1 . The 4 Best Museums to Visit in Boston
Boston is a city filled with history, which is one of the reasons it’s a great destination to visit. Exploring Boston’s museum scene will give you a taste for what this New England city is all about. Read on for the best in the city.
MIT Museum
The MIT Museum’s main purpose is to share science and technology research and innovation. There are all sorts of shows with inventions that will spark conversation around a variety of topics related to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Along with many hands-on experiments in the afternoon.
Hours: 10:00 a. m.-5:00 p. m. Self-guided tour tickets available for students and seniors ($5) and adults($10).
The Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts may be the most popular museum in Boston. Founded in 1870, the museum has grown over the years to now feature nearly 500, 000 works of art. The museum also hosts special events throughout the year, along with art classes for those interested in improving their skills.
Hours: Monday-Sunday 10 a. m.-5 p. m.. Tickets: Adults-$25, Students-$23, Children-$10.
The Sports Museum
Located on the 5th and 6th floors of the TD Garden is The Sports Museum. It’s here that you’ll see a half-mile worth of exhibits and learn about the history of all the Boston sports teams and their championship titles over the years. (For more information, you may click here.)
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a. m.-5 p. m. and Sunday 11 a. m.-5 p. m. Tickets (same price for each tour): Kids 6 and under-FREE, Kids 7-18-$10, Adults-$15.
The Museum of Science
One of the most popular museum s in Boston, the Museum of Science has something for everyone with over 500 shows that are both educational and interactive. The museum has a big emphasis on STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math), and you’ll see this brought to life through their exhibits throughout the year.
Hours: Saturday to Thursday 9 a. m.-5 p. m. and Friday 9 a. m.-9 p. m.
Tickets: Kids-$23, Adults -$28, Seniors -$24 for Exhibit Hall. Save $3 per ticket by purchasing Exhibit Hall tickets a day in advance online.
1. Where can a group go if they want to visit a museum with classes?| A．MIT Museum. | B．The Museum of Fine Arts. |
| C．The Sports Museum. | D．The Museum of Science. |
| A．They open until 9 p. m. | B．They provide discounts online. |
| C．They offer chances to do experiments. | D．They are concerned with science. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A research paper. | C．A website page. | D．A course plan. |
2 . Over the years, April Fools’ Day has become larger than life. While it may be seen as just a bit of fun, there is more to jokes and humour than may be obvious, begging the question: are the jokes on the 1st of April a good or a bad idea?
Every year, individuals and newspapers present jokes on the 1st of April that may be funny, yet sometimes causing an unexpected upheaval. One radio announcement made in 1949, that a mile-wide swarm of wasps (一群黄蜂) was heading for Auckland, was taken a bit too seriously. The news even came with advice on how to prepare for the incoming insects, resulting in all residents walking outdoors tucking (塞) their trousers into their socks, wearing masks (面罩) as well as setting honey traps outside their doors.
What makes things funny? This is a million-dollar question and one that’s not easily answered. First, it’s influenced by the context, the culture, and personal opinions, meaning that it’s not consistent (一致的) across populations. Besides, if a joke is violating (违反) a norm or rule, it’s more likely to be regarded as funny. Such violations need to be harmless, as they can otherwise be considered unpleasant. In terms of personal experience, serious events may be considered funnier over time, while stubbing (踩) a toe, considered a small violation, would lose its comedic effect over time. Interestingly, people, children, in particular, have been found to be more likely to laugh when they are near others compared to when alone.
Jokes may not seem serious but can actually serve social functions like managing emotions and also be used to deal with matters in work. For example, studies have found that there is a meaningful function of humour in healthcare settings, as it strengthens the connection between medical staffs and patients as well as relieves stressful situations linked to end-of-life care among nursing professionals.
