1 . Steager is an engineer at the University of Pennsylvania. His colleague Hyun Koo is an inventor and dental researcher there. Together, they found a way to form the nanoparticles (纳米颗粒) into long, skinny bristles (鬃毛), a lot like the ones on a toothbrush. But these bristles shape-shift to fit whatever surface they encounter. They can even squeeze between teeth.
“A new way to clean teeth could help out anyone who finds this chore boring,” says Koo. But it would be especially life-changing for people with disabilities or illnesses that make it difficult or impossible to hold and move a toothbrush.
The tooth-cleaning robot works thanks to two magnets (磁铁). One goes on each side of the teeth. The nanoparticles sit in a water-based solution between the magnets. When the magnets are turned off, the nanoparticles float randomly in the solution. As soon as one magnet gets turned on, the nanoparticles clump together near its center. When you turn on the other magnet and turn off the first one, the nanoparticles extend outward in long, skinny bristles.
When there’s a tooth in the way, these bristles can’t stretch out as far as they want. So they push against the tooth’s surface. If there’s a gap between teeth, they push into the gap. Moving the magnets makes the bristles move against and between teeth.
Besides, as a bonus, the nanoparticles can kill what harms the teeth and keep them health y because it contains something commonly added to toothpaste and mouthwash.
The new invention is just a proof of concept. The researchers still need to turn it into a product that people will want to use. It must fit comfortably and safely in people’s mouths. It can’t draw too much power or cost too much. “There’s a lot of engineering to get from here to there,” says Steager. But he adds, “every good idea needs to have a start.”
1. What is a feature of the bristles?A.They can be solved into water. | B.They can change shapes. |
C.They only work in liquid. | D.They feel much softer. |
A.Its shape. | B.Its function. | C.Its structure. | D.Its working principle. |
A.Subscribe. | B.Drag. | C.Gather. | D.Remove. |
A.The invention still needs them to put more efforts. | B.The first step is always the hardest. |
C.Engineering can be applied to every field. | D.A good beginning is half done. |
2 . Urban Transportation in Canada
Public transportation & Transit passes
All cities and most major towns in Canada have a public transportation system with one or more modes of transportation(bus, subway, train, etc.). The bus is the most common form of urban transportation in Canada. To use public transportation, you must purchase a ticket or a transit pass. Transit passes allow you unlimited use of public transportation for a specific period(one month or more). They are usually cheaper than buying many tickets if you plan to use public transportation often.
Transportation for people with disabilities
Public transportation often has features to assist people with disabilities. In many cities and towns, there are also transportation services available specifically for people with limited mobility, such as specially equipped buses. You can find out about these services in the same way you would learn more about other public transportation options.
Etiquette(礼节)on public transportation
When taking public transportation such as a bus or train, it is important to understand the unspoken rules of conduct in the shared space. Here are a few things to note:
Be polite and respectful to others around you. For example, maintain an appropriate noise level when talking or making a phone call.
If you are carrying a back pack or a large shoulder bag in a crowded public transit vehicle, keep it close to you, preferably at your feet to avoid hitting people with it as you walk by.
Avoid pushing or touching others in order to make more room for yourself. Sometimes public transit can become very crowded, but it is important to keep calm and give others appropriate personal space.
Have your proof (证明)of payment accessible in case you are asked to show it.
1. What is the advantage of using transit passes over buying tickets?A.Safer trips. | B.Lower costs. |
C.Longer service time. | D.More use of transport. |
A.By offering fewer transportation options. | B.By limiting their mobility on city buses. |
C.By running special transport services. | D.By providing free rides in towns and cities. |
A.Staying close to other passengers. | B.Placing backpacks at your feet. |
C.Having your proof of payment at hand. | D.Lowering your speaking voice. |
Sadie looked out of the window and sighed (叹气) as she thought about another long, boring day of summer. She wondered what all of her friends from school were doing on their summer vacations. It had to be a lot better than looking out of a window. Sadie thought about the fun she had last summer when she and her best friend Allison went to the beach. They built sandcastles, played beach volleyball, and even tried surfing. But they wouldn’t be going to the beach together this summer because Allison had moved to a different city far away from Sadie’s.
Suddenly, Sadie had an idea. She could call her friend Wendy, who always had funny ideas. Maybe they could ride their bikes together around the park. Sadie raced to the living room, picked up the phone, and called Wendy. She sighed more deeply as the phone rang and rang. Then Sadie seated herself on the sofa, picked up the television remote, and put it down again. She didn’t really want to watch television, so she went to her room and found the list of phone numbers of her good friends from school. In the living room, she called almost each of them, but no one was at home.
