1 . Imagine getting ready for bed, brushing your teeth, setting your alarm and then putting a device on your head that allows you to control your dreams. It might sound like something unfeasible, but it’s the real-life promise of a new futuristic-looking headband called Halo, at present in development by US tech company Prophetic.

Expected to be released in 2025, Halo aims to allow you to have more lucid dreams (清醒梦). In some cases, you might also exercise a degree of control over what happens in these dreams, perhaps in ways that benefit your waking life, such as solving work problems, practicing guitar and more.

Earlier research has shown lucid dreams could be used for real-life benefits. For example, one study carried out by researchers at the University of Bern, Switzerland showed that participants who practised casting coins into a cup in their lucid dreams showed superior performance the next day.

The team behind Halo are using technologies like EEG (脑电图) to collect vast amounts of brain data from volunteers experiencing lucid dreams. The idea is to build a detailed map of what’s happening in the brain during different types of lucid dreams. This information will be key for the second main area of investigation, which involves using TUS (delivered via the headband) to control brain activity. TUS, a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, can change brain function by using high-frequency sound.

“It’s seemingly true that the sound stimulation could contribute to the high-frequency brain activity that’s associated with lucidity,” says Professor Mark Blagrove, a sleep scientist based at Swansea University. “Sound stimulation has been used to cause low-frequency slow waves in slow wave sleep, so the method suggested is believable.”

However, TUS is a relatively new approach to brain stimulation and it’s not entirely clear what the long-term results of stimulating your brain with high-frequency sounds might be. Moreover, some sleep scientists believe dreams have basic functions, including processing emotional experiences. By using a device to change the nature of your dreams, maybe you risk interrupting the usual purpose of your dreams.

1. What does the underlined word “unfeasible” in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Impossible.

B．Significant.

C．Logical.

D．Meaningless.

2. Why is the study by the University of Bern mentioned?

A．To suggest a way to dream a dream.	B．To provide a theory for developing Halo.
C．To prove the benefits of lucid dreams.	D．To indicate the meaning of being awake.

3. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．The way in which EEG works.	B．The reason for designing Halo.
C．The changes brought by Halo.	D．The methods used by the team.

4. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．Hal o has got widespread recognition.	B．There may be some side effects about Halo.
C．Dreaming doesn’t have any functions.	D．Lucid dreams cause emotional experiences.

2 . Seeing happiness differently

Since its official beginning in 2013, the International Day of Happiness has been observed for 11 years. It falls on March 20 every year.     1    But what exactly is happiness, and how can one achieve it?

Experts in various fields hold different views on what happiness means and the factors that influence it.

Sonja Lyubomirsky is a researcher in the field of positive psychology.     2    According to her, happiness can be described as “the experience of joy, content (满足) or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful and worthwhile.”

People’s levels of subjective happiness are influenced by both internal factors, such as personality and outlook, and external factors, such as the environment in which they live, according to the author of the book Culture and Psychology.     3    These include their natural personality traits (特性), the quality of their relationships with others, the society they are a part of, and their ability to meet their basic needs.

More than that, experts in medical fields found that genes might influence happiness. In an article published in Iran J Public Health, three researchers show how twin studies have suggested that genetic factors count for35~50 percent of happiness. The study also mentioned two genes that may have an effect on happiness, which may help clarify the genetic base of happiness in the future.

From the aspect of economics, Tejvan Pettinger, an independent economics researcher, said that the factors affecting happiness can include income, quality of work, quality of consumption, leisure, the welfare of family members and the environment.     4    He believes that at low levels of income, increasing income is generally considered to increase happiness as it allows a person to buy essential goods and services such as food, shelter, health care and education. However, after certain income levels, rising income contributes little to overall happiness.

    5    So people define it differently and pursue it in a variety of ways. It’s a life lesson worth our whole lifetime to explore.

A．This special day serves to remind people of the significance of happiness.

B．She provides a clear description of happiness.

