1 . Three young American men were on a crowded train when they encountered a heavily armed terrorist. With little regard for their personal safety, they rushed the terrorist and controlled him. Only some people seem capable of this split-second form of heroism. Why some men rise to the occasion—and others don’t—has been a bit tricky to explain. Psychologists have explored this question through biological and personality psychology.
Of course, heroism and courage can appear in many forms, and men and women risk their reputations, health, and social standing to do what they think is right. When it comes to physically risky bravery, people assume that men will take the lead. There are sound biological reasons for this fixed image. One of the most common fears in men is that they’ll be outed as a coward (懦夫), and a man who fails to display physical courage will suffer damage to his reputation in a way that a woman will not. Throughout human history, attaining a position of high status or dominance among one’s peers (同龄人) has been the ticket that needs to get punched for men to attract mates and father children.
People tend to have an idea of what heroes are like. When rating the personalities of movie heroes, participants expected them to be more careful and hard-working, open to experience, agreeable, and emotionally stable than the average person. But some studies indicate that people who exhibit heroic behavior score high on personality usually associated with madmen: risk-taking, sensation seeking, coolness under stress, and a tendency to take over in social situations.
The study of the relationship between personality and heroism is at an early stage. Psychologists are still at a loss to predict in advance who will heroically step up when needed. Often, the hero is an otherwise ordinary person who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances. Meanwhile, some individuals trained to behave heroically might hesitate during a crisis. Future disasters will cry out for further acts of true heroism. Hopefully, the right mix of circumstances and personalities enable courage to carry the day.
1. How is the topic introduced in the first paragraph?| A．By giving an example. | B．By presenting a concept. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By drawing a conclusion. |
| A．Be bought. | B．Be gifted. | C．Be obtained. | D．Be abandoned. |
| A．Heroes and ordinary people are always difficult to tell apart. |
| B．Heroism is a phenomenon influenced by numerous factors. |
| C．Unknown circumstances play a crucial role in heroic acts. |
| D．Individual personality is not a reliable indicator of heroism. |
| A．How Are Heroes Trained? | B．Why Are Heroes Important? |
| C．Who Are the True Heroes? | D．What Makes a Person Heroic? |
2 . How to Avoid an Internet Addiction
It may seem like everyone surfs the web these days. But if you can’t have interest in other aspects of your life because of the Internet, you may be on your way to an Internet addiction. You might fear you’re the only one who has experienced that feeling.
More and more people in the world are becoming addicted to the Internet, and you are not the only one with this problem. So do not be embarrassed. Just be brave to admit that you are on your way to an Internet addiction. And then find others with the same problem and help each other beat it.
Set aside limited time for computer use.
Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week. If you have a laptop, make sure to put it somewhere that you can remember but not somewhere that you see every day. Try keeping the lid closed when you are not using it.
Call people instead of sending instant messages or texts.
If you are free on weekends, call friends and ask them to go outside to do something you enjoy, like playing a sport. This will take your mind off the computer.
Use an alarm clock or timer (计时器).
Before using your computer, decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes. Set the clock or timer and make sure that you get away from the computer when the time is up. Alternatively create a shutdown timer on your desktop.
| A．Being addicted to it is quite normal. |
| B．Admit you are at risk of an addiction. |
| C．The truth, though, is that it’s quite common to be an addict. |
| D．When the computer is not looking at you, you are less likely to use it. |
| E．This can be programmed to shut down your computer after the set time. |
| F．If you have a problem on weekdays, phone your friends or ask for help in person. |
| G．This will prevent you from using the Internet so often or going on to another page. |
3 . Independent will is what really makes effective self-management possible. It is the ability to make decisions and choices and to act in accordance with them. It is the ability to act rather than to be acted upon.
The human will is an amazing thing. Time after time, it has won against unbelievable difficulties. The Helen Kellers of this world give dramatic evidence to the value, the power of the independent will. But as we examine it in the context of effective self-management, we realize it’s usually not the dramatic, the visible, the once-in-a-lifetime effort that brings enduring success. Empowerment comes from learning how to use independent will in the decisions we make every day.
The degree to which we have developed our independent will in our everyday lives is measured by our personal integrity. Integrity is, fundamentally, the value we place on ourselves. It’s our ability to make and keep commitments to ourselves—to “walk our talk.” It’s honor with self, a fundamental part of the character ethic, the essence of active growth.
