1 . What is sleep, and why do we need it?

When we sleep, we enter a specific state that lies somewhere between consciousness (清醒状态) and unconsciousness. During sleep, the body is at rest, but the brain remains highly ________ and hard at work. Sleep is vital for our survival, and a whole range of biological functions can be ________ only while we are in this state. Scientists are ________ to know more all the time, but the main functions of ________ seem to be: redirecting energy into clearing harmful things from the brain and body, building up learning and memory, ________ the immune (免疫的) system, balancing our emotional states, and repairing and restoring cells in the body. These ________ are essential for us to function properly, and when we sleep well, our mental and physical health are dramatically ________ .

Although many of the functions of sleep remain ________ , what is becoming increasingly clear is that sleep is ________ to our well-being and that in order to live well. we must take it as ________ as we take eating and exercise. The more science ________ , the more we understand that good sleep holds the keys to ________ and happiness.

________ its biological function, consistent good sleep, quite simply, feels great. By ________ sleep’s importance and how to improve it, it’s possible to ________ worrying about it, get into bed, and slowly fall asleep.

1.

A．unstable

B．stressed

C．active

D．delicate

2.

A．observed

B．accepted

C．worked

D．performed

3.

A．experimenting

B．expecting

C．spreading

D．preserving

4.

A．relaxation

B．sleep

C．research

D．recreation

5.

A．testing

B．controlling

C．dulling

D．boosting

6.

A．processes

B．damages

C．assumptions

D．performances

7.

A．decreased

B．underestimated

C．improved

D．injured

8.

A．unchanged

B．unknown

C．uncompleted

D．undocumented

9.

A．essential

B．ridiculous

C．typical

D．extra

10.

A．quickly

B．casually

C．impatiently

D．seriously

11.

A．changes

B．uncovers

C．affects

D．creates

12.

A．dream

B．intelligence

C．health

D．family

13.

A．Apart from

B．Thanks to

C．Rather than

D．As with

14.

A．ignoring

B．understanding

C．promoting

D．stressing

15.

A．get used to

B．get down to

C．take advantage of

D．let go of

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. process     B. impacting       C. appearance       D. linked        E. assessment     F. costly G. crucial       H. highly            I. legal                 J. pause          K. marketed

Tobacco use and its negative impacts on health have been well-documented for decades. Traditional tobacco products, such as cigarettes, have been     1     to a wide range of health problems, including cancer, heart disease, respiratory (呼吸的) disorders and others. According to a survey, 78.3 percent of smokers start smoking before age 20. Taiwan Province of China has raised the     2     smoking age to 20 or above. By instituting this change, they hope to reduce the number of young people taking up the habit.

Despite being     3     as a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs) are still considered tobacco. As such, they pose significant dangers to human health. The heating     4     used in these products releases harmful chemicals and poisons, including tar (焦油), carbon monoxide and nicotine, a(n)     5     addictive substance.

HTPs are packaged to appeal to young people who perceive them as safer than smoking. To prevent young people from experimenting with HTPs and     6     their health, Taiwan Province strictly controls every kind of tobacco product by adding a health risk     7     review mechanism. Only products that pass the review process are allowed to be manufactured, imported and sold to consumers.

The innumerable downsides to smoking should give smokers     8     and encourage them to quit. Quitting tobacco improves your health and reduces your risk of various diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and breathing problems. Quitting smoking can also improve your     9    . Tobacco use can cause wrinkles and yellow teeth. Quitting can lead to healthier skin, whiter teeth and fresher breath. Smoking can also dull your senses of taste and smell. By stopping tobacco use, your senses recover, leading to enhanced enjoyment of food and beverages.

Unfortunately, quitting tobacco isn't easy. Most people will also encounter numerous challenges including nicotine withdrawal and symptoms such as eagerness, irritability (易怒) and difficulty concentrating. Supportive social environments, coping strategies and professional help are     10     for overcoming these things and living a smoke-free life.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Harmful substances in the smoke from homes.

