1 . College professors these days face an ever-higher bar to grab the attention of their students, forced to compete with the appeal of smartphones and laptops in large lecture halls. But when your professor is a social media star, it’s a little bit easier.
Tatiana Erukhimova, who leaches physics at Texas A&M University, has managed to get her students, as well as future generations, excited about the science. Known as “Dr. Tatiana” to her students and online fan base, the professor performs physics tricks with boundless energy and enthusiasm. Videos of her theatrical demonstrations have got hundreds of millions of views across TikTok and other social media platforms. Her department’s YouTube page has about 2.5 million subscribers, an ineredible following even overshadowing the well-known Aggie athletics program. She credits the university marketing team’s videos of her lessons for her social media success.
In the kid-friendly videos, Erukhimova uses a range of everyday objects in her experiments, from toilet paper to sweets, bicycle wheels and hair dryers. The sooner kids are taught physics and taught it well, the better, she suggests. It’s clear that she knows what it takes to get young people excited about a hard science. The key, she explains, has been to make herself approachable and her instruction personal.
She’s earned more than just recognition on social media. In February, she was honored with a national award for science outreach “for leadership in bringing the excitement of physics through innovative education programs, ”including the well-attended annual TAMU Physics and Engineering Festival and the highly popular physics videos on social media.
All Erukhimova says she can hope for is making physics less discouraging, and more exciting. “What will they remember 10, 15 years, 20 years later?” she wonders. “If they remember my class, I could not ask for a better reward.”
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Students perform worse than expected. | B．Colleges need more professional teachers. |
| C．Digital devices should be banned on campus. | D．Internet celebrity professors are more favored. |
| A．Her love for teaching. | B．Her school’s promotion. |
| C．Her followers’ support. | D．Her talent for performing. |
| A．By encouraging hands-on experiments. | B．By adopting a down-to-earth teaching style. |
| C．By motivating young learners’ curiosity. | D．By possessing professional physics knowledge. |
| A．Brave and resourceful. | B．Optimistic and devoted. |
| C．Sociable and humorous. | D．Passionate and creative. |
2 . I had to say something after reading The Anxious Generation. It is going to sell well , because Jonathan Haidt is telling a scary story about children’s development many parents are led to believe. However, the book’s repeated suggestion that digital technologies are rewiring our children’s brains and causing the epidemic (流行病) of mental illness is unsupported by science. Worse , the rude proposal that social media is to blame might distract (分心) us from effectively responding to the real causes of the current mental-health crisis in young people.
Researchers have searched for the effects suggested by Haidt. Our efforts have produced a mix of no, small and mixed associations. Most data are correlative. When associations over time are found, they suggest not that social-media use predicts or causes depression, but that young people who already have mental-health problems use such platforms more often or in different ways from their healthy peers.
We are not alone here. Several analyses and systematic reviews centralize on the same message. An analysis done in 72 countries shows no consistent or measurable associations between well-being and social media globally. Moreover, studies from some authorities finds no evidence of intense changes associated with digital-technology use.
As a psychologist studying children’s and adolescents’ mental health, I appreciate parents’ frustration (沮丧) and desire for simple answers. As a parent of adolescents, I would also like to identify a simple source for the pain this generation is reporting. There are, however, no simple answers. The beginning and development of mental disorders are driven by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors.
More young people are talking openly about their mental-health struggles than ever before. But insufficient services are available to address their needs. In the United States, there is, on average, one school psychologist for every 1,119 students. We have a generation in crisis and in desperate need of the best of what science and evidence-based solutions can offer. Unfortunately, our time is being spent telling stories that are unsupported by research and that do little to support young people who need, and deserve, more.
