1 . If you live in a city that gets lots of snow and ice, then you might be familiar with road salt. Your local government likely has several ice-removing trucks that spread road salt on the roads to get rid of ice.     1    

To figure that out, you first need to know what road salt is. Road salt is simply rock salt, which is table salt in its natural form. Table salt goes through a very long purification (净化) process.     2     As a result, rock salt isn’t pure — besides salt, it contains some minerals like lead, iron, etc. And for this reason, rock salt doesn’t look that bright.

Now, let’s look at why road salt can remove ice on roads. Ice forms when the temperature of water reaches 0℃. The freezing point of the water is lowered once salt is added.     3     A 10 per cent salt solution (溶液) freezes at -6℃, and a 20 per cent solution freezes at much lower degrees.

However, rock salt has its limitations. For instance, if the temperature of the roadway is too low, the salt won’t have any effect on the ice.     4     As we mentioned earlier, rock salt can contain lead, iron, etc. When rock salt is spread, these minerals are also spread, harming soil and underground water.

    5     That’s because there are many salt mines around the world, which makes rock salt relatively affordable and accessible. Additionally, rock salt can be stored easily and for very long periods without losing its ability to remove ice.

A．But rock salt does not.

B．Then how exactly does it work?

C．The long purification process is costly.

D．In such cases, cities will use sand instead.

E．So the salt makes it harder for the water to freeze.

F．Rock salt also has major environmental problems.

G．Even so, rock salt is still widely used to remove ice.

2 . The academic world is highly competitive. But we don’t need to burn the candle at both ends to be good at what we do.     1    

Big goals are hard, so don’t be too ambitious. Set small goals, plan your schedule and stick to it. For example, instead of promising to finish that paper introduction today, aim to write 300 words of it. Then arrange time to complete the activity in a realistic schedule.     2     If so, take two hours, and achieve this goal by avoiding distractions.

    3     One of them is the Pomodoro technique. With this technique, you have a short period of time to work on a single task nothing else. Afterwards, you get a break. Then you go back to work for the same initial period of time, take another break and repeat the cycle until the task is finished. In two hours on a Pomodoro schedule, you’ll be more productive than in an entire day of distraction-filled work.

Although the academic world is competitive, there should always be some time for extracurricular activities. Play some instruments. Go for a run. Attend a club.     4     But they actually make you more productive.

Find some hobbies and make them part of your routine. Sign up for a regular class, or play sports with a friend regularly. Force yourself to make time for such activities. After three hours of studying, you stop thinking clearly and start making mistakes.     5     Extracurricular activities keep us motivated to work more efficiently.

A．You’d better aim for your own best.

B．Is finishing 300 words in one hour too much?

C．These activities take only one hour or so per day.

D．Are you ready to enter such a competitive world?

E．Instead, we need to learn to work in a clever way.

F．Stand up, go and play, and come back with a fresh mind.

G．There are many digital tools available that can help you to focus.

3 . Over the past few months, the Let Them Theory has been making waves online. It started when Mel Robbins, a popular motivational speaker, shared it on Instagram. In her video, Robbins talks about the importance of letting go of control in certain situations, advocating for a model shift in how we interact with others.

Robbins insists that too often, we waste time and energy trying to push others into meeting our expectations. Instead, she proposes a simpler, more liberating approach: “letting them” be themselves. “Let them be themselves because they are revealing who they are to you. Just let them. Then, you get to choose what you do next.” she said.

Dr. Sophie Mort, a clinical psychologist and mental health expert, offers deeper insights into the psychological foundation of this Theory. She said that our natural desire to control others often originates from a need to relieve our own anxieties and uncertainties. However, such attempts often result in disappointment and exhaustion as we realize the uselessness of our efforts. Basically, the theory emphasizes the acknowledgment that we cannot control the actions or decisions of others. It urges us to give up the burden of forcing our desires onto those closest to us and accept the mindset of acceptance.

