1 . In the heart of the Cyclades, Mykonos has long been an attraction for visitors. The beaches on the island’s southwest coast are among the Mediterranean’s best wild-party scenes, but head east and travelers will find something quite different. Here, the crowds slowly fade away, revealing what originally made the island famous: its beauty with rocky coastline and sandy bays.

Fokos Bay

Park your vehicle in the dirt lot and climb over the low dunes (沙丘) to find perfect little Fokos Bay, where deep, sheltered waters offer delightful swimming for all ages. Once you’ve worked up a bit of an appetite, head on over to the famous Greek cafe overlooking the sand for a lazy seafood lunch.

Mersini Beach

Head west around the headland to the next beach along — the Mersini Beach, which is usually the least-crowded on Mykonos. Bring your own sun mat and even an umbrella as this beach is completely wild and raw.

Agrari Beach

If getting your own wheels isn’t an option, Agrari is only a 15-minute walk east of the more famous Elia Beach and on the south coast beach ferry(渡轮) route. It’s one of the closest uncrowded beaches to Hora, Mykonos’ main town, and home to a restaurant that provides sunbeds and drinks and snacks.

Kalafati Beach

In the far southeast, about seven miles from Mykonos town, the Kalafati Beach is beloved for its steady winds that blow the sails of windsurfers and kite surfers. Rent boards and get lessons right at the beach at Windsurfing Mykonos.

1. What can be done in Fokos Bay?

A．Get surfing lessons.	B．Take car rides on dirt tracks.
C．Rent sun mats and umbrellas.	D．Sample the delights of seafood.

2. What feature does Mersini Beach have?

A．It’s service-free.	B．It’s heavily populated.
C．It’s on a coast beach ferry route.	D．It’s within easy reach of Hora.

3. Which beach is perfect for wind sports?

A．Fokos Bay.	B．Mersini Beach.
C．Agrari Beach.	D．Kalafati Beach.

2 . Social welfare programs, including quality early education, earned-income tax credit and health care, can change children’s lives. More importantly, recent studies show the benefits from these programs strongly influence the next generation, lifting them out of poverty.

The long-term impact of prekindergarten is well established and widely known. 50 years ago, 123 three-and four-year-old African Americans from low-income families in Ypsilanti, Michigan took part in an experiment. About half attended a pioneering early education program called Perry Preschool, while the control group did not. Researchers have been able to track the lives of most of these children ever since. The kids who went to Perry Preschool did better in school, made more money, and were healthier than the control group.

The benefits of Perry Preschool didn’t just stop with those children. A study published last summer by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman and his colleagues takes the implications of Perry a giant step further. This research shows that the children of the Perry preschoolers are also better off because of their parents’ experience.

As the Perry preschoolers grew up, they became better educated and developed greater socio - emotional skills than the control group. They became better parents. Their children grew up in harmonious two-parent families that made, on average, about $ 10,000 more a year. It was enough to lift many of them out of poverty. This healthy upbringing has had a long-lasting effect on the children of the Perry preschoolers. Compared to the children of the control group, they were much less likely to have dropped out, and more likely to have graduated from high school.

Here’s another example. A Norwegian study demonstrated the decades-long impact on babies who, during their first year, benefited from their mothers’ having had the opportunity to sign up for free mother and child health care centers. In the following years, these youngsters grew taller and stayed in school longer than those whose mothers did not receive the same support. At 40, they are in better health.

1. What do we know about Perry Preschool?

A．It provided early quality education.	B．It divided the kids into two groups.
C．It received kids from all backgrounds.	D．It continued to track half of the kids’lives.

2. What does the underlined word“implications”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Truths.	B．Assumptions.
C．Effects.	D．Suggestions.

3. What did the Perry Preschool experiment find?

A．Perry preschoolers received less education.

B．It had no impact on the participants’ children.

C．Early education could bring economic benefits.

D．The children of the control group became healthier.

4. What does the author want to convey through the text?

A．Early quality education matters most.

B．Social welfare can break the cycle of poverty.

C．Wealth can be passed down through generations.

D．Parents are important in shaping future generation.

3 . At an antiques store near their home, Michael, 11, and his brother Mauro, 9, encountered a link to a real national hero accidentally.

While searching through military memorabilia (纪念品), the boys had unearthed a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and a Good Conduct Medal bearing the name Charles J. George. The shop’s owner said the medals were worth hundreds of dollars, but he agreed to let the boys have them for free on one condition: that they return the awards to the soldier’s family.

The brothers found a Charles George online in the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor database, but the listing didn’t show a middle name or an initial. After searching military records at the library and online with no luck. Michael and Mauro found a YouTube video of a memorial service for George conducted in his hometown, Cherokee, by a local service officer Warren Dupree. The boys e-mailed Dupree, who responded with details about the heroic act that carned George the medals. During a war, George died after throwing himself on a bomb to save two fellow soldiers.

