1 . You’ve made the decision that you want to travel more this year. You’ve realized that experiences are more important than possessions (财产) and you’ve put together a plan to start saving for your next big trip.
Be open-minded.
Haven’t heard of a place?
You want to travel to a certain destination but flights are really expensive? Don’t let this put you off, unlock your creativity and find a solution. Using the example of Ljubljana again, it’s really expensive to fly direct but flights to Venice are cheap and then there’s a 2-hour shuttle (往返) bus from Venice Ljubljana. Problem solved.
Explore travel websites and blogs.
Seek suggestions from locals.
Locals are often the best sources of information when it comes to discovering hidden destinations. Engage (接触) with locals through conversations, or social media groups related to your destination.
| A．Be creative. |
| B．Can’t even pronounce a place? |
| C．Avoid the common misunderstandings. |
| D．Can’t find a way to write your journal? |
| E．But how are you going to decide where to actually go? |
| F．The Internet is a place full of valuable information when it comes to travel. |
| G．Ask for their recommendations that might not be widely known but are worth exploring. |
2 . A 2021 York University study showed that weekly dance training improved motor function and daily living for those with mild Parkinson’s disease. So what is it about dance that’s different from other exercises?
Helena Blumen, a scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, says the mental multitasking that dance requires activates various parts of the brain at the same time, which can lead to the building of better connections across different brain regions. Basically, dancing requires more “brain power” than simpler repetitive exercises.
While scientists are still learning how dancing works in the brain, a clearer picture is beginning to take shape. In 2018, researchers at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg in Germany, did MRI scans (扫描) of older adults who had taken part in one of the two programs over six months: one group practiced dance and the other did a traditional exercise program with cycling and strength training.
Both groups improved their level of physical fitness, but the dancers grew more white and grey matter in the parts of the brain that are responsible for cognitive (认知的) processes. What’s more, the dancers showed an increase in blood plasma BDNF, a factor known to play an important role in the development of brain capacity (能力). Together, the researchers suppose, these brain changes contribute to more of the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways.
In a different study in 2022, Blumen and other researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that social ballroom dancing, when compared with treadmill walking among adults over 65, was connected with diminished possibility of developing Alzheimer’s disease and improved overall quality of life.
Similar studies have shown the benefits of dance in conditions ranging from MS to Huntington’s disease or other mental illnesses. Dance therapy (疗法) might even help people with brain injuries. A small Finnish study of 11 people with severe brain injury showed that dance-based therapy may improve mobility, cognition and overall well-being.
1. How is dancing different from other exercises according to the text?| A．Dancing is more fun. | B．Dancing is more challenging. |
| C．Dancing is better for the heart. | D．Dancing requires more brain activities. |
| A．By making a detailed survey. | B．By referring to previous studies. |
| C．By making comparative analyses. | D．By setting up a modeling pattern. |
| A．Reduced. | B．imagined. | C．Flexible. | D．Existent. |
| A．It’s risky. | B．It’s beneficial. | C．It’s informal. | D．It’s traditional. |
3 . Each spring, scientists hide more than 1,600 lunchbox-size recorders across the forests of the Sierra Nevada range in the western U. S.
Until they’re taken back at summer’s end, these recorders record a million hours of audio (音频), which often contains the hoots, barks, and whistles of the California spotted owl — valuable information about where the endangered species spends its time. But it’s a lot of recordings for a human to go through. “There’s no way we can listen to that — not even close,” says Connor Wood, a researcher who co-leads the owl project at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York.
It turns out that this team actually can process this huge amount of data — they just need a little help from BirdNET, an AI-powered system launched in 2018 that can identify more than 6,000 species of birds, including the migration (迁徙) birds, across the globe just by their call.
“We need tools that are really flexible and capable of identifying as many acoustically (听觉上) active animals as possible,” says Wood, whose lab developed BirdNET with the Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany. “I cannot stress enough the significant influence BirdNET has brought to bird research.”
Two years later, the team launched the official BirdNET app, which allows people across the world to upload their own recordings from laptops or smartphones. Since then, BirdNET has gathered roughly 150 million high-quality bird sounds. With funding from the U. S. Forest Service and National Park Service, Wood and his team recently used BirdNET to create the first ecosystem-wide assessment of spotted owl populations across the Sierra Nevada, which increasingly face threats from enemy species or wildfires.