However, it’s suggested that jokes be used cautiously. For example, David Letterman gained reputation (名声) for an interview he had done with Lindsay Lohan in 2013, when the audience had laughed loudly at his repeated questions about her going to receive treatment. However, 8 years later, his comments were seen as offensive (冒犯的). So it’s important to ensure that any violations made are not significant enough to damage your future fame.
1. What does the underlined word “upheaval” probably mean in paragraph 2?| A．Upset. | B．Fun. | C．Annoyance. | D．Popularity. |
| A．People’s opinion of jokes differs. | B．Jokes remain humorous all the time. |
| C．Jokes can strengthen our connection. | D．Children are more likely to laugh than adults. |
| A．By listing figures. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By answering questions. |
| A．To tell us the function of jokes. | B．To provide information about jokes. |
| C．To help make up funny jokes. | D．To propose telling jokes carefully. |
3 . Flowers have a longstanding tradition as a means of emotional expression. When we wish to convey our affection, joy or condolences (哀悼), and words won’t work, we rely on the beauty of the flowers.
One of the most famous examples of floriography (花艺) is King Charles’ choice of funeral wreath for his mother, the late Queen. He expressed his sense of loss through his choice of blooms: Myrtle (香桃木) for love and prosperity, paired with English oak to represent strength.
How floriography influences our decisions has led florists to make some interesting observations. First, they documented that 29 percent of people chose flowers based on the color of the bouquet, with red being the most popular choice. Red is the color of passion and is widely regarded as an expression of love. However, pink has sumless meanings, depending on where you live: in Thailand, it symbolizes trust, while in Japan, it is considered a sign of good health. However, this only begins to scratch the surface of floriography.
But like all things in the world, there are good and bad, and some flowers are used to represent negative feelings toward the recipient. You might think yellow carnations are pretty, but they’ve been a symbol of defiance (蔑视) throughout history. Another flower best avoided is buttercup, whose yellow petals symbolize childishness.
By welcoming the tradition of floriography back into wider culture, we can explore the depth of our emotions in unique ways. Take a look at our beloved emojis — we can talk without typing a single word. Sending a heart here and a fire icon emojis there speaks through their aesthetics, a secret language all their own. Flowers are no different. They were merely the emojis of the19th Century, still filtering through after all this time.
1. What is the author’s purpose in referring to the example of King Charles?| A．To prove flowers to be expressive. | B．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| C．To arouse the readers’ interest in flowers. | D．To present some knowledge of flowers. |
| A．Sending flowers was historically disapproved of. |
| B．Buttercup was suitable flowers for giving to children. |
| C．Giving flowers often leads to some misunderstandings. |
| D．A second thought should be given to flowers to be sent. |
| A．By listing some representative emojis. | B．By recognizing the popularity of emojis. |
| C．By borrowing the similar features of emojis. | D．By mentioning the similar history of emojis. |
| A．The Traditional Art of Giving Flowers | B．The Emotional Expression in Flowers |
| C．Social Functions of Some Flowers | D．Interesting Observation of Flowers |
4 . Learned helplessness occurs when a person who has experienced repeated challenges comes to believe they have no control over their situation. They then give up trying to make changes and accept their fate.
Everyone can struggle at times, especially when coping with adversity and setbacks. Learned helplessness is characterized by more lasting symptoms such as: avoiding decisions, bad attitude, giving up quickly, inability to tolerate frustration, lack of effort, low motivation, passive behavior, poor self-esteem, refusing to try and so on. Learned helplessness is not a mental health problem, but it can sometimes be a sign of a mental disorder such as depression or anxiety.
The concept of learned helplessness was discovered accidentally by psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven F. Maier. They had initially observed helpless behavior in dogs that were classically conditioned to expect an electrical shock after hearing a tone. Later, the dogs were placed in a shuttle box that contained two chambers (室) separated by a low barrier. The floor was electrified on one side, and not on the other. The dogs previously subjected to the classical conditioning made no attempts to escape, even though avoiding the shock simply involved jumping over a small barrier.
