide range of conditions, from mild infections to long-time fatness.

1. The author writes paragraph 1 mainly to ______.

A．evaluate an argument

B．present an assumption

C．summarize the structure

D．provide the background

2. What does the underlined word “provoke” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Delay.

B．Cure.

C．Cause.

D．Disturb.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Treatments that cross brain-blood barrier are less used.

B．Previous diseases could cause the production of new ones.

C．Emotions could affect the capacity to fight against diseases.

D．Treatment of the brain takes priority over other treatments.

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion

A．	B．
C．	D．

2 . As biologist Nicola Foster and her colleagues guided a remote-controlled monitor through the coral reefs (珊瑚礁) of the Indian Ocean’s Chagos Archipelago, they saw corals full of color near the surface. But nearly 300 feet below, in the darker and colder waters of what oceanographers call the “twilight zone,” some corals had turned terrible white, leaving them vulnerable (脆弱的) to disease and death.

“It wasn’t something we were expecting to see,” says Foster, who studies deeperwater coral ecosystems called mesophotic reefs. Mesophotic reefs would seem to be protected from rising sea-surface temperatures that white n higher-up corals. But this team’s 2019 observations show the deepest instance of bleaching (变白) ever recorded — suggesting similar reefs are more vulnerable than previously believed.

Bleaching often happens when warming water boosts corals to remove the colorful algae (水藻) that live in their tissues and help to sustain them. Although surface waters weren’t typically warm when Foster and her team took their measurements, the twilight zone waters neared 84 degrees Fahrenheit (华氏度) — far above the 68-to 75-degree range in which mesophotic corals are used to.

The researchers realized that bleaching is related to the timing of the Indian Ocean Dipole. This phenomenon shifts the region’s surface winds and ocean currents, says study co-author Phil Hosegood. Wind and waves shake the upper ocean, keeping it relatively warm and uniform in temperature. But the 2019 dipole deepened this well-mixed upper layer; the thermocline (the slice of ocean that separates warm upper waters from the cold depths) had become deeper than normal. Then, those corals were exposed to temperatures that are normally found at the surface.

This observation suggests mesophotic reefs elsewhere could also be bleaching. Fortunately, the corals in this study had largely recovered their color by 2022, Foster notes. But each bleaching stresses the corals and, if extended, can starve them. Future Indian Ocean Dipole patterns are likely to be more severe, Hosegood says, noting that data suggest “that these natural cycles are becoming increased with climate change.”

1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?

A．Corals in twilight zone become vulnerable because of bleaching.

B．Corals normally found at the surface were found in twilight zone.

C．Mesophotic reefs are much more vulnerable than higher-up reefs.

D．Mesophotic reefs and higher-up reefs need different temperature.

2. According to the passage, which group of pictures can describe the changes caused by the Indian Ocean Dipole?

A．	B．
C．	D．

3. Regarding the future of mesophotic reefs, Hosegood probably feels ______.

A．excited

B．worried

C．curious

D．hopeful

3 . Up to the age of ten, I did not mind at all the fact that my elder sister was different. The child psychologist had termed it as “Asperger Syndrome”, a disease that affects how a person socializes with others.

It was only at the age of ten that I started to become aware of my social life and self-image that I had carefully shaped. My sister, on the other hand, was socially awkward. She would mumble (咕哝) to herself and repeat the words she had just said under her breath. She, however, was academically capable, and hence we attended the same primary school. Despite this, I never, ever acknowledged in public that she was my sister.

Being in primary six, about to graduate, my sister and her classmates had to put up a performance, whether in a group, or individually. Due to her inability to integrate, my sister was the only one left without a group. “I’ll sing,” my sister told my parents, somewhat confidently. Hearing that, I was taken aback. How could my sister sing in front of the school? She would embarrass me, one way or another. “No!” I remember protesting. My parents shot me a look.

