1 . It was our first Thanksgiving in the new house, and I wanted everything to be perfect. However, my husband just got a new job in retail, so our family “plan” for everyone to take part in the necessary prep work had been torpedoed. To make matters worse, a key project for me that week had claimed two days of planned vacation. John Lennon was right: Life is what happens while you are making other plans.
By Wednesday night, while my husband was selling camping equipment as Christmas gifts, my children and I were at home and into full-blown vacuum mania (吸尘狂潮). I was thankful that a kid’s pocket money did not make up salary as I put my six and eight-year-old to work, going against all child labor laws. For my part, I was as busy as a bee in the toilet bowl, heading for a breakdown.
I don’t remember what my son asked me as he was trying his best to finish the vacuuming, but I do remember twisting into that mean-and-tight mom face before barking out a rude answer. Instead of dashing out of view, my second-grader turned off the vacuum and walked the whole way around the stairwell to face me. He never said a word. He just wrapped his arms around me for a hug that made me feel ashamed of myself to this very day. My son took a risk to teach me that sometimes we need a hug most when we are least huggable.
It was the perfect Thanksgiving. The people I loved gathered around my table where a pumpkin covered up last year’s gravy stain (肉汁污渍). We dined on just one choice of pie, and my dad used a mismatched dinner fork without complaint. My daughter drew a picture of us on a paper plate where no one had their eyes closed.
I learned a lot from an eight-year-old that holiday, and I’ve tried hard to remember it. If you find a person complaining about her job or her dress size, give her a hug. It just might be what she needs most.
1. What does the underlined word “torpedoed” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．passed | B．scheduled | C．targeted | D．ruined |
| A．confident | B．humorous | C．alarmed | D．concerned |
| A．She shouted at him impatiently. | B．She hugged him right away. |
| C．She responded to him politely. | D．She continued vacuuming delightedly. |
| A．Careful planning: the route to an unforgettable Thanksgiving Day |
| B．Family happiness: the result of balancing work and life |
| C．Thanksgiving surprises: imperfect perfection and unexpected hugs |
| D．Holiday letdown: common psychological and emotional experiences |
2 . It takes eight hours and $250, 000 to get to what remains of the RMS Titanic. On Sunday, five people got into the underwater craft Titan to make that journey. The craft lost contact only an hour and 45 minutes into the eight-day expedition. Later wreckage (残骸) was found matching that of the craft. Despite the danger of traveling some 12, 500 feet below the surface, this was an irresistible opportunity — very few people get to see the Titanic with their own eyes. Actually, dives to the Titanic have been around for more than 20 years.
It wasn’t until 1985 that an expedition led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel discovered the Titanic’s final resting place. In July 1986, Ballard placed a memorial on the ship, asking that the site be left undisturbed in memory of the more than 1, 500 people who died there.
But that didn’t happen. Instead, competition over who would be allowed to salvage (打捞) artifacts (文物) from the ship heated up. In part, it was an effort to document and conserve the artifacts - but it was also a rush for profits from artifact sales and public displays.
In 1992, a federal court ruled that TVLP was the first and exclusive salvor of the Titanic. Now known as RMS Titanic Inc. , the company has conducted eight expeditions to the Titanic, and has sold more than 5, 000 objects taken from the site, including jewelry.
While battles for visitation and salvage rights were fought in court, expeditions to the Titanic continued, giving rise to a small but pricey tourist market. Multiple companies offered public tours to explore the Titanic wreck, with prices ranging from $32, 500 to $105, 129 per person over the years. The Titanic was damaged significantly upon impact with the seabed, and slowly, iron-eating bacteria are consuming what remains. In 2019, a dive confirmed huge portions of the ship were collapsing. Today the surrounding site is littered with trash. Visitors have also littered the area with memorials. Attempts to protect the wreck are ongoing. In 2020, the United Kingdom and the United States agreed to work together to grant or deny licenses to people entering and taking artifacts from the site.
