1 . A new study suggests classic paintings by well-known Impressionists Joseph Turner and Claude Monet may have been influenced by air pollution during the Industrial Revolution.
Scientists don’t know exactly how polluted the cities were during that time for lack of data. However, researchers say that examining the works of Turner and Monet can give a picture of long-term environmental change with the air pollution.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by authors from Harvard and Sorbonne universities, analyzed 60 oil paintings by Turner from 1796 to 1850 and 38 paintings by Monet from 1864 to 1901. Scientists successfully measured painters’ representation (再现) of nature, focusing on the colors as well as differences in local weather patterns which influenced coloring. They significantly found that paintings composed in Britain generally feature a greyer blue sky than works in other parts of Europe.
Researchers particularly believe changes in local sulfur dioxide (二氧化硫) emissions from burning coal may explain changes in the color contrast and intensity (亮度) of Turner’s and Monet’s works, even after taking into account the artistic trends and subject matter of the time.
Generally, artists can historically accurately represent their environment. Turner and Monet were chosen because they are famous for their landscape and cityscape paintings and also because they were active during the Industrial Revolution, when air pollution grew at a rate never seen before.
Additionally, researchers say that since the air in London was much polluted, the cities would appear grey and dull to the eyes as well as in photographs. By comparing the paintings of Turner and Monet to photos from the era, they were able to determine the painting works were definitely influenced by the change in emissions.
1. What did the researchers find in the works of Turner and Monet?| A．Air pollution at that time. | B．Change in subject matter. |
| C．Social trends of the period. | D．Development of photography. |
| A．By referring to relevant historical records. |
| B．By examining the coloring of the paintings. |
| C．By comparing the paintings of Turner with Monet’s. |
| D．By analyzing the data during the Industrial Revolution. |
| A．European artists preferred landscape paintings. |
| B．Turner and Monet intended to present pollution. |
| C．The research focused on studying weather patterns. |
| D．Britain suffered most from air pollution in Europe. |
| A．To call on people to protect the environment. |
| B．To introduce air pollution in the Industrial Revolution. |
| C．To inform people of a new discovery in certain artworks. |
| D．To instruct people to admire classic paintings in new ways. |
2 . “Why?” It’s a simple question that people ask Angela Madeline frequently. After all, she began a journey that very few people would ever attempt: walk around the world alone.
The thought of Madeline’s journey did not start from a place of loss or personal crisis. She said, “I was searching for a deeper interaction with nature and people.” Walking would minimize her carbon footprint, plus the slow pace meant that she could fully engage herself in nature, and gain insights into other cultures in a unique way.
She left her hometown of Bend, Oregon, on 2 May 2016 and headed into an adventure. Along the way, Madeline would suffer from heatstroke (中暑) in the Australian desert and hear gunshots while camping in Turkey. “Still,” she said, “I didn’t stop because I was more afraid of not following my heart than I was of losing everything I owned and loved.”
Apart from that, her slow pace allowed her to be drawn deeply into other cultures. She wandered the tiny seaside villages along Italy Tyrthenian Sea, enjoying the lively atmosphere. In Vietnam, she was offered food by an elderly woman and invited to rest in her wooden house at the peak for the night. She chose an experience of uncertainty and curiosity, in search of something she could never be certain to find: a sense of fulfillment and a deeper connection.
On16 December 2022, Madeline’s pilgrimage (朝圣之旅) ended right where it started. For now, she’s working on a book, planning future journeys and creating more effective ways for women to find and express courage in their lives.
Whether a walk leads halfway around the world or just down the road, Madeline has shown the true worth of embracing (拥抱) the unknown and giving more than we receive along the way.
