1 . A biotech company announced that it has reached an important milestone: the creation of a long-sought kind of stem cell(细胞)for the closest living relative of the woolly mammoth(猛象).

"This is probably the most significant step in the early stages of this project, " said George Church, a geneticist at Harvard University. The woolly mammoth was extinct thousands of years ago. Church has been working to bring the mammoth and other extinct species back to life using the latest cloning and genetic(基因的)engineering techniques.

And now the company says scientists have for the first time created stem cells for the mammoth's closest living relative, Asian elephants. The achievement is still far from the ultimate goal of creating herds(牧群)of giant hairy beasts, but Church said, "It's a major step. This is kind of like asking Neil Armstrong if he plans to go to Mars—kind of missing the point he just landed on the moon on Apollo 11."

Scientists can now try to use cloning techniques and gene editing to control the cells in the hope of someday creating elephants with key characters of mammoths, such as heavy coats and the layers of fat that enabled them to survive in cold climates.

Some scientists have different ideas, "What are you going to get out of this?" asked Karl Flessa, a professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona. "If you're going to release a herd into the Arctic tundra, is that herd going to go marching off to its second extinction in the face of global warming?"

But Church and his team members defended the project. Church said the woolly mammoth program could lead to new ways to protect endangered species like Asian elephants by expanding their habitat and helping scientists study the animals. Reintroducing elephants with woolly mammoth characters could also help fight global warming by restoring ecosystems in ways that would help reduce the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere.

1. Which field does the creation mainly belong to?

A．Research on species.	B．Clone technology.
C．Animal protection.	D．Space exploration.

2. What does the author want to explain by mentioning Neil Armstrong?

A．The advancement of space technology.	B．The challenges met during the project.
C．The astronaut's determination.	D．The significance of the achievement.

3. What's Flessa's attitude towards the project?

A．Approving.

B．Favorable.

C．Doubtful.

D．Uncaring.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The benefits of the project.	B．The ways to save endangered species.
C．The steps to reduce our carbon footprint.	D．The causes of global warming.

2 . Earthquakes occur when the slabs of slow-moving rocks just under Earth’s surface — known as tectonic plates — suddenly slide past one another. This releases a wave of energy that triggers shaking on the surface, which can vary from tiny rumbles to massive quakes. For decades, scientists have tried to find a pattern that precedes (在……前面) major earthquakes so that people have time to prepare, but so far these efforts have come up short.

However, GPS satellites may be able to help researchers identify a precursor (先兆) for powerful earthquakes two hours before they occur by tracking small “slips” in the tectonic plates as they grind against each other.

The researchers analyzed GPS data from more than 90 earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7, which was pulled from Nevada Geodetic Laboratory, a University of Nevada, Reno research lab that works on global GPS data. GPS satellites are able to detect ground movement by measuring the position of sensors planted around the Earth and recording how much they are displaced over time.

The scientists tracked how ground movements shifted in the 48 hours leading up to each event, specifically targeting the amount and direction of shaking. They discovered that two hours before the earthquakes ruptured, horizontal ground movement increased drastically in a pattern consistent with something called a “slow fault slip,” which is when the ground moves without producing any seismic waves or tremors.

Then the researchers repeated this analysis on 100,000 random 48-hour time windows that did not occur before an earthquake to act as a control group, and saw a similar pattern in just 0.03% of samples. This supports the idea that the “slow fault slip” pattern occurs only before earthquakes the vast majority of the time.

Identifying this pattern of subtle movements could help scientists warn people of earthquakes hours in advance — but only if we develop more advanced GPS systems, study co-author Quentin Bletery noted. The new study required a massive dataset — pulled from more than 3,000 sensors around the world — to reveal the pattern preceding the earthquake. But identifying the slow fault slip pattern at an individual location would require sensors that are at least 100 times more sensitive than existing technology, Bletery told Scientific American.

There are already a few early warning systems — such as ShakeAlert, an app built by the U.S. Geological Survey and several universities — that warn people of earthquakes a few seconds before they occur. If the patterns observed in this study can be confirmed and better tracked, the data “could possibly be integrated into automated earthquake early-warning systems,” Roland Bürgmann, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the research, wrote in an accompanying perspective piece for Science. “This precursor warning could eventually give people time to let go of sharp utensils and get ready to ‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On,’ before the Big One strikes,” he added.

