1 . Every parent remembers their child’s firsts: their first tooth, their first steps, their first words. Pennsylvania mum, Michelle Wallace can add another first to that list. Her daughter, Olive Wallace, only ten years old, sketched out her first musical composition in pencil. Days later, the musical piece became popular.
Olive Wallace’s grandmother is a retired Californian music teacher. Olive’s aunt also teaches music. Olive herself plays two instruments. “Olive has played the violin for 2 years at her elementary school,” says Michelle. “She also plays the clarinet and sings in her school’s choir. She loves music!”
When Olive shared with her mom the composition she’d written, Michelle shared it with the TikTok (抖音) community. “My 10-year-old daughter wrote this,” Michelle explained in a TikTok video. “Could somebody play this? I need to know if it’s any good or if it makes any sense.”
After Michelle’s video was viewed six million times, the composition had been played and shared by hundreds of TikTok musicians, including well-known professionals.
Actually Olive intended her composition as a song for the Elps, a civilization (文明) of her own creation. On her Elpjungle website, Olive writes about Elps: “For a long time, Elps had kings. King after king the Elp kingdom was led, until one king, King Whirlpool, suddenly for unknown reasons, started to go crazy. He was later overthrown and the queens took over. This song was created to show the end of the kings’ rule and the beginning of the queens. It was titled ‘For Greatness We Bring’ because shortly after the new queen was elected, a whole new kind of Elps was brought in.”
The TikTok musical world used their talents to bring her composition to life by playing the composition on many instruments. It’s clear that Olive has a bright and creative future ahead of her.
1. What can we know about Olive from paragraph 2?| A．She wants to be a teacher. | B．She comes from a musical family. |
| C．Her aunt plays two instruments. | D．Her mother is a music teacher. |
| A．To express her thanks. | B．To learn about its quality. |
| C．To show her devotion. | D．To make it gain popularity. |
| A．The reason for creating it. | B．The way to bring it to life. |
| C．The public interest in it. | D．The story behind it. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Doubtful. | C．Positive. | D．Unclear. |
2 . People often say your feelings are “written all over your face” because our facial expressions are a main way we communicate emotions. Now according to a recent research led by Patty Van Cappellen of Duke University, besides our faces, our body posture (姿势) also plays a role.
In one study, Van Cappellen and her colleagues asked a group of participants to show four faceless mannequins (人体模型) in postures that represented four different emotions: dominance (支配), joy, hope and respect. The research assistants then looked at photos of the mannequins that participants had created and assessed their head positions, arm positions, and degrees of expansiveness — how much space they took up by standing straight or opening up different parts of their bodies. Then, the researchers compared these positions to the feelings they supposedly expressed.
Van Cappellen found that people viewed an expansive posture as representing dominance. But joy and respect were also represented by expansive postures, with hope involving the least expansive posture. “We’re finding that positive emotions are also marked by expansiveness — especially joy,” she says.
Besides, arm and head positions also mattered. For example, joyful postures were described by arms raised above the head, while respectful postures showed hands touching the face. Dominant postures, on the other hand, tended to show arms akimbo (双手叉腰) with the head facing forward.
To know if other people seeing the mannequins could recognize the feelings being expressed by different postures, Van Cappellen had a new group of participants look at photos of mannequins posed in many different ways. The participants found that expansive postures with arms held high represented positive emotion — with arms akimbo representing dominance and negative emotion.
Her research suggests that our body posture helps express our emotions and may help us feel certain emotions, too. This could be consequential — not just in the lab, but in real life, where it’s useful to know how we and other people are feeling in a certain situation.
1. Which emotion is most probably expressed by the least expansive posture?| A．Dominance. | B．Joy. | C．Hope. | D．Respect. |
| A．Hold his arms high. | B．Touch his face. |
| C．Have his arms crossed. | D．Shake his head. |
| A．To find why the participants showed the different feelings. |
| B．To know how people communicate with facial expressions. |
| C．To figure out what different body postures may represent. |
| D．To see if others can feel the same about the body postures. |
| A．Embarrassing. | B．Important. | C．Flexible. | D．Unusual. |
3 . With summer just around the corner, hot weather is sure to follow. That means that staying hydrated (含水的) while exercising or working outdoors is a must. But many people don’t drink enough water or are not even aware of how much or little they’re consuming. An Israeli company has a solution for that — a new smart water bottle that tells you when you have to drink.
If you frequently forget to drink during the day, then a smart water bottle may be the answer. These high-tech bottles can remind you to drink. There are a lot of different varieties from other countries out there, but one smart bottle stands out from the rest because it depends on a smart cap that measures how much water is left in the bottle and reminds you to drink by vibrating (震动), changing colors, and sending a message to your phone. The cap is made by the Tel Aviv packaging company ImpacX.
