1 . Double rainbows are one thing, but a double aurora (极光)? They can happen, though some kinds are rare. One particular red-and-green aurora is especially confusing. Now, images taken by amateur astronomers may help reveal its secrets.
Citizen scientists living in Canada and Finland used cameras to document an unusual combination of auroras in the night sky. Physicists have studied those images to learn what may have caused the unusual light show.
Alan Dyer was outside his home in Strathmore, Canada, when the dancing Northern Lights caught his attention. He grabbed his camera and started filming. "I knew I had something interesting," says Dyer. At first glance, the double aurora looks like a floating slice of watermelon. The green aurora is well-understood. The fruity looking red st rip is more mysterious. Scientists have known about these red auroras for decades. But there's no agreement on how they form. One idea is that Earth's magnetic field can heat up certain areas of the atmosphere. That heat could knock particles (粒子) around, like in proton (质子) rain.
Researchers had seen these two types of auroras occur together before. But it was always mysterious, says Toshi Nishimura, a space physicist at Boston University. After looking at satellite observations along with the images taken by Dyer and others, Nishimura and his team concluded how the two phenomena might be related. The key is the thin rays in the red aurora. They mark the paths of electrons falling through the Earth's magnetic field. That means electron rain appears to cause the red aurora, just as proton rain causes the green one. Both get powered by the solar wind. But the electrons carry less energy than the protons, so they make for a more reddish color.
Electron rain might not be the only way to produce the stable red auroras, though. The results show that what's going on is more complicated than researchers had thought. The auroras Dyer saw could be danger zones for radio communication and GPS systems, says Nishimura.
The citizen scientists who took the photos were a critical part of the new findings, Nishimura says.
1. Where is the text probably taken from?| A．A news report on astronomic discoveries. |
| B．A blog about sky phenomena. |
| C．A review of aurora research. |
| D．A brochure of aurora tours. |
| A．They are fully understood by scientists. |
| B．They were first spotted by Alan Dyer. |
| C．They are related to Earth's magnetic field. |
| D．They are generated from proton rain. |
| A．The path it travels along. | B．The energy particles carry. |
| C．The wavelength of rays. | D．The source of solar wind. |
| A．Photography drives scientific research. |
| B．The double aurora is a threat to GPS system. |
| C．Satellite observations lead to aurora discoveries. |
| D．Citizen scientists help explain the double aurora. |
2 . Being a teenager can be challenging, but it can also be exciting. You’re becoming more independent and making decision s for yourself. You are also learning to take risks and solve problems better. And changes are happening throughout your body, even in your brain.
The changes in your brain are influencing how you develop into an adult. Imagine the structure of your brain is like a big road map. Lots of roads lead to different destinations. When you were a child, as you learnt new things, your brain created more and more roads to different destinations. By the time you become a teenager, many different roads lead to the most important places on the map. Now your brain’s job is to make that map more efficient.
As a result, your experiences as a teenager actually influence the way that your brain develops. If you spend hours playing video games, what skills do you use? You learn to see something with your eyes and respond to it with your hands. As you develop those skills, your brain is making sure that the roads leading to them are especially fast and efficient. So, your video-game playing could be preparing you for a career such as a pilot.
This is a great time for you to practice new skills and discover what you’re good at and try what you love doing. Go out and try different activities, and stick to them if you think they are useful. Remember that with everything you do, you’re shaping your brain for the future.
1. What happens as children learn new things?| A．Their brains make the maps more efficient. |
| B．The structures of their brains are like big road maps. |
| C．Many different roads lead to the most important places. |
| D．Their brains create more roads to different destinations. |
| A．Your brain. | B．Something you see. |
| C．Your skill. | D．Something you learn. |
| A．Teenagers should experience more and stick to the useful activities. |
| B．Teenagers should play more video games in order to be a pilot. |
| C．Teenagers should work harder and more efficiently. |
| D．Teenagers should learn to be more independent. |
| A．Ways of Changing Your Brain. | B．Making Decisions for Yourself. |
| C．Developing Your Brain for the Future. | D．Changes Happening in Your Brain. |
3 . Have you ever noticed that some people can eat what they want and stay in shape, while others carefully watch what they eat and still put on weight? How frustrating! However, scientists are beginning to believe that some people get the ability to stay thin from their parents.
Scientists say that when some people eat, their bodies will naturally store the excess energy from food as fat. These people gain weight if they eat more than they need each day. Meanwhile, other people eat more than they need but their bodies are able to “burn off” the extra food without making fat.