1. What is true about earthquakes according to the article?

A．They cause tectonic plates to suddenly slide past each other.

B．They are impossible to predict.

C．They are proceeded by a sudden increase of ground movement.

D．They are caused by seismic waves or tremors.

2. What does the study suggest?

A．“Slow fault slip” usually signals a potential earthquake.

B．There are not enough GPS satellites.

C．The samples of the two groups show great similarity.

D．An earthquake can be predicted 48 hours before it occurs.

3. How does the research team carry out the study?

A．By comparing data collected by GPS satellites.

B．By measuring the magnitudes of the earthquakes.

C．By identifying the precursors of earthquakes.

D．By installing more sensitive sensors.

4. What is the advantage of future warning systems?

A．They can track the ground movements more precisely.

B．They can give people more time to prepare.

C．They can tell the amount and direction of the moving.

D．They can prevent major earthquakes from occurring.

3 . Magic Milk Experiment

This fun experiment is a classic for a reason! In the magic milk experiment, kids learn about simple chemical reactions and physical features using only a few materials. Read on to see how to do the experiment.

How does the magic milk experiment work?

In this experiment, you pour some milk in a shallow dish. You then add drops of food coloring to the surface of the milk. Using a cotton swab (棉签) dipped into dish soap, you lightly brush the surface of the milk. The dish soap breaks the surface tension of the milk, and the soap molecules try to attach to the fat molecules in the milk. This leads to swirls (漩涡) and bursts of fun rainbow colors.

What does the magic milk experiment teach?

This experiment teaches us about the science of molecules and how matter interacts. The soap breaks down the fat molecules and makes them move apart, showing us a simple but interesting example of chemistry in action.

Materials needed:

To do the magic milk experiment, you will need a shallow bowl or plate, milk, blue dish soap, cotton swabs, and food coloring. Be sure to use the more inexpensive food coloring as opposed to gel (凝胶) coloring, which does not work as well.

Magic milk experiment steps:

·Pour milk into a shallow dish or bowl, just enough to cover the bottom.

·Add drops of food coloring all over the surface of the milk.

·Dip the end of a cotton swab into a separate dish of blue soap.

·Lightly brush the top of the milk with the cotton swab, and watch what happens.

1. What causes swirls and bursts of fun rainbow colors in the experiment?

A．The overuse of dish soap.	B．The temperature of the milk.
C．The food coloring left in the shallow dish.	D．The interaction between dish soap and milk.

2. Which material has special requirements in the experiment?

A．Milk.

B．Coloring.

C．Dish soap.

D．The cotton swab.

3. What can kids learn from the experiment?

A．Good eating habits.	B．Useful painting skills.
C．Basic scientific concepts.	D．Important statistical methods.

4 . I’ve received dozens of these emails throughout my experience as a writer: “Thank you so much for taking the time to submit your work to us. However, this piece is not right for our magazine”; “Thank you for submitting your story to our magazine. Unfortunately, we are unable to publish it”; “We appreciate the chance to read your story. Unfortunately, the piece is not for us”; etc.

Nobody likes getting such emails. They are painful and can often be demotivating. However, one day I received a beautiful rejection letter. The editor wrote that he enjoyed my non-fiction article. He also wrote, “I like your writing style. It is very engaging. Nevertheless, I did find a few spots in your story where the wording seemed a little foreign or unusual to me. Not that it was wrong but that it tended to draw my attention away from the story. You should read as much English (British and/or American English) as you can to build a vocabulary and usage that draws our attention to feelings, not words.”

As a non-native English speaker, I often found it challenging to write in English. But the editor’s letter is of great help to me as it elucidated where and how I should improve my writing. I read Ernest Hemingway’s books and Jane Austen’s classic novels in order to improve my language skills. I read English newspapers and magazines and learned at least three new words every day. I listened to talk shows on the radio.

After eight months of this process, I went back and read the essay I had originally sent to the editor. I rewrote the story and sent it to the same editor who congratulated me and accepted it for publication. What I took away from this experience was that I should never be satisfied with just okay results. I need to keep working on myself and to try to constantly expand my knowledge by taking advantage of every single moment, advice, comment, and review. I do feel uncomfortable sometimes, but I am not scared. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity to learn and grow.