All the technology fits into the ordinary-looking bottle cap. First, the amount you drink is known by sending a laser beam (激光束) inside the bottle and then measuring how long it takes to reach the cap. Second, the smart cap is connected to an app that helps you personalize your needs for water. You need to input your weight and age. Finally, you can even connect your smart bottle to a third-party fitness app.
While the technology is complex, the smart water bottle is actually easy to use because the bottle reminds you when you need to drink. It’s pretty difficult to ignore flashing lights and vibration reminders. A red light means that you have to drink more and a green light shows if you’re drinking the correct hydration amounts.
ImpacX has started the smart bottle in some cities in Israel and plans to expand to other countries. The company has already signed an agreement with the sports drink company Gatorade.
1. What makes ImpacX’s smart bottle stand out from other smart bottles?| A．Its simple design. | B．Its beautiful colour. |
| C．Its smart cap. | D．Its big space. |
| A．Input their weight and age. | B．Send a laser beam inside it. |
| C．Work out outdoors more. | D．Measure the length of it. |
| A．Drinking more water. | B．Avoiding drinking. |
| C．Stopping exercising. | D．Filling up the bottle. |
| A．Drinking Water Helps You Avoid Illness |
| B．Drinking Enough Water Has Been Difficult |
| C．A Smart Water Bottle Is Popular Worldwide |
| D．A Smart Water Bottle Can Keep You Hydrated |
4 . Tet is the most important holiday in Vietnam and there are many customs telling people what to do and what not to do during the holiday.
Returning all borrowed things
Before Tet, people should return all the things, including money, that they have borrowed from others. It is believed that people should not start a new year with borrowed things, otherwise in that year they would not be able to make both ends meet.
House-sweeping
One thing people should avoid doing is sweeping the house or emptying the rubbish basket especially on the first day of the new year. People believe that if you sweep the floor, all the luck and money will f low out of your house. So when visiting one’s house in Tet, you should not drop anything onto the floor and make it dirty.
Giving lucky money
On the first day of Tet, adults (those who have already got married and have income) are supposed to prepare some lucky money to give the kids when visiting their relatives as a symbol of luck for the coming new year. People are also supposed to say best wishes to others. These activities are done with the expectation that luck and good things are brought to everyone.
Gift-exchanging
Gift-exchanging is another common custom during the Tet holiday, which is used mostly in business. The process of giving and receiving gifts help to improve the relationships between business partners. The popular presents are cookies, chocolates, fruit baskets, wine, soft drinks or other kinds of treats. Usually, people can buy a pack of gifts in the shops which includes many different kinds of food.
1. What should people avoid doing on the first day of Tet?| A．Visiting others’ home. | B．Spending money. |
| C．Throwing away rubbish. | D．Exchanging gifts. |
| A．Teenage brothers. | B．Sisters studying at college. |
| C．Unemployed aunts. | D．Married and well-paid uncles. |
| A．Cookies, cash and chocolates. | B．Fruit, wine and soft drinks. |
| C．Chocolates, drinks and clothes. | D．Chocolates, fruit and books. |
5 . During our life, it is natural for us to stop occasionally and wonder whether we should make some changes. If you’d like to make the right choice, here are some questions you have to answer first.
Why do you want to bring the changes to your life? Usually, the answer is not very obvious.
Is it your true need? Or do you just feel bored and want to try something popular?
Are you self-aware? Do you value constructive (有益的) criticism? Are you always honest with yourself?
Finally, let me finish by a quote, “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”
| A．What is important to you? |
| B．What responsibilities should you take? |
| C．Don’t try to make your list in just one sitting. |
| D．So you have to be honest with yourself and ask yourself why. |
| E．Bear in mind that how you approach success can define how you feel. |
| F．Ask yourself these two questions whenever you just feel bored and want to make changes. |
| G．If your answers to these questions are no, then you need to work on your self-awareness. |
6 . “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Old tales tell a seemingly unbelievable story of a mysterious mirror, but modern technology has secretly turned the magic into reality. In August, police caught criminal suspects who attended Chinese singer Jacky Cheung's concerts. How did the police pick out the suspects among thousands of screaming fans?
How does AI facial recognition work?
Facial recognition is a technology capable of identifying a person from a digital image or a frame from a video source.
Facial recognition technology has been traditionally associated with the security section but today there is active expansion into other industries including retail, marketing and finance. In terms of security, AI cameras have been installed in cities to work day and night to help recognize wanted criminals.
What will the future of AI be like?
