1 . Melissa Sevigny, a science journalist for Arizona Public Radio, recounts the details of the 1938 river journey of Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, who, along with their guide, Norm Nevills, and a few other crew members, traveled down the Colorado River with the goal of cataloging (登记) undiscovered plants in the area. The Colorado River was known as the most dangerous river in the world. But for Clover and Jotter, it held-a great appeal: no one had surveyed the Grand Canyon’s plants, and they were determined to be the first.

As women scientists, Clover and Jotter faced scrutiny (监督) even before their trip began. They started in Green River, Utah, and then traveled through Cataract Canyon, Glen Canyon, and the Grand Canyon before ending at Lake Mead. For Clover, the trip fit perfectly with her dream of cataloging all the Southwest’s cacti (a kind of plant), but, more than that, it was a chance to make her mark on the field of botany. As they made their way down the river, they continued to face challenges, including navigating intense rapids, losing one of their three boats, and dealing with aggressive reporters and inaccurate and imaginary news reports. When Clover and Jotter finally reached the entrance of the Grand Canyon, they felt apprehensive, but they decided they had no choice now but to brave the wild river.

Drawing information from the crew’s letters and journals, Sevigny brings us directly into the boats and introduces us to many of the plants that Clover and Jotter surveyed and collected. The author also includes a map of the route and photographic images of the crew at different points along the way. Woven (编织) throughout the narrative of Clover and Jotter is the early history of travel on the Colorado River as well as how Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and the Park Service have shaped the eco logy of the river over time.

As the author notes, women in science still face challenges and barriers; Sevigny hopes that recalling the past will lead to a fairer future.

1. What motivated Clover and Jotter to make the journey?

A．The native cultures.	B．The plants of the Grand Canyon.
C．The scenery along the river.	D．The Southwest’s cactus species.

2. What does the underlined word “apprehensive” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Relieved.

B．Guilty.

C．Anxious.

D．Pleased.

3. What can we learn about Clover and Jotter’s adventure?

A．They were aided by reporters all the way.

B．They ended their journey with losing three boats.

C．They pioneered in surveying the Colorado River.

D．They took many precious photos alongside the trip.

4. What is the text?

A．A diary entry.	B．A book review.
C．A news report.	D．A travel journal.

2 . Several years ago, I experienced daily severe headaches that made me want to bang my head against a brick wall. I was desperate to find a cure.     1    

In my hopelessness, my father suggested acupuncture (针灸), a treatment he had experienced in Hong Kong. It had successfully relieved his lower back pain when other treatments and medicines had failed. With limited exposure to traditional Chinese medicine, I decided to give acupuncture a try.

With no particular expectations, I found myself in the office of a middle-aged woman, surrounded by Chinese herbal medicines. After explaining my issue, she placed 3 fingers on my wrist to feel my heartbeat.     2     Soon, she took out the needles, which made me somewhat uneasy as such objects typically make me uncomfortable.

    3     To deal with my headaches, the treatment began on the back of my hand, far from my head. As the doctor gently handled the needles, I got the feeling that something was flowing throughout my entire body.

The doctor then continued to tap and move more needles across my body. The electricity was turned on, and the doctor left the room.     4     Around the 5-minute mark, the doctor returned and adjusted the electricity level. A moment later, before I knew it, she turned off the electricity and removed the needles, marking an end to the 20-minute process. She then gave me some herbal medicine to take for 5 days.

I returned to the doctor for a total of 10 sessions, and each time the same routine was repeated and the same herbal medicine was given. The true benefits of the acupuncture treatment became clear: I remained free of headaches for 2 years.     5     If you’ve experienced similar conditions, I highly recommend trying it.

A．At last, my efforts paid off.

B．I now strongly advocate acupuncture.

C．I was then guided to a room and told to lie down.

D．Despite trying different solutions, nothing worked.

E．My initial experience with acupuncture was quite surprising.

F．Though it may seem scary, the acupuncture cured my back pain.

G．Lying still, I could sense the electricity flowing throughout my body.

3 . The public footpath lay barely 20 meters from where I stood, promising a walk along the river, passing fields and through woodland, well away from any road. Yet there was something in my way — the River Thames, whose water runs very fast.