1. What is presented in The Anxious Generation?| A．Scary stories affect children’s brains. |
| B．Parents are responsible for children’s health. |
| C．Teen’s mental illness results from screen time. |
| D．The epidemic of mental illness is unavoidable. |
| A．Many countries do research in mental health. |
| B．Well-being and social media are closely related. |
| C．The young are trapped in the mental-health crisis, |
| D．Social media don’t necessarily cause mental illness. |
| A．Effective actions need to be taken. | B．Positive stories should be shared. |
| C．Financial support needs to be provided. | D．Broader research should be done. |
| A．To suggest ways to help those in need. |
| B．To encourage parents to brave the crisis. |
| C．To recommend a newly-published book. |
| D．To give a voice to children’s mental issues. |
3 . At just seven years old, Angelina Tsuboi discovered her passion for innovation. It all began with a simple game she programmed in her Los Angeles public school’s Grade 2class. Today , at18, the Grade 12 student’s initial curiosity has evolved into a deep-seated desire to use technology to decode (解码) real-world problems.
In 2021, she co-developed Megaphone, one of her first apps, to tackle unanswered post-class questions and poor communication about events and announcements. Her problem-solving ability kept building from there.
When she took online CPR classes at the start of the pandemic, she figured it couldn’t be just her who was struggling with the steps. So she created an app called CPR Buddy ― a winner in the 2022 Apple Swift Challenge ― which guides users through CPR using vibrations (震动) to regulate breath. After winning the award, Angelina presented her work to Apple CEO Tim Cook, a highlight in her young career, but one she didn’t lose her cool over. “There’s no point putting people on a pedestal (神坛),” she says.
The next year, Angelina built an app called Lilac, designed to assist nonEnglish-speaking single parents with resources for housing, job opportunities and translation support. She was inspired by her own experiences as a child of a single mother who immigrated to the US.
When Angelina decided to pursue pilot training at the age of 16, she was struck by how difficult it was to find financial support, which encouraged her to create yet another app, Pilot Fast Track, which helps those longing to be pilots find scholarships for flight training.
Looking to the future, besides applying to colleges with great labs, Angelina is exploring the field of aerospace cybersecurity and mechatronics ― combining computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.
“There’s not enough optimism in the world,“ she says. “I have also been in situations in my life where I’ve lost a lot of hope. But in the end, it is a mindset, and there are ways in any situation you’re in to make it somewhat better.”
1. What is Angelina’s pursuit?| A．To design games for kids. |
| B．To stimulate teen’s curiosity. |
| C．To address problems through technology. |
| D．To find innovative approaches to digital challenges. |
| A．She couldn’t breathe regularly. | B．She was inspired by celebrities. |
| C．She replaced CPR with an app. | D．She was humble about her success. |
| A．To direct pilots’ career paths. |
| B．To help to-be pilots find funds. |
| C．To pair future pilots with airlines. |
| D．To evaluate pilot training schools. |
| A．Breaking the code | B．Bearing growing pains |
| C．Facing life as it is | D．Following role models |
4 . Some people today might be early risers because of DNA they take after Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago, suggests new research.
When early humans migrated from Africa to Eurasia roughly 70,000 years ago, some of them mated with Neanderthals, who had already adapted to the colder, darker climates of the north. The ripple (涟漪) effects of that intermating still exist today: Modern humans of non-African ancestry (血统) have between 1 and 4 percent Neanderthal DNA. Some of that DNA relates to sleep more specifically, the internal body clock known as the circadian rhythm.
For the new study, researchers compared DNA from today’s humans and DNA from Neanderthal fossils (化石). In both groups, they found some of the same genetic variants involved with the circadian rhythm. And they found that modern humans who carry these variants also reported being early risers.
For Neanderthals, being “morning people” might not have been the real benefit of carrying these genes. Instead, scientists suggest, Neanderthals’ DNA gave them faster, more flexible internal body clocks, which allowed them to adjust more easily to annual changes in daylight. This connection makes sense in the context of human history. When early humans moved north out of Africa, they would have experienced variable daylight hours — shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer-for the first time. The Neanderthals’ circadian rhythm genes likely helped early humans’ offspring (后代) adapt to this new environment.
