1 . With the increasing development of technology, we now have the ability to get much information from foreign media sources (媒体资源). Because we can learn much about events happening in other countries from the media, such as magazines and newspapers, many people may think that reading magazines and newspapers is the best way to learn about a foreign country. However, I believe that only reading magazines and newspapers as a way of learning about a foreign country has several limitations.
We cannot deny that magazines and newspapers actually present some valuable information about foreign countries. However, the information that they present is often one-sided, so that readers can only learn about one opinion on an event happening in a foreign country. Also, the words and pictures in magazines and newspapers may not be true. If a government wants to hide some facts, it may force the media to tell lies to its readers, and thus the information that readers receive may not be true.
I think that the best way to learn about a foreign country is to travel or live there for a while. By traveling or living in a country, you can see things that do not appear in magazines and newspapers, and learn about the local political situation, state of the economy, and the culture. You can get more information about a country by talking directly with local people about the overall situation, and can truly understand the local culture by living with them for a while. But if you are at home reading a newspaper or magazine, you simply get information provided by others passively (被动地) instead of collecting information directly.
So, I believe that the best way to learn about a foreign country is not by reading magazines and newspapers but by placing yourself in that foreign country.
1. What does the text mainly discuss?| A．How people get information in no time. |
| B．Where people can get information they need. |
| C．Why it’s important to learn about a foreign country. |
| D．What the best way to learn about a foreign country is. |
| A．Disagree. | B．Promise. | C．Realize. | D．Accept. |
| A．True but not enough. | B．Correct but not fresh. |
| C．Limited and not always true. | D．Not enough and not valuable. |
| A．You’ll have a quicker mind by learning more. |
| B．You’ll have a chance to read local newspapers. |
| C．You’ll meet people who are different from you. |
| D．You’ll learn truths that the media don’t provide. |
2 . Sunday sadness is real, for tomorrow is the start of working days.
An excellent choice is exercise. Breaking a sweat has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, boost mood and improve sleep, all good ways to fight Sunday stress. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, just five minutes of aerobic exercise can reduce anxiety.
●Take a nature pillActually, any form of exercise or movement can increase your fitness level while decreasing your stress.
Some folks turn to drinking alcohol, even crazily, to cope with the Sunday night blues. That’s a poor choice: Alcohol rattles your normal sleep patterns, trapping you in lighter stages of sleep and dramatically reducing the quality of your rest at night.
“It continues to pull you out of rapid eye movement and the deeper stages of sleep, causing you to wake up not feeling restored,” said Rebecca Robbins, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health, in a previous CNN interview.
●Wind downThis is going to sound impossible, but try to avoid your cell phone and work email on Sunday. Being constantly connected keeps us excited even on our days off, discouraging relaxation.
Does the idea make you even more nervous?
Unconsciously worrying about all the things you have to do Monday brings you restless sleep, even insomnia(失眠), so write down a list of all the things you have to do Monday – or even the entire week. You can go so far as prioritizing them if you like. Not only will putting the tasks on paper jump-start your Monday morning, you’ll feel like you’ve purged your worries.
| A．Then try to check in as early in the evening on Sunday as you can. |
| B．Avoid overdrinking |
| C．Here’s how to battle the pre-workweek blues. |
| D．Here are some following ways to help you relax at weekends. |
| E．Why not increase that effect by enjoying nature? |
| F．Then relax and keep texting till your bedtime. |
| G．In fact, writing in a journal has been scientifically shown to improve overall health. |
3 . When I was nine years old, my dad worked in a heating and air conditioning company. It allowed him to work mainly in the spring and fall. With summers free, my parents took me and my two brothers to the lake every day. I supposed my parents must realize that if they didn’t find us any things to do, we would finally start fighting, as we were too bored.
On the way to the lake, my mother drove the car and my father recited (朗诵) poems so my brothers and I wouldn’t get bored. I still didn’t know how my dad had learnt so many poems by heart. But I had a great discovery that every time my father recited them, those verses (诗句) could keep us three quiet for the next twenty--minute drive. Such moments could never be achieved by what else my parents usually did such as singing, telling stories, and so on.
