1 . The most advanced Apple Watch models will be back on sale this week after a federal appeals court (联邦上诉法院) temporary blocked a sweeping import ban on the devices amid a dispute (抗辩) with the administration.
Why did Apple Watch get banned?
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were banned after California health tech companies, Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories, accused Apple of infringing on (侵犯) its patent for a blood-oxygen tracking technology. Masimo’s 2021 complaint led to the Oct. 26 International Trade Commission order.
Apple filed two lawsuits against Masimo last year accusing the company of infringing patents with its own smartwatch.
Why did the administration sustain the ban?
Ambassador Katherine Tai declined to turn around the ITC decision on Tuesday after finding that Apple infringed Masimo’s and Cercacor’s patents “after careful consultations”, according to a release by the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
When will the Apple Watch models be back on sale?
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were made available at U. S. stores on Wednesday and can be purchased online starting at 3 pm on Thursday, according to the tech company.
The return follows the administration announcement on Tuesday that it would sustain the U. S. International Trade Commission order banning the sale of the two smart watches.
“Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features and we are pleased the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order (禁止令) while it considers our request to stay the order suspending our full appeal,” Apple’s statement added.
“We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year,” Apple said in a statement on Wednesday.
1. Which department declared the ban?A.The administration. |
B.The U. S. International Trade Commission. |
C.The United States Trade Representative. |
D.The U. S. Court of Appeals. |
A.Because Apple proved its innocence. |
B.Because the two companies reached an agreement. |
C.Because federal court paused the ban for later dispute. |
D.Because the administration decided to lift the ban. |
A.It remains to be seen whether Apple can permanently sell the two products. |
B.Masimo is the main competitor of Apple in blood-oxygen tracking technology. |
C.Ambassador Katherine Tai suggested his support for Apple in the official release. |
D.Apple’s team were very delighted about the decision of the U. S. Court of Appeals. |
A.The dispute between Apple and ITC. |
B.The debate on Apple’s accusation. |
C.The lawsuit between Apple and Masimo. |
D.The return of Apple Watch models. |
2 . Torrie, 16, and her friend Azarria were driving back home when another car hit them. When Torrie opened her eyes, she
“Everyone ran away, fearing the car was going to
“I didn’t know how I made it. I just became stronger at that moment,” she says. She
After 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths, Azarria began to show
“I was absolutely astonished,” Erika says. “In my years of teaching, I never
“I was grateful to Torrie, but I wasn’t surprised.” Azarria says. “She would have done that for anyone. That’s just
“First-aid training should be a(n)
A.examined | B.recognized | C.determined | D.panicked |
A.antiques | B.breakthroughs | C.refreshments | D.screams |
A.route | B.frame | C.release | D.motion |
A.proceed | B.explode | C.slip | D.crash |
A.noble | B.humble | C.swollen | D.unconscious |
A.highlight | B.duration | C.chaos | D.insight |
A.instructed | B.stimulated | C.alarmed | D.disturbed |
A.symbols | B.routines | C.luxury | D.signs |
A.blew up | B.relied on | C.rolled up | D.carried on |
A.Fortunately | B.Literally | C.Particularly | D.Urgently |
A.barrier | B.certificate | C.deadline | D.living |
A.defended | B.grasped | C.anticipated | D.dominated |
A.perform | B.cast | C.cite | D.expose |
A.awesome | B.elegant | C.fond | D.typical |
A.intervention | B.requirement | C.exception | D.perspective |
3 . It is a truth universally acknowledged that statues of public figures are hated by everyone, except perhaps their creators and, hopefully, their subjects, if they’re still alive to see them. Jane Austen — the author of Pride and Prejudice — will of course not be around when, or if, the statue in memory of her 250th birthday is built at Winchester Cathedral next year, but according to Jane Austen Society vice president Elizabeth Proudman, the author would not have approved of the proposal anyway. “She is known to have been a modest woman who avoided publicity.”
Similar views were aired at a public meeting last week, in which local residents raised concerns that an Austen statue would lead to the “Disneyfication” of the sacred Cathedral. It is no disrespect to the statue’s creator — Martin Jennings to say that it’s difficult to imagine crowds of parents being woken up on the first day of the summer holidays by their screaming six-year-olds begging to be driven down the Cathedral to catch a glimpse of Austen in the bronze.
Winchester’s is not the first wrangling over a celebrity sculpture in recent years: when the sculpture of Mary Wollstonecraft, the greatest feminist thinker of the 18th century, was on show, it was laughed at as a tiny misshapen woman. The bust (半身像) of footballing Cristiano Ronaldo was revealed at Madeira airport in 2017, which some commentators observed looked more like the former F1 star David Coulthard. To his credit, the bust’s creator, Emanuel Santos, defended himself admirably, saying “Even Jesus did not please everyone.”