Notably, the findings do not prove that Neanderthal genes are responsible for the sleep habits of all early risers. Lots of different factors beyond genetics can contribute, including social and environmental influences. The study also only included DNA from a database called the U.K. Biobank—so the findings may not necessarily apply to all modern humans. Next, the research team hopes to study other genetic databases to see if the same link holds true for people of other ancestries. If the findings do apply more broadly, they may one day be useful for improving sleep in the modern world, where circadian rhythms are disturbed by night shifts and glowing smartphones.
1. What does the new research focus on?| A．DNA’s dramatic changes. | B．Genes’ influence on early risers. |
| C．Neanderthals’ sleeping patterns. | D．Ancestors’ environmental adaptability. |
| A．Historical context. | B．Additional proof. |
| C．Sample analysis. | D．Studying process. |
| A．Getting up earlier. | B．Having healthier daily routines. |
| C．Being more flexible in their work. | D．Possessing a better circadian rhythm. |
| A．They get proof from other studies. | B．They are confirmed by early risers. |
| C．They suggest potential applications. | D．They reveal factors in sleeping disorders. |
5 . It was dinner time, yet I hadn’t finished my work for the day. Cheery people who were enjoying their holiday time buzzed around me. But with my head down and headphones in, I had interacted with very few of them. The day passed more like a fast-forwarded video than something that I actually fully experienced.
This was my first week living the digital nomad lifestyle. I had left my corporate role and found freelance (自由职业的) writing work online to afford me the freedom to travel.
I had prepared excitedly, surfing online about digital nomadism.
But that’s not all that’s waiting for new digital nomads.
| A．And my surroundings looked different. |
| B．But this wasn’t at a tiring nine-to-five office job. |
| C．This was a typical day back in my office I managed to escape. |
| D．New surroundings may also make you fully engaged in your work. |
| E．Should you choose to become a digital nomad, your environment will change. |
| F．You’ll still wake up with emails in your inbox and to-dos begging to be handled. |
| G．Yet somehow I unknowingly over-consumed expectation and under-consumed realism. |
6 . The backpack you take can make or break your trip when you go traveling. Here are the four best travel backpacks on the market.
Amazon Basics 70L
It’s much cheaper than many travel bags on the market and does not sacrifice any of the practical uses or space that comes with more expensive bags. The bag may not be as luxury as some of the more high-end bags, but its simple style lets you focus on the main thing you need to focus on when traveling: the moment.
Eurohike Nepal 65L
The Eurohike Backpack is a great choice because of how adaptable it is. Besides having a great amount of storage, it comes with an internal security pocket. It weighs just 1.38kg as opposed to other backpacks, which can weigh up to nearly 2kg. If you’re going to go hiking when you travel, then it is perfect.
Mountain Warehouse Tor 65L
First, its brand is one of the most trusted in the industry, so quality is guaranteed. Second, the backpack’s adjustable back allows you to change how the bag fits according to your needs. Available in both blue and green, this is a great choice if you want a bag that you can depend on.
Osprey Europe Farpoint 70L
Osprey is one of the best brands for backpacks. Its frame (框架) suspension, which can be adjusted to different needs, allows you to travel more comfortably. Whether you’re visiting Switzerland in a thick, wool coat or the south of France in shorts and a T-shirt, the bag will match your look. This bag does say it is marketed for men, but, of course, it can be unisex.
1. What is the selling point of the Amazon Basics?| A．Its luxury style. | B．Its fashionable design. |
| C．Its huge space for use. | D．Its good value for money. |
| A．They are rich in color. | B．They have the same capacity. |
| C．They can be adjusted as needed. | D．They are targeted for male customers. |
| A．Amazon Basics 70L. | B．Eurohike Nepal 65L. |
| C．Mountain Warehouse Tor 65L. | D．Osprey Europe Farpoint 70L. |
7 . In 1776 Thomas Paine, an Englishman, published a book called Common Sense, which became a best-seller. But in a paper, Mark Whiting and Duncan Watts, a pair of computational social scientists, note that the idea has seldom been seriously studied.
