Students control shadow puppets(皮影木偶) as the singing voice of 71-year-old Liu Aibang echoes(回荡) across the classroom. They use thin straight pieces of wood to make shadow puppets step onto the “stage”—a cloth screen. Those sitting in front of the stage play music on drums, suona horns and other instruments.
This is a Daoqing shadow puppetry class at Longdong University. Except Liu,the other performers of the show are all college students.
Starting in the Han Dynasty, Daoqing shadow puppetry has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list(国家非物质文化遗产名录) since 2006. For years, shadow plays were welcomed by people of all ages. and were often performed during the festivals. However, with films and TV series becoming popular in the late1980s,many performers moved on to other jobs. Faced with the choice between protecting this art and making a good living, Liu chose to stay on.
One day in 2020, Liu received a phone call from Zhao Zhixue, head of the music school at Longdong University. Zhao told him that the school planned to introduce Daoqing shadow puppetry into college classrooms and develop young students’ long-term interest in intangible cultural heritage. Excited by the news. Liu dropped his farmwork and became a part-time teacher at the college.
Liu hopes to train more young people. “Just as true love is not a one-man show the learning and keeping of cultural heritage needs efforts(努力)from both the old and the young,” Liu said.
1. Where do music performers sit during the shadow puppetry class?2. When was Daoqing shadow puppetry included in the national intangible cultural heritage list?
3. What did many performers do when films and TV series became popular in the late 1980s?
4. How did Liu feel on hearing about the news from Zhao Zhixue?
5. What’s the meaning of Liu’s words in the last paragraph?
2 . Is it easy for you to get angry? Do you sometimes think others treat you badly? Maybe the story below can bring you something.
Rick was a young boy who was often angry at everything around him. To help Rick, his mom came home with a canvas (画布) and paint. “You are good at painting. Whenever you feel bad about something, paint it instead of getting angry,” said his mother.
Though not that happy. Rick gave it a try After creating many paintings, he took bis artwork to his mom. “Tell me, Rick. What are these paintings about?” his mother asked. “The first is about how some kids in my class show off (炫耀) their new clothes The next is about my teacher who always tells me about how I’m doing things wrong. And the last painting is about how one of my schoolmates said I should change my attitude (态度). They all make me so angry,” Rick replied.
Rick’s mom took Rick by her side and told him, “Don’t you see, Rick? You’re getting so angry but you never try to understand why.” Then she explained carefully, “All the people you were angry with did nothing wrong. The kids were showing off their good clothes but never laughed at you for not being able to afford any. Your teacher scolded (责备) you but that was because you caused trouble in class. And your schoolmate was only trying to help you correct your mistakes.”
Rick’s mom smiled and said, “Next time you get angry, take a deep breath and walk away for a couple of seconds. And when you come back, talk to the person you’re angry with. You might keep your cool in this way.”
Rick took his mom’s advice and became less angry. Now he feels happy around other children.
1. Why did Rick’s mom ask him to paint?A.Because she wanted to know what would make him angry and helped him. |
B.Because the teacher thought painting was the best way to make Rick happy. |
C.Because every time Rick painted, he didn’t think about any unhappy things. |
D.Because only painting could keep Rick from getting angry with his friends. |
A.Rick’s classmates | B.Rick’s teacher |
C.Rick’s mother | D.Rick’s schoolmate |
A.Rick was often angry with others | B.Rick is good at painting |
C.the kids in Rick’s class aren’t friendly | D.Rick isn’t from a rich family |
A.An Angry Boy | B.Beautiful Paintings |
C.Trouble in Class | D.A Sad Story |
3 . Walking has been considered as one kind of rewarding exercise. For many people, daily walking offers massive and long-term physical and mental benefits.
But the scenery is almost as important as the sweat. Just by going outside, you are stepping out of your habitual surroundings and your comfort zone, which is necessary if you want to open your mind to new possibilities. You can walk through a tree-filled neighborhood.
Walking outside develops our ability to collect new ideas and take in new sights, sounds, smells, and flavors. Shinrin-yoku, a common form of relaxation in Japan, suggests that being in the forest and walking among the trees there can lower your stress levels.
So instead of setting a fitness goal, why not set a creativity goal that starts with walking outdoors?
Walk not just for exercise. Walk for wonder.