While the theory may not be formally recognized in clinical settings, its principles connect with established concepts such as acceptance and mindfulness. It shows the essence of acceptance and commitment therapy, emphasizing the importance of accepting our thoughts and feelings without judgment. Meanwhile, marriage and family therapist Chapell Marsh further explains the resemblance between the theory and the psychological concept of “locus of control.”

The theory received a lot of positive responses. Many claim that adopting this approach has fostered harmony and minimized conflicts in their interactions. However, it’s urgent to recognize the limitations of the theory. While it promotes acceptance and nonjudgmental attitudes, it must not be employed in situations where safety is compromised or where necessary conversations are avoided. “Avoiding difficult conversations can lead to problems,” said Chapell Marsh.

1. What’s the core of the Let Them Theory?

A．Taking control of others in every situation.

B．Letting others expose their true self to us.

C．Pushing others into meeting our expectations.

D．Insisting on our way of interacting with others.

2. Why do people want to control others according to Dr. Sophie?

A．To be satisfied with themselves.

B．To make others accept their mindset.

C．To ease their own worries and doubts.

D．To force their desires onto the closest ones.

3. What does the author convey in paragraph 4?

A．The Let Them Theory should be recognized clinically.

B．We should accept our thoughts and feelings without judgement.

C．Marriage and family relationships need psychological concepts.

D．The Let Them Theory is consistent with the existing accepted theories.

4. In which situation should the Let Them Theory be avoided?

A．Your friend’s safety is being threatened.

B．Someone says something mean behind your back.

C．Your kids don’t want to get up and go shopping with you.

D．Your friends are not inviting you out to brunch this weekend.

4 . What’s in a Game?

Picture you and your friends sitting around one Saturday, bored. You’ve read every book, watched every movie and played every game. There is absolutely nothing left to do.     1    ? Here are some guidelines to help you invent a new game that’s both playable and fun.

The Ohjective

The first thing you’ll need to design a great game is an objective or goal for players to work toward.     2    . For example, Hockey games and Risk, a kind of card game, have one thing in common — when one player or team reaches the final objective, they win.

    3    

Next, you’ll need rules to let your players know what they can and can’t do. It might seem like a game with no rules would be more fun. You can do anything you want! Unfortunately, this often results in confused players arguing about how the game should be played. Rules set limits and define what the game is — and what it isn’t. Players need to know what they can and can’t do, and what will happen when they do different things.

Meaningful Choices

While you are creating your rules, think about the choices players will make and what effects those choices will have.     4    . If the same thing happens no matter what choice the player makes, they’ll wonder why they have to choose.

Don’t Forget to Playtest!

Any game you see in stores has gone through many rounds of testing and revision. Rules that seem clear to you might be confusing for others. Situations might come up that you didn’t expect.     5    .

A．The Place

B．The Rules

C．What can your players do

D．What if you could invent your own game

E．Every choice a player makes needs to have an effect on the gameplay

F．The best way to make sure your game is playable and fun is to playtest it

G．Objectives can take many forms, but they should always be clear to the players

5 . On a chilly autumn morning in the Italian countryside near Larderello, Tuscany, the misty landscape reminded me why the area is nicknamed the Devil’s Valley. The land here is a web of natural cracks in the rock that let a mix of steam and gases reach the surface.

Unlike the rolling hills and cypress-lined roads of other parts of Tuscany, the landscape here is covered with dozens of grey cooling towers puffing white vapors. The deafening roar of a turbine (涡轮机) at the Valle Secolo geothermal (地热的) plant breaks the quietness, but its violent spinning transforms steam rising from underground into energy for 150,000 families in the region. About 30% of Tuscany’s electricity comes from this energy source. After producing electricity, the leftover steam heats water for nearby districts.

This underground energy has recently proved a vital resource. Italy greatly depended on Russian fossil fuels and in 2023 Italians bore the world’s highest household electricity bills. Factories cut down production and households had to turn down their heaters. But residents of the Larderello area spent the winter in warm homes, thanks to the local geothermal plants working 24/7.

