1 . College professors these days face an ever-higher bar to grab the attention of their students, forced to compete with the stimuli 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 teaches 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 racked up hundreds of millions of views across TikTok and other social media platforms.

In the kid-friendly videos, Erukhimova uses a range of everyday objects in her experiments, from pingpong balls and toilet paper to marshmallows, bicycle wheels and hair dryers. She credits the university marketing team’s videos of her lessons for her social media success. “This is just one of our ways to connect with people to make physics accessible to people,” she tells NPR. As part of the physics department’s extensive outreach program, she also puts on shows almost every week teaching physics to K-12 students. “The sooner kids are taught physics and taught it well, the better,” she says.

It’s clear she knows what it takes to get young people excited about a hard science. But it wasn’t always that way. When she first started teaching college freshman classes almost two decades ago, she says she struggled to grab the attention of her younger students. She was used to teaching juniors, as she had for a few years prior to that. But when it comes to teaching a large lecture hall of 100-plus first-year students, first impressions are make or break.

“I did not grab their attention on the first day — that was my mistake,” she says. “I missed this opportunity to bond with them from the very beginning, and then it took me a while to find my voice.”

By the second semester, she found her footing, tweaking her approach to make her lecture halls feel smaller, and get her students engaged. The key, she says, has been to make herself approachable and her instruction personal.

1. What is the main challenge faced by college professors in large lecture halls?

A．Competition with smartphones and laptops.

B．Limited resources for·teaching materials.

C．Inadequate support from the university.

D．Lack of interest from students.

2. What role does the university marketing team play in Tatiana Erukhimova’s social media success?

A．Encouraging students to use social media.

B．Creating TikTok accounts for professors.

C．Producing videos of her physics lessons.

D．Promoting weekly teaching program.

3. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Erukhimova’s junior students in Paragraph 4?

A．To review her teaching plans.

B．To show an application of her idea.

C．To highlight the differences of teaching.

D．To erase doubts about her approaches.

4. What lesson did Tatiana Erukhimova learn when she initially started teaching college freshman?

A．The importance of establishing a personal connection with students.

B．The significance of focusing on junior-level students.

C．The effectiveness of traditional teaching methods.

D．The need for advanced teaching materials.

2 . Jennifer Destefano answered a call from a number she did not recognize. “Mom, I messed up,” her daughter’s voice told her, crying. “These bad men have me.” A man proceeded to demand money, or he would drug her daughter and leave her in Mexico. But while she kept him on the phone, friends managed to reach her daughter, only to discover that she was, in fact, free and well on a skiing trip in Arizona. The voice used on the phone was a fake.

Voice cloning’s influences will be huge. For several years, customers have been able to identify themselves over the phone to their bank and other companies using their voice. Not even a gifted mimic(巧于模仿的人) could fool the detection system. But the arrival of cloning will force adaptation in order to prevent cheating.

Creative industries could face the impact too. Voice actors’ skills, trained over a lifetime, can be copied in a matter of seconds. But some actors may, in fact. find cloning congenial. Val Kilmer, who has lost much of his voice to throat cancer, was delighted to have his voice restored for “Top Gun: Maverick”.

Another industry that will have to come to cope with the rise of clones is journalism. Now who will trust a story based on an audio clip(片段)? Slightly easier to manage might be the false positives: recordings claiming to be someone but which are fakes. The opposite problem—the false negatives—will arise when public figures deny authentic recordings. Proving that a clip is genuine is bard, perhaps even impossible. Journalists will need to show how they obtained and stored audio files.

The term “fake news” had existed long before voice cloning. Now, ever more people caught in a crime are likely to defend themselves. “It wasn’t me. ” And many people will have even more reason to believe them.

1. What does Jennifer Destefano’s experience indicate?

A．The high frequency of fake news.	B．The rising crime rate in Mexico.
C．The danger of voice-cloning technology.	D．The value of bravery in an emergency.

2. What does the underlined word “congenial” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Illegal.

B．Ridiculous.

C．Horrible.

D．Agreeable.

3. Which of the following belongs to the false negatives?

A．Late Beetles’ songs have been restored by voice cloning.

B．A pop star declares an authentic recording untrue.

C．Journalists prove their reports with audio clips.

D．The police identify a criminal through voice.