1. Why did Madeline decide to start her journey?| A．To get rid of personal crisis. | B．To get closer to the world. |
| C．To reduce carbon footprint. | D．To slow down the pace of life. |
| A．She was about to give up. | B．She was helped by Italian locals. |
| C．She experienced various cultures. | D．She enjoyed Australian coastal scenery. |
| A．Cautious and gentle. | B．Tough and adventurous. |
| C．Outgoing and generous. | D．Open-minded and humorous. |
| A．A new way to slow down life. | B．A closer connection with the wild. |
| C．An unforgettable memory of a trip. | D．A woman walking around the world. |
3 . Young Writers Awards
About the Contest
Bennington College has a unique literary tradition. We’ve bad twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three US poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. In celebration of this, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Students are invited to enter with the following work:
● Poetry: A group of three poems
● Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play
● Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)
Three students among all the finalists are selected in each category (类别) as first-, second- and third-place winners. We welcome participation of both US and international students.
Awards & Rules
First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250.
● No charge for entrance. Fees for accidents caused by participants are required.
● All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and guided by a teacher. We will use your teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please also contact a teacher to assist in your writing even if you have experience in such competitions.
Young Writers Awards finalists and winners are also qualified for college scholarships at Bennington if they choose to apply for this college and get admitted. Young Writers Awards finalists who gain admission to Bennington College will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. Young Writers Awards winners admitted to Bennington will receive $15,000 every year, for a total of $60,000.
1. What can be learned about the Young Writers Awards?| A．It’s a long-time tradition. |
| B．It rewards three winners at last. |
| C．It accepts participants worldwide. |
| D．Finalists will be admitted to Bennington. |
| A．Find a teacher to help with the entry. | B．Pay an entry fee on time. |
| C．Have related writing experience. | D．Hand in a personal essay. |
| A．$10,500. | B．$15,500. | C．$40,500. | D．$60,500. |
4 . The horse-face skirt, or mamianqun in Chinese, is receiving renewed attention on the fashion stage.
Far from being photoshoot prop, wearing the horse-face skirt has become almost trend among many Chinese celebrities and influencers for various international social occasions. On Douyin, China’s TikTok, individuals who sport the horse-face skirt on city streets in Paris and other international cities can easily gain millions of likes. A popular blogger on Xiaohongshu appeared on a British television program to discuss the development of the English Premier League in China while wearing a horse-face skirt.
From its first appearance during the Song Dynasty to becoming a standout representation of Chinese clothing, mamianqun has crossed nearly a millennium of history. In the current trend of traditional Chinese clothing reconstruction, how has the horse-face skirt stood out to become the most famous clothing?
Mao Zhaoxi, who is a hanfu enthusiast, told the Global Times that Hanfu is the external demonstration of culture, integrating the life philosophies, values, and aesthetic (美学) views formed and inherited (继承) by the Chinese people generation after generation. She said, “Many young people believe that the horse-face skirt is not just a fashion item, but also a cultural symbol. This shows the awakening of traditional aesthetic genes among the younger generations, indicating that the confidence in our own culture is constantly increasing.”
Moreover, Hu Xiao, one of the founders of the ancient Chinese costumes restoration team, analyzed one main reason of this phenomenon lies in the fact that the horse-face skirt has managed to remain relevant, never falling out of fashion. “Many people thought the horse-face skirt had disappeared for a while, but in fact, Chinese brides can always be seen in the costume of mamianqun.” The horse-face skirt possesses a strong sense of inheritance while also possessing fashionable features. This perhaps is the cultural DNA that enables it to become a fashion item.
The momentum (潮流) of Chinese-style clothing has begun, and how to lead the trend of Chinese-style clothing through design and how to stay at the forefront of the national trend is an issue that will not disappear in a short time.
1. What does the underlined word “sport” mean in paragraph 2?| A．Compete. | B．Display. | C．Exercise. | D．Decorate. |
| A．Horse-face skirts are Chinese clothing with a long history. |
| B．Horse-face skirts had become fashionable in Song Dynasty. |
| C．Horse-face skirts have been the main clothing for a millennium. |
| D．Horse-face skirts are leading the clothing design around the world. |
| A．It develops everyone’s aesthetic and philosophy view. |
| B．It represents the ancient Chinese costumes and life. |
| C．It wakens the young to love their own traditional culture. |
| D．It demonstrates the importance of Chinese-style clothing. |
| A．Good beginning and it will lead the world fashion. |
| B．Good beginning and it will fall into the disfavors. |
| C．Good beginning and it will own fashionable DNA. |
| D．Good beginning and it will have a long way to go. |
5 . The easiest way to love yourself is to treat yourself like your own BFF. It might seem like it’s easier to love others than to love yourself, but it’s tough to build healthy relationships if you don’t love yourself first.
