1 . Robert was born on August 9, 1910 in the Netherlands. His mother came from a family of musicians and piano manufacturers, a fact that greatly influenced Robert’s life. His father was a physician in army, a position which required frequent foreign postings. The family stayed in various areas of East Asia for most of Robert’s youth. This experience contributed to his appreciation for cultures and mastery of several languages.
Robert was a hardworking academic, collector of art and manuscripts, and translator of ancient writings. He studied and trained to become a master musician on the Chinese guqin, and eventually wrote two books on the instrument. Similarly, his skills as an artist in the traditional Chinese style and knowledge of calligraphy were unparalleled. He wrote and published a number of non-fiction, scholarly articles and books on Chinese music, art, and literature, as well as Chinese culture and folk legends.
In 1940, Robert came across a little-known and anonymous (匿名的)18th-century Chinese novel that would take his career down an unplanned pathway and result in the public fame he never anticipated. The novel, titled Four Great Strange Cases of Empress Wu’s Reign, was a fictional account of the deeds of Judge Dee, one of the heroes of traditional Chinese detective fiction, and was set in the 7th-century Tang Dynasty. Fascinated, Robert not only translated the novel into English, he also did some research on the history of Chinese Penal Code and other legal literature of the period. It was not until 1949 that Robert was able to publish his translation —Dee Goong An: Three Murder Cases Solved by Judge Dee. Robert’s Chinese mysteries comprise over 10 novels and short-story volumes, recording the career of Chinese detective called Di Renjie. Interestingly, the tales first found fame in oriental (东方的)editions, before being translated into English in 1957.
Through all the novels by Robert, he impressively brings to life the sights and sounds of daily Chinese life in the past. His passionate devotion and respect for the Chinese culture was never discounted, yet he also appreciated the purpose of fiction.
1. What inspired Robert’s love for oriental culture?A.His language competence. |
B.His previous stay in East Asia. |
C.His mother’s good family background. |
D.His father’s professional medical knowledge. |
A.Robert’s passion for China. | B.Robert’s music proficiency. |
C.Robert’s early achievements. | D.Robert’s learning experiences. |
A.He introduced western civilization to China. |
B.He polished an existing Chinese fiction style. |
C.He spread Chinese literature to a wider audience. |
D.He conducted research on famous Chinese detectives. |
A.Vivid and faithful. | B.Dramatic and realistic. |
C.Accurate and humorous. | D.Imaginary and accessible. |
2 . Art Builds Understanding
Despite the long history of scholarship on experiences of art, researchers have yet to capture and understand the most meaningful aspects of such experiences, including the thoughts and insights we gain when we visit a museum, the sense of encounter after seeing a meaningful work of art, or the changed thinking after experiences with art. These powerful encounters can be inspiring, uplifting, and contribute to well-being and flourishing.
According to the mirror model of art developed by Pablo P. L. Tinio, aesthetic reception corresponds to artistic creation in a mirror-reversed fashion. Artists aim to express ideas and messages about the human condition or the world at large.
In addition, art making and art viewing are connected by creative thinking. Research in a lab at Yale University shows that an educational program that uses art appreciation activities builds creative thinking skills. It showed that the more time visitors spent engaging with art and the more they reflected on it, the greater the correspondence with the artists’ intentions and ideas.
Correspondence in feeling and thinking suggests a transfer — between creator and viewer — of ideas, concepts, and emotions contained in the works of art. Art has the potential to communicate across space and time.
A.The viewers gain a new perspective on the story. |
B.The theory of aesthetic cognitivism describes the value of art. |
C.This helps to create connections and insights that otherwise would not happen. |
D.To do so, they explore key ideas and continually expand them as they develop their work. |
E.After spending more time with the work, the viewer begins to access the ideas of the artist. |
F.For example, in one activity, people are asked to view a work of art from different perspectives. |
G.Participants were more original in their thinking when compared to those who did not take part in the program. |
3 . When you look ahead at the year to come, I hope you focus on all the positives even if the negatives exist, because positive thinking can help you get where you want to go.
Positive thinking is not the same as optimism. Being optimistic means believing that everything is going to work out great. But positive thinking is more than that. It’s a mindset or a way of looking at the world and what you do.
