1 . If you are looking for a vacation to a beautiful beach town, here you can find the best cities along the East Coast based on a departure (离开) from Los Angeles.
Savannah, Gcorgia
Round-trip flight cost: $ 415
Walking tours of the city’s attractions are led by local historians to help you better know the city’s past and you can see the bench where Forrest Gump sat. There is also a free tour to Forsyth Park, home to a 300-ycar-old Candler Oak tree. Visitors can also stay at the Forsyth Park, which includes a spa, restaurant and cooking school.
Charleston, South Carolina
Round-trip flight cost: $519
You don’t have to travel to Europe to visit one of the world’s best spots. Charleston made Travel and Leisure’s 2018 list of the top 15 international cities. You can enjoy the sunshine for free at Folly Beach and watch the sunset from the dock.
Block Island, Rhode Island
Round-trip flight cost: $358
There are no flights from Los Angeles directly to Block Island, but a round-trip flight to Providence, Rhode Island. There you can make your way to Block Island and visit 1661 Farms and Gardens, which is home to kangaroos, camels, ducks, goats and much more.
Roanoke, Virginia
Round-trip flight cost: $517
Take advantage of the arts and crafts trips, hiking paths and waterfall stops all along the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you don’t want to stay outdoors, visit the Taubman Museum of Art for free. The museum has a collection of over 2,100 pieces from around the world and hosts special exhibits throughout the year.
1. What do tours in Savannah allow visitors to do?| A．Learn about the history of the city. |
| B．Help plant trees in Forsyth Park. |
| C．Attend a cooking school for free. |
| D．Watch an open-air movie. |
| A．like to enjoy the sunset in the harbor |
| B．love to spend time with animals |
| C．want to appreciate works of art |
| D．prefer enjoying the mountain view |
| A．Savannah. | B．Charleston. | C．Block Island. | D．Roanoke. |
2 . If a pancake could dream, it might long for legs so it could jump off your breakfast plate in pursuit of a better, unchewed life. But legs aren’t necessary for something as flat as a pancake to jump around. A group of scientists have designed a pancake-shaped robot that can jump several times per second and higher than seven times its body height. The new robot named Hop, which swiftly jumps without feet, is an important contribution to the soft robotics.
Many ground robots move by rolling or walking. But it’s more efficient for robots to jump over obstacles (障碍物) than to go around them. Although jumping can offer some robots a competitive edge, engineering that ability has been a challenge for robotics researchers. Some soft robots that store energy can perform a single impressive jump very infrequently. Some lightweight soft robots that don’t store energy can jump frequently but can’t jump high or far enough to successfully cross an obstacle.
For inspiration, the researchers looked to gall midge larvae (瘿蚊幼虫) that miraculously throw themselves across distances 30 times as long as their loglike bodies. A gall midge larva bends its body and squeezes the liquid in its body to one end, making it rigid (僵硬的). The accumulation of liquid builds up pressure, and releasing the pressure sends it soaring (飙升). The robot’s body doesn’t resemble (像) that of a gall midge larva, but it jumps like one. Its body is made of two small plastic bags printed with electrodes; the front bag is filled with liquid and the back one is filled with the same volume of air. The robot uses electricity to drive the flow of liquid, which causes the body to bend and generate force with the ground, resulting in a jump. And the air bag imitates the function of an animal’s tail, helping the robot keep a stable position.
While the robot is currently restricted to Earth, it might be right at home exploring another planet. If this is true, the researchers robot might jump over dusty rocks and large holes on the moon or Mars, going where no pancake has gone before.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning a pancake?| A．A pancake’s dream to have legs is unrealistic. |
| B．A robot is capable of serving a good pancake. |
| C．A pancake-shaped robot can jump without legs. |
| D．Research on pancakes advances our understanding of robots. |
| A．Hop’s avoiding an obstacle. | B．Hop’s moving around by rolling. |
| C．Hop’s performing one remarkable jump. | D．Hop’s jumping high and far continuously. |
| A．They are shaped like logs. |
| B．They have tails to change positions. |
| C．They bend their bodies and increase force. |
| D．They are filled with liquid and have rigid bodies. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Positive. | C．Indifferent. | D．Ambiguous. |
3 . What do classrooms, computer desks, cafeterias (自助食堂), and libraries have in common? That’s the places where students spend so much of their time. Although hours of studying burn mental energy, both your body and mind need physical exercise to function efficiently.
The importance of exercise is nothing new. Thomas Jefferson once wrote that to be successful in academic studies, a person should spend two hours on exercise every day, for health must not be sacrificed (牺牲) for learning. A strong body makes the mind strong.
