1 . The turn of the year is the time for reviewing one’s life, and for making some resolutions about what to concentrate on in the coming year; and for many years I have taken advantage of the holiday to review my own ambition.
One thing I decide on this year is to give up writing the Grumpy (暴躁的) Old Bookman column in this magazine. It’s not that I’ve lost interest in the book world. But Leonard Woolf, husband of American writer Virginia Woolf (1882 — 1941), used to say a man should change his career every seven years. Though I would say that changing your whole career frequently is going a bit far, I do find that it serves as a great refresher if you can occasionally try a new job within the same line of business.
It is over 15 years since our editor wrote to me and asked if I would be interested in writing a regular piece about what was, even then, a rapidly changing publishing scene. He approached me because since 2004 I had been writing a regular blog called Grumpy Old Bookman.
As my monthly survey of developments in both traditional and digital publishing continued, in this magazine, I began to realize that writers in this century, of both fiction and non-fiction, are living in something close to a paradise (天堂). Once, you struggled for years to find a publisher — or an agent if you wanted one — but now you can publish your own stuff, either digitally or in paperback, without it costing you a penny piece.
After about five years of producing such columns, it occurred to me that, rather than let these essays fade away on the seas of time, it might be valuable to publish my thoughts and comments in book form to potential readers. Hence, in 2014, I published the first 69 GOB columns in paperback format, using Amazon’s Create Space facilities. Title: Writers Rejoice! A monthly diary of the dawn of the digital age, which was my first trial. And now I sincerely wish a new 2024.
1. Why does the author want to give up writing the column?| A．He is fed up with the career linked to books. |
| B．He is very keen on trying something new. |
| C．He follows Leonard Woolf’s suggestion. |
| D．He’s used to changing his job every seven years. |
| A．It is a golden time for writers in terms of publishing. |
| B．Publishing industry is a profitable business. |
| C．It is rather hard to publish books nowadays. |
| D．Now it is amazing to find a publisher easily. |
| A．Emotional and good at controlling himself. |
| B．Dedicated but easy to doubt himself. |
| C．Purposeful and good at self-adjustment. |
| D．Ambitious but unwilling to change himself. |
| A．Giving up timely is a virtue. | B．Often changing jobs means new chances. |
| C．The beginning of a year is a new start. | D．Reflection can drive us to push forward. |
2 . Many people desire stronger, more authentic friendships as an adult.
Give yourself permission to bore people
We all know the safe topics to broach when you first meet someone. But this tendency to play it safe can delay knowing whether you are compatible with a potential friend.
Often our friendships feel superficial because they are built on a foundation of gossip. This is because it’s human nature to focus on a third person when we are anxious. We share spicy updates about former classmates with our high school friends, or grab a drink with colleagues and complain about the boss. But a friendship built on gossip can leave both people feeling exhausted and depressed after they hang out.
If a friend starts to give you updates on other people you know, it can be helpful to say, “I want to hear about what’s going on with you.” Or you can ask yourself, “What would I share about myself if I were with my best friend right now?”
Be curious about who people are, and who they want to be
| A．Focus on the gossip |
| B．Cut back on the gossip |
| C．Then jump to the heart of things |
| D．Rather than sticking with superficial chatter, go straight to what excites you |
| E．True friends strive to know each other’s thinking about difficult subjects |
| F．But the process of building these relationships can prove slow and frustrating |
| G．Ask yourself what’s worth sharing about yourself and knowing about others |
3 . Travellers arriving at or leaving from Stuttgart’s main railway station should be warned. They must allow an extra 10-15 minutes to get out of the building or get to the platforms to catch a train, because of an ugly maze of detours (绕路) around Germany’s biggest construction site. “It has been like this since I was at school 13 years ago,” shrugs the barista at a nearby coffee shop.
The ambitious plan for a new station in the capital of Baden-Württemberg, one of Germany’s most prosperous states and home to Daimler-Benz, Bosch and Porsche, was to be an advertisement for the state’s engineering prowess. By relocating tracks and platforms largely underground, it was supposed to speed up journeys to other places in Germany and all over Europe, while reclaiming (开拓) space for shops, housing and parkland in the centre of town. The city picked a design by Christoph Ingenhoven, a cool modernist architect from Düsseldorf, and the late Frei Otto, winner of the prestigious Pritzker prize for architecture.
But its fate has been similar to that of Berlin’s new airport, which was completed after a nine-year delay in 2020, having exceeded its budget by more than €4bn ($4.7bn). “Stuttgart 21” (named for the 21st century) was meant to be completed by the end of 2019 at a cost of €4.5bn. It is now forecast to be finished by 2025, and the cost may rise to nearly €12bn. The mega-site currently employs some 6,000 construction workers, who even have their own priest, Peter Maile, to provide (much-needed) pastoral care. The bosses of Deutsche Bahn may need the consolation of religion too. The loss-making German railway operator is in court, fighting the state, city, region and airport over who will cover Stuttgart 21’s exorbitant additional costs.
