1 . How to Fall Back in Love with Reading
Do you remember the last time you spent time reading books for pleasure? In the age of digital distractions, it is easy to struggle to find the time and headspace to get lost in literature.
Set aside time for reading books. Whether it’s 20 minutes before bedtime or an hour on your lunch break, carving out sometime in your schedule will make it easier to sit down and read. And if you find that you don’t have much free time, try listening to audiobooks.
Keep a reading journal. In your journal, you can write down your thoughts about what you’re reading or graffiti pictures inspired by the book.
Make reading a social activity. Whether you start a book club with your friends or join an online reading group, being able to discuss what you’re reading with others can make the experience more enjoyable.
| A．Find a book that interests you. |
| B．Create a positive reading routine. |
| C．But that doesn’t mean reading books is a thing of the past! |
| D．By this way, you can easily fit reading into your busy lifestyle. |
| E．Plus, it’s a great way to get recommendations for what to read next! |
| F．The others in your book club may come from different backgrounds. |
| G．It doesn’t have to be very involved, just a couple of sentences to jog your memory. |
2 . Top-down processing is the process of using context or general knowledge to understand what we perceive (感知). In 1970, psychologist Richard Gregory introduced the concept. He claimed that perception is constructive.
The processing plays an important role in our interactions with our environment. Our five senses are constantly taking in information. At any given time, we are experiencing different sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and ways things feel when we touch them. If we paid attention to each one of our senses all the time, we’d never do anything else. It enables us to simplify the process by relying on context and our pre-existing knowledge to understand what we notice. If our brains didn’t employ top-down processing our senses would overwhelm us.
Top-down processing helps us understand what our senses are perceiving in our daily lives. For example, suppose you receive an important letter but a few drops of water have ruined part of the text. A few letters in different words are now just smudges (污迹). Yet, you’re still able to read the letter in its entirety using top-down processing. You use the context of the words and sentences in which the smudges appear and your knowledge of reading to comprehend the meaning of the letter’s message. See a word LO*E, with one letter knocked down, yet you are still able to quickly recognize the word as LOVE.
On the one hand, top-down processing serves a positive function by simplifying the way we comprehend our sensory perceptions. It enables us to shortcut the cognitive path between our perceptions and their meaning. On the other hand, patterns can also prevent us from perceiving things in unique ways. So we may understand the pattern of how to use a mobile phone, but if the manufacturer comes out with a new phone that employs completely unique interaction patterns, we may not be able to figure out how to use it. Besides, as our knowledge is limited and biased (片面的) in certain ways, it can lead to perceptual errors.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 2?| A．To explain main reasons. | B．To give practical examples. |
| C．To draw specific conclusions. | D．To analyse theoretical frameworks. |
| A．Pre-existing knowledge. | B．Active interactions. |
| C．Five physical senses. | D．Lessons from mistakes |
| A．Seeing is believing. | B．Practice makes perfect. |
| C．Every coin has two sides. | D．Experience is the best teacher. |
| A．Introduce a reading method. | B．Deepen underlying meanings. |
| C．Illustrate a cognitive strategy. | D．Clarify a producing process. |
3 . Several times a month, you can find Doctor Daniel Nadeau in the Ralph’s market in Huntington Beach, California, wearing a white coat and helping people learn about food. He notices the pre-made macaroni (通心粉) and cheese boxes in am other’s shopping cart and suggests she switch to wholegrain macaroni and real cheese.
Nadeau says sugar and processed foods are big contributors to the rising diabetes (糖尿病) rates among children. “In America, over 50 percent of our food is processed food,” Nadeau tells her. “And only 5 percent of our food is plant-based food. I think we should try to reverse that.” This mother agrees to try more fruit juices for the kids and to make real macaroni and cheese. Score one point for the doctor, zero for diabetes.
Research findings increasingly show the power of food to treat or reverse diseases, but that does not mean that diet alone is always the solution, or that every illness can benefit substantially from dietary changes. Nevertheless, physicians say that they look at the collective data and a clear picture emerges: that the salt, sugar, fat and processed foods in the American diet contribute to the nation’s high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
By prescribing (开处方) nutritional changes or launching programs such as “Shop with your Doc”, they are trying to prevent, limit or even reverse disease by changing what patients eat. The program will offer patients several bags of food prescribed for their condition, along with intensive training in how to cook it. They believe teaching people about which foods are healthy and how to prepare them can actually transform a patient’s life. And beyond that, it might transform the health and lives of that patient’s family.