I checked my map to see how to reach the path, but there was no other footpath that would lead me to the island on which it sat. It was only accessible by boat.

It was this path that came to mind when, a few weeks later, I decided to try cross-country swimming, which combines water and walking.

As I got into the river — its coolness was welcome on the warm August day — the weight of my supplies dissipated. My back was free, and I simply pulled everything I needed in a bag behind me, feeling almost weightless. I relaxed into the water, my hair flowing around my face as I slowly floated alongside dragonflies, a moorhen (黑水鸡) and her chicks-none of which seemed to even acknowledge my presence.

The whole experience went by all too quickly and in no time I was drying off and walking back to the station. Though cross-country swimming was invented to provide a challenge, I believed it had given me something much more important — the confidence to try it by myself.

So I decided to return to my inaccessible island, the footpath by the Thames. I got into the waterway and swam, exploring the island’s banks for a while. After 5 minutes of searching, the island let me in: I found my entrance point alongside a tree and pulled myself out.

Though the Thames loop wasn’t that long a walk, and the swim was not too big a challenge, it represented more than that. It gave me the chance to pioneer a new route never open to me before, the opportunity to reach a picnic spot that otherwise would have been off limits and, when it came to that footpath, the ability to access the previously inaccessible.

1. What initially prevented the author from reaching the public footpath?

A．Overgrown fields.	B．A thick woodland.
C．A fast-flowing river.	D．A lack of road map.

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

A．Spread.

B．Remained.

C．Disappeared.

D．Increased.

3. Which word best describes the author’s cross-country swimming experience?

A．Thrilling.

B．Encouraging.

C．Embarrassing.

D．Disappointing.

4. What does finding the footpath to the island mean to the author?

A．An escape from the real world.	B．A chance to get close to nature.
C．A mental and physical pressure.	D．A symbol of personal achievement.

4 . With the development of technology, life is made much easier when you travel around. Here are some top travel apps for you to use.

Yelp When you are in a new location and need a quick recommendation, Yelp comes in handy. It gives insights into the quality of businesses and services, from restaurants to the way in which they work, based on user reviews. The users can certainly make unfair judgements for personal reasons at times, but Yelp often at least lets you get a sense of what to expect.

Zomato In China, there is a good chance you have never heard of Zomato. In some countries, however, it is more popular than Yelp, and it covers the same ground. Zomato is a remarkable crowd-sourced review website, mostly for restaurants. In some regions, you can order delivery food through Zomato, too.

Happy Cow If you are a person who doesn’t eat meat or fish, or even doesn’t use animal products such as meat, milk or eggs or if you are only looking for a healthy meal option after eating not-so-healthy meals for several days in a row, you are sure to appreciate Happy Cow. The app and web- site help you find restaurants, cafes, health food stores, and other places to get a meat-free meal.

Tripadvisor You can read different reviews of hotels, restaurants and even activities, written by members of the Tripadvisor community, as well as see photos they have uploaded so you know what to expect before you arrive. Tripadvisor has relationships with various booking sites, too, which means once you finish researching hotels or restaurants, you can usually reserve them with just a few extra clicks.

1. What do Yelp and Zomato have in common?

A．They provide delivery services quickly.

B．They expect users to promote their services.

C．They only recommend hotels and restaurants.

D．They base their recommendations on user reviews.

2. Which app suits the person who doesn’t eat meat?

A．Yelp.

B．Happy Cow.

C．Tripadvisor.

D．Zomato.

3. What sets Tripadvisor apart from other travel apps?

A．It is offered free of charge.	B．It is linked to booking platforms.
C．It recommends nearby attractions.	D．It gives correct hotel rating information.

5 . Until now, dressing robots, designed to help an elderly person or a person with a disability get dressed, have been created in the laboratory as a one-armed machine, but research has shown that this can be uncomfortable for the person in care.

To solve this problem, Dr Jihong Zhu, a robotics researcher at the University of York’s Institute, proposed a two-armed assistive dressing plan, which has been inspired by caregivers who have demonstrated that specific actions are required to reduce discomfort to the individual in their care.