It turns out Jefferson was on to something. A study by researchers at Tufts University found that students who said they exercised at least 3 days a week were more likely to report a better state of physical health and greater happiness than those who didn’t exercise. This and other evidence suggest that the real benefits of exercise may not come right after a workout but from a longer commitment to regular activity.
But experts today do not demand 2 hours of daily exercise. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that people get at least 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.
Walking, jogging and swimming are easy ways to increase your heart rate and improve health. Exercise can also help lower blood pressure and reduce stress. For women, exercise that makes the body and bones bear weight—like walking or running—may reduce the risk of osteoporosis (骨质疏松) later in life.
You’ll likely discover another benefit of exercise as well: greater self-confidence. This may make it easier for you to participate in class and help you perform well in academic and social situations.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．A lot of students like to read while eating. |
| B．Dining halls can also be used to do exercise. |
| C．Study and exercise burn the same amount of energy. |
| D．Many students don’t pay enough attention to exercise. |
| A．Jefferson’s statement made sense. |
| B．Jefferson was very fond of exercise. |
| C．Jefferson was on the way to doing exercise. |
| D．Jefferson increased the importance of exercise. |
| A．The importance of exercise. | B．How to choose a suitable sport. |
| C．How to keep healthy by exercising. | D．The link between exercise and study. |
4 . What do you say when your boss propose a programme you think is impractical? How do you decide whether it’s worth speaking up? And if you do, what exactly should you say?
Decide whether to wait. Consider whether it’s best to wait before expressing your opinion. Maybe you haven’t fully thought through the problem yet. Maybe you want to know what other people think.
Find common ground. Before you share your thoughts, understand the goals of your boss.
Stay calm. You might feel your heart racing or your face turning red. When you seem anxious, it weakens the message you’re conveying.
| A．Stay humble. |
| B．Consider the risks. |
| C．Ask permission to disagree. |
| D．You may even send a mixed message. |
| E．Seeking opinions from others is helpful. |
| F．Think about what your boss cares about. |
| G．Here are tips on how to show your disagreement. |
5 . In the digital world of endless comparisons, a thought-inspiring study by a team at Ruhr University Bochum reveals a surprising truth: materialism (物质主义) on social media adds stress and reduces happiness. This research, conducted through an online survey of over 1,200 participants, highlights the unique way social media causes materialistic attitudes and the subsequent impact on mental health.
Conducted with a diverse group of participants, the survey analyzed the social media behaviors and psychological states of individuals, focusing on their materialistic posts. The study employed six questionnaires to understand the participants’ materialistic attitudes, social media habits, stress levels, and life satisfaction. The participants, averaging over two hours a day on social media, revealed a clear pattern: higher levels of materialism on social media are associated with lower life satisfaction, increased stress symptoms, and a higher risk of social media addiction.
The study’s implications extend beyond numbers and charts. It suggests a worrying trend where individuals seeking validation (肯定) through materialistic displays on social media might be sacrificing their mental peace and happiness. Social media addiction is characterized by frequent use of social media platforms, often at the expense of other activities. Stress symptoms can range from anxiety to physical signs like headaches or tiredness. What’s clear is that social media may cause far more harm to users than good.
While the study acknowledges the risks associated with social media, especially for materialistic individuals, Dr. Ozimek, a psychologist, advises against completely abandoning these platforms.
Instead, he suggests a balanced approach of various activities to avoid comparison. Researchers also propose incorporating materialism and social media usage assessments in mental health treatment. Recognizing these factors as potential starting points for interventions offers new methods for addressing modern-day mental health challenges.
1. What does the survey find about the materialistic posts?| A．They produce high life satisfaction. |
| B．They help to ease stress symptoms. |
| C．They lead to social media addiction. |
| D．They bring about high consumption patterns. |
| A．Some people avoid too much use of social media. |
| B．Some people try to seek the good of online displays. |
| C．Some people undervalue mental peace and happiness. |
| D．Some people pursue recognition through online material shows. |
| A．Abandoning social media platforms. | B．Keeping a balance among various activities. |
| C．Assessing social media posts objectively. | D．Searching for potential interventions. |
| A．Turn to Rich Life for Growth |
| B．Assess Real Life for Mental Health |
| C．Materialism on Social Media Decreases Happiness |
| D．Understanding of Materialism Differs among Individuals |
6 . A rare snowstorm blanketed our city and transformed it into a magical scene: the square resembled a moonscape, monuments took on an alien appearance, and buildings appeared like castles in the clouds. When I awoke to this sight, I immediately ran outside to build a snowman. Exhausted, I fell onto the ground with my arms and legs spread out. Then I noticed I had an audience—a well-dressed couple observing me with their unspoken question: Don’t you have anything better to do?
