Spot Over 1,000 of these yellow robots, Spot, are already checking factories and power plants. And now the New York City Fire Department is starting to use the dog-like devices for search-and-rescue missions. In April 2024, a Spot surveyed the remains of a collapsed car park that was considered too unstable for fire crews to enter. Spot can also send back video footage, carry up to 14 kg and when fitted with an add-on “arm”, open doors and press switches.
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Lightning Swarm Inspired by fireflies, these robots are tiny and can give out light in various colours. The scientists intend the robots to use their lights to signal to and track each other: a low-power communication strategy for a lightweight robot. “We envision sending hundreds or more of these tiny flying robots into a disaster site, and having them collectively search for survivors,” says MIT robotics engineer Prof Kevin Chen. “Once a survivor is found, they’ll pass the information out to the operators.”
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Trail Blazers At the Bajiao Firc Rescue Station, in Yantai, northeast China. a firefighter tests out a fire-fighting robot. For a few years, China has been promoting the technology, which allows human firefighters to stay safely outside the danger zone while controlling robot firefighters to put out fires at chemical plants and in subways. One major advantage of this approach is fire resistance — Trail Blazers can work at temperatures of 1,000℃ for over 30 mins.
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Rooster Thanks to its clever design, Rooster can roll across surfaces or fly around to examine almost any type of disaster site, moving through narrow passages and windows, or over obstacles and up or down staircases. Designed to assist in search operations, the robot uses cameras and sensors to scan a space, so that rescuers don’t need to enter dangerous areas. Rooster can also communicate with search teams and other robots via a radio link.
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1. Which robots can work in the air?
| A．Spot and Trail Blazers. | B．Spot and Lightning Swarm. |
| C．Rooster and Trail Blazers. | D．Rooster and Lightning Swarm. |
| A．They can send radio signals. |
| B．They are fitted with cameras. |
| C．They can help conduct rescues. |
| D．They are modelled after animals. |
| A．a science magazine | B．a test report |
| C．an operating handbook | D．a modern fiction |
2 . A young Los Angeles actor in need of a second job to pay his bills has come up with a brilliant way to add his income — people walking.
Chuck McCarthy originally considered becoming a dog walker to earn some extra cash, but soon realized that the job required more than walking dogs on a leash (皮带). “I didn’t want to pick up dog poop (粪便), and that’s kind of what you are really being paid for, for dog walking,” he said. But people don’t usually poop when they take a walk, so Chuck realized there was money to be made walking people around Los Angeles instead.
It might sound like a joke, but the People Walker, as he calls himself, is very serious about his new job. For $7 per mile, he offers to walk with customers around L.A., listening to their problems or simply making conversation and offering them a sense of safety.
His services are aimed at people who need motivational help to go walking, those who don’t feel safe walking alone in some areas, and those who are afraid that people might see them walking by themselves and think that they have no friends.
“I wear my The People Walker shirt upon request and on the first walk with a new customer, so they can be 100% sure it’s me,” McCarthy says. However, he admits that some people don’t agree to this policy, as they don’t necessarily want everyone to know that they are being walked.
Believe it or not, McCarthy’s business has been very successful. He already has another five people walkers employed, covering various areas, like downtown L.A., Hollywood, Eagle Rock, Las Feliz or Fairefax. Once he posted signs around the city, his phone started ringing and customers began rolling in. And with all the free publicity he has been getting in the press lately, he has been overwhelmed (不堪重负的) with requests.
1. Why does Chuck McCarthy need a second job?| A．To kill his spare time. | B．To become more active. |
| C．To get rid of his loneliness. | D．To increase his income. |
| A．he didn’t want to pick up dog poop |
| B．he didn’t earn any extra cash |
| C．people in L.A. didn’t believe in him |
| D．there were few dogs in L.A. |
| A．lifestyle | B．hobbies | C．service targets | D．service areas |
| A．most people in Los Angeles live a lonely life |
| B．the People Walker is quite popular with some people |
| C．people living in Los Angeles lack a sense of security |
| D．McCarthy’s business has almost spread to the whole country |
3 . Being in nature is really good for you. Even just seeing nature on your way to school will brighten your day. This is the experience that is being recreated in Birmingham, England.
