1 . If you’ve scrolled through your Facebook feed recently, you may have noticed something surprising: lots and lots of short videos.
What makes this “Reels” feature strange is that it is hugely addictive, which I know quite well from my own personal experience. Last Friday, I took a break and hit on one short clip of someone making dinner and, well, the next time I looked up it was 20 minutes later and the blank document on my computer monitor was confirming to me that my work was still not done.
However, as silly as it seems, Reels-is actually super important, and is at the centre of a major battle between the world’s largest tech firms. The format (格式) was first pioneered by TikTok-the Chinese-owned video app that has taken the world by storm since it launched in 2016. Today, TikTok has around 23 million UK users every month-including basically every person you know under the age of 25. And that fact has made Facebook and its parent company, Meta, very nervous indeed. As TikTok has continued to boom, Facebook has actually fallen in popularity among “Gen Z”. The reason Tik Tok has proven such a powerful challenger to Facebook’s social media dominance is almost entirely down to these sorts of short-form videos.
The format is almost perfectly optimised to be as addictive as possible: Tik Tok’s app shows you a short-form video, and if you don’t like it, you can simply swipe it away and another one will start playing instantly. And because it is portrait, not landscape, videos look “right” when viewed on your phone. What’s also smart is that TikTok’s algorithm (算法) picks videos for you based on what you actually watch, and not what you say you want.
Facebook isn’t the only app trying to do what TikTok does so well. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, has integrated Reels even more aggressively into its app. And even Google is nervous, launching its own TikTok-style video section of YouTube(which it owns)a couple of years ago. As things stand, though TikTok currently maintains a healthy lead in the category, both YouTube and Facebook have deep pockets-so expect to see even more Reels and Shorts popping up in your feed as this intense battle continues to rage. You won’t be able to take your eyes off them.
1. Why did the author mention his own experience in paragraph 2?| A．To illustrate the feature of short videos. |
| B．To stress the importance of short videos. |
| C．To prove his preference to short videos. |
| D．To introduce the functions of short videos. |
| A．It has shown the trend of the fall in popularity among “Gen Z”. |
| B．It is perceived as a potential threat to Facebook’s social media dominance. |
| C．Its number of registered UK users has reached 23 million since it launched in 2016. |
| D．It underestimates the essential role of short videos in competition with large tech firms. |
| A．The beautiful visual effects. |
| B．The high video quality. |
| C．The random recommendation. |
| D．The quick switch between videos. |
| A．The short videos have a profound impact on our daily life. |
| B．TikTok seems to be losing its advantage over short videos in the short run. |
| C．YouTube and Facebook may encounter financial difficulties in developing Shorts. |
| D．A growing number of tech firms have engaged in fierce competition for the short video market. |
2 . Being overly emotional may mean reacting to negative feelings quickly instead of letting your intelligence weigh in. Chances are that you are relating to your emotions in a way that isn’t always constructive if you feel overly emotional.
Identify your emotions. It’s important to know what you feel so that you can address each emotion appropriately.
Interpret each emotion’s message.
Increase your empathy (共情). Empathy means observing your emotions less but the emotions of those around you more. If you find yourself focusing largely on your own emotions, take a step back and notice the emotions of the people around you.
| A．Turn to professional aid. |
| B．Challenge your negative emotions. |
| C．Often, you feel emotions as a communication system. |
| D．However, it’s vital to listen to your emotions in beneficial ways. |
| E．Consider their emotional experience and recognize how they feel. |
| F．Reflect on how your body reacts when you notice an emotion coming through. |
| G．It means you allow your thoughts to come and observe them without judgement. |
3 . MyHeritage has announced the release of two new AI features which it promises will ‘revolutionise genealogy (系谱学)’ research, similar to how ChatGPT revolutionised searching the Internet.
The first feature, AI Record FinderTM, is an interactive chatbot that helps family historians find relevant historical records about a person of interest within MyHeritage’s database of 20 billion records. This free-text chat tool enables users to talk to an intelligent assistant to find information about their ancestors, relatives, or other people who have passed away.
In addition to AI Record FinderTM, MyHeritage has also introduced AI BiographerTM, another innovative feature that automatically generates a narrative biography about an ancestor’s life using information from historical records that match the person. This creates a Wikipedia-like biography, which gives users a complete understanding of their ancestor’s life story.
