1 . STEM Competitions for Students
NSTA ExploraVision

Are you interested in what the future holds? Consider Explora Vision’s STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) competition. Working in teams of two to four, students will research a particular technology and assess the ways in which it may impact lives moving forward. Participants are required to write a paper and draw web pages communicating their vision.

Grades: 7th-9th and 10th-12th

Competition Type: Regional and national

eCyberMission

You can participate in this competition without leaving the house. eCyberMission is a web-based con test in which participants — working in teams of two to four students — use science, math and technology to solve problems facing their communities. First-place winners receive $1,000.

Grades:9th

Competition Type: Regional, state and national

TEAMS Competition

Held annually, TEAMS invites students to use their engineering talent to contribute to the community. Working in groups of two to four students, participants complete real-life engineering challenges. The competition includes multiple-choice questions, an essay and a design-build component.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: State and national

The Conrad Challenge

In this challenge, participants work in teams of two to five students to develop products or services in response to key issues facing people around the world. The Conrad Challenge empowers students to take control of their learning and apply it to real-life situations. Winners are eligible (有资格的) for scholarships, patent assistance and aid in creating companies.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: International

1. What does NSTA Explora Vision’s STEM competition focus on?

A．Engineering innovation.

B．Students’ paper writing skills.

C．New technology shaping the future.

D．Students’ ability in web page design.

2. What do the four STEM competitions have in common?

A．Winners will get a big cash prize.

B．They are all national competitions.

C．Participants are required to work in teams.

D．Participants must solve real-life problems.

3. Which competition involves foreign students?

A．NSTA ExploraVision.	B．eCvberMission.
C．TEAMS Competition.	D．The Conrad Challenge.

2 . Humor can help you connect with other people and make unpleasant situations more bearable. There are things you can do to make yourself and others laugh.

Read more

Get your hands on everything that is funny.     1    . Hopefully, reading good jokes might inspire you to start making up your own jokes. When reading them, try to analyse the elements that make them good jokes.

Be observant

While knowing a lot can increase your ability for humor, there’s no substitute for seeing a lot. Look for the humor in everyday situations.     2    .

Learn from funny people

Whether they’re professional comedians, your parents or your friends, learning from funny people in your life is a key step to being funny yourself.     3    . Keep a note of some of the funny things they say or do. This will help you develop a toolbox of techniques you can use to be funny.

    4    

Different things make different people laugh. When you’re in a group of people you don’t know, listen to what subjects they’re talking about and what’s making them laugh. The better you know them, the easier it will be to make them laugh.

Trust in your inner sense of humor

Being funny doesn’t come in a “one-size-fits-all” package. What makes you funny is unique to you and the way you observe the world. Trust that you do have a funny bone.     5     — you just need to bring it out.

A．It’s already in you

B．Know your audience

C．Make different people laugh

D．Look for what you admire most in them

E．There are a lot of funny things in comedies

F．You’ll become funnier by reading and practicing jokes

G．The unnoticed humor right before your eyes often has the most effect

5 . The release of OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video AI tool last month was met with a mix of worries and excitement from researchers who are concerned about misuse of the technology. The California-based company showcased Sora’s ability to create photorealistic (超级现实主义的) videos from a few short text prompts (提示词), with examples including clips of a woman walking down a neon-lit (霓虹灯闪烁的) street in Tokyo and a dog jumping between two windowsills.

Tracy Harwood, a digital-culture specialist at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, says she is “shocked” by the speed at which text-to-video artificial intelligence (AI) has developed. A year ago, people were laughing at an AI-produced video of the US actor Will Smith eating spaghetti. Now some researchers are worried that the technology could upend global politics in 2024.

OpenAI, which also developed ChatGPT and the text-to-image technology DALL·E, first released Sora on 15 February, announcing that it was making the technology “available to red teamers to assess critical areas for harms or risks”. Red teaming’ refers to the process of conducting simulated attacks (模拟攻击) or exploration of a technology to see how it would cope with criminal activity, such as the creation of misinformation and hateful content, in the real world.

Sora isn’t the first example of text-to-video technology; others include Gen-2, produced by Runway in New York City and released last year, and the Google-led Lumiere, announced in January. Harwood says she has been “underwhelmed” by some of these other products. “They are becoming more and more ordinary in what they present to you,” she says, adding that the programs require very specific prompts to get them to produce compelling (引人入胜的，可信的) content.