1. Why does Doctor Nadeau advise buying wholegrain macaroni and real cheese?| A．They’re easy to make. | B．They’re plant-based. |
| C．They’re delicious to eat. | D．They’re processed food. |
| A．Try out. | B．Pick up. | C．Take in. | D．Turn around. |
| A．Neutral. | B．Dismissive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
| A．A good cure for diabetes. | B．A new attempt on cooking. |
| C．A food-as-medicine program. | D．A simple tip on doing shopping. |
4 . Science is always seen as hard-core and hard to understand. But could you imagine hundreds of people being attracted by the cover of a science magazine?
The achievement was completed after Wang Yixi and his team made the cover of an October issue of Structure, a US-based Cell Press journal. The cover shows a Chinese ink painting that vividly shows the process in which a special enzyme (酶) involved in the biosynthesis (生物合成) of an important organic compound is activated―the latest breakthrough by a Chinese scientific research team. Another one of his popular works that carries distinctive Chinese elements is a composite image, describing a scientist as the folk goddess Nyuwa, carrying her newly discovered compound to fill a crack in the sky.
While studying chemistry at university, Wang Yixi often came across an experimental preparation process that he had to explain, but the amount of text was too large and abstract. A she had been interested in drawing, and related software like Photoshop, he decided to turn his graphics into a fine art. He went on to study 3D graphics software in order to better display the microscopic structures in his field and improve the presentation of his papers.
It didn’t take long before his classmates and professors noticed his talents and asked him to help them with their papers. By word of mouth, more people beat a path to Wang’s door and were willing to pay for his service. Over the past four years, Wang and his team have come up with more than 10,000 visual works for academic papers across a variety of fields, many of which have made their way to the world’s top academic journals, including Nature, Science and Cell.
“Every scientific paper is innovative, and graphics are an essential part of scientific papers,” Wang says, adding that what he tries to achieve is an explanation of models or methods, to showcase experimental results, visually process data or compare differences among experiments.
1. What play a special role in Wang’s works?| A．Fairytales. | B．Chinese elements. | C．Rich colors. | D．Complex structures. |
| A．He preferred painting to Chemistry. | B．He developed useful mapping software. |
| C．He had an active mind to solve problem. | D．He had trouble conducting his experiment. |
| A．By visualizing them vividly. | B．By showing them accurately. |
| C．By explaining them in detail. | D．By constructing them uniquely |
| A．The power of art | B．Dilemmas of science |
| C．Mysteries of Chemistry | D．Inspiration from science |
5 . I had always struggled with my body weight since my childhood. Though I was the one who wore a women’s size 16 dress. I had never been teased or bullied (欺凌) in my school thanks to the help of my best friends.
After I started to work, I decided to join the gym with my colleague. At the gym, I stepped on the scale to weigh myself. and when 170 pounds hit on the scale, it was the most terrifying moment. I thought after a few months of going to the gym and doing rigorous (严格的) works I would come down to 150 pounds. However, owing to the work stress and lack of time. I had to drop out of my journey.
In 2015, I went to a gym again and began my weight loss journey — one that lasted for 12 months and concluded with me losing 20 more pounds so that I could be a bridesmaid (伴娘) of my best friend. I could hit 130 pounds on the scale. Sure I lost some pounds in the journey, however, when I again went to my old habits. I regained all the weight that I had lost.
The day I reached my weight back to 150 pounds thanks to all the pizzas, sodas and junk foods. I was set on fire with motivation to change my life. Just as I’d done for the past few years. I again started to go back to the gym this time with determination and healthier eating.
A little over a year after I’d started. I stepped on the same scale I’d first weighed myself on. I hit 110 pounds on the scale. It was the most transformative experience of my life — and not simply in the ways one might expect.
Even now, when I feel my confidence flagging (衰落) or self-doubt creeping in, I think back to having successfully finished that, and I can draw strength.
1. Why did the author stop going to the gym for the first time?| A．She was already satisfied with her weight. | B．She had to devote her time to her work. |
| C．She didn’t experience any weight loss. | D．She was laughed at by others. |
| A．She lost confidence in herself | B．She became too busy to work out. |
| C．She developed some new bad habits. | D．She had difficulty keeping weight off. |
| A．She could be at self-doubt. | B．She expected to help others. |
| C．She lost interest in going to the gym. | D．She cared more about her appearance. |
| A．It’s important to live a full life. | B．We should always focus on our weight. |
| C．We should try our best to change our life. | D．It requires determination to keep a healthy lifestyle. |
6 . A microscope is a useful instrument for observing small objects by producing a bigger image. Before using the microscope, please read the instructions below.
CAUTION
Microscopes are both easily broken and expensive and must be handled with care.