Once the area around Birmingham was filled with orchards (果园), resulting in its being called “a city surrounded by blossoms (花朵)”. However, by the 1900s, industrialization (工业化) had begun to take hold, and the orchards were destroyed to make room for buildings and factories. And according to the National Trust, Birmingham has lost 85% of its trees since the beginning of the 20th century.
But on January 17, 2023 that began to change. According to the website Secret Birmingham, a number 11 bus left its stations filled with trees instead of people. All along its 27-mile path, the bus dropped off those trees to citizens, schools, and community groups, who then planted them. All in all, about 600 trees have been handed out.
“Blossom is not only beautiful, but it’s also important for the wellbeing of the environment,” says Lucy Reid, who’s leading the Birmingham project. “It’s also great for pollinators (传粉者), such as bees, which help trees produce fruit, and the trees also help to clean the air.”
This isn’t the first time the National Trust has helped Birmingham blossom. The Trust created “blossoms pop-ups” as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. According to the project, blossoming tree installations (装置) were set up in various well-known Birmingham locations such as St. Philip’s Cathedral Square.
The National trust has also started blossoming tree projects in other UK cities. In 2021, it created the London Blossom Garden, and now the Trust is planting fruit trees in Plymouth, Newcastle, and Nottingham. Its work is important for the protection of the country’s wildlands and climate. However, their Blossoming Birmingham project shows that protecting a country’s nature not only helps the environment but brings joy and beauty to people as well.
1. What led to the loss of orchards in Birmingham?| A．Extreme climate. | B．Poor management. |
| C．City development. | D．Decreasing production. |
| A．By filling the buses with blossoms. | B．By sending its people to plant trees. |
| C．By providing trees for people to plant. | D．By surrounding bus stations with trees. |
| A．The importance of farming. | B．The purposes of their project. |
| C．The ways to protect the planet. | D．The benefits of flowering trees. |
| A．Beautifying the Earth naturally. |
| B．Bringing nature back to England. |
| C．Improving the living conditions for people. |
| D．Taking the lead in protecting the environment. |
4 . Lucy Flores’ father, Luciano Flores, grew up in Mexico and moved his family to the United States when Lucy was only three years old. Her father, who speaks Spanish, shared that his family had few resources, just like the school he attended. He stopped going to school after the first grade and started working to provide for his family.
In spite of this, Lucy did well in school and became the first person in her family to graduate from college. After that, she took up a job of teaching preschool students how to read letters and write their names. “I was thinking to myself, since I’m able to teach these children how to read and write, why am I not doing the same for my own father?” Then she started teaching her father to read and write.
After four months of working together, Lucy’s father can now write a lot of words and is reading some books on his own. As she taught her dad, Lucy shared their journey by posting videos on TikTok. “I don’t know if he understands how many people are watching him and following him,” said Lucy. “But I took it as a chance to encourage him.” Followers on TikTok share lesson plan ideas and have sent school supplies and books to the family.
Apart from watching her dad’s progress and inspiring others to never give up on their dreams, the most satisfying part for Lucy of teaching her dad has been the change in the family atmosphere (气氛). “In the past, we did not get along as my dad was quiet and not someone who liked to share his feelings or sit down and play with me when I was a kid,” said Lucy. Luciano said because of his daughter, he’s excited to continue to focus on learning letters and numbers and to spend time with his family.
1. What can we learn about Lucy’s father from paragraph 1?| A．He began making a living when small. | B．He preferred working than studying. |
| C．He had difficulty living in Mexico. | D．He wanted Lucy to attend a school in the US. |
| A．Her father’s eagerness to learn. | B．Her students’ suggestions. |
| C．Her teaching experiences. | D．Her family background. |
| A．People’s surprise at her teaching skills. | B．Her father’s being greatly encouraged. |
| C．An increase in the number of her students. | D．People’s warm support for her father’s studies. |
| A．She has helped her father get a degree. | B．She can share her experiences on TikTok. |
| C．Her father is able to adapt to life in America. | D．She manages to improve her family relationship. |
5 . Bill Sumiel was having a tough Friday. It was October 2020,and the 71-year-old,who was dealing with kidney (肾) failure and had been on dialysis (透 析) for a few years, found himself away from home.
