1 . Join us at Vancouver’s Family Day Charity Fun Walk
Families are like gardens: the more you water them, the more spectacularly they give more flower. Family time is an essential factor that helps to strengthen bonds among family members. Spending family time sharing experiences and creating memories develops a sense of security and forms family values. You get to discuss about what is going on in your individual lives, and everyone feels more valued, more heard. Now welcome to our project!
Basic information| Date | 11 August 2025(Sunday) |
| Time | 8 a. m. |
| Place | Maple Community, 13 Johnson Street, Vancouver 018910 |
*Complete the walk and get a Jackson Supermarket grocery pack.
*Join us as we attempt to set a new record for the most number of participants in a mass walk in the Vancouver Book of Records.
*Take part in the carnival after the walk for more entertainment, food and shopping. (Carnival takes place from 9 a. m. to 12 p. m.)
Ticket information
| Single ticket | $25 |
| Pair ticket | $40 |
| Happy family group | $60 |
| Visit toggle.sg/ilovemyfamily for more details and buy your tickets in advance. Tickets will not be on sale at the event place on 11, August 2024 (Sunday). 60% of the ticketing proceeds will be donated to WCWA (World Children’s Welfare Association) | |
Add: Bridge Peter Ltd, 8 Vista Avenue, Vancouver 138 508
Email: mpbevents@mediacoms.com
1. What is the main purpose of the poster?
| A．To develop a sense of family security. |
| B．To design a Family Day charity event. |
| C．To encourage people to bond with their families. |
| D．To invite people to set a new world record for walk. |
| A．Contact Bridge Peter Ltd. | B．Complete the fun walk. |
| C．Take part in the carnival. | D．Sign up before 11 August. |
| A．No registrations required. | B．WCWA will benefit a lot from it. |
| C．Participants must make donations. | D．Tickets are available both online and offline. |
2 . Chinese scientists have collected seeds of several plants at a height of about 6,200 meters above sea level on the world's highest peak—Mount Qomolangma and will permanently preserve them in a place where seeds can be kept alive for as long as thousands of years.
The seed haven, namely the Germplasm (种质) Bank of Wild Species (GBWS), is located in an ordinary four-story building in a research institute in Kunming, Yunnan Province.
As the genes of most plants are contained in their seeds, germplasm resources have become the carriers of plants' genetic information. A seed bank serves as the most important facility for preserving such resources.
The fast loss of biodiversity and germplasm resources is the main reason for the establishment of seed banks around the world. Construction of the germplasm bank in Kunming started in 2004, and it was put into operation three years later.
“Wildlife germplasm resources have great application potential in the biological industry, attracting global attention, especially for the collection and preservation of wild plants,” said a researcher. Currently, seeds can only be accepted by the GBWS if they tick at least one of the three boxes: endangered, endemic (特有的) or “of economic importance”.
The long-term conservation of a seed is a complex procedure, involving more than 70steps, at the end of which the seed will be stored at -20℃. If properly stored, the seed could theoretically stay alive for decades or even thousands of years.
“When a species is destroyed by natural disasters, we will activate these seeds and bring the species to life,” said Li Dezhu, director of the seed bank.
1. What does the text say about the GBWS in Kunming?| A．It has been in use since 2004. | B．It lies in a four-story building. |
| C．It is the largest of its kind in the world. | D．It stores the most seeds from Mount Qomolangma. |
| A．To develop high-quality seeds. | B．To store worldwide seed data. |
| C．To guide modern agriculture. | D．To conserve biodiversity. |
| A．Seeds that can grow in extreme weather. | B．Seeds that have some medical effect. |
| C．Seeds with high economic value. | D．Seeds widely grown by farmers. |
| A．Mainly to amuse readers. | B．Mainly to solve a problem. |
| C．Mainly to introduce some plants. | D．Mainly to persuade consumers. |
3 . A new book makes the argument for being a careful kind of writer, even in informal, throwaway messages. Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink are behavioral scientists, both at Harvard. Their Writing for Busy Readers is cleverly titled: all readers are busy nowadays. They present well-established principles that have long been prized in guides to writing including The Economist's style book: cut unnecessary words, choose those that remain from the vocabulary everyone knows and keep sentence structure simple. But Writing for Busy Readers brings evidence.