Misinformation is a major challenge for these text-to-video technologies, Harwood adds. “We’re going to very quickly reach a point in which we are flooded with a barrage of (一连串) really compelling-looking information. That’s really worrying.”

1. Why did some researchers worry about the the release of Sora?

A．Because the videos Sora creates will be untrue.

B．Because Sora needs many prompts to create videos.

C．Because they are worried about the misuse of technology.

D．Because they don’t have ability to create videos themselves.

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

A．Overturn.

B．Update.

C．Overcome.

D．Disturb

3. What can we know about Sora from the passage?

A．Sora is the first example of its kind.

B．Sora may be helpful in real world.

C．Sora is flooded with misinformation.

D．Sora is an ordinary product of its kind.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The release of Sora raised questions.

B．Sora is a new t hreat to global politics.

C．Sora becomes a vital tool to create videos.

D．Misinformation is a major challenge for Sora.

6 . In human behavioral science, bandwagon effect is a cognitive bias (认知偏见) where people assume that an idea or belief is true because many or most others believe in it or have adopted it. As many people already support the belief others also “join the bandwagon” and do not consider questioning the decision or if there is evidence supporting the same. Cognitive biases help people think and reason more quickly, but there is a high possibility of making mistakes.

For example, when talk shows in the west had hosts wearing suits, other people started following the same trend regardless of their working conditions and climate. In India, we have climates ranging from warm to extremely hot and moderately cold conditions. It never gets cold enough for an overcoat. Also, not all shooting locations have air conditioning facilities. Even though the “suit” is not the best fit for working and climatic conditions in India, people still wear it because it is recognized by many people as classy and suitable clothes for talk shows or outdoor media events.

One more fitting example for the bandwagon effect is a whole generation of teens all over the world going crazy over a “Korean” band because they were liked by many others. With all respect to the music they made and their popularity, teens were going crazy even though they didn’t understand a word of what was being listened to. Although the band was covering much needed and sensible subjects like bullying (霸凌), elitism (精英统治), and mental health, not all people following them got the true meaning of the songs. People got onto the “bandwagon” as they wanted to go along with the trend that was a hit throughout the world.

We can use various debiasing (消除偏见) techniques in order to avoid falling for the bandwagon effect. One is to consider alternative options that are not necessarily supported by the majority but may be a better choice. Give yourself some time to think and understand what is it that you really need which will allow you to make decisions in a less biased manner. It’s also important to remember that going with the crowd is not entirely bad. In many situations, it can be beneficial while making a decision, as long as you can do it in a way that allows you to make reasonable decisions.

1. What may people do if they fall for the bandwagon effect?

A．Trust every one around them.

B．Do as most people do.

C．Doubt people surrounding them.

D．Make reasonable choices.

2. What can we learn from the example given in Paragraph 2?

A．All the hosts in talk shows wear suits.

B．Indian talk show hosts love suitable suits.

C．Following trend may make mistakes.

D．India weather is agreeable for outdoor media events.

3. Why did a whole generation of teens across the world go mad at the “Korean” band?

A．They all love the members.

B．They all appreciated the lyrics.

C．Most of them follow the trend.

D．Most of them understand the songs.

4. What is the author’s attitude to bandwagon effect?

A．Objective.

B．Favourable.

C．Critical.

D．Indifferent.

7 . Anne Sullivan was born on 14 April 1866 in Feeding Hills, Agawam, Massachusetts. Her family lived in extreme poverty. When she was five years old, Sullivan contracted the bacterial eye disease trachoma (沙眼), a painful infection that left her nearly blind. When she was eight, her mother died, and two years later, her father gave up his children as he could not raise them on his own.

Anne was transferred to the Perkins School for the Blind on 7 October 1880. Anne was terribly behind in her education, and the rough manners required to survive in the almshouse (救济院) made it difficult for her to fit in among a student group that was mainly composed of children of the rich. Yet, she soon closed the gap with her classmates with iron-willed determination. Sullivan underwent a series of eye operations that significantly improved her vision. In June 1886, she graduated as the best one of her class.

