专题03 阅读理解 说明文（期中真题汇编）高二英语下学期人教版

专题03 阅读理解 说明文 主题01 人与社会 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·安徽淮北十二中·期中） Living near bars and fast-food restaurants could be harmful to heart health, according to a new research. These kinds of ready-to-eat food environments typically provide unhealthy foods and drinks, and have been related to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, said Lu Qi, a head researcher at Tulane University in New Orleans. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t get enough blood to meet the body’s needs. This study is likely the first to evaluate (评估) the connection between food environment and heart failure with long-term observation. “Most previous researches on the relation between nutrition (营养) and human health have been focused on food quality, neglecting the impact of food environment,” Qi said. “Our present study highlights the importance of accounting for food environment in nutrition researches.” Researchers evaluated the connection using data from more than 500,000 adults in the United Kingdom. They measured participants’ exposure (接触) to three types of food environments — bars, restaurants and fast-food restaurants. Exposure was determined ‘by proximity (living within 1 kilometer) and density (the number of ready-to-eat food stores within 1 kilometer). The study documented nearly 13,000 heart failure cases during a 12-year follow-up period and the results showed that participants with 10 or more ready-to-eat stores near their homes had a 16% greater risk of heart failure than those with no ready-to-eat food environments. Those closest to the bars(less than 500 meters) had a 14% higher risk than those who lived the farthest away (more than 3,000 meters). The researchers noted the findings suggested that creating healthier food environments and improving physical fitness facilities, along with helping more people receive higher levels of education, could reduce the increased risk of heart failure linked to quick-meal options. Overall, the study stresses the importance of improving food environments to prevent heart failure, and the researchers note that more studies are needed, particularly evaluating nutrition unsafety, to make sure of the applicability of this study’s results. 1. What does the underlined word “neglecting” in paragraph 2 mean? A. Questioning. B. Identifying. C. Considering. D. Ignoring. 2. How did the researchers get their research findings according to paragraph 4? A. By making a comparison. B. By explaining a theory. C. By showing an argument. D. By describing a process. 3. What is presented in paragraph 5? A. Possible causes. B. Solving strategies. C. Research results. D. People’s reactions. 4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text? A. Ways Food Is Cooked Really Count B. Single Food Choices Lead to Nutritional Imbalance C. Ready-to-eat Food Surroundings Could Harm Heart Health D. Fast Food Is Increasingly Entering the Consumption Market 【答案】1. D 2. A 3. B 4. C 【解析】 【导语】本文属于说明文。文章介绍了一项关于居住环境与心脏健康关系的科学研究成果，探讨了靠近酒吧和快餐店的生活环境如何可能对心脏健康产生负面影响。 【1题详解】 词句猜测题。 由文章第二段中“Most previous researches on the relation between nutrition (营养) and human health have been focused on food quality (以前关于营养和人类健康关系的大多数研究都集中在食品质量上)”和“the impact of food environment (食物环境的影响)”可知，以前关于营养和人类健康关系的大多数研究都集中在食品质量上，此处应该表示“忽视了食品环境的影响”，neglecting意为“忽视”。A. Questioning提问；B. Identifying识别；C. Considering考虑；D. Ignoring忽略，忽视。故选D。 【2题详解】 推理判断题。 由文章第四段“The study documented nearly 13,000 heart failure cases during a 12-year follow-up period and the results showed that participants with 10 or more ready-to-eat stores near their homes had a 16% greater risk of heart failure than those with no ready-to-eat food environments. Those closest to the bars(less than 500 meters) had a 14% higher risk than those who lived the farthest away (more than 3,000 meters). (这项研究在12年的随访期间记录了近13000例心力衰竭病例，结果显示，在家附近有10家或更多即食食品商店的参与者患心力衰竭的风险比没有即食食品环境的参与者高16%。离酒吧最近（不到500米）的人比住得最远（超过3000米）的人患癌症的风险高14%。)”可知，研究人员通过比较不同参与者与不同类型食物环境的接近程度和密度来得出研究发现，这表明研究方法是通过对比来进行的。故选A。 【3题详解】 主旨大意题。 由文章第五段“The researchers noted the findings suggested that creating healthier food environments and improving physical fitness facilities, along with helping more people receive higher levels of education, could reduce the increased risk of heart failure linked to quick-meal options. (研究人员指出，研究结果表明，创造更健康的饮食环境，改善健身设施，以及帮助更多的人接受更高水平的教育，可以降低与快餐选择相关的心力衰竭风险。)”可知，第五段主要提出了可能的解决策略，包括改善食物环境、提升体育设施条件以及帮助更多人接受更高级别的教育。故选B。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。 通读全文，尤其是根据文章第一段“Living near bars and fast-food restaurants could be harmful to heart health, according to a new research. These kinds of ready-to-eat food environments typically provide unhealthy foods and drinks, and have been related to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, said Lu Qi, a head researcher at Tulane University in New Orleans. (一项新研究表明，住在酒吧和快餐店附近可能对心脏健康有害。新奥尔良杜兰大学首席研究员陆奇说，这种即食食品环境通常提供不健康的食品和饮料，并与心力衰竭等心血管疾病有关。)”可知，文章主要介绍了居住在酒吧和快餐店附近可能对心脏健康有害的研究发现，强调了食物环境对心血管疾病如心力衰竭的影响。因此，最能概括全文的标题是C项“Ready-to-eat Food Surroundings Could Harm Heart Health (即食食品环境可能损害心脏健康)”。故选C。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·福建南安成功中学·期中） The livestreaming and fast delivery industry have attracted so many young people that the industrial sector is short of manpower. “My advice is to encourage more young people to work in the factories and less in the express delivery sector,” Zhang Xinghai, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, said during the ongoing NPC annual session. Zhang wants more young people to work in the factories so that China’s manufacturing (制造业) sector continues to flourish. Whatever job young people do is a matter of choice, but the manufacturing sector is facing a labor crunch (短缺) for too many people prefer jobs in other sectors. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in the third quarter of 2021 found that of 100 jobs that were facing a manpower crunch, 58 were in the manufacturing sector. By 2025, the shortage in 10 key manufacturing industries could be as high as 30 million. It is time some strong measures were taken to attract people back to the factories. This can be done by raising the salaries of factory workers. According to a survey in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, the annual income of express delivery workers in the city is more than 100,000 yuan ($15,831). In contrast, the average monthly salary of those doing blue-collar jobs in Guangdong in 2020 was just 7,108 yuan, or about 84,000 yuan a year. That gap surely needs to be reduced. Besides, the legal rights and interests of those doing blue-collar jobs need to be better protected. Express delivery workers can decide when they want to work, but factory workers have to work whenever the factory demands. Therefore, the authorities should protect factory workers’ rights to weekends, 8-hour working schedules and paid leave. Also, the promotion and salary growth structure of factory workers must be clearly defined. In a nutshell, to lure young people back to the factories, it is necessary to make blue-collar jobs more attractive. 1. What can we infer from Zhang Xinghai’s words? A. The future of the express delivery sector is hopeless. B. Working in factories in China are attractive to young people. C. Most young people are unwilling to work in the manufacturing sector. D. Working as a delivery man is quite easy for young people. 2. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us? A. A lot of jobs in China are facing a labor crunch. B. Employment rate in China will be dramatically increased by 2025. C. There are 10 manufacturing industries facing manpower shortage in total. D. The industrial sector is facing a severe labor shortage. 3. Which is NOT the reason for manpower shortage in factories? A. Flexible working hours. B. Lower incomes. C. Undefined promotion structure. D. Unprotected legal rights. 4. What is the author’s attitude towards the current situation of manufacturing industry? A. Indifferent. B. Concerned. C. Unclear. D. Neutral. 【答案】1. C 2. D 3. A 4. B 【解析】 【导语】本文是说明文。文章主要讲述中国制造业劳动力短缺的现状和原因，应鼓励年轻人去工厂工作。 【1题详解】 推理判断题。根据第一段“My advice is to encourage more young people to work in the factories and less in the express delivery sector”（我的建议是鼓励更多的年轻人到工厂工作，更少的在快递部门工作）、第二段“Zhang wants more young people to work in the factories so that China’s manufacturing (制造业) sector continues to flourish.”（张星海希望更多的年轻人到工厂工作，这样中国的制造业才能继续繁荣。）和第三段“Whatever job young people do is a matter of choice, but the manufacturing sector is facing a labor crunch (短缺) for too many people prefer jobs in other sectors.”（无论年轻人做什么工作都是一个选择问题，但是制造业正面临着劳动力短缺的问题，因为太多的人更喜欢去其他行业的工作。）可知，制造业正面临着劳动力短缺的问题，而第一段张星海说的话正表明中国年轻人越来越不愿意到工厂里去做制造业工作。故选C。 【2题详解】 主旨大意题。根据第四段“A survey conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in the third quarter of 2021 found that of 100 jobs that were facing a manpower crunch, 58 were in the manufacturing sector. By 2025, the shortage in 10 key manufacturing industries could be as high as 30 million.”（人力资源和社会保障部在2021年第三季度进行的一项调查发现，在面临人力短缺的100个就业岗位中，有58个来自制造业。到2025年，10个主要制造业的短缺能高达3000万。）可知，这一段主要讲述制造业正在面临严重的劳动力短缺问题。故选D。 【3题详解】 细节理解题。根据第六段“According to a survey in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, the annual income of express delivery workers in the city is more than 100,000 yuan ($15,831). In contrast, the average monthly salary of those doing blue-collar jobs in Guangdong in 2020 was just 7,108 yuan, or about 84,000 yuan a year. That gap surely needs to be reduced.”（根据广东省省会广州市的一项调查，该市快递员的年收入超过10万元人民币(约合15831美元)。相比之下，2020年广东蓝领工人的平均月薪仅为7108元，约合每年8.4万元。这个差距当然需要缩小）、第七段“Besides, the legal rights and interests of those doing blue-collar jobs need to be better protected. ”（此外，从事蓝领工作的人的合法权益需要更好的保护。）和最后一段“Also, the promotion and salary growth structure of factory workers must be clearly defined.”（此外，必须明确工厂工人的晋升和工资增长结构。）可知，工厂里的蓝领工人们工资较低，合法权益没有得到更好的保护，晋升和工资增长结构不明确。这些是年轻人不愿意到工厂工作的原因，所以选项A不是。故选A。 【4题详解】 推理判断题。根据最后一段“In a nutshell, to lure young people back to the factories, it is necessary to make blue-collar jobs more attractive.”（简而言之，为了吸引年轻人回到工厂，有必要使蓝领工作更具吸引力。）可知，作者对目前制造业的现状是很关心的。故选B。