Bruno Della Vedova, president of the Italian Geothermal Union, hopes that in the future other Italian regions could benefit from such a resource, which is extremely important when the whole world looks to transition to renewable energy.

While countries like Iceland and Kenya are taking advantage of their geothermal resources, the industry’s growth has made slow progress in Italy. High set-up costs and difficulties in extraction present significant barriers. And new plants often run into opposition from nearby communities over health concerns.

Italy sits on a geothermal sweet spot. Especially below Larderello, as Della Vedova says. A vast reservoir (储备) of steam and water is trapped between Earth’s inner heat and a layer of clay-heavy rocks. High temperatures lead to the formation of steam directly inside the reservoir, providing a significant source of energy.

But while heat from Earth’s core is practically endless, the water it heats within the planet are not. So Della Vedova says restoring underground water supplies and using them sustainably is critical for the future. “We can’t take advantage of a geothermal resource at will,” he says.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The landscape in the countryside.

B．The introduction to a geothermal plant.

C．The application of geothermal energy in Tuscany.

D．The process of turning underground steam into heat.

2. Why has geothermal industry developed slowly in Italy?

A．People near new plants object to it.

B．Geothermal plants cut down their production.

C．There is very little underground water and steam.

D．People use less electricity by turning down heaters.

3. What is Della Vedova’s attitude to the prospect of geothermal energy?

A．Unfavorable.

B．Unclear.

C．Optimistic.

D．Cautious.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Where does geothermal energy lead Italy?

B．Is the heat from Earth’s core really limitless?

C．Can energy from underground help power Italy?

D．How can geothermal energy be used scientifically?

6 . Working with ARIA Research, a startup developing vision for the blind, Phoebe Peng is using technologically advanced human echolocation (回声定位) that enables blind users to perceive their surroundings in precise detail.

The process uses event cameras which, unlike normal cameras that take complete images of a scene, track changes in an image over time, making them ideal for the observation of small objects like table tennis balls. The images are then processed into sound using a specialised algorithm (算法). This is then communicated back to the player via a lot of loudspeakers, ultimately with the aim of allowing players to track the ball and movements using sounds.

According to Peng, table tennis makes a perfect test case for the kind of technology being developed by ARIA Research. “Table tennis has been played for decades as a more accessible version of tennis. The sport is beginner-friendly while maintaining a rich level of competitive play. However, like many sports, it remains difficult for people who suffer vision loss or have low vision,” said Ms Peng, who will soon complete a Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering.

“The small size of the ball and table, along with the movement of the ball in 3D space, are things that make table tennis difficult to play for those with low vision and complete blindness,” said Peng, who is completing the work for her degree. “Making this sport more accessible while also exploring the potential of event cameras were my two biggest motivators,” she said.

In one study, using two perfectly positioned cameras, Ms Peng was able to identify and track a ball in three dimensions in real time. She then fed that data into an algorithm controlling the loudspeakers standing along the sides of the table, which created a sound field matching the position of the ball.

While the results are promising, more experimentation will be needed before the system will be ready for actual play. “There are limitations on how accurately people can perceive sound localisation. What type of sound should be used? Should the sound be continuous? This is what we’ll be tackling in the next stage of development,” said Ms Peng.

1. How are event cameras different from normal ones?

A．They can have sounds located.

B．They are linked with loudspeakers.

C．They constantly follow image changes.

D．They take complete images of a scene.

2. What makes table tennis a perfect test case for the research?

A．Its unique feature.	B．Its fierce competition.
C．Its technical complexity.	D．Its beginner-friendliness.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about concerning the study?

A．Its inspiring results.	B．Its promising future.
C．Its practical applications.	D．Its technological challenge.

4. What could be the best title for the text?

A．Technology Opens up Blind Table Tennis

B．Blind People Work Wonders in Table Tennis

C．Event Camera Reshapes Future for the Disabled

D．Algorithm Helps Translate Imagination to Sound

7 . How long will it take you to read this article? On average, adults read about 240 words a minute, but I always take longer. I should probably feel embarrassed-but instead, I take joy in it.