C．Among them, income is a crucial factor.

D．Several important factors contribute to a person’s happiness.

E．What is their main source of income?

F．Career success may not be a guarantee of happiness.

G．The truth is that happiness itself is different for everyone.

3 . Creativity is always about finding inspiration. If you think your well of ideas has dried up, you need to look at the little things in life.     1    .

Write down every moment. The best moments pass by so fast that many people fail to notice and appreciate them. This is not the case for creative types. There is inspiration in every encounter and conversation. For example, you could look at a man at a cafe reading a newspaper and come up with an interesting background story about him.     2    , so bring a camera or notebook with you and be ready to document the littlest details.

Take time to meditate (冥思). Look for a quiet and secluded (僻静的) place. Take a seat, close your eyes and focus on your breathing.     3    . Give yourself five to ten minutes. By the time you open your eyes, you will gain greater clarity and your ideas will become more vivid.

Search the web. Apart from focusing on your inner self, you should also look for external inspiration.     4    . Sites like Pinterest and Journey s of Life can provide you with reference materials that will help improve the ideas you currently have.

    5    . You won’t be able to find inspiration if you are always stressed out. You may have too many problems to address, but other people may feel more stressful than you. This is not to down play your struggles, but sometimes, you simply need to know how to respond to the potential stress if things don’t result in your favor.

A．Find more inspiration

B．Learn to deal with stress

C．Every moment is worth recording

D．Try to empty your mind of any distracting thoughts

E．Here is how you can source creative inspiration each day

F．Creative types turn out to be appealing to those people around you

G．You can find tons of ideas that will stimulate your creativity online

4 . A New Jersey high schooler, Selina Zhang is no stranger to the spotted lanternfly (斑衣蜡蝉). The now 18-year-old first noticed it when visiting a market near her hometown of Annandale in primary school. It jumped from a plant to a plant to feed on their sap (汁液), affecting over 70 species. In its wake, the plants became stressed, which increased their chances of falling ill and being attacked.

“As I got older, I wanted to take concrete action,” says Zhang. “So I’ve built ArTreeficial, a solar -powered, self-cleaning and artificial -intelligence-driven tree that attracts the spotted lanternfly and removes it using an electric shock.”

On top of conducting an extensive literature review of existing researches, Zhang carefully observed the spotted lanternflies in the wild for weeks, tracking how they grew over time and how they travelled over unfamiliar structures. She took over 500 photos of them, which she logged in a personal database.

Zhang wanted to create a tree-like structure that copied the tree of heaven, a known host plant of the spotted lanternfly, as the primary lure (诱饵) for her trap. So, she uprooted the umbrella from her family’s yard and got to work. First, she used ultrasound to give off a smell made from the essence of the tree of heaven from ArTreeficial’s trunk to attract them. Second, she designed a double-layered electric net for the tree, which would use machine learning to shock spotted lanternflies once they landed on the tree. Then, Zhang used her database of photos to inform and program her AI model.

Zhang’s net s are divided into multiple squares going up and down the structure. When a spotted lanternfly steps on the inner net, the Al model operates. Electricity courses through that particular section, while the rest remain inactive, and the insect is attacked.

Julie Urban, a spotted lanternfly expert at Pennsylvania State University, says that Zhang’s AI approach is incredibly innovative and could be useful in multiple environments.

1. Why does the spotted lanternfly jump onto the plants?

A．To avoid falling ill.	B．To satisfy its hunger.
C．To attract other species.	D．To play with them.

2. What did Selina Zhang do for her invention?

A．She conducted field observation.	B．She copied online photos.
C．She referred to others’ database.	D．She consulted researchers.

3. What is probably the key to attracting the spotted lanternfly?

A．The electricity.

B．The net.

C．The smell.

D．The umbrella.

4. What is Julie Urban’s attitude towards Selina Zhang’s invention?

A．Critical.

B．Unclear.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Approving.