One of the poems that completely attracted me was a bit silly. It begins—Ladles and jellyspoons/I come before you/To stand behind you/And tell you something I know nothing about. There were still many similar ones. I found I was deeply caught. I recited these lines in my head over and over, week after week until they burned new electrical pathways in my brain. I even couldn’t help copying those poems neatly in my favorite notebooks.
It’s a love story that continues to this day, thirty years and 10 books of my own later. So the value of the story is this: Read to your kids. Sing to your kids. Recite poems for your kids. Be silly with your kids! It may make all the difference. It works for me. Thanks, Dad.
1. According to the author, why were his brothers and he taken to the lake daily in summer?| A．To reduce their study pressure. | B．To escape the heat of summers. |
| C．To teach them some new life skills. | D．To draw their attention to other things. |
| A．Poems were easy to learn by heart. |
| B．His parents were good at creating poems. |
| C．His father tried hard to get along well with them. |
| D．Poems could make the three brothers calm down. |
| A．He began to write poems himself. | B．He gradually fell in love with poems. |
| C．He made changes to some silly poems. | D．He grew to be a kid with excellent grades. |
| A．Children should be grateful to their parents. |
| B．Parents should avoid being too strict with kids. |
| C．Good family atmosphere is very important for kids. |
| D．Children should be encouraged to follow their dreams. |
4 . April 23 marks World Book and Copyright Day. Here are four widely praised books which received agreeably high scores on Douban in China.
The Death of a PrincessThe Death of a Princess is a work of legal history. The author describes in detail the classic case of Princess Lanling of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), who was beaten by her husband and suffered the loss of her baby, leading to her death, exploring important and profound legal and married moral issues such as domestic violence and the low status (地位) of women.
Delivering Packages in BeijingAuthor Hu Anyan has worked as a delivery man, a night shift stock picker, a convenience store clerk and a security guard. He transforms the bits and pieces of everyday life and the joys and sorrows of work into a sincere narrative. He finally realizes that a life filled with anger is not worth living.
The Annoyance of the GodsAuthor Ma Boyong, who has written The Longest Day in Chang’an, uses the classic Journey to the West as a backdrop to describe a series of workplace issues, such as how to write a work report during a project and how to respond to emergencies.
Bright NightWritten by Choi Eun-young, the book is a female version of Yu Hua’s To Live. It tells the story of the friendship and struggle of four generations of women. The women in the book are no longer characters to be pitied against one another, nor do they play supporting roles in the lives of men.
1. Which of the following explores the low status of women in society?| A．Bright Night. | B．Delivering Packages in Beijing. |
| C．The Annoyance of the Gods. | D．The Death of a Princess. |
| A．describes his delivery job |
| B．shares his own stories |
| C．narrates his transformation |
| D．explores people’s life in Beijing |
| A．Children. | B．Men. | C．Women. | D．Seniors. |
5 . Before traveling to Lake Tahoe, make sure your plans are in order. Complete vacation packages of the area are now offered online.
| Package 1. Get Outdoors in Lake Tahoe Package Get outdoors and explore! With this fun vacation package, you can stay in the Lake Tahoe area for three nights and have a few adventures along the way. This package also features Lake Tahoe Sport Fishing, allowing guests to get out and fish! Click here to book | Package 2. Lake Tahoe Family Vacation Package If your next trip happens to be in the Lake Tahoe area, then consider booking this one. It is great because it can offer you four full nights at the hotel of your selection and an amazing sightseeing tour through the Emerald Bay. You also can enjoy Lake Tahoe Hot Air Balloons tours and the Wild West Tour. Click here to book |
| Package 3. Lake Tahoe Romantic Getaway Package This is perfect for people who want to have a romantic time. It includes a two-night stay at the hotel of your choice and one of the finest activities in all of Lake Tahoe — the Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Sunset Boat Tour on the Bleu Wave. During this romantic sail, you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Lake Tahoe. Click here to book | Package 4. Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package The Lake Tahoe Weekend Getaway Package is great for people of all ages, so this is a great choice for families. This package includes a two-night stay at the hotel you choose. It also includes a trip which takes place on the Bleu Wave by boat. Click here to book |
| A．Package 1. | B．Package 2. | C．Package 3. | D．Package 4. |
| A．Their boat tour. | B．The hotel for staying. |
| C．The places for traveling. | D．Their target customers. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A travel report. | C．A local newspaper. | D．A website. |
6 . The event took place on Sunday, the 25th of June. On that particular day, a south wind had been gusting (劲吹) on and off all morning. It was not strong enough to cause us any concern, so we carried on our daily work, not doubting what was about to happen.