Learned helplessness is frequently the result of experiencing stress or pain. People may feel that they have little to no control over the situation. Because of the lack of control, people may feel helpless and unmotivated to take action. Common causes that can lead to learned helplessness include: abuse, childhood neglect, domestic violence, natural disasters, etc.
Over-parenting can also contribute to the development of learned helplessness in children. When children are not allowed to try things independently, they may develop a poor sense of personal agency. Instead of trying, they believe that they are unable to do things and do not put forth any effort.
So what can people do to overcome learned helplessness? Learned helplessness can often be successfully decreased, particularly if intervention occurs during the early stages. Long-term learned helplessness can also be reduced, although it may require longer-term effort. Strategies that can help include: psychotherapy, self-care strategies, and getting social support.
1. Who is most likely to suffer from learned helplessness?| A．A person willing to accept help. | B．A person lacking discipline and energy. |
| C．A person encountering failures repeatedly. | D．A person desiring to succeed on their own. |
| A．Types. | B．Cures. | C．Causes. | D．Symptoms. |
| A．Receiving. | B．Rejecting. | C．Enjoying. | D．Fearing. |
| A．Predicting the extension of the concept of learned helplessness. |
| B．Explaining the ways of beating learned helplessness separately. |
| C．Describing the discovery of the concept of learned helplessness. |
| D．Summarizing the causes and consequences of learned helplessness. |
5 . Over 30 years ago, I stood in the front row of a kindergarten performance, singing to all the parents of the elementary school. At the end of the performance, Mrs. Summers, whom I always tried to impress, made a statement that would impact me for nearly a lifetime. She walked up to my mom and stated, “She certainly was the most excited and eager student I had this year, but she couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.”
From that day on, I was always insecure about my singing. Singing became an embarrassment for me and I didn’t want anyone to hear me. When I was home alone, I would belt out (大声唱) songs as if I was singing on the stage. Though I felt insecure, it made my heart dance and my soul get free.
When I started attending church regularly, a woman came up to me and asked why I didn’t join the choir. She stated that I had a beautiful singing voice and appeared to greatly enjoy singing. I laughed and said she must have been joking. With a look of surprise, she simply suggested that I should think about it because I would be a nice addition to the choir.
Why did I have such a hard time allowing others to hear me sing? It was because I had believed some words that came out of my teacher’s mouth as a child. Mrs. Summers was probably trying to be humorous, but as a child, her comment truly hurt me. So I made a decision to stop believing the words I held on to for so many years. The following week, I joined the choir, and I began to feel better. Now I sing in the streets, and I sing in the gym. It doesn’t matter if I can carry a tune in a basket; I carry it on my heart.
1. How did Mrs. Summers think of the author’s performance in the kindergarten?| A．She had a great talent for singing. | B．She was too nervous to sing well. |
| C．Her singing voice was distinctive. | D．Her singing was rather out of tune. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Abandoned. | C．Discouraged. | D．Wronged. |
| A．She played a joke on the author. |
| B．She knew the author’s problem. |
| C．She wanted to sing like the author. |
| D．She appreciated the author’s voice. |
| A．Don’t act for others’ judgement. | B．Love whatever you want to do. |
| C．Learn from your past mistakes. | D．Hard work will finally pay off. |
6 . Are you one of those people who like spending time alone? If so, you probably already know that there are some people who will scold you for it. They think you are alone because you are anxious around other people and just don’t have very positive relationships with humans.
This is a common phenomenon of being alone for too long. Recently, scholars have increasingly recognized the value of spending time alone.
As important as that distinction is, some scholars believe it is not enough. Even people who choose to be alone, they point out, can do so for different reasons.
