1 . How the economics profession should fix its gender problem

At the heart of economics is a belief in the virtues (好处) of open competition as a way of using the resources you have in the most efficient way you can. Thanks to the power of that insight, economists routinely tell politicians how to run public policy and business people how to run their firms. Yet when it comes to its own house, academic economics could have done more to observe the standards it applies to the rest of the world.

In particular, it recruits (招聘) too few women. Also, many of those who do work in the profession say they are treated unfairly and that their talents are not fully realised. As a result, economics has fewer good ideas than it should and suffers from a skewed (歪曲的) viewpoint. It is time for the dismal science to improve its dismal record on gender.

For decades relatively few women have participated in STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and maths. Economics belongs in this list. And a survey by the American Economics Association (AEA) this week shows that many women who do become academic economists are treated badly.

To deal with its gender shortfall (缺口), economics needs two tools that it often uses to analyse and solve problems elsewhere: its ability to crunch data and its capacity to experiment. Take data first. The AEA study is commendable, but only a fifth of its 45,000 present and past members replied to its poll. Better data are needed to capture how work by female economists is discriminated against. The more comprehensive (全面的) the picture that emerges, the sooner and more easily action can be taken to change recruitment and to reform professional life.

The other priority is for economists to experiment with new ideas, as the AEA is recommending. For a discipline that values dynamism, academic economics is often conservative, sticking with teaching methods, hiring procedures and social conventions that have been around for decades. The AEA survey reveals (显示) that 46% of women have not asked a question or presented an idea at conferences for fear of being treated unfairly, compared with 18% of men. Seminars could be organised to ensure that all speakers get a fair chance. The way that authors’ names are presented on papers could ensure that it is clear who has done the intellectual heavy lifting.

Instead of moving cautiously, the economics profession should do what it is best at: recognise there is a problem, measure it objectively and find solutions. If the result is more women in economics who are treated better, there will be more competition for ideas and a more efficient use of a scarce (稀缺的) resource. What economist could possibly object to that?

1. Why does economics have fewer excellent ideas than it should?

A．Economical environment isn’t good enough.

B．Professionals in this field are treated unjustly and their gifts are not fully recognized.

C．Too many women are employed.

D．Women do worse in economics than men.

2. What does economics need to handle its gender gap?

A．Data to capture how work by female economists is discriminated against.

B．Its ability to process data quickly and its capacity to experiment.

C．Action to change recruitment and professional life of female economists.

D．Seminars organised to ensure that all speakers get a fair chance.

3. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．The result of the AEA survey is that there is better treatment to women.

B．More women in economics will bring more competition of scarce resource.

C．A balanced sex ratio will do good to the development of economics.

D．Men in economics can’t make this discipline better.

4. What can we infer about the author’s attitude towards the economics and its recruitment now?

A．Opposed.

B．Positive.

C．Objective.

D．Indifferent.

2 . Health officials on Tuesday authorized the first electronic cigarettes in the U.S., saying the R.J. Reynolds vaping (电子烟) products can benefit adult smokers.

The Food and Drug Administration said data submitted by the company showed its Vuse e-cigarettes helped smokers either quit or significantly reduce their use of cigarettes, the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

Tuesday’s first-of-a-kind decision is part of a sweeping effort by the FDA to bring scientific scrutiny (审查) to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after years of delays.

In September, the agency said it had rejected applications for more than a million e-cigarettes and related products, mainly due to their potential appeal to young children. But supervisors delayed making decisions on most of the major vaping companies. The FDA said it rejected 10 other requests from the company for other flavored products. The agency is still inspecting the company’s request to sell a menthol-flavored (薄荷味) nicotine formula (配方). “Today’s authorizations are an important step toward ensuring all new tobacco products healthy and legal after the FDA’s premarket evaluation,” said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s tobacco center, in a statement, “The manufacturer’s data demonstrates its tobacco-flavored products could benefit addicted adult smokers who switch to these products — either completely or with a significant reduction in cigarette consumption.”

E-cigarettes first appeared in the U.S. more than a decade ago with the promise of providing smokers with a less harmful alternative to smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. But there has been little tight study of whether the e-cigarettes truly help smokers quit. And efforts by the FDA to begin checking vaping products and their claims were repeatedly slowed by competing political interests.

In recent years, the vaping market grew to include hundreds of companies selling a good supply of devices and nicotine solutions in various flavors and strengths. But the vast majority of the market is controlled by a few companies including Juul Labs, which is partially owned by Altria, and Vuse. To stay on the market, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use the products are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.