4. What is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Voice cloning is increasingly used in journalism

B．Voice cloning is challenging our traditional ideas

C．Voice cloning is impacting different aspects of our life

D．Voice cloning is re-establishing life styles for the better

3 . How to manage sleep anxiety

Aside from the main symptom of not being able to fall asleep, or constantly waking up throughout the night, sleep anxiety has very similar symptoms to general anxiety disorders.     1     Sleep deprivation can have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing, and sleep anxiety can make it difficult, even impossible, to have get a good night’s sleep. Studies have shown that singular stressful events, like taking an exam, have little impact on your cortisol levels and they soon return to normal.     2     This suggests that a night of tossing and turning the day before a job interview might be a one off, but facing stress every day — like being stressed about lack of sleep — has a significant impact on your sleep cycle.

The first step is to identify what’s causing your lack of sleep. Is it stress at work, or in your relationship? Is it past injury? Is it bad dreams making you want to put off sleeping so they don’t keep recurring? Try to understand why you find it a struggle to sleep.     3    

If nightmares and sleep paralysis are stopping you from sleeping, you might think there’s nothing you can do to calm your subconscious — but there are things you can try that can make your dreams more positive.     4     Studies have shown that people with a better “peace of mind” have more positive dreams, whereas symptoms of anxiety related to negative dreams. Cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT, teaches you to change the way you think in order to change your behaviour. It could help you understand how sleep anxiety is affecting your body and brain, avoid things that trigger your anxiety and make sleep impossible, and help change the negative way you view sleep.

Sometimes, less is more, and perhaps trying too hard to force yourself to sleep with a 20-step bedtime routine could be adding to the pressure and anxiety you’re feeling, and have the opposite affect that you want.     5     If you usually try to sleep in a warm room with a hot water bottle, try lowering the temperature. Sleeping in a colder room prevents cortisol levels rising, and helps your body release melatonin instead, which helps you sleep — this is why it’s often so difficult to sleep during a heatwave.

A．These can be listed as follows.

B．If It’s not working, it’s time to try something new.

C．Take a comfortable sleeping position, ideally on your back.

D．This can help you deal with the anxiety surrounding it and then end the hatred cycle.

E．However, chronic stress and anxiety can make the increase in the hormone last a long time.

F．Try some mindful techniques as part of your bedtime routine as well as throughout the day.

G．These include a continual feeling of unease, increased heart rate, sweating, and tensed muscles.

4 . Crossing paths with a wild boar (野猪) can pose fear and joy in equal measure. Despite 700 years of extinction in Britain, the species’ own tenacity and illegal releases from the 1980s have now led to several populations emerging. However, with impacts on both people and the countryside, their right to exist in Britain is heavily debated.

However, the boar’s habitat-regenerating actions that benefit other wildlife, even if they are unloved by many. The few boar in England are threatened again by poaching and culling. Why is more not being done to prevent their re-extinction?

Naturalist, writer and science communicator Chantal Lyons addresses all these complex issues and explains what it might take for us to coexist with wild boar in her new book, Groundbreakers: The Return of Britain’s Wild Boar. In this extract, she explains the history of the wild boar in Britain.

Most of the last millennium was not kind to the wild boar of Europe. But they endured when so many other large animals did not, and their star is ascendant once more. Their population status is rated as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which reports that the species now has one of the vastest geographical distributions of all land animals, partly thanks to humans.

And so, with hindsight, the return of wild boar to Britain was inevitable. If not intentional. There’d been mutterings among environmentalists for decades that the species should be reintroduced. The market got a taste for them.

More farms sprung up, buying in animals from the Continent, where they had never been extinct and the farming of them was already long established. By the early 1990s there were 40 registered breeders in the UK.

Despite thousands of years of trying, one of the qualities that has proven most challenging to breed out of the farmed pig is escapology. Life, as a certain fictional mathematician once said, finds a way. Our woodlands had been waiting for nearly 700 years. Answering whatever call was sounding in their brains, wild boar began to escape from the farms. Or, in some cases, seem to have been variously helped out by storm damage, animal rights activists, hard-up owners and shooters. Each freed individual was a spark. Something new, something hot and bright with potential. Not all those sparks took. But enough did.

1. What were the circumstances that led to the return of wild boars to Britain?

A．The role of the farmed pigs in the ecosystem.

B．Introduction al reintroduction efforts by environmentalists.

C．Capitalistic influence and the market demand for boar meat.

D．Strict enforcement of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976.

2. How did various factors contribute to the release of boars into the woodlands?

A．Escapology challenge in farmed pigs and the impact on the market.

B．Animal rights activists’ efforts in facilitating boar release.

C．The influence of the farmed pigs on the behavior of wild boars.

D．Storm damage and its role in releasing boars.

