1 . Gesturing is powerful and important to our conversations. The challenge is to use it to good effect. Here are some tips that can help you take advantage of gesturing.
Encourage gesturing in your children, students and anyone else you are trying to teach.
Pay attention to other people’s gestures. These offer a window into the speakers’ thoughts. These thoughts are often at the cutting-edge of their knowledge or address issues that are uppermost in their minds.
Be careful that your gestures say what you want them to. Those you talk to will pay attention to your gestures, so choose them wisely.
Gesture more when you speak. It will help you learn and understand more. If you gesture while talking, you will remember more of what you have said.
| A．Observe the gesturing of kids. |
| B．Remember, gestures can reveal what you might want to hide. |
| C．This will help them understand the material you are conveying. |
| D．Whether we realize it or not, gestures are a part of our communication. |
| E．What’s more, when you gesture, the people around you tend to do so too. |
| F．Noticing and responding to such gestures will help you understand their thoughts. |
| G．Knowing how to use gestures effectively can make you a better communicator. |
Stamp collecting has recently emerged as a fresh and innovative approach for young people to document their travels. Instead of
Shi Junchu, 29, from Yunnan province, came across stamp collecting three years ago while traveling in Wuhan, Hubei province. She found it to be a better way of commemorating her travels
“Stamp collecting has added more meaning to my travels. Turning the pages of those notebooks
She currently operates a private museum in Kunming. Since last October, she has also introduced stamp-collecting services
3 . Though trees cannot speak verbally, Evan Luchkow, a 32-year-old Canadian filmmaker, made ancient tea trees the protagonists (主角) in his latest film, The Tree Listens, allowing them to “tell” their story about interacting with the locals in Chashu Village, Southwest China’s Chongqing.
When the Canadian stepped into the village, surprises kept coming. The luxuriant local tea trees are so tall that people need ladders to pick their leaves. The harmonious coexistence of people and nature in the village also struck him. “In Canada, the preservation of nature sometimes keeps people separated from it. On our way into this village, I saw lots of houses cradled by these mountains, which was truly surprising, says Luchkow, adding that the view was just like a postcard.
Soon he was able to set the tone for the filming, which depicts a silent dialogue between trees and people. For thousands of years, from generation to generation, the tea trees have been receiving people’s care and protection. “I think if the trees could speak, they might want to deliver their gratitude to the villagers. That’s what I tried to express via the film,” says the director.
In the process of documenting the tea village’s history, Luchkow found that the well-known Canadian coffee brand Tim Hortons had extended its footprint to Chongqing. Wu Ke, one of the many young locals who choose to stay in their hometown to make tea, finds himself gradually fall in love with coffee too. While local Chinese take to coffee nowadays, Luchkow’s friends back in Canada enjoy Chinese tea a lot. “The communication between tea and coffee is like the exchanges between people,” he says.
1. What surprised Luchkow first when entering Chashu Village?| A．Chinese tea tree. | B．Nice locals. | C．Beautiful view. | D．Strange nature. |
| A．Ancient tea trees. |
| B．Striking legends about Chinese tea. |
| C．Fine relationship between tea trees and locals. |
| D．Harmonious coexistence between Chinese people and nature. |
| A．To tell the life stories of Chashu villagers. |
| B．To call on people to live harmoniously with nature. |
| C．To report how Chinese people work hard to become rich. |
| D．To convey the ancient tea trees’ gratitude to villagers. |
| A．More local people stayed to make tea. |
| B．Chinese people begin to fall in love with coffee. |
| C．Canadians are increasingly in love with Chinese tea. |
| D．More communication happens between Chinese and Canadians. |
4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
Walking on the street, the bitter cold of a December day in Washington, D.C. was ruining my mood. The temperature was below zero so I ducked into the subway station, hoping to get warm.
Warmth came to my body as I settled onto a bench with a cup of hot coffee. Now I was ready to relax and do some serious people-watching. I noticed a homeless man seated nearby. The pleasant smell of delicious food from the subway food court (美食广场) was tempting me to consider an early dinner. From the longing look in my neighbor’s eyes it was obvious that he, too, noticed the good smell. I wondered how long it had been since he had eaten anything, expecting he would approach me for a handout (施舍). But he never did. My head and heart were battling it out: the former telling me to mind my own business, and the latter urging me to make an immediate trip to the food court for him.
While this inner debate was fierce, a well-dressed young couple suddenly approached. “Excuse me, sir,” began the husband. “We just finished eating and our appetite wasn’t as big as we thought. We hate to waste food. Can you help us out and put this to good use?” The kind stranger handed a large container with food. “Thank you.” came the grateful reply. Feeling good about what I had seen, but disappointed by my own lack of action, I observed my neighbor’s response to his sudden good fortune.
He lifted the soup, cupping his hands around the steaming bowl. It was obvious that he was going to enjoy this miracle meal. He opened mouth and suddenly, he stopped.
The reason for this unexpected behavior soon became clear. Entering the hall was a new arrival, in his seventies, hatless and gloveless. His lightweight jacket was a poor protection against cold. His face and hands were red and damaged. People around focused on him with pity and whispered at this sad sight.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My neighbor was the only one taking action.