1. Why did U.S. health officials authorize R.J. Reynolds’ e-cigarette products?

A．E-cigarette products are not harmful to humans, especially adult smokers.

B．E-cigarette products could help control the death rates in the United States.

C．E-cigarette products are effective in reducing cigarette use in America.

D．E-cigarette products can ensure that adult smokers keep away from smoking.

2. What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．Process of e-cigarette product assessment.	B．Significance of e-cigarette products’ data.
C．Advantages of using e-cigarettes among smokers.	D．Reasons for declining e-cigarettes applications.

3. From the author’s perspective, which factor will keep the company’s e-cigarette products in the market for a long time?

A．Interests of the consumers.	B．Quality the products.
C．Evaluation of the public.	D．Marketing strategy.

4. What does the underlined phrase “get hooked on” mean in the last paragraph?

A．Be addicted to.	B．Be reliable on.
C．Be satisfied with.	D．Be anxious about.

4 . Each summer I teach at the Cranberry Lake Biological Station, a remote wilderness field school in the Adirondacks.

One of our best teachers return s every summer. There are hundreds of sandy places for a snapping turtle (鳄龟) nest, but this turtle chooses to lay her eggs in the warm open sand of our volleyball court. Our students are excited to snap photos as eggs leave her body. It is a highlight of their field biology summer. But they also want to play volleyball. So the class carefully uncovers the eggs and takes them to another site the students have prepared and measured to be sure it’s a good place for warm, dry sand, so the babies will hatch (孵化) .

The turtle shows me that my life is thanks to the kindness of nature’s creatures who share this beautiful world with us. We’ve been ignoring the many other living things on this planet because of our way of taking without giving back. Science, armed with models to predict the coming changes, is a powerful tool for addressing these crises. But it is not the only one. As a scientist, I hear the certain data, and also a message, carried by snapping turtles: The Earth asks more of us than gratitude.

A few years ago, there was a second mother in just the same spot on our volleyball court. The next day there was another. And another. In all, more than a dozen snapping turtles came among us in a dozen days. Why would lonely things walk into a community of 100 humans? When our students went to find suitable sites for the repeated groups of eggs, they found that as the lake level rose, they had to seek out higher ground. It seemed to me that the snapping turtles had become climate refugees.

I believe the turtles madly climbing to higher places are trying to tell us something important. They’re showing us that we’re dangerously close to a huge climate disaster, and lots of plants and animals are quickly going extinct. They want us to notice and take action before it’s too late.

1. What do the students do after the turtle comes?

A．Find a nest for her in advance.	B．Photo the course of her laying eggs.
C．Clean the volleyball court completely.	D．Lead her to a good place for birth.

2. What does the author learn from the turtle mother?

A．Species actually owe a lot to the earth.	B．Humans should quit their culture of taking.
C．The earth asks gratitude of human beings.	D．Science isn’t powerful enough to save wildlife.

3. What can we infer about snapping turtles in paragraph 4?

A．They were eager to live in a community.	B．They found the volleyball court the best nest.
C．They gradually adapted to a life on land.	D．They displaced themselves for climate change.

4. What is the purpose of writing this text?

A．To appeal people to protect wildlife.	B．To amuse people with interesting turtle stories.
C．To introduce the survival ability of turtles.	D．To show the wisdom of turtles in laying eggs.

5 . Teen Writing Contest at the Morgan Library & Museum

How does money impact our behavior? The Morgan Library & Museum’s exhibition Medieval (中世纪) Money, Merchants, and Morality explores mainly how the newly widespread use of money in medieval life transformed society, often challenging and conflicting with the moral beliefs of the community. Choose an object from the Selected Images on the exhibition page and write a diary entry from the opinion of a character in the image.

Winners receive a $100 MasterCard gift card!

Entry rules:

▲Identify the title of the Medieval Money artwork that inspired you in your submission.

▲Participants can submit up to two diary entries per person. Character limit is 3,000 per entry.

▲Awards will be given in two age groups: Middle School (Grades 7 to 8) High School (Grades 9 to 12)

Entries will be judged by a group of Morgan Library & Museum staff for originality, creative choice of opinion and style.

Written work should be submitted in a format (格式) readable by Google Drive and/or Microsoft Word. Submissions must be written in English. Content will be published on the Morgan’s webpage and via our social media channels.

Morgan Teen Writing Contest Guidelines:

◆Participants must live, work, or go to school in one of the five areas of New York City.

◆Participants must be between 13 and 19 years of age as of the date of entry.

◆Contest ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on Sunday July 10,2024.

◆Limit two entries per person, per email address.