A middle-age woman playing by herself in the snow seems strange, but perhaps it shouldn’t be. Recent research suggests that modern adults suppress their human desire to play, and that’s causing all kinds of problems. “The opposite of play isn’t work; it’s depression,” says psychiatrist and play researcher Stuart Brown. “The lack of playfulness is becoming a public health crisis.”
Last summer, scientists found that for mammals, play may be as essential as the need for sleep. The play drive starts in the brain stem—one of the oldest parts of our nervous system. Moreover, adult play has been linked to important discoveries throughout history. Deep in our evolutionary history, a playful early human came up with the concept of stone tools. Even today, the urge to play inspires most of humanity’ s greatest inventions, artworks, and scientific breakthroughs. “When I interviewed Nobel winners, I was struck by how most of them didn’t separate work and play. Their labs were their playgrounds,” says Brown.
Unfortunately, social norms (准则) hold back our urge to let loose. “Being a playful adult is shameful in our society,” says Brown. “You don’t want to feel irresponsible. You don’t want people to think that you’re childish.” Yet, there is hope that playfulness could make a comeback in modern society as we are shifting to a knowledge-based economy. At companies like Apple, workers are encouraged to chat freely during coffee breaks. They understand the value of encouraging adults to play. In the face of global challenges such as climate change, having a playful mindset may be crucial for creative problem-solving and cooperation.
The next time I’m caught playing, I know exactly what I’ll say: “I am not wasting time, or acting immature. I’m playing around for the benefit of all humanity. You’re welcome.”
1. Why does the author mention her personal story in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic of adult play. |
| B．To illustrate her deep affection for snow. |
| C．To talk about how unfriendly the couple were. |
| D．To highlight the city’s magical transformation. |
| A．Encourage. | B．Share. | C．Create. | D．Control. |
| A．Different attitudes to adult play. | B．The significance of adult play. |
| C．Ways to balance work and play. | D．The reasons for adults lacking play. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Cautious. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Neutral. |
7 . There are robot cleaners and robot mops to help us around the house, so why not a robot to build our houses? Wait no longer. Now there is a set of electronics to do just that, build a house from scratch, and fast.
Forget weeks to find a builder and months for house construction; a machine developed in the United States can build a 232 sqm house layer by layer in a single day. University of Southern California’s Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis has designed the giant robot that replaces construction workers with a mouth on an arm of crane, which spits out concrete and can quickly build a house according to a computer pattern. The technology, known as Contour (轮廓) Crafting, could revolutionise the construction industry.
Contour Crafting could greatly decrease the cost of homeowning, making it possible for millions of displaced people to get on the property ladder. It could even be used in disaster relief areas to build emergency and replacement housing. As Prof. Khoshnevis points out, if we look around almost everything is made automatically these days—shoes, clothes, home appliances, cars. The only thing that is still built by hand are buildings.
The Contour Crafting system is a robot that automates age-old tools normally used by hand. These are applied by a robotic crane that builds a three-dimensional object. The nature of the technology means it will also be possible to create curved walls and architecture that is both “exotic (异国情调的) and beautiful” according to Prof Khoshnevis. As a result, it could be ideal to print out expensive houses according to customers’ demands.
Furthermore, Prof. Khoshnevis believes that the technology could be applied beyond our planet. “Contour Crafting technology has the potential to build safe, reliable, and affordable structures, habitats, laboratories, and other facilities on the moon and Mars before the arrival of human beings,” his website reads.
According to the International Labour Organisation, construction employs nearly 110 million people worldwide and “plays a major role in fighting the high levels of unemployment and in absorbing extra labour from the rural areas”. What the implications are for builders is, of course, a major concern. But Khoshnevis says “the reality is that a lot of new jobs can be created in this field as well”. Instead of building the house, workmen are used to maintain the machine.
1. Which advantage does the giant robot have for the consumers?| A．It saves a great deal of time. | B．It decorates houses beautifully. |
| C．It provides energy-saving apartments. | D．It builds environmentally-friendly houses. |
| A．to print objects | B．to purchase a house |
| C．to predict disasters | D．to accumulate wealth |
| A．low-income residents | B．people at different income levels |
| C．middle-income people | D．wealthy immigrants |
| A．Many construction workers will lose jobs. |
| B．Professionals will be hired to make robot builders. |
| C．More rural people will engage in construction. |
| D．Construction workers will update their skills. |
8 . Health, as the old saying goes, is over wealth, so it’s of great significance to keep fit. You can take away our money, our house, or our clothes and we can survive.
Eating healthfully is important to maintain one’s health. I try to avoid foods high in fat like French fries or cookies. I also try to limit the amount of animal protein I consume.
Our muscles must continue to be strong to support our body as we age. Exercise helps the bones build density and helps us maintain our posture.
