1 . Popular Countries to Visit in 2024
ZimbabweZimbabwe is a country that travelers all over the world always talk about, not only because it is a friendly country, but also because it is one of Africa’s safest places. In Zimbabwe, you can visit many tourist attractions. For example, Big Five-filled national parks, forested mountains and the Victoria Falls. Here you can see African lions, African elephants, African buffaloes, African leopards, and rhinoceroses, which are called the big five animals.
JordanIf you have a taste for adventure (冒险), you will certainly love Jordan, because there is a 650-km-long path in Jordan and you can have a 36-day hike here. There are several other places for people to visit, for example, the Rift Valley is the best place that attracts travelers fond of adventure to challenge. Besides, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth, which can leave a deep impression on people.
IndonesiaFrom Sumatra to Papua, more than 17,000 islands make Indonesia a multicultural (多元文化的) country. On these islands, there are many kinds of tasty food, which could offer tourists good feelings and experiences. Thanks to heavy investment (投资) in new air, land and sea connections by the government, people from 169 countries can enter Indonesia with free visas (签证) . It has never been easier to explore this warm country.
BelarusBelarus becomes more and more popular because of the relaxed visa requirements. There are lots of art exhibitions, cafes and local parties in Belarus. In its beautiful old towns, people can go to the fashionable bars and join the happy summer street parties. Minsk, the capital of Belarus, has been chosen as the host city for many global events and meetings. 2024 European Games is on the list.
1. Where will you go if you are interested in African animals?| A．Zimbabwe. | B．Jordan. | C．Indonesia. | D．Belarus. |
| A．The 650-km-long path. | B．The 36-day hike. |
| C．The Rift Valley. | D．The Dead Sea. |
| A．Indonesia is one of the safest places in the world. |
| B．Many foreigners can visit Indonesia with free visas. |
| C．Indonesia is famous for its tasty food. |
| D．More than 17, 000 cities form the warm country. |
| A．Because the visa requirements have been less strict. |
| B．Because there are lots of art exhibitions, cafes and local parties. |
| C．Because people can get 30-day free visas. |
| D．Because people can join the happy summer street parties. |
| A．Zimbabwe. | B．Jordan. | C．Indonesia. | D．Belarus. |
If you love eating and drinking for free and are looking to make some money, there’s a job that suits you. A new type of service allows people to hire(雇佣) others to enjoy their favorite foods.
Chinese media recently reported on an increasingly popular service that people can go online and hire others to enjoy certain foods and drinks, and ask them to provide video evidence of them eating or drinking the said treats. People should pay from two to nine yuan for the service besides the cost of the food.
Pearl milk tea(珍珠奶茶) is a particularly popular service, as the chewy (耐嚼的) balls and tea drink is so popular these days. There are also some people who want to pay the one who wants to eat fried chicken or hot pot for them. The trend(趋势) has spread to other areas such as selling videos of pet owners feeding their animals and people watching TV series for others. One person in Harbin even offered to sell photos of buyers’ names written in the heavy snow.
So why would anyone pay a total stranger a treat rather than enjoy it themselves? Well, clearly, the online service is so cheap that some people simply do it because of boredom. Some sellers explained that most customers buy their service because they’re hungry at night while they’re on a diet. Eating and drinking by others may help customers reduce the desire(欲望) and avoid high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and other health problems, sellers said. While others get satisfaction in watching others enjoy their favorite treats.
This service has garnered a lot of attention on social media. Although it’s not exactly a get-rich-quickly job, there are quite a lot of people willing to do it for the free treats alone. Some people describing it as their dream job.
1. How much money does it cost to consume certain foods and drinks besides the cost of the food?(no more than 5 words)2. Why would some people pay someone to eat or drink for them? (no more than 15 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 5? (1 word)
4. Why do some people describe the job as their dream job? (no more than 10 words)
5. What’s your attitude towards hiring others to consume tasty food? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
3 . When evaluating people on various psychological tests, psychologists often distinguish between markers of absolute performance and relative performance. Absolute performance reflects the raw measurement of something, like the time it takes to run a mile. Relative performance is how a person rates in relation to their peers, as in what place a runner gets in a race.
