1 . Many people, especially the elderly, suffer from abnormal sleep. In particular, the deep sleep phases become shorter and shallower with age.
Researchers have shown that the brain waves characterizing deep sleep, so-called slow waves, can be improved by playing precisely timed sounds through earphones while sleeping. While this works well in the laboratory under controlled conditions, there has been no at-home solution that can be used for a time longer than just one night.
As part of the SleepLoop project, researchers have developed a mobile system that can be used at home and aims to promote deep sleep through auditory(听觉的) brain stimulation.
The SleepLoop system consists of a headband that is put on at bedtime and worn throughout the night. This headband contains electrodes(电极) and a microchip that can constantly measure the brain activity of the sleeping person. As soon as the sleeping person shows slow waves in the brain activity, the system will set off a short auditory signal. This helps synchronize(使……同步) the neuronal cells and enhance the slow waves. What makes the solution unique is that the sleeping person is not consciously aware of this sound during deep sleep.
It’s the first time that the researchers, led by Caroline Lustenberger, have conducted a clinical study with this device. The study involved equipping participants, between 60 and 80 years old, with the SleepLoop system, which they were required to operate in their own homes. The system is designed to function independently even for users with little technical experience. “This worked very well. We had surprisingly little data loss and the participants rated the device as user-friendly,” says Lustenberger.
The participants wore the device every night for a total of four weeks. The results showed it was indeed possible to enhance the slow waves through auditory signals during deep sleep in most participants. However, individual differences were considerable, which can be used to better predict how a given individual will respond to the auditory stimulus. The company ToSoo AG is currently working on that so that it can be competitive once it comes onto the clinical market. It’s already clear that it’ll not be freely available, but only via a doctor’s prescription. “Use of the device must be medically indicated,” a researcher says.
1. What did researchers of the SleepLoop project try to work out?| A．How to avoid deep sleep phases decreasing with age. |
| B．How to distinguish slow waves from other brain waves. |
| C．How to accurately create home sleep conditions in the laboratory. |
| D．How to continuously improve deep sleep by playing sounds at home. |
| A．The working principle of the SleepLoop system. |
| B．The advantages of the Sleep Loop system. |
| C．The brain activity during deep sleep. |
| D．The features of brain waves. |
| A．It lasted longer than previous clinical studies. |
| B．It proves the new device is easy to operate. |
| C．It collected little data due to the participants’ advanced ages. |
| D．It required the participants to master basic technical knowledge. |
| A．Attracting more investments. |
| B．Reducing the cost of the device. |
| C．Perfecting the device’s performance. |
| D．Getting medical officials’ permission. |
2 . New research into a little-known text written in ancient Greek shows that “stressed poetry”, the ancestor of all modern poetry and song, was already in use in the 2nd century CE, 300 years earlier than previously thought. It has been found sculpted on twenty precious stones and as a graffito (雕画) in Cartagena, Spain.
In its shortest version, the nameless four-line poem reads “They say what they like; let them say it; I dont care.” Other versions extend with “Go on, love me; it does you good.” The poem, unparalleled (绝无仅有的) so far in the classical world, consists of lines of 4 syllables (音节), with a strong accent on the first and a weaker on the third. This allows it to come into the rhythms of numerous pop and rock songs. So it became popular across the eastern Roman Empire and survives.
By comparing all of the known examples for the first time, Cambridges Professor Tim Whitmarsh noticed that the poem used a different form of rhythm to that usually found in ancient Greek poetry. As well as showing signs of the long and short syllables characteristic of traditional “quantitative” poem, this text employed stressed and unstressed syllables. The new study, published in The Cambridge Classical Journal, also suggests that this poem could represent a “missing link” between the lost world of ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song, and the more modern forms that we know today. A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek takes a similar form to traditional high poetics. This poem, on the other hand, points to a distinct and rich culture, primarily oral.
1. Where was the “stressed poetry” discovered?| A．In Greece. | B．In Spain. |
| C．In Britain. | D．In Mediterranean. |
| A．A syllable. | B．A strong accent. |
| C．The four-line poem. | D．The content of the poem. |
| A．A missing link between poems was found finally. |
| B．A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek was then popular in the world. |
| C．The stressed and unstressed syllables distinguished the poem from others. |
| D．The ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song was older than the poem. |
| A．Ancient Greek “pop culture” discovery rewrites the history of poetry and song |
| B．The unparalleled poem made ancient Greek culture more attractive |
| C．Ancient Greek poetry lay the foundation of modern culture |
| D．Four syllables are still popular in modern poetry and song |
3 . When you look up at the blue sky or gaze across blue ocean, you might think that the color blue is common in nature. But among all the colors found in rocks, plants and flowers, or in the fur, feathers, scales and skin of animals, blue is surprisingly scarce.