As for the middle initial J, the brothers learned that Cherokee don’t take middle names — Charles George had adopted his father’s name, Jacob, as a middle name just in case he would need it to join the army. The mystery was solved.

Dupree invited the brothers to Cherokee to present the medals to George’s family a few months later. “It felt so good to give the medals back,” says Michael, who wants to write a children’s book about the hunt for Charles J. George. “It was an honor,” adds his brother.

1. What can be inferred about the shop owner?

A．He cared about his credit.	B．He wanted to donate the medals.
C．He admired national heroes.	D．He tried to test the young visitors.

2. What ultimately contributed to the return of the medals?

A．Military records.	B．A YouTube video.
C．Online database.	D．The fellow soldiers.

3. Which of the following best describes the brothers?

A．Creative and generous.	B．Ambitious and talented.
C．Determined and trustworthy.	D．Intelligent and knowledgeable.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The value of the medals.	B．The influence of a hero.
C．The journey of treasure hunt.	D．The discovery of a hidden past.

4 . Profits from cutting down rainforests are surprisingly small. A freshly cleared square kilometer of the Amazon rainforest fetches an average price of only around $ 12. By contrast, the social costs of clearing it are huge. Some 500 tons of carbon dioxide are pumped into the atmosphere. By an estimate, that does $ 25,000 of harm by accelerating climate change.

Yet still the world’s trees are disappearing. The senseless men cutting down trees receive the profits, but all 8 billion people on the planet pay for the costs. Clearly, if the owners of the rainforest were paid not to destroy it, everyone would be better off. If rainforests were in places with clear landownership and a firm rule of law, the world would no doubt already have funded such a deal. Sadly, they are not.

Local officials are often in league with the loggers, and may be loggers themselves. Consider Brazil. It had a leader, who sided with illegal loggers and ranchers (大农场主). He stopped fining forest criminals and told illegal miners on local reserves he would legalise the mining. On his watch the pace of deforestation rose by 60%. Local communities often refuse to follow the law and order since they see more benefit from deforestation than protecting it. And the land ownership is a mess. When it’s unclear who owns a piece of land, it’s unclear whom to pay to protect it, or whom to fine for destroying it.

Leadership matters. But even under better leaders, people living there should see benefits in protecting them. That will require a big, reliable flow of cash which should come from rich-country governments and from private firms buying carbon credits to make up for their emissions (排放).

Such carbon credits could be used to promote a greener local economy, and clean up local land registration. If there’s enough cash, conditionally paid, locals will be encouraged to protect trees and less likely to elect irresponsible leaders. To preserve such a huge carbon sink — never mind the biodiversity it contains — this would be a bargain.

1. What does the author intend to tell in Paragraph 1?

A．Climate change is accelerating.	B．Rainforest clearing is rather profitable.
C．Carbon dioxide is harmful to the atmosphere.	D．The costs of deforestation outweigh the profits.

2. What makes the world’s trees disappear constantly?

A．Clear landownership.	B．The absence of related law.
C．Profit-driving logging.	D．People’s willingness to buy trees.

3. What is needed to protect the rainforest according to the author?

A．More landownership funds.	B．Bringing in more private firms.
C．Awareness of saving biodiversity.	D．Paying the locals for the preservation efforts.

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

A．Cash for Saving Rainforests	B．Fight Illegal Logging in Brazil
C．Dilemmas of Rainforest Protection	D．Rainforest Deforestation and Climate Change

5 . There’s no doubt that loneliness hurts. Functional MRIs show that the area of the brain triggered by social rejection is the same area that’s triggered by physical pain. To understand why loneliness hurts, let’s take a closer look at friendship through the eyes of two heavyweight philosophers.

In one corner we have Aristotle, who wrote that without friends, there’s no reason to live. The Greek great believed that friendships are based on the virtues of the friend.     1     But the problem with Aristotle’s theory is that if you lose some virtues, you should also expect to lose some friends. And that’s not how friendships work — at least not the good ones.     2    

So as a sharp counterpunch to Aristotle, let’s turn to the renowned Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, who said that all people have value regardless of their virtues. Since we view our true friends with this kind of unconditional love and respect, we can assume they view us the same way.     3     Being away from our friends takes away these life-affirming interactions. Worse, having no friends means our value, or dignity, isn’t being appreciated.

    4     This may seem obvious, but there’s a catch. Your connection has to be oriented (以……为方向) toward the other person — not in what they can do for you and your loneliness. So say hi to a neighbor, hold the door for someone, or volunteer at the soup kitchen.     5     However, they’ll help you feel more connected to the world. And the more of these small steps you take toward connection, the farther away from loneliness you’ll get.

