1 . The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) is currently hosting “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited”. The exhibition spotlights Henson’s unique contributions to children’s education, including his creation of the Muppets (布偶).
Born in 1936 in Mississippi, Henson grew up in Maryland. His creative talents were evident when he was a student at high school. He loved cartooning and creating sets for school theater productions. While a freshman at university, Henson made puppets for a local TV station. The station’s producers were so impressed that they asked him to produce his own puppet show. Called Sam and Friends, the program started in 1955. Viewers loved Henson’s playful characters, including an early version of Kermit the Frog.
While at university, Henson majored in home economics. At the time, it was the only major that offered classes in sewing and textiles (纺织品). Henson not only honed his creative skills at university, but he was also good at marketing and business. “He was an entrepreneur who happened to get into puppetry,” said Deborah Wood, MCHC’s learning manager.
In 1959, Henson married Jane Nebel, whom he had met at university. The couple established Muppets Inc. which later became the Jim Henson Company. It was there that Focus Bert, Ernie, Miss Piggy, and other Muppets were created for Sesame Street, a popular children’s television program. Generations of children around the world have grown up watching and laming from the Muppets.
Henson, who died in 1990, created not just the Muppets, but also films, TV commercials, variety shows, and more. The exhibition shows every aspect of his career. This includes some lesser-known works, including The Cube, a short experimental film that was nominated(提名) for an Academy Award.
Visitors also get a chance to appreciate Henson’s creative process and inventiveness through hands-on displays. They can even make their own Muppets. “For me, I think the really powerful message of this exhibition is the fact that it covers Henson’s whole life and his whole career,” said Chloe Green, public programs manager at the MCHC.
1. What’s paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．An interesting exhibition about Henson. | B．Viewers’ attitude to Henson’s works. |
| C．Henson’s exceptional talents in creation. | D．Characters in Henson’s famous works. |
| A．Improved. | B．Changed. | C．Found. | D．Shared. |
| A．A less well-known experimental film made by Henson is on exhibition. |
| B．The aim of the exhibition is to commemorate an educator. |
| C．The exhibits are composed of every aspect of Henson’s life. |
| D．Opinions vary on this exhibition. |
| A．Creative and courageous. | B．Talented and productive. |
| C．Humorous and passionate. | D．Courageous and intelligent. |
2 . When scientists go to a forest to study monkeys and their habits and behaviors, how do they know who’s who?
In the past, scientists had to make marks on each of the animals to distinguish them. But in the future, they may have a much easier way to tell them apart thanks to facial recognition technology.
A research team from China’s Northwest University is using facial recognition technology to identify thousands of snub-nosed monkeys that live on Qinling Mountain in Shaanxi province.
Similar to human facial recognition, the technology that is used to identify monkeys uses their facial features to create a database that includes every monkey, Xinhua reported. “When the system is fully developed, we can connect it with cameras set up in the mountains. The system will automatically recognize the monkeys, name them and analyze their behavior,” said Zhang He, a member of the research team. “For each snub-nosed monkey, we have 700 to 800 image samples, and the recognition success rate is 94 percent,” Zhang added.
“We used mobile phones and portable cameras with the monkeys in tests at distances ranging from about 3 to 10 meters,” said He Gang, a member of the research team and an associate professor in the College of Life Sciences at Northwest University. “There is no need to interfere with the monkeys. Such a method of sampling is clearly non-invasive.”
Compared to humans, facial recognition technology for monkeys is more complicated because of their hairier faces. The color of their hair causes them to blend into their environment. These factors make it harder for computers to identify them.
“Monkeys do not cooperate with researchers in the same way humans do. It is difficult to take high-quality pictures and videos of them, which are needed to improve the system,” said Li Baoguo, leader of the research team.
Currently, there are about 4,000 snub-nosed monkeys living on Qinling Mountain. The team’s goal is to successfully identify every monkey that lives there.
1. What problem do scientists face while studying monkeys according to the text?| A．How to mark them. | B．How to distinguish them. |
| C．How to understand their behavior. | D．How to observe them clearly |
| A．It is now widely adopted in China. |
| B．It works better than human facial recognition. |
| C．It will use monkeys’ behavior to create a database. |
| D．It can help scientists study monkeys without disturbing them. |
| A．Less cooperative monkeys. |
| B．Hard for computers to identify the monkeys. |
| C．photos and videos of high quality. |
| D．Too many monkeys to identify. |
| A．To introduce a new way to identify monkeys. |
| B．To show the importance of studying monkeys. |
| C．To compare different ways to identify monkeys. |
| D．To explain difficulties in developing a new system. |
3 . The year 2023 witnessed the occurrence of significant cultural events, with culture and tourism becoming even more closely connected. Let’s review the major cultural events of 2023 as we bid farewell to the year and embrace the new year of 2024!
