1 . In 2018, when Hemesh Chadalavada was 12 years old, his grandmother forgot to turn off the gas after she made herself a cup of tea. This experience caused Hemesh to invent the “Alpha Monitor”, a device designed for dementia (痴呆) patients.
He started creating this device with whatever was at home, with the help of the internet. “The first model I built was a huge box. I learnt how to make a wearable device on the internet by learning which components to use and where I could source them in Hyderabad. I started with a hardware device, after which I learnt coding online and moved to machine learning and data science, to help me perfect my device,” he adds.
The Alpha Monitor has two parts, one, a wearable watch-like device, and the second, an alarm which connects to it. “You attach the device to the patient. In case the patient throws it away or doesn’t like wearing it, you can just put it in a bag and fix it in their pocket or sock or wherever you like. Once you plug in the alarm, you will be warned for every tiny change in movement. As soon as the patient gets up or wanders away, it will warn the family members with a huge alarm sound,” says Hemesh.
The wearable device monitors body temperature, pulse, and detects movement, falls and more. It works using a gyroscope sensor to detect even the slightest movement and health sensors for pulse and temperature. It works without Wi-Fi or bluetooth and has a range of 1-2k m, according to Hemesh. It can also be connected to an app for children staying far away to monitor their parents’ movements.
“The happiest I’ve ever been is seeing how the device actually works for patients with Alzheimer’s. It gives me incredible happiness to see the small impact I’ve managed to create in the lives of these families,” smiles the youngster.
1. What can we learn about Hemesh from the first two paragraphs?| A．He received little formal education. | B．He had a strong self-learning ability. |
| C．He invented the device to stop gas leaks. | D．He got support from a computer engineer. |
| A．By speaking into their phones. | B．By producing a loud noise. |
| C．By making an emergency call. | D．By announcing the time automatically. |
| A．It can analyze patients’ health data. | B．It can prevent patients from falling down. |
| C．It can track patients’ movements remotely. | D．It can make a difference to patients’ recovery. |
| A．Caring and creative. | B．Generous and talented. |
| C．Determined and honest. | D．Independent and brave. |
2 . Our recommended list of environmental books covers a broad range of topics. These must-read environmental books are sure to spark the interest of the greenest books.
Silent Spring
Written by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring highlights the effects of pesticides (杀虫剂) on the environment, especially DDT, which was a very popular insecticide until it was finally banned in 1972. The book eventually led to a change in the United States’ pesticide policy and contributed to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference.
This book collects 11 speeches made by climate activist Greta Thunberg, highlighting the issue of climate change and its impact on future generations. Greta Thunberg was 15 when she started the School Strike for Climate, also known as Fridays for Future. She inspired protests worldwide.
The Uninhabitable Earth
This book by David Wallace Wells examines the disasters that have already occurred and looks ahead to the year 2100 and what climate change will do if we continue on our current path. Its opening line is incredibly telling: “It is worse, much worse, than you think.”
The End of Nature
Published in 1989, the book describes the relationship between nature and humans. It expresses the idea that nature was previously independent of humans but has now been affected by them in every way. According to author Bill McKibben, the idea of wilderness is lost, and nature is no longer complete.
1. Which book brought the environment to the government’s attention?| A．Silent Spring. | B．The End of Nature. |
| C．The Uninhabitable Earth. | D．No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference. |
| A．Curiosity. | B．Concern. | C．Annoyance. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．Nature will not exist any longer. | B．Wild animals are disappearing fast. |
| C．Human activities are destroying nature. | D．Climate change affects future generations. |
3 . People who experienced trauma (精神创伤) as a child or adolescent were found to be 48 percent more likely to have serious and repeated headaches as an adult than those who had not experienced trauma in their early years, according to research published in the journal Neurology. The finding came from the analysis of data from 28 studies, involving 154,739 people.
Overall, nearly one-third of the participants reported having experienced a traumatic event at least once before age 18, and 16 percent had been diagnosed as an adult with a primary headache disorder, which means that their headaches are the main problem, rather than a symptom (症状) of an underlying disease or condition.
The researchers categorized traumatic events as either threat-based (such as physical or emotional abuse, witnessing or being threatened by violence, and serious family conflicts) or deprivation-based (including neglect, financial trouble, parents’ separation, divorce or death, and living in a household with mental illness, alcohol or substance abuse). Physical abuse and exposure to family violence were among the most commonly reported traumas.
Of those who had experienced at least one traumatic event as a youth, 26 percent subsequently were diagnosed with primary headaches, compared with 12 percent of those who had not experienced trauma.
As the number of traumatic events experienced by a child or adolescent increased, so did the odds of their having headaches later in life. For example, those who had experienced four or more traumatic events were more than twice as likely to have a head ache disorder. Also, certain traumas — physical abuse and neglect — were linked to greater risk for headaches than other types of trauma.