To show that this is true, scientists have experimented on laboratory mice. They gave the mice a special diet with a lot of fat. Some mice gained weight while the other mice stayed thin even though both groups of mice ate the same amount of food and got the same amount of exercise. Scientists concluded that weight gain seemed to be influenced by genetic factors. They also believe they have now identified the genes that may cause this tendency. These genes, according to the scientists, get passed down the generations. Armed with this knowledge, they believe it may be possible to develop medicines that can target the genes and stop people from gaining weight.
The study of weight gain is becoming more important as the number of people who are overweight continues to grow. In the United States over seventy percent of the population have weight problems. This means they are at risk of illnesses such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
Current medicines for weight control do not work very well because they can have serious side effects, such as heart problems. However it takes a long time to develop and thoroughly test new drugs.
1. What’s the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To give some suggestions. | B．To entertain the readers. |
| C．To lead in the topic of the text. | D．To support an idea. |
| A．To prove some people get fat if they eat more than they need while others not. |
| B．To show they have great interest in helping people keep thin. |
| C．To show some people never be fat no matter how much they eat. |
| D．To prove people get the ability to keep thin from their parents. |
| A．reduce | B．store | C．refuse | D．digest |
| A．Americans face more weight problems. | B．If we exercise enough, we will keep thin. |
| C．Being overweight may cause some illnesses. | D．Current medicines can’t help to control weight. |
4 . Knowing the cultural differences can help you understand friends who are of a different race or culture, which is beneficial to you. With this understanding, you won’t run the risk of being disrespectful. You’ll also know if you are misunderstanding your friend’s behaviour. The major differences between Asian and American teenagers lie in the following aspects.
Family
Family comes first in the Asian culture. Teenagers stay close to home and have a stronger commitment to their parents than many American teens do. While Asian families have a greater dependence on each other, American families encourage their children and teenagers to be independent.
Friendship
Some Asian teens generally prefer having a small group of life-long friends. They are committed and loyal to their friends. Americans often prefer a larger group of friends. There might be less commitment to keeping friends for life because of their bigger pool of possible friendships.
Working Relationships
If you are working on a group project with teens from China or other Asian countries, they might focus on developing a good relationship with you. However, American teens tend to first focus on the task and getting the work done. Developing relationships with their group members might come second
Body Language
In China and many other Asian countries, making direct eye contact is considered rude and disrespectful. However, in America and some European countries, it is not only seen as appropriate but also necessary because it means the person is paying attention. In Asian culture people are usually more comfortable with less personal space than Americans are.
1. How many benefits of understanding friends are mentioned in the text?| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
| A．Asian teenagers are more independent than those in America. |
| B．Asian teens would like to make a number of friends. |
| C．When working on a group project, American teens always concentrate on the work. |
| D．American teens are more willing to be touched by others. |
| A．The main cultural differences between Asian and American teenagers. |
| B．Ways to help teenagers make foreign friends. |
| C．How to understand your friends |
| D．The meaning of knowing the cultural differences. |
5 . According to the “Geophysical Research Letters” published on the latest research from the North Pole shows that the Aretic is warming at more than four times the rate of global warming. Climate change has not only brought about an increase in the global average temperature, but also led to the trend of frequent, widespread, strong and concurrent extreme weather and climate events.
Greenland is the largest island in the world. About 3/4 of the area is within the Aretic Circle, and 81% of the area is covered by ice and snow. Greenland’s annual average temperature is below 0℃, and the absolute minimum temperature of the coldest month in the coldest central plateau area reaches minus 70℃, which is the second “cold pole” on earth to Antarctica.
Recently, CNN reported that “due to the continuous high temperature in Europe, the large ice sheet above Greenland has shown signs of melting, and the situation is getting worse. In just 3 days, the average daily the amount of ice melted is as high as 6 billion tons.” The melting water during this period is enough to cover 30.48 cm of West Virginia, USA.
At present, the probability of abnormally high temperature in more than 80% of the world is increasing, which is mainly related to the increase in global carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, over the past century, as humans have increased their use of fossil fuels, rising temperatures have made heat waves more frequent.
Secondly, the heat island effect is also an important reason for the increase of urban temperature. People will increasingly use air conditioners to cool down. The main unit of the air conditioner emits heat to the outside, which is equivalent to forming a cycle, causing the temperature in the city to get higher and higher.