The standards we use to evaluate ourselves are almost always relative, as we compare ourselves to our peers and the standards that are most familiar to us.
For instance, in my private practice, I have one patient I will call “Omar” who is dependent on social services and makes less than $30,000 per year at his job. While this level of poverty would lead most people to wake up depressed each day, Omar is one of the most optimistic and appreciative individuals I know. Why? Because most of his closest peers—his siblings and friends from childhood—have lives far worse than his.
In contrast to Omar, I have another patient, an adolescent I’ll call “Lena”, whose family has property over $5 million. Lena, however, lives in an upper-class neighborhood where her family is at the lower end of the income level. Though Lena’s family allows her to enjoy possessions and experiences that less than l percent of her peers across the world can share, she consistently feels “less than”. Why? Because Lena doesn’t compare herself to the rest of the world; This is too abstract an exercise for her, as it would be for most of us.
Accordingly, whether a psychologist is psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral, therapy with individuals struggling with situation al or psychological depression aims to solve the problems associated with basing one’s self-worth on comparisons with others. Psychologists try to help people focus on personal growth around the achievement of concrete goals in line with their values independent of the achievement of others. For all of us, defining these goals, especially during Periods of emotional calm, can go a long way in helping us to avoid the trap of relativity that often leads to situational and psychological depression.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to .| A．show the significance of evaluating people. |
| B．motivate readers to study psychological tests. |
| C．help people perform well in psychological tests |
| D．provide some background information on evaluating people. |
| A．To measure different achievement. |
| B．To introduce the standards to evaluate people. |
| C．To explain relative performance with examples. |
| D．To contrast relative performance and absolute performance. |
| A．“Omar” is independent on social services. |
| B．“Omar”‘s siblings lead better lives than he does. |
| C．“Lena” is always discontented with what she has. |
| D．“Lena” tends to compare herself to the rest of the world. |
| A．Setting goals in life is essential for everyone. |
| B．It’s important to avoid unhealthy comparisons. |
| C．A sense of achievement can affect one’s happiness. |
| D．Improving self-worth can help get rid of depression. |
| A．Happiness: Is it all relative? |
| B．Happiness: Is it associated with achievement? |
| C．Self-worth: Is it based on efforts? |
| D．Self-worth: Is it measurable? |
4 . Discover it all at the Smithsonian!
There’s no more exciting place to be than Smithsonian Summer Camp, where all kinds of dreams can come true. Summer Camp registration begins on Jan. 28, starting at 9 a.m. (online and phone).
People donating to the Smithsonian Associates at the $300 level or higher can register two days in advance.
Get in touch with Customer Service at 202-633-3030 or Smithsonian Associates.org/Camp.
GENERAL INFORMATION
·Camps run Monday, June 20 through Friday, August 19. There will be no camp on Monday, July 4. That week, camp runs Tuesday, July 5 through Friday, July 8.
·Camps are offered for children from kindergarten through 9th grade.
·Camps range in size from 16 to 20 children, with four campers having one instructor.
·Most camps are one week long; campers may register for one or more camps.
·Campers provide their own transportation to the National Mall --- where camps are held. The supervised(监督) drop-off and pick-up location is the entrance of the S. Dillion Ripley Center. An adult is required to sign each camper in and out daily.
·Camps include a supervised packed lunch hour.
Camps T-shirts
A Smithsonian Summer Camp T-shirt is included in the registration fee. Campers can sport their shirts proudly and stand out from the crowd on their field trips around the National Mall. Campers receive one shirt at check-in on their first day of camp, despite the number of camps they registered. Available sizes range from youth S to adult XL. Be sure to include the correct T-shirt size when you register; campers will be given only the recorded size.