But why is the color blue so rare? The answer stems from the chemistry and physics of how colors are produced — and how we see them. Were able to see color because each of our eyes contains between 6 million and 7 million light-sensitive cells called cones (椎体). There are three different types of cones in the eye of a person with normal color vision, and each cone type is most sensitive to a particular wavelength of light: red, green or blue. Information from millions of cones reaches our brains as electrical signals that communicate all the types of light reflected by what we see, which is then interpreted as different shades of color.
When we look at a colorful object, “the object is absorbing some of the white light that falls onto it; because its absorbing some of the light, the rest of the light that reflected has a color,” science writer Kai Kupferschmidt said.
“When you see a blue flower — for instance, a cornflower — you see the cornflower as blue because it absorbs the red part of the spectrum (光谱),” Kupferschmidt said. Or to put it another way, the flower appears blue because that color is the part of the spectrum that the blossom rejected.
In the visible spectrum, red has long wavelengths, meaning it is very low-energy compared with other colors. For a flower to appear blue, it needs to be able to produce a molecule (分子) that can absorb very small amounts of energy, in order to absorb the red part of the spectrum.
Generating such molecules — which are large and complex — is difficult for plants to do, which is why blue flowers are produced by fewer than 10% of the worlds nearly 300,000 flowering plant species.
1. What does the underlined phrase “stems from” probably mean?| A．Varies from. | B．Results from. | C．Leads to. | D．Amounts to. |
| A．Cones divide colors into three types. |
| B．The colors are divided into three types. |
| C．Part of white light is absorbed by the object. |
| D．Light-sensitive cells are most sensitive to dark colors. |
| A．Its wavelengths are shorter. | B．It can be seen everywhere. |
| C．It seems more vivid than others. | D．It has low-energy relatively. |
| A．To reflect most red light. |
| B．To blossom in the shade. |
| C．To avoid generating large molecules. |
| D．To produce molecules to absorb red spectrum. |
1. Who is the cake made for?
| A．The man’s daughter. | B．The man. | C．The woman. |
| A．Brush the pan. | B．Mix the flour. | C．Heat the oven. |
| A．Write a message on the cake. | B．Cut out a piece of cake. | C．Put some fruit on the cake. |
1. Which pet may an outgoing person prefer?
| A．A bird. | B．A dog. | C．A cat. |
| A．Clever. | B．Sociable. | C．Careful. |
| A．Pet people’s personalities. | B．More outgoing dog people. | C．Less sociable cat people. |
1. What do we know about this manned flight mission?
| A．It has the longest staying time. |
| B．It is the hardest to operate. |
| C．It travels at the fastest speed. |
| A．Play cards. | B．Play tennis. | C．Play instruments. |
| A．Women are less suitable in this mission. |
| B．Women are as excellent as men. |
| C．Women undertake more than men do. |
7 . Local authorities and firefighters in the United States are always on the lookout for new and creative methods to help control wildfires. Especially during the hot and dry summer months, thousands of wildfires cause damage to forests every year. The city of West Sacramento in North California has found a creative secret weapon to help deal with this phenomenon: goats.
These friendly animals have been assisting the city with wildfire prevention and fire risks by eating weeds, dry grass and dead trees. When the goats eat the things that are likely to catch fire, they prevent the problem from happening.
Wildfires occur naturally when dry plants are ignited(点燃)by the sun’s heat and catch on fire. However, most wildfires are caused by human carelessness, including unattended campfires, cigarettes and other flammable objects. The best strategy to battle the fires and minimize the damage is to attempt to remove the fuel that enables the spread of the flames, in this case the dry weeds, trees and plants. If the things that are most likely to catch fire are gone, the fire is less likely to spread.
The love able goats are able to reach difficult areas that people are not able to access. About 400 of these goats can clear two acres per day. They even fertilize(使肥沃)the area, a natural and free side effect of eating all those dry plants. Firefighters and government officials cannot be happier with the results.
“For us, the combination of turning to goats for help with the quick fire response is an effective method of keeping our neighbors safe from disastrous wildfires,“said assistant Fire Chief Khari Helae.” With climate change and the fact that our vegetation is being affected because of climate change, it’s necessary to focus on our fuel reduction program.”
1. How do goats assist the city in dealing with wildfires?| A．By identifying the fuel in forests. | B．By consuming dry plants. |
| C．By leading firefighters to fire sources. | D．By eating up green tree leaves. |
| A．It is complex but rewarding. | B．It causes damage to local land. |
| C．It is well accepted worldwide. | D．It is environmentally-friendly. |
| A．He spoke highly of the new method. | B．He was dissatisfied with fire responses. |
| C．He was optimistic about climate change. | D．He considered fuel reduction impractical. |
| A．Goats Help Keep Wildfires Under Control | B．Firefighters Are Being Gradually Replaced |
| C．Disastrous Wildfires Need to Be Controlled | D．Animals Are Fighting Against Climate Change |
8 . Programs for High School Students
Architecture Explorations
This program encourages students to look closely at their environment, be open to creative expression, ask questions, think critically and understand individual responsibility. It is a collection of after-class architecture-based programs for students. Our organization partners with several local communities, schools and museums to provide a set of architecture education programs.