Professor Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, said: “In a few decades, this summer may be quite cool.”
1. The article prove the situation of Greenland is getting worse by ______.| A．listing figures | B．making a comparison |
| C．giving a definition | D．giving examples |
| A．extreme weather and climate events | B．global warming and ice melting |
| C．carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuels | D．carbon dioxide emissions and heat island effect |
| A．The temperature in this summer isn’t high. | B．The high temperature situation will only get worse. |
| C．In the future, the summer will be cool. | D．Professor Otto likes summer very much. |
| A．positive | B．doubtful | C．uncaring | D．negative |
6 . Does every dinner with your parents seem to turn into a battle? Have your once warm and open conversations become cold and guarded? Do you feel that you just cannot see eye to eye with them on anything?
It can be a big headache to balance your developing mental needs too. You enter a strange middle place,
Although sometimes it may seem impossible to get along with a family, you can take action to improve the situation.
| A．The key to keeping the peace is regular and honest communication. |
| B．no longer a small child but not quite an adult. |
| C．remember that it is completely normal. |
| D．You are not alone. |
| E．Teenagers’ physical changes may result in such family tensions. |
| F．All of this can lead to a breakdown in your relationship. |
| G．You and your parents can work together to improve your relationship. |
7 . When a friend or family member sets sick, it’s difficult to see them lie in bed coughing uncontrollably and running a fever. What can you do to make them feel better? Luckily, we have some ideas.
Oftentimes when a friend or family member is ill, we try so hard to make them feel better that we push solutions onto them that they might not be comfortable with. For example, maybe we think it’s best that they sit up, when really they just want to sleep. The first thing you can do to cheer someone up who isn’t feeling well is to actually listen to what their needs are before trying to meet them.
Being sick can be incredibly stressful because our schedules are so full. Keeping up with kids, work and housework while you’re sick is incredibly tiring. If this is the case, listen to what your loved one is stressed about, then ask if there is anything you can take off their to-do list.
Finally, one of the greatest things you can do for a sick friend or family member is just to give them space. They probably don’t want to get you sick, and having a conversation may be pretty difficult at this point. So, make sure all of their needs are met, then simply leave them alone.
| A．Take on their to-do list. |
| B．Encourage them to relieve stress. |
| C．Avoid asking about their illnesses. |
| D．Don’t simply tell them what they need. |
| E．Maybe you could make dinner this week. |
| F．Check out these ways to cheer up someone who is sick. |
| G．Given space and time to rest and relax, they will feel better soon. |
8 . Wildlife experts are asking Australians to drive carefully to avoid unnecessary roadkill as native animal numbers drop following years of natural disasters.
Kristie Newton from WIRES said the recent floods across Eastern Queensland and New South Wales could lead to an increase in animal roadkill accidents with wildlife on the move. “This year it might be even worse because they’re traveling a bit further to find food,” Newton said. “Important food sources like grasses have become less and less, forcing many animals to move outside their habitat in search of food, and turn up in unusual places.”
“The fires killed millions and millions of native animals, and now we’ve had the floods. So it’s important that we try and protect what animals we’ve got left.” the wildlife expert said. The 2019-20 bushfires in Australia have affected nearly three billion animals.
According to AAMI Insurance, more than ten percent of all animal roadkill accidents happen in May. More than 15,500 AAMI animal collision claims last year showed that central Victoria’s Heathcote was the country’s most dangerous place for wild animals. Victoria was also the worst state for animal roadkill, with almost one third of animal accidents taking place on Victorian roads. New South Wales and Queensland followed closely behind.
Newton said moving a dead animal off the road can be a good way to prevent unnecessary death. “Birds also come down and feed on those bodies, and we see a lot of them get hit when doing that.” She is also encouraging drivers to do the right thing if they hit an animal. “Please pull over where it is safe to check whether the animal is injured,” said Newton. “For your own safety never set close to an adult kangaroo, even if it’s injured.”