When Auguste Rodin’s ogreish (妖魔似的) Monument to Balzac went on display in Paris in 1898, it caused such dislike that it was rejected by the very group that had approved it in the first place. Yet by 1969 Kenneth Clark had declared it “the greatest piece of sculpture of the 19th century”. And you can still see it standing in the most visible place in the Musée Rodin’s gardens today. Perhaps there’s a lesson in that for all the maligned (诽谤) sculptors around the world: just wait 70 odd years and things will blow over. Perhaps by the year 2095, Austen, Wollstonecraft and Ronaldo will be standing toe to toe, bringing glory to some greatly-admired galleries. Or, as someone wisely remarks, “time will explain.”
1. Why did the local people worry about building the statue in the Cathedral?A.Because no one likes statues of public figures. |
B.Because it may show disrespect for the creator. |
C.Because Jane Austen didn’t want to be exposed publicly. |
D.Because it may turn the Cathedral into kids’ pleasure ground. |
A.Arguing. | B.Avoiding. | C.Justifying. | D.Interrupting. |
A.By listing statistics. | B.By offering examples. |
C.By giving a definition. | D.By quoting someone’s words. |
A.They are unworthy to be built. |
B.They will possibly be popular in the future. |
C.They will cause people’s hate to the subjects. |
D.They are bound to bring honor to noted galleries. |
4 . Studies have shown the mere exposure effect, also referred to as the familiarity principle: inspires our decisions. It is a helpful psychological mechanism that helps us sustain our energy and focus our attention on other things. Getting used to new things takes effort and it can be exhausting. So unless we have a terrible experience, we are likely to buy from companies we’ve got used to. That is why companies spend so much money on advertising and marketing and why insurance companies openly charge existing customers more than new ones.
It’s not the case that we only desire things we already know. Some studies suggest when invited to share our preferences, we sometimes see less familiar options as more desirable. But when acting on that preference, we fall back to what we know. This might explain why sometimes the things we want and the things we do don’t quite batch on. We might even return to companies that treated us poorly in the past or stay in bad relationships.
It’s easy to paint the familiarity principle as an enemy or something to battle as if it is something that holds us back from living our dreams. But this attitude might be overwhelming because it tends to encourage us toward big-picture thinking, where we imagine that change requires a substantial dramatic swing that we don’t feel ready for. Some articles suggest the solution to familiarity frustration is complete exposure to novelty. While this can appear effective in the short run, we may only end up replacing one problem with another. It also risks overwhelm and burnout.
So what if we can work with the familiarity principle instead? Familiarity is something we can learn to play with and enjoy. It is a setting for creativity and a pathway to expansion. We can push back the zone of familiarity bit by bit. If we think of familiarity as something that can expand, we can consider changing the conditions in and around our lives to make more space for our preferences to take root and grow gently. From here, we will start to make decisions, drawing from an ever-deepening pool at valuable options.
1. What allows insurance companies to charge old customers more?A.The improved service. | B.The advertising cost. |
C.The familiarity principle. | D.The law of the market. |
A.Our preferences affect our decisions. |
B.Familiarity tends to generate disrespect. |
C.The familiarity principle is a double-edged sword. |
D.There can be an inconsistency between desires and actions |
A.Disapproving. | B.Tolerant. | C.Objective. | D.Reserved. |
A.To treat it as an enemy. |
B.To give top priority to it. |
C.To replace it with exposure to novelty. |
D.To gently use it to broaden familiarity zone. |
5 . It’s most people’s nightmare: surviving a plane crash only to be stranded (滞留) in a jungle with no way of contacting the outside world. But this was
The children were
How did these children survive conditions that would be a
While the children got on with the business of
Many around the world have taken their survival to be a
A.chance | B.evidence | C.reality | D.dream |
A.driving | B.flying | C.jogging | D.rushing |
A.saved | B.separated | C.protected | D.discouraged |
A.placed | B.located | C.inspected | D.abandoned |
A.reasonable | B.unique | C.horrible | D.common |
A.raised | B.ignored | C.shaped | D.trapped |
A.delicious | B.nutritious | C.harmless | D.fresh |
A.invented | B.exchanged | C.produced | D.avoided |
A.against | B.beyond | C.around | D.through |
A.wandering | B.surviving | C.escaping | D.exploring |
A.grow | B.adapt | C.operate | D.recover |
A.wonder | B.success | C.challenge | D.magic |
A.permanent | B.ancient | C.advanced | D.inborn |
A.passed over | B.carried off | C.handed down | D.washed away |
A.unexpectedly | B.deliberately | C.traditionally | D.undoubtedly |
6 . Shopping online appeals to the young and the old, but it can also be annoying for there’re too many choices. For example, I need a toy car for my son’s birthday, when searching for one toy car, I’m overwhelmed by several dozens of choices. To scan customer reviews can help get a better sense of products when we can’t judge for ourselves at a physical store. We may check out online recommendations before booking a haircut or visiting a new restaurant. But what happens if some of those reviews can’t be trusted?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it was proposing new measures to crack down (打击) on fake reviews and other practices used to mislead consumers. The commission published a proposed rule that would prohibit companies from writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive reviews, suppressing negative reviews and more.
