1 . Can the colors you choose for your home affect (影响) your feelings? Of course! Believe it or not, colors can have a great effect on how you feel, from your energy levels (精力水平) to happiness.     1    .

Red: The Color of Being Successful.

Red is a kind of color full of energy. It can raise your energy levels.     2    . It has a great effect on your whole nerve system (神经系统). That means it can make you feel angrier or more excited than before. So it’s very important for you to carefully choose where you use it.

Yellow: The Color of Happiness.

    3    . It’s the color that can make you happy and full of energy. It’s not like red. When it’s chosen in the room, it is both relaxing and exciting.     4    .

Blue: The Color of Rest and Beauty.

Blue is the color of the sea and the sky. It makes you comfortable and always slows you down.     5    . Maybe it is something we need most after a long day of hard work. It lowers (降低) your blood pressure. That means it has a good effect on your health.

A．It’s a color like fire.

B．I don’t like this color at all.

C．You’d better not choose this color.

D．It can be a perfect color for a room.

E．Blue can bring you the feeling of peace.

F．Yellow is known to be an exciting color.

G．There are three kinds of colors for your home.

2 . 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.

3 . Which of your children is your favorite? Your response is probably “none of them.” What kind of parent would choose one child as his or her favorite? The truth might be surprising to you.

Years of research supports what many have suspected-most parents have a favorite child. Studies have explored reasons from birth order to gender (性别) and shared interests. Yet even with years of research that supports this idea, most parents tend to deny the fact that they have a favorite child. Even if there is no obvious parental favorite among siblings (兄弟姐妹), studies have shown that children often feel preferential treatment of their sibling by their parents. Favoritism often results in family conflicts and feelings of sadness among family members whether parents’ favoritism is real or only felt. Thus both the kids and their parents tend to be plagued by the favoritism.

The question isn’t whether or not you have a favorite child, since it’s pretty clear that many parents do. Typically, favoritism has little to do with loving one child more. It is more about how your personality resonates (产生共鸣) with one child’s personality more than the others’. Essentially, it’s a question of “like”. Still, why is it so hard for us to admit that one of our children might be our favorite? Some parents might worry about harming their children emotionally or psychologically. Some parents confuse liking one child’s personality with the love they show to each child. However, when recognizing that you might hold preferential feelings towards one child you are taking an important step towards creating a better relationship with all of your children.

Instead of denying the fact, you can reflect on how you relate to each of your children. Examining your feelings towards each of your children can provide a greater insight into your own personality and how you function in relationships -- and in fact, how you consider your children might reflect more about your thoughts and feelings of yourself than them. Increased awareness about your inner world can help you build and keep healthier relationships with your children.

1. How do most parents respond to the result of the research?

A．They’re quite concerned about it.	B．They’re unwilling to admit it.
C．They’re sensitive to it.	D．They’re regretful about it.

2. What does the underlined word “plagued” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Encouraged.

B．Troubled.

C．Separated.

D．Confused.

3. According to the passage, why do parents have a favorite child?

A．Because the child is worth more love.

B．Because the child has a good personality.

C．Because the child has more in common with them.

D．Because the child knows how to please them

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Is it OK to have a favorite child?

B．What kind of kids do parents prefer?

C．How can parents get along well with children?

D．Why do parents treat their kids differently?

4 . Act Your Shoe Size, Not Your Age

As adults, it seems that we are constantly pursuing happiness, often with mixed results. Yet children appear to have it down to an art and for the most part they don’t need self-help books or methods.     1     Children’s way is usually more effective than grown-ups’. Perhaps it’s time to learn a few lessons from them.

What does a child do when he’s sad? He cries. When he’s angry? He shouts. Scared? Probably a bit of both.     2     So they don’t influence our behavior. But too often we take this process too far and end up suppressing ( 压 抑 ) emotions, especially negative ones. What we need to do is find a way to acknowledge and express what we feel appropriately, and then again, like children—move on.

    3     If we adults could be obsessed with a bit of silliness and giggling like them, we would reduce the stress hormones (荷尔蒙), improve blood flow to our hearts and even have a greater chance of fighting off infection. All of them would, of course, have a positive effect on our happiness levels.