The study found an association between trauma as a youth and headache disorder as an adult, rather than direct proof that one led to the other. But the researchers wrote that traumas experienced as a child or adolescent “are important risk factors for primary headache disorders in adulthood,” which one of the researchers described in a statement released by the American Academy of Neurology as “a risk factor that we cannot ignore.”
1. What does the research focus on?| A．The different types of trauma experienced by children. |
| B．The reasons why headaches are so common among adults. |
| C．The influence that childhood experiences have on later life. |
| D．The link between childhood trauma and headaches as an adult. |
| A．Witnessing violence. | B．Physical abuse. |
| C．The loss of a parent. | D．Criticism from teachers. |
| A．Complexity. | B．Frequency. | C．Seriousness. | D．Chance. |
| A．It causes headaches. | B．It deserves attention. |
| C．It can be prevented. | D．It can be life-threatening. |
4 . On one side of the room sits the cutest life-size stuffed animal (填充玩具) you’ve ever seen. On the other side rests a real dog — the same size, shape and even the same name as the stuffed version. You get to sit next to both of these furry friends and pet their fur. Guess which one will make your brain light up?
If you guessed the real dog, you’re right. Stuffed animals, as cute and lovely as they may be, just don’t effectively activate our frontal cortex (额叶皮层), the part of the brain overseeing how we think and feel, according to a new study published in the journal PLOSONE. The study found an even stronger rise in brain activity when the person petted the fur of a real dog versus a stuffed animal.
“We chose to research the frontal cortex because this brain area is involved in several executive (执行) functions, such as attention, working memory, and problem-solving. But it is also involved in social and emotional processes,” said study lead author Rahel Marti, a doctoral student in the division of clinical psychology at the University of Basel in Switzerland.
Why is this finding important? It provides additional evidence that live human-animal interaction therapy (疗法) may promote cognitive and emotional activity in the brain. Marti said, “If patients with deficits in motivation, attention, and socioemotional functioning show higher emotional involvement in activities connected to a real dog, then such activities could increase the chance of learning and of achieving treatment aims.”
“This is an interesting, seriously conducted study that provides new insight into associations between human-animal interaction and regional prefrontal brain activity in healthy adults. We found that brain activity increased when the contact with a real dog or a stuffed animal became closer. This confirms previous studies relating closer contact with animals to increased brain activity,” Marti said.
1. How does the author introduce the subject of the text?| A．By listing some figures. | B．By giving an example. |
| C．By setting a situation. | D．By analyzing a phenomenon. |
| A．It is involved in several body parts. |
| B．It is the most important part of the brain. |
| C．It plays a key part in performing functions. |
| D．It provides evidence for live human-animal therapy. |
| A．Styles. | B．Faults. | C．Adventures. | D．Sources. |
| A．What Petting A Dog Can Do For Your Brain? |
| B．Why A Pet Dog Is Important To A Person? |
| C．Which Part Of The Brain Is Involved In Emotion? |
| D．How Can A Patient Benefit From Petting A Dog? |
5 . Over the past year, just about every major streaming service has raised its subscription (订阅) fees. At the same time, there are more membership deals, ad-supported subscriptions and streaming services overall.
First, you should decide what kind of viewer you are by creating a TV diary.
If the fees from all your subscriptions come from the same credit card or bank account, you can more easily track spending and end payments quickly. Also, online resources can help track regular subscription payments.
Check your streaming services occasionally. Frequently call up each streaming service you access, and look up your account information.
| A．It remains the biggest concern for the consumers |
| B．You can also drop and add services regularly |
| C．Major streaming services promise ads will be limited |
| D．This can help avoid the occurrence of repeated charges |
| E．Make sure the grade of subscription meets your needs |
| F．You may have some challenging time ahead as a streaming user |
| G．Write down what you watch and where you might find it |
6 . In 2019, after retiring from her career as a social worker, Ane Freed - Kernis decided to build a home workshop and devote all of her free time to stone carving. “I might be covered head to to e in dust but I’m happy — it was something I needed more of in my life when I hit 60,” she says.
This appeal has its origins in Freed - Kernis’ childhood. Growing up on her father’s farm in Denmark, she used to wander through the fields with her eyes fixed on the ground, looking for stones to add to her collection. “I’ve always been drawn to the shapes and textures (质地) of stones,” she says.
After moving to England in 1977 and training as a social worker, Freed - Kernis soon became occupied with her busy career and the demands of raising her son. Stones were the last thing on her mind, until her father died in 2005. “He took a stone carving course in his retirement, and I always thought stone seemed so fun but never had the time to look into it myself,” she says. “After he died, I became determined to learn in his honour.”