These two new features are integrated, allowing MyHeritage users to create an AI Biography for their ancestors using the AI Record FinderTM. With this integration, users can easily use a conversational AI to search for historical records. This makes it faster and easier to find information about their family members.
Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage, said of the new features, “We’re constantly pushing the boundaries of genealogy to reinvent the way people can discover their family history as we aim to reshape genealogy in the 21st century. Together, these advanced features strengthen MyHeritage’s position as the industry leader for innovative genealogy and continue our mission to make family history easier, more accessible, and more fun for everyone.” AI Record FinderTM is a disruptive feature that simplifies the way people can find information about their ancestors by making the search easier. AI Biographert M turns a person’s life details into a fascinating story. Not all our ancestors were famous, but they all deserve to be remembered!
1. What is a typical feature of AI Record FinderTM?| A．It updates MyHeritage’s database. | B．It generates a narrative biography. |
| C．It narrows down the target information. | D．It helps users interact with intelligent people. |
| A．That AI genealogy promotes family history creation. |
| B．That the new AI-driven features give way to MyHeritage. |
| C．That MyHeritage spares no effort to advance genealogy. |
| D．That more will be done to strengthen MyHeritage’s position. |
| A．Relevant. | B．Pioneering. | C．Disturbing. | D．Comprehensive. |
| A．MyHeritage Leads in AI Genealogy |
| B．MyHeritage Promises to Revolutionise |
| C．AI Features: A New Era for Genealogy |
| D．AI Record Finder: Smart Search for Family Histories |
4 . How to overcome travel anxiety
Stress and anxiety around documents and procedures of travel is common. Here are some tips from experts on how to overcome travel anxiety and enjoy your holiday or trip.
Plan out your trip details. One of the reasons for your travel anxiety is that you’re being taken out of your comfort zone and won’t have full control over everything.
Make use of different relaxation techniques.
Have things with you that bring you joy. These can include physical item s like a book to read, or a game to play. It can be extremely useful in distracting you from your negative feelings. Alternatively, you can create a playlist of songs you love or have your favourite TV show with you.
Don’t forget your physical health. Being physically active is a great way to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
| A．Brainstorm various kinds of anxiety. |
| B．Understand where your anxiety originates. |
| C．Frankly speaking, negative feelings can’t be avoided. |
| D．Make sure to incorporate physical activity in your days. |
| E．Deep breathing is a technique proven to help reduce stress. |
| F．They will keep your mind occupied, decreasing your feelings of anxiety. |
| G．To help ease that anxious feeling, try to plan out your trip in as much detail as possible. |
5 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity.
The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.
The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?
From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hate and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged (不和的) accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.
As an important note, when we take a classical philosophical perspective, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, in real situations, develops with practice.
1. What is Droll’s idea about forgiveness?| A．People should offer mercy to others. |
| B．Aggressive people should learn to forgive. |
| C．Forgiveness depends on the nature of humanity. |
| D．People who forgive can have their own welfare affected. |
| A．To fight is to grow. | B．To give is to receive. |
| C．To forgive is to abuse. | D．To dominate is to harm. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Reserved. | C．Objective. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Forgiveness is in our nature. | B．Forgiveness grows with time. |
| C．It takes practice to forgive. | D．Actuality is based on potentiality. |
6 . It is William Shakespeare, the great coiner, who is given credit for the word. Coriolanus, one of his characters, compares going into exile (流放) to a “lonely dragon” retiring to his cave. He was talking about a physical state: someone who was lonely was simply alone. Then, thanks to the Romantic poets, the word took on emotional meanings. Loneliness became a condition of the soul. For William Wordsworth, who famously “wandered lonely as a cloud”, the natural world offered an escape from negative feelings of loneliness — a host of flowers could provide “cheerful company”. Today, loneliness is often seen as a serious public-health problem, creating the feeling of disconnection.
In his book Solitude, Netta Weinstein, a psychology professor wonders the rewards of time spent alone. He begins with an account of stories of solitude created by figures such as Michel Montaigne, a writer, and Edward Hopper, a painter. Netta then draw on laboratory work, interviews and surveys to clarify how being alone really affects the human mind.