“Our proposed rule on fake review s shows that we’re using all available means to attack deceptive (欺骗性的) advertising in the digital age,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.
Research shows people overwhelmingly consult online reviews, but humans are also bad at telling which consumer reviews hold water and which are nonsense.
What potentially causes people to worry is that nearly one in every three reviews is fake, according to one estimate.
In arguing for the proposal, the FTC cited enforcement actions it had taken against companies that manipulated (操控) review s of their products.
In 2022, for example, the commission forced the online retailer King Flower to pay $ 4. 2 million to settle accusations that it blocked negative review s from being posted on its website — the first FIC action involving a company’s effort to hide negative reviews.
Comments on the proposed rule have to be received within 60 days of its publication in the Federal Register, after which the FIC will decide whether to issue a revised final version.
1. Why is a proposed rule published by FTC?A.To help provide better products and services. |
B.To ensure true reviews are presented to customers. |
C.To prohibit unfriendly reviews from online stores. |
D.To prevent physical stores from breaking down. |
A.Be reliable. | B.Be official. | C.Be biased. | D.Be misleading. |
A.To delete false reviews of its products. |
B.To post positive reviews on its website. |
C.To resolve accusations of deceptive advertising. |
D.To prevent it from being criticized. |
A.It is well-received. | B.It is still under review. |
C.It is facing challenges. | D.It has proven to be justified. |
7 . Iceberg Water, which is harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland Canada, is achieving new heights of popularity in North America.
Arthur, Von Wiesenberger who carries the title “Water Master”, is one of the few water critics in North America. As a boy, he spent time in the larger cities of Italy, France and Switzerland, where bottled water is consumed daily. Even then, he kept a water journal, noting the brands he liked best. “My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water.” He says.
But is plain tap water all that bad? Not at all. In fact. New York’s tap water for more than a century was called the champagne of tap water and until recently considered among the best in the world in terms of both taste and purity. Similarly, a magazine in England found that tap water from the Thames River tasted better than several leading brands of bottled water that were 400 times more expensive.
Nevertheless, soft-drink companies view bottled water as the next battle-ground for market share — despite the fact that over 25 percent of bottled water comes from tap water: Pepsi Co’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani are both purified tap water rather than spring water.
As diners thirst for leading brands, bottlers and restaurateurs are desperate for the profits. A restaurant’s typical mark-up (加价) on wine is 100 to 150 percent, whereas on bottled water it’s often 300 to 500 percent. But since water is much cheaper than wine, and many of the fancier brands aren’t available in stores, most diners don’t notice or care.
As a result, some restaurants are turning up the pressure to sell bottled water. According to an article in The Street Journal, some of the more shameless methods include placing attractive bottles on the table for a visual sell, listing brands on the menu without prices, and pouring bottled water without even asking the diners if they want it.
Regardless of how it’s sold, the popularity of bottled water taps into our desire for better health. our wish to appear cultivated, and even a longing for lost purity.
1. What is Arthur’s purpose in mentioning his dog in paragraph 2?A.To indicate his own preference for bottled water. |
B.To show the importance of bottled water to dogs. |
C.To clarify the difference between bottled water and tap water. |
D.To exhibit the large consumption of bottled water in big cities. |
A.tap water from the Thames River |
B.famous wines not sold in ordinary stores |
C.PepsiCo’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani |
D.pricey bottled water with very impressive names |
A.Most diners find bottled water affordable. |
B.Competition from the wine industry is fierce. |
C.Bottled water can bring in huge profits. |
D.Bottled water satisfies diners’ desire to be fashionable. |
A.Tap water: why tastes better? | B.Bottled water: why so popular? |
C.A new favorite of. restaurants; bottled water | D.A rising star: tap water |
8 . Many people assume today’s easy long-distance collaboration (合作) should release a flood of creative scientific research—but, strangely, a new study suggests the opposite may be true.
Several reasons have been suggested for an apparent slowdown in new research ideas, but it seems remote collaboration itself may be a limiting factor. For a recent study in Nature, University of Pittsburgh social scientist Lingfei Wu and his colleagues found that teams collaborating remotely produce fewer breakthroughs.
The researchers analyzed 20 million research papers published between 1960 and 2020 and four million patents filed between 1976 and 2020 to assess how “disruptive” they were by analyzing quotations. Highly disruptive studies were those that put earlier work to shame and open new avenues of research; articles that quote them usually don’t also quote earlier studies they build on. Less disruptive studies build on previous work, and articles quoting them typically also quote prior studies.