·Always carry the microscope with two hands — one supporting the base and the other on the arm.
·Avoid stretching the power cable of the lamp across a walkway.
·Keep the stage clean and always use a glass slide for samples. To avoid breaking the glass slide when focusing, begin with the lens (透镜) close to the sample and gradually back off to focus,
·Keep the microscope covered to prevent the buildup of dust while it is being stored.
HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE
1. Turn on the lamp.
2. Place a sample of what you want to observe on a slide.
3. Move the mirror so it can reflect light from the room up into the objective lens. When the mirror is in the correct position, a complete circle of light will appear when you look through the eyepiece (目镜).
4. Place your slide with the sample directly over the center of the glass circle on the stage. If it is a wet sample, be sure the bottom of the slide is dry.
5. Look through the eyepiece with one eye. Slowly raise the lens until the focus is relatively clear.
6. Without changing the focus knobs, switch to the HIGH POWER objective lens. Once you have switched to the HIGH POWER, only use the fine focus knob to make the image sharper.
1. What should we pay attention to after using the microscope?| A．Keeping it covered. |
| B．Turning on the lamp. |
| C．Washing the slide clean. |
| D．Keeping the lens far away from the sample. |
| A．Move the mirror. | B．Cover the microscope. |
| C．Put the slide on the stage. | D．Place the slice on a glass slide. |
| A．As soon as you turn on the lamp. |
| B．After slowly raising the objective lens. |
| C．While looking at the sample on the glass slide. |
| D．After moving the mirror in the correct position. |
7 . Since the pandemic (流行病) hit, we’re on video calls more than ever before, and many are finding it extremely tiring.
Being on a video call requires more focus than a face-to-face chat, says Gianpiero Petriglien, an associate professor at Insead. Video chats mean we need to work harder to process facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, and body language: paying more attention to these consumes a lot of energy. “Our minds are together when our bodies feel we’re not. That causes people to have conflicting (互相冲突) feelings, and i: is exhausting You cannot relax into the conversation naturally.” he says.
“Silence is another challenge.” he adds. “Silence creates a natural rhythm in a real-life conversation. However, when it happens in a video call, you become anxious about the technology.” It also makes people uncomfortable. One 2014 study by German Scholars showed that delays (延迟) on phone or conferencing systems shaped our unpleasant views of people: even delays of 1.2 seconds made people regard the responder as less friendly or focused.
An added factor, says Marissa Shulffer, an associate professor at Clemson University, is that if we are physically on camera, we are very aware of being watched. “When you’re on a video conference, you knew everybody’s looking at you; you are on stage, so there comes the social pressure and feeling like you need to perform. Being performative is nerve-wracking.” It’s also very hard for people not to look at their own face if they can see it on screen, or not to be conscious (有意识的) of how they behave in front of the camera.
Both experts suggest limiting video calls to those that are necessary. Turning on the camera should be optional and is general there should be more understanding that cameras do not always have to be on throughout teach meeting. Having your screen off to the side, instead of straight ahead, could also help your concentration, particularly in group meetings, says Petriglien. It makes you feel like you’re in a next-door room, so you may be less bring.
1. What does Gianpiero Petriglien think of video calls?| A．They need more concentration. | B．They go on more naturally. |
| C．They are more relaxing. | D．They take longer time. |
| A．Facial expressions. | B．Occasional silence. |
| C．Processing body language | D．Not receiving a timely reply |
| A．Causing excitement. | B．Causing disappointment. |
| C．Making one feel nervous. | D．Making one feel surprised. |
| A．The convenience of video chats. | B．Why video chats are so exhausting. |
| C．The development of mobile phones. | D．What technological development brings |
8 . The relationship between Jeffrey Pang and his son, Kevin Pang, was like hot-and-sour soup. It boiled over easily. The Pangs, who moved to the United States in 1988, wanted their son and daughter to know Chinese culture. As a video game-playing American teen, Kevin wasn’t interested.
But when Kevin became a food writer for the Chicago Tribune, he realized he had a valuable resource: his cook-laving dad. “My father and I shared, for the first time, a common interest. I would call to ask about recipes and cooking techniques. He would school me on the world of Chinese food,” Kevin writes in the introduction to the cookbook he has just published.
When it comes to cooking Chinese food, he points out that there is no one definition of Chinese food. “Chinese cooking is not hidebound. For example, consider baked pork chop rice, popularized in Hong Kong. It is a pork chop with egg-fried rice. And then you top it with this thick tomato sauce,” explains Kevin. “And then you top that with some cheese. It’s a very interesting combined dish that has some Western British influences, and it’s altogether very Chinese as well.”