A couple of Christmases ago, my daughter, who was nine years old at the time, got a Superman T-shirt for Christmas. It cost less than a five but she was overjoyed, and couldn’t stop talking about it. However, too often we adults believe that a new job, bigger house or better car will be the magic silver bullet that will allow us to finally be content.     4    

Having said all above, it’s necessary to add that we shouldn’t try too hard to be happy.     5     Overthinking it will make it more difficult for us to gain happiness. We need to look to the example of our children, to whom happiness is not a goal but a natural byproduct of the way they live.

A．Scientists tell us this can have the opposite effect.

B．Have you ever noticed how much children laugh?

C．As we grow up, we learn to control these emotions.

D．Instead, they look after their well-being unconsciously.

E．Actually, being grateful for small things is a better way.

F．Indeed happiness consists in the possession of a lot of money.

G．People laughing without cause can find the true meaning of happiness.

5 . Always late? Here are some tips to break the habit

We’ve all run late before, whether it was because of a missed alarm, failing to find the right outfit, or getting stuck in traffic. It can turn into a routine for some, and if you’re constantly finding yourself on the later side of a deadline, consider these tips to break the habit.

Stop snoozing (小睡)

It’s so easy to keep on pressing that snooze button in the morning. We tell ourselves “    1     ,” but most of the time that isn’t the case, and we end up late and stressed. Just put your alarm across the room to force yourself out of bed, or go to bed earlier.

    2    

A busy lifestyle means a busy to-do list. When a random task comes into your mind, like replying to an email or unloading the dishwasher, say no to the urge. Chances are that it will still be there later.

Take transition activities into account

If you take a bus to school every morning, you probably have to walk to the bus station and then wait for a few minutes.     3    . These activities can regularly slip our minds when assessing time, but they add up!

Reframe your thinking about being early

Earliness is not a waste of time.     4    . Giving yourself those minutes of calm allows you to re-center your mind. Plus, you may even have time to leisurely complete some tasks like replying to emails, reading a book or making a to-do list.

Think and prepare ahead

Consider which activities from your morning routine take up most of your time and tackle them the night before.     5    . Whatever frees up some important time for you the next day is okay.

A．In fact, it’s quite the opposite

B．I’ll just do everything else faster

C．Besides, there may be a traffic jam

D．Resist doing just “one more thing”

E．Realize how long things actually take

F．You could lay your clothes out, for example

G．Just allow yourself extra time to complete it

6 . A team of researchers from the Universities of Washington and Toronto have developed an app, FeverPhone, suitable for diagnosing (诊断) a patient’s fever.

“As an undergraduate, I was doing research in a lab where we showed that you could use the temperature sensor in a smartphone to measure air temperature,” says lead author Joseph Breda. “When I came to the UW, my adviser and I wondered how we could apply a similar technique for health. We decided to measure fever in an accessible way. The primary concern with temperature isn’t that it’s a difficult signal to measure; it’s just that people don’t have thermometers (体温计).”

“In a wave of flu, for instance, people running to the emergency room can take a week sometimes. So if people were to share fever results with public health agencies through the app, this earlier sign could help us take action sooner,” adds Mastafa Springston, co-author of the study.

The trick is to use the temperature sensor already present in a smartphone. A patient holds the smartphone’s display against their forehead for 90 seconds, and the rise in temperature is compared against the surrounding temperature to determine their core body temperature — using a machine learning model trained on a number of test cases to calibrate the results.

It may sound like a crazy approach, but in testing, the FeverPhone app was able to estimate the core body temperature of 37 patients in a real emergency department with an average error of 0.23℃ — around half the 0.5℃ error range required for clinical use.

“We started with smartphones since they’re easy to get data from,” Breda says. “I am already working on seeing if we can get a similar signal with wearables like smartwatches. What’s nice, because watches are much smaller, is their temperature will change more quickly. So you could imagine having a user put a Fitbit to their forehead and measure in 10 seconds whether they have a fever or not.”

1. What inspired Breda to develop FeverPhone?

A．His adviser’s suggestion.	B．His previous research success.
C．His past experience in the UW.	D．His concerns about air temperature.

2. What does the underlined word “calibrate” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Access.

B．Repeat.

C．Doubt.

D．Adjust.