The two researchers set out to fix that. They started by noting that the standard concept of common sense has a somewhat circular definition: common sense is a set of claims that sensible (明智的) people agree with, and sensible people are those who possess common sense.
To get around such philosophical messes, the researchers recruited 2,046 human participants and asked them to rate 50 statements from a language database of 4,407 claims that might be seen as commonsensical.
As common sense might have predicted, the researchers found that plainly worded claims concerning facts about the real world were the most likely to berated as demonstrating common sense (“triangles have three sides”, for example, which is true by definition, or “avoid close contact with people who are ill”). The more abstract the claims, the less likely participants were to agree that they were common sense (“all human beings are created equal”; “perception is the only source of knowledge”). When they split the claims by subject, the researchers found that those concerning technology and science were the most likely to be rated as commonsensical, while matters of history and philosophy were the least likely.
A respondent’s age, sex, income and personal politics had little effect on what they thought counted as common sense, although psychological measures of social perceptiveness and the ability to reflect on one’s opinions did.
Having investigated individual opinions, the researchers looked at how common sense works across big groups. Here, they found much less agreement than might have been expected: Only around 44% of claims in the language database were rated as commonsensical by at least 75%of respondents.
A stricter definition of common sense, in which everyone has to agree with a claim for it to count,cut that number to just 6.6%. Where exactly a reasonable cut-offices is a matter for debate. But truly “common” sense, it seems, is an unreadable thing.
1. What is the standard idea on common sense?| A．It is what everybody knows. |
| B．It is what we take for granted. |
| C．It is facts about the real world. |
| D．It is agreements of wise people. |
| A．Money is equal to happiness. |
| B．Wash your hands before meals. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．Practice is the only criterion to test truth. |
| A．Mental health. | B．Personal salary. |
| C．Social insight. | D．Others’ comments. |
| A．Common Sense Does Not Really Exist |
| B．Common Sense Works Across Crowds |
| C．Common Sense Originates From The Minority |
| D．Common Sense Is Not Actually Very Common |
8 . Far too many people — even hardcore (铁杆) exercisers — view stretching as an annoying and optional thing for bookending their workouts. Even worse, it’s something that they skip after exercise for no other reason than they can’t be bothered to actually do it.
Well, we all should. Science shows that stretching isn’t actually literal — you’re not even “stretching” your muscles at all.
If you don’t stretch, it doesn’t do your body any favors. What happens to your body when you skip your post-exercise stretching?
You could feel sick. You won’t be surprised to know that when you exercise, you raise your heart rate for a period of time. After physical activity, your heart is still beating faster than normal, your body temperature is higher and your blood vessels are dilated (扩张).
Your muscles will likely become inflexible and more sore. When you exercise your muscles, it produces an inflammatory (炎症) response in the form of lactic acid (乳酸).
| A．Stretching helps your blood flow. |
| B．In fact, it reduces your risk of injury. |
| C．Stretching is crucial after a workout. |
| D．This means if you stop too fast, you could pass out. |
| E．It is actually what causes your muscles to become sore. |
| F．After all, you’ve just exercised and your body feels warm, loose, and great. |
| G．The true purpose is to lengthen and mobilize the connective tissue around your muscle. |
9 . Exposure to new technologies including trackers,robots and AI-based software at work is bad for people's quality of life, according to a groundbreaking study from the Institute for the Future of Work.
The authors found that the more workers were exposed to technologies in three of these categories —software based on AI and machine learning; monitor devices such as wearable trackers; and robotics-the worse their health and wellbeing tended to be.
By contrast, use of more long-established information and communication technologies (ICTs)such as laptops, tablets and instant messaging at work tended to have a more positive effect on wellbeing.
