1 . Who can imagine life today without an Automated Teller Machine (ATM)? They are available in considerable numbers throughout the world.

The first ATM was the brainchild of an enterprising Turkish-American inventor Luther George Simjian. When the idea of an automated banking machine struck him, he registered 20 patents before any bank agreed to give it a trial run. It is easy to assume that the inventor of such a popular machine was laughing all the way to the bank.     1     Within six months of its operation in New York in 1939, the device was removed due to lack of customer acceptance.

It was not until 1967, nearly 30 years later, that Barclays Bank, in a careful launch, rolled out a self-service machine in London, England, which proved successful.     2     The first cash machine relied on customers’ use of prepaid tokens (代币) to get envelopes with a fixed amount of cash inside.

    3     The banks’ principle was seemingly customer service. But it would be foolish to minimize the many advantages that cash machines provided to the banks themselves. By the late 1970s, the highest fixed cost for the average large bank was its branches. The greatest variable cost and loss to profits were its staff. Bank accounts swiftly recognized that self-service operations could reduce bank branch staff cost by70 percent.

Experts quickly determined that public acceptance of ATMs counted on convenience, simplicity, speed, security and trust.     4     For maximum efficiency, ATMs had to be located near public transport or in a shopping mall, not at a branch. The busier and more crowded the location, obviously, the better. Now, roughly 75 percent of all cash provided by banks to their customers comes from cash machines.     5    .

Public acceptance of deposits (存款) by machine was significantly slower than customers’ usage of ATMs for withdrawals. In general, it seems that customers sometimes still prefer and trust an over-the-counter transaction (交易) for deposits.

A．Location, in particular, was a key factor.

B．His cash machine, however, didn’t prove durable.

C．The device was relatively primitive, at least by today’s standards.

D．However, cash machines posed some interesting, unanswered questions.

E．An interesting factor was the issue of bio-statistics for customer identification.

F．Devices originally dismissed by the public are now recognized as essential institutions.

G．Soon afterwards, many other banks became admittedly champions of the cash machine.

2 . It took an ill screech owl (鸣角鸮) to teach a scientist the value of up-close-and-personal study.

In his Harvad talk, Carl Safina, an ecologist and author of Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe, recalled that the chick was found dying in his backyard. Safina took it in and planned to nurse it back to health and then perform release. But the owlet's flight feathers didn't grow properly. Safina delayed the release. Over those extended months, Safina got to know Alfie in ways that moved and changed him.

“An owl found me and then I was watching ‘an owl’,” he said. “It was no longer an owl after a while, it was ‘she’ because she had a history with me. This little owl, who was with me much longer than I thought she would be, became an individual to me by that history and all those interactions.”

The bond with Alfie strengthened to the point that, when she was finally released, she created a territory with Safina's home at its center. Safina was able to spend hours each day observing her in the woods as she learned to take care of herself in the wild, met two mates, and raised chicks of her own.

When he heard Alfie calling, Safina said, he'd call back and she'd land nearby. Their closeness allowed him to learn more things about screech owls. Field guides, for example, describe two known calls but he identified six, some of which you have to be quite close to hear. The relationship also opened a window for Safina onto personality differences between Alfie and her mates.

When pointed out that his approach to Alfie—including the act of naming her—ran counter to widespread scientific practice, Safina said he wasn't concerned about violating (违反) convention, particularly if something interesting like individual personality differences among owls could be learned.

The experience caused Safina to think more deeply about humankind's relationship with nature and the kind of personal connection he was able to feel with a wild individual. “What I learned from Alfie is that all sentient (有情感的) beings seek a feeling of well-being and freedom of movement,” Safina said. “That's a guide to what's right and what's wrong to me.”

1. What do we know about Alfie?

A．She developed a close bond with Safina.

B．She was a fictional character in Safina's book.

C．She intentionally landed in Safina's backyard.

D．She was dying because of the broken flight feathers.

2. What happened after Safina released Alfie?

A．Alfie chose to stay with Safina at his home.

B．They maintained a continous communication.

C．Alfie met mates and raised chicks by herself.

D．Safina kept his distance from her to prevent attachment.

3. What did Safina achieve in his study?

A．Recording six different calls of the screech owl.

B．Identifying different types of owls by their calls.

C．Learning how to release owls back into the wild.