Effective management is putting first things first. While leadership decides what “first things” are, it is management that puts them first, day-by-day, moment-by-moment. Management is discipline, carrying it out.
Discipline stems from disciple (追随者) —disciple to a philosophy, disciple to a set of principles, disciple to a set of values, and disciple to an ultimate. purpose. In other words, if you are an effective manager of your self, your discipline comes from within; it is a function of your independent will. You are a disciple, a follower, of your own deep values and their source. And you have the will, the integrity, to place your feelings, your urges, your moods after those values.
That placement requires a purpose, a mission. It also requires independent will, the power to do something when you don’t want to do it, to be a function of your values rather than a function of the urge or desire of any given moment. It’s the power to act with integrity to your first creation.
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning “the Helen Kellers” in paragraph 2?| A．To explain a reason. | B．To highlight a point. |
| C．To make a prediction. | D．To give a definition. |
| A．Put words into deeds. | B．Display confidence. |
| C．Stop talking big. | D．Strike a balance. |
| A．Seeking external support. | B．Undertaking more missions. |
| C．Sticking to one’s own values. | D．Following one’s desires. |
| A．The Secret Behind Self-discipline | B．The Magic of Personal Integrity |
| C．The Power of Independent Will | D．The Road to Effective Management |
4 . Self-learning can help you develop important skills and gain valuable knowledge. Understanding strategies for self-learning is important. They can help you study new concepts with ease.
Determine your learning style. People often prefer to learn new information or a new skill using varied approaches.
Find a purpose. Determine what you want to learn about and why you want to be a self-learner.
Determine a schedule. To create an effective plan, it may be helpful to create an agenda for your self-learning sessions.
| A．Assess your strengths |
| B．Be sure to set reasonable goals |
| C．Identify a skill set you’re interested in learning |
| D．Here’re some tips for effective self-learning practices |
| E．Consider giving yourself a set of achievable deadlines |
| F．You can find the most useful methods and techniques for yourself |
| G．Having a specific goal can also help you set accurate self-learning sessions |
5 . If you’re looking for inspiration to get healthy and stay active, look no further than Edna Giordano.
Edna, who lives in Canada, has become famous for the fitness level she maintains at age 91. The mom of five, grandmother of twenty-one and great-grandmother of four still drives now. “I’ve always had a busy lifestyle because, let’s face it, with that many children, you have to be busy,” Edna said. “So, I never really thought about it. That’s just the way I live.” She said she only really began to focus on her fitness in her 60s, when she was forced to retire from her job at a local hospital. She had to face the fact that she was 60.
To keep herself busy, Edna began gardening again that she had to abandon due to her busy work. She said she also started going to the gym in her 60s, which she still does every other day. “I have to keep my feet to the fire because it’s cold in the morning in winter, and when it’s snowy or icy out there, I don’t really get enthusiastic about going outside,” she said. “But I make myself do it and mark it on the calendar. So I cannot take any shortcuts.”
Edna said she focused on walking at the gym for her cardiovascular (心血管) health and also included lots of weight lifting in her routine to maintain her bone strength. “When in the gym, I don’t try to break any records or compete with anyone else,” Edna said. “I only push myself to do better all the time, and I only compete with myself.”
When it came to her age, Edna said the people at the gym didn’t realize she’s 91. She prefers it that way, because when people do realize she’s in her 90s, they’ll surely demand to help her. “I know them well. But I don’t really want help,” said Edna. “It’s funny to say that, but I like to be independent.”
1. What made Edna leave her job in the hospital?| A．Her turning 60. | B．Her looking after many kids. |
| C．Her wish to live a busy life. | D．Her suffering from a disease. |
| A．She lives in a cold place all year round. | B．She manages to be a regular at the gym. |
| C．She develops a new hobby for gardening. | D．She likes to take shortcuts in her daily life. |
| A．Competitive. | B．Humorous. | C．Humble. | D．Caring. |
| A．The elderly also enjoy trends. | B．Experience beats youth. |
| C．A positive attitude extends life. | D．Fitness is fit for everyone. |
6 . Drugs that could save tens of thousands of lives in Britain should be prescribed (开药) to three times as many patients as at present, medical experts recommended after a study showed these drugs have great effects on heart disease and stroke (中风).