Contact: Jenna Kappelt
Email: jkappelt@andrew. cmu. edu
Arts Greenhouse
Arts Greenhouse is a hip-hop music education program for teens, which is affiliated(附属)with the Carnegie Mellon’s Studio for Creative Inquiry. With the help of teachers and students, as well as local hip-hop performers, teens write, compose and then record songs in a state-of-the-art recording studio. Through the process, teens develop musical and verbal skills, and form connections that open new routes to community participation and higher education.
Contact: Richard Purcell
Email: rpurcell@andrew. cmu. edu
HARP Lab Tours
Human and Robot Partners Lab welcomes students to learn more about how robots can be designed to work well with people. The lab may also demonstrate an assistive robot, depending on availability. Tours are scheduled by request. The lab personnel can speak to interested groups via video conferencing.
Contact: Henny Admoni
Email: henny@cmu.edu LEAP
In this year-round program, students learn with and from local artists who are working to create positive changes in the world. They participate in hands-on learning experiences focused on personal reflection and artistic expression. Students work individually and collectively to develop a love of learning and creating and the confidence to build a better future. LEAP works with City Charter High School to help students construct a plan for their lives after high school.
Contact: Sarah Ceurvorst
Email:sceurvorst@andrew.cmu.edu
1. Who should the students interested in various buildings contact?| A．Sarah Ceurvorst. | B．Jenna Kappelt. | C．Richard Purcell. | D．Henny Admoni. |
| A．Take college courses. | B．Set up private studios. |
| C．Create their own music. | D．Perform together on stage. |
| A．It cooperates with local schools. | B．It involves lab experiments. |
| C．It helps students make future plans. | D．It encourages students to be generous. |
9 . Understanding The Metaverse
The metaverse is rapidly being described as the next frontier in the tech, business, and finance world. The idea gained popularity in July 2021, after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg renamed the company to Meta to reflect its growing focus on the metaverse. Today, everyone, from major corporations like Microsoft and Disney to creative startups, is struggling to enter the market that is predicted to reach over $780 billion by 2024.
In simplest terms, the metaverse is a fully immersive (沉浸式) virtual world that is like our real life.
Zuckerberg may have drawn the world’s attention to the metaverse, but the idea of a virtual world is not new.
However, experts believe the technologies need to improve greatly before that happens. The still heavy virtual reality headsets often cause motion sickness and are not ready for long time use. The amount of computing power required to house billions of people worldwide in a virtual universe also presents an issue.
The various Metaverse companies will also have different virtual worlds. They will have to standardize the technology so users can move seamlessly (无缝) between them.
| A．But what exactly is the metaverse? |
| B．The development of the metaverse still has a long way to go. |
| C．However, a metaverse is not a specific type of technology. |
| D．The metaverse industry will create jobs for hundreds and thousands of people. |
| E．Most importantly, the virtual experience has to be very attractive and affordable for consumers. |
| F．Fans believe that the metaverse will enable people to conduct their daily lives in an online world. |
| G．The gaming industry has been building the fundamental elements of the metaverse for many years. |
10 . Choosing a musical instrument
Many people would like to learn how to play a musical instrument, but they are put off by one big problem: what to play?
What kind of music do you like?
Many instruments are multi-purpose, but some are more suited to certain types of music. Although there is some classical performance for the saxophone, for example, people associate it more with jazz, and it is not a permanent feature of many orchestras.
Do you want to play with other people?
Think about your long-term future as a musician. If you want to play with other people, what sort of instrument would be most practical? If you want to play rock music, there will always be a demand for bass players or drummers, and if you fancy being part of an orchestra, the bassoon is a great bet to make sure you are always needed.
Where are you going to practise?
Many people live in flats and practising the drums, for example, will drive your neighbors crazy. Electric versions of instruments like the piano, drums, guitar and even violin give you the option of playing into the night using headphones, while your housemates sleep in peace.
How much money can you spend?
If you’re small and don’t like lifting heavy objects, you won’t want to carry around a double bass. Apart from that, use your common sense, and don’t let your physical shortcomings put you off. Who says small skinny people can’t play the tuba? It’s true that some wind instruments require a lot of lung power but with the right coaching, everyone can develop the right technique.
If you are still not sure, find an experienced music teacher,who can give you some advice and push you in the right direction. If you find an instrument you love and that suits your needs, you’ll find the time spent choosing was well worth it. Good luck with making your choice!
| A．This is quite a big factor |
| B．Are there any physical limitations |
| C．Here are some tips for you to follow |
| D．Does it matter if you are not strong enough |
| E．Here are a few questions to help you decide |
| F．Some instruments may lend themselves better than others to the music you like |
| G．Alternatively, you may need to consider going to a school or a community centre to practise |