Take “less is more”. Most books on writing well advise readers to cut needless words. The authors, however, have tested the principle. For example, in an email to thousands of school board members asking them to take a survey, cutting the length from 127 to 49words almost doubled the response rate. The same applies to text messages. In another experiment, a shorter message inviting parents to take the survey got more responses.
Besides word-count, sentence structure and word choice are covered in the book. Short and active sentences, with common words, are best. The authors' other point s are less about writing than about design and information al packaging. Bullet points (项目符号), headings and formatting for emphasis are good—when used with care. But mixing up different forms of emphasis like highlighting, bold and italics (粗体和斜体的) is the “equal of a peanut butter, ham and Gorgonzola sandwich on banana bread: this combination adds up to an unpleasant, off-putting whole”.
If everyone is a busy reader, everyone is a busy writer, too. That may make it appealing to fire off as many messages as quickly as possible and hope for the best. But from essays to text messages organizing dinner plans, devoting time to the needs of readers has provable benefits. If you are so busy that you write an undisciplined message that readers ignore and delete, then you might as well have not written it at all.
1. What could be inferred from paragraph 1 about Writing for Busy Readers?| A．It lays down principles for busy readers. | B．It approaches writing as a science. |
| C．It advocates writing simply. | D．It is aimed at title writing. |
| A．It advises readers to cut needless words. | B．It has adopted an evidence-based approach. |
| C．It has overturned established writing principles. | D．It promotes the use of common words. |
| A．They should be combined in use. | B．They could bring undesired effects. |
| C．They matter less than sentence structure. | D．They are key to informational packaging. |
| A．Prioritize readers. | B．Try to polish the writing. |
| C．Disregard word-count. | D．Learn to change styles. |
4 . I've been conducting scientific research with experts who specialise in advanced microscopy (显微镜观察) at Nottingham University for more than ten years. But I'm not a scientist—I'm an artist and lecture r in illustration.
Despite their importance in education and society, science and art are often seen as distinct fields, which, in my opinion, restricts beneficial connections. I want to facilitate these connections by helping to make sense of scientists' work for a wider audience through my own work as an artist. I have seen the enormous potential that exists when scientists and artists work together.
Like advanced imaging specialists, I am absorbed in light, colour, technology and science. When I discovered the Wellcome Trust's Sci-Art project in 1998, its belief—to facilitate connections that produce art directly inspired by science—encouraged me to seek out life scientists to collaborate (协作) with, because the methods we employ to create images are connected.
Advanced microscopy is used to observe cells that the naked eye (裸眼) cannot see, while being as gentle as possible on the object being examined. My work focuses on the imaging potential of the biomedical data revealed through advanced microscopy. This artistic expression of scientists’ data can provide them with tools for showing their work in a different way to a different audience. For example, I work with scientists while they conduct image experiments, to discover how and why they generate image data of cell behaviour.
Inspired by watching these scientists at work I create data pictures, seeing unique patterns, wonderful colours and movement through layers of skin at this carefully enlarged size. I then display my artwork along with advanced microscopy photographs at scientific conferences to compare results and highlight the aesthetic (类学的) potential of scientific data from an artist's viewpoint.
I've worked with four science labs since 2010. Over a decade of combining science and art, I've discovered three major advantages to such collaborations. The variety of collaborations increased my appreciation for technical advances in scientific visualisation. They inspire both scientists and artists to think creatively. They contribute to making science more accessible to the general public.
1. What role does the author play between science and art?| A．A judge. | B．A promoter. | C．A guard. | D．A leader. |
| A．It inspired her to become a life scientist. | B．It strengthened her belief in sharing and caring. |
| C．It got her to approach scientists for cooperation. | D．It generated her interest in light and colour. |
| A．Collecting the biomedical data. | B．Keeping track of cell behaviour. |
| C．Conducting image experiments. | D．Presenting data in an artistic manner. |
| A．Every science lab should have an artist on the team |
| B．It takes time to facilitate scientist-artist collaborations |
| C．Advanced microscopy inspires scientists to think critically |
| D．Science should contribute to a variety of new art techniques |
5 . Alan was not only a close friend but also one of my best performing actors. When I found out that he had passed away, I started thinking of the first time when we cooperated.
