1 . Psychologists who study creative accomplishments throughout the life cycle generally find that creativity peaks between the ages of mid to late 30s or early 40s.They tend to view creativity from the perspective of creative and innovative disciplines, rather than individual accomplishment. And they find little variation across different professions and disciplines of creativity and innovation, such as the arts and sciences.

At What Age Does Creativity Peak? A new study shows that it counts on whether you are a conceptual or an experimental thinker.

But according to two economics professors at Ohio State University, that’s only part of the story. Their research, which looked at 31 Nobel Prize Winners in the field of economics and when they made their most significant contributions to the field, uncovered evidence of two peak cycles of individual creativity in the sciences, one that surfaces very early in some people’s careers, and another that, for others, rises up later in their lives. The difference between those who experience a peak in creativity during their mid twenties and those who are more likely to peak in their mid 50s, the researchers say, is in the type of creativity involved.

People who are conceptual innovators — those who think out of the box and challenge conventional wisdom — tend to come up with new ideas and innovations automatically and peak at an earlier age. Those creators who are more experimental — who build on their knowledge and accepted theories throughout their careers and ultimately find new and innovative ways to analyze that knowledge — tend to peak later in life.

Past research has shown that conceptual artists — poets, painters and novelists — who have clear and more immediate goals for their work, such as to communicate very specific and timely ideas or emotions, work in a different time frame than experimental artists, whose goals are less clear and less precise and who work through trial and error at a more gradual pace. Examples of conceptual innovators include Pablo Picasso, T.S. Eliot, Herman Melville, and Albert Einstein, all of whom contributed their most innovative work while they were young. Examples of experimental innovators include Paul Cezanne, Robert Frost, Virginia Woolf, and Charles Darwin.

The researchers believe that their findings on this view of creativity — that your most creative period is more a product of the type of creator you are and the nature of your work than of the particular field you are in — extend to other academic and scholarly disciplines as well. If you are a conceptual thinker, you are likely to be more creative when you are younger; if you are an experimental thinker, you are likely to do your most creative work when you are older, perhaps even past middle age. In theory, then, there are no limitations to creativity. You could end up doing your best work in your forties, fifties, sixties or even later.

1. What can affect the age of Creativity Peak?

A．Different professions.

B．Different disciplines.

C．The type of research.

D．The type of thinker.

2. The persons who ________ will peak later in life.

A．challenge conventional wisdom

B．have immediate goals for their work

C．share specific and timely ideas

D．work through trial and error gradually

3. What can we conclude from the passage?

A．An experimental thinker may be more innovative.

B．Creativity without limitations may peak at any age.

C．A scientist is more likely to do creative work than an artist.

D．The person who has less precise goals can do more creative work.

4. In writing this passage, the author aims to_________ .

A．reveal when the accomplishment peaks

B．analyze how to be more creative

C．explain the factors that influence creativity peaks

D．present the importance and limitations to creativity

2 . Coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean. They exist on vast scales and are equally important havens of biodiversity. Reefs occupy 0.1% of the oceans.     1    

Corals are useful to people. Without the protection which reefs afford from crashing waves, low-lying islands such as the Maldives would have flooded long ago, and a billion people would lose food or income. However, reefs are under threat from rising sea temperatures. Heat causes the algae (海藻) with which corals are living together to generate toxins (毒素) that force those coral to leave.     2    

Research groups around the world are coming up with plans of action to see if that will help, such as identifying naturally heat-resistant corals and cross-breeding such corals to create a new type.     3     Without carbon reduction and decline in local, coral-killing pollution, even resistant corals will not survive the century.

Doubters doubt humanity will get its act together in time to make much difference.

    4     Carbon targets are being set and ocean pollution is being dealt with. Countries that share responsibilities for reefs are starting to act together. Scientific workarounds can also be found. Natural currents can be applied to facilitate mass breeding. Sites of the greatest ecological and economical importance can be identified to maximize bang for buck.

    5     It could serve as a blueprint for other ecosystems. Hard-core greens — those who think that all habitats should be kept unspoiled — may not approve. But when entire ecosystems are facing destruction, the cost of doing nothing is too great to bear.

A．This can cause a coral’s death.

B．But there are grounds for optimism.

C．And they host a quarter of marine species.

D．Coral’s global ecosystem services are worth up to $10trn a year.