The storm gave us very little warning. Black clouds appeared over the distant horizon (地平线) so suddenly that we were taken by surprise. Even then, we were not really worried, as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant mountains. Then, just as the clouds had moved inland, the wind suddenly blew around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm.
Very soon, we were busily preparing for the worst. The whole family had experienced such a storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops. There was very little we could do about the crops. But we needed to protect the animals in case the river flooded again. My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river. If the river flooded, they should be safe there.
In the meantime, my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service. If the tin flew off, it could damage the house. My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter. My job was to help Mum board up the windows. If the storm developed into a cyclone (旋风)，the boards would protect the glass.
The storm lasted for four hours, pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years. As expected, the river broke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock.
Then, just as we were beginning to lose hope, the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The animals were safe, and the roof was still nailed on. “All’s well that ends well ,” said my mother.
1. When the black clouds appeared suddenly in the distance, _______.| A．the family were surprised | B．they were extremely worried |
| C．they were preparing for the worst | D．they faced the storm bravely |
| A．little damage would be done to the crops |
| B．they had everything ready for the crops |
| C．they felt unable to protect the crops |
| D．the crops should be safe enough there |
| A．Money owned by the family. | B．Goods for sale. |
| C．Supplies for family use. | D．Farm animals. |
| A．they had no damage at all | B．everything was as fine as before |
| C．everything was under control | D．the family had a good result |
7 . London native, Bodhana first became interested in chess to beat back boredom. Just five years old at the time, she quickly surpassed (超越) her father’s chess playing ability and began playing, and winning, in online chess games. Three years later, Bodhana made history as the top female chess player in Europe after she defeated grandmasters many times her age at the European Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in December 2023.
Sivanandan Velayutham, Bodhana’s father, said that his daughter first became fascinated with chess at the age of five, when he brought home a second-hand chess set. Bodhana happened to see the knight (武士) lying around and it caught her interest. “I want the horse,” she told her father.
Bodhana’s father was happy to help and he taught her the chess basics that he’d learned in India. But it didn’t take long for his preschool daughter to beat him. “At the start, I might have won one or two games, but she soon knew the rules better than me and the tables quickly turned,” Velayutham said.
From the beginning, Bodhana strengthened what her father was teaching her with games and methods that she learned from YouTube videos. But when it became clear that she had a lasting interest and an unusual talent, her father enrolled in a local chess club for her, where she soon fell into the habit of practicing daily for an hour or more.
Last year, at one of Bodhana’s first ever tournament experiences, which was hosted by the English Chess Federation, she defeated a number of grandmasters.
A year later, Bodhana won the World Youth Chess Championship in the Under-8 Girls category. After defeating kids at her age, a few months later she went back to beating adults.
BBC shared Bodhana’s win at the European Blitz Chess Championship in December of 2023. There, she earned the title of best female player, scoring8.5/13, and earning widespread praise from other game masters.
1. What can be learned about Bodhana in paragraph 1?| A．Her considerate family. | B．Her amazing chess talent. |
| C．Her great luck in her career. | D．Her powerful self-study ability. |
| A．Her father’s encouragement. | B．The interesting rules of chess. |
| C．An animal-shaped chess piece. | D．Education received in preschool. |
| A．Bodhana made her father lose face. | B．Bodhana’s father collected used chess. |
| C．Bodhana was sent to India to learn chess. | D．Bodhana’s father used to live abroad. |
| A．Joining a local chess club. | B．Learning chess rules online. |
| C．Defeating a number of grandmasters. | D．Meeting with a second-hand chess set. |
8 . Top Technology Products at CES 2024
One of the world’s largest technology events, CES, is taking place this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here is a look at some top products presented at CES 2024.
Robot that adds walking power
WIRobotics introduced a wearable robot that provides walking assistance to users. The company’s WIM model is designed for anyone who needs an extra “push” when walking. An online description explains the robot can help individuals “walk farther, faster and healthier”. The price for such assistance is high, though, with the WIM selling for about $2,500.