No one knows she is your sister. It is fine, you do not need to tell anyone. I remember telling myself these exact lines as I sat in the hall, waiting for the performances to start. The curtains parted to reveal the only solo (独唱) — my sister. It took about a whole minute for her to state her name and class and by that time, whispers were heard in the audience.

“Why is she taking so long?” people around me asked. I shifted nervously in my seat. Finally, my sister started to sing. I was prepared for the worst. She opened her mouth, and I was transfixed — she sang effortlessly. Her voice rang through the hall, beautiful in its power. I listened ever so carefully to the words that she had composed all by herself.

Guilt and shame filled my heart. Although she knew that I was embarrassed by her and was unwilling to attend her concert, my sister had forgiven me; she had never taken anything that I had done to her to heart. It was then that I resolved to love her unconditionally.

1. How did the author feel about his sister’s difference before 10?

A．He hardly accepted it.	B．He didn’t care about it.
C．He was extremely awkward.	D．He was determined to help.

2. Why did the author protest against his sister’s decision?

A．To challenge his parents.	B．To follow other students.
C．To keep his sister’s image.	D．To protect his self-respect.

3. What do we know about the author’s sister?

A．She always got full marks in primary school.

B．She refused to form a group with other students.

C．She gave an excellent performance before graduation.

D．She delivered an inspiring speech in front of the school.

4. What lesson did the author learn from his sister?

A．Take nothing to heart.	B．Love without condition.
C．Stick to one’s own choice.	D．Learn from anyone around.

4 . Have you considered contributing your skills and expertise virtually towards achieving sustainable human development efforts? Through the Online Volunteering service of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, you can connect with UN agencies, governments, public institutions and civil society organizations — from any device, anywhere in the world. While extending your network, you can also get first-hand practical experience.

Requirements:
·To sign up on the Unified Volunteering Platform and apply for Online Volunteer assignments, you must be at least 18 years of age.
·There is no particular background required to become an Online Volunteer. Each Online Volunteer assignment is different and has its own requirements, set by the host organization.
· As an Online Volunteer, you can only support organizations remotely in assignments up to 20 hours per week for a maximum of 12 weeks for each assignment.
Criteria and service rules:
· Online Volunteers are not under contract with the UNV programme or the engaging organization.
· Online Volunteers do not receive any kind of financial benefits.
·For each Online Volunteering assignment, a maximum of 25 Online Volunteers can be engaged.
Procedures:
· Volunteers find assignments of their interest and apply.
· Organizations select the volunteers they want to engage.
· Volunteers and organizations work together online.
· Volunteers and organizations provide feedback on their cooperation.
· Organizations issue an electronic certificate of appreciation to their volunteers.
1. Through the UNV programme, one can ______.

A．travel around the world	B．improve their network skills
C．set up civil society organizations	D．work on sustainable development

2. Which is a requirement for the applicants?

A．Being no less than 18 years.

B．Finishing 25 online assignments.

C．Working at least 20 hours a week.

D．Having some practical experience.

3. When working in the UNV programme, volunteers will ______.

A．sign a contract with an organization

B．find tasks of their interest and apply

C．get a paper certificate of appreciation

D．receive some kind of financial benefits

5 . When fighting sugar dependence, avoiding added sugar in the diet is key, which sounds simple — right? It certainly does, but things become a bit more complicated once we introduce alternative sweeteners into the mix.

    1     Many people think that if they replace the sugar in their diet with alternative sweeteners, they’ll be good to go, but this isn’t necessarily the case.

Alternative sweeteners are everywhere.     2     For example, Stevia is a popular sugar substitute (代替者) because it is up to 200 times sweeter than sugar and provides fewer calories. Mon k fruit is another example that is free from calories, sweeter than table sugar, and gained from the juice of monk fruit.     3     Sugar alcohols provide fewer calories than regular sugar because they are not fully absorbed by the body.