E．This mix of natural activity and human intervention is important.

F．This research can also be brought to bear on trying to save entire ecosystems.

G．However, the assisted evolution of corals does not meet with universal enthusiasm.

3 . In the 17th century when a British businessman heard that there were one hundred million people in China, he was determined to go there and sell spoons. He thought even if he could earn one penny for one spoon, he would still make a lot of money.     1    

Then, why do the Chinese people use chopsticks? Some people did research on the origin of China’s chopsticks. One theory is that chopsticks were very convenient for Chinese to use because China was an agricultural society, relying mainly on vegetables for food. When we steamed or boiled food, it was difficult for us to use spoons to dip vegetables in the soup.     2     Westerners, on the other hand, travelled with their animals from place to place and lived on meat. For them, knives and forks were more practical.

Chopsticks reflect gentleness and kindness, the main moral teaching of Confucianism.     3     First, don’t use it to hit the side of your bowl or plate to make noises, because Chinese people think only beggars would do this to beg for meals.     4     It means you lay the blame on others. Also, don’t stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. That usually appears at the funerals and is believed to be impolite to the host and the seniors who are at the table.

Today, chopsticks have become a typical part of Chinese culture, symbolising the power of unity.     5     However, ten pairs of chopsticks represent strength, which means they won’t break off in any cases. We Chinese people draw on this spirit, which always inspires and encourages us to work hand in hand for a better future.

A．As a result, spoons were designed and preferred by Westerners.

B．But to his surprise, the Chinese people use chopsticks, not spoons.

C．Therefore, Chinese people cleverly invented chopsticks to pick food.

D．Besides, never point at people with your chopsticks while using them.

E．Indeed, one chopstick is useless and so delicate that it can be broken readily.

F．So these virtues have gradually become the rules people follow in their daily life.

G．There are some rules about using chopsticks that you should pay great attention to.

4 . It’s worth being aware that developmental changes could make children more sensitive to the negative side of social media. During the teenage years, for example, the brain changes massively, and this can influence how young people act and feel—including making them more sensitive to social relationships, and status.

“Being a teenager is a really a major time of development,” says Orben. “You’re much more impacted by your peers, you’re much more interested in what other people think about you. And the design of social media might be more stressful at certain times.”

As well as age, other factors could influence the impact of social media on children and teenagers—but researchers are only just beginning to explore these individual differences. “There will be people who are more negatively or positively impacted at different time points. That might be due to living different lives, going through development at different points. They might be using social media differently.” says Orben.

For many parents, buying a child a phone is a practical decision. “In a lot of cases, parents are the ones that want the younger children to have phones so that they can keep in touch throughout the day.” says Odgers.

It can also be seen as a milestone on the road to adulthood. “I think for children it gives them a sense of independence and responsibility,” says Anja Stevie, researcher at the University of Vienna, Austria. “This is definitely something that parents should consider: are their children at a stage where they are responsible enough to have their own device?”

One factor parents shouldn’t overlook is how comfortable they feel with their child having a smart phone. Besides, it’s worth remembering, though, that having a smart phone need not open the floodgates to every single app or game available. “I’m increasingly hearing, when I interview children, that parents are giving them the phone but introducing requirements to check and discuss which apps they get, and I think that is probably really wise,” says Livingstone.

1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Parents feel comfortable when children have smart phones.

B．Many parents have a tendency to buy children smart phones.

C．Age does not influence the impact of social media on children.

D．It is unacceptable for parents to check apps on children’s phones.

2. What’s the writer’s attitude towards buying children smart phones?

A．Concerned.

B．Puzzled.

C．Pessimistic.

D．Subjective.

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

A．Parents’ Practical Decision	B．Negative Sides of Social Media
C．An Introduction of Apps & Games	D．When to Buy Children Smartphones

5 . Motivation is the desire to act in service of a goal. It’s the crucial element in setting and attaining our objectives. Some of the most common goals people make—and the most common goals they struggle to meet—are to eat healthier, work out more, and save more money. Many traps can prevent people from achieving those goals, but predicting those challenges can help achieve real change.

Many people struggle to stick to a diet. Research suggests that extrinsic (外在的) motivators—to avoid hurtful comments or fit into an outfit—can jumpstart the process but that intrinsic motivation—interest, enjoyment, and challenge in the journey—is key to sustained, lasting weight loss.    1    So it’s helpful to choose a diet that will be sustainable and effective and believe that the diet, start date, and end goals have been chosen autonomously and not “assigned” by others.