Signing up for a week-long stone carving course at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Freed-Kernis began to learn how to turn a block of rock into well-designed shapes. “It was really scary at the start because you would spend hours just hammering (锤打).”
Now 65, Freed-Kernis has a thriving small business built largely through word of mouth. She creates 12 to 15 pieces a year that can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to complete, while her prices range from £ 200 to £ 3,000. “I’m making smaller ones,” she says. “I don’t have to depend on the money much, so I want to keep prices in the range that people can afford, mainly just covering costs and labour (劳动力).”
1. Freed-Kernis was first attracted by stones when ______.| A．she was 60 | B．she was a child |
| C．her father died | D．she moved to England |
| A．She never cared about her father. |
| B．She led a disappointing life in Denmark. |
| C．She spent lots of time studying stone carving. |
| D．She learned stone carving under the influence of her dad. |
| A．Hopeful and proud. |
| B．Confident and satisfied. |
| C．Nervous and frightened. |
| D．Impatient and unprepared. |
| A．They are easier to move by her. |
| B．They are more affordable to people. |
| C．She wants to save costs and labour. |
| D．She is too old to focus on making large ones. |
7 . In San Francisco, a large group of sea lions move themselves out of the bay waters and hang out on PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination. According to dock (码头) officials, this is the most sea lions seen in the region in 15 years.
“Over 1,000 sea lions have been counted this week,” PIER 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor told many different media. “The surge in sea lions is usually a good sign of their strong population and healthy living environment,” said Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement at the Marine Mammal (海洋哺乳动物) Center in Sausalito, California.
“California sea lions are sentinels (哨兵) of the ocean,” Ratner said. Their population to some extent reflects the health of the ocean. Therefore, seeing a large number of California sea lions is clearly a good thing.
For nearly 35 years, the slippery (滑的) residents have been a star attraction for tourists. That autumn in 1989, PIER 39 had just been repaired, but the ships had not yet been moved back. At that moment, the sea lions unexpected arrival not only attracted fans but also created enemies. According to a website, some dock residents and workers were scared away by the strong and very unpleasant smell and noise of their new neighbors, while others saw these animals as a bright spot after the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.
The officials sought help from the Marine Mammal Center to find a way to deal with sea lions. Ratner said that the final decision is to let the sea lions stay and coexist with humans. “The fact proves that this is really a good thing,” he said. “This is just a proof of how we can truly work together and think about how we can share our coasts with marine mammals and other wildlife in a way that benefits all the parties involved.”
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By describing a situation. |
| B．By answering a question. |
| C．By holding a conversation. |
| D．By comparing different opinions. |
| A．Sharp increase. | B．Tight control. |
| C．Slow development. | D．Sudden movement. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uninterested. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Sea lions are pretty cool animals. |
| B．Animals and humans can live in harmony. |
| C．Watching sea lions might not be a proper action. |
| D．Sea lions should be driven out of PIER 39. |
8 . Athena Kan grew up watching her dad juggle his day job as an insurance actuary (精算师) with nights of studying to become an electrical inspector. As a kid, she couldn’t wrap her head around it, “I just didn’t really get it,” she says, “Like, why would he not just hire someone to do that?”
The answer, she now appreciates, is because outsourcing skilled help is expensive. As immigrants to America-her father arrived from Malaysia, and her mother from China-times were lean, “With that mentality,” Kan reflects, “you think more about survival and less so how you can pay your way through the problem.”
Two years ago, as a senior at Harvard, she began channeling that awareness into the concept of Dreambound which was initially called Ladder. It’s a gateway to gainful employment, which helps workers secure funds for job certification training and then placement in occupations like certified nursing assistant or truck driver. Then she composed the right team to make it happen: Her friend Brandon Wang and his friend Shiroy Aspandiar had both worked with Teach for America and saw a lot of opportunity to build upon that work. The three co-founders launched Dreambound in early 2020, have since raised $4.3 million from investors including Union Square Ventures, and hired a staff of 20. “One of the big advantages of being fun-backed is that we’re able to make the most of all these resources that nonprofits are just not able to,” says Wang.
For Kan, it’s crucial that their employer clients carry most of the up-front educational costs, allowing Dreambound to, as she puts it, “reengineer incentives” that make entry into the workforce more accessible. “There was one customer who told me about how she wanted to be a phlebotomist,” Kan says. “But that class costs $300, and she wasn’t able to afford it, so she had to work seasonal jobs. And then it hit me: This is the same pathway my father took and I wanted to help people get their license.”