1. If one wants to register on Jan.26, he should _______.| A．call 202-633-3030 |
| B．join the Camp in previous years |
| C．visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/Camp |
| D．contribute $300 or more to the Smithsonian Associates |
| A．16-20 | B．5-8 | C．4-5 | D．1-4 |
| A．They should go to camps on their own. | B．Camps provide free lunch for them. |
| C．They can only choose one camp. | D．Each camp lasts for one week. |
| A．They are sold at the National Mall. |
| B．Each camper can only have one T-shirt. |
| C．Campers receive them as soon as they register. |
| D．There’ re different colors for campers to choose from. |
| A．an invitation. | B．a travel guide | C．an advertisement | D．a research report |
5 . What if you could explore a world created by your favorite artist? What if you could walk through a city street painted by Van Gogh, a landscape by Leonardo da Vinci, or the fantastical vision of Salvador Dalf? Soon, you will be able to do these.
Glen Keane was a Disney animator (动画师). He drew some of the world’s most beloved characters. As he drew, his characters became more and more real to him, and yet, they were still confined to a 2D world. Right now, working with some of the latest technology, he is able to move his art into the magical world of virtual reality (VR).
As the artist behind some of Disney’s most beloved characters, he has works that are familiar to us. For him, animation is more than just drawing. It is a process of bringing characters to life in a 2D world. This has always disappointed Glen. How can a flat page truly express a character? “Well, what if I could draw them with the freedom of a sculptor?” he thought. He wants to explore his artistic limits and create new worlds.
Here is where he finds his way to the magic of VR. Using a tool called Tilt Brush, now Glen can draw beloved life-size characters and open up an entirely new world for his art. Think about what’s possible with this new world of art in VR. What an amazing experience it would be to see beloved life-size characters for yourself! Better yet, people all over the world can enjoy this kind of art, no matter their age or background. People who might not otherwise be able to go to the world’s big art museums can experience famous works as well.
We are only at the beginning of developing art in the digital era. So how will VR and our digital capabilities change in the coming years? More and more, it seems that we are moving away from art and technology being put in opposing camps. And as they find ways to connect, we are starting to experience boundary-pushing horizons.
1. Why does the author ask two questions in the first paragraph?| A．To express his doubts about VR. |
| B．To discuss imagination with readers. |
| C．To draw readers’ attention to the topic. |
| D．To introduce works created by famous artists. |
| A．Limited. | B．Simple. | C．Foreign. | D．Challenging. |
| A．He wanted to make his works more popular. |
| B．He was tired of creating hand-drawn works. |
| C．He hoped to experience the latest technology. |
| D．He desired to add life to his works creatively. |
| A．Advanced but costly. |
| B．Accessible and eye-opening. |
| C．Educational but unwelcome. |
| D．Romantic and environment-friendly. |
| A．Virtual reality is closely related to art. |
| B．An animator contributes much to VR technology. |
| C．An artist brings characters to life in virtual reality. |
| D．VR technology creates challenges for modern artists. |
6 . Most people suffer from what is known as “Just-me-ism”. What is that? Well, say you leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, leave a light on when you go out or you drop a piece of litter (垃圾) and can’t be bothered to pick it up. You know that all those things are wrong. But so what? “What difference can it possibly make?” you say to yourself. There are millions of people in the world and I’m just me. How can it matter if I leave one little tap running, one little light on or leave a little piece of litter on the road? “And anyway, no one will know,” Of course, it wouldn’t matter if there were just a few people in the world. But just think of all the millions of people saying to themselves: “It doesn’t matter. It’s just me. And, anyway, no one knows.” Millions of gallons of water would be wasted; millions of lights would be left on; millions of pieces of litter would be dropped. And all of this would be very harmful.