After hanging up the phone, Sadie wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table, watching her mom do the cleaning. “Mom, I don’t have anyone to hang out with because my friends from school aren’t home and Allison moved away,” said Sadie. “Honey, there are many things you can do by yourself, like playing your guitar or having a walk in the garden. You could even finish that story about our camping trip,” said Mom.
“I don’t want to do those things by myself. I want to play with a friend.” “Sometimes, it is nice to do things by yourself,” said Mom. “I like seeing my friends, but I also like doing things alone like taking a walk by myself or finding a quiet spot to read. Why not have a try?”
Sadie thought about her mom’s words and returned to her room.
1. 根据文本内容从方框中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填入文本图示中,每词限用一次,有两词为多余选项disappoint ride take suggest bore suddenly phone look how friend her tired | ||
A Different Way to Spend Summer | ||
→ | Sadie felt quite | |
↓ | ↓ | |
All of a | → | Sadie raced to the living room and picked up the |
↓ | ↓ | |
Since Wendy didn’t answer the phone, Sadie called other | → | Sadie felt quite |
↓ | ↓ | |
Without anything to do, Sadie turned to her mom for | → | Mom told Sadie sometimes it was nice to do things by |
3. How did Sadie spend her vacation last summer?
4. What changes will Sadie make after listening to her mother’ words?
4 . Imagine the sound of a dog walking across a tile floor, the “click, click, click” of its claws tapping against the ground. Now, imagine a cat walking across the same floor — the difference is the cat moves in total silence. Cats can fully retract (缩回) their claws, giving them superior ability to remain silence.
But why do cats have retractable claws, whereas dogs do not?
It all comes down to how cats and dogs use their claws. Cats use their claws primarily to attack their target, said Anthony Russell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. They use their front claws to grab and hold on to their target and their back claws to cut open the target’s belly.
Cats need to keep their claws sharp to secure that next meal. Extended all the time, their claws would get less sharp as they scrape the ground, much like how a nail file deals with sharp points on a human fingernail.
Dogs, on the other hand, are social hunters. They work in groups to take down larger animals, wearing their target out over longer distances. For dogs, “if you’re hunting a moose or something, you wander along for kilometres and bite it until it is fatigued, and then you all jump on it,” Russell said. “Whereas cats essentially have a short burst, and then it’s over. Either the target gets away, or the target is captured.”
With more hunters working together, it’s less important for dogs to be able to grab and hold onto their target, so they don’t have to keep their claws as sharp. Sheer numbers are enough to give them the advantage.
But dogs’ claws aren’t completely useless. Dogs’ claws help them stand firmly on the earth and change directions quickly — a useful adaptation for pursuing target over long distances.
In nature’s silent dance, cats’ retractable claws are knives for quick attacks, while dogs’ strong claws make them good chasers. Each claw tells a tale of adaptation made to their unique hunting styles.
1. Where is the text most probably taken from?A.An animal novel. | B.A scientific report. | C.A zoology magazine. | D.A pet keeping guide. |
A.Hungry. | B.Scared. | C.Wounded. | D.Exhausted. |
A.Cats use front claws to grab and kill the target. |
B.Dogs use claws to attack and wear their targets out. |
C.Cats stop hunting if the target escapes from the first attack. |
D.Dogs work together to capture their targets in a shorter time. |
A.Cats are better adapted to hunting than dogs. |
B.Claws are more important for cats than for dogs. |
C.The sharper the claws, the more efficient the hunt. |
D.Cats and dogs find different ways to survive in nature. |
5 . To show empathy (共情) is to identify with another’s feelings. It is to emotionally put yourself in the place at another. The ability to empathize is directly dependent on your ability to feel your own feelings and identify them.
If you have never felt a certain feeling, it will be hard for you to understand how another person is feeling. If you have never put your hand in a flame, you will not know the pain of fire. If you have not experienced jealousy (妒嫉), you will not understand its power. Reading about a feeling and intellectually knowing about it is very different than actually experiencing it for yourself.