However, like most AI-based technology, these apps are not without drawbacks. In his recent study, ecologist Cristian Pérez-Granados, who works at the University of Alicante in Spain, reviewed a range of scientific literature on BirdNET. His research found that BirdNET didn’t always register a bird’s song, and sometimes misidentified it as another species, which results in “false positives”.
1. What is the main challenge in processing the audio data?| A．The data contain mostly useless background noise. |
| B．There is too much audio data to handle. |
| C．The data are too small to provide enough information. |
| D．The recorders frequently fail to function and record properly. |
| A．To play bird sounds. | B．To take photos of birds. |
| C．To recognize bird species. | D．To track bird migration. |
| A．Curious. | B．Appreciative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Carefree. |
| A．Limitations of the BirdNET application. | B．Benefits of BirdNET for bird conservation. |
| C．Supporting evidence for the research results. | D．Reasonable doubts about the research process. |
4 . Among those history, science and literature for teenagers, Sophie’s World is definitely a classic. The defining theme (主题) of Sophie’s World is, pretty clearly, philosophy. As the book moves along, Sophie Amundsen, a teenaged girl, learns important lessons in the history of Western philosophy from her teacher, Alberto Knox. Alberto, an intelligent man, guides Sophie through the history of philosophy.
It would take too long to summarize every philosophical system that Alberto reviews with Sophie—in fact, doing so would be beside the point. By the end of the book, Sophie certainly hasn’t settled on any one system of ideas. There are things about Plato, Hegel, Kant, and Nietzsche that she admires, and a few moral issues that she’s particularly interested in but she’s not prepared to throw in her lot as a Kantian or a Nietzschean. Even after learning about 3,000 years of Western thought, Sophie continues to wonder what to believe.
The concept of “wonder”—both in the sense of questioning what is true, and in the sense of being continually amazed by the world—is the key to understanding Sophie’s World. One reason why the novel doesn’t end with Sophie arriving at an answer to her questions is that any such answer would be a little unsatisfactory, since it would make the universe seem “fixed”, predictable, and dry. Alberto teaches Sophie about philosophy not to give her answers but to train her to ask questions—to think of herself as an outsider, trying to make sense of what’s right in front of her nose. A good philosopher will never lose her sense of wonder at the universe’s mysteries. One could even say that the goal of philosophy as Alberto understands it is to escape banality (平庸) and boredom.
In this way, Sophie’s World arrives at the strange conclusion (结论) that although it’s important to ask philosophical questions, it’s not particularly important to choose definite answers to these questions. Philosophy is about preserving one’s sense of wonder—this, it’s suggested, is the only real wisdom.
1. What is the main subject matter of Sophie’s World?| A．History. | B．Philosophy. | C．Science. | D．Literature. |
| A．She is too young to understand the diverse ideas. |
| B．She wants to relate science knowledge to philosophy. |
| C．She finds the philosophical systems too boring to follow. |
| D．She wants to continue exploring different philosophy ideas. |
| A．To train people to become critical thinkers. |
| B．To teach the history of Western philosophical thought. |
| C．To provide definitive answers about the meaning of life. |
| D．To help people keep a sense of wonder about the world. |
| A．A book review. | B．A diary entry. | C．A research paper. | D．A short story. |
5 . Exhibitions (展览) in the USA 2024
For those who are keen on attending various exhibitions and looking for the latest information on certain fields, there is always one exhibition for you.
Annual (一年一度的) Builders St. Charles Home Show, 2024
June 15th, 2024—June 17th, 2024
Saint Charles, USA
The Annual Builders St. Charles Home Show is the only national event that brings remodelers, custom builders, residential architects, and designers together to meet face to face with top producers to preview creative products, information, tools &services.
Novi Home & Garden Show, 2024
June 18th, 2024—June 20th, 2024
Novi, USA
The Novi Home & Garden Show is the one- stop destination to find home improvement products and services for every type of project imaginable, decorating and landscaping exhibits as well as experienced businesses to provide services.
Acadiana Bird Club-Bird Fair, 2024
June 23rd, 2024—June 24th, 2024
Lafayette, USA
The aim of the Acadiana Bird Club-Bird Fair is the preservation of all bird species through public education on the proper care and breeding (饲养) of birds and to promote the health and well-being of all pet birds.
ACC Annual Scientific Session & Expo, 2024
June 26th, 2024—June 28th, 2024
Atlanta, USA
The ACC Annual Scientific Session & Expo will provide the attendees with the opportunity to gain insights relating to the latest heart disease researches and related treatments. At the exhibition, you can also see the latest and most advanced medical facilities on display.