5 . Leading museums in the United States are covering up or closing displays featuring Native American cultural objects owing to new federal rules. The new regulations require museums to obtain “free, prior and informed permission” from tribal leaders before displaying ancestral heritage items.

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the largest natural history museum in the world, announced on Jan 26 that it would close two halls spanning 10,000 square feet with Native American exhibits, as the exhibits are “severely outdated”. “The halls we are closing contain artifacts(历史文物) of an era when museums such as ours did not respect the values, perspectives and indeed shared humanity of Native Americans,” museum President Sean Decatur said in a letter to the staff, The New York Times reported. “The number of cultural objects on display in these halls is significant, and because these exhibits are also severely outdated, we have decided that rather than just covering or removing specific items, we will close the halls,” Decatur said. The move comes because of the implementation(执行) in early January of update d regulations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

Over the next five years, museums, universities, art institutions and similar places are required to undertake essential updates to prepare all human remains and related funerary(葬礼的) objects for repatriation(遣送),making sure that tribes have more power and increased authority throughout the process. “The ultimate goal of the law is not to cover up exhibitions. It’s not to prevent appropriate education about diverse native cultures. It’s about repairing and repatriating items that have been stolen over the last couple of centuries and returning them to the rightful people,” Shannon O’Loughlin, the CEO of the Association on American Indian Affairs said.

Chicago’s Field Museum earlier this month also closed several displays featuring Native American cultural items. The Field Museum has one of the biggest collections of Native American remains in the country and opened a new permanent exhibition in the spring of 2022 that displaced the museum’s longstanding Native American exhibition since the 1950s.

Harvard University, which has more than 5,000 Native American human remains, has said it will remove all Native American funerary items from its exhibits. “Exhibitions have always been discussed during tribal discussions and cultural items have been removed from display at the tribal request. With the new NAGPRA regulations, the museum is in the process of removing all the funerary belongings and likely funerary belongings off display,” Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, said in a statement.

1. Which has the same meaning as the underlined word “perspectives” in Paragraph 2?

A．Occupations.

B．Faults.

C．Challenges.

D．Viewpoints.

2. What did Chicago’s Field Museum do in the spring of 2022?

A．It opened a new permanent exhibition.

B．It collected some Native American belongings.

C．It handed funerary objects to American Indians.

D．It set about displaying Native American cultural objects.

3. How is Harvard University dealing with all the funerary belongings?

A．By selling them to other people.	B．By putting them in some labs.
C．By taking them away from its exhibits.	D．By covering them with pieces of cloth.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．US New NAGPRA regulations scheduled to be in effect

B．US museums stop displaying Native American exhibits

C．US museums feature Native American cultural items

D．US museums prefer ancestral heritage items

6 . Four Computer Science Summer Programs in 2024

Wolfram High School Summer Research Program

The program aims to introduce high schoolers to programming, computational thinking and technology. Students participate in lectures and activities led by Wolfram instructors and build hands-on experience developing a project from ideation (构思) to completed products. About 50 students are admitted to the program annually.

Dates: June 25—July 13

Location: Bentley University

Cost: $4, 200

UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program

The program enables participants to do hands-on experience, university-level research in various fields, including computer science. Students work with a teacher to learn about research techniques and grow their academic goals. The program concludes with participants reporting their findings in a technical research paper and presenting them at a formal academic meeting.

Dates: June 17-August 2

Location: UC Santa Barbara

Cost: $4, 975-$11, 874

Terp Young Scholars

This program, offered through the University of Maryland, allows students to learn college level coursework, earn college credits and learn on a college campus. Participants choose one course to explore, where they attend classes, work on projects, take exams and cooperate with each other.

Dates: July 8-26

Location: University of Maryland

Cost: $1, 500-$2, 500

UT Computer Science Summer Academy

This week-long summer program is open to students of all skill levels in grades 10-12. Participants will learn about C++, project management and careers in technology. In University of Texas, Austin, all of them will share a room in a dormitory hall with a roommate, eat in the dining hall and deal with college-level coursework.