For some, Stuttgart 21 remains an awesome engineering masterpiece in the making; for others it is a bottomless pit wasting more and more taxpayers’ cash. In June the station could have celebrated the topping-out ceremony of its main building. Oddly enough, no one felt much like an underground party, or indeed any party at all.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?| A．Security checks at the station are very strict. |
| B．Trains in Stuttgart are often about ten minutes late. |
| C．Cafes near the station are very popular with travellers. |
| D．The construction of the station has presented inconvenience. |
| A．To emphasize the urgent need for the new airport. |
| B．To explain the potential function of the new station. |
| C．To stress the additional large price of the new station. |
| D．To introduce the outstanding designers of the new airport. |
| A．Punishment. | B．Comfort. | C．Influence. | D．Memory. |
| A．Critical. | B．Objective. | C．Approving. | D．Unclear. |
4 . Were you to join a marathon, you might think you’d wander into a nightmare. Mouths kept shut, runners cover miles breathing just through their noses — sometimes holding their breath for quite a while.
Beyond adopting a new technique, marathon runners can expect to see an improvement by reviewing on the breathing basics. Studies suggest that 10 percent to 14 percent of women are shallow breathers, over-breathers or mouth-breathers, all of which could restrict movement of the ribcage and create a build-up of tension in the upper body and tightness in the chest. And while this may not bother you when you’re sitting at your desk, it’s a different story when you begin a workout. The biggest mistake that Professor Dickinson sees is when athletes want to maintain-or pick up- speed. “When you’re working harder, you don’t tell your heart to beat faster. It just knows that it needs to,” he says, adding that the same is true of your breathing. He explains that your body is built with neurons called chemoreceptors, which tell your muscles when they need to breathe more.
So how should you be breathing during an intense workout? Professor Dickinson recommends athletes take basic breath pattern mastery, before moving on to respiratory muscle training.
“Some people accept that the breathlessness they experience when exercising is just their norms and that they’ve reached the limit they can push themselves to in their workouts,” says Professor Dickinson. But committing to these techniques, he explains, could be impactful on your performance. However, those who have high blood pressure, should check their conditions before getting to work on their breath. “In some cases, it could be that you’re only breathing at 80 percent of your capacity, so increasing that percentage by practicing breathing exercises can have a huge impact on your fitness performance,” Professor Dickinson adds. The results just might be breathtaking.
1. Why does the author compare a marathon to a nightmare?| A．Because they are both long in distance. |
| B．Because they are both time-consuming. |
| C．Because people in both situations need a new technique. |
| D．Because people in both situations breathe in similar ways. |
| A．You will make the biggest mistake. |
| B．You will adjust your heartbeat intentionally. |
| C．Neurons will tell your muscles to breathe more. |
| D．The heart will know it needs to work. |
| A．Have a health check. | B．Make a workout plan. |
| C．Track their performances. | D．Check their blood pressure meters. |
| A．People with high blood pressure. | B．Marathon enthusiasts. |
| C．Office ladies. | D．Health consultants. |
5 . Raised in a fatherless home, my father was extremely tightfisted towards us children. His attitude didn’t soften as I grew into adulthood and drifted away to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met me, even in cold weather. If I grumbled (嘟囔 ), he’d say in his loudest father voice, “That’s what your legs are for!”
The walk didn’t bother me as much as the fear of walking alone along the highway and country roads. I also felt less than valued that my father didn’t seem concerned about my safety. That feeling was canceled one spring evening.
It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached a stop, I stepped off and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.
A row of hedge (篱笆) edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey, I was always relieved to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening, the hedge had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedge, moving toward the house. Upon closer observation, I realized it was the top of my father’s head. Then I knew, each time I’d come home, he had stood behind the hedge, watching, until he knew I had arrived safely. I swallowed hard against the threatening tears. He did care, after all.
On later visits, that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon reaching home, I would find my father sitting innocently in his chair. “So! My son, it’s you!” he’d say, his face lengthening into pretended surprise.
I replied, “Yes, Dad, it’s me. I’m home.”
1. What did the author think of the two-mile walk home?| A．It reflected his value. |
| B．It was the most troublesome. |
| C．It wasn’t ranked number one in his concerns. |
| D．It was extremely unbearable in cold weathers. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Hopeful. | C．Frustrated. | D．Regretful. |
| A．The author often changed routes back home. |
| B．He wanted to help the author build up courage. |
| C．He was really concerned about his son’s safety. |
| D．That was the only way he could express his love. |
| A．Father’s Secret. | B．My Childhood Life. |
| C．Terrible Journey Home. | D．Riding Bus Alone. |
6 . On a sunny morning, I roamed through the park, savoring the gentle breeze, with the simple desire to locate a quiet spot for a good book. Little did I know that an unexpected encounter with a naughty creature would turn this peaceful outing into an unforgettable experience.