To think positively, first of all, we need to look at problems, mistakes and failures as normal. Imagine you bomb a big job interview. A negative thinker will be upset by the fact that he didn’t get the job.
One trick to positive thinking is to imagine how you’ll think back to things that are happening now.
Positive thinking is a mental habit. It takes practice. Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves to focus on the future and on possibility.
A.A positive thinker will learn from the experience. |
B.Negative thinkers will look at failures as end points. |
C.Positive thinking often means separating the past and the future. |
D.It’s a belief in possibility, solutions to problems and the big picture. |
E.Sometimes, it’s hard to learn from our failures or see the big picture. |
F.We can see the power of positive thinking when it comes to problem-solving. |
G.You know from experience that the passing of time brings a fresh perspective. |
4 . People often throw a party to celebrate a variety of occasions. For example, birthdays, graduations, holidays, the end of the semester. the beginning of summer, and so on. If you have ever thrown a party, you must be aware of the biggest problem of waste.Imagine the mess left from all the parties that are held in the world. Where does all of this rubbish go?
Reuse and recycle. Reduce waste by buying party foods (with less packaging) and send guests home with leftover shacks. Use plates you can wash and reuse, rather than hand out disposable paper plates for people’s pizza. Make it easy for your guests to recycle
Allow each person only one cup. Since everyone has the same cup, it is quite easy to mix up the cups. After you put it down for a second, you can’t recognize which cup belongs to you. Then, you will reach for a totally new one. As the result, after the party, you will find many cups are thrown away, causing a lot of waste.
A.It will end up in the landfills.(填埋场) |
B.Make full use of paper invitations |
C.Send e-invitations instead of paper ones |
D.It’s also the environmentally soundest choice |
E.It’s a good idea to allow guests to take their cups away |
F.Put out two rubbish cans and write something on them clearly |
G.Try a new system of handing each guest a cup that you mark with their name |
5 . Black taxis have been a common sight in London for many years. Now these taxis and their drivers have become the focus of a new study into Alzheimer’s (阿尔兹海默症). For those on the outside, it may seem that behind the wheel of these black taxis are just common people who help move us to our places. But hidden within their brains is a map of London’s streets that has put GPS technology to shame for many years.
“The knowledge”, the test for London’s taxi drivers, stands among the hardest tests one could ever experience. It includes remembering information repeatedly from the memory of minute details about between 25,000 and 56,000 streets in London, depending on who’s taking the test, from the Trafalgar Square to the tiniest residential lanes (居民巷).
Usually, the hippocampus (海马体) feels the influences of Alzheimer’s most. The hippocampus controls the brain’s short-term memory and spatial memory (空间记忆) systems. University College London and Alzheimer’s Research UK are coming together to study these taxi drivers’ brains. And the taxi drivers’ hippocampi continue to grow as they go on doing the job for more years. This suggests that perhaps there’s something we can do to reproduce the influence on the general population.
Lead researcher Hugo Spiers was part of the team which 20 years ago found that, like birds’, the taxi drivers’ hippocampi slowly got bigger. In fact, research has found for years that any animal that requires detailed spatial knowledge of their land experiences growth in the hippocampus.
Spiers’ team hopes to deal with Alzheimer’s by studying the taxi drivers’ brains, since the hippocampus becomes smaller with the development of Alzheimer’s. To collect more information, Spiers has asked thirty London’s taxi drivers connected to an MRI machine to drive around. The machine will allow the researchers to keep a real-time watch on the workings of the hippocampus. “It’s been a joy to help scientists fight the disease,” said taxi driver Robert Lordan.
1. What can we learn about “The knowledge”?A.It lasts for a few minutes only. | B.It invites some residents to be testers. |
C.It is a great challenge to people’s memory. | D.It is usually held in London’s busy streets. |
A.They are improved thanks to daily talks. | B.They grow together with taxi drivers’ job. |
C.They fail to control short-term memory. | D.They are more likely to be influenced. |
A.Animals’ hippocampi are quite different from humans’. |
B.The new study can do good to animals as well. |
C.More detailed studies on animals’ brains are needed. |
D.Animals’ hippocampi are similar to humans’. |
A.To decide who has the largest hippocampus. |
B.To find out what their hippocampi are doing at work. |
C.To know how Alzheimer’s develops in their brains. |
D.To test whether the machine influences the hippocampus. |
6 . In our information-driven society, shaping our worldview through the media is similar to forming an opinion about someone solely based on a picture of their foot. While the media might not deliberately deceive us, it often fails to provide a comprehensive view of reality.
