1 . A new study suggests that science role-playing may help tighten the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math(STEM)education and careers for women simply by improving their identity as scientists.
Frustrated by the gender gap in STEM, in which some fields employ at least three times more men than women, Cornell graduate student Reut Shachnai wanted to do something about it. Reut said the idea to help foster young girls’ interest in science came to her during a lecture in a class she was taking on Psychology of Imagination.
Reut designed an experiment to test if assuming the role of a successful scientist would improve girls’ persistence in a “sink or float” science game. The game itself was simple yet challenging: a computer screen projected a slide with an object in the center above a pool of water. Kids then had to predict whether the object would sink or float.
She studied 240 four -to -seven -year -olds, because this is around the time kids first develop their sense of identity and capabilities. They were divided into two groups. Children in the “story” group learned about the successes and struggles of a gender -matched scientist before playing the game. Boys heard about Isaac Newton and girls were told about Marie Curie. Children in the “pretend” group were told to assume the identity of the scientist they just learned about.
All kids played at least one round of the game. No matter what group they were in, girls got the answers right just as often as boys -nearly 70% of the time. Boys, however, didn’t really benefit from the stories or make-believe. Besides, girls pretending to be Dr. Marie persisted twice as long at the sink-or-float game, playing just as much as the boys did.
Reut’s teacher Tamar Kushnir said, “Rather than merely hearing about role models, children may benefit from actively performing the type of actions they see role models perform. In other words, taking a few steps in the role model’s shoes, instead of merely observing her walk.”
1. Why did Reut design a “sink or float” science game?A.To handle the gender gap in STEM. | B.To attach importance to STEM. |
C.To draw kids’ attention to STEM. | D.To compare boys’ and girls’ persistence. |
A.Kids enjoyed listening to scientists’ stories. | B.Boys avoided playing make-believe games. |
C.Girls performed as well as boys in science. | D.Children followed Dr. Marie to explore science. |
A.Supportive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Indifferent. | D.Negative. |
A.Girls should get recognition like boys | B.A fine example has boundless power for kids |
C.Girls can work on more science games | D.Make-believe exercises benefit girls in STEM |
2 . Bumble bees (大黄蜂) play, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London. It is the first time that object play behaviour has been shown in an insect, adding to evidence that bees may experience positive feelings.
The researchers set up numerous experiments to test this, which showed bumble bees went out of their way to roll wooden balls repeatedly despite there being no apparent motivation for doing so. The study also found that younger bees rolled more balls than older bees and that male bees rolled them for longer than their female ones.
The study followed 45 bumble bees. Individual bees rolled balls between 1 and, impressively, 117 times over the experiment. The repeated behaviour suggested that ball-rolling was rewarding. This was supported by a further experiment where another 42 bees were given access to two coloured rooms, one always containing movable balls and one without any object. When tested and given a choice between the two rooms, neither containing balls, bees showed a preference for the colour of the room previously associated with the wooden balls.
The experiments removed any idea that the bees were moving the balls for any greater purpose other than play. Rolling balls did not contribute to survival strategies and was done under stress-free conditions.
The research was based on previous experiments, which showed that bumble bees could be taught to score a goal by rolling a ball to a target in exchange for a sugary food reward. The new research showed the bees rolling balls repeatedly without being trained and without receiving any food for doing so — it was spontaneous.
Professor Lars Chittka said, “Play is thought to contribute to the healthy development and maintenance of an animal’s cognitive (认知) and motor abilities, which may make for their searching for food and is considered an important aspect of animal welfare. The finding shows insect minds are far more complex than we expect. We need to do all we can to protect insects.”
1. What do we know about female bumble bees compared with male ones?A.They rolled far more balls. |
B.They spent less time playing rolls. |
C.They had bigger motivation to roll balls. |
D.They preferred to play in the colorful rooms. |
A.Rolling balls is what bumble bees are expert in. |
B.Rolling balls helps reduce bumble bees’ pressure. |
C.Rolling balls develops bumble bees’ survival skills. |
D.Rolling balls is done without any purpose for bumble bees. |
A.Voluntary. | B.Rewarding. | C.Forced. | D.Conscious |
A.Play makes a difference to animals’ life. | B.Humans find it hard to figure out insect minds. |
C.Many insects are faced with dying out. | D.Play can ensure insects to find food successfully. |
3 . “Yard sale” is appealing to bargain hunters, antique seekers and so on. It may seem simple.
Plan in advance. Have you decided you’re going to have a yard sale? Great!
Get help. You probably don’t want to do this all alone since your attention will be spread pretty thin during busy sale periods. Ask a couple of friends, neighbors or family members to help you out with set-up, running the register or clean-up -or better yet, to add their own things to the sale.
Be safe.