3. How did Chantal Lyons explain the historical context of wild boars in Britain?

A．The negative impact of capitalism on wild boar habitats.

B．The role of the farmed pigs in the resurgence of wild boars.

C．The need for stricter enforcement of wildlife protection laws.

D．The inevitability of wild boar reintroduction through human influence.

4. What does the author imply about the freed individuals among the wild boars?

A．They were all successful in establishing new habitats.

B．Each of them contributed to the decline of the wild boar population.

C．The sparks symbolize the challenges faced by the wild boars in the woodlands.

D．Some of them adapted to their new environment, causing the resurgence of the boars.

5 . The oil and gas industry may be emitting about three-times the amount of climate-warming methane than government estimates show, according to a new study from Stanford University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and other organizations in Nature. Methane (甲烷) is the main component of natural gas and among the greenhouse gases heating the planet, which is produced when extracting crude oil.

Specific measurements varied from a low of less than 1%, or about what the Environmental Protection Agency estimates, at a site in Pennsylvania to a high of nearly 10% in New Mexico. Researchers found the higher percentages of methane released generally had something in common. “These are places where production is mostly focusing on oil,” says Evan Sherwin, a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who conducted the research as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University. But oil and gas often come out of the ground together, and if there wasn’t a way to transport the less-valuable gas to where it could be sold, leaks were higher.

In Pennsylvania, by contrast, drillers are focused on producing natural gas, and there, very little of the methane was wasted. That complicates an argument many in the industry have made, generally in opposition to tighter government regulations on methane. They say drillers have the incentive to capture gas leaks so they can sell the fossil fuel. But that’s not always possible, if industry hasn’t built the pipelines and other infrastructure to get the gas to consumers. In this study, researchers estimate the industry releases about 6.2 million tons of methane a year, valued at $1.08 billion.

“Emissions of methane from fossil fuel operations remain unacceptably high,” said Tim Gould, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, during a Tuesday call with reporters. The organization’s Global Methane Tracker shows methane from the energy sector was near the record high level in 2023.

Despite that, the IEA concludes that if countries fully implement existing pledges on methane reductions, that would make significant progress toward achieving global climate goals. “2024 could mark a turning point and policies are starting to be put into place. Greater transparency is coming. Awareness is spreading and we have enhanced ability to track large leaks and act quickly to shut them down,” Gould said. Gould said he hopes to have good news to share, about a reduction in methane emissions, next year.

1. What can we infer from paragraph 2?

A．Various measures are taken to restrict the release of methane.

B．The low value of the gas in part leads to the high leak of the methane.

C．The more focused on the production of the gas, the higher the methane release

D．The percentage of methane in developing countries is higher than in developed countries

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

A．Equipment.

B．Productivity.

C．Drive.

D．Assessment.

3. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Caution: Methane emission gives rise to serious global warming.

B．Methane emissions: Oil and gas industry’s hidden impact.

C．Measures taken to cut back on methane emissions.

D．Methane is to blame for the climate change.

4. What is Tim Gould’s attitude toward emissions of methane at present?

A．Critical.

B．Dismissive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Optimistic.

6 . Spain is a country that continues to surprise and let us tell you it’s not all sunbathing and shopping! We’re outlining our top 3 reasons to discover Spain along with our holiday suggestions to help you make up your mind.

Stunning scenery

From the dramatic, imposing mountains to the countless glistening beaches that dot its coastlines, Spain is a country full of natural beauty and inspiring landscapes. If breath-taking views and unique scenery captures your attention then our top suggestion is to experience a holiday to Tenerife where you can enjoy the inspiring its volcanic views and panoramic scenery. The largest of the Canary Islands, just south of Spain, Tenerife has a rugged, volcanic landscape as well as over 200 miles of coastline boasting a huge variety of flora and fauna.

Beautiful beaches

Did you know that Spain has over 5,000 miles of coastline and thousands of beaches? Wherever you go, you are never far from a beach. From undiscovered, hidden alcoves to popular tourist resorts, there’s a beach for everyone and with over 300 days of sunshine each year you’re guaranteed the weather to enjoy them! This beautiful country also has the most blue flag beaches in the world so now you’ve no excuse! With thousands of beaches to choose from, where will you go?

Fabulous food

For many people, one of the highlights of Spain is, of course, the amazing food on offer. The country’s vibrant cities offer up Michelin-starred restaurants and lively tapas bars, while small-town cafés and restaurants offer up traditional dishes such as paella, seafood stew, and chorizo, made with love from family recipes.