Consequently, the question arises: Where, then, shall we get our information from if not from the media? Who can we trust? How about experts- people who devote their working lives to understanding their chosen slice of the world? However, even experts can fall prey to the allure of oversimplification, leading to the “single perspective instinct” that hampers (阻碍) our ability to grasp the intricacies (错综复杂) of the world.
Simple ideas can be appealing because they offer a sense of understanding and certainty. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope, from one attention-grabbing simple idea to a feeling that this idea beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution for, lots of other things. The world becomes simple that way.
Yet, when we embrace a singular cause or solution for all problems, we risk oversimplifying complex issues. For instance, championing the concept of equality may lead us to view all problems through the lens of inequality and see resource distribution as the sole panacea. However, such rigidity prevents us from seeing the multidimensional nature of challenges and hinders true comprehension of reality. This “single perspective instinct” ultimately clouds our judgment and restricts our capacity to tackle complex issues effectively. Being always in favor of or always against any particular idea makes you blind to information that doesn’t fit your perspective. This is usually a bad approach if you would like to understand reality.
Instead, constantly test your favorite ideas for weaknesses. Be humble about the extent of your expertise. Be curious about new information that doesn’t fit, and information from other fields. And rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, consult people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world. If this means you don’t have time to form so may opinions, so what?
Wouldn’t you rather have few opinions that are right than many that are wrong?
1. What does the underlined word “allure” in Para.2 probably mean?A.Temptation. | B.Tradition. | C.Convenience. | D.Consequence. |
A.They meet people’s demand for high efficiency. |
B.They generate a sense of complete understanding. |
C.They are raised and supported by multiple experts. |
D.They reflect the opinions of like-minded individuals. |
A.Simplifying matters releases energy for human brains. |
B.Constant tests on our ideas help make up for our weakness. |
C.A well-founded opinion counts more than many shallow ones. |
D.People who disagree with us often have comprehensive views. |
A.Embracing Disagreement: Refusing Overcomplexity |
B.Simplifying Information: Enhancing Comprehension |
C.Understanding Differences: Establishing Relationships |
D.Navigating Complexity: Challenging Oversimplification |
7 . Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 new species living on the seabed in an untouched area of the Pacific Ocean that has been identified as a future hotspot for deep-sea mining, according to a review of the environmental surveys carried out in the area.
It is the first time the previously unknown biodiversity of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a mineral-rich area of the ocean floor that spans 1.7m sq miles between Hawaii and Mexico in the Pacific, has been comprehensively documented. The research will be critical to assessing the risk of extinction of the species, given contracts for deep-sea mining in the near-pristine area appear imminent.
Most of the animals identified by researchers exploring the zone are new to science, and almost all are unique to the region: only six, including a carnivorous sponge and a sea cucumber, have been seen elsewhere.
Contracts for mining exploration in the CCZ have been granted to 17 deep-sea mining contractors in an area covering 745,000 sq miles. The companies, which are backed by countries including Britain, the US and China, want to dig for minerals including cobalt manganese and nickel in part to sell to the alternative energy sector.
To better understand the impact of mining this fragile ecosystem and its newly discovered inhabitants, an international team of scientists has built the first “CCZ checklist” by compiling all the records from expeditions to the region. Published in the journal Current Biology, it includes 5,578 different species, of which an estimated 88% to 92% had never before been seen.
To study and collect specimens (样品) from the ocean floor, biologists have joined research cruises in the Pacific that send remote-controlled vehicles to traverse (穿越) the seabed 4,000 to 6,000 meters below. Adrian Glover, a deep-sea biologist at the NHM and senior author of the study described it as an “incredible privilege”. The expedition, funded through the Natural Environment Research Council and others, is backed by UK Seabed Resources (UKSR), a deep-sea mining company that operates the UK’s exploration area. The scientists watch operations by video link direct from the boat as new species are gathered by remote control vehicles in the darkness below.