It is common to treat loneliness and solitude as synonyms (同义词), but they are not. The author suggests that what is negatively described as one state can be positively expressed as the other. Loneliness, often perceived as negative, can potentially be transformed into a positive experience of solitude. To this end he emphasizes how being alone can help restore people and offers practical advice. In a noisy world, he argues, people should make time to be alone, away from attention-grabbing motives.
The book’s interviewees mostly regard a lack of company as a contributor to autonomy (自主). But this depends on whether solitude is desirable or not. Enforced solitude, such as that experienced by prisoners, typically leads to nothing but suffering. Elective solitude, by contrast, affords space for self-reflection. It can open the door to “peak experiences” such as wonder, harmony, and happiness. However, it is a pity that in a highly-connected digital age, many readers don’t like their chances of ever taking a long enough break to have such experiences.
1. How does paragraph 1 introduce the concept of loneliness?| A．By tracing its development. | B．By analyzing causes. |
| C．By making a point to be argued. | D．By sharing a romantic story. |
| A．The various terms of solitude. | B．The societal impact of solitude. |
| C．The long-standing history of solitude. | D．The psychological benefits of solitude. |
| A．stressful | B．essential | C．changeable | D．harmful |
| A．Enforced solitude is a matter of choice. |
| B．Enforced solitude contributes to autonomy. |
| C．Elective solitude is rare in the digital world. |
| D．Elective solitude interrupts peak experiences. |
7 . Cathy Winston is a sports nutritionist. Among her regulars are athletes. Cathy thrives on the variety, with each new sport providing new challenges and a renewed appreciation of her chosen field of expertise. In her view, dealing with athletes from various sport backgrounds helps her become seasoned, which is a key part of being a successful nutritionist. “You have to understand nutrition and people, and then you can begin to work in this field,” she says. “Besides, in tennis you must learn to be reactive, because you don’t know how long the match lasts. However, it’s 90 minutes in football. So you know what you’re fueling for.”
Regardless of the sport, Cathy’s attitude remains the same any athlete failing to respect nutrition is one who is failing to fulfill their potential. It’s a key part of the training process. It’s not just something that you take casually. She advises her athletes to hold nutrition in the same regard as they do their most crucial bit of equipment. “Just as you wouldn’t forget to put your shin pads(护腿板)or your boots in your kit bag, don’t forget to put in your drinks and your snacks. That informs how well you train, because you can’t get out if you haven’t put in.”
Nutritionists are sometimes unfairly represented as militant(斗志昂扬的)types telling what athletes can and can’t eat. But Cathy insists that when to eat is more important than what. “It’s about when’s the right time to have it in,” she says. It’s a message that Cathy says can take a while to sink in. “A lot of boxers say, ‘but bananas make you fat, right?’, and there’s this inherent belief that we mustn’t eat those kinds of things. But it’s not about what to cut out. It’s about making sure that you’ve got the foundation right for health and performance. It’s that one size fits one. It’s what works for you. To be an excellent athlete, you really need to be an exceptional eater.”
1. What does Cathy think about her job?| A．It highly values experience and flexibility. |
| B．It mainly focuses on the duration of matches. |
| C．It merely needs to understand nutrition and people. |
| D．It hardly faces new challenges in every competition. |
| A．By telling a story. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By providing data. | D．By analyzing a phenomenon. |
| A．Focusing on the timing of the diet. | B．Increasing the variety of foods. |
| C．Following a strict and militant diet plan. | D．Cutting out specific foods from the diet. |
| A．A good eater is a great athlete. |
| B．Nutritionists act as unsung heroes behind athletes. |
| C．Nutrition determines the results in the competition. |
| D．Food is less important than skills in the sports field. |
8 . Things To Remember On Your First Solo Travel Adventure
If you’ve ever thought about just taking a trip yourself instead of waiting for someone to join you, you’re not alone.
Don’t be afraid to talk to random people. Though there is someone who poses a threat, it’s important to remember that not everyone is out to get you.
It’s okay to have bad days.
It’s okay to start small.
| A．You are the boss of your own adventure. |
| B．You need to make an unusual travel choice. |
| C．It’s no secret that solo travel is on the rise. |
| D．Sometimes things can go incredibly wrong. |
| E．People like you simply don’t know how to start. |
| F．Most of the time people are just curious and try to be friendly. |
| G．Remember, your first solo trip doesn’t have to be to a whole other continent. |
9 . Do you see a bird right now? Can you hear one chirping? If so, you might be getting a mental health boost. A study recently published in the journal Science found that being in the presence of birds made people feel more positive.
