1 . In 1975, a San Diego homemaker named Marjorie Rice came across a column in Scientific American about tiling (瓷砖). There is a problem which has interested mathematicians since ancient Greek times. After Rice’s chance encounter with tiling, family members often saw her in the kitchen constantly drawing shapes. “I thought she was just drawing casually,” her daughter Kathy said. But Rice who took only one year of math in high school, was actually discovering never-before-seen patterns.
Born in Florida, she loved learning and particularly her brief exposure to math, but tight budget and social culture prevented her family from even considering that she might attend college. “For Rice, math was a pleasure,” her son David once said.
Rice gave one of her sons a subscription to Scientific American partly because she could read it carefully while the children were at school. When she read Gardner’s column about tiling as she later recalled in an interview: “I thought it must be wonderful that someone could discover these beautiful patterns which no one had seen before.” She also wrote in an essay, “My interest was engaged by the subject and I wanted to understand every detail of it. Lacking a mathematical background, I developed my own symbol system and in a few months discovered a new type.”
Astonished and delighted, she sent her work to Gardner, who sent it to Doris, a tiling expert at Moravian College. Doris confirmed that Rice’s finding was correct.
Later, Rice declined to lecture on her discoveries, citing shyness, but at Doris’s invitation, she attended a university mathematics meeting, where she was introduced to the audience. Rice still said nothing of her achievements to her children, but they eventually found out as the awards mounted.
1. Why did Rice often draw shapes in the kitchen?| A．To become a mathematician. | B．To fill her leisure time. |
| C．To explore the secret of tiling. | D．To show her passion for drawing. |
| A．She longed to start a column. | B．She succeeded in developing a system. |
| C．She was good at designing patterns. | D．She was rejected from a college. |
| A．The magic of math. | B．The patterns of tiling. |
| C．The modesty of Rice. | D．The efforts of Rice. |
| A．Every cloud has a silver lining. | B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. | D．Great minds think alike. |
2 . When 2023 turned out to be the hottest year in history, it underlined the warnings of some outstanding climate scientists that the pace of global warming was accelerating and had entered a dangerous new phase. A new study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, suggests one reason for such an acceleration: Earth’s skies are getting clearer and letting in more sunshine.
The study was carried out by a set of NASA instruments in space that since 2001 have tracked the delicate balance of energy entering and leaving the planet. Over the past decade, the instruments, called the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), have detected a marked rise in the amount of solar energy the planet has absorbed — well beyond the warming expected from rising greenhouse gases. The readings show the planet has become less reflective, as if it recently put on a darker shirt. One reason is a drop in light-reflecting pollution because of power-plant scrubbers (洗涤器) and cleaner fuels, the researchers say. They calculate that cleaner air could account for 40% of the increased energy warming the planet between 2001 and 2019.
Climate scientists have long known that pollution declines can lead to warming: Not only do the pollution particles (微粒), or aerosols, reflect light into space, but they can also increase the number of droplets in clouds, causing them to grow brighter or last longer. Two years ago, the decline of aerosols became detectable on a global scale. But the climate models used in the new study attributed a startling (惊人的) amount of warming to the pollution drop.
However, falling pollution may not be the only reason for the brighter skies detected by CERES, a trend that kicked up after 2015. The models were unable to explain up to 40% of the extra absorbed light, and the CERES data show reflectivity falling in both hemispheres (半球), whereas pollution has fallen the most in the north. Both of those observations suggest other factors might be reducing Earth’s reflectivity. The models in the new study may be overstating the influence of aerosols, says Bjorn Stevens, a climate scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. “If the models are too sensitive to aerosols, as some of us think, it will cause us to look in the wrong direction.”
The new study highlights the important role aerosols will play as Earth continues to warm, and the need to keep models updated, says Tiffany Shaw, a climate dynamicist at the University of Chicago. The skies will only get clearer, with pollution controls in China taking force, and India soon expected to follow. Aerosol declines will also reshape regional weather, with cleaner air leading to a weaker Asian monsoon and increased heat extremes in northern hemisphere.
1. According to the article, which of the following concerning CERES is true?| A．CERES has been keeping track of the delicate balance of energy since the early 20th century. |
| B．CERES has discovered a noticeable increase in the amount of solar energy absorbed by the planet. |
| C．CERES has detected that the warming is exactly in line with the rising greenhouse gases. |
| D．CERES has provided data to fully explain where the extra absorbed light comes from. |
| A．They can throw light to the earth back into space. |
| B．They can increase the number of clouds in the sky. |
| C．They can increase the brightness and duration of clouds. |
| D．They can give rise to more tiny drops of water in clouds. |
| A．The models in the new study are too sensitive. |
| B．The result of the new study is misleading. |
| C．The findings of the new study may be unreliable. |
| D．The new study attaches great importance to the role aerosols will play. |
| A．CERES has figured out the reason for global warming. |
| B．Aerosol declines will reshape regional weather. |
| C．Pollution declines are making the earth’s skies clearer. |
| D．Clearer skies may be accelerating global warming. |
3 . Animal populations across the world have been reduced by 69% in less than 50 years, according to a new scientific report. The report’s authors are calling for urgent action to restore the natural world.