A．This may sound fine at first.

B．They last through thick and thin.

C．This tells us why loneliness hurts.

D．These acts may not make you a lifelong friend.

E．The more friends you have, the happier you’ll be.

F．We feel like we’re not accepted by the people around us.

G．Thus, the cure for loneliness can be found in other people.

6 . Almost no one knows the world of competitive climbing like Janja Garnbret, an Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world champion. Having risen to the top of the sport, the Slovenian now is using her platform to raise awareness of the “cultural trap” in climbing. She says it is contributing to a widespread issue with eating disorders.

The problem is from an outdated idea that weighing less means you climb faster. Such a mindset has created an environment where young athletes start skipping or cutting down on meals, she says, sometimes to disastrous effect. Despite not having issues with eating disorders herself, she is more than aware of friends and fellow competitors who have damaged their bodies in the pursuit of a thinner figure.

“I have to recognize that weight does have some role to play in the sport. I also want to win, but I’m a strong believer that you can do climbing, or any sport, in a healthy way. Luckily I didn’t fall into this trap.” She says.

“I was trying hard to help them get out of it, but it didn’t work. It was really hard for me to see them destroying themselves, mentally and physically.” It was experiences such as this that inspired Gambret to post a message on the social platform in July 2023 about eating disorders. The post sparked a huge response throughout the climbing community and attracted support from the likes of US rock climber Sasha DiGiulian.

In her message, Garnbret spoke about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) — a syndrome (综合征) that occurs when someone of any gender has overtrained and/or undereaten for a long period in an attempt to improve their athletic performance, often without knowing the dangers of failing to compensate (补偿) for the energy they consume in training, racing and their daily lives. Left untreated, medical experts say REDs can damage an athlete’s bone health, immune system, and psychological health, as well as his athletic performance.

1. What does the “cultural trap” in the text refer to?

A．The defeat of eating disorders.	B．The pursuit of a thinner figure.
C．The idea of keeping daily meals.	D．The mindset of climbing to the top.

2. Why did Garnbret decide to post the message on the social platform?

A．She used to fall into the cultural trap.	B．Her efforts to help dieters were in vain.
C．Her achievements deserved to be shared.	D．She wanted to receive support from DiGiulian.

3. What may lead to REDs according to the text?

A．Severe mental problems.	B．The habit of overeating.
C．Over-exercise for a long time.	D．The poor athletic performance.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Road to a World Champion	B．Rising to Fame on Social Media
C．The Challenge of Climbing with REDs	D．Warning against Cultural Trap in Climbing

7 . Using a headset at home to deliver a low electrical current to the brain can relieve symptoms of depression. The approach, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is effective when used several times a week for half an hour at a time.

Previous trials have shown that the therapy works under medical supervision in a clinic or lab. Now, a randomised trial has demonstrated that a tDCS headset can also reduce depression symptoms when worn at home.

Several forms of electrical brain stimulation may have the potential to treat depression. With tDCS, sponge electrodes are placed on the left and right sides of the forehead, causing a mild current to flow from the left to the right. This makes brain cells on the left side more likely to fire, with some studies suggesting that activity in this region is low in people with depression.

Repeated sessions of stimulation may lead to longer term changes in the brain cells, increasing their activity levels, says team member Cynthia Fu at the University of East London. Affecting activity in this region probably alters activity in multiple areas, she says. “There are probably many brain regions causing depression.”

To see if people can benefit from using such a device at home, the team randomly assigned 174 people with moderate or severe depression to receive either a full session of stimulation from the headset or stimulation from the same device that lasted just a few seconds. People felt their skin aching at the start and end of each session.

While the depression symptoms of both groups improved on a 52-point scale, those who got the real treatment showed the most benefit, by about 9 points compared with 7, a degree of difference that is similar to that seen with antidepressants (抗抑郁药), “We found people liked having it at home,” says Fu. “Participants could build it into their day.”

1. What is the function of the headset?

A．Curing depression in patients.	B．Testing the degree of depression.
C．Adjusting brain’s electrical current.	D．Reducing symptoms of depression.

2. How does the tDCS approach work?

A．By making the left-brain cells active.	B．By causing a strong electrical current.
C．By changing the brain wave’s direction.	D．By stimulating all brain regions repeatedly.

3. What does the underlined word “alters” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Monitors.

B．Disturbs.

C．Limits.

D．Changes.

4. What can be learned about the participants from the last two paragraphs?

A．They feel relieved to some extent.	B．They remain relaxed in the session.
C．They use different kinds of headsets.	D．They are bound to rely on the headsets.

8 . Should I go for a brownie or a slice of cake? Is it best to take up football or swimming?     1     But it can sometimes lead to feeling scared, uncertain and torn. When you’re able to reach decisions, and accept and learn from your choices, this can give you a sense of calm.