British research has shown that statins, a class of drug that lowers cholesterol (胆固醇), can prevent a third of all cases of heart disease or stroke in patients at highest risk. If statins were given to 10 million high-risk patients, they could save at least 50,000 lives a year worldwide. In Britain, where heart disease is the leading cause of death, statins could save up to 10,000 lives a year.
Studies have found that safety issues surrounding statins were so tiny that they were significant. The risk of muscle problems was only about one in ten thousand. Fears that statins could increase deaths from other diseases, such as cancer, were assuaged by the study. At present, only people with high cholesterol are prescribed statins, but the eight-year study found that anyone at risk of heart disease or stroke could benefit. Statins are now given to fewer than one in twenty people aged over 40, mostly men with heart disease or high cholesterol. Under the recommendation, this would increase to one in eight.
A total of 20,000 volunteers aged 40 to 80 took part in the study, which looked at the effects of statins on patients for whom the benefits were uncertain. The guidelines previously said that female patients aged over 65 would not benefit from the drug, but the five years of monitoring all types of patients at high risk of heart attacks and stroke showed that everyone benefited as much from statins. The new recommendations will be easy to put into practice because statins are readily available and the patients who benefit from them most are already known to doctors.
1. What does paragraph 2 focus on?| A．Main diseases in Britain. | B．Side effects caused by statins. |
| C．Positive effects of statins. | D．The numbers of heart disease cases. |
| A．Eased. | B．Discovered. | C．Ignored. | D．Compared. |
| A．The effects of the drug are unclear. | B．The drug can be widely prescribed. |
| C．The drug hardly benefits female patients. | D．The drug should be limited in application. |
| A．To call for the monitoring of drug studies. | B．To explain different ways of testing drugs. |
| C．To seek improvement in the drug research. | D．To spread medical experts’ recommendation. |
7 . A recent survey of British parents found that in all, 7% of respondents give their baby a made-up name and 65% are at least willing to consider such a move in new age.
A few examples of these new age baby names include Jaspin, Elisobelle, Wrenlow, and Maevery. Don’t see any names you like? How about Evabeth? Even if they themselves aren’t willing to choose such a name, a surprising 94% of respondents admit that made-up baby names are very much “in” these days.
Apparently, these parents believe they are helping their kids by selecting a rarer name. The survey noted that 72% of all respondents believe a unique name will help their child stand out from the crowd. Another 2% choose a made-up name for their baby with social media in mind, thinking a more unique name means their child’s social media account will be much easier for potential followers to find. But 16% also believe that a strange name may reflect poorly on the parents.
A popular strategy for parents to decide on a name is taking two names that both parents like, and combining them into one name（10%）. Another 9% combine the names of older relatives as a way to honor family. Similarly, many parents（30%） are drawing inspiration from popular movies and books.
However, the majority of surveyed parents（92%） at least admitted that giving their child an odd name is bound to result in a few drawbacks. For example, two-thirds worry that an odd name will be hard to spell and pronounce, and a third worry that their child’s teachers will judge them based on their unusual name. Of course, for those parents who are confident they’ve picked a winning made-up name, 13% actually worry about other parents stealing their child’s name.
1. How does the author illustrate the new trend?| A．By making comparisons. | B．By asking questions. |
| C．By listing statistics. | D．By stating opinions. |
| A．To make their children feel less special. | B．To reflect their higher social status. |
| C．To draw others’ attention more easily. | D．To attract more followers online. |
| A．It will be advised by teachers. | B．It can actually be double-edged. |
| C．It should be protected carefully. | D．It surely makes parents confident. |
| A．Ordinary Names Are Parents’ New Pursuit | B．An Odd Name Can Influence One’s Life |
| C．Trendy Names Appear on Social Media | D．Newborns’ Unique Names Are Coming |
8 . Organizations design courses to help you learn new skills or improve your current skill set. Here’re the best course providers of 2024.
Codecademy
It provides information technology (IT) and other technical users with courses in coding and other software engineering areas. You can choose from several subscription plans or choose a free option to explore the website’s course collection.