There are a few creative ideas to consider if motivation is a barrier to exercise. One is to widen the options you have: If you don’t have time to go to the gym, exercise by going for a walk, doing a bodyweight circuit, or watching a yoga video.    2    Yet you can also establish a social contract with a friend or family member. For example, if you allow phone time to replace exercise, you must donate to a cause of the other person’s choosing.

    3    The first is to set a specific saving goal for an emergency fund. This focused goal will build habits that become sustainable saving. The second is to save something every day, even if it’s just a few dollars, because repeat helps to form habits. Third, making savings visible, whether by checking a savings account online or keeping cash in a glass jar.    4     In addition to cultivating a saving attitude, it’s important to change a spending mindset.

Most people, unfortunately, fail to follow through on their New Year’s resolutions. This might be because people tend to set overwhelming goals, engage in all-or-nothing thinking, don’t predict barriers, and beat themselves up when they get off track. By addressing those traps, people are more likely to truly achieve their goals.

Motivation is one of the driving forces behind human behavior. It fuels competition and sparks social connection. Its absence can lead to mental illnesses such as depression.     5       It’s the key factors in setting and achieving our goals.

A．It is helpful to find a community of supporters.

B．People can break large goals into smaller pieces.

C．Eventually, consistently spend less than you make.

D．The following steps can help cultivate the habit of saving money.

E．Intrinsic motivation includes competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

F．Motivation includes the desire toward meaning, purpose, and a life worth living.

G．Another is to make exercise more enjoyable, such as by listening to a book on tape.

6 . The coronavirus pandemic has created an environment for research on social connection. One of the most common areas of inquiry over the past couple of years was how our sudden mass shift to digital communication — away from face-to-face — affected overall social connectedness. Researchers studied nearly 3,000 adults during the pandemic’s early months and found that email, social media, online gaming, and texting were not fungible for in-person interactions. Voice and video calls, were somewhat better.

Social connectedness is a key to happiness. Lower it, and you will be worse off — and so will your loved ones, especially your kids. One 2014 survey revealed that 62 percent of U.S. children thought their parents were too distracted to listen to them. The No. 1 reason was parents’ phone use.

It is clear that scrolling or surfing will reduce social connection: You do them instead of interacting. Virtual communications such as texting are by design interactive and should theoretically be less harmful. However, text messages can’t convey emotion very well, because we can’t hear or see our conversational partners. These technologies are to in-person interactions what a black-and-white, pixelated (像素化的) version of the Mona Lisa is to the real thing; identifiable, but incapable of producing the same emotional effects.

With communications on line, we tend to hop from person to person and thus swap depth for breadth. However, research has shown that deeper conversations bring more well-being than short communications. Meanwhile, in a recent study, teens who texted more often than their peers tended to experience more depression, more anxiety and poorer relationships with their fathers.

It might seem strange that we would voluntarily adopt technologies that hurt our happiness. One of the explanations is convenience. Vegetating (无所事事) in front of a screen is simply easier than talking with a person, and virtual communications such as texting are faster and easier than a visit or a phone call. Think of these technologies as grab-and-go food at a convenience store: It’s not great, but it sure is easy — and after you eat enough microwave foods, you forget what the real thing tastes like.

In all, for most of us — especially people who grew up with it — the internet is an unquestioned part of the ecosystem of life. Quitting the virtual communications from our life is clearly not the answer. Since we’re not going back to life before this kind of technology, we can and should use it mindfully in service of love.

1. What does the underlined word “fungible” most probably mean?

A．Responsible.

B．Changeable.

C．Reliable.

D．Replaceable.

2. As for virtual communications, the author is ________.

A．disapproving

B．doubtful

C．supportive

D．cautious

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

A．Virtual Communication Does Little Harm to People

B．Technology Can Make Your Relationships Shallower

C．Quitting Virtual Communication Is Just around the Corner

D．Technology Creates a Good Environment for Deeper Conversations

7 . Ask a smart home device for the weather forecast and it takes several seconds for the device to respond. This latency (延时) occurs as connected devices don’t have enough memory or power to store and run the enormous machine-learning models needed for the device to understand what a user is asking of it. The model is stored in a data center that may be hundreds of miles away, where the answer is computed and sent to the device.

