1 . First impressions are important, but are first impressions correct? Personally, I’m not so sure, and according to new research, neither is science.
You really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I certainly have, and I’m willing to bet (打赌) you’ve done it, too. Consider this, though: If I’d let my opinion on, say, the boring cover of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath stop me from reading this great novel, I would have missed out on one of my favorite books to date. First impressions are important because they can influence you one way or another, but they shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of your opinion on someone.
According to Jonathan Freeman, a professor at New York University, first impressions are collected within only a few hundred milliseconds and are often based on the person’s facial appearance.
“First impressions of faces can influence how we make decisions about people,” Freeman explained in a statement. Therefore, in order to put an end to such first impressions, you have to understand where your first assumptions(假设) come from. In order to do this, a team of researchers in Switzerland performed two experiments: The first required participants to judge the personalities of dozens of people only based on photos they were shown online. For example, in this part of the study, researchers took note of how participants related personality features like friendliness with various appearances. The second experiment explored what kind of facial features were connected with exact personality features. For example, someone who has a round face with “babyish features” might be considered as friendlier or more harmless than someone who isn’t smiley in their photo.
The results showed that first impressions often aren’t all right. Look, it’s really unfortunate that first impressions aren’t always right. Still, these first impressions happen regardless of whether or not they’re right, so the best thing you can do is try to put your best foot forward without, of course, giving up your authenticity (真实性); you are exactly who you were meant to be, and all you can do is be the best person you can.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning John Steinbeck’s novel?| A．First impressions are influential. | B．The cover of a book is unnecessary. |
| C．We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. | D．Few people tend to make judgments at first-sight. |
| A．First impressions are difficult to change. |
| B．How a person looks influences his first impression. |
| C．It takes some time to form the first impression. |
| D．First impressions are influenced by many factors. |
| A．Relate personalities with photos. | B．Choose photos they like. |
| C．Show their opinions of smiley faces. | D．Talk about their impressions of other participants. |
| A．Don’t be too realistic. | B．Disregard others’ suggestions. |
| C．Don’t be judgmental. | D．Try to be your best self. |
2 . The rainforest of the Amazon region of Brazil in South America covers five percent of the world’s land.
However, large areas of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down to make more land for farmers.
Deforestation (滥伐森林) destroys ancient forest and changes the world’s climate.
| A．Why do people cut down forests? |
| B．There are a number of ways to do this. |
| C．These activities help make more money. |
| D．Besides, it also affects the life of local people. |
| E．It is home to at least 30 percent of the world’s animals and plants. |
| F．How will the Amazon rainforest react to the future climate change? |
| G．In the last few years, 70,000 square kilometers have been destroyed. |
3 . I was on one of my usual group bike rides on a quiet country road in Santa Barbara, riding with about 30 other road cyclists, when a car tried to change direction suddenly to avoid a runner. From what I’ve been told, the driver moved around us so fast that he lost country of his car and hit me.
I don’t remember any of this because I was thrown off my bike and directly into a tree. I had a serious brain bleed (出血) — despite the fact that I was wearing my helmet. I also broke a number of bones. Luckily, with good treatment I survived.
That accident happened four years ago. Because of my brain injury, I had to stay off my bike for a year because if I fell and again got my head hurt, it would be worse. To get back on my bike, I started running. I was still in a lot of pain, but I was determined. Nobody was going to hit me, change my life and then keep me from doing what I like at some point.
A year after my accident, I finally got back on my bike. But it had left an influence on me. If there are cars behind me, I will feel strained. However, I still ride.
Before my accident, I never raced. Now I’m faster than ever. One reason is that I have lost about 30 pounds. When I got hit, I weighed 205 pounds. After six weeks of being on a feeding tube (饲管), I walked out of the hospital at 175 pounds, and I’ve stayed around that number ever since. I also think I’m faster because my accident lifted my competitive spirit. Since my accident, I’ve loved bike racing.
At the end of the day, I wanted to prove to myself that I could get back to doing what I loved — and I did that.
1. What do we know about the accident?| A．It led to the driver’s heavy bleeding. | B．It caused several cyclists to hit trees. |
| C．It was worsened by the lack of a helmet. | D．It resulted in serious injuries to the author. |
| A．To reduce his pain. | B．To kill his leisure time. |
| C．To prepare for cycling. | D．To develop his determination. |
| A．Nervous. | B．Excited. | C．Curious. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．His competing in races. | B．His staying at the hospital. |
| C．His being on a no-dinner diet for long. | D．His running long distances every day. |
4 . India has successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon. It’s the first time that a country has safely landed at the moon’s south pole. The landing is a huge success for India, which has been working on the project for years.
The Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023. In early August, the spacecraft began orbiting (环绕……运行) the moon. Then, the lander, called Vikram, made a successful “soft landing” at the moon’s south pole. Leader of the project, Sreedhara Somanath, announced, “India is on the moon.” Before this, only three other countries had ever made soft landings on the moon.
In 2019, an earlier Indian mission, Chandrayaan-2, ended when the lander crashed onto the lunar surface unexpectedly. But India learned from its mistakes. It made several changes to the lander to make it stronger and improve the computer programs that control it. Pragyan, the rover (探测器) that the lander carries, hasn’t changed since the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
All Indians were excited about the landing. Across the country, people gathered to watch and cheer for it. Now that India’s lander is safely on the moon, Vikram and Pragyan will start studying it. They have special tools to study the moon from different aspects (方面), including studying its temperature and materials. The machines are solar-powered, and are expected to work for about 14 days. After that, the sun will set at the south pole, and the machines will no longer have power.
One reason why the moon’s south pole is worth studying is that there exists ice. Learning more about this frozen water could help astronauts on future trips to the moon. India has many more plans for space, including sending Indian astronauts into space, and possibly even planning trips to other planets. The country has also worked hard to encourage private Indian companies to develop space programs.
1. How many countries have made soft landings on the moon so far?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．It landed in a creative way. |
| B．It got power from the moon. |
| C．It carried the same rover as Chandrayaan-2. |
| D．It made a mistake when landing on the moon. |
| A．To test the rover. |
| B．To study its special climate. |
| C．To prepare for future moon landings. |
| D．To study the moon’s rich solar energy. |
| A．India Learns from Failure of Chandrayaan-1 |
| B．India Lands Its Spacecraft at Moon’s South Pole |
| C．India First Launches a Solar-Powered Lander |
| D．India Grows into the Leader in Space Exploration |
5 . How much do you love animals? Maybe not as much as photographer Joel Sartore. He is traveling the world to take pictures of as many animals as he can find, which allows people to focus on the beauty and uniqueness of each animal.
Sartore is working to take photos of all 20,000 different types of animals living in the world’s zoos, aquariums (水族馆) and wildlife shelters. And he’s already taken nearly 15,000! He hopes his photos will raise awareness of these planet’s most endangered creatures, and that he can document them before they’re gone. “My job is to tell their stories and hope that the world cares in time,” he told The Weather Channel in 2022.
Sartore calls his project the Photo Ark, like the story of Noah’s Ark, in which a large boat is built to save every type of animal in the world from a flood. He founded the Photo Ark in 2006 in his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska.
He doesn’t just take his animal photos in the usual zoo environment, however — he puts each animal on a black or white background with studio lights. This helps him photograph their true colors, and lets people see a little mouse as clearly as a big elephant — and look each animal right in the eye. “When people connect to animals through eye contact, we’ve got a real chance at changing human behavior,” Sartore says.
The response has indeed been huge. Sartore has more than 1.6 million followers online and a best-selling series of Photo Ark books. He asks people to buy his books and photos, give money to the Photo Ark, and support zoos, aquariums and wildlife shelters near where they live.
1. According to the text, Sartore needs to take another ______ photos for his project.| A．5,000 | B．10,000 | C．15,000 | D．20,000 |
| A．To make a living in this way. | B．To help save animals in danger. |
| C．To meet his own interest in animals. | D．To offer another way to learn about animals. |
| A．Some are black and white. | B．They are about animals in danger. |
| C．They were taken in the natural habitat. | D．Some were taken in designed environment. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Doubtful. | C．Supportive. | D．Disappointed. |
6 . In October, Mediterranean fruit flies were discovered in an area of Los Angeles. California is a big farming state, and this was serious news for farmers. The key to the problem may seem a little unusual: releasing millions more of the flies.
The Mediterranean fruit fly, often known as the “Medfly”, is one of the most serious threats faced by farmers worldwide. Once the pest makes its way into an area, it can be very hard to remove. The flies lay their eggs in over 300 kinds of fruits and vegetables. When the eggs hatch, they turn into worm-like larvae (幼虫) that can destroy these products.