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．How people explored the Titanic | B．The danger of diving to the Titanic. |
| C．People’s strong interest in the Titanic | D．The details of Titanic expedition. |
| A．To mark the ship for further research. | B．To honor his dead teammates. |
| C．To celebrate his achievement. | D．To protect the ship’s remains. |
| A．Scientific exploration | B．Historical research |
| C．Economic interest | D．Technological development |
| A．It is being restored | B．It is being moved to a new place. |
| C．It is preserved in a museum. | D．It is under united protection. |
3 . A road trip is not just about taking in the scenery through the car windscreen. Instead, the changes in location let you increase the scope of your holiday. Here are four recommended routes.
CCR 200It is a new coastal road trip showing off the hidden side of the Lake District. The route takes in various nature reserves as well as other attractions like beaches and castles. The road trip is aimed at campers of all kinds and has been divided into five sections that can each be done in a day.
The Explorer’s RoadThe Road extends almost the entire length of eastern England, featuring some of the country’s hidden treasures and finest attractions. Along the way you can explore breathtaking beaches, spectaculan countryside and historic landmarks, with plenty of campsites lining the route.
South West Coastal 300The South West Coastal 300 is around the southwest of Scotland. It’s a fantastic way to discover one of the UK’s hidden treasures. Inland, there are demanding hills that provide a steep one to walkers and climbers, not to mention hundreds of square miles of forestry and rolling countryside where cycling enthusiasts can clock up the miles.
Atlantic HighwayThe route roughly follows the line of the Atlantic coast. There are picturesque village views and you certainly won’t be short of things to see or do. And there is no shortage of stopovers. The only downside is that the roads round here are extremely busy occasionally, so if you want a more stress-free trip, try heading down out of summer.
1. Which road trip best suits those who enjoy challenges?| A．CCR 200. | B．The Explorer’s Road. |
| C．Atlantic Highway. | D．South West Coastal 300. |
| A．Popular beaches and castles. | B．Less-widely known spots. |
| C．Landmarks with a long history. | D．Newly-developed nature reserves. |
| A．It closes in summer. | B．The route is rough |
| C．It is crowded sometimes. | D．It charges for stopovers. |
4 . I used to be anorexic (厌食的). I was skeletal, each of my rib bones jutted out, like ridges on my body; my head, which looked abnormally huge, was barely supported by my backbone.
It would take an hour for me to eat a spoon of food. Should I attempt to eat to please my parents on teachers, I would lock myself in the toilet and throw up the food. I looked pale and weak all the time because of the lack of food. My family members were distressed. They cried a lot.
It all started when a boy in my class called me “fat” I was devastated. I adopted an extremely strict diet and exercise routine. I lost 10kg within three months and continued to lose more weight. I was absolutely obsessed about losing even more weight. One day, my heart rate dropped and I was breathless. I almost lost my life. That was when I decided to turn my life around.
Looking good is extremely important to a teenager. We want to look a certain way so we can be popular and accepted. We are attracted by well-toned and sculpted bodies. Now, with social media, we have access to a pool of photographs of people, whose bodies and appearances we admire. Those images make us envious. We long to be like them.
We're in danger when we start to hate the way we look and take drastic measures to attain the body we dream of having. These measures can lead to eating disorders, unrealistic and unhealthy exercise habits, low self-esteem and depression. Besides affecting the physical health, teenagers who are body conscious can also suffer from mental instability. They may plunge into despair, guilt and hopelessness if they are unable to keep up with their rigid exercise routines or eating habits. They can be emotionally fragile too. They become sensitive to comments made by others. They are ashamed of the way they look. If you are currently experiencing these feelings, seek help before itis too late.
It is important to feel confident and positive about your image and not subscribe to man-made standards of beauty, which will change with time. You are unique.
1. What can we infer about the author from the first two paragraphs?| A．He developed a deadly disease. |
| B．He was on an exceptionally strict diet. |
| C．He was upset because of not achieving the goal. |
| D．He was in bad condition due to food shortage. |
| A．To look good. | B．To stay healthy. |
| C．To satisfy his parents. | D．To disappoint the boy. |
| A．Extreme. | B．Immediate. | C．Temporary. | D．Preventive. |
| A．Be unique. | B．Seek beauty. |
| C．Build your body. | D．Accept your body. |
5 . Medicine is not exclusively a human invention. Many other animals, from insects to birds to nonhuman primates, have been known to self-medicate with plants and minerals for infections and other conditions.