The seabed, Glover said, is an “amazing place” where, despite the extreme cold and dark, life thrives. “One of the characteristics of the abyssal plain is the lack of food, but life has a way of persisting down there,” he said, “It’s a mystery.” One of the deep-sea animals discovered was nicknamed the “gummy squirrel”, because of its huge tail and jelly-like appearance, he said. There are also glass sponges, some of which look like vases.
With approval for deep-sea mining looming, Glover said he believed it was “imperative that we work with the companies looking to mine these resources to ensure any such activity is done in a way that limits its impact upon the natural world”.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “imminent”?A.Easy to carry out. | B.Ready to take place. |
C.Hard to cope with. | D.Important to look over. |
A.Identifying new species living on the seabed. | B.Assessing the risk of extinction of species. |
C.Documenting the biodiversity of the area. | D.Exploring the potential for deep-sea mining. |
A.Abundance of food. | B.Extreme lifeless environment. |
C.Presence of glass sponges. | D.Prosperous life despite challenging conditions. |
A.A magic zone:available to mining companies |
B.A mineral-rich area: Clarion-Clipperton Zone |
C.An “amazing place”: new species booming |
D.Deep-sea wonders: the new species found in a Pacific mining hotspot |
8 . On March 7, 1907, the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the “wisdom of crowds” effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases, the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate.
This effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors, those errors aren’t always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate, and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together, they cancel each other out, resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors, then their errors won’t cancel each other out. In more technical terms, the wisdom of crowds requires that people’s estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons, people’s errors become correlated or dependent, the accuracy of the estimate will go down.
But a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist (转折) on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion, the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance, the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals.
In a follow-up study with 100 university students, the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates? Did they follow those least willing to change their minds? This happened some of the time, but it wasn’t the dominant response. Most frequently, the groups reported that they “shared arguments and reasoned together”. Somehow, these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error. Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain, the potential implications for group discussion and decision-making are enormous.
1. What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about?A.The methods of estimation. | B.The underlying logic of the effect. |
C.The causes of people’s errors. | D.The design of Galton’s experiment. |
A.the crowds were relatively small | B.there were occasional underestimates |
C.individuals did not communicate | D.estimates were not fully independent |
A.The size of the groups. | B.The dominant members. |
C.The discussion process. | D.The individual estimates. |
A.Unclear. | B.Dismissive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Approving. |
9 . In the 19th century, three pioneering women struggled to find their place in a male-controlled field. Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Sophia Jex-Blake—among the first female doctors—are the heroines of Olivia Campbell’s new book. The story is lively and interesting, and the main characters are full of personality and individualism. Jex-Blake is described as “big and confident, a determined educational reformer with large eyes and an even lager personality”. Garrett Anderson, referred to as “Lizzie” throughout, was equally determined but also educated, and polite. The result is a great read for anyone looking for an introduction to the history of medical women.
The biographies of the three women are woven into a bigger, grander story about medicine in the 19th century and it is slow and unwilling acceptance of female physicians (医师). Though British, Blackwell attended medical school in the US. “Lizzie” was admitted to the medical school only via a loophole (漏洞) in the admissions policy. And Jex-Blake’s attempt to sit a medical exam in Edinburgh was met with a storm of protest.
Unsurprisingly, the three heroines faced many difficulties, but their efforts finally proved successful. Women in White Coats is, therefore, a successful tale of social progress. The final concluding chapter paints a sunny picture of present-day equality within the medical profession. However, in its efforts to tell an inspiring story, the book glosses over continuing problems within the profession today. Though more women than men now graduate from medical school, they face struggles with career progression and sexism.
We need more books that don’t offer a “great white men” approach to history. However, they have to deal with the incomplete and uneven nature of progress. Inspiring as it is to read stories of heroines trying hard and succeeding against the odds, that isn’t the whole picture. Medicine might be better for women now than in the past, but the problems of the Victorian era continue to exist and we still have far to go.
1. Who might particularly enjoy reading Women in white Coats?A.People favoring science fiction novels. |
B.Researchers studying great white men in history. |
C.Those interested in female pioneers in medicine. |
D.Students curious about the development of medicine. |
A.To praise their strong personality. |
B.To state the success of women in medicine. |
C.To prove their determination and confidence. |
D.To show the challenges faced by female physicians. |
A.Solves. | B.Ignores. | C.Stresses. | D.Defends. |
A.Gender equality has been achieved in medicine. |
B.The problems faced by women are a thing of the past. |
C.History books should inspire people with women’s success. |
D.History books should cover the successes and struggles of women. |
10 . Preamble of《China: Democracy that works》
Published by the State Council on December 4, 2021
Democracy is a common value of humanity and an ideal that has always been cherished by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people.