Let go of negative thoughts about yourself. Drill down to the core of those thoughts and tell yourself a different story. Think about what you would say to a friend who said those things about themselves. For example, if you forgot to buy trash bags, instead of blaming yourself, you might as well think, “I’ll just pick some up next time I go out — no big deal.” Don’t try to fight negative thoughts, though — they’re a part of who you are.
Accept your flaws as part of who you are. Everything you’ve done and everywhere you’ve been is a part of who you are — you! Self-love isn’t about fixing all the “bad” things about yourself. Instead, accept that they’re all parts of the same whole.
Practice gratitude for good things rather than focusing on the negative. It’s human nature to see negative things as bigger and more important than positive things, but this also does tremendous damage to your self-esteem.
| A．Focus on your effort rather than the result to control perfectionism. |
| B．Challenge those thoughts with logical observations to reframe your conclusion. |
| C．Instead, you can simply drown them out with more positive, affirmative thoughts. |
| D．When you love yourself, you love all of you because you wouldn’t have the good without the bad. |
| E．Here are some strategies that can help you embark on a journey of treating yourself with kindness. |
| F．Negative thoughts often come from outside people whose opinions we value. |
| G．When you focus on the negative, try to name some things that you can be grateful for. |
6 . I guess most of you have had an experience like it: it’s the weekend, but instead of having a good rest, you have to bury yourself in the endless homework you have left over from the week. This was my routine too. But it came to an end during my school’s “No Homework Weekend”.
The activity was announced two weeks in advance so we could get prepared. Students in my class did not have any homework on the special weekend, but students in other classes were not so lucky. There were also some teachers who told their students: “You don’t have homework this weekend, but you do have a test next Monday.” This meant: “You don’t have to prepare for the test during the weekend, but good luck if you don’t!” Well, teachers will be teachers, I suppose.
I really made the most of those two days without homework. On Friday night, I stayed up chatting with my friends online because we didn’t need to worry about homework. On Saturday, I watched a band concert, and on Sunday I had a god sleep and organized my notes. Normally I have so much regular homework that I do not have time to review and organize class notes. But on that weekend, I finally had time to do it.
No Homework Weekend was really a great time to release stress and take a look at what we had learned so far. I loved it and I hope my school holds more weekends like it in the future!
1. The writer often _________on weekends.| A．has a good rest | B．watches movies | C．prepares for tests | D．does lots of homework |
| A．will not have any homework | B．will have a special test |
| C．will have to prepare for the exam | D．will have lots of books to read |
A．watch a film | B．sleep very well | C．organize the notes | D．review the lessons |
| A．is worried | B．seems happy | C．doesn’t care | D．is surprised |
7 . Efforts to restore forests have often focused on trees, but a new study in the journal Philosophical Transactions finds that animals play a key role in the recovery of tree species by carrying a wide variety of seeds into previously deforested areas.
Sergio Estrada-Villegas, a professor at the Yale School of the Environment, led the study with Liza Comita, a professor of tropical forest ecology. The project examines a series of regenerating forests in central Panama spanning 20 to 100 years post-abandonment. “When we talk about forest restoration, people typically think about going out and digging holes and planting seedlings,” Comita says. “That’s actually not a very cost-effective or efficient way to restore natural forests. If you have a nearby preserved intact (完整的) forest, plus you have your animal seed dispersers around, you can get natural regeneration, which is a less costly and labor-intensive approach.”