Among those with an equal level of emotional intelligence, the person who has actually experienced the widest range and variety of feelings — the great depths of depression and the heights of fulfillment, for example — is the one who is most able to empathize. On the other hand, when we say that someone “can’t relate to” other people, it is likely because they haven’t experienced, acknowledged or accepted many feelings of their own. Once you have felt discriminated (歧视) against, for example, it is much easier to relate with someone else who has been discriminated against. Our innate emotional intelligence gives us the ability to quickly recall those instances and form associations when we encounter discrimination again. We then can use the “reliving” of those emotions to guide our thinking and actions. This is one of the ways nature slowly evolves towards a higher level of survival.
For this process to work, the first step is that we must be able to experience our own emotions. This means we must be open to them and not distract ourselves from them or try to numb (使麻木) ourselves from our feelings through drugs, alcohol, etc.
Next, we need to become aware of what we are actually feeling—to acknowledge, identify, and accept our feelings. Only then can we empathize with others. That is one reason why it is important to work on your own emotional awareness and sensitivity — in other words, to be “in touch with” your feelings.
1. How does the author explain the feelings of empathy?A.By giving examples. | B.By having classification. |
C.By making comparison. | D.By providing data. |
A.Low level of empathy leads to fewer varieties of feelings. |
B.The deeper one’s feelings are, the more empathetic one is. |
C.Empathy is a way we recently picked up for better survival. |
D.Rich experiences of emotions may go with a high level of empathy. |
A.To advise a sincere attitude to one’s experiences. |
B.To suggest a right understanding of empathy. |
C.To recommend sensing and recognizing one’s emotions. |
D.To call for true acceptance of one’s identity. |
A.How Empathy Unfolds | B.Be Open to Your Emotions |
C.Why Is Empathy Important | D.Accept Your True Self |
6 . A 72-year-old Chinese retired physics professor becomes an Internet celebrity. In her short videos, Wu Yuren often uses everyday objects like eggs and coins as props for her experiments. In one video for example, when explaining cosmic rays in space. she grabbed a broom, ran her hand down the broomstick to the thin brush attached, to illustrate how the energy of the rays gradually weakens and disperses. She also explained rocket launches by blowing up a balloon. These interesting science videos have attracted over 1 million followers, many calling her “science grandma”
It’s said that Grandma Wu writes all her video scripts by herself, and she often works with young team members till late at night, just to plan each shoot down to the last detail. For some physics principles that are hard to present, she would discuss them with other professors to work out something easy for people to understand.
Many youngsters are greatly touched by Grandma Wu’s sense of responsibility and mission to communicate physics ideas to the public, especially teenagers. Meanwhile, her lifestyle, embracing new technologies to maximize her value, inspires people in particular.
In recent years, Chinese short-video sharing platforms saw a rise of such elderly Internet celebrities like science grandma. For example, there’s “Grandpa Amu”, an experienced carpenter who turns ordinary wood into exquisite items without a single nail or a drop of glue. "Shaanxi Old Qiao", or Grandpa Qiao, teaches people to cook Shaanxi’s local cuisines in his videos. These noodles and all are so tempting that even kitchen rookies couldn’t help trying.
With the technology boom and the help of young people, many Chinese seniors are opening up a new digital world, and are communicating with the world better through the web. Plus, all this also shows society’s respect and affection for the elderly.
1. What can we learn about Wu Yuren from the first two paragraphs?A.She shared her videos to seek fame. | B.She finished her videos on her own. |
C.She chose daily items to aid her teaching. | D.She refused physical principals hard to explain. |
A.Her ambition to succeed. | B.Her multiple teaching methods. |
C.Her cooperation with colleagues. | D.Her passion for popularizing science. |
A.Green hands. | B.Masters. | C.Enthusiasts. | D.Instructors. |
A.Humorous and easygoing. | B.Creative and life-loving. |
C.Disciplined and positive. | D.Strict and responsible. |
7 . From the deserts of Southern California to the forests of Alaska, the U.S. possesses a diversity of nature. For most of her life, Joy Ryan never saw the scenery beyond her home state of Ohio. Then, when she was in her mid-eighties, her grandson Brad Ryan decided to take her on a journey to all of the U.S. National Parks, which took eight years to complete. At the age of 93, Grandma Joy has finally seen all 63 parks, ending her journey in the National Park of American Samoa.
“When I learned she had never seen the great wildernesses of America — deserts, mountains, oceans, I decided to intervene (干预) in some way,” Brad says. This idea sparked their first trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. However, once they were on the road, Brad realised that they could visit more parks that were nearby. Over the years, they managed to see all of the famous sights at Yosemite, the Redwoods, and so on. But Brad values the time spent with his grandmother just as much as the breathtaking places they were able to visit.