He’d been diagnosed with diabetes (糖 尿 病) over 20 years before, which led to his kidney problems. He was on the transplant list, but no matches had yet appeared. So he continued with his treatments periodically. Without a ride lined up for Friday’s do-over, Sumiel took Ubers to and from his appointment.
Timothy Letts,31,was driving to visit a friend when his phone received the request for Sumiel’s ride home. When Sumiel got into his car, Letts could see that the older man was unenergetic but in good spirits. And as they set out to Sumiel’s home, the pair got to chatting. During conversation, Sumiel revealed that he was searching for a kidney donor. Letts joked that he’d be a good donor candidate, given that he didn’t drink or smoke.
Sumiel agreed, though he didn’t think much of it. Letts, however, couldn’t stop thinking about it and it was always on his mind. So, Letts said: “I’d like to see if I could be a match to give you a kidney.”
“I was shocked,” Sumiel recalls. He was shaking so hard that he could barely write his name when they exchanged contact information
After the initial excitement, Sumiel started feeling less optimistic. He was touched by Letts’s offer, but he wondered if it had just been an emotional moment. Would he hear from him? And what was the likelihood of a match?
But Letts was true to his word. He got in touch with Sumiel just a few hours later, and by the next week, Letts had contacted the kidney transplant program. After a series of testing, the results were in: Letts was an ideal donor, and he and Sumiel were a perfect match.
In December 2021,14 months after their chance encounter, Sumiel and Letts had their surgeries. It was a success. Today they live respectively and healthily and anticipate the day they can reunite.
1. What can be inferred from the first four paragraphs?| A．Sumiel’s problem was caused by his wrong treatments. |
| B．Sumiel must take Ubers to receive treatment periodically. |
| C．Letts took the matter of donating his kidney seriously. |
| D．Letts’s energetic friend requested him to donate his kidney. |
| A．He questioned the sincerity of Letts’ offer. |
| B．He worried about the risks of the surgery. |
| C．He believed Letts would forget his offer. |
| D．He doubted if Letts was fit for donation. |
| A．Sympathetic and wise. | B．Reliable and helpful. |
| C．Responsible and Sensitive. | D．Trustworthy and humble. |
| A．A Fortunate Driver. | B．A Kidney Transplant. |
| C．A Successful Surgery. | D．A Ride for a Lifetime. |
6 . Working in an industry that’s constantly evolving is no small feat for musicians. Giving fans a memorable show is crucial, and some artists are looking to virtual reality to do just that. Travis Scott for example, partnered with Fortnite to bring his virtual-reality concert. Astronomical, to a global audience. The event drew in 12 million viewers. But interest in VR concerts came earlier. In 2019, the entertainment-technology company Wave launched a multichannel virtual platform for live concerts through various digital means: video games, live streaming channels, social networks, and more. Wave has since teamed up with the likes of The Weekend, Justin Bieber, and John Legend.
The appeal of such immersive concerts, by placing the audience in a digital world that stimulates both sight and sound to create an experience that makes one feel like they are truly part of the event, lies heavily in their experimental mature. Artists can try new ways to connect with listeners in digital environments. For fans skirting painful concert-ticket prices avoiding large crowds at venues, and experiencing their favorite musicians in an alternate world are convincing benefits.
VR has its downside. Only about 13% of households in the US own a VR headset so the technology isn’t common. In a survey, 67% of respondents who didn’t own a VR headset said its price tag kept them from purchasing one. Some people who paid a pretty penny have returned the headset because they simply didn’t know how to set it up or didn’t think the image quality was worth the cost. Discomfort is another issue: long-term use of a headset could cause discomfort in the neck and eyes, and according to the Food and Drug Administration, motion sickness is the most commonly reported negative side effect of VR. There’s also the possibility of VR separating users too far from reality, which could rewire their brains if they don’t moderate headset use. However, looking ahead. Amy Dorsey, the managing director of Dorsey Pictures, said that developments in advanced digital reality would pave the way for the next version of entertainment.