The Living Planet Report (LPR) is produced every two years by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London. The most recent report, released on October 13, 2022, shows that almost 70% of the world’s monitored wildlife was lost between 1970 and 2018. The report is based on research from 195 countries around the world. Data was collected from almost 32,000 populations of 5,230 species.
Although the average global loss of wildlife is 69%, the rate is greater in the global south. Latin America and the Caribbean in particular have seen the sharpest fall, having lost 94% of their wildlife since 1970. Across the world, the biggest drop was in freshwater populations of wildlife — including almost 1,400 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles — which have decreased by 83%.
The report identifies several causes for wildlife loss, including hunting, farming, the loss of forests, pollution and climate change. However, the report also promotes solutions, such as designing less destructive food production systems, urgently protecting the Amazon rainforest, limiting the use of fossil fuels, and creating new laws to protect our natural environment.
Commenting on the report, Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, called the figures “terrifying”, and said “we need to help nature recover and not simply halt its loss.” In December 2022, world leaders are meeting in Montreal for the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference, also known as COP 15. The authors of the LPR say that this is an opportunity for a global plan to deal with wildlife loss and restore nature. “Government leaders must step up at COP 15,” said Lambertini. “The world is watching.”
1. What does the author mainly want to show by listing the numbers in the first three paragraphs?| A．The causes of the urgent situation. | B．The seriousness of wildlife loss worldwide. |
| C．The detailed process of the research. | D．The drop in freshwater populations of wildlife. |
| A．Stop hunting and farming. | B．Not permit the production of wildlife food. |
| C．Replace the fossil fuels with renewable energy. | D．Offer legal protection of natural environment. |
| A．Accept. | B．Fear. | C．Stop. | D．Suffer. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Indifferent. | C．Positive. | D．Satisfied. |
4 . Have you ever wondered why you want to do something, or what causes people to go through extraordinary pain or personal investment just to achieve a particular outcome?
Motivation is the reason for people’s actions, goals, and willingness to pursue the goals. Sometimes it seems difficult to find, but we all have that spark at our core. Here are some ways you can turn that spark back into a flame.
Keep a thankfulness journal.
Design an accomplishment book. Creative people may do well to design an accomplishment book with images of past work and accomplishments as a form of encouragement. It can be as informal or formal as you’d like. It might be a simple scrapbook you keep at your desk, or a professionally printed booklet that you keep by your bed.
Get out of the house. If your life consists of going to work, coming home, watching Netflix, and going to sleep, you shouldn’t be surprised that you’re unmotivated.
| A．What’s the possible solution? |
| B．Identify when motivation slips. |
| C．What’s at the heart of this issue? |
| D．Decide what works best for you and give it a try. |
| E．A thankfulness journal is a perfect way to show your gratitude to others. |
| F．Some people find that thankfulness and motivation are directly connected. |
| G．Make it a point to go outdoors and try new things even when you don’t want to. |
5 . Edinburgh is famous for its many museums where you can learn its rich history.
Museum on the MoundLocated in the heart of Edinburgh’s city center, this appealing museum takes a fresh look at money — and much, much more. You will see coins and banknotes from over the ages, including the first Scottish banknote printed in 1727. There are also interesting interactive displays and you can even try your hand at opening a safe!
The Writers’ MuseumIt is housed in the beautiful Lady Stair’s House, a category A listed building. The collection celebrates the legacy of Scotland’s literary contributions, with special emphasis given to Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns. The museum is home to numerous paintings, books and manuscripts (手稿), and you can also see Burns’ writing desk and Scott’s chess set.
Our Dynamic EarthIt celebrates the beauty of the earth via technology. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to experience earthquakes, the ocean floor, ice ages and mountains by the use of computer software. Particularly interesting is the “tour” around the eleven Earthscapes. It is educational fun for the whole family and can serve as a good introduction to concepts surrounding the formation of the planet and the creatures we share the earth with.
National Museum of ScotlandThe diverse collections here include the history of Scotland with exhibitions of international interest. The natural world, science and technology, discoveries, art, and world cultures are all explored. There are interactive elements and activities to suit children of all ages, including science experiments and musical instruments.