Now that we know some of the common types of alternative sweeteners, let’s take a deeper dive into the problem with them. Research in animals has shown that removing calories from foods that taste sweet can interrupt the ability to control energy intake.     4     If we consume high amounts of alternative sweeteners, it may heighten our preference for sweetness, resulting in the overuse of sugar-sweetened foods and drinks.

The other interesting thing about alternative sweeteners is that our brains don’t recognize them as “fake (假的)” sugar.     5     Whenever a food tastes sweet, a message is sent to the brain that communicates we are tasting a sweet food — which can further feed into the sugar dependence cycle.

So what do I recommend? In order to fully put a definite end to sugar dependence, reducing your intake of alternative sweeteners should be the goal.

A．The taste profile of alternative sweeteners varies.

B．We can’t forget about the ever-so-popular sugar alcohols.

C．There are countless alternative sweeteners on the market.

D．Our brain senses something sweet and thinks it is real sugar.

E．They may help reduce the calorie content of good-tasting foods and drinks.

F．Artificial sweeteners may also cause one’s body to prefer sweeter-tasting foods.

G．Alternative sweeteners are referred to as “low-calorie” or “no-calorie” sweeteners.

6 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

Uncertainty is all around us, never more so than today. Whether it concerns your health or relationships, much of what lies ahead in life remains uncertain.

We’re all different in how much uncertainty we can tolerate in life. Some people seem to enjoy taking risks and living unpredictable lives, while others find the randomness of life deeply annoying. But all of us have a limit. If you feel controlled by uncertainty and worry, it’s important to know that you’re not alone; many of us are in the same boat.

To cope with all this uncertainty, many of us use worrying as a tool for trying to predict the future and avoid unpleasant surprises. Worrying can make it seem like you have some control over uncertain circumstances. You may also believe that it will help you find a solution to your problems or prepare you for the worst. Unfortunately, long-term worrying just robs you of enjoyment in the present and weakens your energy. But there are healthier ways to cope with uncertainty.

Identify your uncertainty trigger (诱发因素). A lot of uncertainty tends to be self-generated. However, some can be generated by external sources, such as reading media stories that focus on bad news, or simply communicating with anxious friends. By recognizing your triggers, you can take action to avoid or reduce your exposure to them.

Shift your attention. Focus on solvable worries, taking action on those aspects of a problem that you can control, or simply go back to what you were doing. When the feelings of uncertainty return, refocus your mind on the present moment and your own breathing.

1. How are people different in tolerating uncertainty in life?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do many people use worrying as a tool to deal with uncertainty?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▶ Knowing the triggers of your uncertainty, you can learn to expose yourself to them.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are you most uncertain about right now? How will you deal with it? (In about 40 words)
___________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a paid nine-week internship (实习) program that connects college undergraduates to communities through local political experiences and prepares them to lead and advocate for the civic engagement.

General Information:

·Program Duration: June 24th, 2024 — August 23rd, 2024

·Location and Time Commitment: CLA will be an in-person, full-time program (5 days per week, about 40 hours per week).

·Payment: Each intern will receive $4,000 upon satisfactory completion of the program.

Program Goals:

·To gain new skills and knowledge

·To deepen understanding of issues that impact the local community

·To explore civic leadership career paths

·To develop professional experience and skills to be effective in political advocacy and campaign support

Program Components:

·Interns will work together to develop a project.

·Interns will be placed in a public, private, or non-profit host office.

·Interns will learn about and support civic engagement efforts with their Host Office.

·Interns will develop leadership skills and expand understanding of civic engagement.

Requirements for the applicants:

·Have a minimum GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.0

·Be a current student with at least one year of college completed or a recent college graduate

·Be able to actively participate in all major events

For full consideration, applicants must ensure both Application and Letter of Recommendation are received by Sunday, January 28th, 2024 at 11:59 pm.