I got the habit of reading for pleasure from my mum. Reading is what I do first thing in the morning and last thing at night. But it’s always taken me a long time. When I started reviewing books, I was averaging 20 pages an hour. I have improved to about 30 pages, but that’s still slow, according to some literary critics.

Book reviewers aren’t the only ones under pressure to read quickly. Pictures of “all the books I read this month” are all over social media. And reading has become a way of keeping up with the world. It is understandable that we try to make sense of events, but it can also fuel the idea that reading is a chore (苦差事), which it absolutely is not.

Why would pleasure be equal to pace? My slow reading seems to be down to a combination of slower processing speeds, and “subvocalising” — sounding out words as I read them. But especially when it comes to the latter, I wouldn’t want to train myself to go faster. It was news to me that not everyone subvocalises, because one of my favourite things about reading is hearing the language in my mind. Without subvocalising, I wouldn’t have caught the music of those words.

Recently, I finished a book of poetry. For two years, I read the poems each morning in the four minutes it took my coffee to be ready. It was a wonderful reminder that reading is never about quantity and always about the quality of time you spend with a text.

So when you read, don’t stick a number on it ---- resolve to read for pleasure, not as a chore.

1. Why does the author like slow reading?

A．It wins her fame online.	B．It is a delightful practice.
C．It comes from her mom.	D．It helps her reach goals.

2. What do fast readers focus on?

A．Quantity.

B．Quality.

C．Content.

D．Sound.

3. What do the underlined words “the latter” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Slower processing speeds.

B．Learning language.

C．Combining speeds and sounds.

D．Reading words out.

4. What would the author agree with?

A．Reading is a demanding task.

B．Pace equals reading pleasure.

C．Beauty of words needs tasting.

D．Poetry takes no effort to digest.

8 . Consciousness (意识) rises slowly, awakening with the dawn that brightens my room. Cool air clears my mind as I walk to the kitchen, where my husband is making his morning coffee. The fire he thoughtfully started is beginning to heat the living space.

By my second cup, everyone is awake. After breakfast, we begin the busy work of a rural place. Chopping (砍) wood for the stove and clearing snow off steps and pathways. Our kids are big enough to be properly helpful and find joy in the work when everyone is doing it together.

Then we take a walk through the fresh snow. We discover an amazing array of animals on display in the markings that they have left. After dinner, we play cards with a lot of energy and competitive interaction. Eventually, we’ll turn off the lights and with the fire crackling (噼啪作响), cuddle (拥抱) on the couch to watch the stars through the windows before heading off to bed.

Weekends at the cabin (木屋) are magical. During the break, our family constantly balances the demands of work and school. I’m subject to my watch and alarm clock. But coming to the cabin on the weekend is like entering another world.

Here, I don’t need to know what time it is-sunrise and sunset, hunger and chores set our schedule. The house and the woods around it are silent and dark, except for birdsong and the moon. Life seems less pressing, and it’s easier to live in the moment without distraction.

When I get up the next morning, my son is already sitting in front of the fire, staring at the flames. I sit beside him, and he leans into me, sleepy and a bit sad. “What’s up?” I ask. “I just don’t want to go home yet. I like it better here.”

I know what he means. I smile and put my arms around him. “Even when we’re home, this place is always here, where it’s quiet and safe, and everyone you love has time for you.”

I don’t really mean the cabin, and I think he knows that.

1. What are paragraphs 1-3 mainly about?

A．The reasons the family go to the cabin.

B．The activities of the family at the cabin.

C．The adventures of the family in the woods.

D．The attitudes of the family to their cabin life.

2. Why does the author think weekends at the cabin are magical?

A．She can reunite with her family.

B．She enjoys the silence there most.

C．She finds her life there more thrilling.

D．She was not enslaved by tight schedules.