1. Which might be the most attractive to finance majors?| A．Our Dynamic Earth. | B．The Writers’ Museum. |
| C．Museum on the Mound. | D．National Museum of Scotland. |
| A．Play with your family. | B．Tour the world virtually. |
| C．Design computer software. | D．Learn about ancient creatures. |
| A．They have interactive exhibits. | B．They showcase world cultures. |
| C．They provide hands-on activities. | D．They have an artistic atmosphere. |
6 . These days, Fred’s huge skeleton (骨架) is exhibited in the Indiana State Museum. His tusks (长牙) were recently the subject of a research study tracing the life 13,000 years ago of mastodons, distant relatives of modern elephants.
By analyzing the chemical compounds (化合物) in Fred’s tusks, a team of researchers could construct a detailed account of his seasonal migration patterns. Josh Miller, a paleoecologist (古生态学家) at the University of Cincinnati, is one of the researchers studying Fred. “He has beautifully preserved bones and tusks, which provides a great opportunity for our research on his seasonal migration patterns,” Miller said.
Mastodons’ tusks generally grow in distinct layers, similar to the tree rings. As a result, the nutrients that build the layers of their tusks can tell us a lot about what they experienced. The team particularly focused their analysis on the variations in two elements in the layers: strontium (锶) and oxygen. The former is the key to understanding where Fred spent his life, while the latter tells us the season he was in any particular region. Then, with some statistical modeling, Miller and his team gained insight into the daily record of Fred’s behavior over ten thousand years ago.
The result indicated that Fred would have grown a lot when he was young. But there’s a year when his growth is reduced. “Probably like the modern male elephant, a male mastodon is just really obnoxious when growing up to be a bother and often arouses family members’ anger. At that point, the mom and aunts will essentially kick him out of the family.” Miller predicted.
After Fred set off to attend to himself, his tusks reflected where he travelled around. Based on the analysis, Fred would return to mate every summer in Northeastern Indiana, because his tusks started to show signs of injuries around this time. When competing for mates, mastodons get into huge battles with their own natural weapons sharp tusks. And that was exactly what brought Fred’s story to an untimely end.
1. What did Miller’s study mainly focus on?| A．Effective ways of tusk preservation. | B．Inner structure of Fred’s skeleton. |
| C．Possible tracks of Fred’s migration. | D．Special functions of mastodon tusks. |
| A．By analyzing nutrients in Fred’s bones. |
| B．By reviewing statistical records of previous studies. |
| C．By modeling data of chemical elements in Fred’s tusks. |
| D．By referring to the growth of tree rings to study Fred’s tusk layers. |
| A．He was killed by his opponents. | B．He reunited with his family later. |
| C．He was drawn to cross-species fights. | D．He was weak in living independently. |
| A．Geology. | B．Culture. | C．Education. | D．Science. |
7 . The Natick Community Organic Farm (NCOF) offers a unique work experience for teens. Through farm work, they learn new skills, solve problems, and become good citizens and leaders.
Leader in Training (LIT)Ages 14 – 16
8:30 am – 4:30 pm, minimum one week commitment
The LIT position is an unpaid volunteer opportunity for motivated teens to assist in one or more weeks of our ten-week summer program with children ages 3 – 11. LITs learn from and work alongside our summer staff as we educate kids about farming, food, the environment, and sustainability. If you would like to explore the field of farm work, outdoor education, or teaching, you might be a great fit as an LIT!
Teen Work Crew (TWC)Ages 15 – 18
8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Our TWC program offers paid, mentored (指导) work experience for teens. Teens work 24 hours per week and are scheduled for 2 – 4 weeks in a ten-week summer. TWC tackles the “big jobs” around the farm, such as fencing, mowing, splitting wood, rebuilding animal enclosures, and more.
Mentoring Teens through the Agriculture Apprentice (学徒) ProgramAges 14 – 17
8:30 am – 5:00 pm
This program provides year-round job training and paid work experience to teens who wish to master the wide range of skills it takes to run a diversified (多样化的) farm. Candidates are selected by farm staff based on participation in other farm programs for their skills and “can do” attitudes. By working closely with farm staff, apprentices tackle independent projects, building confidence and leadership abilities while forming life-long friendships.
1. Who is the text intended for?| A．College graduates. | B．Agricultural experts. |
| C．Experienced farmers. | D．Middle school students. |
| A．It doesn’t pay its participants. |
| B．It offers the longest work hours. |
| C．It focuses on sustainable agriculture. |
| D．It provides a visit to diversified farms. |
| A．Their management capability. |
| B．Their farm skills and attitudes. |
| C．Their previous work experience. |
| D．Their character and quality. |
8 . Your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases that you produce as you live your life. In order to hold the global temperature rise to 2˚C or less, everyone needs to average an annual carbon footprint of 1.87 tons by 2050.