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·福建南平一中·期中） The technology for speech-recognition systems has advanced greatly since its appearance in the1950s. Many voice systems can understand the language when spoken at a normal conversational rate. But even the advanced human-machine interfaces (人机交互) used today are unable to trick the listeners into thinking a computer is a human. Why is this? Simply put, it’s because human beings rely on more than words to convey ideas or interpret messages, such as tones, facial expressions, body movements, and objects in the world around them. One significant recent achievement in the field of talking computers is virtual personal assistants(VPAs) on mobile phones. If you tell a mobile phone VPA that you want to schedule a lunch with a friend, it can set the appointment in your phone in seconds. The VPA can also hold a basic “conversation” and has earned fame for its elementary sense of humour. Still, the humour is preprogrammed and can be triggered only when human users speak certain key words. While the potential for “real” communication between a human and a machine may seem exciting, this possibility concerns some people. Some experts worry about people’s attachment to these machines and fear that the art of successful human-to-human conversation will be undeveloped in younger generations. They worry that people won’t be able to display the right emotion or tone in conversations because they haven’t been practising those skills. Others fear that machines will take over functions that were traditionally performed by humans, such as customer service. Another concern often associated with the development of new technology is the invasion of privacy (侵犯隐私). When people use certain speech-recognition applications, they leave behind an audio track of their speech. When you ask a VPA for directions, your speech is sent and saved to a remote server for processing. This digital trail may lead to data mining, or the collection of large quantities of personal data. For now, however, the continuing evolution of speech-recognition software is worth expecting. Leading companies in the field hope to make human communication with machines as seamless as possible, just like communicating with another human. 1. According to the text, what can a VPA do? A. Entertain users with its original jokes. B. Enable people to regard it as a human. C. Hold preprogrammed conversations. D. Display the right tones in conversations. 2. Which situation reflects the concerns mentioned in the text? A. One VPA service was priced higher for protecting users’ privacy. B. An airline bore high costs for applying VPAs to its online service. C. An app failed to offer the right direction when given spoken instructions. D. Some teenagers became more socially awkward due to the addiction to VPAs. 3. What is the purpose of the text? A. To inform readers of the double-edged quality of a new technology. B. To inspire readers to explore the future of a new technology. C. To promote the application of a new technology. D. To stress the convenience of a new technology. 4. What might be the best title of the text? A. The worries over VPAs. B. Listening to“a real person”. C. The world of technology. D. Talking to technology. 【答案】1. C 2. D 3. A 4. D 【解析】 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要围绕语音识别系统和虚拟个人助手（VPA）展开，讨论了人与机器之间的“真实”交流的可能性及其带来的担忧。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第二段“Still, the humour is preprogrammed and can be triggered only when human users speak certain key words.(尽管如此，幽默是预先编程的，只有当人类用户说出某些关键词时才会被触发。)”可知，VPA可以进行预先编程的对话。故选C。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第三段“Some experts worry about people’s attachment to these machines and fear that the art of successful human-to-human conversation will be undeveloped in younger generations. They worry that people won’t be able to display the right emotion or tone in conversations because they haven’t been practising those skills.(一些专家担心人们对这些机器的依赖，并担心年轻一代不会发展成功的人际交流技巧。他们担心人们在对话中无法表现出正确的情绪或语气，因为他们一直没有练习这些技能。)”可知，文中提到的担忧是人们过于依赖VPA而导致社交技能退化。故选D。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。通读全文可知，文章主要围绕语音识别系统和虚拟个人助手（VPA）展开，讨论了人与机器之间的“真实”交流的可能性及其带来的担忧。由此可知，这篇文章的目的是告知读者一项新技术的双刃剑特性。故选A。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章主要围绕语音识别系统和虚拟个人助手（VPA）展开，讨论了人与机器之间的“真实”交流的可能性及其带来的担忧。选项D“与技术对话”直接概括了文章的核心内容。故选D。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·福建泉州中远学校·期中） When students got their textbooks at the beginning of the year at San Mateo High School, they also received the Yondr pouch Youdr (口袋), a locking device for their phones. The phone slides into it and gets locked through a magnetic (磁力的) device. It’s not unlocked again until the final bell rings. The procedure will repeat every day for the rest of the school year. Adam Gelb, the vice-president, ran a pilot project last year with 20 students and decided to do a school-wide, bell to bell program for this school year. The Yondr pouch is a start-up in San Francisco with a mission to create phone-free spaces, something that is the very thought with Gelb. “I really think it’s about being present and engaging in the adult that’s trying to teach you, and your peers that might be in your small group. That’s part of the main philosophy that we're trying to spread,” he said. Brad Friedman, another teacher at the school, said he was becoming concerned with overuse of phones at school. He said he often saw students completely lost on their phones, some not socializing at all with other students. This week, he’s already seeing the difference. “Everyone else was socializing and eating lunch together. That’s what I wasn’t seeing enough of when phone usage is at its worst,” he said. A senior at San Mateo High School Djelani Phillips-Diop said he definitely panicked at first when he heard he had to lock his phone. “I panicked, I guess. Last year when we had phones, I was using it every day,” he said. In case of emergency, every classroom has the unlocking device. Teachers still have access to their own cellphones and desk phones. “We’ve gotten all 1,700 students unlocked with a matter of minutes,” said Gelb. We spoke to four students who, despite their initial panic, agreed that a phone-free school experience has its benefits. 1. What can we learn about the Yondr pouch from paragraph 1? A. It is a device to lock phones. B. It is a bell to unlock phones. C. It is a device to be used for a year. D. It is a phone intended for students. 2. The Youdr pouch is used more in Gelb’s school to ______________________. A. create space to use phones freely B. help the students to be more outgoing C. encourage more mutual communication among students D. help the students to realize the harm of overuse of phones 3. What is Friedman’s attitude to the use of the Yondr pouch ? A. Concerned. B. Favorable. C. Disapproving. D. Doubtful. 4. What can be learned from the passage? A. The students were willing to have their phones locked at first. B. The phone will get unlocked automatically when there is an emergency C. Students prefer eating lunch together with their phones in hand. D. Some students came to realize the benefits of the phone-free program. 【答案】1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 【解析】 【分析】本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了美国加州的San Mateo High School（圣马特奥市中学）在新学期发放课本的同时也发给学生一个用来锁手机的袋子——the Yondr pouch，以此来限制学生在校过度使用手机，逐渐把学生的注意力从一块手机屏幕转移到更有意义的校园活动和社交上来。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第一段“they also received the Yondr pouch, a locking device for their phones.”可知the Yondr pouch是一个用来锁手机的设备，故选A。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第三段引用副校长（这项创新举措的设计者之一）的原话“I really think it’s about being present and engaging in the adult that’s trying to teach you, and your peers that might be in your small group. That’s part of the main philosophy that we're trying to spread”可知，在学校推广the Yondr pouch的目的是让学生不使用手机，专注于参与老师或小组的活动；第五段也提到，没有手机在手，学生们能相互交流，共进午餐，大家愿意参与校园社交了，情况发生了很大的变化，故选C。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。本题要求判断这位同学对校方这项做法的态度，根据第四、五段可知Brad Friedman看到了使用the Yondr pouch前后学生的变化——很多人从沉溺于手机到积极参与社交，校内氛围好了很多，由此推断出他是满意这种变化的，而四个选项中只有favorable（赞成的、赞许的）符合这种“褒”的态度，故选B。 【4题详解】 推理判断题。根据倒数第三段“We spoke to four students who, despite their initial panic, agreed that a phone-free school experience has its benefits.”可推知有一部分学生从最初的恐慌、抵触逐渐转变，最终意识到“无手机校园”的好处，D项中came to realize the benefits很好地表达出了学生态度有前后变化，且内容契合原文，故选D。 主题02 人与自我 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·广东化州·期中） Do you ever find yourself randomly thinking back to the times we wandered, collecting wildflowers and smiling beneath the sky? That feeling is often referred to as nostalgia (怀旧). Psychologists have defined nostalgia as a self-conscious, social emotion, bittersweet but dominantly positive. It comes from our happy memories and our desire to go back to the past and reconnect with the people we cared about. Often, nostalgia involves sensory stimuli. On some occasions, the smell of autumn leaves might generate a fierce longing for your childhood home. Almost everyone can experience nostalgia, although its object tends to vary throughout life. One survey conducted by the psychologist Krystine Irene Batcho found that younger people felt more nostalgia for pets, toys, and holidays than did older people, who felt it more strongly for music. In contrast to its links to negative emotions, nostalgia doesn’t make us sadder. Rather, nostalgia is a defensive response to unhappiness, one that brings relief from a negative mood. Research from 2006 shows that nostalgia can actually strengthen social ties, improve self-esteem, and uplift our mood. Other studies suggest that it can also enhance our view of life’s meaning, reduce fear of death, boost spirituality, and increase optimism. Scholars remain uncertain about the precise mechanism behind the effectiveness of nostalgia; however, some suggest that reflecting on joyful memories strengthens our sense of self-worth and belonging, particularly during times of loneliness or self-doubt. Its power lets the happiness of the past overcome the current unpleasantness, offering a bit of escape from tough times. To form stronger connections, we can establish traditions around shared past experiences in families, friend groups, and workplaces. Observing special occasions like childhood sports or post-college meetups can give us something to look forward to. Perhaps because it is so powerful and complex, nostalgia has received magical treatment from poets and writers. “The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm (领域), beyond the reach of intellect,” Marcel Proust wrote. 1. Why does the author mention “autumn leaves” in the second paragraph? A. To illustrate the complexity of nostalgia. B. To emphasize the joyful nature of nostalgia. C. To clarify nostalgia’s connection to our senses. D. To stress individual variety of experiencing nostalgia. 2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about? A. The mismatch between two findings. B. The potential benefits of nostalgia. C. The impact of nostalgia on personal mood. D. The mechanisms behind nostalgia’s effects. 3. What does the author suggest us do in paragraph 4? A. Create shared traditions for bonding and joy. B. Record the social gatherings regularly. C. Recognize the unnecessary social gatherings. D. Say no to the concept of escapism. 4. Which of the following is the best title for the text? A. Nostalgia: Why We Should Avoid Reflecting on the Past B. Nostalgia: A Shelter Against the Unhappiness of Our Life C. A Nostalgia Warning: Our Mental Health Being Attacked D. Power of Nostalgia: Struggling for an Irreplaceable Present 【答案】1. C 2. B 3. A 4. B 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要讲述了怀旧的定义、产生原因、影响以及我们应如何利用怀旧来增强社交关系和自我价值感。 【1题详解】 推理判断题。根据文章第二段“Often, nostalgia involves sensory stimuli. On some occasions, the smell of autumn leaves might generate a fierce longing for your childhood home.”（怀旧通常涉及感官刺激。有时候，秋天的树叶的气味可能会引发对你儿时家的强烈思念。）可知，作者提到“秋天的树叶”是为了说明怀旧与我们的感官的联系。故选C。 【2题详解】 主旨大意题。