For young people, spending time al one for positive reasons is associated with a number of healthy psychological experiences. Those who are alone for negative reasons are worrying. However, wanting to be alone for positive reasons and wanting to be alone for negative reasons are not completely separate.
| A．They have even documented it. |
| B．They are forced to spend much time alone. |
| C．There is a small relevance between the two. |
| D．They assume you are lonely and depressed. |
| E．The two have nothing to do with each other. |
| F．Some reasons for being alone are likely to cause trouble. |
| G．How do you decide whether being alone is good or bad? |
7 . Waking up at the crack of dawn and going for a run might feel intimidating when you start trying to make it a habit. Weaving a significant new activity such as this into your regular routine obviously takes determination and time — but how much time is really needed to make that habit stick?
One popular idea suggests that it takes 21 days to solidify a habit. The “three-week theory” originated from the 1960 self-help book Psycho-Cybernetics, in which plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz observed that it took his patients about 21 days to get used to their new appearance after surgery. Even without much solid research, the 21-day myth became widely accepted. It likely persisted because it seems like such a reasonable amount of time, Colin Camerer, a behavioral economist at the California Institute of Technology who has conducted research on habit formation, explains.
Almost a half century later, researchers finally gathered strong evidence that countered this idea. A significant 2009 study on habit creation found that habits developed in a range of 18 to 254 days; participants reported taking an average of about 66 days to reliably incorporate one of three new daily activities — eating a piece of fruit with lunch, drinking a bottle of water with lunch or running for 15 minutes before dinner. Consistent daily repetition was the biggest factor influencing whether a behavior would become part of an automatic daily routine, says Lally, who was the first author on the study.
The type of activity is also a factor. Last year a study conducted by Camerer and his colleagues showed that creating a handwashing habit took a few weeks, compared with the half year it took for people to develop an exercise habit. Handwashing, the study noted, is less complex than exercising and offers more opportunities to practice. The researchers also suggested that habit formation depends on the effort that a person puts into practicing an activity and on the presence of environmental cues that would remind them to carry out the behavior.
1. Why is waking up early for a run mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To advocate taking exercise regularly. |
| B．To express the difficulty of an early rise. |
| C．To stress the significance of getting up early. |
| D．To introduce how long it takes to develop a new habit. |
| A．Because the theory persisted for a long time. |
| B．Because a noted surgeon put forward this theory. |
| C．Because 21 days may be seen as realistic and achievable. |
| D．Because the theory was originated from a popular self-help book. |
| A．Repeated practice. | B．Time. | C．Determination. | D．Individualized ways. |
| A．The ways of changing a habit. | B．The time frame of developing a habit. |
| C．The activities to create a habit. | D．The influence of having a habit. |
8 . The Ministry of Public Security has exposed a video that sparked a nationwide search after it was universally viewed on social media.
The video, describing homework booklets supposedly lost by a Chinese first grader in Paris, was revealed to be a carefully crafted play for online attention. The local ministry also presented details of 10 relevant highly-concerned cases, highlighting the Paris homework incident as a typical example.
The video was uploaded in February by a blogger surnamed Xu, from Zhejiang province. It showed a Parisian restaurant worker supposedly returning homework found in a restroom. The video said the homework belonged to Qin Lang from Class Eight, without specifying the school. That sparked a social media craze, with many netizens attempting to locate the child.
However, the narrative quickly unfolded. A user claiming to be Qin Lang’s uncle appeared in the comments section. Following investigations revealed the person making the comment, a person surnamed Yang from Jiangsu province, was another participant in the play to gain online attention and was not related to Xu.
Further investigation by authorities exposed the entire act. Police discovered that Xu, along with her company director scripted the video, purchased a homework booklet online and staged the entire scene.
Facing administrative punishments and demands for public apologies, Xu admitted her initial lack of “legal awareness” but expressed regret for the widespread attention and disturbance caused by the video. Her social media accounts, with millions of followers across many platforms, have been canceled.
In December, the ministry launched a nationwide campaign against online rumors, targeting individuals who spread rumors, fake news or utilize trending topics for personal gain. Law enforcement authorities will increasingly monitor major social media, live-streaming and short video platforms to identify and address malicious(恶意的) online activity.