Behavioral ecologist Helen Morrogh-Bernard of the Borneo Nature Foundation has spent decades studying the island’s orangutans (猩猩) and says she has now found evidence they use plants in a previously unseen medicinal way.
During more than 20, 000 hours of formal observation, Morrogh-Bernard and her colleagues watched 10 orangutans occasionally chew a particular plant (which is not part of their normal diet) into a foamy lather (泡沫) and then rub it into their fur. The apes spent up to 45 minutes at a time massaging the mixture onto their upper arms or legs. The researchers believe this behavior is the first known example of a nonhuman animal using a topical painkiller.
Local people use the same plant Dracaena cantleyi, an unremarkable-looking plant with stalked leaves-to treat aches and pains. Morrogh-Bernard’s co-authors studied its chemistry. They added extracts (提出物) from the plant to human cells that had been grown in a dish and had been artificially stimulated to produce cytokines, an immune system response that causes inflammation (炎症) and discomfort. The plant extract reduced the production of several types of cytokines, the scientists reported the finding in a study published last November in Scientific Reports.
The results suggest that orangutans use the plant to reduce inflammation and treat pam. Such findings could help identify plants and chemicals that might be useful for human medications.
In creatures such as insects, the ability to self-medicate is almost certainly innate: woolly bear caterpillars infected with flies seek out and eat plant substances that are poisonous to the flies. But more complex animals may learn such tricks after an initial discovery by one member of their group.
For example, an orangutan may have rubbed the plant on its skin to try to treat parasites and realized that it also had a pleasant pain-killing effect. That behavior may then have been passed on to other orangutans. Because this type of-self-medication is seen only in south-central Borneo, Morrogh-Bernard says, it was probably learned locally.
1. What do we know about Dracaena cantleyi?| A．It can serve as a pain killer. | B．It is orangutans normal diet. |
| C．It is a plant with a foamy lather. | D．L can function as building materials. |
| A．By studying the plant’s chemistry. | B．By observing apes eating the plant. |
| C．By extracting cytokines from the plant. | D．By watching local people using the plant. |
| A．Botanists can better understand plants. |
| B．Scientists can find a new way to study apes. |
| C．Doctors may have the power to cure more diseases. |
| D．Drug companies may find new materials for medicine. |
| A．Medicine is a human unique invention. | B．Plant extracts are the best to treat-pain. |
| C．Humans and animals have a lot in common. | D．Insects have the natural ability to self medication. |
6 . All of us want to strive for perfection, don’t we? It could be submitting the perfect assignment or performing a flawless musical.
When people work as a team, the end product is more likely to be of better quality than if an individual produces it alone. There is a name for this-synergy (增效) . Now, how does synergy work?
In teamwork, there is much creativity.
| A．Let’s turn to nature for inspiration. |
| B．Let’s not wave away the chance to work in teams. |
| C．Each member will contribute his expertise to benefit the team. |
| D．However, this ideal circumstance is not always accomplished alone. |
| E．The clownfish and sea anemone make a clever team in surviving the wild. |
| F．Team members also offer unique perspectives before reaching an agreement. |
| G．The clownfish and sea anemone make the ocean bed beautiful, don’t you agree? |
7 . Scientists have found a way to decode (解码) a stream of words in the brain using MRI scans and artificial intelligence. The system reconstructs the main point of what a person hears or imagines, rather than trying to copy each word, a team reports.“It’s getting at the ideas behind the words, the meaning, says Alexander Huth, an author of the study.”
Previous efforts to decode language have relied on sensors placed directly on the surface of the brain. The sensors detect signals in areas involved in expressing words. But the Texas team’s approach is an attempt to “decode more freeform thought,” says Marcel Just, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.
The new study came about as part of an effort to understand how the brain processes language. Researchers had three people spend up to 16 hours each in a functional MRI scanner which detects signs of activity across the brain. Participants wore headphones that streamed audio from the Internet. Those streams of words produced activity all over the brain, not just in areas associated with speech and language. After participants listened to hours of stories in the scanner, the MRI data was sent to a computer. It learned to match specific patterns of brain activity with certain streams of words. Then came a paraphrased version of what a participant heard.