1. What did the editor find unsatisfying about the author’s essay?

A．The story was too complicated.	B．Some unusual feelings were expressed.
C．Some language was not natural enough.	D．The writing style was far from engaging.

2. What does the underlined word “elucidated” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Clarified.

B．Proved.

C．Supported.

D．Confirmed.

3. What did the author learn from her experience?

A．Great minds usually think alike.

B．Someone always sees the good in you.

C．One should always work towards improvement.

D．We shouldn’t be ashamed to seek advice from others.

4. What would be the best title of the text?

A．How I dealt with a rejection letter.

B．How a rejection letter made me a better writer.

C．How an honest editor stimulated my interest in writing.

D．How I benefited from constant communication with my editor.

5 . The ocean, with its vast mysteries hidden in its depths, has long excited human curiosity. From ancient maps decorated with dragons and sea monsters to modern-day technology, we’ve made limited progress in uncovering the secrets of the deep blue. Despite the technological advancements to date, only around five percent of the world’s oceans have been mapped.

The power of underwater exploration is currently the biggest obstacle we face. While technologies like wave and tidal power show promise, they are often location-dependent. Solar power, on the other hand, offers an ever-present and powerful energy source, even beneath the ocean’s surface. Sunlight can penetrate (穿透) waters up to 50 meters deep, providing sufficient energy to operate basic appliances. And in recent research conducted by a team from NYU Tandon School of Engineering, solar cells successfully powered AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) and communications equipment, demonstrating its enormous potential for undersea exploration.

However, some challenges remain. One lies in the design of existing silicon (硅) solar technology, which is ill-suited for underwater environments. Beyond moisture and salt content harmful to electronics in general, silicon solar cells are optimized (使优化) to absorb red and infrared light, which do not penetrate water effectively.

Another critical issue underwater solar cells face is biofouling — the gradual gathering of organic substances on the cells. This buildup blocks light. Furthermore, it affects the underwater vehicles themselves, increasing their weight. Previous experiments revealed that biofouling covered over 50 percent of the surface after just 30 days underwater, significantly hampering solar cell operation.

In the research, the team also tackled practical challenges in designing and testing underwater solar cells. They created innovative solutions, such as using LED lights to copy the light spectrum (光谱) at various depths, removing the need for water during testing.

These experiments demonstrated that silicon-based solar cells performed better in shallow depths, while other cell types proved more efficient below two meters. Although these specially designed underwater solar cells are still in their early stages of development, these contributions could lay the foundations for groundbreaking technologies that reveal both the potential of solar energy and the mysterious depths of our unexplored oceans.

1. What does the author intend to tell us in paragraph 1?

A．The ocean is mostly unexplored.

B．The sea has shaped human civilization.

C．Marine exploration technology is urgently needed.

D．Technology promotes humans’ underwater exploration.

2. What is the advantage of solar power according to paragraph 2?

A．It is affordable.	B．It is eco-friendly.
C．It is location-independent.	D．It is efficient in generating electricity.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards the underwater solar cells designed by the researchers?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Favorable.

C．Doubtful.

D．Disapproving.

4. In which section of a magazine may this text appear?

A．Health.

B．Education.

C．Society.

D．Nature.

6 . A long-term American study shows the effect of early education on future learning abilities. The study followed more than 1,300 children from birth through the ages of ten or eleven years. The study is known as the Human Development Study of Early Child Care. It is said to be the largest, longest lasting and most complete study of child care in the United States. The children included in the study were born around 1991 in ten areas of the country. Researchers examined the quality and amount of child care the children received until they were 54 months old. Child care included any care provided by people other than the child’s mother that lasted at least ten hours a week. This included any care given by fathers or other family members. The researchers then examined cach child’s performance in school and social development. They also measured other influences, such as the quality of classroom education and parenting (教养).

Recently, the researchers examined whether the developmental qualities that bad been observed in young children were still present a few years later. They found that the older children who had received higher quality child care continued to show better ability in measures of language skills. The children’s understanding was observed using a method which shows their ability to name objects shown in some pictures. The study confirmed a link between high quality child care and better test results continued as the children grew older. It also found that the children’s ability was not dependent on the amount of time they had spent in child care.

Interestingly, children who had been in child care before entering school were also more likely to have shown aggression (攻击性) or refusal to obey in their early school years. However, the researchers said the children’s behavior was considered normal.