To inspire young people to take action for the environment, animals and their community, Roots & Shoots was established. This institute was set up in the early 1990s by Dr. Jane Goodall, a scientist who’s the world’s best-known expert on wild chimpanzees (黑猩猩). In addition to her research, she has been whole-heartedly committed to environmental protection, the whole purpose of Roots & Shoots is to educate young people, from preschoolers to university students, so they can help to build a future that is secure and live together in peace with nature. The organization is called Roots & Shoots because roots (根) move slowly under the ground to make a firm (坚实的) foundation, and shoots seem small and weak, but they can break open brick walls to reach the light. The roots and shoots are you, your friends and young people all around the world. Hundreds and thousands of roots and shoots can solve the problems, change the world and make it a better place to live in.
Do you think you help to make the world a better place when you make a sad person smile, when you make a dog wag (摇摆) its tail, and when you water a thirsty plant? One cheered-up person, one happy dog, one flowering plant, and you. That’s what Roots & Shoots is all about: the value and importance of each individual — human, animal or plant. Dr. Jane Goodall believes that the most important thing is that: “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference. You get to choose: Do you want to use your life to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment? Do you want to make Roots & Shoots rooted in everyone’s heart? Do you want to be a part of a community for a shared future? You cannot be absent.”
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．I can do whatever I like and nobody knows. |
| B．I’m unique and no one realizes it. |
| C．I’m lonely. And, no one in the world knows me. |
| D．This is who I am. And, I don’t want people to know me. |
| A．establish Roots & Shoots |
| B．educate people to build a safer future |
| C．commit to environmental protection |
| D．guide young people to create a future in harmony with nature |
| A．All the people. | B．The youth. | C．Adults. | D．Our friends. |
| A．Wait-and-see. | B．Skeptical. | C．Admiring. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．To introduce Roots & Shoots. |
| B．To point out the disadvantages of “Just-me-ism”. |
| C．To call on young people to join Roots & Shoots. |
| D．To call people to pay more attention to animals and plants. |
7 . Great European Cities
PARISParis is the capital and largest city of France, situated on River Seine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is visited by more than eight million tourists every year. The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous symbol of Paris. One of the world’s largest art galleries, the Louvre, is also located in Paris. The city is also famous for its restaurants, cafes and theatres. About two-thirds of France’s artists and writers live in Paris.
BARCELONABarcelona is the second largest city of Spain and is situated on the northeast coast, about five hundred kilometres east of the Spanish capital, Madrid. One of Barcelona’s most famous landmarks is the Church of Sagrada Familia (圣家族大教堂), which was designed by an architect called Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi worked on the project from 1882 until his death in 1926. The church hasn’t been finished yet!
FLORENCEFlorence is an Italian city which won its fame because of the Renaissance (文艺复兴), a great artistic movement which began in the 1300s and lasted for three hundred years. During the Renaissance, some of the greatest painters of all time lived and worked in Florence. Many of Florence’s most beautiful paintings and sculptures were produced by great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Florence is visited each year by about a million tourists who come to see the art galleries, churches and museums. The Uffizi Palace (乌菲兹美术馆) is the most famous art gallery in the city.
ATHENSAthens, the capital of Greece, is known as the birthplace of western civilization. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world’s most powerful city. Buildings such as the Parthenon (帕特农神庙) on the Acropolis (雅典卫城) Hill were built during this period. Greece’s best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever since.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Paris?| A．Paris is the biggest city of Europe. |
| B．Louvre is the famous symbol of Paris. |
| C． The Eiffel Tower stands in the centre of Paris. |
| D．Paris is famous for its art galleries, restaurants, cafes and theatres. |
| A．It’s the capital of Spain. |
| B．It’s to the east of Madrid. |
| C．It’s the Largest city of Spain |
| D．The Church of Sagrada Familia was completed after Gaudi’s death. |
| A．Florence is known for the Renaissance. |
| B．Florence is a city with a history of three hundred years. |
| C．The Uffizi Palace is the most popular art gallery in Italy. |
| D．Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo produced most of Florence’s paintings and sculptures. |
| A．used to be the capital of Greece | B．used to be the centre of power |
| C．was a birthplace of great buildings | D．was home to most Greek writers |
| A．A course guide. | B．A summer camp notice. |
| C．A tourist brochure. | D．A business magazine. |
8 . Team-building exercises have become popular for managers trying to increase organizational and team harmony and productivity. Unfortunately, many employees are angry about compulsory bonding and often regard these exercises as a nuisance (烦事).