1. The program aims to help participants _______.

A．lead political campaigns	B．make high academic achievements
C．choose civic leadership career paths	D．deepen understanding of civic issues

2. CLA will provide interns _______.

A．a training online	B．a project to finish individually
C．a leader position in a Host Office	D．a $ 4,000 payment for great work

3. Which is a requirement for the applicants?

A．Participating in all events.	B．Having a GPA no less than 3.0.
C．Applying after January 28th, 2024.	D．Being a current high school student.

8 . Borders, departments, or issue areas all represent what systems analysts call system boundaries. System boundaries divide the big, messy, interconnected world into smaller subsystems. This is useful, even necessary. Our minds and our collective governance systems would be stuck if we had to always consider all the connections of everything to everything else. But dividing systems into subsystems can sometimes break a natural cooperativity. For instance, a decarbonizing country will spend money in its energy and transportation sectors and save money in its health system.

Decarbonization could be a win for the whole, but it might be experienced as a bother for particular subsystems.

Donella Meadows, the early systems modeler, wrote that system boundaries are “lines in the mind, not in the world.” And that is actually good news. If departments, and disciplines are just ideas, then there is nothing immovable about them. We can make these borders less obvious and conduct partnerships across them. We can even redraw them to include more of what matters in a single project or investment. That’s the premise of multisolving — using one investment of time or effort to achieve several goals at once.

For instance, Warm Up New Zealand (WUNZ) upgraded the energy efficiency of residential buildings and provided jobs in the building sector after a financial downturn. The project resulted in better health for residents, as well. That translated into health systems savings. Taken together, a 2011 study estimated that across all these benefits, the project saved $3.90 for every $1 invested.

Multisolving seems possible everywhere and like an obvious choice. Yet, it is very much the exception, not the rule. Why is multisolving still so rare when it has the power to boost progress on some of the most urgent issues we face?

Unfamiliarity stands in the way, as does an often-unexamined assumption that making issues smaller makes them easier to address. We often hear the viewpoint, “I already work on poverty (or climate, etc.) and that’s hard enough. Why should I add biodiversity or pollution to the mix?” Fundraising for crossing borders can be a struggle too. Funders want the “visible results” shown, but they don’t always see crossing borders as an essential part of achieving those results.

It is easy to devalue and underemphasize connection-building. After all, it can be delicate and not always visible. But to realize goals in today’s world, from equitable policies and low-carbon facilities to values like cooperation and fairness, we do need deep shifts, and we need them soon. And facilitating the flow of ideas back and forth across borders is one way to speed change.

1. As for systems boundaries, the author is ______.

A．critical

B．puzzled

C．supportive

D．unconcerned

2. What does the word “premise” underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Prediction.

B．Precondition.

C．Prevention.

D．Presentation.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．People are familiar with multisolving.

B．WUNZ performed multisolving successfully.

C．Raising money helps to produce visible results.

D．Multisolving is widely used to address problems.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Multisolving: Hard to achieve soon

B．Multisolving: Essential to solve small issues

C．Multisolving: Conducting partnership across borders

D．Multisolving: Making systems whole, healthy, and sustainable

9 .

If you have ever seen a snowflake design on jewelry or a bag, chances are it was based on one of Wilson Bentley’s more than 5,000 photomicrographs of snow crystals (晶体).

At first, though, Bentley did not have any way to share his enjoyment of the delicate hexagons (六边形) other than to draw them. He spent hours outside or inside his unheated storeroom with a microscope. He would pick up a snow crystal and transfer it to a microscope slide. There, he flattened it with a bird feather. Then, holding his breath, he observed the crystal and hurried to draw what he saw before it turned forever into thin air.

A few years later, Bentley began his pursuit to photograph a snow crystal. He attached a microscope to a camera. Time after time, his negatives appeared blank. The following winter, he finally figured out that too much light was reaching the camera. His solution was to place a metal plate with a tiny hole in the center beneath the stage of the microscope. It cut down the stray (杂散的) light and allowed only the light waves carrying the image to reach the camera.

