1 . 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.

2. What does “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．A syllable.	B．A strong accent.
C．The four-line poem.	D．The content of the poem.

3. What can be learned from the last paragraph?

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.

4. Whats the best title for the text?

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

2 . 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.

2. What happens when people see a colorful object?

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.

3. Which of the following is the feature of red light?

A．Its wavelengths are shorter.	B．It can be seen everywhere.
C．It seems more vivid than others.	D．It has low-energy relatively.

4. How can a plant make its flowers look blue?

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.

3 . Two sisters have a debate about which life is better: city or country life. The elder sister, who lives in a city, ______ that city life is much better, ______ they don’t have to toil (辛苦工作) in the soil, and can enjoy lots of ______. The younger sister states that, their life in the countryside is rough, but they don’t waste their time on useless things, such as meeting with traffic jams (交通堵塞), and have no other worries.

The younger sister’s husband, Pahom, has the same opinion with her. He thinks that everything is good with their country life, except that he ______ a bigger piece of land, so that he does not have to fear the Devil (恶魔). Pahom luckily ______ to buy more land. ______, with more land, his heart wants even more land. ______ gain more, he travels to the Bashkir land. The Bashkirs have a ______ with him that he can have as much land as he walks during the ______, for a thousand rubles (卢布). Their only ______ is that he must come back to the starting point at the end of the day. Pahom’s ______ to achieve more makes him walk so much that he loses his strength. So when he ______ reaches the starting point, he has no strength to live and dies. The Bashkir chief laughs, and Pahom’s servant states that he now needs only that much land that is enough to ______ him.

Man is never satisfied, and he often becomes greedy in an effort to ______ more. How much is more can’t be defined, and it is up to him to ______ how far he must go simply to achieve something he wants at the expense of others.

1.

A．insists

B．hopes

C．doubts

D．ensures

2.

A．while

B．whether

C．though

D．since

3.

A．food

B．achievement

C．comfort

D．scenes

4.

A．loses

B．owns

C．needs

D．wins

5.

A．manages

B．prepares

C．happens

D．fails

6.

A．Besides

B．However

C．Otherwise

D．Therefore

7.

A．In return to

B．In addition to

C．In order to

D．In time to

8.

A．talk

B．deal

C．discussion

D．date

9.

A．evening

B．daytime

C．afternoon

D．weekday

10.

A．rule

B．wish

C．trouble

D．condition

11.

A．desire

B．willingness

C．ability

D．way

12.

A．ultimately

B．quickly

C．slowly

D．suddenly

13.

A．reward

B．encourage

C．bury

D．satisfy

14.

A．abandon

B．gain

C．keep

D．learn

15.

A．remember

B．argue

C．regret

D．decide

4 . Southeast Asia is well-known for its colorful natural and historical attractions. Check out these four man-made impressive sites that are always attracting large tourists.

Golden Bridge, Vietnam

High up on Ba Na hills near Da Nang in Vietnam sits a pair of giant hands designed to look like the hands of God pulling out a strip of gold from the land. The 150-metre Golden Bridge, just opened in June, rises more than 1,400 metres above sea level and offers spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

Futuristic-looking giant trees and a man-made forest under a glass dome (穹顶) are part of this multi-award winning destination that opened in 2012.The giant super trees are between 9 and 16 storeys tall and you can take a walk to enjoy the view from above. A short walk away, youll come across the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.

Statue of Lord Murugan, Batu Caves, Malaysia

Just 12 kilometres from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the statue of Lord Murugan, located at the Sri Murugan Perumal Kovil at the foot of Batu Caves, was completed in 2006 and stands a little over 42 metres tall. There are three limestone (石灰岩) caves in the area. Visitors have to scale 272 steps in order to reach the entrance of the caves.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei

Named after the 28th sultan of Brunei, the grand mosque was completed in 1958.The impressive building is surrounded by an artificial lagoon, where a copy of a 16th century royal ship is docked at the end of a marble bridge.

1. Where can tourists enjoy the view from above the trees?

A．Golden Bridge, Vietnam.

B．Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.

C．Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Brunei.

D．Statue of Lord Murugan, Batu Caves, Malaysia.

2. What should tourists do to reach the Batu Caves?

A．Climb stairs.	B．Take a small boat.
C．Walk through a forest.	D．Go across a golden bridge.

3. What do the attractions have in common?

A．They are related to religions.	B．They stand near the beach.
C．They are created by people.	D．They exist for centuries.

5 . A recent study suggests teaching children to understand other people’s perspectives (观点) could make it easier for them to learn how to forgive other people and that teaching children to make sincere apologies can help them receive forgiveness from others.

“Forgiveness is important in children and adults for restoring (恢复) relationships and limiting future conflicts,” says Kelly Lynn Mulvey, lead author of the study. “But we didn’t know much about what makes children more likely to forgive others, particularly from early childhood to adolescence. That’s what we wanted to explore with our study.”

To that end, Mulvey studied 185 children between the ages of 5 and 14. They found that children are more likely to forgive someone if they have apologized. Mulvey says, “Children are able to restore relationships with others, and are usually interested in doing so.”

The researchers found two things related to forgiveness that parents and teachers should focus on. One is helping kids understand how important it is to apologize in a meaningful way. “Children are able to recognize an insincere apology, and insincere apologies are not helpful in encouraging forgiveness,” Mulvey says. “The apology needs to make it clear that someone understands why what they did was wrong. This, in turn, makes other kids more likely to give them a second chance.”