A.Make it look appealing. |
B.Put your stuff on the table individually. |
C.The following tips can give you a hand. |
D.Now give yourself at least one month to pull it together. |
E.Multi-family or neighborhood-wide sales draw more buyers. |
F.But a yard sale does require some knowledge and effort to be a success. |
G.Remember, there are some strangers simply coming over to browse your goods. |
4 . While most teenagers are simply hoping to get their driver’s license, 17-year-old Mack Rutherford has had far higher goals. The ambitious teen sought to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world. After five months and a day, Rutherford successfully achieved the incredible feat.
In March 2022, 16-year-old Rutherford took off on his adventure. He flew a Shark, a high-performance ultralight (超轻型的) aircraft. His journey around the world tested him in the skies through monsoons (季风) and extreme temperatures. Rutherford’s longest flight on this journey was from Japan to the U. S., which took him 10 hours over water. The highest altitude he had to face was 12, 500 feet over Mexico. He flew across four continents, 30 countries.
After everything, Rutherford landed safely in Sofia on August 24. He arrived home to discover he’d broken two Guinness world records: he is the youngest person ever to fly around the world solo, and also the youngest person to do it in an ultralight aircraft. But he surprised the world by becoming the youngest pilot ever at age 15, when he received his microlight pilot’s license.
This incredible achievement at such a young age is certainly worth celebrating and his family might be the perfect people to fully appreciate it. Rutherford’s father is a professional pilot. This sparked an interest in aviation (飞行) for the young Rutherford since he was 11. And Rutherford’s sister, Zara Rutherford, recently completed a similar solo journey and holds her own world record as the youngest female pilot to complete a solo flight around the world.
“I’m very happy to complete my five-month journey around the world,” Rutherford said. “It took a bit longer than it was supposed to, but everything is fine. I’m trying to show that young people can do something special and make a difference; just follow their dreams and they’ll eventually come true.”
1. Which word can best describe Rutherford’s flying journey?A.Smooth. | B.Tough. | C.Tiresome. | D.Thrilling. |
A.His ambition different from his peers. | B.His accomplishment of a solo journey. |
C.His high-performance ultralight aircraft. | D.His microlight pilot’s license at age of 15. |
A.Through his father’s influence. | B.From Zara Rutherford’s support. |
C.By imitating most teenagers’ dreams. | D.Out of his talent for solo flights. |
A.Learn to fly as early as possible. | B.Take heart to achieve their dreams. |
C.Do special things to change the world. | D.Travel the world to enrich their experience. |
5 . When she first looked for her wedding dress, Gwendolyn Stuglis had a budget or $1,000. After trying on several dresses, she was
As most brides do, she hung her wedding dress in her closet when the
Stulgis was moved by Ashley’s
A.shown | B.donated | C.awarded | D.reminded |
A.lights | B.tears | C.fears | D.troubles |
A.price | B.drawback | C.catch | D.decision |
A.accepted | B.offered | C.purchased | D.abandoned |
A.seriously | B.fortunately | C.doubtfully | D.completely |
A.expectation | B.dignity | C.admiration | D.pride |
A.reception | B.trade | C.ceremony | D.bargain |
A.stored | B.wasted | C.ignored | D.treasured |
A.charming | B.suitable | C.selfless | D.kind |
A.requests | B.levels | C.plans | D.solutions |
A.passed onto | B.helped out | C.devoted to | D.handed over to |
A.gathered | B.happened | C.flooded | D.swelled |
A.account | B.application | C.comment | D.post |
A.busy | B.confident | C.outgoing | D.hesitant |
A.describing | B.treating | C.impressing | D.directing |
A.response | B.dream | C.reaction | D.message |
A.secretly | B.excitedly | C.desperately | D.eagerly |
A.sheltered | B.promoted | C.started | D.collected |
A.giving | B.surprising | C.refreshing | D.moving |
A.design | B.achieve | C.update | D.copy |
China’s cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-5, is ready for
So far, the site
Zhong Wen’ an, chief engineer at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, said they had completed the most extensive rehearsal before launch,
The country will carry out three more missions -the launch of the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship, as well as bringing theShenzhou-14 crew back to Earth -before it
7 . Broadcom MASTERS awards $100, 000 in prizes, inspiring and rewarding the Nation’s next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators. The competition took place in Washington, D. C.. It’s aimed to test participants’ 21st Century skills of critical thinking, communication, creativity and cooperation in each of the STEM areas.
Elizabeth Shen, 14, Cary, N. C., demonstrated both vision and promise as an innovator, in the spirit of radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi. Elizabeth drew inspiration from the way many flowers grow to design a system for better managing the wear on a computer’s memory. Over time, many heavily used cells within computers become damaged, and the memory must be replaced. Elizabeth’s system reduces the average number of times cells were accessed, compared to other options.