1. The children in this study________.

A．are from big chios in America

B．are all at the same age

C．were taught how to care for themselves at school

D．were examined for influences caused by child care

2. The long-term study tells us that________.

A．the better the child care is, the better children can draw

B．some of children’s abilities develop well because of child care

C．higher quality child care can help children develop better creativity

D．child care has no influence on children’s language skills

3. If a child has less time of child care, he will________.

A．deal with different things better

B．develop his ability as well as those spending more time

C．learn to use new methods more quickly

D．get no benefit from child care

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The study is aimed at showing the effect of early education on future learning abilities.

B．Researchers examined the children’s abilities in many aspects.

C．Child care provided by fathers was not included in the study.

D．Each child was examined on the quality and amount of child care for 54 months.

7 . A paid internship (带薪实习) is a job often in your chosen field of work that offers a salary and is combined with training in your field. Paid internships are common for college students, who may work part-time during the school year and full-time during the vacation. The duration of the internship is not fixed.     1     Sometimes, it can last for a year or two as knowledge increases.

Certain fields may require that you obtain internship experience in advance before getting a license.     2     Students might seek out paid internships to increase their chances of getting hired in their chosen career. A few paid internships may be completely unrelated to jobs you might want to be in but are attractive because they’re fun or have flexible scheduling.

    3     They allow you to make some money while learning more about the jobs you might later apply for. In addition, engaging in a paid internship allows you to establish connections with professionals and peers within your industry. These networking opportunities can prove invaluable in the future.

Some work opportunities are known as partially paid internships. These typically offer a stipend (生活津贴) or a fixed and regular payment that is less than a standard salary. Stipends range greatly and may include housing as part of their offer.     4    

Paid internships have the potential to lead to permanent employment.     5     Because the transition from an intern to a full-time employee depends on several aspects, including the intern’s performance, organizational needs, and the availability of suitable positions.

A．Not all internships are paid.

B．However, this outcome is not guaranteed.

C．There are many advantages of paid internships.

D．Usually the money offers just enough to live on.

E．It can be of short duration, lasting only several months.

F．This is common in the teaching field and many scientific fields.

G．Moreover, paid internships tend to attract a broader pool of applicants.

8 . Travelling seemed like falsehood to me. I grew tired of backpackers expressing too much praise about how petting a baby elephant in Thailand “transformed” them. Globe-traveling to me held no more promise than finding a few bills in the pocket of an old coat. I needed something deeper than an Eat, Play, Love moment.

One day, Vasilis, my Greek best friend, reminded me of our decade-old promise: after our final exams, I would visit his hometown in Athens. Maybe, it was time to make good on that promise.

I finally boarded the plane. Vasilis picked me up at the airport. I smiled, thinking how improbable this moment seemed all those years ago.

The decade-long wait proved to be well worth it. Every step through the ancient streets revealed new wonders. However, none of them truly mattered. What would forever alter my perception of travel was a chance encounter with a local.

Vasilis and I were wandering Athens when a special sound caught our attention — a rhythmic clinking disturbing the quietness of the residential street. Curiously, we followed the sound to a humble workshop. Inside, a welder (焊工) gave no mind to our presence behind him. He wore no flashy protective suit — this was just another day for him, another dance with fire and metal that had become second nature. Under the sunshade, his orange cat rested in the comforting warmth...

As the man continued welding, I felt a bit of envy. I envied his peace and contentment. I admired the simplicity he embodied. I imagined the welder happy, finding fulfillment in his craft (手艺) and returning to his loving family...The moment moved me to tears. Leaving the workshop, rain blending with tears, I realized how easily life’s poetry could pass unnoticed.

Home again in Montreal, I stop simply pursuing better things, better experiences and better people that are never grasped. I realize the real journey is inward — to appreciate life’s ordinary magic. That sure beats petting any baby elephant. I may not have returned home “transformed,” but I’ll always think of the welder and his cat.

1. Which aspect of travelling makes the author feel uneasy?

A．Shortage of adequate funds.	B．Discomfort in dietary habits.
C．Overstatement of travel’s effects.	D．Danger of petting baby animals.

2. What drove the author to go to Athens?

A．Meeting a commitment.	B．Exploring a unique landscape.
C．Receiving further education.	D．Escaping from the current life.