This year marks the centenary of the CPC. Since its founding in 1921, the Party has taken wellbeing for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its abiding goals, and has made continuous efforts to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country. China is a country with a feudal (封建的) history dating back several thousand years that descended into a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society after the Opium War of 1840. Over the past hundred years, the Party has led the people in realizing people’s democracy in China. The Chinese people now truly hold in their hands their own future and that of society and the country.
The people’s status as masters of the country is the essence of people’s democracy. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, with a deeper understanding of China’s path to democracy and the political system, the Party has developed whole-process people’s democracy as a key concept and striven to translate it and relevant democratic values into effective institutions and concrete actions.
Whole-process people’s democracy integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive (本质上的) democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a true democracy that works.
Democracy is a concrete phenomenon that is constantly evolving. Rooted in history, culture and tradition, it takes diverse forms and develops along the paths chosen by different peoples based on their exploration and innovation.
The best way to evaluate whether a country’s political system is democratic and efficient is to observe whether the succession of its leaders is orderly and in line with the law, whether all the people can manage state and social affairs and economic and cultural undertakings in conformity with legal provisions, whether the public can express their requirements without hindrance, whether all sectors can efficiently participate in the country’s political affairs, whether national decision-making can be conducted in a rational and democratic way, whether people of high caliber in all fields can be part of the national leadership and administrative systems through fair competition, whether the governing party is in charge of state affairs in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and whether the exercise of power can be kept under effective restraint and supervision.
Democracy is not a decorative ornament, but an instrument for addressing the issues that concern the people. Whether a country is democratic depends on whether its people are truly the masters of the country; whether the people have the right to vote, and more importantly, the right to participate extensively; whether they have been given verbal promises in elections, and more importantly, how many of these promises are fulfilled after elections; whether there are set political procedures and rules in state systems and laws, and more importantly, whether these systems and laws are truly enforced; whether the rules and procedures for the exercise of power are democratic, and more importantly, whether the exercise of power is genuinely subject to public scrutiny and checks.
Democracy is the right of the people in every country, rather than the prerogative of a few nations. Whether a country is democratic should be judged by its people, not dictated by a handful of outsiders. Whether a country is democratic should be acknowledged by the international community, not arbitrarily decided by a few self-appointed judges. There is no fixed model of democracy; it manifests itself in many forms. Assessing the myriad political systems in the world against a single yardstick and examining diverse political structures in monochrome are in themselves undemocratic.
In the richly diverse world, democracy comes in many forms. China’s democracy is thriving alongside those of other countries in the garden of civilizations. China stands ready to contribute its experience and strength to global political progress through cooperation and mutual learning.
1. Which of the following is the foundation of people’s democracy in China?A.Fighting against the feudal power which held the nation backwards. |
B.Striving to translate Whole-process democracy and relevant democratic values into effective institutions and concrete actions. |
C.Asserting their power to rule the country effectively. |
D.Ensuring that the public can express their requirements without hindrance and all sectors can efficiently participate in the country’s political affairs. |
A.Its democracy being rooted in history, culture and tradition as well as taking diverse forms based on exploration and innovation. |
B.Even a little bit of shade from the feudal history has been swept away while continuously revoluting its democracy for the better. |
C.Teenagers willing to take an active part in political activities such as the Simulated CPPCC. |
D.People are able to exercise their rights within the scope of the law unhinderedly (不受阻地). |
A.Observing whether the succession of its leaders is orderly and in line with the law. |
B.Raising our status as masters of the country with concrete actions. |
C.Always innovating for a better future, not only for ourselves but also for our democracy. |
D.Persisting in the Party’s strong leadership. |
A.A full and accurate foreword introducing existing circumstances of democracy. |
B.An informative official document giving people knowledge on democracy in China. |
C.An introduction of how democracy works in China. |
D.Telling people what are thus how to distinguish various kinds of democracy. |