1. What can we learn about Athena Kan from the first two paragraphs?| A．She enjoyed the life abroad. |
| B．She had a poor but colorful childhood. |
| C．She now appreciates what her father did. |
| D．She wanted her father to take a part-time job. |
| A．It provides fund for job seekers. | B．It helps workers get their license. |
| C．It helps people seek jobs directly. | D．It supports business starters financially |
| A．To compare the customer and his father. |
| B．To prove it hard to enter into workforce. |
| C．To stress the cost of job training classes. |
| D．To show her motivation to help job seekers. |
| A．Adaptable and active. | B．Generous and modest. |
| C．Reflective and caring. | D．Ambitious and appreciative. |
9 . Chinese material scientists have found the soil on the moon may potentially be able to generate oxygen and fuel, a finding that means more possibilities of humans to use lunar resources to further exploration of the moon and beyond.
The researchers at Nanjing University showed that the lunar sample brought back by China’s Chang’e-5 contains active compounds (化合物) that can change carbon dioxide into oxygen and fuel. Initially, they hoped to design a system that took advantage of lunar soil and solar radiation, the two rich resources on the moon, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Joule.
After analyzing the Chang’e-5’s lunar soil, the team found the sample contained metal-rich substances, which could work as a catalyst (催化剂) to make oxygen using sunlight and carbon dioxide. The team proposed a strategy using lunar soil to electrolyze water from the moon and the astronauts’ life support system into oxygen and hydrogen. The process was powered by sunlight. The carbon dioxide breathed out by moon inhabitants can be collected and combined with hydrogen to produce the fuel, also catalyzed by the lunar soil, according to the study. The researchers said with this method, no external energy apart from sunlight would be used to produce oxygen and fuel to support life on a moon base.
“We use the environmental resources to minimize rocket payload, and our strategy provides a scenario for a sustainable and affordable living environment for life out of the Earth,” said the paper’s first author Yao Yingfang from Nanjing University, expressing his assumption.
“The challenge lies in the fact that catalytic efficiency of lunar soil is lower than catalysts on the Earth,” said the researchers. They are testing different approaches in order to improve the design. The team is looking for an opportunity to test the system in space with China’s future manned lunar missions.
1. What is the main implication of Chinese scientists’ discovery of the moon’s soil?| A．The moon is rich in rare elements. | B．Lunar soil can be used for exploring space. |
| C．The moon can be lived on by human beings. | D．Lunar soil is a new renewable energy source. |
| A．The process of the sun producing light. |
| B．The analysis of China’s Chang’e-5’s work. |
| C．The supportive method producing metal-rich substances. |
| D．The sustainable living strategy employing lunar resources. |
| A．Profession. | B．Contract. | C．Vision. | D．Sponsor. |
| A．The discovery of active compounds on the moon. |
| B．The testing approaches to improving the lunar soil. |
| C．The research on the environmental system of the moon. |
| D．The study of using lunar soil for oxygen and fuel production. |
10 . In the past, music recording was primitive. A recording engineer placed microphones in front of instruments. The producer pressed record and signaled the band to play. There was a human touch to recordings, and this way of recording gave rock music its raw edge. But here we are today. Complex and advanced audio software sits in every recording studio. The higher cost and greater practicality make creating digital music common.
However, the modern recordings aren’t beneficial to a rock record. Let’s not forget, being in a band is laborious. You need like-minded musicians to rehearse for hours on end. Nowadays, this isn’t a necessity.
Programming drums on a computer is as simple as filling cells on a spreadsheet, and there you have it, a drumbeat. Only a few professionals are aware that they aren’t listening to true live drums. Such tech is even accessible on your smartphone. Whether on a train or in a bedroom, you can create a full band track without a live band.
What happened to rock music? With pop and hip hop dominating the charts, it feels like the time for bands is over. Is rock music really dying out? Is it really on its last legs, or are we just not trying hard enough?
Artists, inspired by the great rock bands, seek to put their own spin on this classic genre. The spirit of rock music still remains. One singer mixed soul and rock while one band combined indie rock with elements of techno, both with underlying rock characteristics.
The truth is that fresh rock bands are out there and you just need to dig deeper. A search through online music blogs shows a growing number of new rock bands. While rock bands are now not as popular as before and not receiving mainstream exposure, the flame still burns brightly.
1. Which words can best describe the past music recording?| A．Underdeveloped and low-cost. | B．Easy and time-saving. |
| C．Demanding and complex. | D．Digital and creative. |
| A．Low demands for music. | B．Advanced audio software. |
| C．Deep understanding of music. | D．Help from professional musicians. |
| A．To tell rock music has lost its original attraction. |
| B．To show rock music may be presented in new styles. |
| C．To stress rock music is no longer mainstream music. |
| D．To compare rock music with some other kinds of music. |
| A．Is Rock Music Going Dead? | B．Why Is Rock Music Disappearing? |
| C．A New Kind of Music Is Emerging | D．A Way of Recording Music Is Getting Accepted |