根据文章第三段的内容“In contrast to its links to negative emotions, nostalgia doesn’t make us sadder. Rather, nostalgia is a defensive response to unhappiness, one that brings relief from a negative mood. Research from 2006 shows that nostalgia can actually strengthen social ties, improve self-esteem, and uplift our mood. Other studies suggest that it can also enhance our view of life’s meaning, reduce fear of death, boost spirituality, and increase optimism.”（与它与负面情绪的联系相反，怀旧并不会让我们更悲伤。更确切地说，怀旧是对不快乐的一种防御反应，它能让你从消极情绪中解脱出来。2006年的研究表明，怀旧实际上可以加强社会联系，提高自尊，提升我们的情绪。其他研究表明，它还可以增强我们对生命意义的看法，减少对死亡的恐惧，提升精神，增加乐观情绪。），可以看出这一段主要讲述了怀旧的潜在好处，如增强社交关系、提高自尊、提升我们的心情等。故选B。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。根据文章第四段“To form stronger connections, we can establish traditions around shared past experiences in families, friend groups, and workplaces. Observing special occasions like childhood sports or post-college meetups can give us something to look forward to.”（为了形成更强的联系，我们可以在家庭、朋友圈和工作场所建立围绕共享过去经历的传统。）可推知，作者建议我们创建共享的传统以增强联系和快乐。故选A。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据全文内容以及第四段“Scholars remain uncertain about the precise mechanism behind the effectiveness of nostalgia; however, some suggest that reflecting on joyful memories strengthens our sense of self-worth and belonging, particularly during times of loneliness or self-doubt. Its power lets the happiness of the past overcome the current unpleasantness, offering a bit of escape from tough times.”（学者们仍然不确定怀旧效应背后的确切机制；然而，一些人认为，回忆快乐的记忆可以增强我们的自我价值感和归属感，尤其是在孤独或自我怀疑的时候。它的力量可以让过去的快乐克服当前的不愉快，为艰难时期提供一点逃避。），文章主要讲述了怀旧的定义、产生原因、影响以及我们应如何利用怀旧来增强社交关系和自我价值感，因此B选项“怀旧：我们生活中的避难所”最能概括全文内容。故选B。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·陕西永寿县中学·期中） Beauty sleep is a real thing, researches have shown that people who have enough sleep look more attractive (有魅力的) to others. A few bad nights is enough to make a person look“ especially” more ugly, their sleep experiments show. The researchers asked 25 university students to join in their sleep experiment. They were asked to get a good night’s sleep for two nights. A week later, they were asked to sleep for only four hours every night for two nights in a row. The researchers took make-up free (素颜) photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep. Next, they asked 122 strangers to have a look at the photos and judge them on attractiveness, health, and sleepiness, as well as asking them: “How much would you like to make friends with this person in the picture?” The strangers were good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score was low. The strangers also said they wouldn’t want to socialize with the tired students. The researchers say this is natural for people. An unhealthy-looking face makes people run away. In other words people don’t want to hang around with people who might be ill. Dr. Brewer, an expert at the University of Liverpool said “Judgement of attractiveness is often unconscious, but we all do it, and we are able to judge on even something small like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy. This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us.” 1. When did the researchers take make-up free photos? A. After two nights’ good sleep. B. After two nights’ bad sleep. C. Before the experiment. D. After both two nights’ good sleep and two nights’ bad sleep. 2. The researchers asked the strangers to do the following except_______. A. telling who looked healthier B. telling who didn’t have many friends C. telling who missed a lot of sleep D. telling who was attractive 3. What kind of friends did the strangers like to make? A. The people who were tired. B. The people who were sleepy. C. The people who were unhealthy. D. The people who were attractive and energetic. 4. According to the passage, which of the following is the best title? A. Beauty sleep, More attractive. B. More sleep, More Friends. C. Less sleep, Fewer friends. D. No attractiveness, No friends. 【答案】1. D 2. B 3. D 4. A 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了研究人员通过实验发现，充足的睡眠能让人看起来更有魅力，而睡眠不足则会让人显得更丑。此外，陌生人更愿意与那些看起来健康、有吸引力的人交朋友，而不愿意与那些看起来疲惫或不健康的人交往。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第三段“They were asked to get a good night’s sleep for two nights.(他们被要求连续两晚睡个好觉)”及第四段中的“A week later, they were asked to sleep for only four hours every night for two nights in a row. The researchers took make-up free (素颜) photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep.(一周后，他们被要求连续两个晚上每晚只睡四个小时。研究人员在志愿者睡得好和睡得不好之后都给他们拍了素颜照片)”可知，研究人员在志愿者经历了两个晚上的良好睡眠和两个晚上的睡眠不足后，分别拍摄了他们的素颜照片。故选D。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第四段“Next, they asked 122 strangers to have a look at the photos and judge them on attractiveness, health, and sleepiness, as well as asking them: “How much would you like to make friends with this person in the picture?”(接下来，他们让122名陌生人看照片，从吸引力、健康状况和困倦程度等方面对照片中的人进行评判，并问他们：“你有多想和照片中的人交朋友？”)”可知，研究人员让陌生人根据照片判断志愿者的吸引力、健康状况和睡眠情况，并询问他们是否愿意与照片中的人交朋友，文中并未提到让陌生人判断谁没有很多朋友。故选B。 【3题详解】 细节理解题。根据第五段“The strangers were good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score was low.(这些陌生人很擅长判断他们所注视的人是否疲倦，如果他们很困，他们的吸引力得分就很低)”和第六段中的“An unhealthy-looking face makes people run away.(看起来不健康的脸会让人跑开)”可知，陌生人更愿意与那些看起来健康、有吸引力的人交朋友，而不愿意与那些看起来疲惫或不健康的人交往。故选D。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据第一段“Beauty sleep is a real thing, researches have shown that people who have enough sleep look more attractive (有魅力的) to others.(美容觉是真的，研究表明，睡眠充足的人看起来更有吸引力)”及下文内容可知，文章主要讲述了充足的睡眠能让人看起来更有魅力，而睡眠不足则会让人显得更丑，并且陌生人更愿意与那些看起来健康、有吸引力的人交朋友。由此可知，“Beauty sleep, More attractive(睡美容觉，更有魅力)”最能概括文章的主旨，适合作本文最佳标题。故选A。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·广东东莞七市·期中） Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track. But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew. According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling. To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade. “The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker. Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website. It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes. 1. What did scientists from German universities recently discover? A. Working out is a highly effective way to treat depression. B. The runner’s high could be caused by endocannabinoids. C. Endorphins may contribute to one’s high spirits after running. D. The level of endorphins and endocannabinoids could affect one’s mood. 2. Why did the scientists give mice drugs in their experiment? A. To find what reduces the runner’s high symptoms. B. To see the specific symptoms of the runner’s high. C. To identify what is responsible for the runner’s high. D. To test what influences the level of endocannabinoids released. 3. What does the underlined word “notion” mean? A. Effect. B. Goal. C. Opinion. D. Question 4. What can we know about regular workouts according to the UK’s National Health Service? A. They can help ease depression symptoms. B. They are the best way to treat depression. C. They only work for those with serious depression. D. They can help people completely recover from depression. 【答案】1. B 2. C 3. C 4. A 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了研究表明跑步后人们会感觉很好，其真正的原因可能是内源性大麻素。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第一段“Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.(跑步通常很累，也需要很多艰苦的工作，但没有什么能比得上你在赛道上完成长时间锻炼后的感觉)”以及第三段“According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.(根据德国几所大学的一组科学家最近发表的一项研究，一组称为内源性大麻素的化学物质实际上可能是这种熟悉的极好感觉的原因)”可知，跑步者的兴奋可能是由内源性大麻素引起的。故选B项。 【2题详解】 推理判断题。根据第三段“According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.(根据德国几所大学的一组科学家最近发表的一项研究，一组称为内源性大麻素的化学物质实际上可能是这种熟悉的极好感觉的原因)”以及第四段“Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.(老鼠和人类在运动后都会释放出高水平的内啡肽和内源性大麻素。在转轮上锻炼后，老鼠看起来很开心，很放松，没有表现出焦虑的迹象。但在服用了阻断内啡肽的药物后，老鼠的行为似乎没有改变。然而，当它们的内源性大麻素被另一种药物阻断时，它们跑步者的高症状似乎会消退)”可知，科学家们在实验中给老鼠服用药物，是为了找出使跑步者兴奋的原因。故选C项。 【3题详解】 词句猜测题。根据第五段“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,(人们长期以来认为内啡肽是导致跑步者兴奋的原因，这种notion是错误的。内啡肽可以有效缓解疼痛，但只有在锻炼后你的身体和肌肉感到疼痛时才有效)”可知，内啡肽在人们锻炼后身体和肌肉感到疼痛时才会起作用，说明内啡肽不会导致跑步者兴奋，因此内啡肽会导致跑步者兴奋的观点是错误的，推测划线单词notion表示“观点”，与opinion同义。故选C项。 【4题详解】 细节理解题。根据第六段“Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,(如果你患有抑郁症，定期锻炼可以改善你的情绪，对轻度至中度抑郁症患者尤其有用)”可知，定期锻炼可以帮助缓解抑郁症状。故选A项。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·福建泉州科技中学·期中） Self-confidence is trusting in our abilities or qualities. It’s usually seen as a good thing. But is it possible that we might benefit from a little less confidence in our beliefs? For many years, Dr. Mark Leary, a neuroscientist at Duke University in Durham, N.C. , has studied the role of people’s beliefs in their behavior. He found overconfidence is very common, especially when it comes to what people believe to be true, and can lead us to disastrous decisions. In 1986, NASA believed that the risk of loss for any space flight was roughly 1 in 100,000. It was an overconfident belief and might have led to the explosion of the Challenger. The good news is that there’s a “vaccine (疫苗)” for overconfidence, and that’s what scientists call “intellectual humility”— recognizing that your beliefs could be wrong. A survey of 144 college students to measure their intellectual humility found that students who saw their thinking could be wrong tended to be more curious and more likely to seek out new knowledge. They ended up knowing more at the end of the day. But does it actually help you beyond that? To find out more, Dr. Tenelle Porter at Ball State University conducted a series of studies with high school students. She found that students with intellectual humility were much more likely to test themselves to see whether they really understood the material and seek out potential holes in their understanding. When they got test scores, they’d change their study strategics to improve their performance and master the material for the next test. Students who didn’t see their knowledge could be wrong might instead just sail through their studying and wouldn’t stop to ask themselves if they truly understood what they read, heard, or did. Such students thought they got a subject down pat, but when asked to explain it on a test, they found they didn’t actually understand as much as they had thought. Although it might be good for you, researchers recognize that questioning your beliefs can be truly hard. Still, it’s important to remember that questioning beliefs isn’t always about replacing old ones with new ones. If you find it hard to question a belief, try taking “baby steps.” 1. Why does the author mention the explosion of the Challenger? A. To express his sorrow for the loss. B. To stress the high risk of space flights. C. To show the result of wrong operation. D. To give an example of overconfidence. 2. What do we know about intellectual humility according to Porter’s research? A. It urged students to gain recognition. B. It encouraged students to take exams. C. It helped students to adjust learning methods. D. It motivated students to memorize knowledge. 3. What do the underlined words “got a subject down pat” mean in paragraph 5? A. Fully mastered a subject. B. Put great effort into a subject C. Really enjoyed a subject. D. Benefited a lot from a subject. 4. What will probably be discussed in the following paragraphs? A. Why questioning our belief is hard. B. Why intellectual humility is helpful. C. How to become a confident person. D. How to practice intellectual humility. 