Dates: July 7-13

Location: University of Texas, Austin

Cost: Free

1. How much should a student pay for the program in Bentley University?

A．$2, 500.

B．$4, 200.

C．$4, 975.

D．$11, 874.

2. Which program requires its participants to share the results of their work?

A．Terp Young Scholars.

B．UT Computer Science Summer Academy.

C．UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program.

D．Wolfram High School Summer Research Program.

3. What do the last two programs have in common?

A．They focus on career choices.	B．They require students to live together.
C．They last for more than one month.	D．They involve the same level coursework.

7 . By keeping a diary, you can create a space for self-reflection. With each word you write, you’re taking a step towards a deeper understanding of yourself and moving closer to well-being.

A tool for self-discovery

A diary acts as a mirror, reflecting your innermost thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.     1    . It can be the first step toward meaningful change and personal growth. Just the act of recognizing how you feel can build self-confidence and improve your mood.

Help recognize sources of stress

    2    . Think of it as a safe space to express how you feel, leading to a significant decrease in stress levels. Keeping a diary gives you a chance to recognize what stresses you out in the first place. Once you notice upsetting situations or people, you can take action and eliminate that source of stress from your life.

    3    

Sometimes people find it challenging to express their emotions verbally (口头上) and tend to block them out. Ignored unexpressed emotions can cause stress and get stored in the body, causing disease and pain. A diary provides a private space to explore and express feelings. This process of externalizing emotions inside can help reduce stress and manage overwhelming emotions.

Encourage solutions to problems and reflection

Facing a challenge that you can’t seem to figure out? Put pen to paper. Writing about challenges can help clarify the issue, explore potential solutions, and reflect on past experiences that may offer insight.    4    .

Even if you’ve never keep a diary before, it’s easy to begin. Persistence (坚持) is key to keeping a diary.    5    . Even just five minutes can help gain some clarity and reflection. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to keep a diary. When you later take time to read your diaries, you can find your growth over time and how you’ve navigated past challenges.

A．Release and process feelings

B．Keep a diary during the spare time each day

C．Reflection can make you puzzled on your personal journey

D．Writing about worries or challenges every day can be a way out

E．Keeping a diary gives you a way to blame your friends or family

F．This way improves decision-making and encourages a positive attitude towards challenges

G．You can uncover patterns in your thinking or behavior, leading to increased self-awareness

8 . With amazing Christmas lights and some very special guests, Pallion Action Group kicked off the festive season in style after another year of giving much-needed support to the Sunderland community.

“We’ve got wreath making, our singers and dancers and, of course, a visit from Santa. This event brings out so much enthusiasm in the community,” said organizer Karen Noble. “We’ll also go and surprise anyone we know who’s going to be lonely at Christmas.”

Pallion has been at the heart of the community here since 1993, but the past couple of years have seen people increasingly struggling financially and feeling lonely. “This time last year, people were in great poverty,” said Karen. “But if we’ve done our job properly, they’ve become more financially resilient (可迅速恢复的) or less lonely and we should be helping different people this year. And a lot of those who were helped last year are volunteering for us now. People are so kind — we get loads of homemade thank-you cards. But I think the biggest thanks we get is knowing we’ve helped somebody to the point where they’re independent and getting on with life.”

Karen and the team organize a wide range of activities, from after-school clubs and cookery sessions to line dancing and computer classes to keep older people connected. But all this wouldn’t be possible without funding from People’s Health Trust, with money raised through The Health Lottery (彩票). Every time you play The Health Lottery, not only could you win up to £100,000, but you’re also helping to raise much-needed funds that go straight to the heart of the community. “So playing The Health Lottery is not just the chance to win a prize. You could be making a real difference,” said Karen.

1. What can we know about Pallion Action Group from the first two paragraphs?

A．It needs much support.

B．Its main task is holding festivals.