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Tears blurred my vision when I went to buy food from the food court.
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5 . For the past 13 years, Martin Burrows has been working as a long-distance truck driver. Spending up to five nights a week on the road can be a lonely business, leaving him with plenty of time to notice his surroundings. “I kept seeing more rubbish everywhere and it was getting on my nerves. I decided I had to do something about it,” he says. One day, he stopped his vehicle, took out a trash bag and started picking up the garbage. The satisfaction after clearing a small area was remarkable.
Before his time on the road, Burrows spent over two decades in the military as a vehicle driver. His service saw him stationed throughout Europe and also on tours in Afghanistan. After returning to civilian life, he was diagnosed with PTSD (创伤后应激障碍) and had a mental health crisis in 2017. His involvement in fundraising for Help for Heroes led him to meet a man who used model-building as a distraction from PTSD. Burrows realized that his act of roadside cleanup had a similar calming effect on his mental well-being.
By 2019, Burrows had begun using his free time on the road to regularly clean up garbage. A passerby encouraged him to set up a Facebook group, which he called Truckers Cleaning Up Britain. “I was worried I’d be the laughing stock of my town for putting videos and photos up of me cleaning but people started to join,” he says. “I was amazed. The local council stepped in and gave me litter-picking supplies and we’re up to almost 3,000 members now.”
Since truckers are so often on the move, the Facebook page acts as a means of raising awareness rather than a platform for organizing cleanups. Burrows expressed his intention to continue the cleanup efforts as long as his physical condition allowed, as he still found joy in the process.
1. What initially caused Burrows to pick up roadside garbage?| A．He wanted to kill time by picking up litter. |
| B．He aimed to raise fund for soldiers with PTSD. |
| C．He felt annoyed to see the increasing rubbish. |
| D．He received the assignment from his employer. |
| A．It resulted in his embarrassment. | B．It increased his sense of isolation. |
| C．It worsened his stress and anxiety. | D．It brought him comfort and relief. |
| A．He feared being teased for his action. |
| B．He was lacking in advanced cleanup tools. |
| C．He was unsure about the group’s development. |
| D．He worried about the local council’s disapproval. |
| A．A Joyful Volunteer Experience | B．A Trucker’s Cleanup Initiative |
| C．A Fighting Hero against PTSD | D．A Platform for Environmentalists |
In a house far from the city lived John and his mother. John’s only hobby was wandering in the nearby picturesque forest. In its center was a shiny clear lake with schools of fish dancing in it. Lovely animals such as deer or rabbits were playing around and cute birds were singing in trees. Fascinated by the beauty and liveliness of nature, he desired to become a great artist and present all the breath-taking scenes to the world.
John studied in the local primary school. Life was not easy for John and his mom after his father died. Knowing what hard work his mother did to make ends meet, John really didn’t want his mother to worry. His mother knew the significance of education in life but she was against his dream of becoming an artist. “The profession of artist can’t aid a person in meeting his daily expenses,” she would say. But as each day passed, John’s dream became more passionate.
Due to the living circumstances, even buying some new colors would be a luxury. John only used the worn drawing file and limited colors for his daily practice. Though lacking fine painting materials, he never gave up drawing. He spent a significant amount of time staying in the forest, secretly perfecting his craft. With continuous hard work and a distinct gift for art, he drew beautifully.
One day John read about a competition being held in the town, whose deadline was only two days away. He got the perfect opportunity to fulfill his desire but he was in a dilemma (两难境地) as for the competition he needed special paints and some brushes. He didn’t have the courage to ask his mother for money as he knew her prejudice against art.
That evening his mom returned from work and handed him a few paper notes, saying, “This is for your lunch at school next month.” The money was enough for his desired materials! John’s face lit up.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Early the next morning, John secretly left home with the money.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A week later, a phone call came to John’s home.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . The dodo, a Mauritian bird last seen in the 17th century, will be brought back to a semblance (外观) of life if attempts by a gene-editing company are successful. Gene-editing techniques now exist that allow scientists to extract the dodo genome (基因组) that they believe they can then effectively recreate within the body of a living relative.
The scientists in question said their work, beyond providing an insight into the extinct dodo’s existence, could help inform the conservation of rare species that are not yet extinct. However, there is a fierce debate among biologists over whether this sort of research should be pursued.
Beth Shapiro, the lead paleo-geneticist (古遗传学家) at Colossal, told the Guardian she tried to persuade a museum to let her extract DNA from a preserved dodo exhibited there. She said there were hundreds of dodos in collections around the world, so it had been possible to sequence the dead bird’s genome. But she warned that the revived dodo could never replace what has been made extinct. “It would be crazy to think the solution to the world’s biodiversity crisis was to bring back a proxy.” she said.
Ben Lamm, the chief executive of the company, said they were raising a further 150 million dollars to pursue the research on the dodo. He pointed out that it could assist conservation efforts for many other threatened species around the world, as it would develop techniques that could allow scientists to detect and preserve key features in those existing species that could help them adapt in a changing climate.