Three Mediterranean fruit flies were discovered in a Los Angeles neighborhood called Leimert Park in October. To stop the problem from spreading, the government set up a large quarantine (隔离) area, which means that no produce (fruits, nuts, or vegetables)can be moved out of that area. The quarantine area is 90 square miles.
That may seem extreme, since only three Medflies were found, but experts believe there are probably more out there. “It’s really important to get on top of this fast,” said Jason Leathers. Luckily, California has developed a program to control Medflies, and it’s been working well for 30 years. The plan involves using planes to drop millions of Medflies over the area. That may sound like a bad idea, but it’s actually a good way to make sure that Medfly numbers go down.
The airplanes only drop male flies, and all of them have been treated so that they can’t help produce new fruit flies. The males are sterile (不育的). This means that even though they can mate with female fruit flies, the eggs produced will never grow or hatch. The plan has worked well in the past. The government says that the number of flies has been cut by over 90%. To deal with the problem near Leimert Park, the government will be dropping two airplane loads of sterile Medflies every week.
1. Why is the figure mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．To show farmers require more help. | B．To stress the great harm done by the Medfly. |
| C．To remind people to be particular about health. | D．To appeal for urgent concerns about the Medfly. |
| A．To destroy the native produce. | B．To limit the spread of the Medfly. |
| C．To kill the Medfly completely. | D．To reduce the losses of local farmers. |
| A．California values the control of Medflies. | B．Using planes to drop Medflies saves money. |
| C．Jason Leathers is in charge of Medflies’ study. | D．The public care little about killing Medflies. |
| A．A research article. | B．A short story. | C．A news report. | D．An agricultural research. |
7 . Dark circles under the eyes are a big problem not only for women but also for men.
Tomato and lemon
Tomatoes not only reduce dark circles but also make the skin soft. You take one spoon of tomato juice, add one spoon of lemon to it and then apply this mixture on the eyes. Leave it for 10 minutes and then wash it.
Potato juice
Potato also helps in reducing dark circles. Grate (磨碎) the potatoes and get the juice of the potato as much as possible.
Tea bags
You must have seen those tea bags, which are made of fine cloth and inside which tea leaves are filled. With their help, you can also get rid of dark circles. Take a tea bag for this. If it’s green tea, so much the better.
Almond (杏仁) is rich in vitamin E and its oil softens the skin. You must have seen many products of almond oil being sold in the market. Its use is very easy. You have to take some almond oil and apply it on the dark circles. When you wake up in the morning, wash your eyes. The effect will start showing in a week.
| A．Nut oil |
| B．Cold milk |
| C．Then take some cotton |
| D．Keep it in the fridge for some time |
| E．Do this at least twice a day, dark circles will start reducing |
| F．Keep in mind that the entire area with the dark circle is covered |
| G．There are many reasons for this, including stress, less sleep and so on |
8 . In recent years, extreme weather has been on the rise. From wildfires in California, US to record-breaking rainfall in northern China this summer and most recently the flood in Libya which claimed thousands of lives, Earth seems to be whipped by extreme climate and weather patterns.
Climate whiplash (气候鞭打), or weather whiplash, refers to a quick change from one extreme weather pattern to another. It is caused by global warming. A warmer atmosphere can hold more steam. As the Earth gets warmer, more water is contained in the atmosphere. Once the temperature gets colder, it often rains more heavily. This explains why a drought is often followed by extremely heavy rain.
The region hit hardest by climate whiplash is California. Over the past decade, California has experienced lasting droughts, wildfires, heavy rainfalls, and floods. It seems that the state is either on fire or in flooding with little in between. Researchers estimate that by the end of this century, the frequency of climate whiplash will jump by 25 percent in northern California as Earth continues to become warmer.
Apart from wildfires and floods, studies showed that climate whiplash also has an impact on water quality. During dry days, the fertilizer (肥料) farmers use for plants cannot be absorbed by thirsty and dying plants. Then the following heavy rain washes the remaining fertilizer into rivers, polluting the water.
