1 . Few people realize it, but glaciers (冰川) are full of tiny air bubbles (气泡). They form as snow, accumulating over thousands of years, slowly packs into ice under its own weight — squishing the air that was trapped between snowflakes into tiny holes. Erin Pettit, a scientist, and her colleagues had suspected that bubbles could be important. To test this idea, they undertook a series of laboratory experiments.

They find that as the ice melted, the resulting fresh water rose, because it was less dense than the surrounding sea water. This created a rising current along the vertical face of the ice — a proof of what occurs at the front of a real tidewater glacier. When the glacial ice melted, the current that it produced was six times faster than what was seen with the bubble-free ice because the rising bubbles pulled the water up more quickly. The glacial ice melted 2.25 times more quickly than the bubble-free ice. “That’s a very powerful effect. If that’s the reality in nature, then it’s quite serious.”

The newly discovered bubble effect could explain some of that extra melting, says Mathieu Morlighem, a scientist. “It’s improving our understanding, but it’s not painting a darker picture of what’s happening today,” he says.

Pettit notes that in Alaska, many bays with tidewater glaciers have large populations of harbor seals. The animals shelter there while molting and raising babies. But in Glacier Bay, where the tidewater glaciers retreated (后退) many miles inland, the seal populations have declined. Pettit now suspects that the roaring rhythm of exploding bubbles provides a hiding place where seals can avoid detection by killer whale, which often find their victim by listening. The bubbles may mask the seals’ sounds — at least until the ice retreats out of hearing. This may turn out to be yet another way in which these tiny bubbles have surprisingly large-scale effects.

1. What does the underlined word “squishing” in paragraph I mean?

A．Absorbing.

B．Pressing.

C．Adding.

D．Reducing.

2. What did Pettit and her colleagues find about the bubbles?

A．They produce a warm current of water.

B．They result in releasing more fresh water.

C．They have formed for thousands of years slowly.

D．They cause the ice in glaciers to melt more quickly.

3. What is Mathieu’s attitude towards the discovery?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Disapproving.

D．Cautious.

4. What effect does the last paragraph reflect?

A．The frog effect.	B．The bucket effect.
C．The butterfly effect.	D．The broken windows effect.

2 . Poor indoor air quality can have health consequences that range from disease of the eyes, nose and throat to headaches and dizziness. It’s also linked to respiratory (呼吸的) and heart disease.     1    .

●Maximize fresh air

Katherine Pruitt, National Senior Director for Policy at the American Lung Association, offers three basic steps you can take to make your air better at home.     2    . She says, “Let fresh air from outside in.” This means that opening up your windows is often the simplest way to disperse anything bad that may be accumulating inside. If you have a central air conditioner, running it can be a good way to bring in outside air.

It may make sense to use a fan to improve indoor air quality. For instance, you might place one near an open window to help exhaust indoor air to the outdoors.

●    3    

The second thing you can do is called source control, which is keeping sources of pollutants out of the indoor environment if you can, says Pruitt.

It can be as simple, Pruitt says, as leaving your dry cleaning outside long enough to air the harmful chemicals out.

Cleaning your home is helpful. But Pruitt warns that “    4    .” She advises, “Read the labels and select safer products when you can.”

●Purify (净化) the air

Finally, if necessary, the third thing you can try to improve your air is purification. For instance, if you want to remove airborne particles like smoke, dust and germs,     5    . “For homes with air conditioners,” says Pruitt, “you have a purifier that you’re supposed to be changing regularly.”

A．Prevent the air pollution

B．Control the source of the pollutants

C．you should focus on the air quality

D．The first has to do with ventilation (通风)

E．Here’s how to keep your home’s air clean

F．it may make sense to use an indoor air purifier

G．Use of harsh cleaning supplies can introduce its own risks

3 . How to Make a Homema de Gift

Looking for a heartfelt gift that won’t leave you broke? Try making your own.     1     Such sorts of gifts can make a major impression.

    2     While cards can be purchased at nearly any supermarket or department store, making one yourself can make a statement about the time and effort you’re willing to spend on the recipient. The most important part, though, is the words you write on it. Try to be sincere and honest while writing something.

Create a scrapbook (剪贴簿). A scrapbook isn’t just a great gift.     3     To make a scrapbook, you’ll just need some paper, glue and photos of you and the gift recipient. Stick the pictures in any order you want on your sheets of paper. For example, you can begin with photos of your first meeting.