3. What does the cabin represent in the passage?

A．A rural culture.	B．An isolated life.
C．A place of connection.	D．An energetic interaction.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Taking a Break	B．A Weekend Picnic
C．Embracing Our Life	D．A Conscious Attempt

9 . Go Recycling

No one looking at the state of Earth in 2023 can be in any doubt that we are facing three serious environmental problems: climate problem, loss of biodiversity and pollution of air, soil and water.

To solve the problems, we increase the use of electric cars, encourage greener eating and reduce plastic use.     1     For instance, creating space for biofuel crops to give off fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases can, in fact, significantly increase the cutting down of trees.     2     And, what is perhaps lacking is an awareness of how interlinked these problems are.

    3     The root cause of global warming is CO₂, a waste gas. The seas are polluted by plastic and other waste products. We ignore forests, among other things, to grow more food, much of which goes to waste.

A shocking figure lies at the heart of our special report on our world—of the more than 100billion tons of things that humans use each year, hardly 10% is recycled.     4     The situation requires our speedy moving away from the way of thinking — “take, make, throw”—towards a more recyclable one, which means we should begin redesigning the products and when they reach the end of their useful lives, they can be recycled.

Solving the three problems calls for a huge transition with joint efforts.     5     They should take the lead by introducing laws in order to reward green practices, such as the limiting of waste. Industries can reduce, re-use and recycle wherever possible, and team themselves with suppliers and the like-minded to realize recyclable business models.

A．Governments ought to do something responsibly.

B．It is humans that caused the serious consequences.

C．We should realize that a key theme linking all the three problems is waste.

D．However, sometimes these solutions can be opposite to the expected goals.

E．It is high time for people from all walks of life to take the issue into consideration.

F．That makes it obvious a full-range war on waste should be paid immediate attention.

G．That means some solutions aiming at one problem each time are unlikely to be effective.

10 . The following charities advocate protecting our precious environment. It’s a starting place, but don’t stop here.

Rocky Mountain Institute

Rocky Mountain Institute has made notable achievements in its comparatively short history. In2017, it worked with India’s leadership and government to plan for 100% vehicle electrification(电气化) by 2030. They also provided research that resulted in new U. S. fuel-efficiency standards for trucks, which were expected to cut over one billion tons of CO₂ emissions. Its five-year plan to quicken low-carbon energy transition (转变) was published in early 2018.

Greenpeace Fund

Although Greenpeace solves many environmental problems such as deforestation (滥伐森林) and sustainable food, it has worked to address issues with oceans for decades: plastic pollution, offshore drilling, saving the Arctic, and more. Greenpeace has grown from a small group of activists protesting nuclear testing in 1971 to an international organization with offices in over fifty countries.

Center for Biological Diversity

Founded in 1989, the Center for Biological Diversity uses biological data and legal knowledge to obtain new protections for plants, animals, and their habitats. Its story began with some young students, an ancient tree in Mexico, and a spotted owl’s nest. Its first campaign saved both the tree and the owl. And they continue to grow by expanding territory, staff, and outreach (外展服务).

Sierra Club Foundation

The Sierra Club has been working to protect the environment and its people since 1892. It helped pass the Clean Air and Endangered Species Acts, enabled the creation of many national parks, and worked to move hundreds of coal plants towards clean energy. It also offers environmentally friendly wilderness outings to encourage people to get outdoors. People can take an international trip to study wildlife in Cuba.

1. Which organization has focused on the oceans for many years?

A．Rocky Mountain Institute	B．Greenpeace Fund
C．Center for Biological Diversity	D．Sierra Club Foundation

2. What do we know about Center for Biological Diversity?

A．It aims to expand territory for Mexico.	B．It is targeted at collecting biological data.
C．Its foundation was inspired by some students.	D．Its symbol contains an ancient tree and an owl.

3. What do Rocky Mountain Institute and Sierra Club Foundation have in common?

A．They both push for the use of green energy.

B．They both apply the new standard for vehicles.

C．They both have founded numerous national parks.

D．They both encourage humans to go outing in the wild.