Sullivan arrived at Helen Keller’s house on March 5, 1887. Sullivan immediately began to tea ch Helen to communicate by spelling words into her hand, starting with“d-o-l-1” for the doll that she had brought Keller as a present. At first, the work was slow and frustrating; Keller had no understanding of connecting objects and words. However, after a month of Sullivan’s constant and patient efforts, there was a breakthrough. As Sullivan spelled the word water in one hand while running cool water over the other, Helen Keller made the connection that the gestures symbolized “water.”

Sullivan’s breakthrough in communicating with Keller came the next month when Helen realized that the motions her teacher was making on the palm of her hand while running cool water over her other hand symbolized the idea of “water.” Keller later recalled, “I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten — a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me.”Having released the genie (精灵) of language out of the bottle, Keller nearly exhausted Sullivan with her zeal to learn the names of the other objects in her world. Within six months under Anne Sullivan’s guidance, Keller learned 575 words.

It was no less a person than Mark Twain who described Anne Sullivan as a Miracle Worker. Sullivan not only conquered the darkness of her own early life but opened the world to a young girl cut off and alone. Anne Sullivan’s resolute spirit should inspire all of us.

1. What can we learn about Sullivan from the first two paragraphs?

A．She was deserted by her father because of her illness.

B．She couldn’t fit in the almshouse due to her bad manners.

C．She was the best student in the Perkins School for the Blind.

D．She went through a rough and tough childhood.

2. What was the biggest problem facing Keller at the start of learning words?

A．She was too frustrated to learn.

B．She was a slow language learner.

C．She could not interact with others.

D．She could not connect objects with words.

3. What can we learn from Keller’s learning process?

A．Interest is the best teacher.

B．A patient teacher is helpful.

C．Persistence is the key to success.

D．A good beginning is half done.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．A Miracle Teacher: Anne Sullivan

B．Sullivan’s Determination to Teach

C．Keller’s Rough Journey of Learning Words

D．An Inspiring Language Learner: Helen Keller

8 . Australia may be better known for its beaches and natural wonders – and, of course, kangaroo s and koalas. But it is also a country rich in art and culture. From historical to contemporary art, including both local and international artists, there is a lot to be seen in Australia. Here is a selection of three Australian art galleries and museums to visit.

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Located in Sydney, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of the largest art galleries in Australia. It was first founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872. Presenting nearly 40 exhibitions per year, the gallery holds a strong collection of Aboriginal (土著的), Asian, Australian, and Pacific art. European and contemporary art are also present, as well as photographic works.

Location: Sydney, New South Wales

Opening Hours: Daily, 10 a. m.-5 p. m.(Wednesday s 10 a. m.-9 p. m.)

Admission: Free entry (a few special exhibitions might require tickets)

Art Gallery of South Australia

The Art Gallery of South Australia holds one of the largest art collections in Australia: almost 47,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, ceramics (陶器), jewelry, and much more. The collection of Australian art is especially renowned, but European, Asian, and North American art are also represented. Located in Adelaide, the gallery welcomes around 512,000 visitors per year.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Opening Hours: Daily, 10 p. m.-5 p. m.

Admission: Free entry(charges may apply for some exhibitions)

Heide Museum of Modern Art

The Heide Museum of Modern Art is a museum of modern and contemporary art located in Bulleen, Victoria. It was founded by the couple John and Sunday Reed, who collected a broad range of art themselves. The Heide consists of three exhibition buildings that hold a collection of over 3,500 works in all media. Besides that, a sculpture park and Heide’s heritage-listed gardens can also be visited. Admission fees are required to enter the museum but entrance to the gardens is free.

Location: Bulleen, Victoria

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a. m.-5 p. m.

Admission: Adult-$20, free for children under 16 (other concessions can be found on the museum’s website)

1. What do Art Gallery of New South Wales and Art Gallery of South Australia have in common?

A．They were totally free to visit.

B．They were founded by private persons.

C．They are largest art galleries in Australia.

D．They have noted Australia and Asian art collections.

2. How much may a couple with a kid pay to visit Heide Museum of Modern Art?

A．$ 20.

B．$ 60.

C．$ 40.

D．$ 32.

3. Which group of people will be attracted by the text most?

A．Writers.

B．Artists.

C．Archaeologists.

D．Photographers.

9 . With the ocean covering more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said scientists and researchers had depended on sonar (声呐) technologies to understand and map the sea floor which had charted only about 10% of the world’s ocean. For the ocean and coastal waters in the US, the number is just around 35%.