A paper published this week by University of Sydney researchers in Social Networks has reported participants' feelings about team-building intervention (干预), revealing ethical implications in forcing employees to take part.
“Many people see team building activities as a waste of time, so we decided to look in more depth at what's behind this,” said the paper's lead researcher, Dr Peter Matous.
“Teams are formed, combined and restructured. Staff are relocated and office spaces redesigned. All this is done with the aim of improving workplace efficiency, collaboration and cohesion. But does any of this work?” said Dr Matous.
The study found that team-building exercises which focused on the sharing of and intervening into personal attitudes and relationships between team members were considered too rude and nosy (爱打听), although the researchers say some degree of openness and vulnerability (脆弱) is often necessary to make deep, effective connections with colleagues.
"Some participants were against team-building exercises because they were indirectly compulsory. They didn't welcome management's interest in their lives beyond their direct work performance," said Matous. "Many people don't want to be forced into having fun or making friends, especially not on top of their busy jobs. They feel management is being too nosy or trying to control their lives too much."
In this study the researchers recommended a self-disclosure (表露) approach where participants were guided through a series of questions that allowed them to increasingly disclose personal information and values. The method is well-tested and has been shown to increase interpersonal closeness. However, to be successful it must be voluntary.
The researchers said there are numerous schools of thought that propose differing psychological methods for strengthening relationships. “With caution, many relational methods to improve teams and organizations can be borrowed from other fields. The question is how to apply them effectively to strengthen an entire collective, which is more than just the sum of individual relationships,” said Dr Matous.
1. Why are many employees opposed to team-building exercises?| A．They consider such exercises annoying. |
| B．They deem these exercises counter-productive. |
| C．They see such exercises as harmful to harmony. |
| D．They find these exercises too demanding. |
| A．They relocated team leaders and their offices. |
| B．They rearranged the staff and office spaces. |
| C．They redesigned the staffs work schedules. |
| D．They reintroduced some cohesive activities. |
| A．They were intended to share personal attitudes and relationships. |
| B．They indirectly added to the vulnerability of team members. |
| C．They always strengthened connections among colleagues. |
| D．They were regarded as a violation of employees' privacy. |
| A．By allowing participants freedom to express themselves. |
| B．By applying it to employees who volunteer to participate. |
| C．By arranging in proper order the questions participants face. |
| D．By guiding employees through a series of steps in team building. |
| A．They must be used in combination for an entire collective. |
| B．They prioritize some psychological aspects over others. |
| C．They place too much stress on individual relationships. |
| D．They have to be applied cautiously to be effective. |
9 . Having a rival (对手) can keep you committed to achieving your goals and enhance your overall performance. But before you go out and find an entrepreneur (创业者) to outcompete(胜出), it’s important to understand and avoid the traps that often come with rivalry. After all, competitive rivalry can also make it difficult for you to make a decision and increase your willingness to take risks, behaviors that can ultimately hurt your venture’s (风险项目) success.
Finding someone you’re committed to outcompeting can be a great way to stay focused on your goals and push your venture to the next level. But when you’re intently focused on outperforming your rivals, you may begin to develop a “win-at-all-costs” mentality (心态) that causes you to ignore how you achieve success. One group of researchers, for example, examined the link between rivalry and unethical(不道德的) behavior. They found that when people compete against their rivals, they are more willing to behave unethically to win. But such behavior may damage your reputation and strain(使……紧张) relationships important to your success. One way to avoid this trap is to stop and reflect on what’s important. While outperforming your rivals may provide short-term benefits, the loss of your integrity(正直) will have long-term consequences.
