4 . During the Olympics in Paris, Volocopter, a German maker of electric aircraft, will launch a flying-taxi service, with a new generation of battery-powered flying machines designed for urban transport.

The electrification of flight has often been considered a pipe dream, with batteries thought too heavy a substitute for fuel in a plane. Yet companies like Volocopter bet that electrification can unlock a demand for clean and quick aerial journeys over shorter distances. The main form of flying taxi under development, powered by batteries, is called eVTOL aircraft and looks like a super-sized drone, carrying one to four passengers, plus a pilot. Indeed, optimists hope the absence of traffic in the sky will make eVTOLs suitable for autonomous operation and for transporting goods. That vision has inspired predictions. Joby, a Silicon Valley startup, has already raised $2 billion from investors. Archer, another, hopes to have hundreds or thousands of its craft flying by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

But the question is the cost. eVTOLs currently range in price from $1 million to $4 million. Although their cost may come down as the industry develops, they are likely to remain expensive. Brian Yutko, a maker backed by Boeing, says that flying-taxi rides will be accessible to the masses. Joby promises that its fares will be comparable to catching a taxi. Yet some studies suggest the cost could end up many times a regular taxi fare. Even without a pilot, flying taxis may remain a convenience affordable only to a lucky few.

An alternative opportunity for electrification lies with small fixed-wing planes designed to transport a few dozen passengers over distances of a few hundred kilometres, for instance, between nearby cities. Last September Eviation, an Israeli company, successfully tested a nine-seater electric plane with a range of 400 km.

According to statistics, air travel accounts for just 8% of journeys between 150 km and 800 km in America and 4% in Europe. Most such journeys are taken by car, even in Europe, where buses and trains are more available. That creates a big opportunity for environmentally friendly short-distance flights. Expect plenty more experiments with electric aircraft in the years ahead.

1. What will the Volocopter flying-taxi be meant to do?

A．To test a substitute as a fuel for planes.

B．To help with the city’s transportation.

C．To challenge the distance of city fight.

D．To make eVTOL operate autonomously.

2. What is people’s common thought to electric flight?

A．It’s a long-held ambition.	B．It’s a fast-paced lifestyle.
C．It’s an unlikely expectation.	D．It’s a narrow-minded vision.

3. What did Eviation do for electrified flights?

A．It succeeded in flying a nine-seat electric plane.

B．It limited its prices competitive to taxi fares.

C．It raised money to mass-produce electric planes.

D．It designed electric planes for autonomous flight.

4. What’s the future of short-distance electric flight according to the text?

A．Unrealistic.

B．Satisfactory.

C．Adventurous.

D．Promising.

6 . One of the most productive architects of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright had no shortage of ideas. Throughout his life, he designed 1,171 architectural works. Many of them, like the Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater, were eventually built. But over half — 660 to be exact — never moved beyond paper. Now, thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, we are finally getting a look at what his unbuilt architecture would have looked like. Working with digital artist David Romero, the organization has been building an impressive library of works that show Wright’s creative genius.

The reasons that these pieces of incredible architecture were never built vary. Wright’s homage to his adopted home state of Arizona was rejected for several reasons. While Wright considered his avant-garde (前卫的) design for the Arizona State Capitol Building to be a gift to the city, officials felt otherwise. With a price of $5 million, too costly, he was passed over for the project.

In the case of the cliffside (悬崖边) Morris House, it’s not completely clear why the family did not go with Wright’s design. But, in examining his ideas for the home, it’s clear that Wright successfully combines the architecture and nature. The design uses rounded forms that fit into the cliffs and merge the home and the natural surroundings.

In 1947, he was asked to rebuild Roy Wetmore’s service station. What Wright provided was a futuristic design that included a ramp (斜坡) allowing a car to be displayed on the roof. Unfortunately, Wetmore wished to simply remodel the existing structure rather than demolish it and start over, so the project was never done. Later, Wetmore did incorporate the car ramp on the roof.

Romero has been able to bring these ideas to life and give a new generation of architecture lovers a reminder of why Wright had such a long, influential career.

1. Why was the design for Arizona State Capitol Building refused?

A．The government wanted a perfect design.

B．It was originally designed for other states.

C．It needed much more money than expected.

D．The design didn’t go with the surroundings.

2. What’s the author’s attitude toward Wright’s design about Morris House?

A．Favorable.