The second focus is helping kids understand the perspectives of other people, even if they are different from yours. “One of the biggest implications (可能的影响) of our study is that teachers and parents need to actively help children learn the theory of mind skills,” Mulvey says. “A good starting point is getting kids to explain the reason behind their actions and how this might make other people feel. Helping young people develop these skills in childhood will aid them in dealing with diverse and complex matters.

1. What does Mulvey’s study focus on?

A．Ways to avoid future conflicts.

B．Children’s forgiving others easily.

C．The necessity of sincere apologies.

D．The importance of understanding others.

2. Who are more likely to gain children’s forgiveness according to the study?

A．Those who have made a sincere apology.

B．Those who get along well with others.

C．Those who have excellent social skills.

D．Those who are willing to make compromises.

3. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The way to apologize.

B．The ability to forgive others.

C．The case that kids acknowledge their faults.

D．The case that kids know the meaning of apology.

4. What can we conclude about the theory of mind skills from the text?

A．It inspires kids to improve their behavior.

B．It helps kids to solve complicated problems.

C．It assists kids in handling emotional issues.

D．It makes kids aware of the difference between people.

6 . 很多男孩沉迷于电脑游戏，并发现很难戒掉。
Many boys _____________ _____________ _____________ computer games and they find it hard to quit.

7 . 汤姆在聚精会神地做作业，你最好别去打扰他。
Tom is _________ _________ his homework, so you’d better _________ him _________.

8 . 最近，你在某英文论坛上看到一个帖子，内容是“Will traditional classes be replaced by AI classes (Artificial Intelligence)?”。请你对该帖子发表自己的看法。内容要点包括：
1. AI课堂的优点；
2. AI课堂的缺点；
3. 你的观点。
注意：1. 词数应为100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Will traditional classes be replaced by AI classes?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . When I found an advertisement for a conference by chance, I couldn’t wait to tell my coworkers. It looked like a great day of presentations highly relevant to our research, and I expected they would be eager to attend with me. However, no one was interested.

A year earlier, I left India for the United Kingdom to pursue my research career. At work, I shied away from engaging in discussions or putting forward my opinions. I was afraid my coworkers would realize how weak I really felt. Some mornings just stepping out of my room and going into the lab seemed a tough task.

Socializing didn’t help, as I constantly feared committing social mistakes. I longed for new experiences, but my insecurities prevented me. I started to keep more and more to myself. That began to change after a quiet breakdown in the lab prompted (促使) me to contact the university’s mental health services. The consultant suggested I attend a nearby concert by a famous singer from my home country. I couldn’t miss it. So, there I was in the packed concert hall, surrounded by strangers—all of us clapping and singing the choruses of the familiar songs. It was a beautiful night, and it proved to be a turning point.

My growing self-confidence carried over into my work, where I started to speak up and put forward my opinions. I offered to help coworkers design and trouble shoot experiments. I began to ask questions during departmental meetings. I finally felt like an active member of the group. So, when that conference came around, I felt comfortable registering to attend on my own-and I’m so glad I did. Not only did I meet the speakers, but I also introduced myself to other attendees. The encounters inspired me to critically evaluate my own professional interests.

1. How did the author probably feel at first about his coworkers’ response?

A．Eager.

B．Worried.

C．Disappointed.

D．Uninterested.

2. Why did the author contact the mental health services?

A．He wanted to solve a conflict.	B．He struggled to conduct research.
C．He often made big mistakes in socializing.	D．He lacked confidence in a new environment.

3. What happened during the concert?

A．The author got the consultant’s help.	B．The author sang along with the strange audience.
C．The author met with a previous coworker.	D．The author connected a song with his research.

4. What did the author do at last?

A．He went to the conference alone.	B．He turned to experts for advice.
C．He took full charge of the lab.	D．He changed his professional interests.

10 . Becoming a Nature Lover through Citizen Science

Citizen Science is an education series featuring workshops on a variety of topics in a relaxed and inspiring environment. There is no monetary registration fee; instead, each instructor suggests items or services they will accept in exchange for class participation.

Our volunteer instructors prepare based on how many people sign up, so please only sign up if you will actually attend.

Date

Friday, May 4

Time

8: 30am—10: 30 am Class description

Interested in studying nature, feeling more connected to your surroundings, helping the natural environment, but not sure where to start? Join us on a PowerPoint tour through the instructor’s favorite citizen science platforms that apply to our region. Just through being observant on a daily walk, you can submit meaningful data to scientists who will use your data to take meaningful conservation steps! We’ll show you how! It’s easy!

Suggested items in exchange for this class

*Baked snacks

*Homemade preserved foods

*Houseplants

*Nature art (draw me a picture?)

About the instructor

Kelsey Frey is the manager of education and outreach (外展服务) for York County Parks, part-time environmental educator for Lancaster County Parks, and runs her own business, Creative Nature Works, in her spare time. Kelsey’s passionate about many natural history topics, including butterflies, and landscaping with native plants.

1. Who are most likely to attend the class?

A．Art lovers.	B．Outdoor fitness lovers.
C．Volunteers fond of cooking	D．Local people interested in nature.

2. Which of the following can participants provide in exchange for the class?

A．Second-hand clothes.	B．Homemade tomato sauce.
C．An unused honey pot.	D．A newly bought notebook.

3. What can we learn about the instructor?

A．She is a full-time teacher.	B．She manages Lancaster County Parks.
C．She is in charge of Creative Nature Works.	D．She is actively busy with community work.