Prepare love coupons (礼券). These are fantastic gifts for family members and close friends. The basic idea is to make a small book of “coupons” from zero.     4     For example, if you’re giving the coupons to your mother, you might write “I will go to a movie with you” on one of the coupons.

Make a pack of cards.     5     For this gift, you take an ordinary pack of cards and turn it into something special by writing your praise for the gift recipient on each one. When you give the gift, offer to use the cards to play your favorite card game together.

A．Write a heartfelt card.

B．Make a piece of DIY art.

C．Write things they would like on each of them.

D．This is sometimes also called “The Things I Love About You”.

E．There are hundreds of affordable DIY projects that make great gifts.

F．It’s a way to remind your friend of all the great memories you have together.

G．Making something by hand is often more impressive than spending lots of cash.

4 . The voice within can be your internal guidance system toward development and optimism. Having control of your inner voice can be an incredibly powerful tool for creating cycles of positive thinking.     1    

Identify negative thoughts. People who don’t believe in themselves can go through life allowing negative thoughts to guide them. To break the dangerous cycle of negative thought patterns, you must first learn how to identify these thoughts.     2     This way, you may be able to replace these with healthy ones.

Choose your friend circle wisely.     3     This is because friends who spend a lot of time together and expose themselves to a similar environment have similar neural(神经的) activity patterns. By surrounding yourself with those who have a positive mindset, your own thought pattern can be positively influenced.

Turn your mindset toward growth. A growth mindset is a belief that your abilities are developable overtime. A person with a growth mindset tends to be less likely to suffer from mental health problems than someone with a fixed mindset.     4     They have repetitive thoughts in their heads. However, those who develop a growth mindset show perseverance(毅力) which can guide them toward happiness and success.

    5     When you feel motivated, you react without thinking, which usually ends up with you saying something you may regret. However, by choosing to respond mindfully before reacting, you are exercising control over your thoughts in a healthy way. So next time you notice an intense thought coming up, take a moment to think twice.

A．Keep highly motivated.

B．Choose to reflect rather than react.

C．People with a growth mindset will feel happier.

D．Read on to find how to channel your thoughts positively.

E．You are the average of the five people you spend time with.

F．Write down any negative thoughts that may come into your mind.

G．People with a fixed mindset tend to become stuck in their ways.

5 . The daily life can be busy and at times difficult. It may sometimes feel like bringing just a little more inner peace and calmness into your life is a hopeless wish.     1     Small and smart changes can make a big difference over time. Here are some tips for finding more peace and calmness in everyday life.

Set limits (限制). If your life is overfilled, you may need to set some limits. So stop doing some of the least important things, which honestly don’t matter that much. Set a limit for how many times you will check your mailbox, Instagram,Twitter etc. per day.     2    

Organise your world and your mind.     3     A tidy, clean and ordered space around you brings clarity and order to the mind. So don’t stop there. Simplify and organise your home and life to live in a more relaxing environment.

    4     Reading minds is pretty much impossible. But still we often try it and create anxiety and uncertainty for ourselves. So ask and communicate instead. It may sometimes be a bit hard at first but it can save you and the people around you so much trouble in the long run.

Solve a problem that is weighing heavily on you. Solve your problem and release (释放) all the stress that it is creating in your life. You probably already know what to do, and you are just not doing it yet.     5     So get up from your chair and get started right now.

A．Ask instead of guessing.

B．Sometimes you have a bad day.

C．But it doesn’t have to be that way.

D．And say no if you really don’t have the time.

E．Leave your work and work phone where it belongs.

F．Just take three minutes to organize the room you’re in.

G．But the longer you wait,the worse the tension (紧张) inside becomes.

6 . If you want to make a good first impression in that important business meeting, it is no longer about wearing the sharpest suit or the firmest handshake but about making sure that the little Zoom window with your face in it projects professionalism. But this isn’t always easy.     1     Here are some tips.

• Don’t hold your phone.

If you absolutely must join the meeting on your phone, then don’t hold it in your hand.     2     Your colleagues won’t see your picture swinging about wildly. And the camera won’t suddenly look up your nose when you naturally pull your phone closer to your face.

•     3    

How the light falls on our faces counts. So make sure that you don’t have a big, direct source of light behind you, because all it will do is make your face dark and hard to see — and that’s the most important part!

• A professional microphone makes up for bad video.

The built-in microphones inside our computers can be pretty good, but they’re never truly great.     4     What matters is that people should be able to hear what you’re saying.

• Don’t rely on the default (默认) camera.