Spanish cuisine is known for being delicious, healthy, and full of flavour, so there are many unique dishes available that will tempt your taste buds. If we’ve made you hungry, then you should take a holiday to Costa Brava, a Spanish foodie destination that should not be missed!

1. What is the top suggestion for experiencing stunning scenery in Spain?

A．The beaches of Costa Brava.

B．The mountains in the northern region.

C．A holiday to Tenerife.

D．The hidden alcoves along the coastline.

2. Which of the following is NOT the specialty in Spain?

A．Conventional cuisines and trendy bars.

B．Volcanic views and countless coastlines.

C．Sufficient sunshine and striking beaches.

D．Marine creatures and mouthwatering seafood.

3. What purpose does the author write the passage for?

A．To inform.

B．To report.

C．To review.

D．To entertain.

7 . Have you heard of these four monuments?

Carhenge. Floralis Genérica. Traffic Light Tree. Hand of the Desert — these are four unusual monuments from around the world you might like to visit.

• Carhenge

Carhenge is in Alliance, Nebraska (USA). As the name suggests, it has a lot in common with Stonehenge, the famous stone circle on Salisbury Plain. But while Stonehenge was built with stones, Carhenge was created with cars. The monument was made in 1987 by a local artist Jim Reinders and his family. He used old cars and even an ambulance. At first, the people of Alliance didn’t like it, but they soon changed their minds after it became popular with tourists, who brought lots of money to the town.

• Floralis Genérica

Floralis Genérica is a massive statue of a flower. It stands in a pool of water in front of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Eduardo Catalano, a native of Argentina, gave the statue as a gift to the city in 2002. Every morning, the flower opens. Ask anyone who has seen it and they’ll tell you that watching it open is an unforgettable sight. In fact, many people believe it is one of the most beautiful statues in the world.

• Traffic Light Tree

The Traffic Light Tree is situated at Heron Quay, in one of London’s financial districts. The tree has 75 sets of traffic lights. It was created by French artist, Pierre Vivant, and was installed in 1998. A computer controls the lights, which are turned on and off randomly. The roundabout where the tree is was voted the most popular roundabout in the UK in a recent survey.

• Mano del Desierto (Hand of the Desert)

The Hand of the Desert is in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The sculpture was designed by the Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrazabal. From a distance, it looks as if there’s a giant in the sand who has stuck his hand out of the ground.

If you’re looking for something new to see, you know where to go!

1. Why did the people of Alliance change their attitude toward Carhenge?

A．It reminded them of Stonehenge.	B．It brought them financial benefits.
C．It added beauty to their community.	D．It displayed the creativity of the designer.

2. Which of the four monuments was designed by a foreign artist?

A．Carhenge.	B．Floralis Genérica.
C．Traffic Light Tree.	D．Mano del Desierto.

3. Where is the text probably from?

A．A guide book.	B．A news report.
C．A science magazine.	D．An architecture advertisement.

10 . The secret to stress relief: Why rest isn’t a waste of time

Stress is a modern epidemic, but among all the stress management strategies we are forgetting one essential remedy (疗法) — taking time for rest. For a long time, psychologists focused almost exclusively on what went on between our ears.     1     That was the field of medical doctors, physiotherapists and gym instructors. Recently, however, there has been a growing realization that the body and mind are deeply connected with each other.

The most recent insights have revealed that our mental health is determined to a large extent by our physical condition. Studies have shown that our brain processes “psychological” pain — such as the kind that arises out of social exclusion — the same way it does physical pain.     2    

It’s apparent that there is no clear division between body and mind in the case of stress. You suffer more from stress when you are suffering from a flu. If you have a bad night’s sleep, everything is more stressful the next day. But good news is that you can combat it by looking after your body.     3     A healthy sleeping pattern also offers protection agains all kinds of psychological disorders, and a healthy diet is known to reduce stress.

When you decide to do something about your stress levels, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to turn your whole life upside down — quit your job, move to another country and so forth.     4     Moments of rest and relaxation ought to occupy a more significant place in our lives. These important moments should not be regarded as a kind of “breather” in between jobs but as a natural and fundamental part of our way of life.

    5     We need to see it as crucial time that we use to build up our reserves. It is only when we fully embrace rest that we will be able to take a stand against stress and burnout.

A．The body was not their responsibility.

B．The first step is to take better care of your body, instead.

C．In fact, you can even take an aspirin for that kind of pain.

D．For example, physical exercise helps to relieve depression.

E．You should ask if the health problems are caused by stress.

F．They all concentrate only on anxiety, depression and as such.

G．Getting enough rest is not just something we should do when we are exhausted.