Museum visits rise in popularity in summer
Tourists were seen queuing for long hours in front of museums and obtaining entrance tickets became more challenging. In response to the growing demand, 46 museums in Beijing canceled their customary Monday closures and remained open daily until August 31. The rise in “museum fever” can be credited to various factors, including the public’s increasing enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture, the booming market for youth educational tours and summer camps, as well as the continuous innovation of museums.
Old tea forests in Pu’er win World Heritage Site title
The newly named heritage site, located in Lancang Lahu autonomous county in Pu’er, Yunnan province, consists of five large-scale, well-preserved old tea forests, which stand 1,250 to 1,500 meters above the sea level, three protective barrier forests, and nine ancient villages in the old tea forests, which are mainly inhabited by Blang and Dai ethnic groups. The cultural landscape was jointly created by the ancestors of the Blang people—who immigrated to the Jingmai Mountain in the 10th century AD and later discovered and domesticated wild tea trees—and the native Dai people.
Protection plan released for Beijing’s Central Axis
The plan is said to be one of the necessary steps toward bidding for UNESCO World Heritage status. Alongside regulations on the protection of the Central Axis carried out earlier, the plan is in line with the requirements of World Heritage conservation. The 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee will decide on whether Beijing’s Central Axis can be added to the World Heritage List at the committee’s 46th annual conference in 2024. If the application succeeds, it will reinforce Beijing’s top position among cities worldwide by number of World Heritage Sites.
1. Which of the following is NOT the reason for the rise in “museum fever”?| A．Museums’ ceaseless innovation. |
| B．The constant innovation of summer camps. |
| C．The growing market for youth educational tours. |
| D．People’s growing passion for traditional Chinese culture. |
| A．46 museums in Beijing stayed open all year round. |
| B．The Blang people are the natives in Jingmai Mountain. |
| C．The heritage site in Pu’er consists of four large old tea forests. |
| D．Beijing’s Central Axis hasn’t been added to the World Heritage List yet. |
| A．Wonders of the Natural World | B．Scientific Exploration |
| C．Chinese Culture Research | D．Art and Architecture |
4 . The world food safety could be in danger because of a number of food production shocks (冲击), according to an Australian study.
The researchers from the University of Tasmania found that there were 226 shocks in the area of food production across 134 nations and the frequency has been increasing over the past 50 years.
According to Cottrell, a researcher from the University of Tasmania, the main causes behind the shocks are different. For crops, extreme weather events such as floods and no rain for a long time play the biggest part. Weather also plays a role in livestock(家畜)production, but disease plays a bigger role. Disease also leads to aquaculture(水产业)shocks, while in the ocean most of the food shocks are caused by overfishing.
“When we look at the food production systems, covering crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture,” Cottrell said, “we find that crops and livestock are more easily affected than aquaculture. And some countries in South Asia are more frequently affected than others.”
The effects of production shocks reached far away from where they happened. When one means of food production is greatly reduced, it will cause unexpected results. “The India got a lot of food production shocks in crops and livestock, largely because of floods,” Cottrell explained. “If countries like India are shocked and the rice production is much smaller, they’ll probably send less goods to another country. And that shock suddenly starts to affect all the trade partners of the major producers as well.”
According to what Cottrell said, while the international community faces a great challenge to these problems, steps taken now can help fight against unexpected shocks in the future. “This can be done through measures such as food store systems so that they are better able to deal with the effect which is caused by problems such as climate change.” said Cottrell.
1. What do we know about food production shocks?| A．Their causes are different in different production areas. |
| B．Some diseases are the main cause. |
| C．Extreme weather is the biggest shock. |
| D．Overfishing is the main cause. |
| A．Livestock in Australia. | B．Crops in Australian. |
| C．Fisheries in India. | D．Livestock in South Asia. |
| A．To show India sells a lot of crops to other countries. |
| B．To show the shocks can cause unexpected results. |
| C．To show Indian shocks are more often. |
| D．To show India has a lot of flood. |
| A．Results Caused by the Problem of Global Food Safety |
| B．Measures Solving the Problem of Global Food Safety |
| C．Production Shocks Threatening Global Food Safety |
| D．The Importance of Global Food Safety |
5 . Do you want to buy books? Here are some choices.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Publication date: October 6, 2015
Laura Numeroff (Writer)
Price: $ 5.46
Sale: $ 4.87
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is one of the most popular children’s books of all time. This book is a great first introduction to the series of If You Give a Mouse… It is perfect for story time and beginners to read.