Rory Hu, 12, San Jose, Calif., demonstrated excellence in science, technology, engineering or math, along with the leadership and technical skills necessary in the 21st Century STEM workforce and built a better community for tomorrow. Rory’s research on honeybees suggests that feeding bees tea polyphenols (茶多酚) and caffeine could boost their ability to learn and remember.
Mina Fedor, 14, Berkeley, Calif., used electroencephalography (脑电图学), or EEG, to measure a certain type of brain activity as people did active and passive learning tasks. Mina’s research, which found that the brain doesn’t substantially differentiate between the two different kinds of learning, could impact the way educators teach.
Jeanelle Dao, 13, San Jose, Calif., created a promising solution to a real-world problem. She invented a foot-controlled welcome mat that wirelessly automatically unlocks a door when the user puts his/her feet on the correct code. The device could help people with arthritis (关节炎) and other hand problems become more self-sufficient.
1. What advantage does Elizabeth Shen’s system have?A.Updating computers’ memory in time. | B.Changing the way many flowers grow. |
C.Passing on Guglielmo Marconi’s spirit. | D.Extending the using life of the computer. |
A.Elizabeth Shen. | B.Rory Hu. | C.Mina Fedor. | D.Elizabeth Shen. |
A.It helps treat people with arthritis. | B.It requires users to press codes by hand. |
C.It makes it convenient to open the door. | D.It was intended for ones with hand problems. |
8 . The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 ranks Singapore 13th out of 136 countries overall, which was the third best in Asia. The report ranks Singapore’s business environment, international openness, also travel and tourism policy as the best in the world.
The Orchard Road district
The Orchard Road district, which is full of multi-storey shopping centres and hotels, can be considered the center of tourism in Singapore. The first shop of note on Orchard Road was Tangs founded in 1934. Orchard Road is crowded with hotels and shopping centres housing numerous restaurants, coffee chains, cafés, nightclubs.
The Singapore Zoo
The Singapore Zoo has received the “open zoo” idea where animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats (壕沟), instead of caging the animals. There are about 315 species of animal in the zoo, of which some 16 percent are considered to be endangered species.
The River Safari
It is the first of its kind in Asia and features freshwater exhibitions and a river boat ride as its main highlights. The River Safari, features 10 different ecosystems around the world, including the River Nile, Yangtze River, Mississippi, Amazon as well as the Tundra and has 300 species of animals, including numerous endangered species.
Sentosa
The tourist island of Sentosa, which attracted 19 million visitors in 2011, lies in the south of Singapore and consists of about 20 — 30 landmarks, such as Fort Siloso, which was built to defend against the Japanese during World War II.
1. Where would the tourists interested in food like to go?A.The Orchard Road district. | B.The Singapore Zoo. |
C.The River Safari. | D.Sentosa. |
A.All the animals there are threatened species. | B.There are about 315 animals in the zoo. |
C.Animals there are not caged. | D.People can play with animals. |
A.A text book. | B.A travel handbook. |
C.A website about science news. | D.An entertainment magazine. |
9 . Rome can be pricey for travelers, which is why many choose to stay in a hostel (旅社). The hostels in Rome offer a bed in a dorm room for around $25 a night, and for that, you’ll often get to stay in a central location (位置) with security and comfort.
Yellow HostelIf I had to make just one recommendation for where to stay in Rome, it would be Yellow Hostel. It’s one of the best-rated hostels in the city, and for good reason. It’s affordable, and it’s got a fun atmosphere without being too noisy. As an added bonus, it’s close to the main train station.
Hostel Alessandro PalaceIf you love social hostels, this is the best hostel for you in Rome. Hostel Alessandro Palace is fun. Staff members hold plenty of bar events for guests like free shots, bar crawls and karaoke. There’s also an area on the rooftop for hanging out with other travelers during the summer.
Youth Station HostelIf you’re looking for cleanliness and a modern hostel, look no further than Youth Station. It offers beautiful furnishings and beds. There are plenty of other benefits, too; it doesn’t charge city tax; it has both air conditioning and a heater for the rooms; it also has free Wi-Fi in every room.
Hotel and Hostel Des ArtistesHotel and Hostel Des Artistes is located just a 10-minute walk from the central city station and it’s close to all of the city’s main attractions. The staff is friendly and helpful, providing you with a map of the city when you arrive, and offering advice if you require some. However, you need to pay 2 euros a day for Wi-Fi.
1. What is probably the major concern of travelers who choose to stay in a hostel?A.Comfort. | B.Security. |
C.Price. | D.Location. |
A.Yellow Hostel. | B.Hostel Alessandro Palace. |
C.Youth Station Hostel. | D.Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes. |
A.It gets noisy at night. | B.Its staff is too talkative. |
C.It charges for Wi-Fi. | D.It’s inconveniently located. |