Dr Zhu gathered important information on how care workers moved during a dressing exercise, through allowing a robot to observe and learn from human movements and then, through AI, generate a model that mimics (模仿) how human helpers do their task. This allowed the researchers to gather enough data to illustrate that two hands were needed for dressing and not one, as well as information on the angles that the arms make.

Dr Zhu said, “We know that practical tasks, such as getting dressed, can be done by a robot, freeing up a care worker to concentrate more on providing companionship and observing the general well-being of the individual in their care. It has been tested in the laboratory, but for this to work outside of the lab, we really need to understand how care workers do this task in real life.”

“We’ve adopted a method called learning from demonstration, which means that you don’t need an expert to programme a robot; a human just needs to demonstrate the motion that is required of the robot and the robot learns that action. It is clear that for care workers two arms are needed to properly attend to the needs of individuals,” Dr. Zhu said. “With the current one-armed machine scheme a patient is required to do too much work in order for a robot to assist them, moving their arm up in the air or bending it in ways that they might not be able to do.”

1. What’s the problem with the one-armed dressing robot?

A．It causes discomfort.	B．It moves too slowly.
C．It has an ugly appearance.	D．It lacks flexibility.

2. Dr Zhu got the inspiration for his new plan from ______.

A．some books	B．AI models in the market
C．a dressing exercise	D．the healthcare providers

3. What’s one purpose of Dr Zhu’s designing a two-armed dressing robot?

A．To give better demonstrations.

B．To allow caregivers more time to do other things.

C．To make it a better companion for the needy.

D．To improve the well-being of the care workers.

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

A．Taking Care with Caregiving Robots

B．Robot Could Help People Get Dressed

C．Caregiving Robots: the Future of Health Care

D．University Scientists Create Two-Armed Caregiving Robot

6 . Leading museums in the United States are covering up or closing displays featuring Native American cultural objects owing to new federal rules. The new regulations require museums to obtain “free, prior and informed permission” from tribal leaders before displaying ancestral heritage items.

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the largest natural history museum in the world, announced on Jan 26 that it would close two halls spanning 10,000 square feet with Native American exhibits, as the exhibits are “severely outdated”. “The halls we are closing contain artifacts (历史文物) of an era when museums such as ours did not respect the values, perspectives and indeed shared humanity of Native Americans,” museum President Sean Decatur said in a letter to the staff, The New York Times reported. “The number of cultural objects on display in these halls is significant, and because these exhibits are also severely outdated, we have decided that rather than just covering or removing specific items, we will close the halls,” Decatur said. The move comes because of the implementation (执行) in early January of update d regulations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

Over the next five years, museums, universities, art institutions and similar places are required to undertake essential updates to prepare all human remains and related funerary (葬礼的) objects for repatriation (遣送), making sure that tribes have more power and increased authority throughout the process. “The ultimate goal of the law is not to cover up exhibitions. It’s not to prevent appropriate education about diverse native cultures. It’s about repairing and repatriating items that have been stolen over the last couple of centuries and returning them to the rightful people,” Shannon O’Loughlin, the CEO of the Association on American Indian Affairs said.

Chicago’s Field Museum earlier this month also closed several displays featuring Native American cultural items. The Field Museum has one of the biggest collections of Native American remains in the country and opened a new permanent exhibition in the spring of 2022 that displaced the museum’s longstanding Native American exhibition since the 1950s.

Harvard University, which has more than 5,000 Native American human remains, has said it will remove all Native American funerary items from its exhibits. “Exhibitions have always been discussed during tribal discussions and cultural items have been removed from display at the tribal request. With the new NAGPRA regulations, the museum is in the process of removing all the funerary belongings and likely funerary belongings off display,” Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, said in a statement.

1. Which has the same meaning as the underlined word “perspectives” in Paragraph 2?

A．Occupations.

B．Faults.

C．Challenges.

D．Viewpoints.

2. What did Chicago’s Field Museum do in the spring of 2022?

A．It opened a new permanent exhibition.

B．It collected some Native American belongings.

C．It handed funerary objects to American Indians.

D．It set about displaying Native American cultural objects.