◆Winners will be informed on Friday, July 29,2024.

◆The Morgan requests a photograph of the winner to post with their writing.

1. What does the writing contest focus on?

A．Money and behaviors.	B．Characters and images.
C．Art and opinions.	D．Exhibition and inspiration.

2. What is the writing style for the contest entries?

A．A news report.	B．An inspiring poem.
C．A personal diary.	D．An artwork review.

3. What do we know about the writing contest?

A．Winners will be awarded in cash.

B．The entry will be judged by famous writers.

C．Participants should write in their native languages.

D．Submissions should be emailed before the deadline.

6 . Climate anxiety is appearing as a serious mental health concern, particularly among children, teens, and young adults, with symptoms ranging from frustration to constant anxiety.

A recent global survey illustrates the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling about climate change, with nearly 60% admitting feeling worried. Signs of climate anxiety include: They feel helpless about climate change.     1     They actively check climate news and weather forecasts. They experience physical symptoms such as headaches, shortness of breath, and racing heartbeats.

So how do we cope with climate anxiety? The first step is to understand that our reactions are normal.     2     However, you can learn to deal with it. You are experiencing climate anxiety because you care about what is happening to our planet; that’s a good thing.

Next, try to find small reasons to be hopeful. Our natural preference is to focus on the negative, and when it comes to climate change, this can be unbearable. We may destroy the future, thinking about all the ways climate change could ruin our lives.     3    

It can also help to remember that you’re not alone.     4     Fortunately, there are ways to cope. Connecting with other like-minded people who are working to fight climate change can help you feel less alone. A variety of organizations are taking climate action, and many are made up of people just like you.

    5     Get involved in activism can help you feel like your efforts are making a difference. Whether it’s writing to a politician or participating in marches, and get involved is an important step toward climate wellness.

A．Don’t forget to take action.

B．You have many people to turn to.

C．They worry extremely about the future.

D．This can lead to feelings of powerlessness.

E．They need support from others a great deal.

F．The climate crisis is alarming and overwhelming.

G．Many people are struggling with these feelings.

7 . What would you do if you walked up to a robot with a human-like head and it smiled at you first? You’d likely smile back and perhaps feel the two of you were genuinely interacting. But how does a robot know how to do this? Or a better question, how does it know to get you to smile back?

While we’re getting accustomed to robots that are expert at verbal (口头的) communication, thanks in part to advancements in large language models like ChatGPT, their nonverbal communication skills, especially facial expressions, have fallen far behind.

The Creative Machines Lab has been working on this challenge for more than five years. In a new study, the group unveils Emo, a robot. To train the robot how to make facial expressions, the researchers put Emo in front of the camera and let it do random movements. After a few hours, the robot learned the relationship between their facial expressions and the movement orders — much the way humans practice facial expressions by looking in the mirror. This is similar to our human ability to imagine what we look like when we make certain expressions.

Then the team ran videos of human facial expressions for Emo to observe them one after another. After training, which lasts a few hours, Emo could predict people’s facial expressions by observing tiny changes in their faces as they begin to form an intent to smile. It can not only make a wide range of facial expressions but also knows when to use them.

“I think predicting human facial expressions accurately is a revolution. Traditionally, robots have not been designed to consider humans’expressions during interactions. Now, the robot can integrate human facial expressions as feedback,” said Yuhang Hu. “When a robot makes co-expressions with people in real-time, it not only improves the interaction quality but also helps in building trust between humans and robots. In the future, when interacting with a robot, it will observe and understand your facial expressions, just like a real person.”

1. Why does the author ask questions in paragraph 1?

A．To stress the sincere interaction.

B．To show curiosity about robots.

C．To get readers engaged in the subject.

D．To prove the power of smiling.

2. How do researchers train Emo to make facial expressions?

A．By making it force a smile.

B．By asking it to look in the mirror.

C．By recording its expression at random.

D．By employing a way of self modeling.

3. What can the robot Emo do?

A．Interact with humans like a friend.

B．Prepare facial expression in advance.

C．Read the mind of humans in an active way.

D．Recognize and respond to real-time human expressions.

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．Emo Robot Makes Quick Facial Reactions

B．Robots Can Smile at Human Beings Now

C．Emo Robot Reads Human Mind Exactly

D．Robots Can Interact with You Naturally

8 . During my daughter’s first year at school, her teacher dismissed our concerns about her shaky pencil hold by saying: “Don’t worry, handwriting is on its way out. By the time she’s in year 12, they’ll all be typing or voice-dictating their exams.”