B．Damp chemical gases from factory chimneys.

C．Smoke from homes mixed with dust in the air.

D．Mixture of fog, smoke and other waste gases.

2.

A．Harmful gases rise and fall between layers of cold and warm air.

B．Smoke and chemical gases build up under a layer of warm air.

C．Smoke and waste gases remain near the ground as cold air pours in.

D．Thick smoke and gases blown by the wind pile up above warm air.

3.

A．Temperature inversion.	B．Solar radiation.
C．Automobile exhausts.	D．Foggy weather.

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或所给单词的正确形式。

Did you know many adults sit for more than nine hours a day?     1     it’s working at a desk, sitting in a car, or lying on the sofa watching TV, we have     2     much more sedentary (惯于久坐不动的) lifestyle than our parents and grandparents did. The question that this raises is: what is it doing to our bodies?

The news isn’t good. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, you have a     3     (high) chance of being overweight, having diabetes or heart disease, and experiencing depression and anxiety. A study carried out in the 1950s     4     (compare) bus drivers with the conductors,     5     walked around the bus selling tickets. It showed that drivers were twice as likely     6     (have) heart attacks than the more active conductors. In fact, prolonged sitting has been connected     7     a number of different conditions. If you sit all day, you burn far fewer calories than someone with a more active job.

One possible answer to this problem is for desk workers to use standing desks, to spend at least part of a day on     8     (they) feet. Other experts point out that standing all day can also have negative     9     (effect), such as leg or back pain, recommending that if people do want to use standing desks, they should     10     (gradual) increase the amount of standing time. They also point out that walking is a better choice because it burns far more calories than standing.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. accompanied       B. allowed       C. feasibly       D. fueled E. intensity       F. option       G. prompting       H. routine I. surgically       J. underlying       K. varied

Brain Signals for Lasting Pain

Brain signals that reveal how much pain a person is in have been discovered by scientists who say the work is a step towards new treatments for people living with lasting pain.

It is the first time researchers have decoded the brain activity     1     patients’ lasting pain. That has raised the hope that brain stimulation treatment already used for Parkinson’s and major depression can help those running out of any other     2    . “We’ve learned that lasting pain can be tracked and predicted in the real world,” said Prasad Shirvalkar, lead researcher on the project at the University of California.

Lasting pain affects nearly 28 million adults in the UK alone, and the causes are     3    . ranging from cancer to back problems. That being the case, lasting pain has     4     a rise in taking powerful painkillers. But no medical treatments work well for the condition,     5     experts to call for a complete rethink in how health services handle patients with lasting pain.

For the latest study, Shirvalkar and his colleagues     6     implanted electrodes(电极) into four patients with lasting pain hard to deal with after the loss of legs. The devices     7     the patients to record activity and collect data in two brain regions— the ACC and the OFC—at the press of one button on a remote handset. Several times a day, the volunteers were asked to complete short surveys on the     8     of pain, meaning how strong the pain was, and then record their brain activity. These scientists, armed with the survey responses and brain recordings, found they could use computers to predict a person’s pain based on the electrical signals in their OFC. “We found very different brain activity     9     severe pain and have developed an objective biomarker for that kind of pain,” said Shirvalkar. The finding may explain, at least in part, why     10     painkillers are less effective for lasting pain. “The hope is that we can use the information to develop personalized brain stimulation treatment for the most severe forms of pain.”

6 . Large Study Details Years of Brain Changes in Alzheimer’s Patients

A long-term study in China has shown that a series of changes take place in the brains of people who get Alzheimer’s disease long before they present signs of the sickness.

    1     The individuals were examined on a regular basis during that period. The researchers used brain imaging, spinal fluid (脊髓液) checks and other tools to collect data.

The researchers reported that the study subjects who later developed Alzheimer’s showed high levels of disease-linked protein in their spinal fluid.     2     Then every few years, the study detected another so-called biomarker of coming trouble.