Dr Magdalena Soffia,the study's lead author, said it was not necessarily the technologies themselves that are the problem,but the way in which they are adopted."We don't want to claim that there is some sort of determinism in what technology causes,in terms of wellbeing,"she said,“We say it really depends on the context:on lots of structural factors,on environmental conditions,how it is designed and how it is used.So lots of human decisions.”
“We wanted to give a more multidimensional understanding of what was happening in terms of wellbeing.So we used a well-established measure which is a very effective measure, used by the UK public health sector;"Soffia said.
Discussing the promotion to quality of life from ICTs,she suggested"one possible potential mechanism is that actually what they do is to streamline work processes,and they make working life a bit more efficient.And that in turn,gives you kind of a sense of achievement."
By contrast,the findings about trackers and monitor technologies corespond with recent wanings from trades unions and campaigners about the negative impact on workers whose performance is being constantly monitored.
Mary Towers,the TUC's lead on Al,said:"These findings should worry us all.They show that without strong new regulation,Al could make the world of work a cruel and unhealthy place for many.Things don't have to be this way.If we put the proper guardrails in place,AI can be controlled to genuinely enhance productivity and improve working lives."
1. What does the study find about new technologies?| A．They are well received. |
| B．They worsen people's life. |
| C．They consist of three items. |
| D．They are developing rapidly. |
| A．Influence on humans. |
| B．Origin of the problem. |
| C．Solutions to the problem. |
| D．Decisive role of the environment. |
| A．Increase work efficiency. |
| B．Enhance our confidence. |
| C．Ensure our safety at work. |
| D．Improve working conditions. |
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. | C．Hopeful. | D．Unclear. |
10 . We do love our friends very much, but they have one habit that drives us crazy. They think they are coffee experts, and they don’t hesitate to inform you of that fact, over and over and over again. They talk about this new bean and that new growing area, coffee cups vs mug cups, black vs cream and sugar, various brands of coffee makers etc. You get the idea. And we tolerate it. But just because of your tolerance of your friends’ behavior, it doesn’t mean you can’t try to fool them. My husband Frank and I were planning to pull off the trick of the century. At weekend, we invited our friends to our home.
Now it began. Frank knew what he had to do. He had to keep our friends occupied so that they wouldn’t come into the kitchen. If they did, the whole thing would be ruined.I was nervous. Would our trick work?Our friends were coffee experts and Frank and I were not.
I made lots of noise while preparing the coffee.I hoped that our friends would think that all the noise meant better coffee.I turned on the coffee bean grinder (研磨机) that I had bought especially for this trick. They wouldn’t be able to tell that I had put rice in the grinder rather than coffee beans.The noise level would be the same.Then I put a fresh coffee filter(过滤器)in the coffeemaker,added the filtered water,and very,very carefully counted out the number of spoons of coffee I needed for twelve cups. Twelve cups of instant coffee, that is! From a jar. No beans to be seen.
Time to serve. I set the tray (托盘) down on the table and poured coffee for everyone in grand style. They smelt, they stirred, they tasted, and then they sighed. Could they have a second cup? And then maybe just a little more?
They said that finally I had learmed how to make really good coffee. They said it was obvious that the beans I had chosen had made all the difference. They asked which beans I used. I told them that it was a secret mixture of varlous beans that a friend had suggested and I wasn’t able to expose the exact combination.
1. What do the underlined words “pull off” mean in paragraph 1?| A．Reveal. | B．Revise. | C．Clarify. | D．Accomplish. |
| A．To test their taste. |
| B．To play a trick on them. |
| C．To learn about their hobby. |
| D．To know more about coffee. |
| A．Instant coffee. | B．Rice porridge. | C．Filtered water. | D．Fresh ground coffee. |
| A．It was a secret recipe. |
| B．There was no bean at all. |
| C．She was mean and selfish. |
| D．Her husband didn’t allow her. |