C．It cares for the community.

D．It offers a chance to visit Santa.

2. What does Karen think of their job?

A．It is of no use.	B．It has paid off.
C．It needs improving.	D．It is not satisfactory.

3. How does Pallion Action Group get the fund?

A．By funding from an organization.

B．By raising money themselves.

C．By receiving donations from different people.

D．By receiving money from the government.

4. Which words can best describe Karen?

A．Sensitive and skeptical.	B．Ambitious and energetic.
C．Talented and intelligent.	D．Caring and enthusiastic.

9 . Several art projects are on show to warn people of the climate change happening around us.

Video on the walls

Photographer Camille Seaman has traveled to both the North Pole and the South Pole, where she has captured the disappearing ice in photographs and video. Camille Seaman made a video with some of her most powerful photos of melting ice for people in four coastal cities to display on their buildings. The video ends with a prediction that sea level will rise by 2050 without relative action.

Mural (壁画)changing color

Temperatures in Austin, Texas, are on the rise, and climate change will put the city at higher risk of extended drought, wildfires, intense rain and flooding. Artist Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz designed a unique mural that changes color as it gets hotter. This art work calls for people to change the world and change climate change, underlining the importance of individual actions to the collective future.

Public billboard   (广告牌)

Artist Christine Sun Kim released a public billboard on the 710 Freeway called The Sound of Temperature Rising. It points to the reality of climate disaster that has become all too clear on the West Coast and the need for significant change now. The illustration features a graph (图表) of music notes that get progressively longer and redder.

Anti-Extinction Library

Globally, species are disappearing at an unheard-of rate. In response, architect Mitchell Joachim created The Anti-Extinction Library in New York. The sculptural piece is not only beautiful but also functional. Their unique egg-shaped library has a special freezer storing test tubes with the frozen cells and DNA of rare animals and plants. It’s important for people to realize we must quickly work to protect the rights of different species in our area.

1. What is the key feature of the mural?

A．It lights up at night.

B．It moves with the wind.

C．It plays music when it rains.

D．It changes color with temperature.

2. Whose work contains frozen cells?

A．Camille Seaman’s.	B．Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz’s.
C．Christine Sun Kim's.	D．Mitchel l Joachim’s.

3. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To praise artists’ participation.

B．To call for people to take action.

C．To show the severe result of climate change.

D．To facilitate the combination of art and climate.

10 . In school, kids are told to drink water in class.     1     And we’re reminded by experts that water will help us have glowing skin and regulate our weight. But how much should we actually be drinking to make the body function properly?

For many years, people have followed the unofficial advice of drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, known as the “8×8 rule”. It’s said that this seems to have partly come from the guidance that was published almost 80 years ago. In 1945, the US Food and Nutrition Board of National Research Council advised drinking one millilitre (毫升) of liquid for every recommended calorie of food. This is equal to around two litres of water a day, or eight glasses per person.     2     Weight, age and activity level all affect how much water someone should drink.

    3     It’s not that important, according to Dr Stanley Goldfarb from the University of PennsyIvania. He said that our body is very good at hydration (水合) control. That is to say, it tells us when we are in a state of lack of water. Firstly, there is “the thirst system”, which tells us to go drinking because our body water content is slightly reduced. And secondly, we have the kidney (肾) system which helps to keep water and kicks in well before we really sense any thirst.

There are, of course, undeniable benefits to drinking water.     4     It also contains essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium, which are important for bone strength.

So, next time you feel thirsty, reach for a glass of water, but otherwise, don’t worry about it!     5    

A．Your body knows what it’s doing.

B．Is that the probable origin of the “8×8 rule”?

C．So should we control our water intake at all?

D．Yet the reality is that individuals have different needs.

E．After all, drinking more water is far from unreasonable.

F．Announcers encourage us to remember our bottles on public transport.

G．Water helps our bodies regulate temperature, aids digestion and acts as a shock absorber for our joints.