One reason having a rival can enhance your venture’s performance is that it creates a level of excitement that drives you to work harder. But this eagerness to win may also hurt your venture’s success, particularly when it causes you to make impulsive, insensible decisions. But it’s possible to avoid such costly mistakes by making a habit of engaging in critical thinking, such as considering opposing viewpoints and conducting cost-benefit analyses, especially for those decisions that are complex and can determine the future of your venture.
The sense of eagerness that comes with having a rival can not only cause you to make poorer decisions, but it can also lead you to take greater risks that put your venture in great dangers. One way you can overcome the risk-inducing (诱发) effects of rivalry that stand to endanger your venture’s success is to remain attentive to your emotional state and actively monitor how such feelings are affecting your decision-making.
1. How can competitive rivalry benefit entrepreneurs according to the passage?| A．By enabling them to outcompete other entrepreneurs. |
| B．By enabling them to make their venture a success. |
| C．By helping them to reach long-term goals. |
| D．By helping them to stay goal-oriented. |
| A．They may adopt strategies that are bound to ruin their venture. |
| B．They may depend on unethical means to outperform their rivals. |
| C．They may be too eager to succeed while ignoring the huge labor cost. |
| D．They may be intently focused on winning at the current market level. |
| A．Think very carefully about what really matters. |
| B．Prioritize obtaining immediate benefits. |
| C．Estimate the long-term consequences. |
| D．Reflect on what successes are achievable. |
| A．By engaging themselves in critical reasoning. |
| B．By developing a habit of keeping their integrity. |
| C．By criticizing themselves for previous poor performances. |
| D．By stopping themselves from being too excited about their successes. |
| A．By paying close attention to their current performance. |
| B．By taking steps that stand to endanger their rivals’ success. |
| C．By monitoring how their decision-making impacts their mentality. |
| D．By keeping their emotions in check to avoid making poor decisions. |
More than 25 years ago, Saroo Brierley lived in rural India. One day, he played with his brother along the rail line and fell asleep. When he woke up and found himself alone, the 4-year-old decided his brother might be on the train he saw in front of him — so he got on.
That train took him a thousand miles across the country to a totally strange city. He lived on the streets, and then in an orphanage (孤儿院). There, he was adopted by an Australian family and flown to Tasmania.
As he writes in his new book, A Long Way Home, Brierley couldn’t help but wonder about his hometown back in India. He remembered landmarks, but since he didn’t know his town’s name, finding a small neighborhood in a vast country proved to be impossible.
Then he found a digital mapping program. He spent years searching for his hometown in the program’s satellite pictures. In 2011, he came across something familiar. He studied it and realized he was looking at a town’s central business district from a bird’s-eye view. He thought, “On the right-hand side you should see the three-platform train station” — and there it was.” And on the lef-hand side you should see a big fountain” — and there it was. Everything just started to match.
When he stood in front of the house where he grew up as a child, he saw a lady standing in the entrance. “There’s something about me,” he thought-and it took him a few seconds but he finally reminisced about what she used to look like.
In an interview Brierley says, “My mother looked so much shorter than I remembered. But she came forth and walked forward, and I walked forward, and my feelings and tears and the chemical in my brain, you know, it was like a nuclear fusion (核聚变). I just didn’t know what to say, because I never thought seeing my mother would ever come true. And here I am, standing in front of her.”
1. Why did Brierley get on the train in front of him?(No more than 10 words)2. What made Brierley move to Tasmania from India?(No more than 12 words)
3. How did Brierley manage to find his hometown in India?(No more than 10words)
4. What does the underlined part mean in Para.5?(No more than 2 words)
5. How are you inspired by Brierley’s words in an interview? Please explain in your own words.(No more than 20 words)