【答案】1. D 2. C 3. A 4. D 【解析】 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了科学家的研究，通过具体研究案例，来说明智力谦逊如何帮助人们更好地学习和调整学习策略。 【1题详解】 推理判断题。根据第二段第二至第四句“He found overconfidence is very common, especially when it comes to what people believe to be true, and can lead us to disastrous decisions. In 1986, NASA believed that the risk of loss for any space flight was roughly 1 in 100,000. It was an overconfident belief and might have led to the explosion of the Challenger. (他发现过度自信非常普遍，尤其是在人们认为某件事情正确时，这种过度自信可能会导致灾难性的决策。1986年，NASA认为每次太空飞行发生损失的风险大约是1/100,000。这种过度自信的信念可能引发了“挑战者号”的爆炸)”可知，作者先介绍了科学家发现过度自信可能导致严重后果，之后提及1986年这起灾难。由此推知，提及“挑战者号”爆炸是说明过度自信会导致灾难的一个例子。故选D项。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第四段第二、三句“She found that students with intellectual humility were much more likely to test themselves to see whether they really understood the material and seek out potential holes in their understanding. When they got test scores, they’d change their study strategics to improve their performance and master the material for the next test. (她发现，智力谦逊的学生更有可能去检验自己是否真正理解了学习材料，并寻找自己理解上的漏洞。当他们看到考试成绩时，他们会调整学习策略，以提高学习表现，并掌握好材料为下一次考试做准备)”可知，智力谦逊这种特质会使学生及时反思自己的学习，相应调整学习方法。故选C项。 【3题详解】 词句猜测题。根据第五段第二句“Such students thought they got a subject down pat, but when asked to explain it on a test, they found they didn’t actually understand as much as they had thought. (这些学生以为自己对某个科目got down pat，但在考试中被要求解释时，他们发现自己的理解并没有自己想象的那么多)”可知，学生们在考试之前应是对自己比较自信，认为自己对该相关知识十分了解，或已经全会了，但到考场答题时，才发现自己会的不如原本所认为的那么多。由此可知，got a subject down pat应是“对某科目了解很多”或“对某科目完全掌握”之意。故选A项。 【4题详解】 推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句“The good news is that there’s a “vaccine (疫苗)” for overconfidence, and that’s what scientists call “intellectual humility”— recognizing that your beliefs could be wrong. (好消息是，过度自信有一种“疫苗”，科学家称之为“智力谦逊”——即认识到你的信念可能是错误的)”及全文最后一句“If you find it hard to question a belief, try taking “baby steps.” (如果你觉得很难质疑一种信念，可以尝试迈出“一小步”)”可知，最后一句中所说的“question a belief”即前文所说的“recognizing that your beliefs could be wrong”，也就是第二段最后一句引号中所言的“智力谦逊”。全文最后一句又说，“可以尝试迈出‘一小步’”。由此推知，所谓的“一小步”究竟该怎么做，会在下文进行介绍，即如何练习做到“智力谦虚”。故选D项。 主题03 人与自然 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·广东佛山南海区·期中） For the first time in U.S history, scientists launched an emergency effort this week to rescue critically endangered smalltooth sawfish, which are succumbing (屈服) rapidly to the mysterious fish ailment (疾病) ravaging the Florida Keys. As of early April, 30 sawfish (锯鳐) have died, all of them older teenagers or adults, ranging from 7 to 14 feet in length. There are likely only about 650 breeding females living in Florida, one of only two remaining wild populations left due to overfishing and loss of habitat throughout the Atlantic. “This level of mortality on an endangered species is unprecedented. And therefore, to some degree, this is an unprecedented response,” says Adam Brame, sawfish recovery coordinator for NOAA (国家海洋和大气局) Fisheries, one of the government agencies working with a network of private aquariums and nonprofits to capture the fish and bring them into captivity. A type of ray, the smalltooth sawfish has a flattened body with a large tooth-studded saw, or rostrum. They slash their saw side to side to stir up critters in the seafloor and stun fish, and use it to defend themselves against predators such as sharks.  “It looks like a hedge trimmer (树篱修剪器) on the front, a stingray in the middle and a shark on the back end,” says Brame. “If you put those three things together and have a little cauldron, then poof, out pops a sawfish.” The smalltooth sawfish, which can live 30 years, is also notable for being the first marine fish to receive federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, in 2003. Conservation efforts had been slowly building the sawfish population back up — until now. “The entire U.S. population depends on Florida, which is a lifeboat population,” says Yannis Papastamatiou, a marine biologist and shark expert at Florida International University who is not involved in the rescue initiative. That’s why, he says, such an urgent response is so crucial. “To suddenly start losing all of these animals could be potentially catastrophic and could potentially turn back decades of conservation.”  Since November 2023, a total of 57 fish species in Florida have displayed the spinning behavior, caused by an unknown culprit that is under investigation. 1. What feature can allow sawfish to stun fish? A. Their flattened body shape. B. Their tooth-studded saw or rostrum. C. Their ability to slash their saw side to side. D. Their defense mechanisms against predators. 2. What does the underline sentence suggest? A. The sawfish has a special survival technique. B. The sawfish’s saw is primarily used for hunting. C. The high mortality rate requires an extraordinary conservation effort. D. The government is working with other organizations to save the sawfish. 3. The phrase “unknown culprit” is used to refer to . A. A new fish species B. A person causing harm C. The reason for the spinning behavior D. A fishing method 4. Choose the best title for passage: . A. The Unique Habitats of the Elusive Smalltooth Sawfish B. The Plunge & deliver of the Vulnerable Smalltooth Sawfish C. Florida: The Key to Saving the Smalltooth Sawfish D. The Secret Reasons for the Smalltooth Sawfish’s Decline 【答案】1. B 2. C 3. C 4. B 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了美国科学家紧急救援濒危小齿锯鳐的情况，包括锯鳐现状、特征等，强调了此次救援的紧迫性。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第四段中“A type of ray, the smalltooth sawfish has a flattened body with a large tooth-studded saw, or rostrum. They slash their saw side to side to stir up critters in the seafloor and stun fish, and use it to defend themselves against predators such as sharks. (小齿锯鳐是鳐鱼的一种，它有一个扁平的身体，上面有一个巨大的镶齿锯或喙。它们左右挥动锯齿状的喙来搅动海底的生物并击晕鱼类，还用它来抵御鲨鱼等捕食者)”可知，小齿锯鳐用来击晕鱼类的是它们带齿的锯状喙。故选B项。 【2题详解】 推理判断题。根据第三段中划线句“This level of mortality on an endangered species is unprecedented. And therefore, to some degree, this is an unprecedented response (这种濒危物种的死亡率是前所未有的。因此，在某种程度上，这是一种前所未有的应对措施)”和倒数第二段中划线句“To suddenly start losing all of these animals could be potentially catastrophic and could potentially turn back decades of conservation.(突然开始失去所有这些动物可能是灾难性的，可能会使几十年的保护倒退)”可知，这种濒危物种的死亡率是前所未有的，突然失去所有这些动物的后果很严重，因此，应对这种高死亡率就需要特别的保护措施。故选C项。 【3题详解】 词句猜测题。根据划线短语所在句“Since November 2023, a total of 57 fish species in Florida have displayed the spinning behavior, caused by an unknown culprit that is under investigation. (自2023年11月以来，佛罗里达州共有57种鱼类出现了旋转行为，这是由一个正在调查中的未知因素导致的)”中“that is under investigation”可知，正在调查的是“鱼类出现旋转行为的原因”，所以unknown culprit指的是C项“The reason for the spinning behavior”。故选C项。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据第二段“As of early April, 30 sawfish (锯鳐) have died, all of them older teenagers or adults, ranging from 7 to 14 feet in length. There are likely only about 650 breeding females living in Florida, one of only two remaining wild populations left due to overfishing and loss of habitat throughout the Atlantic. (截至4月初，已有30条锯鳐死亡，它们都是青少年或成年锯鳐，体长从7英尺到14英尺不等。佛罗里达州可能只有大约650条可繁殖的雌性锯鳐，由于整个大西洋的过度捕捞和栖息地丧失，这是仅存的两个野生种群之一)”可知锯鳐数量骤减；又根据第三段“‘This level of mortality on an endangered species is unprecedented. And therefore, to some degree, this is an unprecedented response,’ says Adam Brame, sawfish recovery coordinator for NOAA (国家海洋和大气局) Fisheries, one of the government agencies working with a network of private aquariums and nonprofits to capture the fish and bring them into captivity. (美国国家海洋和大气管理局渔业部门的锯鳐恢复协调员亚当·布雷姆说：‘这种濒危物种的死亡率是前所未有的。因此，在某种程度上，这是一种前所未有的应对措施。’该部门是与私人水族馆网络和非营利组织合作捕捉锯鳐并将它们圈养起来的政府机构之一)”可知科学家们在拯救锯鳐。所以B选项“脆弱小齿锯鳐的骤减与拯救”能概括文章内容，适合做文章标题。故选B项。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·广东广州天河外国语·期中） We all know fresh is best when it comes to food. However, most produce at the store went through weeks of travel and covered hundreds of miles before reaching the table. While farmer’s markets are a solid choice to reduce the journey, Babylon Micro-Farm (BMF) shortens it even more. BMF is an indoor garden system. It can be set up for a family. Additionally, it could serve a larger audience such as a hospital, restaurant or school. The innovative design requires little effort to achieve a reliable weekly supply of fresh greens. Specifically, it’s a farm that relies on new technology. By connecting through the Cloud, BMF is remotely monitored. Also, there is a convenient app that provides growing data in real time. Because the system is automated, it significantly reduces the amount of water needed to grow plants. Rather than watering rows of soil, the system provides just the right amount to each plant. After harvest, users simply replace the plants with a new pre-seeded pod (容器) to get the next growth cycle started. Moreover, having a system in the same building where it’s eaten means zero emissions (排放) from transporting plants from soil to salad. In addition, there’s no need for pesticides and other chemicals that pollute traditional farms and the surrounding environment. BMF employees live out sustainability in their everyday lives. About half of them walk or bike to work. Inside the office, they encourage recycling and waste reduction by limiting garbage cans and avoiding single-use plastic. “We are passionate about reducing waste, carbon and chemicals in our environment,” said a BMF employee. 1. What can be learned about BMF from paragraph 1? A. It guarantees the variety of food. B. It requires day-to-day care. C. It cuts the farm-to-table distance. D. It relies on farmer’s markets. 2. What information does the convenient app offer? A. Real-time weather changes. B. Current condition of the plants. C. Chemical pollutants in the soil. D. Availability of pre-seeded pods. 3. What can be concluded about BMF employees? A. They have a great passion for sports. B. They are devoted to community service. C. They are fond of sharing daily experiences. D. They have a strong environmental awareness. 4. What does the text mainly talk about? A. BMF’s major strengths. B. BMF’s general management. C. BMF’s global influence. D. BMF’s technical standards. 【答案】1. C 2. B 3. D 4. A 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了巴比伦微农场（BMF）的一些主要优势，包括减少食物运输距离、通过云技术远程监控、自动化系统节约水资源、减少化学污染、以及员工的环保生活方式等。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第一段“While farmer’s markets are a solid choice to reduce the journey, Babylon Micro-Farm (BMF) shortens it even more. (虽然农贸市场是减少旅程的可靠选择，但巴比伦微型农场（BMF）甚至缩短了旅程)”可知，巴比伦微型农场（BMF）进一步缩短了从农场到餐桌的距离。故选C。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第三段“Also, there is a convenient app that provides growing data in real time. (此外，还有一个便捷的应用程序，可以实时提供增长数据)”可知，这个便捷的应用程序提供了植物生长的实时数据。故选B。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。根据最后一段“BMF employees live out sustainability in their everyday lives. About half of them walk or bike to work. Inside the office, they encourage recycling and waste reduction by limiting garbage cans and avoiding single-use plastic. “We are passionate about reducing waste, carbon and chemicals in our environment,” said a BMF employee. (BMF员工在日常生活中追求可持续发展。大约一半的人步行或骑自行车上班。在办公室里，他们通过限制垃圾桶和避免一次性塑料来鼓励回收和减少浪费。