3. How is Harvard University dealing with all the funerary belongings?

A．By selling them to other people.	B．By putting them in some labs.
C．By taking them away from its exhibits.	D．By covering them with pieces of cloth.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．US New NAGPRA regulations scheduled to be in effect

B．US museums stop displaying Native American exhibits

C．US museums feature Native American cultural items

D．US museums prefer ancestral heritage items

7 . In late September, an international team of researchers spread out across a remote New Mexico mountain range in search of a plant. The group walked through the rough landscape looking for signs of plants hugging a tree. Seven days later, the scientists left with a sample of nature’s reward: wild bean plants.

The scientists wanted to collect the legume (豆科植物), which is native to dry regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. “The plants have adapted to this very hot and dry climate, so they have exception al drought and heat tolerance,” said Sarah Dohle, an expert with the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

A warming planet is causing huge damage to agriculture around the globe. In the western U. S., a severe drought affected California’s tomato and rice production. In Guatemala, the combined effects of both drought and rain decreased corn and black bean harvests. In Sub-Saharan Africa, hot conditions have reduced the yields of wheat and corn by more than a third since the early 1960s.

“Crops like the wild bean could help diversify food production, and their genetic material may help make other crops more drought- and heat-tolerant,” said Richard Pratt, who is among a growing number of scientists working to look for crops adapting to climate change.

The University of California is leading a multi-state $15million project involving 20 institutions to speed up the breeding (繁殖) cycles of wheat and to research ways to help the crop grow in a toughened environment. At Auburn University in Alabama, scientists are working to breed a peanut variety that can better tolerate drought conditions. And scientists from various institutions have taken part in an effort funded by the Norwegian government to identify, collect and evaluate wild crops for future development.

Still, there are numerous challenges at play: Crop breeding is a time-intensive process, so it can be difficult for scientists to keep pace with rapidly changing weather. Advances in gene editing can help speed up the process, but come with their own trials.

“As global climate change keeps being hard on us,” Sarah said, “there isn’t plenty of time left for us to get crops that are adaptable.”

1. What is paragraph 1 intended for?

A．Sharing an inspirational story.	B．Leading in the topic of the text.
C．Providing background information.	D．Summarizing the main idea of the text.

2. How does the author mainly develop paragraph 3?

A．By giving examples.	B．By answering questions.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By listing prediction data.

3. What does Sarah Dohle imply at last?

A．Climate change is controllable.	B．Crop breeding is time-consuming.
C．Efforts to plant crops prove fruitless.	D．Urgent measures should be carried out.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Overlooked Wild Crops Require Preserving

B．Global Warming Influences Crops’ Adaptation

C．A Severe Drought Is Threatening Food Security

D．Scientists Are Looking for Climate-adapted Crops

8 . A study, published in European Heart Journal, is the first to assess how different movement patterns throughout the 24-hour day are linked to heart health.

In this study, British researchers analyzed data from six studies, involving 15,246 people from five countries, to see how movement behavior across the day is associated with heart health. Each participant used a wearable device, a key novelty, on their thighs (大腿) to measure their activities throughout the 24-hour day and had their heart health measured.

The researchers identified a series of behaviors that make up a typical 24-hour day, with time spent doing moderate-vigorous activity providing the most benefit to heart health, followed by light activity, standing and sleeping compared with the negative impact of sedentary (久坐) behavior. The team modeled what would happen if an individual changed various amounts of one behavior for another each day for a week, in order to estimate the effect on heart health for each scenario. When replacing sedentary behavior, as little as five minutes of moderate-vigorous activity had a noticeable effect on heart health.

Dr. Jo Blodgett, first author of the study, said, “The big takeaway from our research is that while small changes to how you move can have a positive effect on heart health, intensity of movement matters. The most beneficial change we observed was to replace sitting with moderate-vigorous activity, which could be a run, a brisk walk, or stair climbing, basically any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, even for a minute or two. ”

Dr. Jo Blodgett also pointed out that although time spent doing vigorous activity was the quickest way to improve heart health, there are ways to benefit for people of all abilities — it’s just that the lower the intensity of the activity, the longer the time is required to start having a reliable benefit. Using a standing desk for a few hours a day instead of a sitting desk, for example, is not only a change over a relatively large amount of time but is also one that could be combined into a working routine fairly easily as it does not require any time commitment.