MIT researchers have created a new method for computing directly on these devices, which drastically reduces this latency. Their technique shifts the steps of running a machine-learning model to a central server where components of the model are encoded onto light waves. The waves are sent to a connected device using fiber optics (纤维光学), which enables tons of data to be sent lightning-fast through a network. The receiver then employs a simple optical device that rapidly performs computations using the parts of a model carried by those light waves.

This technique leads to more than a hundredfold improvement in energy efficiency when compared to other methods. It could also improve security, since a user’s data do not need to be transferred to a central location for computation. This method could enable a self-driving car to make decisions in real-time while using just a tiny percentage of the energy currently required by power-hungry computers. It could also allow a user to have a latency-free conversation with their smart home device, be used for live video processing, or even enable high-speed image classification on a spacecraft millions of miles from Earth.

“Every time you want to run a neural network, you have to run the program, and how fast you can run the program depends on how fast you can pipe the program in from memory. Our pipe is massive — it corresponds to sending a full feature-length movie over the internet every millisecond or so. That is how fast data comes into our system. And it can compute as fast as that,” says professor Dirk England.

The neural network architecture involves storing weights in a central server that is connected to a novel piece of hardware called a smart transceiver. This smart transceiver, a thumb-sized chip(芯片), can receive and send data. Moving forward, the researchers want to update the smart transceiver chip to achieve even better performance.

1. What’s the paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．The cause of the latency.

B．The effect of the latency.

C．The advanced smart device.

D．The models stored in a data center.

2. How does this new method reduce latency?

A．By improving the parts of a model.

B．By using optics to speed up computations.

C．By computing directly in remote data centers.

D．By inventing a new machine-learning model.

3. The author mentions a self-driving car to ________.

A．introduce the impact of the latency

B．explain how data is quickly computed in this system

C．demonstrate the technique’s energy saving and safety

D．highlight the user’s satisfaction with modern technology

4. What can we infer from this passage?

A．The new technique will be further improved.

B．Optics needs to be developed and used urgently.

C．The new computing architecture is very perfect.

D．The technique was developed to send movies over the internet.

8 . Enjoy the family-friendly adventure at Dino Park in Myrtle Beach! This exciting museum gives guests the chance to come face-to-face with life-sized dinos! These beasts have a vast history that will spark imagination and allow visitors of all ages to enjoy educational fun.

During your self-guided adventure through Dino Park, you will be treated to up-close views at dazzling animatronics(电子动画) of your favorite scaly dinosaurs. There are more than 20 life-sized dinosaurs to discover. Along the way, you will be able to learn about some awesome dino facts and get your fill of prehistoric fun!

Additionally, visitors will be able to enjoy CGI footage that gives a glimpse into the lives of the dinos. It is the perfect way to learn all about the dinosaurs through interesting facts and hands-on activities. Throughout the museum are various facts about the dinosaurs displayed on informative and colorful posters.

Dino Park activities

Dino Explore Pit: The kids will have a blast diving into the Dino Explore Pit! This ball pit features 100,000 balls offering tons of room to bounce around. It is a fun attraction for all ages to enjoy.

Dig a Dino Fossil: Become a real-life archaeologist as you put your digging skills to the test! Look out for some awesome fossils as you search for the next greatest dinosaur discovery.

Ride a Tyrannosaurus: This fun animatronic ride is perfect for kids who want to experience some thrilling fun! Climb aboard for an action-packed ride that you won’t soon forget.

Play Area: Kids will enjoy burning off some extra energy at the playground area. The playground features dino-themed puzzle floors, bright pictures on the walls, and play equipment featuring a slide and dinosaurs they can climb on.

So, whether you are a longtime dinosaur lover or want to bring the kids to see some moving dino park exhibits, you are sure to have a great time here!

1. At Dino Park, visitors ________.

A．can feel the joy of prehistoric times

B．will be taught animatronics face to face

C．will be able to find the perfect way to see CGI film

D．can participate in hands-on poster making activities

2. Which of the following will remain fresh in the minds of kids?

A．Dino Explore Pit.	B．Dig a Dino Fossil.
C．Ride a Tyrannosaurus.	D．Play Area.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce a variety of life-sized dinosaurs.