Settling down on a comfortable bench under an oak tree, I was fascinated by a novel, lost in a world of fictional characters. Suddenly, a strange sound interrupted me. Curiously, I glanced in the direction of the noise, only to discover a squirrel hurrying towards my bag. Immediately, I reached out to protect my bag from the thief. But the squirrel ran away, grasping a chocolate bar stolen from my bag. Fueled by determination to get my snack back, I gave chase to the creature through the park.
The squirrel displayed impressive flexibility, effortlessly jumping onto trees and leaping from branch to branch. Children and bystanders couldn’t help but laugh at the spectacle of a grown adult chasing a squirrel. The chase continued, and as I ran after the squirrel, I became both exhausted and awkward. The peacefulness of the park transformed into a lively playground, with laughter echoing around us. The squirrel, seemingly aware of its comical effect, increased its speed and finally vanished into thin air.
As I made my way back to the bench, my heart still raced from the pursuit. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of companionship with the squirrel. It had reminded me to embrace the unexpected, to break free from routine, and most importantly, to find joy in life’s simplest pleasures. From that day forward, whenever I visit the park, I always keep a chocolate bar handy, just in case I come across my friend.
1. What did the author want to do in the park?| A．Find a quiet place to read. | B．Observe nature and wildlife. |
| C．Enjoy the sunshine and gentle breeze. | D．Have a picnic with his friends. |
| A．Disappeared. | B．Landed. | C．Leapt. | D．Emerged. |
| A．The importance of welcoming surprises. |
| B．The habit of always carrying a chocolate bar. |
| C．The significance of developing a new routine. |
| D．The necessity of keeping a safe distance from animals. |
| A．The Annoying Squirrel |
| B．An Unexpected Encounter in the Park |
| C．Lost in a Book: A Squirrel’s Interruption |
| D．The Importance of Routine: Lessons Learned in the Park |
7 . Since young children went back to school across Sweden recently, many of their teachers have been putting a new emphasis on printed books, quiet reading time and handwriting practice, and devoting less time to tablets, independent online research and keyboarding skills.
The return to more traditional ways of learning is a response to politicians and experts questioning whether Sweden’s hyper-digitalized approach to education, including the introduction of tablets in nursery schools, had led to a decline in basic skills.
Sweden’s minister for schools, Lotta Edholm was one of the biggest critics of the all-out embrace of technology. “Sweden’s students need more textbooks,” Edholm said in March. “Physical books are important for student learning.” The minister announced in August that the government wanted to change the decision by the national agency for education to make digital devices compulsory in preschools. It plans to go further and to completely end digital learning for children under age six, the ministry has told the Associated Press.
Although Sweden’s students score above the European average for reading ability, an international assessment of fourth-grade reading levels, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), highlighted a decline among Sweden’s children between 2016 and 2021.
In comparison, Singapore — which topped the rankings — improved its PIRLS reading scores from 576 to 587 during the same period, and England’s average reading achievement score fell only slightly, from 559 in 2016 to 558 in 2021. An overuse of screens during school lessons may cause youngsters to fall behind in core subjects, education experts say. “There’s clear scientific evidence that digital tools impair rather than enhance student learning,” Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, a highly respected medical school focused on research, said in a statement in August on the country’s national digitalization strategy in education.
“We believe the focus should return to acquiring knowledge through printed textbooks and teacher expertise, rather than acquiring knowledge primarily from freely available digital sources that have not been checked for accuracy.” the school added.
1. Why do Swedish schools return to paper books?| A．To cater to parents’ increasing needs. |
| B．To help with children’s independent learning. |
| C．To overcome children’s addiction to digital tools. |
| D．To avoid possible decline in children’s basic skills. |
| A．Total acceptance. | B．Creative use. |
| C．Rapid development. | D．Serious addiction. |
| A．Teachers should acquire more knowledge. |
| B．Knowledge from digital tools may not be reliable. |
| C．Digital tools smooth out learning barriers for children. |
| D．The accessibility to digital sources should be improved. |
| A．Swedish Children’s Return to Paper | B．Problems with Children’s Education |
| C．Popularity of Digitalization in Sweden | D．Enhancement of Teaching Strategies in Sweden |
8 . In a world of music streaming services, access to almost any song is just a few clicks away. Yet, the live concert lives on. People still fill sweaty basements to hear their favorite musicians play. And now neuroscientists might know why.
Concerts are immersive social experiences in which people listen to and feel the music together. They are also dynamic — artists can adapt their playing according to the crowd’s reaction.