BMF的一名员工表示：“我们热衷于减少环境中的废物、碳和化学品。”)”可知，BMF员工具有强烈的环保意识。故选D。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据第一段“While farmer’s markets are a solid choice to reduce the journey, Babylon Micro-Farm (BMF) shortens it even more. (虽然农贸市场是减少旅程的可靠选择，但巴比伦微型农场（BMF）甚至缩短了旅程)”、第三段“By connecting through the Cloud, BMF is remotely monitored. Also, there is a convenient app that provides growing data in real time. Because the system is automated, it significantly reduces the amount of water needed to grow plants. Rather than watering rows of soil, the system provides just the right amount to each plant. (通过云连接，对BMF进行远程监控。此外，还有一个方便的应用程序可以实时提供不断增长的数据。由于该系统是自动化的，因此大大减少了种植植物所需的水量。该系统不是给一排排土壤浇水，而是为每株植物提供合适的水量)”以及最后一段“BMF employees live out sustainability in their everyday lives. About half of them walk or bike to work. Inside the office, they encourage recycling and waste reduction by limiting garbage cans and avoiding single-use plastic. “We are passionate about reducing waste, carbon and chemicals in our environment,” said a BMF employee. (BMF员工在日常生活中追求可持续发展。大约一半的人步行或骑自行车上班。在办公室里，他们通过限制垃圾桶和避免一次性塑料来鼓励回收和减少浪费。BMF的一名员工表示：“我们热衷于减少环境中的废物、碳和化学品。”)”可知，文章主要介绍了巴比伦微农场（BMF）的一些主要优势，包括减少食物运输距离、通过云技术远程监控、自动化系统节约水资源、减少化学污染、以及员工的环保生活方式等。故选A。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·浙江杭州西湖区·期中） Astronomers have uncovered the feeding schedule of a supermassive black hole, revealing that it consumes material about every three and a half years. The discovery provides key information about mysterious cosmic (宇宙的) forces, deepening scientists’ understanding of how the universe is formed. Astronomers first noticed the black hole’s activity when the galaxy it resides in experienced a significant increase in brightness in 2018. They identified this as a tidal (潮汐的) disruption (扰乱) event, which occurs when a star is torn apart by the intense gravitational (引力的) forces of a black hole. As the star was pulled apart, its material heated up, producing X-ray and ultraviolet light that was observed by the telescopes. This emission eventually faded, suggesting that the black hole had consumed the matter. However, about two years later, the X-ray and UV light from the galaxy broke up again. This unexpected resurgence (复苏) suggested that the star had only been partially consumed during its first encounter, with more material being taken away as it approached the black hole again. The astronomers learned that the star had moved into a highly extended orbit around the black hole after the first encounter. When it eventually approached again, the galaxy lit up with X-ray and UV light as more of the star’s material was consumed. This discovery allowed the scientists to calculate the star’s orbital period, helping them learn that the black hole consumes material approximately every three and a half years. On these grounds, the team predicts that the black hole’s next encounter with the star will begin between May and August 2025, although it is expected to be smaller, as most of the star has already been destroyed. 1. What is the significance of the discovery of the feeding schedule of a black hole? A. It led to scientists’ discovery of a supermassive black hole. B. It made the formation of the black hole known to scientists. C. It changed scientists’ views about the threat from black holes. D. It broadened scientists’ knowledge of the power of the universe. 2. What made the black hole’s activity discovered? A. The powerful gravitational pull of a black hole. B. The X-ray and UV light released by the star. C. A sudden decrease in the galaxy’s brightness. D. A sharp rise in radio signals from the galaxy. 3. What does the author imply in paragraph 3? A. The star had the ability to recover. B. The black hole had unstable forces. C. The star partly survived the black hole. D. The star shone before being pulled apart. 4. Which of the following statements is true according to the team’s prediction? A. The black hole’s feeding schedule will be changed. B. The next encounter will take place outside the orbit. C. The next encounter will be tinier than the previous one. D. The star will be completely consumed by the black hole. 【答案】1. D 2. B 3. C 4. C 【解析】 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了天文学家发现超大质量黑洞约每三年半吞噬一次物质，通过观测恒星被撕裂释放的射线等，揭示其进食周期，助于理解宇宙形成。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第一段“The discovery provides key information about mysterious cosmic (宇宙的) forces, deepening scientists’ understanding of how the universe is formed. (这一发现为有关神秘宇宙力量的诸多问题提供了关键信息，进一步加深了科学家们对于宇宙形成机制的理解。)”可知，黑洞进食时间表的发现拓展了科学家对宇宙力量的认识。故选D。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第二段“As the star was pulled apart, its material heated up, producing X-ray and ultraviolet light that was observed by the telescopes. (当这颗恒星被撕裂时，其物质温度升高，产生了X射线和紫外线光，这些光被望远镜观测到了。)”可知，该恒星释放出的X射线和紫外线使得黑洞的活动得以被发现。故选B。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。根据第三段“However, about two years later, the X-ray and UV light from the galaxy broke up again. This unexpected resurgence (复苏) suggested that the star had only been partially consumed during its first encounter, with more material being taken away as it approached the black hole again. (然而，大约两年后，来自星系的X射线和紫外线再次分解。这种出乎意料的再度复苏表明，在它首次与黑洞相遇时，该恒星只是被部分吞噬了，而在再次靠近黑洞的过程中，又有更多的物质被吸走了。)”可知，这颗恒星在一定程度上逃过了黑洞的吞噬。故选C。 【4题详解】 细节理解题。根据最后一段“On these grounds, the team predicts that the black hole’s next encounter with the star will begin between May and August 2025, although it is expected to be smaller, as most of the star has already been destroyed. (基于这些情况，研究团队预测，黑洞与这颗恒星的下一次相遇将在2025年5月至8月之间发生，不过预计这次相遇的规模会较小，因为大部分恒星已经遭到破坏。)”可知，C选项“下一次的相遇规模将会小于之前的那次。”正确。故选C。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·四川绵竹中学·期中） Beneath the quiet surface of a forest lies a busy network scientists call the “Wood Wide Web.” Far from being isolated (孤立的) individuals, trees communicate, share resources, and even send warnings through an underground system of fungi (真菌). The key players in this hidden conversation are mycorrhizal fungi (菌根真菌). These thread-like organisms connect tree roots, forming vast networks. Research from the University of British Columbia reveals that up to 90% of land plants depend on these fungi. Through this interdependent relationship, trees exchange nutrients like carbon and nitrogen. Older “mother trees” often act as hubs, sending extra sugars to younger saplings struggling in shaded areas — a phenomenon called “forest family connections.” When under attack, trees release chemical signals. A 2023 study in Nature Ecology & Evolution demonstrate that acacia trees bitten by giraffes produce ethylene (乙烯) gas. Nearby trees pick up these chemical signals from the air within minutes and increase tannin (鞣酸) production, making their leaves bitter and less tasty. Similarly, pine trees attacked by beetles send out warning signals through fungal networks, pushing neighbors to boost defensive resins (树脂). Not all interactions are cooperative. Some plants, like the ghost orchid (兰花), hack the network to steal nutrients om nearby trees without offering anything in return. Other species, such as black walnut trees, release toxins(毒素) to restrain competitors — a strategy called “biological warfare” by ecologists. Understanding this “social network” challenges traditional views of forests. Logging dominant mother trees can collapse entire ecosystems, much like removing servers from the internet. Scientists now advocate for selective cutting practices that preserve fungal networks, ensuring forests’ resilience (适应力) against climate change. As author Peter Wohlleben notes in The Hidden Life of Trees, “Forests are super-organisms with intelligence we’re just beginning to decode.” This silent dialogue beneath our feet reminds us that nature’s deepest conversations often happen without a single word. 1. What method do acacia trees use to warn nearby trees of giraffe feeding? A. Transmitting electrical signals through roots. B. Releasing a warning gas into the air. C. Increasing sugar distribution via fungal networks. D. Producing defensive resins in bark. 2. What does “biological warfare” refer to in paragraph 4? A. Using chemicals to kill insects. B. Fighting for sunlight through height. C. Releasing poisons to contain competitors. D. Stealing nutrients via underground roots. 3. Why should mother trees be preserved according to scientists? A. They maintain ecosystem stability. B. They support younger trees with nutrients. C. They connect the forest’s fungal network. D. They help forests resist climate change. 4. Which title best summarizes the article’s main idea? A. Amazing Tree Growth Speed Records B. New Discoveries About Forest Animals C. Dangerous Chemicals in Forest Plants D. Underground Communication Among Trees 【答案】1. B 2. C 3. A 4. D 【解析】 【导语】这是一篇说明文，主要介绍了森林中被科学家称为“树木网络”的地下真菌网络系统。树木通过这个系统进行交流、共享资源、发送警告等，还存在一些非合作的互动情况，并且说明了母树对于维持生态系统稳定的重要性。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据文章第三段“A 2023 study in Nature Ecology & Evolution demonstrate that acacia trees bitten by giraffes produce ethylene (乙烯) gas. Nearby trees pick up these chemical signals from the air within minutes and increase tannin (鞣酸) production, making their leaves bitter and less tasty(2023年发表在《自然·生态与进化》上的一项研究表明，被长颈鹿啃食的金合欢树会产生乙烯气体。附近的树木会在几分钟内从空气中接收到这些化学信号，并增加鞣酸的产生，使它们的叶子变得更苦且口感变差)”可知，金合欢树被长颈鹿啃食时会产生乙烯气体，附近的树木能在几分钟内从空气中接收到这些化学信号，从而增加鞣酸的产生。所以金合欢树是通过向空气中释放乙烯这种警告气体来提醒附近树木有长颈鹿在进食，故选B。 【2题详解】 词义猜测题。根据文章第四段“Not all interactions are cooperative. Some plants, like the ghost orchid (兰花), hack the network to steal nutrients om nearby trees without offering anything in return. Other species, such as black walnut trees, release toxins (毒素) to restrain competitors(并非所有的互动都是合作性的。有些植物，比如幽灵兰花，会利用网络从附近的树木中窃取养分，却不给予任何回报。其他物种，如黑核桃树，则会释放毒素来抑制竞争对手)” 可知，像黑胡桃树这样的其他物种会释放毒素来抑制竞争对手，可推理出biological warfare指的是释放毒素来抑制竞争对手，故选C。 【3题详解】 细节理解题。根据文章第五段“Logging dominant mother trees can collapse entire ecosystems, much like removing servers from the internet(砍伐占主导地位的母树可能会使整个生态系统崩溃，这就好比从互联网中移除服务器一样)”可知，砍伐占主导地位的母树会使整个生态系统崩溃，就像从互联网上移除服务器一样。这表明母树对于维持生态系统的稳定起着关键作用，所以科学家认为应该保护母树是因为它们能维持生态系统的稳定，故选A。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据第一段“Beneath the quiet surface of a forest lies a busy network scientists call the “Wood Wide Web.” Far from being isolated (孤立的) individuals, trees communicate, share resources, and even send warnings through an underground system of fungi (真菌)(在森林平静的表象之下，隐藏着一个科学家称之为‘伍德广网’的繁忙网络。树木并非孤立的个体，它们通过地下的真菌系统进行交流、共享资源，甚至发送警报)”、第三段“A 2023 study in Nature Ecology & Evolution demonstrate that acacia trees bitten by giraffes produce ethylene (乙烯) gas. Nearby trees pick up these chemical signals from the air within minutes and increase tannin (鞣酸) production, making their leaves bitter and less tasty(2023年发表在《自然·生态与进化》上的一项研究表明，被长颈鹿啃食的金合欢树会产生乙烯气体。附近的树木会在几分钟内从空气中接收到这些化学信号，并增加鞣酸的产生，使它们的叶子变得更苦且口感变差)”、第五段“Logging dominant mother trees can collapse entire ecosystems, much like removing servers from the internet(砍伐占主导地位的母树可能会使整个生态系统崩溃，这就好比从互联网中移除服务器一样)”以及最后一段““Forests are super-organisms with intelligence we’re just beginning to decode.” This silent dialogue beneath our feet reminds us that nature’s deepest conversations often happen without a single word(“森林是超级有机体，其智慧我们才刚刚开始破译。”