The researchers found that as the distance between authors’ workplaces increases from zero to at least 600 kilometers, their papers’ being disruptive falls by roughly a quarter. To investigate why, Wu and his team analyzed researchers’ self-reported roles. They found that those working together in person were more likely to focus on conceptual tasks—the kind of work likely to produce new ideas. Researchers collaborating remotely were more likely to do technical work such as data analysis.
The team also found that when researchers were gathering in person, even big differences between individuals’ quotation numbers had little effect on the likelihood of their collaborating on conceptual work. But in remote teams, the chances of researchers jointly producing ideas declined when one had significantly more quotations than the other.
The findings challenge the assumption that merely connecting people online leads to the growth of new ideas. In theory, remote collaboration enables more new combinations of knowledge. However, if new innovation is encouraged, people should be brought together instead of relying on digital infrastructure (基础设施). ”
1. What does the underlined “disruptive” mean in paragraph 3?A.Creative. | B.Destructive. | C.Unique. | D.Representative. |
A.In-person collaboration brings about technical work. |
B.Long-distance collaboration doesn’t benefit new ideas. |
C.Long-distance collaboration is of great importance. |
D.In-person collaboration is better than long-distance one. |
A.online individuals contribute to the discussion |
B.equipment for remote collaboration is available |
C.individuals’ quotations in both sides are equal |
D.researchers’ quotations differ greatly in number |
A.Researchers collaborate remotely to be more creative. |
B.Scientists collaborate better when they are farther apart. |
C.Scientists innovate more while working together in person. |
D.Researchers make breakthroughs with digital infrastructure. |
9 . In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The
How did we
Another cause is our love of disposable (一次性的) products. As
Our appetite for new products also
All around the world, we can see the
Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions
A.key | B.reason | C.project | D.problem |
A.face | B.become | C.observe | D.change |
A.hide | B.control | C.replace | D.withdraw |
A.Thanks to | B.As to | C.Except for | D.Regardless of |
A.sensitive | B.kind | C.brave | D.busy |
A.ways | B.places | C.jobs | D.friends |
A.donate | B.receive | C.produce | D.preserve |
A.adapts | B.returns | C.responds | D.contributes |
A.tired of | B.addicted to | C.worried about | D.ashamed for |
A.newer | B.stronger | C.higher | D.larger |
A.pick up | B.pay for | C.hold onto | D.throw away |
A.advantages | B.purposes | C.functions | D.consequences |
A.show | B.record | C.decrease | D.measure |
A.However | B.Otherwise | C.Therefore | D.Meanwhile |
A.by | B.in favour of | C.after | D.instead of |
10 . Working in undergraduate admissions at Dartmouth College has introduced me to many talented young people through their college applications. The problem is that many remarkable students become indistinguishable from one another, at least on paper. It is incredibly difficult to choose whom to admit.
The greatest surprise I’ve ever come across in my admissions career came from a student who went to a large public school in New England. He was clearly bright, as evidenced by his class rank and teachers’ praise. He had a supportive recommendation from his college headmaster and an impressive list of extracurriculars. Even with these qualifications, he might not have stood out. But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school doorkeeper.
This letter was different. The doorkeeper wrote that he felt it necessary to support this student because of his thoughtfulness. This young man was the only person in the school who knew the names of every member of the cleaning staff. He turned off lights in empty rooms, consistently thanked the hallway monitor each morning and tidied up after his peers even if nobody was watching. This student, the doorkeeper wrote, had a refreshing respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, popularity or influence.
Over 15 years and 30,000 applications in my admissions career, I had never seen a recommendation from a school doorkeeper. It gave us a new lens into a student’s life in the moments when nothing “counted.” That student was admitted by a shared vote of the admissions committee.
Next year there might be a flood of doorkeeper recommendations thanks to this essay. But if it means students will start paying as much attention to the people who clean their classrooms as they do to their principals and teachers, I’m happy to help start that trend. But the story shouldn’t stop there.
1. What mainly leads to the author’s difficulty in choosing whom to admit?A.The growing number of applicants. | B.The limited recruiting guidance. |
C.The varied versions of applications. | D.The overall excellence of applicants. |
A.It provided a new angle into the candidate’s qualities. |
B.It spared the routine elements and worked wonders. |
C.It was written by a doorkeeper without telling the student. |
D.It catered to the author’s inner criteria for college applicants. |
A.Modest and admirable. | B.Intelligent and adventurous. |
C.Kind and thoughtful. | D.Open-minded and outgoing. |
A.Recommend it to friends. | B.Explore further behind it. |
C.Use it as needed. | D.Evaluate its effects. |