A new study found that light pollution is making the night sky brighter and the stars dimmer. Man-made lighting is the main cause, making the night sky about 10 percent brighter each year.
The result was a much faster rate of change than scientists had estimated. The research team gave an example to explain the result. If a child is born where 250 stars can be seen on a clear night, by the time that child turns 18, only 100 stars will be seen.
The researchers said they had hoped to see improvements in light pollution in recent years, because many urban centers have changed their lighting to be more energy-efficient. Towns and cities are replacing older streetlights with modern LEDS that are more carefully directed downwards, where the light is useful.
The hope was that if the light was better directed, the situation would get better. But there are many types of lighting — streetlights, decorative, advertising. So, with all these things combined — and possibly more lighting overall, we are making sky brightness worse. The relatively low cost of LED lighting is also contributing to the problem, that is, the cheaper and better the lighting, the higher society’s addiction to light.
Consequently, light pollution leads to a loss of universal human experience, a source of inspiration for art, science, literature. It also affects the routine of human as well as other forms of life. Migratory songbirds normally use starlight to position where they are in the sky at night. And when sea turtle babies hatch, they use light to position toward the ocean — light pollution is a huge deal for them.
1. What causes light pollution?2. What are the negative effects of light pollution?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The sky brightness becomes worse because of more modern types of lighting being used and the lack of LED lighting.
4. Besides light pollution, what do you think is the most serious pollution in life? And explain its effects. (In about 40 words)
2 . Social media does have its shortcomings, and one of those is that it can often seem like everybody is living and winning big — except you.
Someone could have +1000 likes on their pictures or a million views on their videos and still be unhappy.
There are couples that appear happy on social media but behind those photos, they suffer a lot in relationships.
You don’t know what some people go through to come out with the fantastic pictures you envy. The real key players mostly operate behind the scenes but make the most happen. They may look like nobody but they are building their kingdoms while others are getting high on likes and attention. Success is not what is presented on social media.
Be yourself and never give up on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. The real champions of social media are those who add value to others, not the ones who show their lifestyle to impress others.
| A．Those ones don’t get documented. |
| B．Some even think it’s a complete show-off. |
| C．Being popular on social media is not everything. |
| D．Self-worth is determined by the number of likes one gets. |
| E．There are couples who post nothing but are in loving relationship. |
| F．It takes tears, sleepless nights, and loads of failure to make it in life. |
| G．You are always flooded with strangers’ images that show the life you long for. |
3 . It’s logical for humans to feel anxious about artificial intelligence. After all, the news is constantly listing job after job where the technology seems to outperform us. But humans aren’t yet headed for all-out replacement. And if you do suffer from so-called AI anxiety, there are ways to alleviate your fears and even change them into a motivating force for good. Here’s how some psychologists and other experts suggest handling our AI fears.
First off, context is key, says Sanae Okamoto, a psychologist and behavioral scientist in the Netherlands. She suggests keeping in mind that the present moment is far from the first time people have feared the rise of an unfamiliar technology. “Computer anxiety” dates back decades, Okamoto notes. Before that, there was worry over industrial automation. Past technological advances have led to big social and economic shifts. Some fears became reality, and some jobs did disappear, but many of the worst science fiction predictions did not come true.
Facing fears of AI by actually trying out the tools, seeing where and how they can be useful, reading up on how they work and understanding their limitations can turn the tech from a monster into a potential helper, says Jerri Lynn Hogg, a media psychologist. A deeper understanding can empower someone to advocate for meaningful job protections or policies that hold back potential problems.
Mary Alvord, a practicing psychologist, also stresses the importance of addressing the problem directly. “We talk about what actions you can take instead of sticking your head in the sand,” she says. Maybe that means gaining new skills to prepare for a career change or learning about ongoing efforts to control AI. Or maybe it means building a union with colleagues at work, which is important to help people feel more secure and hopeful about the future.
Perhaps the better response is to use our AI anxiety to push us forward. Mastering a craft—be it drawing, writing, programming or translating — and using that skill to create something new is “the most rewarding thing that we can possibly do.” says Sean Kelly, a Harvard University philosophy professor. So why not let AI motivate more creation instead of replacing it? If the technology produces something interesting, we can build on it. And if it doesn’t, then why worry about it at all?
1. What does the word “alleviate” underlined in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?| A．Analyze. | B．Relieve. | C．Understand. | D．Forget. |
| A．make a comparison | B．introduce a topic |
| C．evaluate a statement | D．give an example |
| A．AI fears will hold back the technological advance. |
| B．Policy makers may control the development of AI. |
| C．AI will lead to severe competition among colleagues. |
| D．Humans may become more creative when motivated by AI. |
| A．unconcerned | B．puzzled | C．supportive | D．doubtful |
4 . We often take sleep for granted, but not getting enough shut-eye can increase our risk for many serious health issues such as poor mental health, heart problems or even early death.
The ideal bedroom temperature for people to fall asleep is relatively cold — between 17 to 20℃. A drop in our core body temperature is essential for us falling and staying asleep because it stimulates sleepiness.