The Wonderful Things You’ll Be
Publication date: August 25, 2015
Emily Winfield Martin (Writer)
Price: $7.64
Sale: $ 6.58
Brave, creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. This is a book grown-ups will love reading over and over to kids.
Goodnight Moon
Publication date: January 23, 2007
Margaret Wise Brown (Writer)
Price: $ 7.64
Sale: $ 6.12
In a great green room is a little bunny (兔子) who is loved by generations (几代人) of readers and listeners. The quiet words and the gentle pictures make a perfect book for the end of the day.
Baby Touch and Feel: Animals
Publication date: January 21, 2008
DK (Writer)
Price: $13.62
Sale: $12.12
This is a book full of lovely bunnies and other animals. This is a gift that your little child is sure to like. Babies can practice recognizing animals and animals’ voices when they touch the pictures on the pages. With more than one million copies sold, Baby Touch and Feel: Animals is the perfect book for the child’s bookshelf.
1. Whom is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie fit for?| A．Kids who start learning to read. | B．Kids who like cookies. |
| C．Kids who like the mouse. | D．Kids who like being stars. |
| A．It shows how to raise animals. | B．It has beautiful pictures. |
| C．It is published earliest. | D．It talks about choosing a good book. |
| A．Help kids love animals. | B．Help kids recognize animals. |
| C．Help kids draw animals. | D．Help kids feed animals. |
6 . At present, there are over 36,000 McDonald’s restaurants around the world, but it started out as a small one. The McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac, opened the first McDonald’s in San Bernardino, California in 1948. The menu included hamburgers, soft drinks, pie, French fries, milk, coffee and milkshakes. Ray Kroc, a travel salesman, visited the store and became interested in it. The brothers said that they wanted to open stores in the whole country, and then Kroc became their first franchise agent (特许经销商) in 1954. Kroc opened up a restaurant for McDonald’s on April 15, 1955. That store came with a lot of difficulties in the beginning.
After dealing with the difficulties, McDonald’s started to spread to all over the United States. The McDonald brothers wanted to show their Speed Service System-what we call fast food. Customers were served at large windows in the front of the building. The houses of the first restaurants were red and white with two golden arches(拱)on the side to make the roof look less flat.
The McDonald’s menu in 1977 shows how different its food choices are from today. What’s more, today McDonald’s have digital screens to show menus again and again.
In 1969 McDonald’s changed the style of restaurants. This change is found on the first McDonald’s in Moscow, Russia in 1990. Crowds line up outside to get their first taste of a Big Mac.
With billions of people served, McDonald’s has played an attractive role shaping international culture since its first restaurant opened.
1. When was McDonald’s first set up?| A．In 1955. | B．In 1954. | C．In 1948. | D．In 1977. |
| A．The brothers’ wish. | B．His experience of running restaurants. |
| C．His interest in traveling. | D．One of the customers’ advice. |
| A．The arches can show their difference in the USA. |
| B．Customers liked large windows. |
| C．Customers enjoyed arches. |
| D．The arches can make the roof look less flat. |
| A．It is very popular at that time. | B．It is different from today’s food choice. |
| C．The reason why it was popular. | D．The change of McDonald’s style. |
7 . The Steps to Do a Science Investigatory Project
Usually, a Science Investigatory Project (SIP) uses the scientific method to study and test an idea about how something works. Knowing how to do an SIP is useful for anyone interested in the sciences.
Ask a question and form a hypothesis (假设).
Often, the most challenging part of an SIP is figuring out what you want to investigate. Take your time in choosing, because all of the subsequent (随后的) steps will be based on the idea you select. Think about something that interests, surprises or confuses you.
Design and conduct your experiment
After you have formed your hypothesis, it is time to test whether it is valid or not. Once your preparation and planning is complete, it’ s time to begin.
Record and analyze your results
Keep accurate records of all your results, even if they don’t turn out the way you hoped or planned. Your data may be best recorded as a graph, chart or just a journal entry.
It is time to clearly and accurately conclude your findings. In essence, you are now answering the question you originally asked. Remember, concluding that your hypothesis was completely wrong does not make your SIP a failure. If you make clear, scientifically-grounded findings, and present them well, it can and will be a success.
| A．Make your conclusion |
| B．However you record the data, make sure it is easy to review and analyze |
| C．Here are the steps to do an SIP |
| D．Discuss the issue with your instructor |
| E．Then form a hypothesis based on the question you’ ve asked and your subsequent research |
| F．Knowing your topic in more depth will help you construct your SIP |
| G．Closely follow the steps that you have planned |
8 . Most city parks are places where you can escape from big, ugly structures of metal and stone. The Manhattan High Line is different. Raised 25 feet above the ground, this large metal structure once supported a rail line. The line opened in 1934 to bring trains directly into factories. It was hardly used after the 1960s, and much of it was torn down. However, one part remained in a region of Manhattan called Chelsea. Chelsea was becoming high-class as restaurants, art galleries and apartments were built, but the ugly railway structure remained as a dead weight. Everyone knew that at some time, it would have to be removed.
