1 . Although I love watching Olympic diving, I’ve never understood why athletes hurry off to the showers and then proceed to relax in a hot tub (热水浴池) after each dive. They’re already wet. They’re only in the pool for a handful of seconds, so it’s not like they need to get cleaned up. And doesn’t taking a shower serve the same purpose as sitting in a hot tub?
Actually, that’s what Olympic divers usually do between dives as they know very well about the importance of warm-ups and cool-downs. So, what’s the actual reason?
As it turns out, showers and hot tubs are used pretty interchangeably by the swimming pool. However, there is a need for both. First, let’s start with why divers need to take a shower between dives. It has to do with body temperature and keeping their muscles relaxed. As you can imagine, practicing dives in the pool, then having to keep your body warm in a shower, and then jumping off a 10-meter platform and into cold water couldn’t be comfortable for anyone. Going back and forth between these warm and cool temperatures can cause a diver’s muscles to tense or cramp up (痉挛), which can lead to injuries to the muscles. Showers allow an Olympic diver to recover and prevent that.
In that way, showers and hot tubs serve the same purpose. A hot tub is generally used if you have a bit more time between dives and have already stretched. The shower walls on the pool deck can typically provide enough space for more divers at the same time, and they’re especially helpful for athletes who need to stretch or who only have a few minutes between dives. Just like Olympic swimmers depend on thick clothes to keep their muscles warm, Olympic divers rely on these methods to stay loose. If you ask me, it’s not a bad way to pass the time!
1. What does the underlined word “proceed” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Prefer. | B．Continue. | C．Tend. | D．Stop. |
| A．To fully clean their body. | B．To rest and wait for the results. |
| C．To avoid possible muscle injuries. | D．To stop themselves from catching a cold. |
| A．Hot tubs are as important as showers for divers. |
| B．Olympic swimmers need to stay warm using hot tubs. |
| C．Hot tubs are often used by divers having little time between divers. |
| D．The shower walls are designed for divers who have already stretched. |
| A．To provide some diving advice for us. |
| B．To compare cold showers with the hot bath. |
| C．To explain the difference between warm-ups and cool-downs. |
| D．To tell us why divers take a shower and sit in a hot tub after diving. |
Ali heard her sing when she played the piano. And he saw his grandmother diagnosed with disability was singing together with him. He was absolutely shocked. The disease took her legs away as long as he could remember. His grandmother even danced to the music, totally attracted by the piece of music. Out of curiosity, he asked his grandmother what had happened on earth. She giggled and began her story.
Oh, dear, let me share a story with you. When your grandfather went fishing on the boat, I was so afraid of losing him, and I was so afraid that he would never come back. The only way I could stay calm was to dance. I pretended to feel good. However, from my bottom of my heart, I experienced the pain of not knowing whether my love would come back safely. Every day I went home, excited but frightened to read his letters. He always ended his letters with “I love you with my life and God blesses you good health.” And then one day came a letter only with three sentences, “I have lost my arms. I give you back your freedom and you deserve a better one.” Thinking for a long time, I made a decision that I would pretend I was disabled too. I bought a stick and a wheelchair myself. I told my friends and families as well as him that I got a car accident, losing both of my legs, unable to dance anymore. Then I went to see your grandfather. I told him “you are the better one I should deserve; and we are the same, without feeling sorry for ourselves.” I leaned forward and showed him a wedding dress. “Now show me you are still a man,” I said, “I won’t ask again.” He finally smiled and managed it on me, walking towards me and giving a big hug.
Looking at grandmother for a while, Ali was deeply inspired by her. “You are an angel and I will love you forever.” Ali murmured quietly.
注意：1．开头已给出；
2．所写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph 1：
Grandmother smiled at Ali and asked him to make a promise not to tell his grandpa till the end of her life.
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Paragraph 2：
A few years went by and six months after grandmother’s funeral, Ali found grandpa sitting in grandma’s usual chair by accident and sobbing sadly.
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要点包括：
1. 表示欢迎；
2. 推荐一个社团；
3. 你推荐的原因。
注意：
1. 词数80词左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mike.
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
4 . I was cutting up lettuce (生菜) in the kitchen when I suddenly remembered watching a video about putting the lettuce stub (残余部分) in water to grow a whole new vegetable. So I took out a wide-mouthed mug (大杯) and placed the stub into it, gave it a little water, and placed it by the window.
On a snowy morning, I noticed the first sign. A first small leaf from its heart spread out. A tiny green flag of hope. Beaten, but not defeated. Within days, it was impossible to see the cuts where I had removed the leaves. The growth was explosive. And when I lifted the blossoming head out of the mug, tiny root threads fell down, seeking for the earth. What is growing here? Lettuce or hope?
If I were a lettuce in a similar condition, I’d want to doubtfully assess where I found myself before being devoted to full growth. Yet for this lettuce, my inadequate offering of water and a place by a window was enough for it to decide to reclaim itself again. It grew in a mug of water, in faith. This is the heart of this lettuce: alive, strong and fearless. It deserved a name. I decided to call it Monty.
