1 . The Stanford marshmallow (棉花糖) test was originally conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel in the late 1960s. Children aged four to six at a nursery school were placed in a room. A single sugary treat, selected by the child, was placed on a table. Each child was told if they waited for 15 minutes before eating the treat, they would be given a second treat. Then they were left alone in the room. Follow-up studies with the children later in life showed a connection between an ability to wait long enough to obtain a second treat and various forms of success.
As adults we face a version of the marshmallow test every day. We’re not tempted by sugary treats, but by our computers, phones, and tablets — all the devices that connect us to the global delivery system for various types of information that do to us what marshmallows do to preschoolers.
We are tempted by sugary treats because our ancestors lived in a calorie-poor world, and our brains developed a response mechanism to these treats that reflected their value — a feeling of reward and satisfaction. But as we’ve reshaped the world around us, dramatically reducing the cost and effort involved in obtaining calories, we still have the same brains we had thousands of years ago, and this mismatch is at the heart of why so many of us struggle to resist tempting foods that we know we shouldn’t eat.
A similar process is at work in our response to information. Our formative environment as a species was information-poor, so our brains developed a mechanism that prized new information. But global connectivity has greatly changed our information environment. We are now ceaselessly bombarded (轰炸) with new information. Therefore, just as we need to be more thoughtful about our caloric consumption, we also need to be more thoughtful about our information consumption, resisting the temptation of the mental “junk food” in order to manage our time most effectively.
1. What did the children need to do to get a second treat in Mischel’s test?| A．Take an examination alone. | B．Share their treats with others. |
| C．Delay eating for fifteen minutes. | D．Show respect for the researchers. |
| A．the calorie-poor world and our good appetites | B．the shortage of sugar and our nutritional needs |
| C．the tempting foods and our efforts to keep fit | D．the rich food supply and our unchanged brains |
| A．Be selective information consumers. | B．Absorb new information readily. |
| C．Use diverse information sources. | D．Protect the information environment. |
| A．Eat Less, Read More | B．The Later, the Better |
| C．The Marshmallow Test for Grownups | D．The Bitter Truth about Early Humans |
2 . On September 7, 1991, the costliest hailstorm (雹暴) in Canadian history hit Calgary’s southern suburbs. As a result, since 1996 a group of insurance companies have spent about $2 million per year on the Alberta Hail Suppression Project. Airplanes seed threatening storm cells with a chemical to make small ice crystals fall as rain before they can grow into dangerous hailstones. But farmers in east-central Alberta — downwind of the hail project flights — worry that precious moisture (水分) is being stolen from their thirsty land by the cloud seeding.
Norman Stienwand, who farms in that area, has been addressing public meetings on this issue for years. “Basically, the provincial government is letting the insurance companies protect the Calgary-Edmonton urban area from hail,” Mr. Stienwand says, “but they’re increasing drought risk as far east as Saskatchewan.”
The Alberta hail project is managed by Terry Krauss, a cloud physicist who works for Weather Modification Inc. of Fargo, North Dakota. “We affect only a very small percentage of the total moisture in the air, so we cannot be causing drought.” Dr. Krauss says. “In fact, we may be helping increase the moisture downwind by creating wetter ground.”
One doubter about the safety of cloud seeding is Chuck Doswell, a research scientist who just retired from the University of Oklahoma. “In 1999, I personally saw significant tornadoes form from a seeded storm cell in Kansas,” Dr. Doswell says. “Does cloud seeding create killer storms or reduce moisture downwind? No one really knows, of course, but the seeding goes on.”
Given the degree of doubt, Mr. Stienwand suggests, “It would be wise to stop cloud seeding.” In practice, doubt has had the opposite effect. Due to the lack of scientific proof concerning their impacts, no one has succeeded in winning a lawsuit against cloud-seeding companies. Hence, private climate engineering can proceed in relative legal safety.
1. What does the project aim to do?| A．Conserve moisture in the soil. | B．Forecast disastrous hailstorms. |
| C．Prevent the formation of hailstones. | D．Investigate chemical use in farming. |
| A．Managers of insurance companies. | B．Farmers in east-central Alberta. |
| C．Provincial government officials. | D．Residents of Calgary and Edmonton. |
| A．To compare different kinds of seeding methods. | B．To illustrate the development of big hailstorms. |
| C．To show the link between storms and moisture. | D．To indicate a possible danger of cloud seeding. |
| A．Scientific studies have proved Stienwand right. | B．Cloud-seeding companies will continue to exist. |
| C．The doubt about cloud seeding has disappeared. | D．Private climate engineering is illegal in Canada. |
3 . In the past few years, online learning has become a significant part of the university and college experience.
We interviewed students and professors to get their advice about online courses, The most obvious advantage of online learning is that you can study anywhere and anytime.