1. Which artist cooperated with Fortnite to deliver a virtual-reality concert?| A．Justin Bieber. | B．Wave. |
| C．Travis Scott. | D．Astronomical. |
| A．Cost-effective. | B．Environmentally friendly. |
| C．Quick and efficient. | D．Engaging and surrounding. |
| A．VR concerts could cause a decrease in video image quality. |
| B．They may prevent people from attending live concerts altogether. |
| C．Long-time standing with VR headsets may lead to motion disability. |
| D．The high cost of VR headsets could limit accessibility for some fans. |
| A．The historical development of VR technology. |
| B．Future directions and innovations in VR. |
| C．Present market trends in VR headset sales. |
| D．Comparisons between VR and traditional concerts. |
7 . HOW TO DO HARD THINGS
It’s an inconvenient truth that the road to success isn’t a secret. Most of us know exactly what we need to do to improve our lives.
First, you need to make sure you know what the hard, but effective thing is in the skill or job that you want to improve.
Figure out your why. Make sure you know why you want to do this hard thing.
Leave the doubts behind. When you’re doing something hard, your brain will try to find ways to stop doing it. You’ll want to look things up or find easy ways of doing the hard thing. Don’t give in to these tempting arguments during your hard work sessions.
If you keep improving yourself by doing hard things, you’ll be getting better at your targeted skill. So don’t spend too much time working around the hard task. Just do the hard thing instead.
| A．This should be easy to figure out. |
| B．Change your thinking so the hard thing looks good. |
| C．But we don’t do those things because they are hard. |
| D．Make a commitment and turn the hard thing into a habit. |
| E．If you are not clear about it, you’ll lose motivation quickly. |
| F．Do whatever you want after or before, but stay focused during. |
| G．Life is hard sometimes, and you will have to do hard things at some point. |
8 . A physical checkup often begins with a series of questions: What foods do you eat? Do you smoke? Getting any exercise? A new research suggests another telling indicator could be added to that list: What was your college major? The study finds one’s chosen field of college study is a statistically significant predictor of health in midlife.
The researchers find four majors associated with the best midlife health are architecture/engineering, biology/life sciences, business, and — here’s a surprise — communications/journalism. Perhaps chasing after big stories keeps us journalists in shape.
It has long been established that people with more education tend to be healthier. But does one’s major matter? To find out, the researchers analyzed data from the nationally representative American Community Survey.
Their sample consisted of 3.7 million United States-born adults between the ages of 45 and 64—the time of life when physical functioning problems start to appear. Participants noted whether they had difficulty walking or climbing stairs, dressing or bathing. A “yes” answer in any of those categories resulted in a grade of relatively poor health.
The researchers focused on the 667,362 participants who earned a bachelor’s degree, but went no further in their education. They noted each person’s college major, which they placed into one of 15 categories. They found substantial differences in health across majors. Two majors are particularly disadvantaged in midlife. The chances of poor health are 1.9 times greater among psychology/social work and law/public policy majors compared to business majors. The researchers argue this is likely due to several factors. Psychology majors tend to suffer from high unemployment and low earnings. Law/public policy majors often enter the field of law enforcement (执行).
The researchers say that they have discovered associations, not proof of causality (因果关系). But they make a convincing case that some majors lead people to live healthier lifestyle s than others. Their findings might even inspire a warning country song: Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be psychology majors.
1. What can be learned from the first paragraph?| A．Smoking can lead to poor health. |
| B．Diet is more important than exercise. |
| C．Physical checkups keep you healthy. |
| D．College major could be added to a checkup list. |
| A．By doing face-to-face interviews. | B．By following participants’ daily routines. |
| C．By doing medical examinations. | D．By analyzing the representative data. |
| A．Engineering. | B．Business. | C．Psychology. | D．Journalism. |
| A．Your college major predicts midlife health. |
| B．Your major can influence your career interests. |
| C．The annual physical checkup is necessary to life. |
| D．People with more education tend to be healthier. |
9 . There’s been an enormous amount of progress in language-generating AI over the past couple of years. OpenAI’s GPT-3, for example, is a language generator that’s been trained on 570 GB of text, and is able to write convincing essays. Google, of course, is working on language generators too, and its latest one helps you write like a legendary poet.