The MRI approach is currently slower and less accurate than an experimental communication system being developed for paralyzed people, where people get a sheet of electrical sensors implanted directly on the surface of the brain. With an MRI-based system, no one has to get surgery.
But future versions of MRI scans could raise moral questions. “What if you can read out the word that somebody is just thinking in their head? That’s potentially a harmful thing.” Huth says. This technology can’t really read minds uncontrollably, though. It only works when a participant is actively cooperating with scientists. Still, systems that decode language could someday support people who are unable to speak because of a brain injury or disease. They are also assisting scientists in understanding how the brain processes words and thoughts.
1. What is special about the Texas team’s study?| A．Brain can be reconstructed. | B．Expression can be perfected. |
| C．Meanings can be comprehended. | D．Sensor signals can be improved. |
| A．The process of an experiment. | B．Patterns of brain activity. |
| C．Steps of word matching. | D．The way of speech decoding. |
| A．They are a double-edged sword. | B．They are potentially harmful to life. |
| C．They are helpful to treat brain disease. | D．They are well worth researching. |
| A．A Decoder That Can Read Your Mind | B．MRI Scanner: Raise a moral question |
| C．MRI Scanner: Still a Long Way to Go | D．A Decoder That Can Convey Meaning |
8 . By the late 1960s, abstract painter Harold Cohen had represented Britain at important festivals with his oil paintings and was seeking a new challenge. “Maybe there are more interesting things going on outside my studio than inside it,” he thought. Cohen turned from the canvas (画布) to the screen, using computers to find new ways of creating art. In the late 1960s, he created a program that he named Aaron. It was the first artificial intelligence software in the world of fine art, and Cohen first presented Aaron in 1974 at the University of California, Berkeley. Aaron’s work has since graced museums from the Tate Gallery in London to the Sand Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Now, with AI dominating the headlines, a new exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art,“Harold Cohen: Aaron,” running through June 2024, draws attention to Cohen’s pioneering work. The Whitney is offering something deeper than most previous Aaron exhibits: a real-time experience, in which visitors can watch the software produce art.
Cohen seeded Aaron with all sorts of knowledge: about basic objects, physics, and fundamental techniques of drawing. Aaron uses this knowledge to follow instructions, complete tasks, and make decisions like human beings - a very different approach from today’s generative AI art programs, which don’t draw from scratch (从头开始) but rather rely on databases of images. Versions of Aaron still generate output, but anything done after Cohen’s death in 2016 is not considered genuine.
The Whitney is showcasing two versions of Cohen’s software, along with the art that each produced before Cohen died. The 2001 version, Aaron KCAT, generates images of figures and plants and projects them onto a wall more than ten feet high, while the 2007 version produces jungle-like scenes. The software will also create art physically, on paper, for the first time since the 1990s. “It is absolutely thrilling,” said Christiane Paul, the museum’s director of digital art, “to have one of those remarkable treasures of digital art in the collection.”
1. What was Aaron born out of?| A．Harold’s curiosity. | B．The museum’s donation. |
| C．Cohen’s imagination. | D．The university’s support. |
| A．Its ability to assign tasks. | B．Its use of modern techniques. |
| C．Its capability to make choices. | D．Its dependence on existing database. |
| A．See the original 1960s version of Aaron. | B．Generate images with the help of Aaron. |
| C．Learn about the physical rules in art. | D．Observe Aaron creating art on the spot. |
| A．The masterpieces of digital art. | B．A new show of the art world’s first AI. |
| C．The latest technologies in the Whitney. | D．Harold Cohen’s impact on generative AI. |
9 . There’s a useful concept from psychology that helps explain why good people do things that harm the environment: the false consensus effect. That’s where we overvalue how acceptable and prevalent (普遍的) our own behavior is in society. Put simply, if you’re doing something (even if you secretly know you probably shouldn’t), you’re more likely to think plenty of other people do it too. What’s more, you likely overestimate how much other people think that behavior is broadly OK.
This bias (偏见) allows people to justify socially unacceptable or illegal behaviors. Researchers have observed the false consensus effect in drug use and illegal hunting. More recently, conservationists are beginning to reveal how this effect contributes to environmental damage.