Scientists still do not know exactly how Alzheimer’s forms. The disease slowly destroys the brain, affecting the ability to think. Alzheimer’s patients develop proteins called beta-amyloid and tau, which over time build up into plaques (斑块) that block brain processes. The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a timeline for how these proteins develop.

Scientists already knew that in rare, genetic forms of Alzheimer’s that affect young people, a poisonous form of amyloid starts developing about 20 years ahead of symptoms. At some point after that, tau develops as well.     3    

“The more we know about Alzheimer’s treatment targets and when to address them, the better and faster we will be able to develop new therapies and preventions,” said Claire Sexton, director of scientific programs with the Alzheimer’s Association. She noted that blood tests are coming soon that promise to also help by making it easier to find amyloid and tau.

More than 6 million Americans, and millions more worldwide, have Alzheimer’s. There is no cure. But last year, Leqembi became the first approved drug that could slow the worsening of early Alzheimer’s for a few months.     4     Other drugs are being developed to target tau.

A．The drug works by clearing away some of the amyloid protein.

B．The large study followed middle-aged and older adults for 20 years.

C．Knowledge of the timing of these events is critical for preventing Alzheimer’s.

D．The new findings show the order of such biomarker changes common to age-related Alzheimer’s.

E．The higher levels were recorded as much as 18 years before the patients were identified as having Alzheimer’s.

F．The researchers compared 648 people who were later found with Alzheimer’s to an equal number who remained healthy.

7 . On a rainy afternoon in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, a group of amateur musicians gathered to lay down a few tracks. This wasn’t the first time the band had performed together, but it was their first time in a recording studio.

The band, which calls itself Infinity, first performed its work at the 2022 Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference in November. All four band members are diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental disorder that can cause people to interpret reality in abnormal ways, which can cause many kinds of disordered thinking.

Infinity formed five years ago when Flavio Chamis, a Brazilian composer and conductor, began working with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) on how to use music to treat mental illness.

“Having a mental health diagnosis is not a reason to not have a creative life,” Chamis said. Schizophrenia can be disabling, but therapy, medication and even playing music can help, according to a growing body of research.

Chamis and K.N. Roy Chengappa, a professor of psychiatry (精神病学) at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital and the director of Pittsburgh’s schizophrenia conference, are continuing their efforts with the four musicians and to further investigate musical interventions in mental health outcomes.

As imaging techniques advance, scientists are working to answer precisely why music affects the brain in the ways that it does. Playing music seems to have an impact on timing systems in the brain, which are affected by major depression, schizophrenia and other illnesses. There is research indicating that training patients to play in rhythm can in fact help retrain the brain in other, less obvious ways. Interventions tend to have positive effects, but the research is still in early stages.

The band doesn’t have much formal music training, but they played and sang with touching sincerity. “It’s not supposed to be professional or perfect,” Chengappa said. “One of them has been my patient for 20 years. ... They’ve really blossomed.”

Chamis led the Infinity recording from the piano, with each musician in a separate sound-proof room listening to one another on headphones. The conductor and composer encouraged the musicians and gave advice after each take.

“It’s been great working on this with Flavio,” said guitarist David Baird. “I loved feeling like a professional. ... I want more.”

1. What is special about the band Infinity?

A．All the members were professional.	B．It performed for people with schizophrenia.
C．All the members have mental disorders.	D．It formed and gave its first performance in 2022.