Google’s new AI tool, Verse by Verse, allows users to compose a poem using “suggestions” from classic American poets. The AI generates these suggestions based on what it’s collected from reading the poets’ oeuvres. That is, the program uses machine-learning algorithms (算法) to identify the language patterns of a particular poet’s work, then applies those to text it generates as the suggestions.
The tool works by allowing users to select from 22 American poets for the suggestions, including legends like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Edgar Allen Poe. After a user has selected up to three poets, they then pick the type of poem they’d like to write. The program offers various poetic forms, and even allows users to select the number of syllables per line.
Users then give the program a first line, and AI generates the rest of the poem. The AI makes suggestions line by line, however, making it more interactive than other top language generator s out there. As far as results, they’re interesting, but not nearly as impressive as GPT-3’s writings.
According to Google engineer Dave Uthus, “The system was trained to have a general understanding of what lines of verse would best follow a previous line of verse. So even if you write on topics not commonly seen in classic poetry, the system will try its best to make lines that are relevant. The widely varying degrees of Verse by Verse output quality show that while good lyrical gems (宝石) may occasionally emerge, further work by the AI team remains to be done.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce a new AI tool for writing poetry. |
| B．To compare different language-generating tools. |
| C．To discuss the progress of langauge-generators. |
| D．To analyze the latest essays of OpenAI’s GPT-3. |
| A．Suggestions. | B．Works. | C．Messages. | D．Patterns. |
| A．Collect poems for inspiration. |
| B．Give the program a starting line. |
| C．Generate different poetic forms. |
| D．Compose poems as good as GPT-3. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. | C．Puzzled. | D．Confident. |
10 . Regrets are known for leaving people in the past, trapped in an unhappy state. Over time, maybe you blame yourself for ending an old romantic relationship, making a bad career choice or being too afraid to step outside your comfort zone.
“The regrets that really haunt people are unresolved regrets, things they could never fix,” Bruine de Bruin, an expert in psychology says. “If you feel like you should have gone to university, you can fix that when you’re relatively young. That can be harder to do when you’re older.” Fortunately, many older adults are better equipped to handle their emotions. “They have the wisdom that comes with life experience,” says Pär Bjälkebring, senior psychology lecturer at Gothenburg University in Sweden. “When they encounter a situation a younger person would regret, they can handle it.” For his research, Bjälkebring asked younger and older adults to record their regrets for a week. “The older participants look at regrets in a different way, and try to accept what is happening,” Bjälkebring says. “Over a week, older adults have less regret and use strategies to handle them. They’re more functional.”
Research shows that the most common reason for regret is missed opportunity. People fantasise about benefits they believe they’ve missed while ignoring the disadvantages that would have naturally arisen. Never got that promotion? You likely think about the missed income without considering the extra stress that the position would have brought. Instead of imagining an alternate reality, focus on the good in your life. “Avoid making comparisons.” Bruine de Bruin says. “Making comparisons undermines the happiness you have. Try to rejoice instead of regret.” “People tend to forget inaction — you may have fewer regrets if you act more and avoid things less.”
Regrets have a tendency to make you feel terrible, but those negative feelings aren’t always harmful. Research shows that initially, regrets help you learn from mistakes. Those who express regret over a decision they’ve made tend to make a better decision next time. Changing your thought process can free you from feelings of guilt, shame and sorrow.
1. What does the underlined word “haunt” in Paragragh 2 mean?| A．Control. | B．Offend. |
| C．Ruin. | D．Disturb. |
| A．Their inner capacity. | B．Their education experience. |
| C．Their expectation of life. | D．Their integrated emotions. |
| A．Losers are always in the wrong. |
| B．You can’t have your cake and eat it. |
| C．What is lost is always better than what is gained. |
| D．Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Disapproval. | D．Objective. |