The tip that comes up most often is simple: build online courses into your weekly schedule, just like what you would do with in person courses.
| A．But that doesn’t mean there aren’t deadlines. |
| B．Your motivation should be your main concern. |
| C．Do you know that online courses are also part of your education? |
| D．Professor Alex Davidson teaches the same course in person and online. |
| E．The chief complain t about online courses is that they lack human interaction. |
| F．If you take an online course, what can you do to ensure the best possible grade? |
| G．A survey found that 29 percent of college students registered for online courses. |
4 . When was the last time you used a telephone box? I mean to make an actual phone call — not to shelter from the rain. Ages ago, right? The last time I used a phone box for its intended purpose was…2006. I was conducting auditions (试演) for my play in my tiny old shared house in London. Hoping to impress some talented actors to come and work for me for nothing, I spread some throws over the sofas and lit candles to make it seem a bit more ”young professional”.
As I rushed outdoors to empty the wastepaper baskets, the door swung shut behind me. Suddenly I was locked outside. My mobile phone was inside, but luckily there was a telephone box across the street. So, I called Directory Assistance, got put through to our landlady’s managing agent, and had a spare key sent to me with just enough time to get back in before the actors arrived.
As it has been many years since I last used one, I should hardly be surprised that then are no longer any public telephones near my house. The last one standing has just been turn into a “mini community library”: any passer-by can “borrow” a book from its shelves return it later, or replace it with another title from their own collection.
For a few months after the “library” opened, I didn’t bother taking a look, as I had assumed that it would be stuffed full of cheese love stories. Then I noticed fork conducting spring cleans dropping boxes of voluminous books on various subjects there. And these books were free. This unbeatable price-point encouraged me to experiment with dozens of titles that I would never normally consider buying. And I’ve discovered some great books!
If I ever get trapped outside my house again, my local telephone box will, sadly no longer be able to connect me with my keys. But it can certainly keep me entertained while I wait for my wife to rescue me.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?| A．The play. | B．The shared house. |
| C．The sofa. | D．The telephone box. |
| A．To place an urgent call. | B．To put up a notice. |
| C．To shelter from the rain. | D．To hold an audition. |
| A．It provides phone service for free. | B．Anyone can contribute to its collection. |
| C．It is popular among young readers. | D．Books must be returned within a month. |
| A．He wanted to borrow some love stories. |
| B．He was encouraged by a close neighbour. |
| C．He found there were excellent free books. |
| D．He thought it was an ideal place for reading. |
5 . Tom Sawyer Play Is an Adventure
A 35-minute hand-clapping, foot-stomping musical version of a Mark Twain favorite returns with this Tall Stacks festival.
“Tom Sawyer: A River Adventure” has all the good stuff, including the fence painting, the graveyard, the island and the cave. It is adapted by Joe McDonough, with music by David Kisor. That’s the local stage writing team that creates many of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s original musicals, along with the holiday family musicals at Ensemble Theatre.
This year Nathan Turner of Burlington is Tom Sawyer, and Robbie McMath of Fort Mitchell is Huck Finn.
Tumer, a 10th-grader at School for Creative and Performing Arts, is a familiar presence on Cincinnati’s stages. He is a star act or of Children’s Theatre, having played leading roles in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and is fresh from Jersey Production “Ragtime”.
McMath is a junior at Beechwood High School. He was in the cast of “Tom Sawyer” when it was first performed and is a Children’s Theatre regular, with five shows to his credit. This summer he attended Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts in Musical Theatre.
Note to teachers: Children’s Theatre has a study guide demonstrating how math and science can be taught through “Tom Sawyer.” For downloadable lessons, visit the official website of Children’s Theatre.
1. Who wrote the music for “Tom Sawyer: A River Adventure”?| A．David Kisor. | B．Joe McDonough. |
| C．Nathan Turner. | D．Robbie McMath. |
| A．They study in the same school. | B．They worked together in ”Ragtime“. |
| C．They are experienced on stage. | D．They became friends ten years ago. |
| A．Research funding. | B．Training opportunities. |
| C．Technical support. | D．Educational resources. |
6 . One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap (包装).
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is.” What an honour! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it.Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room.“If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!”
“Thank God!” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
1. What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?| A．He got a baby brother. |
| B．He got a Christmas gift. |
| C．He became four years old. |
| D．He received a doll. |
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Fearful. |
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．A sad Christmas day. |
| B．Life with a lovely baby. |
| C．A special Christmas gift. |
| D．Memories of a happy family. |
Herman Cruse, a school bus driver from New Jersey, has been with Middle Township Public Schools for the past nine years. He believes bus drivers are the eyes and ears of students when they're away from home and they have a gift to discern what kids are feeling.