    5     This could help create the illusion of eye contact. However, this isn’t always easy, especially if you’re using a laptop and are sitting at a desk, towering above it. It might be worth getting an external camera you can put on top of a monitor.

A．Lighting makes the difference.

B．Do put on make-up on your face.

C．Instead, obtain a phone stand to hold it.

D．The ideal position for your camera is at your eye-level.

E．What can you do to ensure a successful business meeting?

F．So it’s worth spending the money on a dedicated external microphone.

G．So what can you do to make sure your video calls project the right image?

7 . Household chores (家务活) may contribute to healthy aging, according to a study published in the journal BMJ Open. Researchers from Singapore found that regular physical activity, including tasks like dusting, scrubbing floors, and washing windows, can improve physical and mental health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and decrease falls, immobility, dependency, and mortality among older adults.

The study involved 249 participants aged 21 to 64 and 240 participants aged 65 to 90. Participants completed cognitive (认知) function tests and physical capability assessments. They were asked about their levels of physical activity, including light housework (such as dusting) and heavy housework (such as floor-scrubbing). The researchers found that older adults who engaged in high amounts of heavy housework had higher cognitive and attention scores compared to those who did low levels or no heavy housework at all. These participants also had lower sit-to-stand times and were at a lower risk of falling. Similarly, older adults who reported high levels of light housework had higher cognitive and memory scores compared to those who did low levels of such tasks.

Dr. Shiou-Liang Wee, co-author of the research, emphasized that health messaging on staying active should not only focus on recreational physical activities. He highlighted that housework is a purposeful activity performed by many older adults and is linked to sharper memory and better fall protection.

However, experts urge caution when interpreting the study’s findings. Professor Gill Livingston from University College London noted that people who are not well may be expected to do less housework, and the study did not establish a causal relationship between housework and health outcomes. Professor Charlie Foster from the University of Bristol highlighted that the study relied on self-reported levels of household chores, which may be inaccurate, and did not fully consider other factors that could influence the results. While the study suggests that household chore may have benefits for older adults’ health, further research is needed to better understand the relationship between housework and healthy aging.

1. How did the researchers measure the participants’ levels of physical activity?

A．By analyzing the participants’ daily routines.

B．By doing household chores with the participants.

C．By carrying out a test on the participants.

D．By listening to the participants’ spoken reports.

2. What can we know about the study?

A．Household chores, heavy or light, do help.

B．The more housework for the elderly, the better.

C．The subjects are of similar age.

D．Light housework improves health better.

3. What do Gill Livingston and Charlie Foster think of the result of the study?

A．Objective.

B．Meaningless.

C．Partial.

D．Successful.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Definite limitation of a study on healthy aging.

B．The introduction to a study on household chores.

C．Housework arguments among different experts.

D．Possible function of household chores for healthy aging.

8 . Hong Kong is one of the most expensive cities in the world, with its lavish food and giant shopping malls. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the city without stretching your wallet. With good planning, you can enjoy many things in Hong Kong for free.

1. Go gallery hopping and marvel at beautiful artworks

Hong Kong is home to plenty of independent art galleries that exhibit works from various artists around the world. While galleries are spread across the city, we argue that the best place to go gallery hopping is around Central and Sheung Wan.

2. Get up-close with nature at one of the scenic hiking trails

It’s easy to visualize images of Hong Kong’s breathtaking skyline when thinking of the city. But Hong Kong is also filled with thick greenery, mountains, and amazing natural landscapes. So, go hiking at any of the scenic trails the city has. For hiking beginners, the Peak trail is among the easiest and in the end, you’ll be treated to epic views of Victoria Harbour. Also perfect for newbies but a little more into nature is Dragon’s Back.

3. Step back in time at the traditional villages

Due to urbanization, Hong Kong’s traditional villages have been in massive decline throughout the years. With those still standing today, it serves as a time machine to showcase Hong Kong’s past. Among the best-preserved villages is Tsang Tai Uk. The original brick, timber, and granite materials are still well-maintained within the walls.

1. Who may find the Peak trail most fascinating?

A．Science fans.	B．Outdoor enthusiasts.
C．Water sports lovers.	D．Gallery goers.

2. Which tourist destination offers a glimpse of Hong Kong’s history?

A．Central and Sheung Wan	B．The Peak trail
C．Tsang Tai Uk	D．Dragon’s Back

3. Who are the most likely target readers for this article?

A．Travelers lacking experience	B．Travelers into lavish city life
C．Travelers seeking local cuisine	D．Travelers on a tight budget

9 . If sales generally feel hard to to resist, the sale in front of Aarron Schurevich was the ultimate test: new Kia Soul just like the one he’d had and loved, at a dealership he trusted, at a moment when he really needed a car. And it was priced $4,000 off more than a 20% discount. However, after he sped through paperwork and drove the car off the lot, the deal turned soul. Schurevich now jokes that he paid a tax for being a fool.