When I was getting ready to make my movie The Russians Are Coming, I remember that I called Alan up and said, “
Alan was new to film, but it didn't show, He was relaxed on set, He didn't seem to be tense at all.
Maybe it's good that he wasn't a well-known actor at the time, because people accepted his brilliant performance to the point where they believed he was a Russian. That was not easy for an American like Alan.
Alan and I stayed close, but I never had the opportunity to work with him again, I just never had a part that I thought was right for him. Alan understood that and appreciated my consideration. Years later, he told me, “I think I enjoyed making The Russians Are Coming more than anything.” And he looked at me and said, “
| A．That movie worked because of you |
| B．I'm glad to have cooperated with you |
| C．Alan's performance was more than believable |
| D．To prepare for the role, Alan spared no efforts |
| E．The most important thing for an actor is believability |
| F．I need someone who can play a Russian and be completely believable |
| G．He always showed the confidence I saw in really great and experienced actors |
6 . Do you ever worry that your kids aren’t getting enough exercise? Maybe they spend a lot of time doing inactive things such as playing computer games or reading books. Do you tend to say, “Go outside and get some fresh air!”?
Years ago, I always looked for ways to include physical activity into my kids’ days. They’d go for walks and do hunts along the way. Before we left home, I often wrote a list of things for them to look out for: a black cat, a red car, a bike and a Banksia bush. Or I organized obstacle courses (障碍赛跑) in the park for my children to run around: “Run to the big tree, climb up the ladder and skip to the picnic table.”
As my kids have grown to be teenagers, they have become unwilling to follow “Mother’s Orders”. They might get to the point when they no longer want to play outside or go for walks. After trying to force my kids to leave their books and do something that raises their heartbeat, I have learnt that it’s impossible to force kids to exercise. If they don't want to do it, we’ll end up frustrated and angry. So will they. It’s much better if our kids decide for themselves that they want to be fit because this is a healthy and enjoyable thing to do.
So should we just hang around waiting for the day to arrive when our child might say, “I think I’ll go for a run... join the gym...go swimming...take up a sport”?
Maybe we should reflect on ourselves. We often want our children to do things we’re not prepared to do ourselves. We want them to be fit and healthy, but we make excuses for why we can't exercise.
For many years, fitness had been a big part of our family life. However, there are times when we've lost our enthusiasm. Last week, after doing a lot of online searches, I signed up for a free trial of the Walk at Home app. I'm challenging myself to get fitter and stronger. I want to regain my enthusiasm for exercise. I'm doing this for myself and also for my kids.
1. What did the author do to her kids years ago?| A．She tried to involve them in exercise. |
| B．She asked them to make exercise plans. |
| C．She trained them to be professional athletes. |
| D．She encouraged them to enjoy inactive things |
| A．They have become less active. | B．They have lost interest in reading. |
| C．They always follow her orders. | D．They try their best to de sports. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Unclear. | C．Opposed | D．Positive. |
| A．Waiting for their kids to be active. |
| B．Setting a good example to their kids. |
| C．Arranging various activities for their kids. |
| D．Finding easier ways to exercise for their kids, |
7 . Snow and ice festivals are something to look forward to in winter. All around the world, people make the most of the cold weather to compete in winter sculpting competitions. The results are works of art that inspire awe and wonder. Thousands of visitors want to enjoy the festivities. Here are some amazing winter festivals.
Geilo Ice Music Festival-Geilo, Norway
This unique ice music festival that began 19 years ago is truly unique and brings ice sculpting to an all-new level. Artists gather in Geilo to create musical instruments from ice. The performance takes place in an igloo(圆顶小屋). This year's festival will take place from February 19 to February 24.
International Ice and Snow Festival-Harbin, China
The annual festival in Harbin, the largest in the world, restarted in 1985. Some people actually compare it to a frozen Disneyland because the festival's actions are learned by several theme parks and include, thrilling rides. There's also a fantastic evening display of ice sculptures. The festival is open on January 5 this year.
Ice Magic Festival-Banff, Canada
The festival has been taking place in Banff National Park for over 20 years. This year's competition will run from January 26 to January 28 and from February 2 to February 4. The final artworks are displayed for visitors who can participate in other activities including freestyle ice sculpting and ice games. You must have tickets to attend.