The research team analyzed a unique, long-term data set from the forest in Panama, to compare what proportion of tree species in forests were spread by animals or other methods, like wind or gravity, and how that changes over time as the forest ages. It proves that in tropical forests, more than 80% of tree species can be spread by animals.
The researchers say the findings can serve as a road map for natural regeneration of forests that preserve biodiversity and capture and store carbon at a time when the UN Decade on Restoration is highlighting the need for land conservation, and the world is working to mitigate climate change stemming from fossil fuel emissions. Forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in biomass and soils. Tropical forests, in particular, play an important role in regulating global climate and supporting high plant and animal diversity, the researchers note.
Estrada-Villegas, says the study highlights how crucial animals are to healthy forests. “In these tropical environments, animals are very important to a speedy recovery of forests,” says Estrada-Villegas.
1. What does the study in the journal emphasize according to paragraph 1?| A．Soil conservation techniques. | B．Animal involvement in spreading seed. |
| C．Artificial methods of capturing carbon. | D．Planting a diverse range of tree species. |
| A．The author’s research methods and tools |
| B．The frequency of spreading seeds by animals. |
| C．The long-term data analysis by the research team. |
| D．The crucial role of animals in tropical forest recovery. |
| A．Reduce. | B．Increase. | C．Complicate. | D．Ignore. |
| A．Critical. | B．Indifferent. | C．Supportive. | D．Ambiguous. |
8 . Huddled in small groups around laptops, 20 Brazilian teenagers are using an app to build a skill that’s vital to the future of their entire community. The teenagers belong to the Guarani indigenous (本地的) people and they are fluent in speaking both Portuguese and their mother tongue, Guarani Mbya. But when it comes to writing, they often use Portuguese as that’s what they were first taught to write in, putting the Guarani Mbya language in its written form at risk of disappearing. But since March of this year, they’ve been using an app to improve their ability to write in Guarani Mbya. The app is part of a project funded by IBM to create AI tools to help preserve and expand the use of indigenous languages in Brazil.
Of the 7,000 or so languages that exist in the world, about a fifth are thought to be endangered, with the United Nations estimating that half of these will be extinct by 2100 — the majority being indigenous languages. The movement to prevent indigenous languages from disappearing has prompted a number of tech-centric language preservation and expansion projects. For example, in New Zealand, an app has been developed to collect oral recordings of indigenous languages across the region to help speakers boost their everyday use of their native language.
But embracing technology and the desire to protect culture and language are often at odds in indigenous communities, as Dr. Burbank has observed. “A minority group that’s fighting to preserve a counterculture (反主流文化) will create walls around the culture to try not to dilute (削弱) it, because the majority culture is automatically going to wipe that culture out,” says Dr. Burbank. While many of the indigenous communities Dr. Burbank works with feel technology could contribute to that dilution, she believes it can benefit indigenous communities.
1. Guarani indigenous teenagers seldom write in Guarani Mbya because __________.| A．they were initially trained to use Portuguese in writing |
| B．the written Guarani Mbya language is in danger of extinction |
| C．they intend to break free from their indigenous culture |
| D．Guarani Mbya makes it hard for them to integrate into the outside world |
| A．About 7,000. | B．About 3,500. | C．About 1,400. | D．About 700. |
| A．Confusable. | B．Sensational. | C．Contradictory. | D．Consistent. |
| A．Positive. | B．Unclear. | C．Doubtful. | D．Dismissive. |
9 . Islands not only have served as the settings for exotic holidays but also act as a dream for directors to use as a canvas for their stories. These are some of the most exciting film and TV locations you can visit today.
Death in Paradise (2011)
Guadeloupe, French Caribbean
The location: Guadeloupe’s landscapes are strikingly varied, ranging from the pearly white sand and deep blue waters of beaches to the volcanic, lunar-like interior.
While you’re there: Explore Deshaies, a town home to several Death in Paradise filming locations.
How to do it: Seven nights at Club Med La Caravelle from £2, 305 per person, all-inclusive, includes flights from Heathrow to Pointe-a-Pitrevia Paris.
Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
Bali, Indonesia
The location: Ubud, a town in the center of Bali, means “medicine” in Balinese, so locals have leng regarded it as a place for healing. That’s what it is most famous for. It impresses audience with stunning jungle scenery and a thriving arts scene.
While you’re there: Dive into Ubud’s rich cultural history on a walking tour, enjoying some of the region’s most striking architecture and history.
How to do it: A nine-day tour of Bali-including Ubud, Lombok and Seminyak-costs £5,300 per person. It includes flights, transfers, accommodation and excursions (游览).
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Skellig Michael, County Kerry, Ireland
The location: Eight miles off the Irish coast, Skellig Michael is now better known as the hideout of Luke Skywalker.
While you’re there: Look out for the colony of puffins that nest on the island in the summer. The birds were digitally designed as a cute fictional species called porgs in a later sequel (续集).
How to do it: Tour Radar’s seven-day Hiking & Island Hopping-Cork and Kerry costs from £2,101 per person, which covers accommodation, meals and excursions.
1. Ubud is best noted for __________ according to the passage.| A．its amazing scenery | B．its magic medicine |
| C．its friendly locals | D．its spiritual significance |
| A．Guadeloupe. | B．Deshaies. | C．Bali. | D．Skellig Michael. |
| A．To tell three stories in brief. | B．To share three popular movies. |
| C．To introduce three destinations from the screen. | D．To offer some islands only for directors. |
10 . Honeybees command a lot of attention in insect conservation circles, as they are important for pollinating our food supply. But the findings from researchers emphasize the importance of prioritizing other pollinators or insects like wild bees, moths and butterflies in conservation efforts, too.
For the study, ecologists Joshua Kohn and Dillon Travis from the University of California, painstakingly tracked the pollination of flowers from two plant species in San Diego — white sage and Phacelia distans. Often Travis sat for hours waiting for a single pollinator, honeybees or other insects, to land on a flower. Each time he put a mesh (网状的) bag on the flower to prevent any new visitor, then back to collect seeds from different visitors. Back in the greenhouse, the team grew the seeds, analyzing characteristics that reflected their quality, such as how many seeds grew and survived and how many leaves or flower seedlings (幼苗) grew from them.
They found flowers pollinated by honeybees make fewer and lower-quality seeds than flowers visited by other pollinators. The white sage and Phacelia distans plants produced roughly half the amount of seeds from flowers pollinated by honeybees compared with other pollinators. And Phacelia distans seeds from honeybee-pollinated plants grew into seedlings with fewer flowers.
The researchers also found that honeybees visited about twice as many flowers on one plant before moving to the next than the average of other pollinators, causing honeybees to transfer more pollen in flowers of the same plant, thus resulting in fewer and lower-quality and more inbred (近亲繁殖的) seeds. Other pollinators more often flew between different plants, probably transferring more diverse pollen.
Travis says, “Honeybees’ pollination habit can impact ecosystems and agriculture in the long term. One potential consequence could be that native plant populations decline as next generations become more inbred, reducing biodiversity.”
“It is time to actually shift our dependence for pollination from largely honeybees to other native species as well,” says Jaya Sravanthi Mokkapati, an entomologist at Penn State University.
1. What does paragraph 2 focus on about the research?| A．Its procedures. | B．Its members. |
| C．Its impact. | D．Its significance. |
| A．Honeybees cause big damage to plants’ seeds. |
| B．Honeybees are less selective while pollinating. |
| C．Honeybees’ pollination efficiency is unexpectedly low. |
| D．Honeybees prefer to pollinate flowers of the same plant. |
| A．Misleading. | B．Worrying. | C．Creative. | D．Helpful. |
| A．Native plant populations are declining at a high speed. |
| B．Honeybees’ pollination impacts plant seeds temporarily. |
| C．More attention should be paid to protecting other pollinators. |
| D．Honeybees’ pollination depends more on other native species. |