Andrea Mechelli, a psychologist at King’s College London, found himself studying the natural world accidentally. Initially he was searching for answers to why people who lived in cities seemed to tend to suffer mental illness, particularly psychosis. In 2015, he created the smartphone app Urban Mind to search for patterns in users’ environments. “Our first finding is that nature has a very powerful effect,” says Mechelli. He and his colleagues then wondered if some aspects of nature were more beneficial than others. They turned to birds for their ubiquity (普遍存在) in rural and urban environments.
Their latest study included 1,292 participants mainly in the United Kingdom and Europe. For two weeks, participants were prompted to fill out a questionnaire about their surrounding environment and their mental state three times a day. Mechelli performed a statistical analysis that found an obvious improvement in wellbeing when birds were present, even when eliminating other factors like the presence of trees or waterways. The mental health benefit was true both for people who disclosed a depression diagnosis and those without any diagnosed mental health conditions.
Peter James, an environmental health scientist at Harvard, would like to see more data. He found that environmental health studies like these lack diversity. Yet, a psychologist at Trent University in Canada, Lisa Nisbet says, “This kind of study helps us understand how people’s everyday experience with specific elements of nature, such as birds, can be restorative.”
Appreciating birds seems to be a promising avenue for nature-based health and wellbeing interventions. At Mechelli’s clinical practice in London, he focuses on early intervention therapies. He suggests his patients go for walks to observe the trees and plants growing in the city, and the bird fluttering by from branch to branch. “It has no side effects,” he says. “It’s something they could try, and they have nothing to lose.”
1. What can be inferred about Andrea Mechelli’s study?| A．Diverse environments are rewarding only for depressed people. |
| B．The presence of birds is beneficial to mental health. |
| C．Peter James thought highly of Mechelli’s research. |
| D．It was originally targeted at the research on birds. |
| A．Defeating. | B．Identifying. |
| C．Considering. | D．Removing. |
| A．Early intervention shows no significance. |
| B．The access to nature helps people be more confident. |
| C．Nature-based intervention functions well in mental health. |
| D．People’s daily experience is connected with mental problems. |
| A．Use Nature in Supporting Mental Health | B．Get Outside for a Quicker Mental Recovery |
| C．Analyze Data to Make a Good Treatment Plan | D．Turn to Birds for Better Understandings of Humans |
10 . 2024 Western Colorado Elementary Science Fair
EUREKA! and D51 are partnering to host our annual elementary (小学的) science fair! Here’s your chance to apply your love of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by conducting your own scientific investigation.
Participation is open to all 3-5th graders living in Wester Colorado, and students can either enter as an individual or as a team of no more than 3 members. Judging will be based on grade, and a team composed of students from multiple grades will be judged in the grade category of the oldest participant’s grade.
Project Submission
All participants must complete all of the following by March 7, 2024:
●Complete the registration form (one per team)
●Create a display poster (either physical or electronic) summarizing their project and email the file or a clear photo of it to the science fair committee
● Create a video presentation (less than 5 minutes) explaining their project to the judges, and submit it to the science fair committee
Public Viewing
Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Location: EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum
Participants can display their posters and present their projects to the public (optional) .
Safety Regulations
It is important to wear proper protective gear (装备) when necessary in addition to disposing of (处理) waste properly when conducting a scientific investigation. We strongly recommend that guardians look up and study Safety Data Sheets for any chemicals that their students use and have responsibility for not allowing students to experiment with dangerous chemicals. EUREKA! holds the right to not display projects if they believe the components break our safety regulations.
1. What is an entry requirement for the science fair?| A．A team must consist of three members. |
| B．A team must be led by-the oldest participant. |
| C．All participants must be from Western Colorado. |
| D．Teams must be formed by students in the same grade. |
| A．Submit a display poster. | B．Video the investigation process. |
| C．Present their project to the public. | D．Fill in the registration form individually. |
| A．Disposing of waste improperly. |
| B．Performing experiments without a guardian. |
| C．Involving harmful chemicals in your project. |
| D．Conducting your investigation without protective gear. |