D．Understanding personality differences among owls.

4. How did Safina's experience with Alfie impact him?

A．He became more focused on exploring nature.

B．He initiated his commitment to wildlife conservation.

C．He developed a deep appreciation for the welfare of living creatures.

D．He decided to guide readers to distinguish between right and wrong.

3 . What’s your first memory? Whatever it is, you’re bound to treasure it. But can we actually trust them? Nothing about memory is simple. Memory is malleable. What we remember is not necessarily what happened. A memory is not a recording. It’s more like a dramatic reconstruction and one that we can keep changing without realizing it.

For any experience to be remembered, it has to be encoded (编码). This encoding is not any kind of direct translation, though. It’s a rich and complex process that creates associations and meanings. We might be remembering something very similar, but slightly changed and colored by our own sets of associations.

Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus produced groundbreaking research on eyewitness testimony (证据). Her work showed that memories can easily be influenced, even after they’ve been created. For example, if two eyewitnesses talk with each other, their memories of events often change, absorbing what they’ve heard from the other one — but they won’t realize this has happened. Similarly, witnesses who are shown an image of an innocent person, can sometimes stick it onto their memory of the actual event — a process known as unconscious transference (无意识的转移). It is estimated that around 70% of wrongful convictions (定罪), later overturned by DNA evidence, are due to mistaken eyewitness testimony.

In some cases, memories can even be deliberately created and implanted. The Lost in the Mall experiment took a test group of subjects and talked to them in depth about key childhood memories while also adding an invented one — the experience of having been lost in a shopping center. It was found that between a quarter and a third of subjects not only accepted this new memory as genuine but enriched it with specific details.

Most of us have certain key memories of being a very young child. But research suggests that they’re highly unlikely to be actual memories due to the way memory is stored in the baby brain. Your precious first memory may well not be a real memory, and we’re all perhaps living in our imaginations more than we realize.

1. What does the underlined word “malleable” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Trustworthy.

B．False.

C．Easily changed.

D．Deeply impressive.

2. Which will influence the memory of eyewitnesses?

A．Powerful DNA evidence.	B．Pictures stuck in their memory.
C．Reduced accuracy of convictions.	D．Exchanged information between them.

3. What can we learn about “The Lost in the Mall” experiment?

A．It was designed to investigate mistaken eyewitness testimony.

B．Its subjects could recall specific details of a shopping center.

C．Its subjects made believe that they had been lost in a shopping center.

D．It demonstrated that invented experiences could be fixed in one’s memory.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Unreliable Nature of Memory.	B．Revised Eyewitness Testimony.
C．Reflection on Sweet Childhood.	D．An Exploration of Truth and Fiction.

4 . Wall Street bankers, investors and economists have for months argued over whether a US recession (衰退) is coming. But for some Americans, the unforgiving economic pain typical during recession has already set in.

Al Brown and his wife faced a tough call in May when reviewing their weekly budget: what’s a higher priority, more food or dish soap? Based in Concord, North Carolina, Brown was the main breadwinner for his wife and their two children. Then in April, he was let go from his job as a global director of business development at software company Cascade. He’s since quit his gym membership and sold various items around his home, including a computer and yard furniture. His 13-year-old son quit the basketball team.

Brown, 37, now spends his days searching the internet for jobs or reaching out to potential connections. After filing over 600 applications, only a handful have produced interviews. That’s a far cry from the labor-market strength described in government figures.

Investors and economists have been expecting a recession since last year as the Fed raised interest rates to control inflation (通货膨胀). That caused companies to focus on profitability over growth, which meant cutting spending and reducing their workforces.

“I think it’s unlikely that I will get another good paying job with great benefits like the one I had,” McCollum, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, said. More Americans are likely to encounter similar cases, some experts predict.

“As we go through this year, and into next year, there is still going to be this focus on trying to reduce costs, and it is going to result in more unemployment,” said Thomas Simons, a senior economist at Jefferies. “The impact of layoffs, currently concentrated among white-collar workers, will last throughout the economy through a ‘big pullback in overall spending’,” Simons said. “Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of economic output, so if more Americans are forced to cut back because they were laid off, that might throw the US economy into a recession.”

1. What are some Americans currently going through?

A．They can’t afford necessities of life.	B．They’ve lost interest in high-end gyms.
C．They are badly treated by their bosses.	D．They have difficulty making ends meet.