In Australia, people who admitted to poaching (偷猎) thought it was much more prevalent in society than it really was, and had higher estimates than fishers who obeyed the law. They also believed others viewed poaching as socially acceptable; however, in reality, more than 90% of fishers held the opposite view. The false consensus effect has also shown up in studies examining support for nuclear energy and offshore wind farms.
Just as concepts from psychology can help explain some forms of environmental damage, so too can they help address it. For example, research shows people are more likely to litter in areas where there’s already a-lot of trash scattered around; so making sure the ground around a bin is not covered in rubbish may help.
Factual information on how other people think and behave can be very powerful. Energy companies have substantially reduced energy consumption simply by showing people how their electricity use compares to their neighbors. Encouragingly, stimulating people’s natural desire for status has also been successful in getting people to “go green to be seen”, or to publicly buy eco-friendly products.
As the research evidence shows, social norms can be a powerful force in encouraging and popularizing environmentally friendly behaviors. Perhaps you can do your bit by sharing this article!
1. Which example best illustrates the false consensus effect?| A．A student spends long hours surfing the internet. |
| B．A blogger assumes many people dislike his posts. |
| C．A driver frequently parks illegally in public places. |
| D．A smoker believes people generally approve of smoking. |
| A．It is unacceptable. | B．It is widespread. |
| C．It is controversial. | D．It is complex. |
| A．Embrace green habits for better health. |
| B．Make green choices that others can perceive. |
| C．Join green movements for personal fulfillment. |
| D．Choose green items that are easy to spot in stores. |
| A．Understate social norms. | B．Highlight personal responsibilities. |
| C．Publicize sustainable practices. | D．Encourage technological innovations. |
10 . The high intelligence levels of orangutans (红毛猩猩) have long been recognised, partly due to their practical skills such as using tools to crack nuts and search for insects. But new research suggests the primate (灵长动物) has another handy skill: applying medicinal herbs intentionally to an open wound.
A male Sumatran orangutan known as Rakus was observed by the research team with a fresh facial wound in June 2022. Three days later, Rakus was witnessed feeding on the stem and leaves of a plant. Thirteen minutes after Rakus had started feeding on it, he began chewing the leaves without swallowing them, then used his fingers to apply the resulting juice directly on to his facial wound. He repeated this behavior for seven minutes and at last fully covered the wound with the chewed leaves. He then continued feeding on the plant for 30 minutes. Over the following days, there were no signs of infection. The wound closed within five days and was healed, with only a faint scar remaining after one month.
It is not the first time wild primate species have been spotted self-medicating: among other examples, Bornean orangutans have been seen rubbing their arms and legs with chewed leaves from a plant used by humans to treat sore muscles, while chimpanzees have been recorded chewing plants known to treat worm infections and applying insects to wounds. However, the new discovery is the first time a wild animal has been observed treating open wounds with a substance known to have medicinal properties. “In the chimpanzee case they used insects and unfortunately it was never found out whether these insects really promote wound healing. Whereas in our case, the orangutan used the plant, and this plant has known medical properties,” said Dr Caroline Schuppli, senior author of the research.
Rakus’s goal-oriented behavior and the medicinal properties of his chosen treatment offer insight into the origins of human wound care-the treatment of which was first mentioned in a medical manuscript dating to 2200BC. “It definitely shows that these basic cognitive capacities that you need to come up with a behaviour like this were present at the time of our last common ancestor most likely,” said Schuppli.
It remains unclear whether Rakus figured the process out for himself or learned it from another orangutan, although it has not been seen in any other individual.
1. How did the team conduct their research?| A．By analyzing previous records. | B．By tracking the research object. |
| C．By quoting others’ findings. | D．By categorizing qualities of primates. |
| A．The primate’s awareness of herb selection. | B．The locations of the wild primates. |
| C．The sizes of the application range. | D．The outcome of the treatment. |
| A．Supporting evidence for the research results. |
| B．Potential significance of the research findings. |
| C．A further explanation of the research summary. |
| D．A reasonable doubt about the research process. |
| A．The origin of Rakus’ intentional self-medication. |
| B．Different medicinal plants used by wild primates. |
| C．Active wound treatment s shared by humans and primates |
| D．The possible influence from Rakus’ family. |