Fast-forward 12 long school years and that now grown-up girl is in her final high-school exams. And of the many hours of articles and long and short answers, every single page, line, word and letter will be handwritten. Every single primary-school teacher undertook at the start of each year to fix her handwriting but it never changed.

My high school had company typing classes. It was so boring but I say that typing is the very best thing I learned at school. In all my work—as a health professional, a writer and an online teacher—being able to type efficiently, quickly and exactly has been invaluable. As a writer, I can type reasonably accurate notes during an interview, all while looking at the person I’m speaking with. As writing rates have been inactive or going backwards, I’d have a much harder time if I couldn’t type so well.

A group of friends who went to high school says that I’m fortunate to have had compulsory typing lessons, as some schools only offered it to girls, and some friends deliberately shunned the subject in order to avoid gender-based opinions that they wanted to become a secretary.

You might be thinking that none of this will be an issue for much longer, given how far voice recognition tech has come and how ChatGPT can produce writing within seconds. In fact, the increased availability of AI will perhaps mean that handwritten exams will be around for even longer, as seeing someone put pen to paper is one of the few ways we have of promising original work.

Efficient handwriting and fast and correct typing are skills that perhaps should be more highly valued by educators and employers. Learning to hand-write and type might be boring but I predict that they’ll still be important skills even when today’s little ones are in year 12.

1. What does the example of the author’s daughter prove?

A．Handwriting isn’t out of date.	B．His concern turned out true.
C．Students like voice-dictating exams.	D．Adults can’t fix their handwriting.

2. Why was the author grateful for learning typing at school?

A．It earned him a big come.	B．It made him work more effectively.
C．It brought more job chances for him.	D．It helped him survive his hard life.

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

A．Put up with.	B．Keep away from.
C．Take advantage of.	D．Get used to.

4. What does the author think handwriting may ensure?

A．The application of AI.	B．The value of education.
C．The originality of our works.	D．The efficiency of exams.

10 . Chocolate makers are expected to raise prices this year because of higher costs of cocoa from exporters like Ivory Coast. The West African country is the world’s largest cocoa producer. Hershey is the largest producer of chocolate products in the United States. It said last month it plans to raise prices on all of its products because of the rising cost of ingredients. Ingredients are the things used to make a food or product.

Demand for chocolate in America increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and cocoa producers in places like Ivory Coast are struggling to keep up with that demand. Experts say one reason for that is climate change.

Harvard University researchers estimate that by 2030 parts of West Africa will be too hot and dry to produce much cocoa. The West African countries of Ghana and Ivory Coast together produce 70 percent of worldwide cocoa supply.

Cocoa farmer Raphael Konan Kouassi recently took VOA to his farm. Huge green and yellow cocoa pods hung from trees. He said his trees are producing less because of rising temperatures and less rainfall than usual.

“Almost all of the young plants die in the high season. If you have not been able to get water to them, you have no cocoa,” Kouassi said.

Kouassi receives government assistance in the form of cocoa trees. But he said the government gives out trees at the wrong time of year. Because of this, the young trees have a difficult time surviving.

Christian Bunn is with the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers, a worldwide scientific organization. Bunn said information about how the climate is changing can inform farmers about how to better care for their crops.

“What we’re seeing is that the onset of both dry and wet season can change. It’s less reliable. During the season, there may be breaks in terms of rain during the dry season, or there’s a dry spell during the wet season,” Bunn said.

The data show it may be better for farmers to stop producing cocoa and instead grow a variety of different crops, he said.

But the chief of one Ivorian company that supplies The Hershey Company said higher prices for cocoa could be welcomed by farmers. Olga Yenou said, “My opinion is that these farmers should have better prices, should earn more, because they work hard. Most are poor,” Yenou said.

Her wish appears to be coming true. As climate change continues to have effects on production, prices continue to rise.

1. What is the main reason for the rise in the price of chocolate?

A．Increase in labor costs.	B．Increase in transportation costs.
C．Increase in ingredient costs.	D．Increase in preservation cost.

2. What can we know from the passage?

A．Ivory Coast is the largest cocoa producer around the world.

B．Sales of chocolate in the America declined during the pandemic.

C．The climate in parts of West Africa is very humid.

D．The dry weather is benefit for the cocoa trees to survive.

3. Which word can best describe the feeling of Kouassi when received assistance from government?

A．Excited.

B．Thankful.

C．Surprised.

D．Disappointed.

4. What did Christian Bunn advice farmers to do according to the passage?

A．Planting various crops instead of planting coco trees.

B．Paying attention to the weather forecast every day.

C．Investing more money in coco trees.

D．Seeking help from the government.