1. When can you go to the Novi Home & Garden Show?| A．On June 15th. | B．On June 19th. |
| C．On June 23rd. | D．On June 28th. |
| A．Exhibiting and trading pet birds. | B．Promoting research on bird species. |
| C．Increasing public awareness of bird care. | D．Providing bird entertainment performances. |
| A．Saint Charles. | B．Novi. | C．Lafayette. | D．Atlanta. |
6 . REGISTRATION OPENS FOR STUDENT ROBOTICS 2024
We’re excited to announce that registration for the 2024 season of Student Robotics is now open! Based in the UK, Student Robotics challenges teams of 16 to 19 year-olds to design, build and program fully autonomous robots to compete in our annual competition. Teams will have just three months to engineer their creations. As well as supplying teams with a kit, which they can use as a framework for their robot, we mentor (指导) the teams over this period. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we provide all of this to our teams at no cost.
The competition cycle will start with a live streamed Kickstart event on our YouTube Channel. During the event, the game and the structure of the competition will be announced and kits handed out to teams.
The competition year will culminate (达到高潮) in an in-person competition from September 30 to October 1, 2024, which will see the robots compete through a league stage and a seeded knockout. As usual the prizes will recognise not only the teams which come top in the knockouts, but also those who are excellent in other ways.
Details of the game and prizes will be revealed at Kickstart. Details of the Kickstart and competition events will be published when they are available. We expect to confirm places towards the end of August, 2024.
If you would like a chance to compete in Student Robotics 2024, please fill in the entry form with the required information. The deadline of the registration is May 30, 2024. Places are limited, so please click here and sign up soon to avoid disappointment.
We look forward to seeing your teams!
1. What should participants do in Student Robotics?| A．Prepare a kit themselves. | B．Design a robot on the spot. |
| C．Work as a team. | D．Pay for the framework. |
| A．Two days. | B．Two weeks. | C．One month. | D．Three days. |
| A．A brochure. | B．A magazine. | C．A newspaper. | D．A website. |
7 . HOW TO DO HARD THINGS
It’s an inconvenient truth that the road to success isn’t a secret. Most of us know exactly what we need to do to improve our lives.
First, you need to make sure you know what the hard, but effective thing is in the skill or job that you want to improve.
Figure out your why. Make sure you know why you want to do this hard thing.
Leave the doubts behind. When you’re doing something hard, your brain will try to find ways to stop doing it. You’ll want to look things up or find easy ways of doing the hard thing. Don’t give in to these tempting arguments during your hard work sessions.
If you keep improving yourself by doing hard things, you’ll be getting better at your targeted skill. So don’t spend too much time working around the hard task. Just do the hard thing instead.
| A．This should be easy to figure out. |
| B．Change your thinking so the hard thing looks good. |
| C．But we don’t do those things because they are hard. |
| D．Make a commitment and turn the hard thing into a habit. |
| E．If you are not clear about it, you’ll lose motivation quickly. |
| F．Do whatever you want after or before, but stay focused during. |
| G．Life is hard sometimes, and you will have to do hard things at some point. |
8 . In Stressful Times, Make Stress Work for You
These are stressful times. Fortunately, we can actually use that stress to improve our health and well-being. Over a decade of research suggests that it’s not the type or amount of stress that determines its impact.
Step 1: Acknowledge Your Stress
Labeling your stress consciously and deliberately moves neural activity from the amygdala — the center of emotion and fear — to the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive control and planning. In other words, when we take a moment to acknowledge our stress, it moves us from operating from a fearful, reactive place to a position where we can be thoughtful and deliberate.
Step 2: Own Your Stress
The next step is to welcome, or “own” your stress. We only stress about things that we care about.
Step 3: Use Your Stress
Connecting to the core values behind your stress sets you up for the third and most essential step: using or leveraging stress to achieve your goals and connect more deeply with the things that matter most.
Ask yourself: Are your typical responses in alignment with the values behind your stress?
There’s so much happening right now that we can’t control.
| A．Think about how you might change your response to this stress to better facilitate your goals and your purpose. |
| B．You can release stress from the past and more with emotional focus techniques. |
| C．By owning our stress, we connect to the positive motivation or personal value behind our stress. |
| D．But — as many people are noticing — there are also unprecedented opportunities amid the fear. |
| E．Instead, it’s our mind-set about stress that matters most. |
| F．But later, we will be able to ask ourselves how we each responded to this crisis. |
| G．This step is also an opportunity to understand what’s at the heart of your personal stress or anxiety. |
9 . Hit Chinese Variety Shows in 2023
The year 2023 saw a wide variety of TV and Internet shows in China, offering to audience not only amazing entertainment but also new insight.