We know less about our planet’s ocean than what we know about the far side of the moon or the surface of Mars. Part of the reason for the lack of observation is the challenge of powering an underwater camera. Researchers have used ships to recharge cameras or observed with a camera tied to a ship to solve the issue, which is expensive and unsuitable for long-term observations.

Recently, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have taken a major step to iron out this problem by developing a battery-free, wireless underwater camera that could harvest energy underwater on its own for long periods.

To keep power consumption as low as possible, the researchers used off-the-shelf, ultra-low-power imaging sensors. The device takes color photos, even in dark underwater environments, and sends image data wirelessly through the water.

The camera is powered by sound. It changes mechanical energy from sound waves traveling through water into electrical energy that powers its imaging and communications equipment. After getting and encoding image data, the camera also uses sound waves to send the data to a receiver that reconstructs the image. Those sound waves could come from any source, like a passing ship or marine life. As it doesn’t need a power source, the camera could run for weeks on end before getting it back, enabling scientists to search remote parts of the ocean for new species.

Now that researchers have demonstrated a working prototype (原型), they plan to enhance the device so it is practical in real-world settings. For future application, these cameras may be used to take images of ocean pollution and create more accurate models to monitor climate change to better understand how climate change impacts the underwater world, and advance various undersea scientific fields.

1. What do the data in paragraph 1 mainly show?

A．Undersea exploration is poor in the US.

B．Much of the planet’s ocean remains unexplored.

C．The mapping of the sea floor is time-consuming.

D．Technology development matters a lot to sea observation.

2. What limits the researchers’ undersea exploration according to the text?

A．The complexity of the sea environment.

B．The concern about potential sea pollution.

C．The shortage of investment in ocean exploration.

D．The inability to effectively power underwater cameras.

3. What does the underlined phrase “iron out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Overcome.	B．Face.
C．Analyze.	D．Illustrate.

4. Which of the following can best describe the MIT underwater camera?

A．Secure and stable.	B．Expensive but effective.
C．Impractical but advanced.	D．Self-sufficient and energy-saving.

10 . “I spilled soup all over the table, but it wasn’t my fault”. “I got into trouble at school, but it wasn’t my fault.” Such statements are often heard. “It’s not my fault” is actually a common response for so many people and especially teenagers. Parents complain that they’re tired of the “excuses”.

The reason why variations of “it’s not my fault” are so popular is that they get us out of guilt, blame and anger. Those emotions may come from others’ reactions or our own self-talks. In the case of adolescents, they are often trying to escape responsibility and punishment for mistakes.

Some teens would benefit from decreasing their self-blame. Those who blame themselves for things that they can’t control tend to be highly self-critical and are more likely to be anxious.

Many teens overly rely on “it’s not my fault”. However, overuse of the phrase can result in feelings of helplessness to control their own lives. Besides, “it’s not my fault” focuses a teen’s attention on what is done as opposed to what needs to be done. In trying to get them to assume responsibility, many parents attempt to convince their children that something is their fault, but the approach tends to be ineffective. A more effective approach is to face up to drawbacks to find solutions to the drawbacks actively.

People may not have caused all their problems, but they have to solve them anyway. Getting stuck in sharing blame often keeps people from moving forward effectively. What does one do if he is pushed into a deep lake? One could certainly stay in water, yelling, “It’s not my fault.” However, that is not going to get him out of water. At some point, he needs to swim to shore, regardless of the fault.

Like most things in life, freeing ourselves from blame has its advantages and disadvantages. The question isn’t what is “right”, but what is most effective in moving forward.

1. Who is likely to rely on “it’s not my fault”?

A．A highly self-critical teenager.

B．A teenager unwilling to admit a fault.

C．A teenager facing up to his responsibilities.

D．A teenager anxious about uncontrollable things.

2. What is the author’s advice on getting teens to assume responsibility?

A．Letting them focus on what is done.

B．Persuading them to admit their fault.

C．Making them correct the mistake actively.

D．Helping them analyze the reason for the mistake.

3. Why does the author raise such a question in Paragraph 5?

A．To put forward a new solution to drawbacks.

B．To show handling problems should come first.

C．To explain why teenagers get stuck in sharing blame.

D．To analyze what kind of problem is caused by others.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this text?

A．To help teenagers out of self-blame.

B．To tell parents how to educate children.

C．To help teenagers face mistakes properly.

D．To tell children to do self-talks consciously.