1. Why is a wearable device mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To suggest the study’s creativity.

B．To stress the importance of measuring.

C．To explain the basis of six studies concerned.

D．To introduce the various movement patterns.

2. Which has the worst effect on heart health according to the text?

A．Standing.	B．Sleeping.
C．Climbing stairs.	D．Sedentary behavior.

3. Which statement will Dr. Jo Blodgett probably agree with?

A．We had better avoid spending time on vigorous exercise.

B．Small changes the way you exercise count most for heart health.

C．The standing desk for a few hours a day outweighs a sitting one.

D．The lower the strength of the exercise，the better for heart health.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．That any activity is better for your heart than sedentary behavior.

B．The suitable exercise schedule of a day.

C．That changing exercise routine every day in a week matters.

D．The relationship between exercise patterns and heart health.

9 . Being a plastic-free gardener is an important step for having an eco-conscious garden. Here’s how to garden by using alternatives to plastic plant pots.

Lots of pots

    1    . Most are made of plastic, and come in a variety of colours. None of these plastics are readily recyclable. Half a billion plastic pots ended up in landfill or being burned each year.

Plastic-free plant pot alternatives

The great news is that, the choice of alternative plastic-free pots is fantastic.     2    .

Ceramic (陶瓷) pots

Though expensive, when it comes to plant pots, there is not much that compares to the appeal of hand-made ceramic pots. Ceramic pots are made from the firing of clay.     3    . Therefore, if collected steadily over the years, they become the backbone of any working garden, offering a ready pot for a month or two of growing on;a permanent home for repeat-flowering flowers lasting for seasons; or a decorative feature for a greenhouse.

Wool pots

Made from raw washed wool pots, these cute little pots are a very attractive natural alternative to plastic.       4    , but they also make a perfect pot for decorative plants that will sit in a striking position while they are growing larger — a great talking point for plastic-free gardening.

Hemp (麻) pots

Hemp pots are a great alternative to the plastic pots used to grow tomato and potato plants.     5    . They come in a range of sizes, from around five to forty litres (公升). Hemp pots develop from a sustainable source, are fully broken down and can be reused for several seasons.

A．They are durable

B．Limit the use of plastic in the garden

C．Wool pots can be used to start young plants

D．They are a replacement for those with limited growing space

E．Many gardeners have a collection of plastic plant pots over the years

F．Many of the pots in which plants were sold at the time were recyclable

G．In addition to fabric, there is also wood, cardboard, bamboo, rubber, and even wool

10 . We all know someone who seems unable to control their spending or make good financial decisions. When that person is someone you care about, it’s understandable to want to help them better manage their money.     1     If you feel a little out of your depth, let’s take a look at some ways to help out a loved one who isn’t great with their money, without making anyone uncomfortable.

Listen without judgment.     2     Rather than coming at someone with criticism or lecturing, try having an open conversation to better understand their underlying feelings and perceptions about money so you can determine the best ways to help.

Help them set financial goals. Ask how they would like their financial situation to be different in an ideal world.     3     Write these down and determine what initial steps they can take to start working towards these goals. Offer to periodically review progress without judgment. Remember that you’re not their financial advisor, but an accountability buddy.

    4     Provide tools that help build financial literacy at their own pace. There are plenty of trusty apps that can give your finances a boost. Other resources could include books, articles, budgeting apps, online courses, or even offering to meet with a financial advisor together to discuss developing better money management habits.

The most constructive thing you can do is help the person build discipline and skills slowly through sympathetic support. At the same time，protect your own peace by setting financial boundaries for yourself. Avoid criticism or control, and focus on boosting confidence along their journey towards good money management.     5    

A．Give encouragement.

B．Share educational resources.

C．Why should they take steps to set financial goals?

D．What specific goals and time frames can you set together?

E．However，simply telling them to manage their money carefully is ineffective.

F．When it comes to anything money-related, tough love is rarely the way to go.

G．With these help，almost anyone can become better at managing money over time.