How can we deal with climate whiplash? The key lies in fighting global warming. That is to say, humans have to largely reduce the use of fossil fuels (化石燃料). Climate whiplash would happen more frequently in the future, should we fail to fight global warming effectively. Therefore, it is urgent that nations around the world double down on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The effects of global warming. | B．The causes of global warming. |
| C．The results of climate whiplash. | D．The principle behind climate whiplash. |
| A．It has resulted in reduced droughts. |
| B．It is expected to occur more frequently. |
| C．It has primarily affected northern California. |
| D．It causes more floods here than in other US states. |
| A．Unabsorbed plant fertilizer is washed into the water. |
| B．More plastic waste is brought into the water by floods. |
| C．Dry weather affects pollutant concentrations in water. |
| D．Heavy rains carry more industrial waste into the water. |
| A．It is not as serious as commonly believed. |
| B．It can be solved by reducing fossil fuel usage. |
| C．It is linked with our efforts to fight global warming. |
| D．It will cause the global temperature to rise annually. |
9 . Mu Sa, a livestream (直播的) host, is a model of how the Internet has transformed many young unemployed people into useful talents contributing to society.
After graduating from university, Mu worked as an office clerk in Shanghai, a marketing assistant in Beijing and a data analyst in Hangzhou. Each time he struggled to realize his dream in big cities. However, Mu at last found that what touched him most was homesickness. Thus, Mu returned home at 25 in November 2021.
Mu, who has a little hearing problem caused by a fever at the age of 10, thought of himself a failure at first. Leaving their village had been a goal for all rural children of his generation. However, he was not deterred by his difficulties and quickly lifted himself up. Mu decided to pick up his cell phone and begin creating short videos about local people’s daily lives at home and uploading them online. A video showing his mother cooking local food turned out to be a surprise hit. Even his mother was shocked that so many viewers, who commented that the video evoked (勾起) memories of their own moms and hometowns, could be interested in a daily routine.
Mu said it was the success of this video that inspired him to carry on. He gradually found that village-related content was popular among his followers. Many fans know about his hometown Dazhanchang and the lives of local residents in Northwest China through Mu’s work. As his work attracts more and more followers, Mu has started publishing short videos on an almost daily basis. He faithfully records the daily lives of those around him, and releases the videos at 6 pm most days. Some people say his videos give people a quiet, poetic and idyllic (田园诗般的) feeling.
1. Why did Mu Sa return home in November 2021?| A．He missed his home. | B．He suffered a disability. |
| C．He required motivation. | D．He lacked a sense of safety. |
| A．Beaten. | B．Discovered. | C．Grasped. | D．Attacked. |
| A．The food there is unique. | B．Her daily routine is striking. |
| C．It brought back good memories. | D．She displayed superb cooking skills. |
| A．Reliable. | B．Grateful. | C．Curious. | D．Diligent. |
10 . Simple Sports Themed Activities
Kids love learning about sports and engaging in sports themed activities! This free simple activity plan includes doable (可做的) sports activity ideas that are perfect for preschoolers.
Literacy: Football Name Dot (画点) It!
Draw a football outline on a sheet of paper. Label it with letters including letters in your child’s name. Write your child’s name on the page and then have them hunt to find and dot all the letters in their names on the football.
Math: Sports Flag Line Up
Cut out multiple colored paper flags. Label each with a number from first to tenth. Lay the flags flat on the ground or stick on the wall with painter’s tape. Have your child order the flags. Say things like: The second flag is blue. Where is the green flag in the line? What flag is the 4th in the line?
Create: Decorate A Shirt
Draw a painting of a sports shirt on a large sheet of paper. Set out various supplies for decorating like markers, paint sticks, stickers, etc. Ask your child to design and decorate their very own sports shirt! I had my girls include their own name and sports number.
Gross Motor: Sports Themed Obstacle(障碍) Course
Use tapes, chalk, balls and bats and so on to create your own sports themed obstacle course. Add things like making a basket jumping, swimming under the rope, swinging the bat 5 times, etc. Get creative and have fun! This is such a great way to get your kids moving!
1. Who is the text intended for?| A．Coaches. | B．Policemen. | C．Managers. | D．Parents. |
| A．To let children know some different sports. |
| B．To make children do more physical activities. |
| C．To help children get some sports techniques. |
| D．To encourage children to play with the best players. |
| A．Literacy: Football Name Dot It! | B．Math: Sports Flag Line Up. |
| C．Create: Decorate A Shirt. | D．Gross Motor: Sports Themed Obstacle Course. |