The Big Band 3Each week, bands competed in different groups, and via votes cast by the audience and six celebrity judges, five bands earned the title of the “Hot 5” by the end of the season.
Become a FarmerThe farming-themed reality show Become a Farmer took Chinese social media by storm in the first half of the year, shining a spotlight on agriculture — a crucial part of Chinese culture. The word “farming”, however, may be unfamiliar to many young urban Chinese citizens. In an effort to connect these individuals with the agricultural industry, the 50-episode variety show tackles the topic by inviting 10 young men from various fields to experience life on the farmland. It offers insights into farming practices and modern agricultural production.
Infinity and Beyond 2023With a shocking viewership, the music cultural program Infinity and Beyond 2023 emerged as a resounding success both on TV and on the Internet in the first half of this year. Featuring a star-studded cast, the show improved cross-strait connection and covered classic and popular songs dating back to the 1970s.
Divas Hit the Road — Silk RoadThis season saw some Chinese actresses and actors embark on a journey to Saudi Arabia, Croatia and Iceland. They explored the beautiful landscapes and diverse cultures of these countries and learned about the collaborative projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative. They have dipped into the local customs and traditions of the places they visited.
1. What is special about Become a Farmer?| A．It has cruel competition rules. | B．It focuses on agricultural industry. |
| C．It invited ordinary people as the judges. | D．It captured widespread attention online. |
| A．The Big Band 3. | B．Become a Farmer. |
| C．Infinity and Beyond 2023. | D．Divas Hit the Road — Silk Road. |
| A．Become a Farmer got the highest mark. |
| B．The Big Band 3 performed pop music mostly. |
| C．Infinity and Beyond 2023 made a contribution to cross-strait connection. |
| D．Divas Hit the Road — Silk Road offered collaborative projects related to WHO. |
10 . Cloud “engineering” could be more effective for climate cooling than previously thought, because of the increased cloud cover produced, new research shows.
In a study published in Nature Geoscience, researchers at the University of Birmingham found that marine cloud brightening (MCB), also known as marine cloud engineering, works primarily by increasing the amount of cloud cover, accounting for 60% — 90% of the cooling effect.
The practice of MCB has attracted much attention in recent years as a way of offsetting the global warming effects caused by humans and buying some time while the global economy decarbonizes (脱碳). It works by spraying tiny particles, or aerosols (气溶胶), into the atmosphere where they mix with clouds and with the primary aim of increasing the amount of sunlight that clouds can reflect.
However, the ways in which MCB creates a cooling effect, and the ways in which clouds will respond to aerosols, are still poorly understood. To investigate the phenomenon, the researchers created a “natural experiment”, using aerosol injection from the effusive eruption of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii to study the interactions between these natural aerosols, clouds, and climate.
Using machine learning and historic satellite and meteorological (气象学的) data, the team created a predictor to show how the cloud would behave during periods when the volcano was inactive. This predictor enabled them to identify clearly the impacts on the clouds that had been directly caused by the volcanic aerosols.
They were able to show that the cloud cover relatively increased by up to 50% during the periods of volcanic activity, producing a cooling effect of up to — 10 W/m² regionally.
Lead author, Dr Ying Chen, of the University of Birmingham, said, “Our findings show that marine cloud brightening could be more effective as a climate intervention than climate models have suggested previously. Of course, while it could be useful, MCB does not address the underlying causes of global warming from greenhouse gases produced by human activities. It should therefore be regarded as a ‘painkiller’, rather than a solution.”
1. How does MCB help global cooling according to the study?| A．By decreasing the amount of sunlight. |
| B．By boosting the volume of cloud cover. |
| C．By reducing the amount of cloud cover. |
| D．By removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. |
| A．Weakening. | B．Destroying. | C．Ignoring. | D．Suspending. |
| A．Perfect. | B．Ineffective. | C．Valueless. | D．Fruitful. |
| A．The Mechanism Behind Marine Cloud Brightening |
| B．Understanding The Impact Of Aerosols On Clouds And Climate |
| C．Enhancing Climate Cooling Through Marine Cloud Brightening |
| D．Marine Cloud Brightening: A Solution To Climate Cooling Strategy |