2. What does the author want to demonstrate through Brown’s job hunting?

A．One should try various ways to find a job.

B．American labor market is not that friendly to job-seekers.

C．Few companies are interested in middle-aged job-hunters.

D．The government provides accurate figures of the job market.

3. How do companies deal with the economic struggles?

A．By employing more workers.	B．By changing interest rates.
C．By giving priority to profits.	D．By cutting employees’ allowances.

4. Which statement will Thomas Simons probably agree with?

A．Laid-off workers tend to go into debt.

B．Lower consumption may worsen the current situation.

C．Americans will spend more to increase economic output.

D．Companies are to blame for the unemployment of white-collar workers.

5 . Medical Examination Instructions

These medical instructions are being issued as your immigration (移民) application has reached the stage where medical examination results are required.

When, who and how to complete your Immigration Medical Examination

You are required to have the medical examination within 30 days of the date of this letter; your medical examination must be performed by a doctor from the IRCC list of Panel Physicians; book an appointment with a Panel Physician in your area as soon as possible.

Once your medical examination has been completed, the Panel Physician will submit medical results to IRCC for assessment. To obtain a copy of your Immigration Medical Examination, please ask the Panel Physician at the time of your appointment.

Paying for your Immigration Medical Examination

Any costs related to the medical examination are your responsibility and are payable to the Panel Physician at the time of examination. This payment is for the Panel Physician's services and cannot be returned even if your immigration application is refused or the validity period (有效期) of your immigration medical examination ends.

Note: If you are qualified for coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program, the costs related to your immigration medical examination may be covered by the IFHP. Please confirm with the Panel Physician in your area that they are registered with the IFHP.

What must I bring to my appointment?

★ The attached Medical Report form

★Identification, including your passport if one is available (Proof of identity must include at least one government-issued document with photograph and signature, such as a passport.)

★Eye glasses or contact lenses (隐形眼镜), if worn

★Four recent photographs

★For individuals qualified for Migration Medical Examination coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program, please bring one of the following documents:

●Refugee Protection Claimant Document

●The Interim Federal Health Certificate

●Acknowledgement of Claim and Notice to Return for Interview

If available, you may be offered vaccinations (接种疫苗) by the Panel Physician.

1. After your medical examination, _________.

A．the previous health reports ought to be consulted

B．you will submit the results to IRCC for assessment

C．the Panel Physician will present the results to IRCC

D．you will surely obtain a copy of examination results by the physician

2. If your immigration application is refused, which statement is right about the costs?

A．The IFHP will cover them.	B．They cannot be returned.
C．The Panel Physician will pay in cash.	D．They will be returned if you apply.

3. Which of the following must be brought to the appointment?

A．Proof of identity.	B．The Federal Health Certificate.
C．The application form.	D．Medical examination instructions.

6 . How To Find Spring Fashion Trends

Fashion changes faster than most people can keep up with.     1    . Keep yourself at the forefront by paying attention to designers and social media, shopping early and knowing the basics of spring fashion.

Look through fashion magazines to get fashion ideas. Magazines like GQ, Vogue, and Cosmo are generally considered “taste makers”.     2    , and often bring excellent runway shows together. To keep ahead, make notes about the fashion trends that keep popping up in different magazines.

Find your favorite fashion blogs. What’s on the catwalk isn’t necessarily what’s on the streets, so I also like getting inspiration from travel blogs, fashion blogs, and smaller designers. Many brands, designers, and fashionistas post their inspiration online, as well as recommendations on where to find the best new fashions.    3    .

Explore social media. More and more often, people are using the Internet to broadcast their personal fashion recommendations, which is a great way to get a pulse on spring fashion. Sites like Tumblr and Pintrest have specific sections devoted to fashion.

    4    . If you’ve got friends in Miami, they will experience spring fashion a lot faster than you might in the cold Chicago. Check out your friends’ pictures or go online and look up southern fashion blogs to get ahead of the game before the snow melts.

Make your own spring trends. Having confidence in yourself and rocking your outfit is more important than following any trend. Sometimes you still can’t figure out what spring fashion trend to follow.     5    . Trends aren’t as exaggerated as they used to be because people are more into developing their own personal styles, which is more permanent and empowering.