Despite Grandma Joy’s older age, she was able to hike mountains. Brad regards her love for life as the key to her good health. She is grateful for each new day and is always Excited for the next journey. Finally, their long journey across the U.S. came to an end with American Samoa. “It’s about 6,700 miles from Ohio, where we live,” Brad explains. “We can enjoy the beach and the beautiful tropical paradise. But as we’ve learned from the rangers that work there, American Samoa is an island community firmly rooted in family. And I think that there’s a bit of a poetic beauty to ending it there, too.”
“I am thankful every morning for giving me another day,” Grandma Joy shares. “And it is your choice whether you’re going to have a rainy day or a sunny day. So, smile at everybody, and let everybody know you’re having a whale of a time.” While her tour of the U.S. has come to a close, she and her grandson are not done traveling. Next up, they have their sights set on Kenya.
1. Why did Brad decide to travel across America with his grandma?A.To celebrate Grandma Joy’s 93rd birthday. |
B.To complete a task he promised Grandma Joy. |
C.To enrich Grandma Joy’s travelling experiences. |
D.To realise Grandma Joy’s dream of visiting parks. |
A.Free and adventurous. | B.Tiring but educational. |
C.Stressful but eye-opening. | D.Amazing and worthwhile. |
A.The friendly locals. | B.The family bond. | C.The special culture. | D.The beautiful sights. |
A.Stay Curious, Stay Young | B.It’s Never too Old to Hit the Road |
C.Laughter is the Best Medicine | D.Travelling Contributes to Long Life |
8 . OpenAI’s automated AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT has taken the Internet by storm, but not without creating a few issues on the way. With writers, marketers, and seemingly everyone else in between using ChatGPT to generate content, companies worldwide are staring down a tsunami of AI-generated content. With issues of safety and stolen contents constantly swirling around ChatGPT and its output, OpenAI has now released GPT-Classifier, a tool designed to detect whether the text you’re reading was generated by ChatGPT or one of its other GPT tools.
GPT-Classifier attempts to figure out if a given piece of text was human-written or the work of an AI-generator. While ChatGPT and other GPT models are trained extensively on all manners of text input, the GPT-Classifier tool is fine-tuned on a dataset of pairs of human-written text and AI-written text on the same topic. In other words, the GPT-Classifier attempts to compare similarities between known human text and known AI text to find inconsistency that reveal the source writer.
While the idea of easily spotting AI-generated text will be music to the ears of editors and educators, OpenAI has warned that its classifier is not fully reliable.
A test of the GPT-Classifier spotted a human-generated example and marked it very unlikely to be AI-generated, and also correctly indicated that a ChatGPT-generated piece on USB issues was possibly AI generated. Currently, GPT-Classifier correctly identifies 26% of AI-written text while labelling 9% of human text as AI-written. OpenAI also notes that the tool’s accuracy typically improves as the length of the input text increases. For now, although GPT-Classifier is up and running and available for testing, it’s best to take its labelling with a pinch of salt.
Even with the GPT-Classifier’s limitations, the demand for reliable ChatGPT detection is likely to see many people turn to this tool. OpenAI’s commitment to building and releasing a free GPT detection tool is important because as more students, writers, programmers, and others use AI-text generation tools, understanding and detecting this input will become vital.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?A.GPT-Classifier’s components. | B.GPT-Classifier’s vast datasets. |
C.GPT-Classifier’s high productivity. | D.GPT-Classifier’s working principle. |
A.With certain doubt. | B.At face value. | C.With great respect. | D.As a challenge. |
A.GPT-Classifier demands more users’ trust. | B.GPT-Classifier wipes out users’ belief in AI. |
C.GPT-Classifier meets diverse growing needs. | D.GPT-Classifier has a limited range of services. |
A.To discuss the reliability of GPT-Classifier. |
B.To criticise the problem of Al-generated content. |
C.To encourage more people to use GPT-Classifier. |
D.To introduce a new tool for detecting AI-generated text. |
9 . Self-driving cars are just around the corner. Such vehicles will make getting from one place to another safer and less stressful. They also could cut down on traffic, reduce pollution and limit accidents. But how should driverless cars handle emergencies? People disagree on the answer. And that might put the brakes on this technology, a new study concludes.