Obradovich and his colleagues found unusually warm temperatures had the largest effect on people’s bedtime duration by delaying falling asleep. Short sleep durations were the worst during the summertime and among the elderly, probably because they have more difficulty regulating their body temperature. The team also found warmer locations experienced the most sleep loss, suggesting people’s bodies haven’t adapted to their geographic location. Lower income countries are also heavily affected, which Obradovich supposes could be because of a lack of air-conditioning. But he plans to investigate further. Data show global warming also will have the biggest sleep loss in the Middle East, southeast Asia and Australia. By the end of the 21st century, people in the warmest regions are expected to lose another three nights of sleep per year due to higher nighttime temperatures.
Obradovich said his team’s findings could help communities or policymakers better improve the sleep environment for people, such as helping to cool bedrooms more effectively. On an individual level, Robbins, a physician at Harvard Medical School, said people also need to practice generally good sleep behavior. For instance, reducing screen time 15 to 20 minutes before falling asleep as the blue lights from cellphones or computers can work like the sun and throw off our body clock. She suggested meditation (冥想) before bed can significantly help people relax, making it easier for people to fall asleep.
“There’s still belief that ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ kind of attitude towards sleep,” Robbins said. “There’s so much work to be done to improve our collective view of sleep.”
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．Temperature affects sleep duration. |
| B．Global warming improves sleep quality. |
| C．Sleep loss leads to serious health problems. |
| D．Sleep quality influences attitude towards life. |
| A．those in the warmer regions can well adapt to the temperature |
| B．the elderly suffer from sleep loss due to their sickness |
| C．it is harder to fall asleep in warmer temperature |
| D．unusual warmth contributes to earlier wake-up |
| A．People should pay more attention to sleep. |
| B．People have different attitudes towards sleep. |
| C．Scientists will solve the problem of sleep loss. |
| D．Scientists should help to improve humans’ sleep quality. |
5 . Running with Heart
My name was missing from the list. All my friends had made the cheer-leading team. But somehow my name was not there. I felt lost and embarrassed. Knowing that next year would bring a new round of try-outs, I began practicing routines on my own, hoping to become a cheerleader the next year. But my dad suggested that I get involved in running track — just to try it out for a year. I had always been the fastest kid to run a mile in gym class, so I figured that I might as well sign up for running for just one season.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In the first race on the track team, I took the last place. Race after race, I continued to place last and I felt my lungs burning from the effort. I wanted to quit, feeling like a failure. But my dad reminded me that once you are committed to something, you should always follow through. So I finished my first track season, placing last in every race.
The next year came. Although running was not a popular activity, like cheer-leading was at our school, I signed up again to run the long-distance races. I wanted to challenge myself. Within one year, I became the fastest female cross-country runner on our school’s team. A few years later, I placed 3rd in the Ohio State meet. Not only that, but I was offered an athletic scholarship for college.
Classmates may have laughed at me for choosing running over cheer-leading, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t running track to be cool or to prove anything to anyone else. Running made me proud of who I was. When I chose to be a runner, I chose to be true to myself. We all make that choice every day — we can be who we were born to be or we can simply follow the crowd. For me, I am happiest to be...just me.
1. After failing to make the cheer-leading team, the author ________.| A．wanted to quit |
| B．blamed her father |
| C．turned to her friends |
| D．continued to practice |
| A．wanted to prove herself |
| B．was inspired by her father |
| C．got an athletic scholarship |
| D．performed well in the races |
| A．Confident and honest. |
| B．Creative and ambitious. |
| C．Generous and committed. |
| D．Hardworking and determined. |
| A．follow others’ opinions |
| B．try out for popular activities |
| C．appreciate who we really are |
| D．help those who are in trouble |
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1. What is available for the applicants?
| A．Deciding the class size. |
| B．Keeping all the earnings. |
| C．Getting promoted at work. |
| D．Receiving high-quality training. |
| A．follow Lessonpal’s teaching schedule |
| B．be good at organizing meetings |
| C．deliver online writing lessons |
| D．have teaching experience |
| A．A science report. | B．A website. |
| C．A storybook. | D．A brochure. |
8 . I still remember the day when I came home from work at two o’clock one afternoon. Imagine my
I told Joann to go home because I needed to speak to Megan
Well, she wasn’t very
Although the teacher gave her a
| A．joy | B．shock | C．relief | D．shame |
| A．believed | B．realized | C．admitted | D．predicted |
| A．privately | B．carefully | C．equally | D．normally |
| A．encouraged | B．blamed | C．warned | D．controlled |
| A．comforting | B．punishing | C．changing | D．annoying |
| A．when | B．why | C．where | D．how |
| A．truth | B．plan | C．advice | D．wish |
| A．surprised | B．worried | C．scared | D．pleased |
| A．hard | B．lucky | C．boring | D．free |
| A．opportunities | B．responsibilities | C．suggestions | D．advantages |