Body power to charge a phone
Sports equipment developer LifeSpan introduced an exercise bicycle/desk combination that uses human power to charge phones or other devices. The Ampera bike is designed to be used with a “standing” desk table. LifeSpan says the bike can produce up to 65 watts of electricity per hour.
Home-made ice cream in 2 minutes
The ColdSnap company introduced a machine that can make single servings of ice cream in about two minutes. The machine uses small containers, called pods, just like Keurig coffeemakers. The company points out the pods for its ColdSnap machine can be kept at room temperature, saving energy costs. The machines can be taken anywhere and are simple to operate.
Smart mirror for better mental health
French health product developer Baracoda presented what it described as “the world’s first AI-powered smart mirror for mental wellness.” The company’s BMind model is built to work in any bathroom. The product was designed to use cameras and sensors to collect data on a person's movements , expressions and language. It can identify a user’s moods (心情) and sense other possible mental health issues.
1. What do the first product and the second one have in common?| A．They are expensive. | B．They are related to sports. |
| C．They can produce power. | D．They can make walking easier. |
| A．Maintain a good mood. | B．Make bathing more comfortable. |
| C．Improve your image gradually. | D．Find your mental health problems. |
| A．The robot that adds walking power. | B．The Ampera bike. |
| C．The home-made ice cream machine. | D．The AI-powered smart mirror. |
9 . Friends make life more rich and satisfying, and that’s for sure. But sometimes it can be hard to tell when you’ve crossed the line from “stranger” to “friend” with another person.
See if they have your back during hard times.
A true friend should be with you through the good, bad, and ugly. They should offer to help you however they can, and bring you back from the darkness into the light again. A true friend would never think of leaving you during a difficult time in your life.
Some people may pretend to be your friend, and they’d much rather see you fail or get into trouble.
| A．This happens occasionally, of course. |
| B．Decide if they help make you a better person. |
| C．Ask if they make time for you, even when they’re busy. |
| D．Friends won’t make it all about them in communication. |
| E．A fake friend will probably only stick around when things are going well. |
| F．Read on to find who’s a friend in your life by searching for some key factors. |
| G．Everyone makes mistakes, and your friend should be willing to accept that you’re no different. |
10 . Recently, a group of stroke (中风) survivors in British Columbia will test a new technology designed to aid their recovery, and finally restore use of their arms and hands. Participants will wear a new groundbreaking “smart glove” capable of tracking their hand and finger movements during rehabilitation (康复) exercises supervised by Dr. Janice Eng, a professor of medicine at UBC.
“With this glove, we can monitor patients’ hand and finger movements without the need for cameras. We can then analyze and fine-tune their exercise programs for the best possible results, even remotely,” says Dr. Eng.
Peyman Servati, a UBC electrical and computer engineering professor and their team at their startup, Texavie, created the smart glove for collaboration on the stroke project. Dr. Servati described in a paper published in Nature Machine Intelligence, “This is the most accurate (精确的) glove we know of that can track hand and finger movements and grasping force without requiring motion-capture cameras. Thanks to machine learning models we developed, the glove can accurately determine the angles of all finger joints and the wrist as they move. The technology is highly precise and fast, capable of detecting small stretches and pressures and predicting movement with at least 99% accuracy—matching the performance of costly motion-capture cameras.”
Unlike other products in the market, the glove is wireless (无线的) and comfortable, and can be easily washed after removing the battery. Dr. Servati and his team have developed advanced methods to produce the smart glove at a relatively low cost locally.
Dr. Servati hopes that the smart glove can enter the market soon. He adds, “Imagine being able to accurately capture hand movements and interactions with objects and have it automatically display on a screen. There are endless applications. You can type text without needing a physical keyboard, control a robot, or translate American Sign Language into written speech in real time, providing easier communication for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.”
1. What’s the function of the “smart glove”?| A．Treating the stroke patients. | B．Keeping track of the cure. |
| C．Helping the patients to recover soon. | D．Taking control of a patient’s hands. |
| A．Its price. | B．Its advantages. | C．Its inspiration. | D．Its users. |
| A．It’s produced at quite a low price. | B．It’s light and warm. |
| C．It’s fashionable. | D．It’s easy to carry. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Careless. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