By the time Kevin joined America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) staff in 2020 as its editorial director for digital content, his dad had become an Internet celebrity demonstrating the family’s recipes. Kevin recognized an opportunity not only to share his own family’s food stories but also to apply the ATK method of breaking down recipes into simple steps for the home cook.
“I think this cookbook can teach fathers and sons how to connect, how to find a common interest and improve their relationship, ” Kevin says. That feeling has found an enthusiastic fan base, generating nearly 3 million views, for their online cooking series “Hunger Pangs”, where viewers speak highly of their father-son bond as much as they do of their attractive dishes. Today the Pangs’ relationship is rarely sour or hot.
1. Why would Kevin phone his father after becoming a food writer?| A．To publish his Chinese cookbook. | B．To inquire about hot-and-sour soup. |
| C．To seek permission for video games. | D．To ask about cooking Chinese food. |
| A．Inflexible. | B．Inclusive. | C．Unpleasant. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Their relationship has improved. | B．They run America’s. Test Kitchen. |
| C．They do dishes to attract followers. | D．Their cookbook is about low-fat food. |
| A．Cooking at home helps you cook well for less. | B．Father and son jointly teach Chinese cooking. |
| C．Chinese culture is becoming popular in the us. | D．Recipes and cooking techniques are really easy. |
9 . Imagine Hying over the city in an electric powered aircraft that has no pilot but can take you from point A to point B in minutes. Sounds like science fiction, right? Well, not anymore. China-based Ehang has become the world’s first company to receive official approval to fly passengers in its pilotless air taxis.
Ehang’s EH216-S air taxis are electric vertical (垂直的) takeoff and landing aircraft, also called eVToL for short. The air taris can carry up to wo passengers or about 270kg of goods. They can fly at speeds of up to 130kmb and distances of up to 28km. The air taris are controlled by a central command centre that monitor the light, routes and weather conditions.
Passengers can simply select their destination on a touchscreen inside the cabin and enjoy the ride without worrying about piloting the aircraft. The taxis do not require airports or runways. They can take off and land vertically from any flat surface.
The air taxis use electric power to reduce environmental harm caused by emissions. They can be fully charged in two hours and have bow nose levels. They also have backup batteries and emergency landing systems and parachutes in case anything goes wrong.
They could transform how we travel around big cities —imagine using them to avoid traffic jams, save time on the daily commute (通勤) to work or school, or get to places that are hard to reach by car or public transport. And beyond just moving people, the aircraft can be used for delivering goods, such as packages, medical supplies or food. During natural disasters such as bushfires or foods, air taxis could transport much-needed medical staff, equipment or medicines to the scene quickly and safely.
One big challenge will be gaining the trust of the public and convincing commuters they are safe while flying. To do this, Ehang will educate passengers about the benefits and risks of using its taxis while also addressing potential issues and concerns about noise levels, privacy and the environmental impact.
1. What do we know about EH216-S air taxis?| A．They don’t make any noise. | B．They are environment-friendly. |
| C．They are controlled by eVTOL. | D．They can carry 270kg of goods and two persons. |
| A．A swimming pool. | B．An empty street. |
| C．A crowded car park. | D．A woody valley. |
| A．Where air taxis can work. | B．When air taxis function well. |
| C．Why air taxis are needed. | D．How air taxis can be used. |
| A．By providing a free tip for brave passengers. |
| B．By rewarding the most reliable passengers. |
| C．By explaining is taxis advantages and disadvantages. |
| D．By stressing the importance of environmental protection. |
10 . Happiness is a state of mind. When you learn to observe your thoughts and emotions (情感), you can nurture a joyful life and think more positively. After all, everyone has the potential to feel happy.
Keep a thought diary
Write down thoughts as they come up throughout the day. When you’ve finished, go back and read your thought diary out loud. Can you identify negative(消极的) self-talk that might hold you back from feeling joyful? When these situations arise in the future, step back for a moment. Think about why you think this way and what happened the last time you were in this situation.
Control the monkey mind with meditation (冥想)
Is your mind full of questions like “What do I really want to do with my life?” “Am I happy?” “Did I remember to lock the door?”
Respond vs react
| A．What kinds of thinking habits do you usually have? |
| B．Learn to respond to your emotions, rather than react. |
| C．Following these practices, you’ll think more positively and be happy. |
| D．Sometimes that voice in your head behaves like a bunch of monkeys. |
| E．You can start by understanding what causes negative thought patterns. |
| F．People cannot block thoughts and emotions because they are necessary. |
| G．Perhaps you can even come up with other good opinions on the situation. |