But the High Line was not destroyed. In fact, now the old rail line serves as one of the most peaceful places in the city. It holds an incredible park, with beautiful gardens and great views of the city. The idea to turn the rail line into a park came from Joshua David and Robert Hammond. In 1999, they attended a meeting to decide how to deal with the High Line. David and Hammond were the only people at the meeting interested in saving the historical structure. Later on, when they asked railway officials to take them up to look at the High Line, they saw a mile and a hall of wild flowers growing in the middle of the city, and they realized that the High Line had potential to become a park. There was growing interest in improving city centers, and so the project quickly developed and money for construction was easily collected.
The first part of the High Line opened in 2009 and immediately became popular with tourists and locals alike. Each part of the park has a different atmosphere. Some areas are like balconies ( 阳台) with wonderful city views. Where the rail line goes between buildings, trees are thickly planted. Other sections have wide lawns ( 草 坪 ) and walkways with wild flowers. Only the final section remains the way it has been for the last fifty years.
1. What does the underlined part “a dead weight” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Something with historical interest. |
| B．Something with potential to be better. |
| C．Something which is a danger to people. |
| D．Something useless which slows progress. |
| A．They wanted to reopen the train line. |
| B．They thought it had historical value. |
| C．They were interested in improving the city. |
| D．They thought it would become a good park. |
| A．All parts of it have the same atmosphere. |
| B．The first part gradually became popular. |
| C．One part of it remains the old way. |
| D．Trees were thinly planted in all areas. |
| A．Closing a train line. |
| B．An unlikely place for a park. |
| C．Protection of cultural relics. |
| D．Improving city transport. |
9 . When I read a post about taking someone to the movies, I was reminded of something that happened a couple of years ago.
I used to drink Cokes and they had a promotion where there was a code inside the bottle cap. You went to a website and entered the code and maybe you won something. I won some free Cokes. But then I won the grand prize! I was surprised and pleased.
The grand prize was free movies for a year. They pointed out that one movie a week was that free movies for a year meant. All of the tickets had a deadline later than a year from the day I received them. So I must use them in the following year. I used quite a few by taking friends to movies we all wanted to see.
But the best thing I did with them was that I donated 22 tickets (all I had left by that time) to the local Women’s Transition House, a place where women and their children could go when avoiding a bad situation in general and get help to make a new start.
My workplace team had decided to help people in need, so we collected donations for that particular New Year’s Day. I knew the Women’s Transition House provided childcare for the women so they could go for job interviews.
I put those tickets in a box and wrote a note, asking the Women’s Transition House staff to give movie tickets to women there over the holidays to have something fun to do, with or without their children. It made me really happy to do this.
1. How did the author get the tickets?| A．By visiting a website by chance. | B．By exchanging some Cokes for them. |
| C．By attending a knowledge competition. | D．By winning the prize for drinking Cokes. |
| A．About 22. | B．About 30. | C．About 52. | D．About 365. |
| A．Lucky and caring. | B．Creative and careful. |
| C．humorous and generous. | D．Thankful and happy. |
| A．Jobs. | B．Childcare. | C．Free movie tickets. | D．Interview skills. |
10 . When everything goes wrong, always look at what you have, instead of what you have lost. Because it’s not what the world takes away from you that counts; it’s what you do with what you have left.
Pain is part of growing.
Every time you get hurt, you heal. After darkness there is always light – you are reminded of this every morning, but still you often forget, and instead choose to believe that the night will last forever. It won’t. Nothing lasts forever.
Complaining changes nothing.
Those who complain the most, accomplish the least.
The best thing you can do is to keep going.
Don’t be afraid to get back up -- to try again, to love again, to live again, and to dream again. Don’t let a hard lesson harden your heart. Life’s best lessons are often learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes. There will be times when it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong.
| A．And even if you fall short, keep going. |
| B．Everything in life is temporary. |
| C．Here are a few tips to inspire you when you need it most. |
| D．Your scars are symbols of your strength. |
| E．When you feel like quitting, remember that sometimes things can be right eventually. |
| F．It’s always better to attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed. |
| G．Sometimes life closes doors because it’s time to move forward. |