In general, prospects for the application of AI are bright for many. In the future, everybody will be able to use AI.
| A．It also has some drawbacks (缺陷). |
| B．Where is AI facial recognition applied? |
| C．Why is AI facial recognition convenient? |
| D．It will soon become a basic tool for work and life. |
| E．AI can bring convenience to the finance section as well. |
| F．There are many ways in which facial recognition systems work. |
| G．Well, the mysterious helping hand is AI facial recognition technology. |
| Prepare (准备) breakfast Monday to Wednesday: Mrs. Smith Thursday and Friday: Mr. Smith Saturday: Sam & Bob Sunday: Linda | Help in the kitchen Mrs. Smith cooks dinners. Mr. Smith does the dishes. Sam sets the table. Bob clears the table. Linda cleans the kitchen. |
| Tidy the living room Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Mrs. Smith and Linda The other days: Mr. Smith and the boys. ●The kids clean their rooms every Thursday and Sunday. ●The kids take out the rubbish in turn (轮流). | |
1. When does Linda prepare breakfast?
| A．On Monday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. | D．On Sunday. |
| A．He cleans the kitchen. | B．He does the dishes. |
| C．He clears the table. | D．He cooks dinners. |
| A．Once a week. | B．Three times a week. |
| C．Twice a week. | D．Three times a month. |
8 . Having studied more than 400 groups of honeybees in Brazil for two years, a group of biologists led by Viviana Di Pietro report that, like humans, honeybees are capable of learning new traditions which are then handed down over generations.
“The most obvious example is that honeybees can build their homes according to different architectural traditions which are then handed down over generations,” they write. “We found that around 95% of the honeybees built their homes in a horizontal (与地面平行的) style, while 5% of them preferred a spiral (螺旋形的) structure. In each case, the tradition was passed down to the next generations.”
Since honeybees showed a strong preference for a horizontal structure, it was surprising that spiral structures occurred at all. “With the help of video cameras, we found that there was a noticeable difference in average building rate between the two styles.” the researchers add.
In order to rule out a genetic (遗传的) explanation for the different styles, the researchers took honeybees from the groups that built in spiral tradition close to the groups that built in horizontal tradition. The imported honeybees soon learned to build their homes in the local style, which was then passed down to their children as they eventually grew up. “It is very likely that the imported honeybees might have changed the style as a way of correcting the construction errors made by their ancestors.” the researchers suggest.
The findings have surprised observers of animal culture, as they suggest that honeybees can learn and hand down different building traditions over generations. This has changed the way of thinking about culture, which is often strictly defined as behaviour directly handed down from human parents to their children until it becomes a tradition in a group.
“Insect culture was thought impossible. Less than a century ago, culture was thought to be uniquely human,” says biologist Andrew Whiten of the University of St Andrews, who was not involved in the research. “But the new research has offered strong evidence pointing to the opposite.”
1. Why do most honeybees prefer a horizontal structure according to the research?| A．It is easier to be copied. | B．It is a bit stronger. |
| C．It is more comfortable. | D．It is faster to build. |
| A．Scientists. | B．Traditions. | C．Findings. | D．Parents. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Disapproving. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Researchers Have Different Views on Animal Culture |
| B．Honeybees May Learn and Preserve Cultural Traditions |
| C．Honeybees Can Learn Building Skills From Their Neighbors |
| D．Researchers Have Misunderstood Honeybees for a Long Time |
9 . All students have bad times. What do they usually do when they get into trouble?
My mom is like my friend. I talk about everything to her. Whenever I have some trouble, I can get good advice from her. I have another good friend — my diary. It knows all my secrets. Talking with my two friends always makes me feel better.
—— Linda
Laughing helps me when I’m upset. I usually watch funny movies and TV shows. I also love spending my hard time with my best friend Dave. He is humorous and always makes me laugh.
—— Peter
Every time I feel bad, I go climbing alone. The study says exercising can help cheer one up (精神振奋). And the beautiful view at the top of the mountain makes me forget all my troubles. Sometimes I shout at the mountain top. It feels fantastic.
—— John
1. Linda’s ________ knows all her secrets.| A．sister | B．teacher | C．diary | D．computer |
| A．quiet | B．funny | C．careful | D．serious |
| A．goes climbing | B．watches movies |
| C．talks with his friends | D．reads books |
| A．Linda often asks her teacher for advice. |
| B．Dave often helps Peter with his homework. |
| C．John likes climbing mountains with his friends. |
| D．Exercising can help people feel good. |
Fun Cooking Children aged 6 to 10 can learn to make healthy hamburgers. And children aged 10 to 12 can learn to make delicious cakes. Price: $35 Time: every Wednesday (2:00 p.m — 5:00 p.m) in August Place: Little Cook School | |
Clay Craft This two-hour course teaches children to make gifts by using clay. It is really interesting. For children aged 6 to 12. Price: $20 Time: every Friday (l:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.) in July Place: Art Center | Wonder Dancing Children can learn different kinds of dances, such as jazz or ballet from great teachers. For children aged 10 to 12. Price: $60 for four lessons Time: every Thursday (3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m) in July Place: Emma Workshop (工作室) |
1. When does Little Cook School offer classes?
| A．Every Thursday in July. | B．Every Wednesday in August. |
| C．Every Friday in July. | D．Every Friday in August. |
| A．At Little Cook School. | B．At Art Workshop. |
| C．At Emma Workshop. | D．At Art Center. |
| A．$15. | B．$20. | C．$60. | D．$240. |