3. What did the testing show about FeverPhone?

A．It was effective in measuring body temperature.	B．It was hardly suitable in a real emergency.
C．It was more useful than a real thermometer.	D．It was no more than a crazy solution.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．FeverPhone can save you from hospital visits

B．Your smartphone can become a thermometer

C．Wearables provide a quicker temperature reading

D．The temperature sensor is present in a thermometer

7 . It is challenging to teach children about seasonal foods in a modern-day grocery store (杂货店). Having lots of choices of fresh produce from all around the world means that a sense of the seasons is lost. That’s why I like being part of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Every week I receive a share of vegetables that comes from a nearby farm. I do not know ahead of time what I’m getting, nor do I have any say on what comes home; I take whatever was harvested earlier that same day, based on the week’s weather conditions, and use them to the best of my ability.

My kids have had a good knowledge of the supply of certain vegetables throughout the harvesting season. They know what it’s like to eat a lot of asparagus (芦笋) until they’re sick of it, only to move on to dark greens and leafy salads, then eggplants, and tomatoes, and finally the root vegetables that mark the arrival of cold weather.

The funny thing is, when you’ve eaten a ton of something for a few weeks, you’re ready to move on to the next crop (作物) and leave the other behind, but when its time comes the following year, the expectation will return. In this way, a CSA share creates excitement at vegetables that can’t be felt when everything can be bought all the time, as it is in a grocery store.

A farmers’ market can offer similar lessons in seasonality to a CSA, but it differs in that you have more choices about what you buy. A CSA share, however, only offers few kinds of vegetables and sometimes fruits, forcing you to work out ways of using them up. I enjoy this challenge because it tests my cooking skills and introduces my family to new and unusual vegetables. What’s more, it is glad to know I’m supporting local farmers by eating what they want to grow, not just what I’m used to eating.

1. What is special about the vegetables offered by the CSA program?

A．They are free.

B．They are cheap.

C．They can’t be found in local grocery stores.

D．They make the author full of expectations.

2. What does the author think of the CSA share?

A．It provides enough supply of vegetables.

B．It makes people choose vegetables freely.

C．It keeps people’s excitement for vegetables.

D．It makes people become sick of eating vegetables.

3. What does the author say about the program in the last paragraph?

A．It encourages him to support local farmers.

B．It helps him learn about the community.

C．It gives people more choices of foods.

D．It causes local farmers a lot of stress.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Local food is becoming more popular

B．The CSA program is making a difference

C．People are encouraged to experience farm life

D．Naturally grown food improves people’s health

8 . Paris is full of cultural significance. Yet, despite its wealth of cultural hotspots and architectural delights, some tourists who explore the City of Light experience “Paris syndrome (巴黎综合征), a psychological condition that often results in nausea (恶心) and increased heart rates. An interesting phenomenon is that Paris syndrome is “most common among Japanese tourists”. Why?

Many Japanese visitors go with a deeply romantic picture of Paris----the beauty of French women, the high culture and art. But when the reality of the modern city of Paris sets in, with its seemingly unfriendly service and confusing public transport, some tourists simply find their hope falling through.

“An encounter with a Parisian waiter who shouts at customers might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures. But for the Japanese —used to a society where politeness is valued and voices are rarely raised in anger-----the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare (噩梦) can simply be too much,” said Rodanthi Tzanelli, a professor of cultural sociology.

So Paris syndrome should be regarded as an extreme form of culture shock, which is an illness resulting from the loss of meaning when people find themselves in a different symbolic reality, according to Rachel Irwin, a senior researcher. The symptoms (症状) associated with culture shock are similar to those experienced by someone who is feeling anxious. According to the analysis (分析) of Calm Clinic, a mental health resource platform, when someone is experiencing anxiety, signals that are related to the fight or flight response will be sent to the stomach. The signals change the way the body processes food, causing nausea.

Besides, Tzanelli points out that the syndrome is not specific to Paris and nobody can be free of culture shock as long as they go to new places. The syndrome is likely a “general phenomenon”, as younger generations tend to travel to different countries, and are likely to be more aware of what they’ll encounter at a destination. Therefore, they’re unlikely to be bitterly disappointed when they’re there.

1. Why do Japanese tourists experience great discomfort in Paris?

A．Paris lacks real historical and cultural hotspots.

B．Paris fails to meet their romantic expectations.

C．They find Paris’ public transport less modern.

D．They cannot adapt to the local climate.

2. What does Rodanthi Tzanelli aim to explain in paragraph 3?

A．How culture influences the behavior of tourists.