To understand the challenge, imagine a car that suddenly meets some pedestrians in the road. Even with braking, it’s too late to avoid a crash. So, the car’s artificial intelligence must decide whether to swerve (急转弯). To save the pedestrians, should the car swerve off the road or swerve into oncoming traffic? What if such options would likely kill the car’s passengers?
Researchers used online surveys to study people’s attitudes about such situations with driverless cars. Survey participants mostly agreed that driverless cars should be designed to protect the most people. That included swerving into walls (or otherwise sacrificing their passengers) to save a larger number of pedestrians. But there is a dilemma. Those same surveyed people want to ride in cars that protect passengers at all costs — even if the pedestrians would now end up dying. Jean Bonnefon is a psychologist at the Toulouse School of Economics in France. He and his colleagues reported their findings in Science.
“Autonomous cars can completely change transportation”, says study co-author Iyad Rahwan. But, he adds, this new technology creates a moral dilemma that could slow its acceptance.
“Makers of driverless cars are in a tough spot,” Bonnefon’s group warns. Most buyers would want their car to be programmed to protect them in preference to other people. However, regulations might one day instruct that cars must act for the greater good. That would mean saving the most people. But the scientists think rules like this could drive away buyers. If so, all the potential benefits of driverless cars would be lost.
“Compromises (折中) might be possible,” Kurt Gray says. He is a psychologist at the University of North Carolina. He thinks that even if all driverless cars are programmed to protect their passengers in emergencies, traffic accidents will decrease. Those vehicles might be dangerous to pedestrians on rare occasions. But they “won’t speed, won’t drive drunk and won’t text while driving, which would be a win for society.”
1. What is the challenge facing self-driving cars?A.How self-driving cars reduce accidents. | B.The technical problems that self-driving cars have. |
C.How self-driving cars handle emergencies. | D.People’s negative attitudes towards self-driving cars. |
A.Quick decisions are required for self-driving cars’ AI. |
B.People are in a difficult situation about self-driving cars. |
C.The potential benefits of self-driving cars are ignored by buyers. |
D.Self-driving cars are supposed to protect passengers at any price. |
A.Favourable. | B.Doubtful. | C.Critical. | D.Neutral. |
A.People Disagree on the Future of Driverless Cars |
B.Driverless Cars are Revolutionising Transportation |
C.New Regulations Have Great Influence on Driverless Cars |
D.Moral Dilemma Could Limit the Appeal of Driverless Cars |
10 . It seems every country has one major event on the annual calendar. Here we’ve boiled down the choices to the absolute top events to add to your bucket list.
Montreux Jazz Festival, SwitzerlandThis over 50-year-old good time held on the shores of Lake Geneva is the second-largest jazz festival in the world. It’s more than jazz, though. You’ll find broad-ranging acts from pop to rock and blues. And, best of all, a large portion of the performances are free, in keeping with the festival’s purpose to make music accessible to anyone.
Palio di Siena, ItalyTwice a year, the Tuscan town of Siena recalls its past in the Middle Ages with a bareback horse race. Each of the 17 horses in the race and each of their course riders, represent one of the city’s districts, adding to the roar (咆哮) of the crowd. And to make things even more entertaining, riders are allowed to do anything to their opponents other than pull their reins (缰绳), so expect as many falls as thrills.
Saint Patrick’s Festival, IrelandSaint Patrick’s Day is celebrated anywhere in the world where there is an Irish group, but there’s no better place than Dublin, Ireland. This four-day festival in March is packed with a program of music, performing arts, literature, tours and food events. Centered around the national holiday, this festival of Irish pride, achievements and talents will be well supplied with Irish cheer.
Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival, ChinaHarbin is transformed into a winter wonderland with huge ice sculptures across the city, decorated with lights and lasers, drawing thousands of artists and art enthusiasts alike. And if that’s not enough to satisfy your fancy, there’s also the Ice Lantern Art Fair, sledding to watch and our favourite, “winter swimming watching”.
1. What features Montreux Jazz Festival?A.Its programs are mostly charged. | B.It aims to make jazz free to anyone. |
C.It includes various styles of music. | D.It is the oldest jazz festival globally. |
A.Montreux Jazz Festival. | B.Palio di Siena. |
C.Saint Patrick’s Festival. | D.Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival. |
A.They last just as long. | B.They are held nationwide. |
C.They take place in cold days. | D.They offer artistic experience. |