Monty wanted to grow, as we all do. I think I gave him a little love and freedom. Those two ingredients were all he needed to return to himself. I see joy in this lettuce. The return to self is always an expression of joy, which is life itself. With the right ingredients, this is the tendency of all living things.
Monty still lives in a mug, but I’m going to transplant him outside. He deserves to become his full self. The only problem I see now is my capacity to support Monty. I hope I have enough of a green finger.
I’m surprised to find myself where I am. Maybe Monty is, too. I have the same choice as he does: give in and decay (腐烂), or start again. The prospect of starting again is discouraging. But my lettuce-friend, Monty, leads the way. I can only hope to be as brave.
1. Why did the author put the stub in water?| A．To hope that it would grow. | B．To decorate the nice mug. |
| C．To conduct an experiment. | D．To remove his bad mood. |
| A．The remaining stub. | B．The small leaf. |
| C．The disappearing cuts. | D．The tiny root threads. |
| A．Hesitant. | B．Fearless. | C．Confident. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Enjoy your own life to the fullest. | B．Believe in yourself when in trouble. |
| C．Never be afraid to restart yourself. | D．Give freedom to the heart in a way. |
5 . Researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, and the University Hospital Zurich have made a significant breakthrough in the field of precision medicine. They have developed a machine learning approach known as CellOT that can predict how individual cells react to specific treatments. This development promises more accurate diagnoses and therapeutics, particularly in the fight against cancer.
Precision medicine, which aims to find the most effective drug combination and dosage (剂量) based on individual patient characteristics, has been a critical goal in the battle against cancer. Central to this is understanding how individual cells respond to treatment, a challenge that the research team from Zurich has tackled head-on with their innovative method.
CellOT is a groundbreaking approach that identifies the distinct reactions individual cells within a larger population can have to a drug. The average response of a cell population often does not capture the full complexity of how certain tumor cells survive or develop resistance to drugs. CellOT addresses this by predicting the effects of perturbations (扰动) on cells, paving the way for more effective and personalized cancer treatments.
Perturbations are changes caused by chemical, physical, or genetic influences, such as the effects of drugs on cancer cells. By understanding which cells respond to a drug and identifying the traits of resistant cells, researchers can develop new treatment strategies that prevent cell growth or cause pathogenic (致病的) cells to die.
For CellOT, the researchers use novel machine learning algorithms and train these with both data from unperturbed cells and data from cells that changed after a perturbation response. In the process, the algorithm learns how cellular perturbation reactions arise, how they progress, and the likely phenotypes (显性类型) of altered cell states.
The study, published in Nature Methods, shows that CellOT is not just effective for cancer cells. It can also be used on other pathogenic cells involved in autoimmune diseases like lupus erythematosus (红斑狼疮), indicating its potential in advancing treatments for various diseases.
A key innovation of CellOT is its predictive ability. By evaluating existing cell measurement data, and thus expanding the knowledge of cellular perturbation reactions, CellOT can predict how individual cells will respond to perturbations that have not been measured in the laboratory. This capability opens up new avenues for targeted and personalized treatments.
While CellOT holds immense promise, comprehensive clinical trials are still required before the approach can be used in a hospital setting. Nevertheless, the development of this method marks a significant step towards a more nuanced (细腻的) understanding of individual cell responses to drugs. It fuels the hope for more effective cancer treatments and advances in precision medicine.
1. The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 3 refers to _______.| A．various responses of a cell population to drugs |
| B．the average reaction of a cell population to drugs |
| C．the resistance from a group of cancer cells to drugs |
| D．the survival of a population of cancer cells to drugs |
| A．has proved efficient in some Zurich hospitals |
| B．can cause perturbations inside a human body |
| C．may bring about better treatments for various diseases |
| D．focuses on monitoring the development of cancer cells |
| A．The limitations of CellOT. |
| B．Suggestions for CellOT improvement. |
| C．An explanation of further research. |
| D．Future implications of CellOT. |
| A．A Groundbreaking Medicine for Cancer |
| B．Precision Medicine is Around the Corner |
| C．How Machine Learning Helps Zurich Doctors |
| D．CellOT: Advancing Precision Cancer Treatment |
6 . Nancy, a 7-year old girl helped her mother wash the windows of their house after school to get a reward promised by her mother, a purple
The next day, Nancy asked if she could
The following day, while looking up another
So the next week, Nancy’s family loaded up their car and took all the dolls to the playroom at the
Nancy’s parents took a lot of memorable pictures to cherish the wonderful moments. Nancy thanked her parent and told them she would never forget what she got on this special day and that she had a lot of
| A．ball | B．doll | C．bear | D．dog |
| A．check | B．inform | C．refuse | D．stop |
| A．stated | B．drew | C．clicked | D．described |
| A．suggestions | B．wonders | C．worries | D．problems |
| A．before | B．ago | C．earlier | D．later |
| A．hand | B．cart | C．room | D．drawer |
| A．ongoing | B．failing | C．strange | D．online |
| A．on display | B．for sale | C．on sale | D．on the way |
| A．cancel | B．consider | C．take | D．sell |
| A．rewards | B．gifts | C．packages | D．toys |
| A．advised | B．forbade | C．disliked | D．minded |
| A．deserted | B．local | C．nearby | D．remote |
| A．pleased | B．excited | C．depressed | D．frightened |
| A．put up | B．picked up | C．put away | D．opened up |
| A．rest | B．fun | C．homework | D．pressure |
| A．Make a phone call. | B．Go on the Internet. | C．Take a train trip. |
8 . Scientists have already applied robots like Roomba to work in the agriculture (农业). A Roomba works because it has wheels that function well on flat ground. However, fields are full of rough and rocky environments, which means it is difficult for robots to work in the fields. Luckily, scientists thought of centipedes (蜈蚣). With tens to hundreds of legs, they can move on any places without stopping. If they stop moving their body parts and feet, they basically stop moving instantly.