3. What does the underlined word “poetry” in paragraph 6 probably refer to?

A．Poems written by masters.	B．Peace and simplicity.
C．Spirit of craftsmanship.	D．Special sound in the street.

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Friendship Lasts Forever	B．Travelling Shapes a Better Self
C．Pursuit of Happiness Never Stops	D．The Ordinary Makes Extraordinary

9 . Four beautiful trips combining bikes and trains

Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail (小径)

The trail is an 87-mile pathway from Cleveland to Bolivar in Northeast Ohio. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) stretches out separately along the trail from Akron to Thornburg Station, a 31-mile stretch that passes through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The trail hugs the outline of the original Ohio and Erie Canal. Today, the trail passes many landmarks, including bridges, museums, and villages.

Danube Cycle Path

It is a path that follows the Danube River for about 745 miles, from Donaueschingen, Germany to Budapest, Hungary. The path is most popular in Austria featuring 245 scenic miles serviced by local and long-distance trains. Most cyclists choose to ride from west to cast with the flow of the river, to take advantage of the natural slope (斜坡) of bicycle traffic.

Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail

The trail extends for 25 miles through woodlands next to the Lehigh Rive. A historic tourist railway called the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway follows the trail, allowing cyclists to create a one- way ride rather than backtracking. The rail trail is mostly flat and passes through Lehigh Gorge State Park. While the train operates most days, the bike service is only offered one weekend a month from May to November.

Cinder Track

The Cinder Track is a 21-mile broken-stone pathway along the coast of Yorkshire, England: The towns of Scarborough and Whitby, where the trail begins and ends, both have train stations near the trail. The train journey is not a direct pathway between the two towns—in fact, the tracks of the original direct pathway were removed to create the trail. The trail, meanwhile, hugs the Yorkshire coast, with views of seaside bluffs (峭壁), fishing villages, etc.

1. What is special about the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail?

A．It offers a chance to visit museums.

B．It goes past many cities and villages.

C．It shares most of its trail with CVSR.

D．It provides cyclists with a view of the sea.

2. What’s the disadvantage of the Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail for cyclists?

A．The numerous sharp slope.	B．The extremely rough path.
C．The connection with a railway.	D．The time limit of bike service.

3. Which of the following covers the longest distance?

A．The Cinder Track.	B．The Danube Cycle Path.
C．The Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail.	D．The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

10 . In the middle of a conversation, your brain might skip ahead, anticipating the words that the other person will say. Amazingly, out of all the thousands of possibilities — your conversational partner will arrive at the same word you have been thinking of.

How does the brain do this? Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M. I. T.) researchers brought a new approach to the question using a technique called integrative modeling. They examined models based on 43 artificial neural networks — a machine-learning algorithm (算法) that consists of millions of interconnected nodes, similar to neurons in the brain. As they claim, this study marks the first time that a machine-learning algorithm has been matched to brain data to explain the workings of a high-level cognitive (认知的) task.

The researchers discovered that models that excel at guessing the next word are also best at anticipating brain activity patterns. This was especially true for processing single sentences and short paragraphs. The models were significantly worse at predicting words or human responses when it came to longer blocks of text. None of the other tasks reflected what was going on in the brain. The researchers argue this is strong evidence that next-word prediction plays a key role in understanding language.

“I’m super impressed by what the team achieved,” says Noah Goodman, a psychologist at Stanford. But he adds that he suspects that the data are not sufficient to explain how people obtain meaning from language. Despite these reservations, Goodman says the method is “still vastly better than anything we’ve had in the past.”

While neural networks more generally are only rough resemblances to the brain, their role in helping us understand our own mind may be substantial. The approach used by the M. I. T. team demonstrates that neural network s might, in fact, be critical tools in providing insight into the great mystery of how the brain processes information of all kinds.

1. What is special about the M. I. T. study?

A．They examined many different neural networks.

B．They designed a new machine-learning algorithm.

C．They used neural networks to predict the next word.

D．They compared neural network s with brain data.

2. When can neural network s best predict how the brain works?

A．Predicting the next word.	B．Responding to new words.
C．Analyzing one sentence.	D．Processing a long passage.

3. What is Goodman’s attitude towards the M. I. T.research?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Tolerant.

D．Unclear.

4. What is talked about concerning neural networks in the last paragraph?

A．Their potential.	B．Their limitation.
C．Their features.	D．Their principles.