A．Make notes of fashions you see often

B．Look to warmer areas for inspiration

C．They are selling the right clothes for the right season

D．Find an outfit you like and make up your own trend

E．They are in touch with the big clothing designers

F．Spring is often when people launch new and inventive fashion for the warming weather

G．Search “Spring Fashion Blogs” and browse through a few to see styles you enjoy

7 . Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 100, will always be remembered for the key role he played in the normalization of China-US relations.

The secret trip he made to Beijing in July 1971, at the height of the Cold War, paved the way for the historic visit by then US president Richard Nixon to the Chinese capital in February 1972. “The week that changed the world” helped end more than 20 years of estrangement (疏远) between China and the United States, and led to the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979. The following more than four decades of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, although not always smooth sailing, have reshaped the global geopolitical landscape, contributing to peace, stability and the development of the world.

As an diplomat with scholarly understanding of Chinese history and culture, in China Kissinger is heralded for his visionary (有远见的) and insightful thinking on China-US ties. The role he played in bridging the differences between the two countries — as highlighted by the more than 100 trips he paid to China — made him a trusted messenger for successive leaders of both countries.

He was worried by the many US politicians trying to play the Taiwan card to contain China's rise, a situation which, in his view, is against the long-term interests of both China and the US. “Keep in mind that if China and America are in conflict, then the whole world will be divided,” he said. To minimize the chance of the two countries sliding into a serious conflict, Kissinger advised the US “to keep from being adversarial (对抗的) and pursue dialogue instead”. He urged China and the US to cooperate, because “working together, we can achieve great things, not just for our countries, but also for humanity”.

The death of Kissinger is a great loss. But his legacy (遗产) will last forever. What he said and did to help develop a sound and healthy US-China relationship should inspire all those who are working for a better relationship between the two countries. His call for dialogue and cooperation, rather than confrontation and zero-sum competition, should shed light on the course for healthy interactions between the two sides.

1. Why did Kissinger arrive in Beijing in 1972?

A．To represent the US to talk about some trade deals.

B．To have a tour around the city and know more about it.

C．To deal with some important personal affairs in the city.

D．To get ready for Richard Nixon's paying a visit to Beijing.

2. What is the possible meaning of the underlined phrase “heralded for” in Paragraph 3?

A．Adapted to.

B．Praised for.

C．Prepared for.

D．Attached to.

3. What did Kissinger advocate according to the news report?

A．That the US and China should make compromises.

B．That the US and China should go their separate ways.

C．That the US and China should lead the world together.

D．That the US and China should communicate and work together.

4. Which can serve as the best title for the news report?

A．Kissinger’s legacy needs to be passed on

B．Kissinger warns America not to contain China’s rise

C．Kissinger worries about conflict between America and China

D．Kissinger — an diplomat with scholarly understanding of Chinese history and culture

8 . For nearly as long as the modern computer has existed, it has been used to forecast the weather. First used during World War II to simulate (模拟) nuclear weapons, computers were soon adopted to simulate the future state of the atmosphere, creating the modern discipline of weather prediction. Although that discipline has grown ever more complicated and now produces reliable forecasts several weeks in advance, its approach remains the same: using large amounts of calculating power to solve equations (方程).

Over the past year, artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to change that. Tech companies including Google and Nvidia have trained AI models to predict the weather up to 10 days in advance, with an accuracy equaling or even topping traditional models — and with far less calculation overhead. Rather than solving equations, these AI models predict the near future based on patterns learned through training on 40 years of past weather, which is recorded by the traditional model of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the world’s top weather agency. Once trained, the AI models can work out a forecast on a computer in 1 minute rather than taking 2 hours to run on a supercomputer.

ECMWF has already begun to produce its own AI forecast, and other weather agencies are eager to catch up. The new models aren’t perfect. They struggle to predict certain essential features—hurricane intensity, for example. But AI forecasters will only improve as they begin to learn from direct weather observations collected by sensors, not just data already passed through existing models. Besides, their speed could allow agencies to run them over and over, as they capture in the atmosphere the full spread of uncertainty, be it necessary or unnecessary for weather prediction.

No one expects traditional weather prediction to disappear. Another branch, climate models, an extension of weather forecasting, for example, rely on equation solving just as traditional weather models do. But in the long term, the output of climate models may itself become training data for a climate forecasting AI, which might ultimately do a better job than the traditional models.