A.Unfortunately, you often fail to do it. |
B.Expose yourself more to your surroundings. |
C.The movement during walking is obviously key. |
D.Without enough energy, you cannot wonder or create. |
E.But to receive the benefits, you do not have to live in a forest. |
F.This habit, however, not only benefits well-being but also contributes to innovation. |
G.Wandering around a park and observing people relaxing or birds singing is also a choice. |
At the opening ceremony (典礼) of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, everyone was amazed by the Malan Flower Children’s Choir (合唱团). The song moved people around the world. The choir was named after Malan Village. Deng Xiaolan taught music there for 18 years. Sadly, Deng passed away soon after this great performance, leaving behind her beloved village and the children she taught.
Deng Xiaolan was born in a small village in Hebei Province in 1943. She learned the violin and singing when she was young. She joined the school band after entering Tsinghua University, and she also taught her colleagues to play the violin after graduation. She worked in Beijing until she retired(退休). In 2004, the 61-year-old woman started volunteering to teach music in Malan Village.
Deng’s arrival (到来) brought changes to the children in the village. They fell in love with music. They would sing together in the morning, at noon, and at dusk (黄昏). Their beautiful voices went along with the birds’ songs and the wind through the trees. Some of the children went to college to study music and even became music teachers later. To let the children experience the beautiful views of our capital city, she even paid for their trip to Beijing. She led them to the Palace Museum, the Tiananmen Square, and so on. They opened their eyes to the outside world as well.
Teaching music in the village for such a long time was not easy for Deng, but she believed that music could make children healthier and happier. “In the last 18 years of her life, mum devoted (奉献) most of her time and energy to music education for children in Malan Village, which brought her great joy and made her life more meaningful. Her hard work had a big effect even though she’s no longer with us, ” said her daughter.
1. Is Deng Xiaolan still alive?2. When did Deng Xiaolan start volunteering to teach music in Malan Village?
3. What changes did Deng’s arrival bring to the children?
4. Do you think it’s necessary for the old people to volunteer in the way like Deng Xiaolan’s? Why or why not?
5 . If a pancake could dream, it might long for legs so it could jump off your breakfast plate in pursuit of a better, unchewed life. But legs aren’t necessary for something as flat as a pancake to jump around. A group of scientists have designed a pancake-shaped robot that can jump several times per second and higher than seven times its body height. The new robot named Hop, which swiftly jumps without feet, is an important contribution to the soft robotics.
Many ground robots move by rolling or walking. But it’s more efficient for robots to jump over obstacles (障碍物) than to go around them. Although jumping can offer some robots a competitive edge, engineering that ability has been a challenge for robotics researchers. Some soft robots that store energy can perform a single impressive jump very infrequently. Some lightweight soft robots that don’t store energy can jump frequently but can’t jump high or far enough to successfully cross an obstacle.
For inspiration, the researchers looked to gall midge larvae (瘿蚊幼虫) that miraculously throw themselves across distances 30 times as long as their loglike bodies. A gall midge larva bends its body and squeezes the liquid in its body to one end, making it rigid (僵硬的). The accumulation of liquid builds up pressure, and releasing the pressure sends it soaring (飙升). The robot’s body doesn’t resemble (像) that of a gall midge larva, but it jumps like one. Its body is made of two small plastic bags printed with electrodes; the front bag is filled with liquid and the back one is filled with the same volume of air. The robot uses electricity to drive the flow of liquid, which causes the body to bend and generate force with the ground, resulting in a jump. And the air bag imitates the function of an animal’s tail, helping the robot keep a stable position.
While the robot is currently restricted to Earth, it might be right at home exploring another planet. If this is true, the researchers robot might jump over dusty rocks and large holes on the moon or Mars, going where no pancake has gone before.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning a pancake?A.A pancake’s dream to have legs is unrealistic. |
B.A robot is capable of serving a good pancake. |
C.A pancake-shaped robot can jump without legs. |
D.Research on pancakes advances our understanding of robots. |
A.Hop’s avoiding an obstacle. | B.Hop’s moving around by rolling. |
C.Hop’s performing one remarkable jump. | D.Hop’s jumping high and far continuously. |
A.They are shaped like logs. |
B.They have tails to change positions. |
C.They bend their bodies and increase force. |
D.They are filled with liquid and have rigid bodies. |
A.Intolerant. | B.Positive. | C.Indifferent. | D.Ambiguous. |
6 . A team from Newcastle University and Northumbria University in the UK has found that the thin, root-like threads produced by many fungi (真菌) can potentially be used as a biodegradable, wearable material that’s also able to repair itself.
In their tests, the researchers focused on the Ganoderma lucidum fungus, producing a skin from branching thin threads, which together weave into a structure called a mycelium (菌丝体). With a little more work, the fragile skins could serve as a substitute for leather, satisfying environmental and fashion tastes.