Memrise
It’s a website and an application created to help you learn another language. It’s free to use and offers up to 23 languages to pursue. It aims to work on developing your long-term memory to support your learning journey and make it more effective. Additionally, it provides video examples of individuals using the language’s terms and phrases in everyday life.
Pluralsight
It’s a paid subscription site but offers a free trial, so you can try a few classes to determine if it fits your needs. You can take a Skill IQ assessment to know your skill levels and help you determine a plan to improve your abilities. It employs certified experts as the course instructors, which benefits you as a learner.
Alison
It’s a free learning platform offering classes, including fields such as personal development, health, language, finance and science. It offers learners the flexibility of taking the courses anywhere and anytime, so users can fit it into their schedule. And the platform is for individuals with various skill levels, from beginner to expert. Additionally, the site has two types of courses, allowing you to choose between earning a certificate or getting a diploma.
1. Which is most likely to be the course provided on Codecademy?| A．Computer Science. | B．Drawing for Beginners. |
| C．Advanced Parenting Skills. | D．Civil Engineering. |
| A．Codecademy. | B．Pluralsight. | C．Alison. | D．Memrise. |
| A．They are designed for adults. | B．They require learners to pay. |
| C．They offer no certificates. | D．They are self-paced. |
9 . During Yang Zhongkai’s early years, a 500-year-old majestic ginkgo tree that did not sprout leaves for two to three years at a stretch used to be a daily sight for him on his way to and from high school. Since villagers widely regarded the tree as having the power to make their wishes come true, they used to kneel down in front of the “lucky” tree and burn offerings under it, which led to prolonged heat exposure at its roots, stunting its growth.
“Millions of such old trees are in urgent need of protection given their importance as vital biological resources and symbols of ecological civilization,” said Yang, who started the team — Zhiyue — dedicated to protecting ancient trees.“But the recording and management of ancient and famous trees nationwide commonly rely on Excel spreadsheets (电子表格), which present issues such as information silos, lack of real-time updates and incomplete content,” he said.
However, things have changed of late. Yang and his team now use the artificial intelligence technology developed by Tencent Cloud to identify and register trees accurately based on individual traits and GPS tracking. “With the acceleration of a new generation of technological revolution and industrial transformation, new technologies bring more excitement to the protection of ancient trees.” Yang said. “We can now collect data on the trees’ growth, health and environment in real time, which helps us make informed decisions on how to better protect them.”
“In addition to applying cutting-edge technologies such as AI and large models to assist in the development of traditional industries, the company also makes great efforts to promote the development of charitable causes through technological and platform advantages, “Wu Yunsheng said, vice-president of Tencent Cloud, adding that“the power of technology can change the world”.
1. What does the underlined word“stunting”in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Preventing. | B．Promoting. | C．Measuring. | D．Maintaining. |
| A．The lack of effective protection measures. |
| B．The risk of information loss and accuracy. |
| C．The destruction by local villagers. |
| D．The extreme heat from burning. |
| A．It enables the collection of real-time data on trees'growth. |
| B．It is a valuable tool for people to protect the eco-system. |
| C．It has been widely used in the traditional industries. |
| D．It can quickly update the number of trees in China. |
| A．Modern Technology Advances Charitable Causes |
| B．Ancient Tree Management is Vital for Biodiversity |
| C．Ancient Trees Hold Cultural Traditions |
| D．New Technology Helps Tree Protection |
10 . This summer, climate change continues to push Earth’s weather to extremes.
Protect your skin — it’s the body’s cooling system. Your skin and related tissues are incredibly designed to move warm blood away from your core to keep your vital organs cool. Any damage to your skin or the underlying tissue prevents your body from being able to air condition itself. To protect your skin, start with sunscreen.
Wear materials that will help your body breathe.
Hydrate before, during and after exercise. Dehydration can really happen to you.
| A．Don’t eat right before you head out. |
| B．Try more heat-friendly forms of exercise. |
| C．The type of suitable clothing you wear can also help you stay cool. |
| D．But high outside temperatures in a dry climate can also be dangerous. |
| E．Is a daytime run or bike ride in hot summer weather OK for our bodies? |
| F．And consider wearing sun-protective clothing that blocks the sun, and include a hat. |
| G．Make sure you are drinking water at least an hour before you head out to exercise. |