1. How do AI models predict weather?

A．By running on a supercomputer.	B．By recording traditional models.
C．By working on the existing data.	D．By making massive calculations.

2. What is a limitation of AI weather forecasters?

A．They may be overly operated.	B．They may be slow to respond.
C．They may confuse natural disasters.	D．They may bring unfair competitions.

3. What do we know about climate models?

A．They lack accurate data.	B．They need intensive training.
C．They work in a traditional way.	D．They determine weather forecasting.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．How Can AI Aid Atmosphere Study?

B．Should We Trust AI to Predict Hurricanes?

C．Weather Forecast Is Having an AI Moment

D．Tech Giants Are Competing in Data Collection

9 . Why volunteer with STA Travel?

It’s a sad truth that many well-intentioned volunteer projects can be mismanaged for profit rather than helping. We will only work with projects that have a positive impact, satisfying the needs of the host communities while also meeting the desires of travellers to make real contributions, train their mind to think creatively, and gain skills for future study and work.

We support projects in more than 30 countries. Whether you’re looking to teach English, work with communities, animals or clean up our planet, there’s something for everyone.

Our featured voluntourism projects

Teach Children in Nepal

Join the project lasting over three weeks to assist with English lessons and homework and choose to stay at a shared volunteer house. Optional activities include a trip to Pokhara, the second largest city in the country and cooking demonstrations.

Thai Elephant Conservation

Experience one of our best-selling volunteer projects which offer a peaceful home to more than 30 neglected and previously abused elephants — with options ranging from seven days to four weeks. Play an important role by preparing food, feeding them and assisting in maintenance of the park.

Make a Difference in Indonesia

Work alongside local communities to arrange beach clean-ups and monitor and nurse newborn animals in their living areas for four weeks. There are also two-month options including teaching in local schools and community visit opportunities.

Experience Borne o & Conserve Orang-utans

This one-month project is designed for volunteers to experience and help with rehabilitation (复兴) of orang-utans in Sarawak, which are large arboreal animals and the only great apes in Asia. What’s more, take part in a long adventurous walk into the rainforest to meet the Iban and experience a unique stay in traditional longhouses.

1. What is the feature of STA Travel?

A．Its services are all over the world.	B．It provides free training for volunteers.
C．It focuses on domestic communities.	D．Its projects leave a far-reaching influence.

2. Which project is suitable for those who want a short-term trip?

A．Teach Children in Nepal.	B．Make a Difference in Indonesia.
C．Thai Elephant Conservation.	D．Experience Borne o &Conserve Orang-utans.

3. What is a common aim of the projects in Indonesia and Sarawak?

A．Taking part in adventurous walks.

B．Bringing harmony between man and nature.

C．Tracking wild animals in their living places.

D．Arranging clean-ups in traditional longhouses.

10 . Four Highly-related Books

Anne of Green Gables.

Anne of Green Gables by Canadian author Lucy Mau d Montgomery has been considered as a children’s novel since the mid-20th century. It states how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts at school and within the town. The novel presents the conflicts between Ann’s more fantastical daily life and that of Marilla, who would rather operate as social convention dictates (规定). Since publication, the book has sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into 20 languages.

First published: 1908

Original language: English

Pride and prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel of manners by the British author Jane Austen. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, norality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry (地主阶层) of England in the early 19th century.

First published: 1813

Original language: English

Treasure Island

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis, telling a tale of “pirates (海盗) and buried gold”. The influence of the book on popular perceptions of pirates is huge, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an “X”, sailing ships, tropical islands and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.

First published: 1883

Original language: English

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pen name Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice falling through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by unusual and vivid creatures. The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense type.

First published: 1865

Original language: English

1. What do the four books have in common?

A．They are novels written by the authors from the same country.

B．They were first published in the 19th century.

C．They were originally written in English.

D．They are works of children's literature.

2. What can we know about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?

A．Its theme is manners, upbringing and marriage.	B．Its main character is an English gentleman.
C．It is suitable for both adults and children.	D．It is based on a true and touching story.

3. Which book is involved with sailors who attack other ships and rob them of property?

A．Treasure Island.	B．Pride and prejudice.
C．Anne of Green Gables.	D．Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.