It was this last difference that led neuroscientists, from Universities of Zurich and Oslo, to study the brain responses of people listening to music. In the experiment, participants lay in an MRI (核磁共振) scanner listening to the music through earphones, while a pianist was positioned outside the room. The pianist was shown the participant’s real-time brain activity as a form of feedback. In the recorded condition, participants listened to pre-recorded versions of the same tunes.
The scientists were interested in how live music affected the areas of the brain that process emotions. In the live condition pianists were instructed to change their playing in order to drive the activity in one of these regions known as the amygdala.
The results, just published in the journal PNAS, showed that live music had far more emotional impact. Whether the music was happy or sad, listening to the pianist playing in a dynamic way generated more activity in both the amygdala and other parts of the brain’s emotion processing network.
The study was far from reconstructing the real experience of a concert, and the authors noted that the live music ended up sounding quite different from the recorded tracks, which may have driven some of the differences in participant’s brain activity. Some musical acts now attempt to recreate the real concert experience with everything but the artist — ABBA Voyage is a social, immersive show performed entirely by pre-recorded hologram avatars (全息图). But without Benny’s (a member of the band) ability to read the mood of the room, it will never quite match the real thing.
1. What caused the scientists to study music listeners’ brain response?| A．People’s preference to recorded music. | B．The important social function of concerts. |
| C．The changeable characteristic of live music. | D．The easy accessibility of streaming services. |
| A．By clarifying a concept. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By analyzing previous data. | D．By referring to another study. |
| A．It offers a more traditional and raw sound. | B．It engages the brain’s emotion centers more. |
| C．It fosters a sense of community and shared energy. | D．It guarantees a deeper understanding of the music. |
| A．The artists will be replaced by technology soon. |
| B．The immersive audio makes live music special. |
| C．The study recreated the experience of a real concert. |
| D．It is vital for musicians to read the audiences’ mind. |
9 . World-famous Botanical Gardens
From botanical history to scientific discovery, here are the top picks for people to explore.
Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London, England (1840)
Located in London, Royal-Botanic Gardens at Kew are home to the world’s biggest collection of living plants. As a global resource for plant and fungal knowledge, it has more than 50,000 species of native and exotic plants, trees, and flowers on site. It is a setting rich in history that spans from royal decorations to wartime bombing, and its mission is to protect plants for the future of all life on Earth.
The Humble Administrator’s Garden, Suzhou, China (1513)
The Humble Administrators Garden in Suzhou is a great masterpiece with its attractive design and careful arrangement of natural elements. It’s centered around water features, with beautiful fountains, complex rockwork, and historic buildings surrounded by thick vegetation. The combination of these elements creates a picturesque landscape. Because of its exceptional cultural and historical significance, the garden has become a world heritage.
Parque de Monserrate, Sintra, Portugal (1789)
Monserrate is a combination of wild landscape with old ruins, formal lawned areas and lovely gardens. The garden sits on the lower slopes of the Sintra Mountains, which have one of the mildest climates in Europe, so the garden is frost-free. At its very centre is a grand palace, which has a distinctive mixture of different architectural styles. It has been the site of various buildings and gardens for hundreds of years.
Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, USA (1859)
Established in 1859, Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest botanical garden in continuous use in North America. It is recognized internationally for its scientific research. With almost 50 themed gardens, Missouri Botanical Garden has been involved in the conservation of plants from native American regions and also from Madagascar, China and Central America.
1. Why are the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew established?| A．To collect tropical plants. | B．To conserve various plants. |
| C．To record the history of British plants. | D．To provide a shelter for people in wartime. |
| A．It highlights the waterscape. | B．It is surrounded by formal lawns. |
| C．It includes many themed gardens. | D．It shows different architectural ruins. |
| A．London. | B．Suzhou. | C．Sintra. | D．St Louis. |
10 . Overcoming barriers to exercising
If you’re having trouble beginning an exercise plan or following through, you’re not alone. Detailed exercise instructions and workout plans are just a click awav. But knowing how and why to exercise was far from enough. Making exercise a habit takes more.
While practical concerns like a busy schedule or poor health can make exercise more challenging, for most of us, the biggest barriers are mental. Maybe it’s a lack of self-confidence that keeps you from taking positive steps.
You don’t have to spend hours in a gym or force yourself into dull or painful activities to experience the physical and mental benefits of exercise.
Research shows that self-sympathy increases the likelihood that you’ll succeed in any attempt. So, don’t blame yourself too much for your current fitness level.
| A．Maybe your passion dies down. |
| B．A little exercise is better than nothing. |
| C．Expecting too much only leads to frustration. |
| D．You know there are great reasons to exercise. |
| E．All that will do is cause you to lose motivation. |
| F．You need the right mindset and a smart approach. |
| G．Many of us are struggling to get into the motionless state. |