Prof. Ewan Birney from European Molecular Biology Laboratory, who was not involved with Colossal’s work, said it would be “very, very challenging” to recreate the dodo genome. He added, “I’ve no idea whether the project will work as they claim, but the question is not just ‘can you do this’, but ‘should you do it?’ … I’m not sure what purpose it serves, and whether this is really the best distribution of resources. We should be saving the species that we have before they go extinct.”
1. What can we learn about dodo from the text?| A．It is a bird that is only unique to Mauritius. |
| B．The research on it has raised conflicting opinions. |
| C．It has been successfully brought back to life. |
| D．It could be recreated within the remains of a relative. |
| A．fake | B．creature | C．model | D．replacement |
| A．Critical | B．Indifferent | C．Supportive | D．Conservative |
| A．Pros and Cons of Reviving Dodo |
| B．Gene-editing Techniques in Effect |
| C．Scientists Trying Hard to Recreate Dodo |
| D．A Vain Attempt to Bring Dodo Back to Life |
8 . Before retiring, my father was a successful corporate executive. Growing up, I got used to learning that he had received
Therefore, I couldn't have been more
I have
Over time, I've became increasingly
| A．increases | B．promotions | C．changes | D．shifts |
| A．strengths | B．accomplishments | C．perseverance | D．patience |
| A．amused | B．ashamed | C．surprised | D．concerned |
| A．reading | B．writing | C．indicating | D．illustrating |
| A．sold | B．delivered | C．printed | D．spread |
| A．appointing | B．assigning | C．polishing | D．shaping |
| A．puzzled | B．amazed | C．relieved | D．upset |
| A．weighed up | B．backed down | C．banked on | D．come across |
| A．tolerate | B．acknowledge | C．imagine | D．confirm |
| A．vision | B．reputation | C．approval | D．passion |
| A．ambitious | B．meaningful | C．valuable | D．absurd |
| A．refused | B．appreciated | C．took | D．landed |
| A．aware | B．afraid | C．grateful | D．accustomed |
| A．stability | B．motivation | C．satisfaction | D．growth |
| A．missing | B．witnessing | C．pursuing | D．seizing |
9 . On March 7, 1907, the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the “wisdom of crowds” effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases, the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate.
This effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors, those errors aren’t always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate, and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together, they cancel each other out, resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors, then their errors won’t cancel each other out. In more technical terms, the wisdom of crowds requires that people’s estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons, people’s errors become correlated or dependent, the accuracy of the estimate will go down.
But a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist (转折) on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion, the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance, the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals.
In a follow-up study with 100 university students, the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates? Did they follow those least willing to change their minds? This happened some of the time, but it wasn’t the dominant response. Most frequently, the groups reported that they “shared arguments and reasoned together”. Somehow, these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error. Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain, the potential implications for group discussion and decision-making are enormous.
1. What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about?| A．The methods of estimation. | B．The underlying logic of the effect. |
| C．The causes of people’s errors. | D．The design of Galton’s experiment. |
| A．the crowds were relatively small | B．there were occasional underestimates |
| C．individuals did not communicate | D．estimates were not fully independent |
| A．The size of the groups. | B．The dominant members. |
| C．The discussion process. | D．The individual estimates. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Dismissive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Approving. |
10 . As cities balloon with growth, access to nature for people living in urban areas is becoming harder to find. If you’re lucky, there might be a pocket park near where you live, but it’s unusual to find places in a city that are relatively wild.
Past research has found health and wellness benefits of nature for humans, but a new study shows that wildness in urban areas is extremely important for human well-being.
The research team focused on a large urban park. They surveyed several hundred park-goers, asking them to submit a written summary online of a meaningful interaction they had with nature in the park. The researchers then examined these submissions, coding (编码) experiences into different categories. For example, one participant’s experience of “We sat and listened to the waves at the beach for a while” was assigned the categories “sitting at beach” and “listening to waves.”
Across the 320 submissions, a pattern of categories the researchers call a “nature language” began to emerge. After the coding of all submissions, half a dozen categories were noted most often as important to visitors. These include encountering wildlife, walking along the edge of water, and following an established trail.
Naming each nature experience creates a usable language, which helps people recognize and take part in the activities that are most satisfying and meaningful to them. For example, the experience of walking along the edge of water might be satisfying for a young professional on a weekend hike in the park. Back downtown during a workday, they can enjoy a more domestic form of this interaction by walking along a fountain on their lunch break.
“We’re trying to generate a language that helps bring the human-nature interactions back into our daily lives. And for that to happen, we also need to protect nature so that we can interact with it,” said Peter Kahn, a senior author of the study.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?| A．Pocket parks are now popular. | B．Wild nature is hard to find in cities. |
| C．Many cities are overpopulated. | D．People enjoy living close to nature. |
| A．To compare different types of park-goers. | B．To explain why the park attracts tourists. |
| C．To analyze the main features of the park. | D．To find patterns in the visitors’ summaries. |
| A．Walking is the best way to gain access to nature. |
| B．Young people are too busy to interact with nature. |
| C．The same nature experience takes different forms. |
| D．The nature language enhances work performance. |
| A．Language study. | B．Environmental conservation. |
| C．Public education. | D．Intercultural communication. |