A team led by Chong developed a theory that proposes that adding leg pairs to the robot increases its ability to move firmly over challenging environments.
To test this, Juntao conducted a series of experiments where he and Daniel Soto built models to simulate (模拟) different natural environments. He then tested the robot by increasing its number of legs by two each time, starting with six and finally increasing to 16. As the leg count increased, the robot could more easily move across the surfaces, even without sensors. Finally, they tested the robot outdoors on real environments, where it was able to move in a variety of environments.
The researchers are applying their discoveries to farming. Goldman has co-founded a company that wants to use these robots to weed (除草) farmland where weedkillers are ineffective. “It’s truly impressive to see the multilegged robot easily moves on both lab-based and outdoor environments,” Juntao said. “Now we are deciding the most suitable number of legs to achieve motion. In the future, we hope to apply them for space exploration, and even search and rescue.”
1. What can we learn about Roomba?| A．It can move on any places without stopping. |
| B．It can not work well in the rough farmlands. |
| C．It was newly invented and still in its early age. |
| D．It was inspired when scientists saw centipedes |
| A．Unpractical. | B．Amusing. | C．Ineffective. | D．Promising. |
| A．It will reach consumers soon. | B．It will increase farm production. |
| C．It will be used in many other fields. | D．It will take the place of weedkillers. |
| A．Centipedes Inspire Multilegged Robots’ Invention |
| B．Scientists Get a Huge Step in Studying Centipedes |
| C．Scientists Solved Challenges in Robots’ Creation |
| D．Multilegged Robots Brought Benefits to Farming |
9 . Taking good care of your teeth may be linked to better brain health, according to a study published in the July 5, 2023, online issue of Neurology. “Our study found that gum (牙龈) disease and tooth loss were linked to brain shrinkage (萎缩) in the hippocampus (海马体) , which plays a role in memory and Alzheimer’s disease,” said study author Satoshi Yamaguchi, Ph. D. of Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan.
The study involved 172 people without memory problems. Their average age was 67. Participants had dental exams and took memory tests at the beginning of the study. They also had brain scans to measure the volume of their hippocampus at the beginning of the study. This was measured again four years later. For each participant, researchers counted the number of teeth and checked for the amount of gum disease.
Researchers found that the number of teeth and amount of gum disease was linked to changes in the left hippocampus of the brain. For people with mild gum disease, having fewer teeth was associated with a faster rate of brain shrinkage, which is the same for people with severe gum disease having more teeth. After adjusting for age, researchers found that for people with mild gum disease, the increase in the rate of brain shrinkage due to one less tooth was equal to nearly one year of brain aging. By contrast, for people with severe gum disease the increase in brain shrinkage due to one more tooth was equal to 1. 3 years of brain aging.
“These results highlight the importance of preserving the health of the teeth and not just maintaining the teeth,” Yamaguchi said. “The findings suggest that controlling the progression of gum disease through regular dental visits is important, and that teeth with severe gum disease may need to be removed and replaced with appropnate false ones.”
Yamaguchi said future studies are needed with larger groups of people. The limitation of the study is that it was conducted in one region of Japan, so the results may not be applied to other locations.
1. What is Yamaguchi’s study mainly about?| A．The function of the hippocampus. |
| B．Ways of taking good care of one’s teeth |
| C．The harm and causes of brain shrinkage |
| D．The connection between dental health and the brain |
| A．By collecting and comparing data. | B．By referring to previous studies |
| C．By conducting a chemical experiment | D．By doing research into dentists |
| A．Gum disease is increasing among people |
| B．Keeping teeth healthy is of great importance. |
| C．Removing natural teeth is bad for dental health |
| D．Doing a routine dental checkup can avoid gum disease. |
| A．An advertisement. | B．A textbook. |
| C．A newspaper. | D．A guidebook. |
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