B．How Japanese tourists react to Paris syndrome.

C．Why Paris syndrome particularly strikes the Japanese.

D．Why the Japanese value politeness and avoid conflicts.

3. What does Calm Clinic’s analysis stress?

A．People’s inability to adapt to new cultures.

B．The methods of overcoming culture shock.

C．People’s varied attitudes to different cultures.

D．The physical discomfort caused by culture shock.

4. What will be the author’s advice on overcoming Paris syndrome?

A．To be prepared for new encounters in advance.

B．To focus on the positive aspects of a destination.

C．To visit new places together with young people.

D．To avoid going to unfamiliar destinations.

9 . The best online jigsaw puzzles (拼图游戏) you can play right now

Magic Jigsaw Puzzles by ZiMAD

Start as a beginner and become a master with this app, which offers 20,000 HD photos-turned-puzzles. If its broad range of difficulty levels isn’t enough, you can jump into rotation (旋转) mode to step up your game, moving pieces in groups, or participate in weekly tournaments to compete with friends. Puzzles come in a number of visual offerings like paintings and animals.

Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Jigsaw Puzzles from Rottz Games

With over 200 million puzzles played, this app is a gamer’s favorite. Rottz Games offers jigsaw puzzles based on 2,400 photos and 35 themes, with difficulty ranging from beginner (9 pieces) to expert (1,300 pieces). Select from their range of scenes including mountain and castle (城堡) landscapes. Or, if none fit your fancy, you can create custom puzzles by uploading images of your own.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Washington Post Online Jigsaw Puzzle

The Washington Post offers a new puzzle to play every day with three difficulty levels: easy, normal, and expert. Some of the latest puzzles include a sandy volleyball scene, a cat on a blanket, and landmark structures from around the world, including the Colosseum in Rome and the Sydney Opera House.

Rating: 4.6 out of 5
Jigsaw Puzzles from Easybrain

You’ll find more than 13,000 puzzles on this app, which uses HD quality photos with scores of themes and difficulty ranging from 9 to 400pieces. Select from plenty of categories including animals, art, and more, as well as different difficulty levels. With a daily updated gallery, there will always be a new puzzle at your fingertips.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1. What is the rating of the app with 20,000 HD photos-turned-puzzles?

A．4.5 out of 5.	B．4.6 out of 5.
C．4.7 out of 5.	D．4.8 out of 5.

2. What do we know about Rottz Games?

A．It has more than 2,400 themes.

B．It updates its puzzles on a daily basis.

C．It offers three difficulty levels to games.

D．It allows gamers to create their own puzzles.

3. Which provides a puzzle featuring world landmarks?

A．Washington Post Online Jigsaw Puzzle.

B．Jigsaw Puzzles from Rottz Games.

C．Magic Jigsaw Puzzles by ZiMAD.

D．Jigsaw Puzzles from Easybrain.

10 . From unexpected colour to making clever environmental choices, Joanna Plant, an interiors specialist and tastemaker, shares her design intentions for the year ahead.

·What is your New Year design resolution?

I’d like to get out and look at things. The aim is to visit lots of houses and gardens for inspiration and see more exhibitions abroad. I love a house tour and try to find somewhere to go and look about whenever I travel outside London or abroad. I really appreciate seeing things first-hand these days.

·What was a highlight of 2023?

Selling my house of 22 years and having the improvement of a new property — very exciting to be doing a project for myself! What’s fantastic is to work with suppliers who have amazing collections to discover and those who allow us to change the colours or make changes to existing designs.

·What design ideas do you have that you hope to bring to fruition?

Happily, clients seem to be more responsive to having bolder paint plans and using more colours. We have been asking them to see how layering pattern can make a room more quiet and relaxing. I think that we are making our rooms look very nice by using a lot of decorative trims and accessories.

1. Where will Joanna prefer to go to get design ideas?

A．Houses in America.	B．Gardens in London.
C．Tastemakers’ houses.	D．Gardening exhibitions.

2. What will Joanna probably agree with?

A．That improving her old house is exciting.	B．That working with suppliers is very fantastic.
C．That clients are willing to paint more colours.	D．That layering pattern can make a room detailed.

3. In which section of a magazine may this text be?

A．New Property.	B．Home Decoration.
C．New Year Resolution.	D．Environmental Choices.