1. What do we learn about the video?| A．It received fairly limited views. |
| B．It recorded a genuine incident happened in Paris. |
| C．It was a rare case that showed little relevance to others. |
| D．It was uploaded mainly for widespread online attention. |
| A．They showed no interest in it. |
| B．They paid enthusiastic attention to it. |
| C．They accused the blogger of her inappropriate behavior. |
| D．They made fun of Qin Lang and located him immediately. |
| A．She canceled all her social media accounts actively. |
| B．She admitted her mistake and expressed sincere regret. |
| C．She apologized to Qin Lang and sent his homework back. |
| D．She cooperated with another member to comment on the video. |
| A．Many activities will be launched to resist online rumors. |
| B．Spreading rumors online emerges as a universal phenomenon recently. |
| C．Many people follow the trend blindly for entertainment and personal gain. |
| D．Relevant administrations will strengthen their efforts to control the spread of online rumors. |
9 . In today’s world, AI is increasingly becoming an integral part of our lives.
Artificial intelligence has revolutionized how students are measured in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. By analyzing massive datasets, AI can quickly identify a student’s areas of strengths and weaknesses through the images they upload, videos they watch, and data gathered from feedback systems.
With the advancements in AI technology, each student can receive the most tailored education they need to reach their own educational goals. It can also aid in how to write an article review, potentially by being able to particularize how challenging certain elements are for students and how much further focus and practice any one student needs to accomplish their educational objectives.
In today’s ever-connected world, having access to reliable sources of information beyond normal business hours can make a huge difference in a person’s life.
| A．AI-based chatbots offer just that, providing up-to-date information 24/7. |
| B．Here are some benefits of AI for students that can help them in their studies. |
| C．These data cannot reflect the whole picture of students’ performance, though. |
| D．This timeless advantage has significantly reduced the workload for the educators. |
| E．Thus, AI-supported personalized learning could finally create equal access to education. |
| F．Therefore, they allow us to efficiently access services without worrying about time limit. |
| G．It will also better identify potential areas for improvement in teaching and evaluating students. |
10 . One destination is always on trend: the beach, People ready to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life are looking to discover tranquility (宁静) along a picturesque beach. Check out the list below to discover beaches you like.
Baby Beach in Maui. Hawaii
It scores the top spot for the calmest beach in the world with its calm waters. “Baby Beach is an ideal beach for families with toddlers,” Betts said. “Since the waters are so calm and shallow, it provides the perfect opportunity for children to splash around in the ocean.”
Browne’s Beach in Bridgetown, Barbados
This famous half-mile expanse of white sand draws crowds with its calm, crystal-clear waters. It is celebrated for its natural beauty and historical significance, boasting landmarks like the Barbados Yacht Club and the Barbados Cruising Club.
Mauna Kea Beach on Hawaii Island, Hawaii
Fronting the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii Island, Mauna Kea Beach is ideal for visitors to peacefully enjoy the Pacific Ocean. With its calm and clear conditions, it’s an ideal destination for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing.
Playa La Entrega in Oaxaca, Mexico
Situated along the Oaxacan coastline in a protected bay, Playa La Entrega offers a peaceful mix of natural beauty and adventure. Translating to “the delivery” in English, the beach was once a delivery point for goods during colonial times. It’s a popular place to snorkel along coral reefs filled with marine life. Visitors can rent snorkel gear or buy fresh fruit from local vendors.
1. Which beach best suits families with children?| A．Baby Beach. | B．Browne’s Beach. |
| C．Mauna Kea Beach, | D．Playa La Entrega. |
| A．They all have a long history. | B．They are all famous for their quietness. |
| C．They are fantastic destinations for surfers. | D．They are used for delivering goods. |
| A．A research paper. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A geography textbook. | D．A personal journal. |