On January 15, 1885, at the age of 19, Bentley finally photographed a snowflake! He spent many hours over the next 45 years in his tiny darkroom developing negatives.

Bentley lived his entire life on his childhood farm. He farmed for a living. To his friends and family, he was kind, gentle, and funny “Willie”. But to scientists, he was the untrained researcher who became a snow crystal pioneer. He wrote for science journals. He not only photographed snow crystals but also became an authority on dew (露水) and frost. He kept a detailed daily log of local weather conditions throughout his life. He developed a method to measure the size of raindrops too.

Bentley never made more than a few thousand dollars from his work. It had been a labor of love, and he was satisfied to be able to share the beauty of his snow crystals with the world. And today, he is remembered as Snowflake Bentley.

1. Why did Bentley draw the snow crystals?

A．To design products.	B．To become an artist.
C．To share his pleasure.	D．To research the weather.

2. To photograph a snow crystal, Bentley _______.

A．improved the microscope	B．changed the negatives
C．turned down the light	D．invented a camera

3. What do we know about Bentley?

A．He lived a successful but boring life.	B．He was laughed at for lack of training.
C．He earned a lot of money from his photos.	D．He was not only an artist but also a scientist.

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Intelligence is the key to success.
C．Love and devotion makes a person.	D．Chances are for those who are prepared.

10 . Is your teen time really that different from that of your parents or grandparents?

Weak. Easy to be angry. Addicted to their phones. Are these what come to mind when we think of the teens of this generation (一代人)? While there may be a little of truth to this thought, there might be more to the teens of this generation than what is generally seen.

Never before have the lives of any generation been as connected with mobile technology and social media as the teens of this generation. It follows then that there will be some problems resulting from this new age of technology. The popular use of social media has led to a world in which teens are responsible to join. Compared to the parents or grandparents who were likely less connected, these teens are “busy” in their social circles. It is no wonder then that the health of this generation’s teens has been damaged.

Moreover, the teens today are more independent. This is quite different from the more village spirit or community thought of the parents’ and grandparents’ times. Gone is the relationship among neighbours who are friendly with one another and quick to offer a helping hand when they see another in need. In its place, we have teens who may not even know who lives in the unit next to theirs, much less offer a friendly nod or wave when they happen to cross streets with a neighbour.

Yet, the influences of technology on the teens of this generation are not all bad. The very connectedness that social media brings about has led to an opening of minds and a development of dialogue among people of various cultures and backgrounds. Using social media means that one can know those people and their different ways of life. The parents or grandparents of this generation probably did not have the same chance to get to know people outside of their social circles at their age, so they may have fixed ideas of people different from them. The teens of this generation, on the other hand, has the chance to use this technology to learn more about and try to understand the various things out there. As a result, this might be why the teens of this generation are generally more open-minded than their parents and grandparents.

All in all, the teens of this generation are different in many ways from their elders. Every generation is a product of the events of their time and this generation therefore is different from past generations, with the changes around them at the same time.

1. Which statement is correct according to the passage?

A．Most old people may not know their next-door neighbors.

B．People usually think the new generation is stronger and calmer.

C．Social media and technology may bring some influences to teens.

D．The new generation may have fixed ideas of people different from them.

2. What does the underlined word “damaged” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A．Broken.	B．Relieved.
C．Increased.	D．Developed.

3. According to the writer, which of the following words can best describe the new generation?

A．Brave and smart.

B．Open and independent.

C．Friendly and confident.

D．Responsible and patient.

4. What can we learn from Paragraph 5?

A．The new generation is better because of their age.

B．Technology has bad influences on the old generation.

C．People use social media to learn different people.

D．The use of social media brings some benefits to the new generation.

5. Which would be the best title (标题) for this passage?

A．How Does the New Generation Change the Culture?

B．How Are Teens Today Different from Past Generations?

C．What Are the Weaknesses of the Old and New Generation?

D．What Are the Influences of Technology on the New Generation?