Eat low on the food chain. This means eating mostly fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. Meat and dairy is responsible for 14.5 percent of man-made global greenhouse gas emissions.
Use low energy appliances. Replace traditional light bulbs with LED ones. Though LEDs cost more, they use a quarter of the energy and last up to 25 times longer. Make energy efficiency a primary consideration when choosing a new microwave, air conditioning unit, dishwasher, or refrigerator.
Choose green travel. An average car produces about five tons of carbon each year.
| A．Don’t buy fast fashion. |
| B．Never choose quality clothing. |
| C．But people ignore this serious problem. |
| D．Making changes in transport matters much. |
| E．Here are ways to reduce your carbon footprint. |
| F．They are mainly from food production and processing. |
| G．Products with the ENERGY STAR sign have better efficiency. |
9 . Three paralysed (瘫痪的) men, who were told they would spend the rest of their lives in a wheelchair, are able to walk again, thanks to an electrical device, which was placed around the men’s spines (脊柱) and boosted signals from their brains to their legs.
The first patient to be treated was 30-year-old Swiss man David M’zee, who suffered a severe spinal injury several years ago in a sporting accident. David’s doctor said he would never walk again. However, thanks to the electrical device developed by a team at a public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, he agreed to take part in a trial led by Dr. Courtine at the university.
“I came with my daughter, Charlotte, who was one month old at the time. As we approached David, he looked her in the eye and said, ‘I will walk before you,’” Dr Courtine recalls. “When Charlotte took her first step she was 14 months old, by which time David was walking by Lake Geneva. He said to her, ‘I have beaten you.’”
David can now walk up to eight paces when the device is switched off and this is the first time that this has been recorded in a chronic (慢性的) spinal injury. However, out of the lab, in the real world, it is hard for David to walk more than a few paces. The signals from the device soon become uncomfortable and so can’t be used all the time. The system is also expensive and not reliable enough to be used out of the laboratory for day-to-day use, so it’s far from a cure.
David is the first of three patients who have benefited from the first wave of the treatment. Two other men have also managed to walk again, to various degrees.
The researchers plan to begin larger trials in Europe and the US in the next few years. If these go well, the researchers are confident the system could become more widely available.
1. How does the electrical device help the paralysed walk again?| A．By straightening the spines. | B．By making the brains recover. |
| C．By signaling the legs to move. | D．By making use of a wheelchair. |
| A．To point out David’s weakness. | B．To explain David’s failure to walk. |
| C．To show the speed of David’s recovery. | D．To prove his daughter’s athletic ability. |
| A．It is hard for typical patients to operate. | B．It is unreliable when used out of the lab. |
| C．It always makes patients uncomfortable. | D．It sometimes sends wrong signals to legs. |
| A．The device can cure paralysis. | B．The device has been widely used. |
| C．The device will be tested globally. | D．The device has a potential market. |
10 . Have you ever observed how a family runs smoothly? It’s the balance that plays a role in a family. But a family where there is too much chaos (混乱), argument, and one-sided communication has no balance. As a result, such a chaotic family suffers consequences like divorced parents, distances between children.
In the same way, nature needs balance, harmony and protection. You are already aware of the phrase — too much of everything is bad. That’s why the sensibility to bring balance in nature is every human’s responsibility.
The community of living species interacts with the environment’s non-living components in a healthy ecosystem. Rainfall, temperature, sunlight, soil, and water chemistry are the main examples of abiotic (无生命的) aspects of ecosystems that need to be in a stable manner.
To survive, plants need a certain combination of temperature, moisture, and soil chemistry. Protecting plants is also important because it provides food for the animals.What you see above are the natural phenomena that have been happening since the beginning of the universe. That’s how nature has been functioning. But indulgent human activities in using natural resources has created poor habitation in the natural environment. In fact, here are the human actions that have broken the balance in nature for so many years now.
People cut down trees to make space for new companies owing to an increase in population, which has decreased the amount of oxygen in the air. Global warming has resulted in the melting of the ice caps, leading to rising sea levels and other natural disasters like cyclones and tsunamis. As a result of habitat loss, it is getting harder for species to survive.To bring the Earth to its original form is impossible. But there is always a potential for bringing awareness. Hence, if the above human activities are lessened or changed with recycling activities, the next generation can still live a healthy life.
1. Why is a chaotic family mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To bring up a new topic. |
| B．To come to a conclusion. |
| C．To complain about family chaos. |
| D．To admire the balance of a family. |
| A．Limit human activities to the fullest. |
| B．Control a certain amount of everything. |
| C．Don’t cut down trees for new companies. |
| D．Don’t use energy for economic development. |
| A．Responsible. | B．Controlled. | C．Romantic. | D．Unlimited. |
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. | C．Confident. | D．Uncertain. |