This big-ticket example shows vividly all the dynamics that play out in a sale. The discount itself often registers as a win, delivering the joy of both getting the product and the reward that we discovered something, and we’ve earned this extra thing. Thus, spotting something we’d like to buy on sale activates our brain’s reward system. Then there’s the fight in the brain between what can be described as its emotional and rational(理性的)parts. A sale lands like the thumb that tips our mental scale toward buying.

Stores, of course, know all this and try to push our buttons.

Experts say we often subconsciously believe popular things to be more valuable or more rewarding. Plus, there’s our urge to avoid loses — the fear of missing out (FOMO). So stores appeal to our crowd mentality: It’s Black Friday, ana everyone’s shopping, buying that thing you’d like. They create urgency: Your favorite car is on sale today only! And they create scarcity: Shop now while supplies last!

Stores also try various pricing tricks. “How do we make more customers go to the more expensive option? We add a decoy,” says Savannah Wei Shi, who researches pricing and decision-making. For example, picture s store shelf where a medium bag of candy sits next to a larger bag of the same candy. The medium-sized bag is much smaller than the other bag, but only slightly cheaper. It makes the big bag look like the best deal, so shoppers buy that one-the most expensive option on the shelf.

1. Why is Aarron Schurevich’s story mentioned?

A．To illustrate why we fall for a sale.	B．To present how our brains are activated.
C．To stress the importance of rational decision.	D．To prove the flexibility of marketing strategies.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 4?

A．FOMO postpones decisions.	B．Sales play on people’s fears.
C．Subconsciousness determines everything.	D．Scarcity promotion leads to wise purchases.

3. What marketing technique is used by warning about the limited number of available seats left?

A．Using Pricing tricks.	B．Dealing with emergencies.
C．Creating scarcity.	D．Appealing to crowd mentality.

4. What does “a decoy” refer to in paragraph 5?

A．A candy.

B．A shelf.

C．A larger bag.

D．A medium bag.

10 . There is no doubt that when you receive a compliment, you feel good and when you receive a criticism, you feel upset and want to refuse it.

You shouldn’t be surprised by your reaction to the negative comment, as it’s human’s survival mechanism to avoid being criticized. Clearly, we don’t want to be seen as failures, so we’d rather shut our eyes and cover our ears than have to take any criticisms from others.

Imagine you’re learning to play the guitar, and you have just done your first public performance. Your teacher says, “You did well,” which may not be as useful in helping you improve your performance skills as “Your timing needs some work.” So I believe that criticisms are better than compliments.

No one would argue that healthy nutrition is a bad thing. However, too much food or drink — no matter how healthy they may be — can make us ill. Too many compliments take us away from our original enthusiasm of enjoying an activity. We start doing the activity only for the sake of receiving self-satisfying praise. Without the expectation of praise, our enthusiasm to complete things begins to be lost.

Launched in 2010, Microsoft KIN only lasted on the market for 48 days. It was very obvious that most 15 to 30-year-olds preferred Androids, BlackBerrys and iPhones to the Microsoft KIN. If criticism and feedback from the target group had been received while the phone was in development, Microsoft KIN could have avoided the huge embarrassment and its final failure.

Just to be clear, I’m talking about constructive criticism, which I like to think of as “healthy criticism”. The right kind of criticism is honest feedback that will benefit you. Feedback forces you to reconsider your actions and the way you work. If you use constructive criticism wisely, it can guide you away from bad practices, giving you support and courage to move forward to be a better person in the future.

1. What can we learn about compliment and criticism in Paragraph 1?

A．People’s response to them.	B．People’s ways to express them.
C．People’s understanding of them.	D．People’s different opinions on them.

2. How would people be when receiving too many compliments?

A．More annoyed.

B．More satisfied.

C．Less worried.

D．Less interested.

3. How can healthy criticism be helpful according to the last paragraph?

A．To encourage growth.	B．To develop intelligence.
C．To avoid embarrassment.	D．To reduce enthusiasm.

4. What is a suitable title for the passage?

A．Criticisms are better than compliments.

B．Constructive criticism contributes to better future.

C．Honest feedback comes from healthy criticism.

D．Enough enthusiasm is vital for further development.