“The results suggest that mycelium materials can survive in dry and unfavourable environments, and self-repairing is possible with minimal intervention after a two-day recovery period, ” write the researchers in their published paper. However, the process used to produce these materials tends to kill off the fungal spores (孢子) that help the organism regenerate itself.
A new approach involving a mix of mycelia, proteins, and other nutrients in a liquid encouraged the growth of a skin. The results are currently too thin and delicate to be turned into a jacket. However, the researchers are confident that it’s possible that future innovations could turn it into a tougher skin, possibly by combining layers or plasticizing in glycerol. Crucially, the production process didn’t kill off the fungal spores. Tests on the material showed that it was indeed able to replace holes made in it. The material was as strong as before, though it was still possible to see where the holes had been.
“Due to their functional properties, the ability of this regenerative mycelium material to heal micro and macro defects opens interesting future prospects for unique product applications in leather-goods replacements such as furniture, automotive seals, and fashion wear,” write the researchers.
There’s a long way to go here before you’ll be wearing clothes made out of fungus. The growing and healing processes take several days to happen at the moment for example, something which could be sped up over time.
1. What did the team find in their tests?A.An alternative to fungal spores. | B.Thin threads shaped like roots. |
C.Many different fungi. | D.Mycelium materials with self-healing function. |
A.The recovery period of fungal spores. |
B.Crises of mycelium materials’ survival. |
C.Imperfection in producing mycelium materials. |
D.The method of intervening organisms’ regeneration. |
A.It speeds up the creation of mycelia. | B.It keeps fungal spores from destruction. |
C.It makes the holes in materials invisible. | D.It combines the liquid with layers of skin. |
A.A flash in the pan. | B.Promising but challenging. |
C.Inspiring but unachievable. | D.A growth and decline cycle. |
7 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.
But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.
Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.
Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.
In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.
Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?A.To tell about true friends. | B.To start a discussion. |
C.To encourage online friendships. | D.To summarize(总结) the text. |
A.In any case. | B.In public. | C.In person. | D.In advance. |
A.Unconcerned. | B.Positive. | C.Worried. | D.Confused. |
A.Teenagers need to focus on real-world friendships. | B.It’s easier to develop friendships in real life. |
C.It’s wise to turn to friends online. | D.Social media help people stay closely connected. |
8 . On Saturday, Jacob Kohut finally had breaktime during his 12⁃hour standing guard outside the U.S. Capitol. He could have spent his break resting. Instead, he sat in the back of a Humvee, teaching students via his laptop how to play Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, which meant he was on double duty, as an active member of the National Guard and as a devoted school band teacher.
“I’m a soldier for the National Guard, but I’m as much a solider for music education,” he says.
When on duty, Kohut’s days began in the morning with teaching his elementary class remotely from the drill floor of DC Armory, finishing the lesson minutes before his Guard shift started at 10 a.m. Later in the day, during his break, he would go online to teach his middle school students from the back of a Humvee.
Music has always been a driving force in Kohut’s life. He was a saxophone player throughout high school, and finally earned his Doctor degree in music composition at George Mason University.
“What I really wanted was to teach,” says Kohut, who is married and has a three⁃year⁃old son. “My mom, who is a single mother, was a music teacher. That’s why I do what I do. She is such a good role model.”
Kohut’s double duty has caught the attention of parents at Canterbury Woods Elementary School.
“I just wanted to share how impressed I am with Dr. Kohut this week,” Susi Britain said. “This morning he taught the band online from DC Armory, in his tiredness — which just seems so beyond the expectations of a teacher in these circumstances.”
But during the long and sometimes stressful hours of standing guard, Kohut said his teaching time offered comfort. As the 11 instruments were played by his virtual students, the familiar melody of “Ode to Joy” rang through the Humvee. In that moment, Kohut realized there wasn’t a timelier tune to teach his students
“It’s a symbol of unity and peace,” he says. “And that’s what the world needs right now.”
1. Where did the students study music from Kohut?A.In the back of a Humvee. |
B.At the drill floor of DC Armory. |
C.In online courses. |
D.Outside the U.S. Capitol. |
A.Peace⁃loving and mild. |
B.Enthusiastic and devoted. |
C.Hopeful and positive. |
D.Faithful and helpful. |
A.He should teach the tune to his students earlier. |
B.No tune was taught to students before. |
C.It’s the time that he should teach the tune face to face. |
D.The tune is the most suitable for students at that moment. |
A.Jacob Kohut fights for the country and music. |
B.Jacob Kohut wants to change his job. |
C.Jacob Kohut has double duty at Canterbury Woods Elementary School. |
D.Jacob Kohut is a virtual music teacher. |
9 . Close to the North Pole, the remote and rocky plateau mountain in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard seems an unlikely spot for any global effort to safeguard agriculture. In this cold and deserted environment, there are no grains, no gardens and no trees. But at the end of a 130⁃meter⁃long tunnel is a room filled with humanity’s most precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection — more than a half⁃billion seeds.