    2     Some decisions can have consequences for your health, school and relationships. Ignoring decision making can completely lead to “burying your head in the sand”. As you grow up. making choices becomes a regular part of life.

It is really brain twisting to make tough decisions.    3     You could start by listing the different options then weighing up the pros and cons of each one. Anita Garai, author of the book, Being with Our Feelings, says, “Follow your true feeling and listen to your heart, especially if your thoughts are confused or you feel anxious. Try to catch your first impulse, before your mind questions things.”     4    

Many people worry about making the “right” decision, especially if you feel disappointed by how things turn out. There’s not always a right choice and a wrong choice.    5     If the one you choose leads to disappointment, try reflecting on it and think about whether you would make a different decision in the future.

A．Are timely decisions vital?

B．Why does choosing matter?

C．People make choices every day.

D．Think carefully before making decisions.

E．Different paths lead to different experiences.

F．But breaking down your thinking can be helpful.

G．Always be careful about making a decision just to please others.

9 . If you are interested in wildlife and also wish to learn the artistry from the masters with their inspiring, practical and informative books, here are some recommended best sellers by world-class wildlife photographers.

British Wildlife Photography By Will Nicholls

This book brings together 250 of the winning images from 2023’s British Wildlife Photography Awards. Entered in nine categories, each image is explained by the photographer with details on how they got shot, making it a useful learning tool.

Photographing Garden Birds By Mark Carwardine

Packed with inspiring images of British birds, Carwardine details which equipment is essential, explains ways to attract different species to your garden, and offer advice on lighting tips, as well as guidance on how to shoot birds in flight. There’s even a chapter on “Working with Birds” and how to take images using your smartphone.

Butterfly Safari By Fusek Peters

View British butterflies in astonishing details in this attractive book by photographer Fusck Peters. Fusck Peters spent four years travelling around the UK in search of butterflies species. His detailed photos reveal the delicate beauty of butterflies.

Wildlife Photography By Susan Young

Photographer Susan Young offers systematic ways to locate British wildlife in this book. Learn about the importance of research before you set out, including how to find a suitable place and what to take. There are also tips on how to observe without disturbing animals.

1. Which book helps to take better smartphone photos?

A．Butterfly Safari.	B．British Wildlife Photography.
C．Wildlife Photography.	D．Photographing Garden Birds.

2. What does Susan Young share in her book?

A．Lighting tips for photography.	B．Ways on wildlife spotting.
C．How to capture animals in motion.	D．How to do wildlife research.

3. What’s the common feature of the four books?

A．They focus on British wildlife.	B．They concern natural beauty.
C．They are collections of photos.	D．They de tail ways of research.

10 . Los Angeles is home to a popular cycling culture. The following bike shops will help you see the city in a whole new light.

Los Angeles Bike Academy

Los Angeles Bike Academy is a bike shop with a critical mission: Provide resources and community for local underserved youth. Its initiative is its Earn-a-Bike program, where students spend time in the shop learning the basics of bike maintenance and running a store, and they graduate with their own bike. LABA also forms competitive cycling teams that race all around the country.

The Cub House

It’s a bike shop, a plant store and a nice place to wander through. It has something for everyone. Here you can play a game of ping-pong on the outdoor table, head into the mini greenhouse for a delicate plant, or just admire the vintage (老式的) cycling clothes hung on the walls. Finally, make sure to swing by the Cub House for the L. A. Invitational, a weekend party featuring multiple bike rides and a vintage car and bike show outside the store.

Frank’s

Some of the wildest bikes in L. A. are rolling out of Frank’s. The house specialty here is BMX, specifically luxury models with large 29-inch wheels. These bikes are as much fun to look at as they are to ride. Since 1992, Frank’s has found a business opportunity for itself as a destination for BMX builds and hard-to-find parts. The display counter has enough attractions to match a jewelry store.

The Bicycle Stand

This spacious store features classic vintage bikes. It’s worth making a trip to this store just to see their amazing collection. The store also specializes in vintage bike repainting and restorations. Besides, the Bicycle Stand team works on all kinds of rides, and the shop has a variety of refurbished (翻新的), ready-to-ride bikes for sale.

1. What is special about Los Angeles Bike Academy?

A．It aims at repairing local bikes.

B．It holds national cycling competitions.

C．It serves as a community for disabled youth.

D．It offers a program for students to earn a bike.

2. Which bike shop favors ping-pong lovers?

A．Los Angeles Bike Academy.	B．The Cub House.
C．Frank’s.	D．The Bicycle Stand.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To discuss benefits of riding.	B．To explain how bike shops work.
C．To promote bike shops in L. A.	D．To introduce a riding organization.