Kiruna Snow Festival-Kiruna, Sweden
This snow festival held in Kiruna, which is deep inside the Arctic Circle, began in 1986. The main part of the festival is a snow sculpting competition that includes artists from around the world. But there are plenty of activities to keep visitors busy during the competition, including sledding(滑雪橇), figure skating and a snowblower contest where participants work to see who can clear a path through a 40cm deep pile of snow, This year's festival takes place from January 24 to January 28.
1. Where should you go to attend a festival if you are available in early January?| A．Kiruna, Sweden. | B．Harbin, China. | C．Banff, Canada. | D．Geilo, Norway. |
| A．Free tickets for the festival. | B．Unique musical instruments. |
| C．The chance to admire final ice artworks. | D．The permission to live in an igloo. |
| A．It has the longest history. | B．It is aimed at removing snow. |
| C．It is funded by several theme parks. | D．It features a snow sculpting competition. |
8 . With a quick look, could you tell the difference between a group of 20 dots (点) and a group of 30? What about 20 and 21? It seems like there must be a point at which you’d simply be guessing, but recent research suggests otherwise. Given enough opportunities, people consistently perform better than chance on this kind of task even when the numerical difference is extremely small, according to a study published in the Journal of Numerical Cognition.
The research team showed more than 400 participants dot groups for just one second. On easy practice trials such as 30 versus (对比) 20 dots, participants chose the larger group correctly almost every time. For 20 versus 21 dots, they were right nearly 60 percent of the time. And even in the hardest comparison — 50 versus 5l dots — participants consistently answered correctly on 51.3 percent of trials.
“If you are asked to make a judgment about which of two groups contains more stuff, and you have a little bit of intuitive (直觉的) feeling that one of them is more than the other, you should trust that,” says study lead author Emily M. Sanford.
The researchers tested two mathematical frameworks for thinking about this situation: one with a hard limit on the fine numerical difference people can perceive and one almost without. They found their data fit better with the second model, suggesting that even with numbers as high as 100 versus 101, the task would become harder but not impossible.
“The implications go far beyond number sense,” Sanford says. “because the study builds on a theory describing perception across many different stimuli: the work suggests that when deciding which of two circles has a larger area, for example, a person wouldn’t be truly guessing unless the circles were exactly the same size.”
“We can’t easily tell that 5l is greater than 50, so we sort of forget that our perceptual system is doing that,” says psychologist Sami Yousif from the University of Pennsylvania. “I see it as a landmark paper in the sense that it really reveals some of the assumptions that have, in my opinion, troubled this field for a long time.”
1. Which of the following dot groups is the easiest comparison according to the study?| A．20 versus 21. | B．20 versus 25. | C．40 versus 41. | D．40 versus 45. |
| A．Our ability to tell differences can be seen in many areas. |
| B．We can easily decide which of two circles has a larger area. |
| C．Our intuitive feeling prevents us making right decisions. |
| D．We tend to guess when it comes to spotting tiny differences. |
| A．It shows that our perceptual system fails to work well. |
| B．It proves that people always trust their intuitive feeling |
| C．It leads to a challenging problem in the field of science. |
| D．It contributes to a better understanding of perceptual ability. |
| A．Tiny Numerical Differences Are Hard to Distinguish |
| B．We Have Little Awareness of Our Perceptual System |
| C．Most People Are Able to Finish Complex Perceptual Tasks |
| D．Humans Can Rely on Intuitive Feeling to Spot Differences |
9 . American companies have learned to love renewable resources. Now, they are beginning to get involved in next-generation climate solutions.
An advanced geothermal(地热的) project supported by Google began generating electricity last week, a big step in seeking for technology that can affordably fill gaps in wind and solar generation with carbon-free power. The pilot project in northern Nevada uses drilling and fracking(水力压裂法) techniques employed by the oil and gas industry to get heat from Earth to generate power.
Geothermal technology has long been viewed as a potential way to tap the natural heat of Earth to make carbon-free power. But it has traditionally been limited to locations where there are natural underground lakes of hot water, which are hard to access. In 2021, geothermal energy accounted for less than half a percent of America's power generation.