During one morning ride, Cruse noticed a kindergartner seemed a little sad. When Cruse asked him what was wrong, the boy explained that he wasn't able to complete his reading assignment because his parents were busy with his four siblings (兄弟姐妹). An idea suddenly crossed Cruse's mind. “Listen, if you don't mind, I'd like to come to the school and read with you. ”he said.
After receiving permission from the boy's teacher, Alex Bakley, Cruse showed up at her classroom the following week. When he walked in, the boy shouted proudly, “Hey, that's my bus driver!”They went into a quiet corner and began reading together. Later, a second student wanted to read with him, then a third. All the kids went to the teacher asking, “Can I read with Mr. Herman?”
Cruse now volunteers to help kindergarten students with reading two days a week, and on a third day, he instructs the school's first-and second-graders. After dropping the kids off at school, of course. Every child looks up to Cruse, both on and off the school bus. “Herman is super positive and he's a bright light at our school who makes every child feel loved and heard. ”said Bakley.
For Cruse, what started out as a way to kill time has now developed into a way to make a difference in the heart of a child. He used to go to the gym or library after delivering students to schools. It wasn't until he offered to help the boy on the bus that he realized there was something more rewarding he could be doing. It's a joy for him to see the kids get excited when they learn to sound out words. He loves how reading opens up a new world for them.
1. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 1? (1 word)2. Why did the boy on the bus look a little upset? (no more than 11 words)
3. What help does Cruse offer after delivering students to schools? (no more than 12 words)
4. Why does Cruse think his voluntary work is rewarding according to the last paragraph? (no more than 16 words)
5. Who's “a bright light” in your life? Please explain in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
8 . Storytelling is an ancient art form that has been used to hand down legends, tales and factual stories. Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind when you think of storytelling is the fantasy land that took shape in your mind while Mom or Dad told you stories about princes, castles and monsters, with a unique voice for each character.
Storytelling does not just take place at bedtime or round a campfire, however. It can take some other forms, either via the books we read or the films we watch. But they usually have some elements in common: rather than a list of dry facts, stories have plots and they introduce characters. We respond to stories, particularly when there is emotional detail.
And unlike what we suppose, storytelling is not just a form of entertainment, but a form of learning as well. Long before reading and writing became widely spread and available, oral storytelling had already been a form that the wisdom and knowledge of the people were passed down from elders to children. A good story engages our curiosity, emotions and imagination.
Storytelling helps with learning also because stories are easy to remember. Research has found that learning obtained from a well-told story is remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than from facts and figures.
And above all, stories have a transformative power to allow us to see the world in a different way than we do if we just encounter it on our own. Stories are an entry point to understanding a different experience of the world.
This aspect of storytelling-presenting a different perspective of the world—is important when it comes to connecting with each other. It gives us an opportunity to learn from another person’s experience and it can shape, strengthen or challenge our opinions and values. So, when someone tells us their own personal story, we catch a glimpse (瞥见) of a view of the world that may be slightly or significantly different from our own. When we see the world as they see it, or walk in their shoes, the experience can inspire empathy (共情；同理心) with them.
1. What occurs to us the moment we think of “storytelling”?| A．A child's imaginary world. |
| B．Voices of Mom or Dad. |
| C．An ancient art form. |
| D．Factual stories. |
| A．Form and style. |
| B．Facts and figures. |
| C．Emotional and physical details. |
| D．A series of events and characters. |
| A．It carries more wisdom and knowledge. |
| B．It is more widely available to young learners. |
| C．It satisfies our imagination and releases our emotions. |
| D．It makes what is learned more precise and longer lasting. |
| A．By offering us more opportunities to know people. |
| B．By helping us stay connected with the contemporary world. |
| C．By allowing us to understand the world the way they see it. |
| D．By enabling us to tell reality from imagination. |
| A．The History of Storytelling |
| B．The Power of Storytelling |
| C．The Forms of Storytelling |
| D．The Art of Storytelling |
9 . Getting the “side-eye” look from your dog can make it seem like they are making a judgement about you, and some new studies suggest they really could be.
The ability to judge others’ intentions is an indicator of possessing “theory of mind” which was once thought to be unique to humans. However, new studies have shown that dogs can read human behaviour and have a preference to people who are more friendly or generous with food.
One such study published in 2023 aimed to see if dogs can tell the difference between humans who are “unwilling” or “unable” to give them a treat. 96 dogs were involved in both “unwilling” and “unable” scenarios (情境) designed for the study. Both scenarios involved a dog being placed on one side of a glass screen with small holes in it at nose-height, and an experimenter standing on the other. In the ‘unwilling’ scenario, the experimenter would hang a piece of sausage in front of the screen in a ‘teasing’ (戏耍的) manner, and approach one of the holes. But instead of passing it through the hole to the dog, they would then pull it out of its reach. For the “unable” scenario, the experimenter would again move the treat towards the hole while the dog watched, but “accidentally” drop it before they could pass it through.