By eating properly and exercising regularly, I can keep my body at an appropriate weight and can maintain my health. By spending time with my friends, I can keep my mind as well as my body happy.
| A．It can also strengthen our muscles. |
| B．Take away our health and we will die. |
| C．Friends are an important part of one’s health. |
| D．These are my three secrets to keeping a healthy lifestyle. |
| E．Besides, I always stay away from junk food which lacks nutrients. |
| F．By joining in relaxing activities, I can refresh myself to study well. |
| G．Instead, I eat lots of vegetables and fruit which are rich in fiber and vitamins. |
9 . The food we eat every day keeps us alive, but it can also increase health and environmental costs-heart disease, carbon emissions, and more. For years, health researchers focused on their priorities while environmental scientists were on theirs. And it became increasingly obvious that what we eat is closely connected with planet’s health.
So the researchers of a recent study at the University of Michigan built a system that combined both concerns, looking at health and environmental impacts of specific foods.
The researchers looked at the nutritional makeup of nearly 6000 foods. A hot dog would probably cost someone about 35 minutes of living; but eating most fruits might help someone gain a few extra minutes. In the calculations, apple pie is just about neutral — some boost from the apples, some losses from butter, flour, and sugar.
At the same time, the researchers evaluated the environmental effects of those thousands of food items. They studied different ways the environment absorbed food production’s impact as well.
When researchers looked at both issues at once, an exciting pattern emerged. Many foods good for people’s health were also relatively gentle on the environment. Not surprisingly, beans, vegetables-not those grown in greenhouses, though-and some sustainably farmed seafood like catfish fell in what they termed the “green” zone. “Amber” zone foods, like milk, egg-based foods and greenhouse-grown vegetables balanced health and environmental costs. “Red” zone foods, which included beef, pork, lamb and processed meats, had high health and environmental costs.
There’s no replacement for food, but shifting what we eat is possible. Food choices are personal, deeply connected to culture, religion, emotion, economic concerns, and so much more. “We aim to inform people so that they can make choices that fit with their needs and values.” says Olivier Jolliet one of the researchers. “We don’t all have to adopt a vegetarian diet overnight.” he says. “Small changes can make big impacts.”
1. What do we know about the recent study?| A．More is known about the nutritional makeup of foods. |
| B．Most foods are beneficial to both health and the planet. |
| C．Healthy foods tend to be harmless to the environment. |
| D．Research has been done on environmental impacts of foods. |
| A．balanced | B．wasteful | C．gentle | D．consuming |
| A．Milk. | B．A hot dog. | C．Apple pie. | D．Beans. |
| A．They can make a great difference. |
| B．They meet people’s needs for food. |
| C．They are not suitable for everybody. |
| D．They are of great value to researchers. |
10 . Rolland and Adeline are proud parents to nine beautiful children. Their youngest two, daughter Lanto, and son, Rindra, were both born with cleft lip (唇裂) conditions. In Madagascar, many families have never seen a cleft lip before, so it’s a condition often greeted with fear and misfortune in some rural communities.
However, the news of Lanto and Rindra’s cleft lip wasn’t much of a shock for Rolland and Adeline because Rolland’s cousin — a man in his fifties — had lived his entire adult life with an untreated cleft lip. Although seeing a relative with a cleft lip meant the family weren’t fearful of the condition, they knew the negative impact an untreated cleft lip can have on a person’s health and life. As any loving parents would, Rolland and Adeline wanted a better future for their children.
Rolland heard an advertisement on the radio about an Operation Smile surgical programme in Antsirabe, Madagascar. Finding out that Rindra and Lanto could have the cleft lip surgery they needed, for free, was a dream for the family. Unlike here in the UK, health services aren’t free in many parts of the world, and the costs of treatment — or even travelling to reach medical facilities — are out of reach for most families.
When Rolland and his children arrived at the patient village, they were surprised to see so many other families in the same position. After a thorough medical evaluation by medical volunteers, Lanto was found to be fit enough for surgery, and later got the new smile her parents had dreamed of for her. But, for younger brother Rindra, the journey to a new smile would take a little longer.
Operation Smile has provided hundreds of thousands of safe surgeries for children with cleft lip conditions worldwide. For more information about our work or to find out how you can help, visitwww.operationsmile.org .
1. What do most people think of cleft lip in Madagascar?| A．It is incurable. | B．It is normal. |
| C．It is unlucky. | D．It is unavoidable. |
| A．Their children’s smile. | B．Their relative’s experience. |
| C．Their love for their parents. | D．The advertisement they saw. |
| A．Paying for surgery. | B．Staying in hospital. |
| C．Seeking for a doctor. | D．Having a health check. |
| A．For donations. | B．For copyright. |
| C．For comment. | D．For clarification. |