B．Intolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

3. What does the underlined word “demolish” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Redesign.

B．Pull down.

C．Improve.

D．Put up.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．Wright’s productive architecture wasn’t recognized.

B．Many good productive architects didn’t come to light.

C．Wright’s excellent designs for some famous buildings.

D．Modern technology makes a genius’ designs come true.

7 . I opened my car window and called out “Ma’am! Ma’am!” The only lady in the parking lot looked around until she saw me. “I just wanted to tell how nice you look today,” I said. “The colors you have on are beautiful on you.” Her face registered surprise for a second, and then she smiled. “Thank you!” she called back. Her final steps to her car seemed lighter, and I smiled to myself.

I grew up with very few cheerleaders in my own life. When I was in the middle of fighting a battle for my life, I had been confirmed depression, along with anxiety. It has taken many years and more effort and determination than I thought I was capable of recovering from this illness. With no cheerleaders in my court, I fought this battle alone. I am proud of the progress I have made thus far. There are times when I thought, if only I had had someone to hold me and say, “Susan, I believe in you. You can do this, and I’ll be there every step of the way.” I wonder how much sooner I would have recovered. I’ll never know.

So I have made it a point in recent years to praise people, especially women and girls. Instead of just thinking that someone looks nice or did a great job, I say it out loud. It doesn’t take long, and it’s easy. So, I wonder, why don’t more people do this? As women, we have learned from our role models to be quiet. We downplay (淡化) our own achievements even when we do receive a rare compliment (恭维). Now, when I compliment someone and she denies, I say to her, “Just say thank you.” Most women are relieved that they don’t have to deny the compliment; they can accept the praise without guilt.

Cheerleading doesn’t require any skills. It only takes a few seconds, although you do have to remind yourself to do it. Eventually, it becomes a habit.

1. How did the lady feel after hearing the author’s praise?

A．Delighted.	B．Anxious.
C．Relaxed.	D．Worried.

2. What made the author become a cheerleader?

A．Her experiences.

B．Her habit.

C．Her personality.

D．Her ambition.

3. What does the author hope when she praises someone?

A．She can be rewarded.

B．She can be appreciated.

C．They can accept the praise.

D．They should say something.

4. Which of the following best describes the author?

A．Caring.	B．Brave.
C．Outgoing.	D．Honest.

8 . “The Worthington Christian defeated the Westerville North by 2—1 in an Ohio boys’ soccer game on Saturday.” That’s according to a story that appeared last month in The Columbus Dispatch. That lead was written not by a sportswriter, but by an artificial intelligence (AI) tool.

Many news organizations are now examining how AI might be used in their work. But if they begin their “experimenting” with high school sports because they are less momentous than war, peace, climate change and politics, they may miss something crucial. Nothing may be more important to the students who play high school sports, and to their families, neighborhoods, and sometimes, the whole town. That next game is what the students train for, work toward, and dream about. Someday, almost all student athletes will go on to have jobs in front of screens, in office parks, at schools, in hospitals or on construction sites. They may suffer blows and setbacks. But the high school games they played and watched, as well as their hopes and cheers, will stay vivid in their memories.

I have a small idea. If newspapers will no longer send staff reporters to cover high school games, why not hire high school student journalists? News organizations can pay students an hourly wage to cover high school games. The young reporters might learn how to be fair to all sides, write vividly, and attract readers. That’s what some celebrities in sports did, and do.

And think of the great writers who were inspired by sports: Hemingway on fishing, Bernard Malamud and Marianne Moore on baseball, Chen Zhongshi on football, and CLR James on cricket, who said, “There can be raw pain and bleeding where so many thousands see the inevitable (不可避免的) ups and downs of only a game.” A good high school writer, unlike a robot, could tell readers not just the score, but the stories of the game.

1. Why is the lead mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce an original idea.	B．To show AI’s wide application.
C．To bring in the opinion about AI.	D．To stress AI’s importance to news.

2. What does the author think of high school games?

A．Hopeful.

B．Eye-catching.

C．Competitive.

D．Far-reaching.