The researchers observed that the dogs were much more patient, making more eye contact and staying closer to the screen after the “unable” scenario played out. In the “unwilling” scenario, however, the dogs looked at the experimenter less often, sat, lay down and wandered around more frequently.
Another study from 2021 tested for “theory of mind” in dogs in a similar way, but the dogs were able to walk round the screen to obtain the treat after witnessing the experimenter’s “unwilling” or “unable” behaviour. The main finding was that the dogs approached the experimenter significantly sooner in the unable scenario than in the unwilling scenario.
However, the researchers of the 2023 study challenged that the food dropped on the floor in the clumsy (笨拙的) manner might have motivated the dogs to approach the experimenter considering that they probably often obtain food dropped on the floor in their daily lives.
Now, more evidence has been provided that dogs distinguish between similar actions associated with different intentions. But how exactly they acquire such intention-reading abilities will be an exciting topic for future research.
1. What is one of the new research findings according to Paragraph 2?| A．Dogs also have “theory of mind”. |
| B．Dogs prefer food from generous people. |
| C．Human behaviours are mostly intentional. |
| D．Friendly animals can get food more easily. |
| A．They acted awkwardly while feeding the dog. |
| B．They pretended to walk slowly away from the dog. |
| C．They teased the dog by fixing the treat to the screen. |
| D．They pulled the sausage beyond the dog’s reach. |
| A．By moving closer to the experimenter. |
| B．By keeping wandering around. |
| C．By ignoring the experimenter. |
| D．By lying still on the floor |
| A．The dogs can watch the experimenter. |
| B．The dogs can go to the other side of the screen. |
| C．The dogs’ responses are under close observation. |
| D．The dogs’ habitual behaviours are under analysis. |
| A．Dogs can tell “being friendly” from “being mean” |
| B．Dogs’ intelligence is gradually evolving. |
| C．Dogs’ intentions can be easily identified. |
| D．Dogs are a lot more emotional than other animals. |
10 . I looked through the window of the charming little violin shop, and my heart began to race.
I'd been out to dinner that evening. Since it wasn't dark yet after the meal, I decided to walk home from the restaurant. I had traveled that way before, yet I had never noticed that old little shop. But that night I felt drawn to the violin shop the moment I came across it.
I wiped the dirt from the window to get a better look inside. Several violins hung from the dark walls, quietly waiting to be chosen. As my eyes rested on them, I felt as though I were looking through a window into my own past.
My childhood was all about the pursuits I had attempted, most of which had been chosen by Mom. She was like, “Join the swim team, Tara. Your sister is a good swimmer;surely you will be, too. ”What she refused to acknowledge, however, was that I was visibly afraid of water.
Every Saturday I begged Mom not to make me go to the swim meet, but had little chance of success. That said, with a bang of the starting gun, I would dive into the cold water with all my strength and swim to the other side of the pool as fast as I could, only to find that the other swimmers slid past me. I would have given it up if I had not heard my father's encouraging shouts to cheer me on. When at last my hand would grab the edge of the pool, he would always be there with a warm, dry towel, telling me how proud he was of my desperate efforts.
Then came a turning point in my life the day our school orchestra( 管弦乐队)visited my class, and gave a demonstration. The drums annoyed me. The flutes(笛子)bored me. But the violin…ah, the violin. It made the sweetest sound I'd ever heard!My heart was dancing along with its flowing tune. For the first time in my life, I went so wild with joy.
Tightly holding the permission slip from the orchestra director, I ran all the way home after school, and shakily handed it to my parents with a fear that they might dismiss my desire. They didn't. Mom was thrilled to see me finally excited about something, and Dad winked(眨眼示意)at me while eagerly signing the slip.
I began practicing the violin with great passion, and rose quickly in ability. Before long I had won the first seat in the community orchestra …
1. What did the sight of the violins in that little shop bring to Tara's mind?| A．Her miserable past. |
| B．An unforgettable sport event. |
| C．The stories behind the violins. |
| D．Her childhood memory. |
| A．mindless and bad-tempered |
| B．caring and supportive |
| C．strict and demanding |
| D．tolerant and sympathetic |
| A．The tune of the flutes. |
| B．The beat of the drums. |
| C．The sound of the violin. |
| D．The manner of the musicians. |
| A．The steady improvement in her taste. |
| B．Her strong desire for success. |
| C．Her natural gift for music. |
| D．The rapid progress in her ability. |
| A．It's never too young to learn. |
| B．A passionate interest works wonders. |
| C．Hard work will pay off in the long run. |
| D．Like mother, like daughter. |