1. What is the main reason for the increase in animal roadkill accidents?| A．People traveling more than before. |
| B．Animals preferring to feed alongside roads. |
| C．Cities becoming more attractive to animals. |
| D．Animals having to move because of natural disasters. |
| A．What damage Australian bush fires have had. |
| B．Natural disasters make it hard to protect wildlife. |
| C．Why it is high time people protected Australian animals. |
| D．Bush fire s are much more dangerous to animals than floods. |
| A．Most roadkill accidents happened in 2019. |
| B．Animals in New South Wales suffered most. |
| C．Queensland took quick action to end roadkill. |
| D．Heathcote saw most roadkill accidents in Australia. |
| A．Leave the dead animal alone. | B．Stop and check on the hit animal. |
| C．Drive off the birds on the roads. | D．Touch an injured kangaroo to calm it. |
9 . Recently, a research on how a new virtual reality (VR 虚拟的现实) experience educated children about the fire disasters was done. It was developed by the University of South Australia, aiming to educate children to learn how to be safe in a fire. It presents a situation for children aged 10-12. In the situation, They are tasked to look after a friend’s dog just before a fire event begins. They participate in a series of problem-solving activities to help save and protect themselves and the dog.
The findings showed that more than 80% of children reported that they felt more confident to tell the advantages and disadvantages of different choices. They also learnt to make wise decisions to protect themselves from a fire. Children thought it is especially important and meaningful, because 91% of them didn’t have any knowledge of fires at the beginning, and that 67% had said that they were too young to make safety decisions in a fire.
The researchers believed such VR experiences made it possible to attract and educate the young. “As children born in digital times, they are interested in such technology and they can experience events realistically yet within the safe environment.” said Delene Weber, one of the researchers. “Well-designed VR can provide a chance for children with surprisingly valuable learning tools.” Meanwhile, because children have fewer life experiences, aren’t as physically strong, and are less likely to have learned much about fire safety, they’re often most at risk. However, the ability for children to contribute to fire safety at their homes should not be underestimated (低估). “Children do not need to be always waiting for help in disasters and with those virtual reality experiences, we can help children understand the risks and realize they can help,” said Weber.
1. What is the purpose of the new VR experience?| A．To describe children’s reactions to fire disasters. |
| B．To teach children to save themselves in a fire. |
| C．To introduce ways of avoiding a fire to children. |
| D．To increase children’s interest in VR experiences. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Worried. | C．Uncertain. | D．Supportive. |
| A．development. | B．advantages. | C．quality. | D．introduction. |
| A．Children make no differences in the fire safety at their homes. |
| B．VR experiences are mainly designed for children in high school. |
| C．Well designed VR can offer children amazingly valuable learning tools. |
| D．91% of children believed they were not old enough to make safety decisions. |
10 . The curtain has come down on the “2022 My Spring Festival in Shanghai” and “The Shanghai story-telling activity-epidemic (流行病) prevention and control” short-video contests, initiated by the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality and China Daily in August 2022. The contests have actively attracted thousands of international and Chinese students from many universities. The original work of the short-video producers in Shanghai depicted various parts of this metropolitan (大都市的) city.
Behind the scenes, international students spent the Spring Festival with local Chinese friends, and thousands of young people supported Shanghai during the coronavirus outbreak.
“Filming short videos gave me a more grateful perspective on life. Using experience gained in the past, we can work together to create a brighter future,” said Yiqing Hu from Fudan University.
“The video I produced for the short video contest, featured a whole range of emotions, from despair to joy. Through the experience, I learned the full nature of life under epidemic controls.” Ruonan Lu said, a student from Fudan University.
“The Shanghai story-telling activity” has displayed China’s culture, Shanghai’s humanities, technological innovations and ability to hold international people-to-people exchanges.
The event saw local members of young people coming together to discuss youth responsibilities during the complex epidemic prevention and control situation. The activity is hosted by the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality and China Daily, which have together formed s type of International Communication.
This Shanghai strategic communication organization focuses on accurately communicating China’s culture and message to the rest of the world. It’s hoped that better methods of communication will make it possible to construct a global community with a shared future for humankind.
1. Which one is FLASE about the short-video contests according to the text?| A．It attracted both Chinese and foreign students from universities. |
| B．Its works must describe the scenes in Shanghai. |
| C．It witnessed young people’s great responsibility during the epidemic. |
| D．It included showing Chinese culture, buildings, innovations. |
| A．She knew how to control the pandemic. | B．She mainly recorded different festival activities. |
| C．Her videos showed all kinds of emotions. | D．Her video always expressed a bright attitude. |
| A．It aims to construct a global community. | B．It promotes to spread Chinese culture. |
| C．It finds a better way to communicate. | D．It achieves a shared future for mankind. |
| A．a novel | B．a textbook | C．a newspaper | D．a magazine |