我们脚下的这种无声对话提醒我们，自然界最深刻的交流往往无需一言半语)”可知，文章开篇就提到森林中存在被称为“树木网络”的地下真菌网络，树木通过它进行交流、共享资源等，接着具体阐述了树木之间的各种互动，包括发出警告、非合作的互动等，整篇文章围绕着树木之间的地下交流展开。D选项“Underground Communication Among Trees(树木之间的地下交流)”准确地概括了本文主题，最适合作为本文标题，故选D。 主题01 人与社会 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·江苏南京十二中·期中） In the risky world of nuclear arms control, Princeton student Lepowsky is exploring how robots can make inspections more accurate and acceptable to host nations worried about invasive (侵入的) traditional methods. His latest research has led to a robot performing inspections without saving sensitive information. “The host nation likely won’t want a human inspector poking their nose around,” said Lepowsky. “But even a robot has memory and sensors acquiring data.” The goal is to have high-confidence inspections without the robot saving information. For example, the robot would not save radiation measurements or create floor plans of sensitive areas. The new prototype (样机) is built on an iRobot Create 3 platform, an educational robot. Robots offer advantages over human inspectors:they can tolerate higher radiation levels, are more consistent, and can be cheaper. They also can be programmed to generate trust, such as not using cameras to avoid seeing unwanted details. The idea for the robot started with Lepowsky’s adviser, Glaser, who was curious about creating a “forgetful robot” that could perform highly accurate nuclear arms inspections but forget everything afterward. This led to an even more interesting idea: “Rather than forgetting, we’re not even remembering in the first place,” Lepowsky said. He believes this feature can reassure hosts concerned about privacy. Lepowsky likes the interdisciplinary nature of his work — drawing on both his robotics and policy expertise — and he likes that it requires a breadth of knowledge, not just depth. He values that his research is grounded in real-life applications for global security and nuclear nonproliferation (防扩散). Predicting when the robot might be used in the field is difficult. “It’s easy to say, today, it’s not very realistic, but you have to be ready for if and when it becomes possible,” said Lepowsky. Research into this problem is very active. Because arms control is changing, the specific objectives of future agreements are hard to predict. “But we can hope they will be positive, and we need to be ready, technically. “ 1. In which aspect is Lepowsky’s robot different from human inspectors? A. Data security. B. Memory capacity. C. Social acceptance. D. User friendliness. 2. What is said about the robot in paragraph 3? A. Its accurate system. B. Its privacy risks. C. Its design mechanism. D. Its operational problems. 3. What does Lepowsky like about his work? A. Scientific research data. B. Real-time technical cooperation. C. In-depth theoretical studies. D. Integrated knowledge across fields. 4. Which would be the best title for this passage? A. Princeton’s “Forgetful” Robots in Global Security B. No-Memory Robots:The Future of Nuclear Checks? C. Nuclear Arms Control:Robots or Human Inspectors? D. Lepowsky’s “Curious” Robots for Radiation Detection 【答案】1. A 2. C 3. D 4. B 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了普林斯顿大学的学生Lepowsky在核军备控制领域的研究，特别是他关于如何利用机器人进行更准确且为主办国所接受的核查工作的探索。 【1题详解】 推理判断题。根据文章第二段““The host nation likely won’t want a human inspector poking their nose around,” said Lepowsky. “But even a robot has memory and sensors acquiring data.” The goal is to have high-confidence inspections without the robot saving information. For example, the robot would not save radiation measurements or create floor plans of sensitive areas.( Lepowsky说：“东道国很可能不希望人类核查员到处窥探。但即便是机器人也有会采集数据的内存和传感器。” 其目标是在机器人不保存信息的情况下进行高可信度的核查。例如，机器人不会保存辐射测量数据，也不会绘制敏感区域的平面图。)”可知，东道国不希望人类核查员到处窥探，而Lepowsky的机器人的目标是在不保存信息，如不保存辐射测量数据、不绘制敏感区域平面图的情况下进行核查。所以Lepowsky的机器人与人类核查员在数据安全方面不同。故选A。 【2题详解】 主旨大意题。在文章第三段中，首先提到“The new prototype (样机) is built on an iRobot Create 3 platform, an educational robot.(这款新的样机是基于教育机器人iRobot Create 3平台制造的。)”说明了机器人的样机是基于一个教育机器人平台搭建的。接着阐述“Robots offer advantages over human inspectors: they can tolerate higher radiation levels, are more consistent, and can be cheaper. They also can be programmed to generate trust, such as not using cameras to avoid seeing unwanted details.(与人类核查员相比，机器人具有一些优势：它们能够承受更高的辐射水平，工作更加稳定一致，而且成本可能更低。它们还可以通过编程来赢得信任，比如不使用摄像头以避免拍摄到不必要的细节。)”介绍了机器人相较于人类核查员的优势，以及为了赢得信任所采用的编程方式，比如不使用摄像头。还提到“The idea for the robot started with Lepowsky’s adviser, Glaser, who was curious about creating a “forgetful robot” that could perform highly accurate nuclear arms inspections but forget everything afterward. This led to an even more interesting idea: “Rather than forgetting, we’re not even remembering in the first place,” Lepowsky said. He believes this feature can reassure hosts concerned about privacy.(关于这款机器人的想法最初来自Lepowsky的导师Glaser，他对制造一个能够进行高度精确的核武器核查、但事后会忘掉一切的“健忘机器人”很感兴趣。这引出了一个更有意思的想法：“我们不是让它事后忘掉，而是从一开始就不记录任何信息。” Lepowsky说。他认为这一特点可以让那些担心隐私问题的东道国放心。)” 讲述了机器人设计理念的起源以及最终确定的“从一开始就不记录信息”这一特色，这些都围绕着机器人的设计机制展开。所以关于第三段中提到的机器人，主要说的是它的设计机制。故选C。 【3题详解】 细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段“Lepowsky likes the interdisciplinary nature of his work — drawing on both his robotics and policy expertise — and he likes that it requires a breadth of knowledge, not just depth. He values that his research is grounded in real-life applications for global security and nuclear nonproliferation(防扩散).( Lepowsky喜欢自己工作的跨学科性质——既利用了他在机器人技术方面的专业知识，也运用了他在政策方面的专长——而且他喜欢这份工作需要广泛的知识，而不仅仅是深度的专业知识。他很看重自己的研究是基于全球安全和核不扩散的现实应用。)”可知，Lepowsky喜欢他工作的跨学科性质，即他的工作需要同时运用到机器人技术和政策方面的专业知识，并且他喜欢这份工作需要广泛的知识，而不仅仅是深度的专业知识。故选D。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据文章内容可知，文章主要围绕莱波夫斯基研发的不会保存敏感信息（即没有记忆）的机器人展开，介绍了该机器人在核武器核查领域的研发背景、优势、设计机制等。文中提到这种机器人能够在不保存信息的情况下进行高可信度的核查，解决了东道国对隐私的担忧，并且探讨了虽然目前难以预测其在实际领域的应用时间，但针对该问题的研究很活跃，未来可能在核核查中发挥作用。选项B“No-Memory Robots: The Future of Nuclear Checks?(无记忆机器人：核核查的未来？)”既突出了机器人“无记忆”的特点，又点明了其与核核查的关系，并且以疑问的形式引发读者思考，符合文章主旨。故选B。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·四川绵阳中学·期中） Today, the widespread ability to use Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services in online retail is transforming how consumers pay for purchases. Rather than relying on traditional payment methods, consumers are increasingly using BNPL services to spread payments across interest-free installments (免息分期付款). In new research, we found that BNPL adoption led to immediate and substantial increases in spending. Consumers who adopted BNPL were more likely to purchase, with purchase probability increasing from 17% to 26%. Furthermore, when adopting consumers made purchases, their basket sizes were 10% larger on average than before the introduction of BNPL. Furthermore, the data also reveals a significant aspect of BNPL’s influence on consumer spending patterns. In subsequent tracking studies, it was observed that these increases in spending were not transitory: They lasted for close to six months, showing that BNPL drives lasting gains rather than short-term rises in consumer spending. To understand how BNPL increases spending, we conducted experiments and found that participants who paid in installments felt less financially constrained (财务受限) than those who paid in full. BNPL’s ability to divide payments into smaller amounts gives consumers a sense of better control over their budget. Smaller payments seemed more manageable, even when larger payments were delayed. Additionally, the smaller amounts made consumers feel the cost was less important, encouraging them to add more items to their purchases. At first glance, BNPL may seem like a win-win for both sellers and consumers. However, our findings suggest that sellers are most likely to see increased spending from financially constrained consumers who rely on credit cards. Given that BNPL can encourage overborrowing and lead to financial pressure, it’s important to be careful about who is offered BNPL and how much they can use. Like a tempting dessert, BNPL can seem appealing short-term but carries risks if overused, leading to a financial “sugar crash”. 1. What do we know about BNPL? A. It boosts consumer spending. B. It involves high-interest fees. C. It raises the price of products. D. It sets up a minimum purchase. 2. What does the underlined word “transitory” in paragraph 3 probably mean? A. Rapid. B. Fixed. C. Temporary. D. Permanent. 3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about? A. Ways of using BNPL services. B. BNPL’s influence on consumers. C. Disadvantages of paying in installments. D. A comparison of different payment methods. 4. Why does the author mention “tempting dessert” in the last paragraph? A. To urge people to stop using BNPL. B. To show the wide application of BNPL. C. To state the benefits of BNPL for sellers. D. To warn people to be cautious about BNPL. 【答案】1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 【解析】 【导语】这是一篇说明文。文章围绕“先买后付（BNPL）”服务展开，介绍其对消费者支出的影响、作用机制及潜在风险。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第二段中“In new research, we found that BNPL adoption led to immediate and substantial increases in spending. (在新的研究中，我们发现BNPL的采用立即导致了支出的显著增加。)” 以及第三段中“They lasted for close to six months, showing that BNPL drives lasting gains rather than short-term rises in consumer spending.(这些支出增长持续了近6个月，表明BNPL推动了消费者支出的持续增长，而非短期增长。)”可知，BNPL会促进消费者支出。故选A。 【2题详解】 词句猜测题。根据第三段中“In subsequent tracking studies, it was observed that these increases in spending were not transitory: They lasted for close to six months, showing that BNPL drives lasting gains rather than short-term rises in consumer spending.(在随后的跟踪研究中，观察到这些支出增长并非transitory：它们持续了近六个月，表明 BNPL 驱动了消费者支出的持续增长，而非短期增长。)”可知，句中not transitory与lasted for close to six months、lasting gains呼应，说明增长不是短期的，因此transitory意为“暂时的”。故选C。 【3题详解】 主旨大意题。根据第四段“To understand how BNPL increases spending, we conducted experiments and found that participants who paid in installments felt less financially constrained (财务受限) than those who paid in full. BNPL’s ability to divide payments into smaller amounts gives consumers a sense of better control over their budget. Smaller payments seemed more manageable, even when larger payments were delayed. Additionally, the smaller amounts made consumers feel the cost was less important, encouraging them to add more items to their purchases.(为了理解 BNPL 如何增加支出，我们进行了实验，发现分期支付的参与者比全额支付的参与者感受到的财务压力更小。BNPL 能够将支付分割成更小的金额，这让消费者对自己的预算有了更好的控制感。即使大额支付被推迟，小额支付似乎也更容易管理。此外，小额支付让消费者觉得成本不那么重要，鼓励他们在购买中添加更多物品。)”可知，本段主要阐述了BNPL对消费者的影响（如减少财务约束感、促进多购物等）。故选B。 【4题详解】 推理判断题。最后一段中“Like a tempting dessert, BNPL can seem appealing short-term but carries risks if overused, leading to a financial ‘sugar crash’.(就像诱人的甜点一样，先买后付短期内可能看起来很有吸引力，但如果过度使用就会带来风险，导致财务上的“糖崩溃”)”，通过“诱人的甜点”类比 BNPL，说明其虽有吸引力但过度使用有风险，目的是警告人们要谨慎使用BNPL。故选D。