2. Flavio Chamis helped form the band Infinity in order to ____.

A．investigate the causes of schizophrenia	B．study the effect of music on mental illness
C．stimulate the members’ creativity in music	D．obtain the opportunity to cooperate with UPMC

3. Music affects the brain by _____.

A．intervening its timing systems	B．employing imaging approaches
C．changing its reaction time	D．making its rhythm less obvious

4. According to Chengappa, the band members are becoming more _____.

A．sincere

B．professional

C．depressed

D．confident

8 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. activate       B. amounted       C. compared       D. energetic       E. guidelines       F. identify G. image       H. influenced       I. respects       J. review       K. substantial

Exercise Can Help Prevent Depression, Study Finds

How often do you exercise? A new     1     from researchers at the University of Cambridge shows that those who exercise are less likely to develop depression, even if they exercise less than the recommended amount.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults engage in 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate activity per week or one hour and 15 minutes to 2.5 hours of     2     aerobic (有氧的) exercise per week or some combination of the two.

Adults who took a walk for what     3     to 2.5 hours per week were less likely to develop depression than those who didn’t exercise at all, the study found. But even those who exercised less felt better than those who didn’t exercise at all, according to researchers. “In this study, a relatively small amount of physical activity were associated with a(n)     4     decrease in risks of depression,” the study says. The researchers analyzed 15 studies with nearly 200,000 participants. Those who did about half the recommended amount of physical activity per week had an 18% lower risk of depression     5     with adults who did not exercise, the study says. Participants who exercised the recommended amount had a 25% lower risk of depression than those who did not. Exercising more than the recommended amount hardly     6     depression risk, according to researchers.

Many     7     of exercise can lead to improved mental health. For example, working out can increase circulation (血液循环) to the brain and     8     the central nervous system, leading to what many refer to as a “runners high,” the study says. More exercise can also lead to improved physical health and a better body     9    , which can cause a person to be more social, researchers say.

Nearly 5% of adults in the U.S. report regular feelings of depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the study participants, researchers estimate that 1 in every 9 cases of depression might have been prevented had everyone met recommended exercise     10    , the study says.

9 . Global Rise of TCM

Phan Thi Kim Chi’s connection with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) began at an early age. Growing up in a small village in Vietnam, it was inconvenient for Phan to travel to hospitals in neighboring cities. Whenever she caught a cold or experienced a headache as a child, her family would seek the help of a local TCM practitioner.     1     According to Phan, even though TCM has long been commonly practiced and accepted in Vietnam, finding a good school to learn TCM in Vietnam is not easy.

As a foreign student, Phan finds the TCM basic theory course to be the most challenging one in the curriculum.     2     It requires years of learning and practice to truly understand the concepts of yin and yang, harmony between human and nature, and the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Sometimes she even translates the TCM vocabulary and scripts into Vietnamese so she can remember and comprehend them better.

    3     According to a report, the total number of international students studying TCM in China was 8, 187 last year, with the largest population of 6, 441 coming from Asian countries, followed by 832 from Africa and 432 from Europe. Also, many Chinese medical universities had projects that sent professors overseas to teach TCM.

The booming situation of TCM is not limited to schools and clinics. It has also become a lifestyle choice for many young people. There is a trend among young people to place more emphasis on health conditioning and preservation. However, experts remind that TCM emphasizes the importance of diagnosing and treating based on identifying syndromes (症状). It is impossible to offer a one-size- fits-all approach to all patients.     4    

A．They highly recognized the effectiveness of TCM, especially its use in pain treatment.

B．Even when drinking herbal milk tea, it’s best to make choices accordingly.

C．Being extensive and far-reaching, TCM is deeply connected with Chinese philosophy.

D．Overseas students of TCM, like Phan, are not rare.

E．This led her to major in TCM at a traditional medical school in China.

F．Many other Chinese medicine institutions have adopted similar strategic initiatives.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the probable relationship between the speakers?

A．Trainer and trainee.

B．Boss and advisor.

C．Host and guest.

2. Why does the woman mention losing weight?

A．To show how to achieve a goal.

B．To stress the importance of healthy food.

C．To express her wish to improve her health.

3. What can friends do to help in goal-setting?

A．Find problems.

B．Tell the truth.

C．Give support.

4. What makes most people do badly at reaching goals?

A．Failing to keep focused.

B．Having many missions.

C．Losing their way.