3. What is good sports news like according to the author?

A．Rich in contents.	B．Fair in comments.
C．Centered on results.	D．Targeted on readers.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．News Organizations Are Abusing AI	B．High Schoolers Can Do What AI Can’t
C．Great Writers Are Crazy About Sports	D．AI Ruins High School Students’ Memory

9 . For decades sleep scientists have thought over the link between dreaming and creative inspiration. They have long thought the insight came from the stage of rapid eye movement sleep, which is rich with dreams and begins around 90 minutes after one falling asleep. But new evidence puts the spotlight on a much earlier phase — the period that separates sleep and wakefulness. In a study by MIT, researchers show that people who take brief naps (小睡) that bring about the beginning of sleep score higher on several measures of creativity than those who undertake the tasks after staying awake.

The findings suggest researchers could even exercise some measure of control over the dreaming process by directing people's dreams toward a specific topic. The more frequently people dreamed about that, the more creative they were on tasks related to it. “We can come to the conclusion that dreaming about a topic enhances your subsequent creativity on it,” says Robert Stickgold, a member of the study team.

The experiment took advantage of a glovelike sleep detector, which charts sleep by monitoring one's muscle tone, skin conductance and heart rate through contacts on the wrist and hand. It communicates with an app that issues voice prompts (提示) for dreams and records dream reports.

More than one famous thinker has capitalized on the phase called non-rapid eye movement sleep stage 1,or N1, illustrating the point about generating creative insights. The painter Salvador Dalí would deliberately nap, holding a set of keys above a metal plate, when thinking over an idea for a painting. As he nodded off, he'd drop the keys, which would hit the plate and wake him up, and he'd hold onto the image from his dream. Thomas Alva Edison is said to have used a similar technique with metal balls to gain insights.

“It's exciting because,   in principle, people could use the technology themselves to develop creativity,” says Jonathan Schooler, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of California. There seems to be no shortage of folks coming to try it. “So many different kinds of people have visited, knocking on the lab door and asking to have dreams,” co-lead investigator Haar Horowitz says.

1. Which phase boosts creative ideas according to the study?

A．The initial sleep stage.	B．The middle of the sleep cycle.
C．The wakefulness after sleep.	D．The rapid eye movement sleep stage.

2. What do the findings mentioned in paragraph 2 show?

A．Physical changes reflect the sleep phase.	B．Dream contents re late to real life.
C．Creativity levels vary with the nap length.	D．The theme of the dream can be guided.

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

A．Encourages.

B．Improves.

C．Tracks.

D．Influences.

4. Why are Salvador Dalí and Thomas Alva Edison mentioned?

A．To prove the effect of dreams.	B．To provide support for the findings.
C．To interpret the benefits of N1.	D．To give examples of fueling creativity.

10 . Day Trip to Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is one of those parks whose beauty is not fully recognized by people. It is often only visited for day trips because it is close to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. It is full of elephants, zebras and lions. It also has some superb scenery to go with it. You can also see sights such as the Tarangire River.

Tarangire has the second highest concentration of wildlife in Tanzania after the Serengeti and the highest concentration of elephants in the world. It has over 700 lions living there as well as a wide selection of other animals.

Itinerary(行程)

You will be picked up from your accommodation. After an approximate 3 hours’ drive, you will arrive at Tarangire National Park. The name of this national park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses the park. The park is considered as one of the best places to view elephants up close. From the open roof of the safari (野外观兽旅行) vehicle you will be able to absorb the landscape and see the animals wandering around. In the late afternoon you will have a hot meal, and then you will leave the park and drive back to Moshi.

Included in the price (US $620 per person)
☑Al l Tanzania national park fees                    ☒International flights to/from Tanzania
☑ Meals according to the itinerary for             ☒Alcoholic and soft drinks
each day                                                     ☒Personal expenses & tips
☑Bottle of mineral water for each day             ☒Travel insurance & visa fees
☑Professional English-speaking guide             ☒Extra activities within the park
☑Safari 4 ×4 jeep with all accessories            ☒ Hotel accommodation before and after the safari

Come and start your day trip! Click here and fill out the form to send a booking request immediately.

1. What do we know about Tarangire?

A．It offers day and night trips.	B．It owns the biggest lion population.
C．It’s better than people think.	D．It has more wildlife than the Serengeti.

2. What can visitors do in the park?

A．Wander along the river.	B．Watch animals in jeeps.
C．Interact with elephants.	D．Spend a night in the park.

3. What’s included in the price?

A．Guide services.	B．Travel insurance.
C．Meals and soft drinks.	D．Round-trip airfares.