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·江苏南京十二中·期中） Most people see innovation as a flash of brilliance and Eureka, a new world is born. When Alexander Fleming returned to his lab in 1928, he found a bacteria culture he had grown was infected by fungus (霉菌), killing any colonies it touched. Rather than simply starting over, Fleming switched his focus to the fungus. He identified the bacteria-killing substance, which he called “penicillin”, and seemingly in a single stroke, created the new field of antibiotics. The truth, however, is messier. It wasn’t until 1943 that penicillin came into widespread use. To put Fleming’s discovery in context, consider Ignaz Semmelweis, who pioneered hand washing in maternity wards (产房), significantly reducing childbed fever but receiving scorn instead of fame. That was because in the 1850s, his ideas conflicted with the popular miasma theory, which attributed disease to “bad airs”. After his death in 1865, germ theory was accepted, paving the way for Fleming’s later work. Fleming was a gifted biologist but a poor communicator. When he published his results in 1929, few took notice. In 1935, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain discovered Fleming’s paper, understood its importance, and developed methods to produce penicillin in quantity. By 1943, with World War II raging, the War Production Board enlisted 21 companies to mass-produce penicillin, saving countless lives and ushering in the new age of antibiotics. Fleming, Florey and Chain received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1945. Penicillin owes much of its success to government support. For many other groundbreaking innovations like the Internet and GPS, their innovators, while carving their own path, are often uncertain of where the opportunity lies until they team up with other visionaries and corporations, who might have the resources to fast-track their ideas. So, look at any significant innovation and the myth of the lone genius and the “eureka moment” breaks down. 1. What is the first paragraph mainly about? A. An account of a lab story. B. Redefinition of a traditional view. C. Correction of a popular misconception. D. An analysis of a scientific phenomenon. 2. What is the message conveyed about Fleming’s story? A. Great minds think alike. B. The early bird catches the worm. C. Luck’s got your back when it comes to success. D. Early work is a steppingstone to later breakthroughs. 3. What does the underlined part “ushering in” mean in paragraph 3? A. Delaying. B. Introducing. C. Predicting. D. Transforming. 4. Which of the following can be the best title? A. Great Innovations: Individuals Are True Heroes. B. From Failure to Success: The Story of Penicillin. C. The Lone Genius: Fleming’s Discovery of Penicillin. D. The Long Road to Penicillin: How Innovation Happens. 【答案】1. C 2. D 3. B 4. D 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要通过讲述青霉素的发现、早期未受重视、后续量产推广的过程，结合塞麦尔维斯在产房推行洗手却遭冷遇的例子，揭示重大创新并非是某个天才“灵光一闪”的产物，而是多方面因素共同作用的结果。 【1题详解】 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段“Most people see innovation as a flash of brilliance and Eureka, a new world is born. When Alexander Fleming returned to his lab in 1928, he found a bacteria culture he had grown was infected by fungus (霉菌), killing any colonies it touched. Rather than simply starting over, Fleming switched his focus to the fungus. He identified the bacteria-killing substance, which he called “penicillin”, and seemingly in a single stroke, created the new field of antibiotics. The truth, however, is messier. It wasn’t until 1943 that penicillin came into widespread use. (大多数人将创新视为灵光一现的“尤里卡时刻”（即灵感突现的瞬间），仿佛一声“尤里卡”，新世界便随之诞生。1928年，亚历山大・弗莱明回到实验室时，发现自己培养的细菌培养基被霉菌污染，而霉菌所到之处，细菌菌落均被杀死。他没有简单地从头再来，而是将研究重点转向了这种霉菌。他鉴定出了这种杀菌物质，并将其命名为“青霉素”——看似一蹴而就间，他开创了抗生素这一全新领域。但事实远比这复杂。直到1943年，青霉素才得以广泛应用。)”可知，在第一段中，作者先指出大众对创新的普遍认知，随后通过弗莱明发现青霉素的例子，用“however”转折强调“事实远比这复杂”，即纠正了人们对创新过程的误解。故选C。 【2题详解】 推理判断题。根据文章第三段“Fleming was a gifted biologist but a poor communicator. When he published his results in 1929, few took notice. In 1935, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain discovered Fleming’s paper, understood its importance, and developed methods to produce penicillin in quantity. By 1943, with World War II raging, the War Production Board enlisted 21 companies to mass-produce penicillin, saving countless lives and ushering in the new age of antibiotics. Fleming, Florey and Chain received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1945. (弗莱明是一位天赋异禀的生物学家，但不擅长沟通。1929年，他发表了自己的研究成果，却几乎无人关注。1935年，霍华德・弗洛里和恩斯特・钱恩发现了弗莱明的论文，意识到其重要性，并开发了批量生产青霉素的方法。到1943年，第二次世界大战正如火如荼，美国战争生产委员会召集21家公司大规模生产青霉素，拯救了无数生命，也开创了抗生素的新时代。弗莱明、弗洛里和钱恩于1945年共同获得诺贝尔医学奖。)”可知，弗莱明的成果最初无人关注，直到弗洛里和钱恩发现其论文并推动量产，最终借助政府和企业资源实现突破。由此可推测，弗莱明的初步发现、弗洛里团队的开发，均体现早期成果为后续突破铺路的逻辑。故选D。 【3题详解】 词句猜测题。根据划线单词所在句“By 1943, with World War II raging, the War Production Board enlisted 21 companies to mass-produce penicillin, saving countless lives and ushering in the new age of antibiotics. (到1943年，第二次世界大战正如火如荼，美国战争生产委员会召集21家公司大规模生产青霉素，拯救了无数生命，也……抗生素的新时代。)”可知，青霉素的大规模生产拯救了生命，由此开启了抗生素的新时代。划线单词的意思和“开创、引入”相似。选项B“introducing”意为“引入”，与此相符。故选B。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据文章内容可知，文章通过青霉素的发现与应用过程，揭示了创新并非“灵光一现”，而是依赖前人研究积累、团队协作、资源支持等多方面因素的长期过程。选项D“The Long Road to Penicillin: How Innovation Happens. (青霉素的漫长之路：创新如何发生。)”既涵盖青霉素从发现到应用的漫长过程，又点明文章对创新本质的探讨，契合主旨。故选D。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·浙江杭州学军中学·期中） In February, the CEO of Wendy’s, a popular American fast-food chain, said that they would start experimenting with dynamic pricing. For example, the bacon might cost $7.99 at 7 a.m. when everyone eats breakfast, and $6.99 three hours later when it’s not breakfast time, but also not lunch time either. “Load balancing” is a similar concept in energy and transportation. Utilities (公用事业) charge less for power overnight, and transit (运输) agencies charge higher fares during rush hour to encourage users to shift toward off-peak times, when energy and trains are in less demand. And there is “peak-period pricing” on ride-hailing (打车) platforms, which is meant to quickly stimulate more drivers to start picking up passengers. In an era before the Internet, changing prices was costly, requiring updating signs or applying markdown stickers by hand. As restaurants, retailers, parking garages, gyms, hair salons became more automated, price changes became effortless even at physical stores. It’s easy to understand why companies want to change prices more frequently: to make more money. But does that mean that as dynamic pricing spreads, prices will be higher on average. Senator Sherrod Brown，Democrat of Ohio, posed the question to the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, calling the technique “just another way for corporations to make it harder for consumers to seek out lower prices”. Mr. Powell responded that dynamic pricing lowers prices as well as raises them, and the overall impact on price levels isn’t yet known. When one company dominates the market, dynamic pricing is more likely to raise prices overall. But in a competitive environment, dynamic pricing can also lead to price wars that benefit consumers. 1. Which of the following situations belongs to “dynamic pricing”? A. Lower ticket prices on weekdays. B. Lower room prices for advance booking. C. Higher food prices for non-members. D. Higher products prices for large amounts. 2. Why is “load balancing” employed according to paragraph 2? A. To manage resources. B. To maximize profits. C. To stimulate economy. D. To benefit customers. 3. What is the attitude of Senator Sherrod Brown to dynamic pricing? A. Supportive. B. Critical. C. Objective. D. Indifferent. 4. Which is the best title for the text? A. History of Food price Policies. B. Innovations on Fast Food Menus. C. Great Influence of Dynamic Pricing. D. Dynamic Pricing in Modern Economy. 【答案】1. A 2. A 3. B 4. D 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了现代经济中的动态定价策略及其影响。 【1题详解】 推理判断题。根据第一段中“For example, the bacon might cost $7.99 at 7 a. m. when everyone eats breakfast, and $6.99 three hours later when it’s not breakfast time, but also not lunch time either.(例如，早上7点大家吃早餐时，培根可能卖7.99美元，三小时后，既不是早餐时间，也不是午餐时间，培根可能卖6.99美元)”可知，动态定价是指根据不同时间段或需求情况来调整价格。工作日票价较低属于根据需求情况调整价格，符合动态定价的特点。故选A。 【2题详解】 推理判断题。根据第二段中“Utilities charge less for power overnight, and transit agencies charge higher fares during rush hour to encourage users to shift toward off-peak times, when energy and trains are in less demand.(公用事业公司在夜间电费较低，交通机构在高峰时段收取更高的票价，以鼓励用户在能源和火车需求较少的非高峰时段出行)”可知，“负载平衡”策略的实施是为了管理资源，使资源在不同时间段得到更合理的利用。故选A。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。根据第三段中“Senator Sherrod Brown. Democrat of Ohio, posed the question to the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, calling the technique “just another way for corporations to make it harder for consumers to seek out lower prices”.(俄亥俄州民主党参议员谢罗德·布朗向美联储主席杰罗姆·H·鲍威尔提出了这个问题，称这种定价方式“不过是企业让消费者更难找到低价的又一种手段”)”可知，参议员谢罗德·布朗对动态定价持批评态度，认为这是企业让消费者更难找到低价的又一种手段。故选B。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。通读全文，尤其是第一段中“In February, the CEO of Wendy’s, a popular American fast-food chain, said that they would start experimenting with dynamic pricing.(今年2月，美国热门快餐连锁店Wendy’s的首席执行官表示，他们将开始尝试动态定价)”可知，文章主要介绍了现代经济中的动态定价策略及其影响，故D项“现代经济中的动态定价”概括文章大意，适合作为文章的标题。故选D。 主题02 人与自我 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·陕西西安二十六中·期中） A new study, led by Dr Steven Stagg of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), found the benefits of letter-spacing and coloured overlays (涂层) among a group of dyslexic (诵读困难的) and non-dyslexic children. It discovered that text with increased space between letters provided a benefit for both groups of children. On average, the dyslexia group showed a 13% increase in reading speed, while the comparison group of non-dyslexic children showed a 5% increase in reading speed. The study involved 59 children aged between 11 and 15,32 of whom had dyslexia, with 27 non-dyslexic children forming a control group. The participants were from six UK schools in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and London. Participants read four texts with either standard or extra-large letter-spacing, both with and without a coloured overlay. The children were instructed to read these texts out loud while being recorded. The recordings were used to measure the number of errors they made—specifically missed words, added words, wrong words, and pronunciation—as well as the participants’ reading time. In addition to improving reading speed of children with and without dyslexia, the larger letter-spacing also resulted in a significant reduction in the number of words being missed by the children with dyslexia. Dr Stagg said, “We believe that extra-large letter-spacing reduces what is known as the ‘crowding effect’, which can prevent the recognition of letters and reduce reading speed.” When viewed in the context of previous research, the findings strongly suggest that teaching professionals should be confident that all children will be helped by increased letter-spacing in reading materials. It’s a relatively simple change for teachers to make when they produce handout s and exercises, and children with dyslexia won’t feel singled out by the introduction of specially adapted reading materials, as this change is something that everyone can benefit from. The study showed colored overlays didn’t affect reading speed or error reduction in children. Despite this, Dr. Stagg recommends using them, as they might improve reading stamina (耐力). 