B．To recommend a museum with educational fun.

C．To compare the different activities at the Dino Park.

D．To provide archaeologists with some clues about dinosaurs.

9 . The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is responsible for evaluating and judging whether a place could be titled The World Heritage Site. The group chooses sites based on historical and cultural importance, as well as their beauty.

The World Heritage in Beijing

Constructed from 1406 to 1420, The Temple of Heaven is an imperial complex of religious buildings situated in the central area of Beijing. The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design.

The Temple comprises three main groups of constructions: The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, The Imperial Vault of Heaven and The Circular Mound Altar.

The World Heritage in Luoyang

Situated on the central plain of China, Luoyang is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization.

The Longmen Grottoes, south of the city, were excavated and carved from 493 AD to 1127 AD. It was listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2000.The images were carved as outside rock reliefs and inside artificial caves. There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 2,345 caves. The area also has over sixty Buddhist pagodas.

The World Heritage in Wiltshire

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in England. It consists of a ring of standing stones, topped by connecting stones. The whole monument, now ruinous, is oriented towards the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Stonehenge is regarded as a British cultural icon. The site and its surroundings were added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.

Archaeologists believe Stonehenge was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. It could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.

1. What can we learn about Stonehenge?

A．Stonehenge is a symbol of British culture.

B．Stonehenge has a history of 3000 years.

C．Stonehenge consists of stones and wood.

D．Stonehenge is not oriented towards the sunrise.

2. According to the passage, we can learn that ________.

A．there are 100,000 caves in The Longmen Grottoes

B．The Temple of Heaven has three main groups of buildings

C．only one site in Luoyang is listed in The World Heritage Sites

D．the Temple of Heaven has been titled the World Heritage Site for 30 years

3. What do the three sites in the text have in common?

A．They have caves, halls and statues.

B．They are ancient imperial buildings.

C．They all have historical and cultural value.

D．They are connected with Buddhist culture.

10 . Improve Cloud Security

Sensitive customer data has constantly been found exposed on cloud servers without password protection. To ease the problem, database software makers have been trying to make security easier for cloud database managers. At the Enigma Conference in San Francisco, Kenn White, a security manager at database software maker MongoDB, will describe a new technique, called field level encryption, to make data safer on the cloud.

Field level encryption works by scrambling data before it’s sent to a cloud database and rearranging it in order when the data is needed for use. The promise of the product is to protect the contents of a cloud database, even if bad guys access it.

MongoDB’s new feature comes as more and more companies move user data to cloud servers, rather than run their own costly data centers. It was predicted that cloud computing would be a $214 billion industry by the end of 2019. That would be up more than 17% from 2018, when it was $182 billion.

Companies have rushed to the cloud without understanding all of the possible security consequences. Many companies have left countless databases exposed, revealing personal data. A database containing details about who lives in 80 million US households was left unprotected in 2019, just like the data on Facebook users.

Database managers want to store their data in an unreadable form, but they also want to be able to find specific pieces of information in the database with a simple search term. For example, someone might want to look up health care patients by their Social Security numbers, even if those numbers are stored as random characters. To make this possible, field level encryption lets database managers encrypt a search term on their machine and send it to the database as a query. The database matches the encrypted version of the search term with the record it’s storing and then sends it back to you.

This approach only works with specific kinds of data. For example, field level encryption isn’t useful for long text entries, like notes in a patient’s medical chart, because you can’t search for individual words.

Still, for data like account numbers, passwords and government ID numbers, field level encryption protects data and maintains a usable database.

Most importantly, White said, it’s simple to set up. Database managers turn it on with a one-time configuration change when they set up the database. “That’s really powerful,” he said in an interview.

1. The underlined word “scrambling” in paragraph 2 probably means________.

A．mixing

B．collecting

C．hiding

D．storing

2. What can field level encryption do?

A．Secure the safety of Internet pages.	B．Protect files with a unique style of storage.
C．Stop bad guys from accessing the database.	D．Enable companies to store files on the cloud.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Companies should move user data to cloud servers.

B．Cloud computing achieved a 17% increase in 2019.

C．Companies may be unaware of the risks of the cloud.

D．No companies were willing to run their own data centers.

4. The author wrote the passage mainly to ________.

A．present some facts	B．offer security advice
C．introduce a technique	D．recommend a product