A quiet rescue mission is underway. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change will seriously affect food production and threaten the diversity of crops around the world, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault represents a major step towards ensuring the preservation of hundreds of thousands of crop varieties. This is a seed collection, but more importantly, it is a collection of the traits (特点) found within the seeds: the genes that give one variety resistance to a particular pest and another variety tolerance for hot, dry weather.
Few people will ever see or come into contact with the contents of this vault. In sealed (密封的) boxes, behind many locked doors, monitored by electronic security systems, enveloped in below⁃zero temperatures, and surrounded by tons of rocks, hundreds of millions of seeds are protected in their mountain fortress (堡垒). Frozen in such conditions inside the mountain, seeds of most major crops will remain viable for hundreds of years, or longer. Seeds of some are capable of keeping their ability to grow for thousands of years.
Everyone can look back now and say that the Seed Vault has been a good and obvious idea, and that of course the Norwegian government should have approved and funded it. But back in 2004, when the Seed Vault was first proposed, it was viewed as a crazy, impractical, and expensive idea.
We knew that nothing would provide a definite guarantee. But we were tired and frankly scared of the steady, greater losses of crop diversity. The Seed Vault was built by optimists who wanted to do something to preserve options so that humanity and the crops might be better prepared for change.
The Seed Vault is about hope and commitment — about what can be done if countries come together and work cooperatively to accomplish something significant, long⁃lasting, and worthy of who we are and wish to be.
1. According to the passage, what’s the Seed Vault?A.It’s a tunnel where the collected seeds are displayed. |
B.It’s a stone room that contains the seeds of endangered crops. |
C.It’s a seed gene bank that stores diverse seeds for future agriculture. |
D.It’s a lab where researchers study how to keep the diversity of crops. |
A.Mature. | B.Clean. |
C.Alive. | D.Valuable. |
A.How the seeds are preserved. |
B.Where people keep the seeds. |
C.Why the seeds are protected. |
D.What people do to study the seeds. |
A.the Seed Vault offers a solution to climate change |
B.the Seed Vault was built by many countries |
C.the Seed Vault is sure to prevent the loss of crop diversity |
D.many people considered building the Seed Vault unwise and crazy at first |
10 . Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center mapped brain changes after a year of aerobic workouts and uncovered a potentially significant process: Aerobic exercise increases blood flow into two key areas of the brain associated with memory.
The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, showed this blood flow can help even older people with memory problems improve cognition, a finding that could guide future Alzheimer’s disease research, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center.
In the study, researchers followed 30 participants who were 60 or older and had memory problems. Half experienced a year of aerobic exercise while the other half did stretches. “We’ve shown that even when your memory starts to fade, you can still do something about it by adding aerobic exercise to your lifestyle,” said Binu Thomas, a senior research scientist of UT Southwestern Medical Center who led the study. “The aerobic exercise group showed a 47% improvement in some memory scores after a year; the other group showed slight change. Brain imaging of the aerobic exercise group, taken while at rest at the beginning and end of the study, showed increased blood flows into the specific brain areas that play important roles in memory function.”
Many teams across the world are trying to determine if aerobic exercise might fight memory loss. Evidence is growing that it could at least play a small role in delaying or reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. For example, a 2018 study showed that people with lower fitness levels experience faster retrogression of vital nerve fibers in the brain called white matter related to memory.
“Blood flow in the brain connected with memory improvement is still a part of the puzzle, and we need to continue piecing it together,” Thomas says. “But we’ve seen enough data to know that starting a fitness program can have lifelong benefits for our brains as well as our hearts.”
1. What is the study mainly about?A.Old people have memory problems. | B.Aerobic exercise improves memory. |
C.Aerobic workouts benefit physical health. | D.Alzheimer’s disease can be cured. |
A.Earlier memories were refreshed. | B.Memory scores showed very small changes. |
C.Brain imaging remained the same. | D.More blood flew into memory⁃related areas. |
A.The memory problem. | B.One’s lifestyle. |
C.Aerobic exercise. | D.Something useful. |
A.Further research work requires doing. | B.More people experience memory loss. |
C.The mystery of brain blood flow has been solved. | D.Signs of memory loss can be discovered earlier. |