Fervo Energy, a Houston-based startup gives an answer-to use drilling and fracking techniques
In Nevada, the company drilled two wells to a depth of about 8,000 feet and then extended them horizontally(水平地) for more than 3,000 feet. Then Fervo injected(注入) cold water under high pressure to cause the rock between the wells to be fracked, creating fractures(裂缝). Water is then pumped into the first well, absorbing heat as it flows through the fractures and returning to the surface via the second well at temperatures high enough to make steam and spin an engine.
The project represents a convergence of two companies’ climate ambitions. Fervo had sought to apply advances in oil and gas drilling to geothermal technology. But finding financing to prove that the company's technology worked was a challenge. Luckily for Fervo, Google had just started reconsidering it; approach to clean energy around the time when Fervo was looking to test its technology.
“The demand for clean, firm power is so urgent, especially now,” said Gabriel Malek, chief of staff at Fervo. “And we're recognizing that the geothermal project is one workable option available to us. It is promising, actually.
1. What is the problem with geothermal energy?| A．It is in little demand. | B．It still produces CO2. |
| C．It is not easy to employ. | D．It is rarely seen on Earth |
| A．How drilling and fracking techniques come. |
| B．How natural heat on Earth comes into being. |
| C．Fervo's solution to pollution caused by energy. |
| D．Fervo's approach to harvesting geothermal energy. |
| A．Source. | B．Barrier. | C．Combination. | D．Shift. |
| A．His company has self-funded the project. |
| B．He is hopeful about the geothermal project. |
| C．He promises to provide clean power for free. |
| D．His company cooperates with many businesses. |
10 . If you’ve scrolled through your Facebook feed recently, you may have noticed something surprising: lots and lots of short videos.
What makes this “Reels” feature strange is that it is hugely addictive, which I know quite well from my own personal experience. Last Friday, I took a break and hit on one short clip of someone making dinner and, well, the next time I looked up it was 20 minutes later and the blank document on my computer monitor was confirming to me that my work was still not done.
However, as silly as it seems, Reels-is actually super important, and is at the centre of a major battle between the world’s largest tech firms. The format (格式) was first pioneered by TikTok-the Chinese-owned video app that has taken the world by storm since it launched in 2016. Today, TikTok has around 23 million UK users every month-including basically every person you know under the age of 25. And that fact has made Facebook and its parent company, Meta, very nervous indeed. As TikTok has continued to boom, Facebook has actually fallen in popularity among “Gen Z”. The reason Tik Tok has proven such a powerful challenger to Facebook’s social media dominance is almost entirely down to these sorts of short-form videos.
The format is almost perfectly optimised to be as addictive as possible: Tik Tok’s app shows you a short-form video, and if you don’t like it, you can simply swipe it away and another one will start playing instantly. And because it is portrait, not landscape, videos look “right” when viewed on your phone. What’s also smart is that TikTok’s algorithm (算法) picks videos for you based on what you actually watch, and not what you say you want.
Facebook isn’t the only app trying to do what TikTok does so well. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, has integrated Reels even more aggressively into its app. And even Google is nervous, launching its own TikTok-style video section of YouTube(which it owns)a couple of years ago. As things stand, though TikTok currently maintains a healthy lead in the category, both YouTube and Facebook have deep pockets-so expect to see even more Reels and Shorts popping up in your feed as this intense battle continues to rage. You won’t be able to take your eyes off them.
1. Why did the author mention his own experience in paragraph 2?| A．To illustrate the feature of short videos. |
| B．To stress the importance of short videos. |
| C．To prove his preference to short videos. |
| D．To introduce the functions of short videos. |
| A．It has shown the trend of the fall in popularity among “Gen Z”. |
| B．It is perceived as a potential threat to Facebook’s social media dominance. |
| C．Its number of registered UK users has reached 23 million since it launched in 2016. |
| D．It underestimates the essential role of short videos in competition with large tech firms. |
| A．The beautiful visual effects. |
| B．The high video quality. |
| C．The random recommendation. |
| D．The quick switch between videos. |
| A．The short videos have a profound impact on our daily life. |
| B．TikTok seems to be losing its advantage over short videos in the short run. |
| C．YouTube and Facebook may encounter financial difficulties in developing Shorts. |
| D．A growing number of tech firms have engaged in fierce competition for the short video market. |