1. What does the new study focus on according to Paragraph 1? A. The features of dyslexia. B. The gap in children’s reading ability. C. Ways of examining children’s comprehension. D. Certain factors helping improve children’s reading ability. 2. What did the researchers do during the study? A. They asked children to document the reading material. B. They taught children some reading skills. C. They studied the recordings of children’s reading. D. They observed children’s performances in class. 3. How are children with dyslexic affected by the “crowding effect”? A. They may read materials faster than usual. B. They may make more mistakes when reading. C. They are forced to reflect on themselves more. D. They are willing to spend more time reading. 4. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 5? A. The significance of previous dyslexia children research. B. The necessity of paying attention to children with dyslexia. C. The suggestions and expectations from teaching professionals. D. The practicability and benefits of specially adapted reading materials. 【答案】1. D 2. C 3. B 4. D 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了一项关于调整字母间距和彩色涂层对阅读障碍儿童及普通儿童阅读能力影响的研究。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第一段“A new study, led by Dr Steven Stagg of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), found the benefits of letter-spacing and coloured overlays (涂层) among a group of dyslexic (诵读困难的) and non-dyslexic children. It discovered that text with increased space between letters provided a benefit for both groups of children.(Anglia Ruskin University的Steven Stagg博士领导的一项新研究发现，在一组有阅读困难和非阅读困难的儿童中，字母间距和彩色重叠有好处。研究发现，字母间距增大的文本对两组儿童都有好处。)”可知，这项新研究的重点是帮助提高儿童阅读能力的一些因素。故选D。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第三段“The recordings were used to measure the number of errors they made—specifically missed words, added words, wrong words, and pronunciation—as well as the participants’ reading time.(这些录音被用来测量他们犯的错误的数量——特别是遗漏的单词、增加的单词、错误的单词和发音——以及参与者的阅读时间。)”可知，研究人员在研究过程中研究了儿童阅读的录音。故选C。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。根据第四段“We believe that extra-large letter-spacing reduces what is known as the ‘crowding effect’, which can prevent the recognition of letters and reduce reading speed.(我们认为，过大的字母间距减少了所谓的“拥挤效应”，这可能会阻碍字母的识别并降低阅读速度。)”可推断拥挤效应会导致更多阅读错误。故选B。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据第五段“When viewed in the context of previous research, the findings strongly suggest that teaching professionals should be confident that all children will be helped by increased letter-spacing in reading materials. It’s a relatively simple change for teachers to make when they produce handout s and exercises, and children with dyslexia won’t feel singled out by the introduction of specially adapted reading materials, as this change is something that everyone can benefit from.(在之前的研究背景下，研究结果强烈表明，教学专业人员应该相信，阅读材料中增加字母间距对所有孩子都有帮助。对于老师来说，这是一个相对简单的改变，当他们制作讲义和练习时，有阅读障碍的孩子不会因为引入特别改编的阅读材料而感到被孤立，因为这种改变是每个人都能从中受益的。)”可知，第五段主要讲的是专门改编的阅读材料的可行性与益处。故选D。 Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·江苏南师大附中·期中） The last time my husband and I went out for an elegant restaurant dinner, the server came to our table and began to recite a long list of specials, with detailed descriptions of how the dishes were made and where the ingredients had been sourced. Her recitation went on and on, and as she spoke, I became almost more interested in how she could remember all those descriptions than I was in thinking about the food. Meanwhile, I couldn’t remember where I’d put my keys before we left for the restaurant. The good news is that not remembering where you put your keys is generally not a sign of dementia (老年痴呆). And on the contrary, being able to remember a long list of restaurant specials isn’t necessarily a sign of extraordinary mental ability, either. Memory is far more complicated than the dining out experience could ever show. While most of us are terrified about developing dementia, fewer than 10% of adults aged 65 and older will wind up with dementia such as Alzheimer’s (阿尔茨海默症). “Some memory loss is normal as people age.” says Joel Salinas, a behavioral neurologist. “It’s not the kind of decline that interferes with the ability to live your life.” And, he adds, “There are areas that actually improve with age. Vocabulary is one.” Jessica Zwerling, a director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, compares the effect of aging on memory to kind of like getting traffic on the brain. “It may take longer to find a word; it may come to you later. The speed of processing can go down, but your hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with memory, should be functioning.” And the memories themselves are stored in various sections of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain. “Memory is all these different brain networks working in concert with each other,” says Dr. Salinas. 1. Why does the author mention the dining out experience in the first paragraph? A. To clarify the distinct differences. B. To introduce her awkward situation. C. To teach readers how to recite menus. D. To highlight the complexity of memory. 2. What does the underlined phrase “interferes with” in Paragraph 3 refer to? A. Promote. B. Limit. C. Mix. D. Acquire. 3. What can we know about aged people with memory loss according to the text? A. They act like an Alzheimer’s patient. B. They can’t live a normal life independently. C. They are sure to suffer dementia some day. D. They may recall some forgotten words after a while. 4. What is the last paragraph mainly about? A. The mechanism of memory loss in brain. B. The brain parts in charge of memorizing. C. The procedures of memory experiments. D. The result of losing memory in brain. 【答案】1. D 2. B 3. D 4. A 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章通过作者外出就餐的经历引出话题，探讨了记忆的复杂性，并解释了随着年龄增长出现的正常记忆衰退现象及其与痴呆症的区别。 【1题详解】 推理判断题。根据第一段中“The last time my husband and I went out for an elegant restaurant dinner, the server came to our table and began to recite a long list of specials, with detailed descriptions of how the dishes were made and where the ingredients had been sourced. Her recitation went on and on, and as she spoke, I became almost more interested in how she could remember all those descriptions than I was in thinking about the food. Meanwhile, I couldn’t remember where I’d put my keys before we left for the restaurant.(上次我和丈夫去一家高雅的餐厅吃饭时，服务员走到我们桌边，开始背诵一长串特色菜，详细介绍了菜肴的制作方法和食材的来源。她不停地背诵，在她说话的时候，我对她是如何记住这些描述更感兴趣，而不是想着食物。与此同时，我记不起去餐厅之前把钥匙放在哪里了)”和第二段中“The good news is that not remembering where you put your keys is generally not a sign of dementia. And on the contrary, being able to remember a long list of restaurant specials isn’t necessarily a sign of extraordinary mental ability, either. Memory is far more complicated than the dining out experience could ever show.(好消息是，不记得把钥匙放在哪里通常并不是痴呆的征兆。相反，能够记住一长串餐厅特色菜也不一定是非凡智力的标志。记忆远比外出就餐的经历要复杂得多)”可知，作者提到外出就餐的经历是为了说明能够记住一长串餐厅特色菜不一定是非凡智力的标志，而不记得把钥匙放在哪也并不是痴呆的征兆，由此说明记忆具有复杂性。故选D项。 【2题详解】 词句猜测题。根据第三段中“‘Some memory loss is normal as people age.’ says Joel Salinas, a behavioral neurologist. ‘It’s not the kind of decline that interferes with the ability to live your life.’ (行为神经学家乔尔·萨利纳斯说：“随着人们年龄的增长，一些记忆丧失是正常的。这不是那种会interferes with你生活能力的衰退。”)”可知，随着年龄的增长，记忆丧失是正常现象，结合句中“not the kind of decline”可推知，这种记忆的衰退不会限制人们的生活能力。故划线短语与“Limit”意思相近，意为“限制”。故选B项。 【3题详解】 细节理解题。根据第四段中“Jessica Zwerling, a director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, compares the effect of aging on memory to kind of like getting traffic on the brain. ‘It may take longer to find a word; it may come to you later. The speed of processing can go down, but your hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with memory, should be functioning.’ (阿尔茨海默病卓越研究中心主任杰西卡·茨维林将衰老对记忆的影响比作大脑的交通堵塞。‘可能需要更长时间才能想出一个词；它可能会晚些时候出现在你脑海中。处理速度可能会下降，但你大脑中与记忆最相关的海马体应该在正常运作’)”可知，有记忆减退的老年人可能过一会儿能想起一些遗忘的单词。故选D项。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。根据最后一段中“Jessica Zwerling, a director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, compares the effect of aging on memory to kind of like getting traffic on the brain. ‘It may take longer to find a word; it may come to you later. The speed of processing can go down, but your hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with memory, should be functioning.’ (阿尔茨海默病卓越研究中心主任杰西卡·茨维林将衰老对记忆的影响比作大脑的交通堵塞。‘可能需要更长时间才能想出一个词；它可能会晚些时候出现在你脑海中。处理速度可能会下降，但你大脑中与记忆最相关的海马体应该在正常运作’)”和“Memory is all these different brain networks working in concert with each other (记忆是所有这些不同的大脑网络相互协作的结果)”对大脑中记忆存储和运作的描述可知，本段主要讲的是大脑中记忆减退的机制。故选A项。 Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·山东蒙阴一中·期中） When was the last time you ate and only focused on eating? Many of us eat while working, fiddling with our smartphones or on the go. Distracted eating, as it is termed in scientific literature, coincides with greater flexibility in where we can eat our food and the accessibility of distractions. As a result, “you get this weird blend of different activities. They’re no longer fixed to certain places and times,” said Lotte van Dillen, a professor of social psychology at Leiden University. “You can do everything anywhere at any moment. That’s not good.” When van Dillen and her colleagues conducted studies of large, representative samples of people in the Netherlands, they found a “surprisingly consistent” result: Roughly 70 to 75 percent of the time, people are distracted and doing something else when they eat. Distracted eating could have adverse (不利的) health consequences. Studies show that when we are distracted, we tend to eat more. And when we are done eating, we are more likely to eat again sooner. In turn, regular distracted eating is associated with weight gain. At the same time, distractions prevent us from fully tasting or enjoying what we are eating by disrupting signals in our brain. Despite eating more, “it’s kind of tragic that you’re not enjoying it so much,” van Dillen said. When we eat, our guts (肠道) getting full, a process which takes about 20 minutes. But being distracted makes it harder to release satiety hormones that signal to our brains that we are experience these satiety signals. Distractions add cognitive load to our brains that competes with and reduces our ability to sense not only the amount of food and how full we are getting, but also its taste. In an early experiment from a 2013 study, van Dillen and her colleagues had 42 participants sweeten their own lemonade with sugary syrup to taste. Some were distracted by an easy cognitive task (memorizing a one-digit number), while others had a harder one (memorizing a seven-digit number). Those challenged with the harder mental task added a whopping 50 percent more of the sugary syrup but did not report their drink as sweeter than participants doing the easier mental task. In a follow-up 2023 study published in the journal Appetite, van Dillen and her colleagues put 46 participants in an FMRI brain scanner and fed them sugar water of different sweetness levels through a bundle of tubes. When participants had a more challenging cognitive task, they rated the strong sugar solution as less sweet than when the task was easy. In short, distractions have a “sledgehammer effect” on our senses, van Dillen said. In a 2024 study, van Dillen and her colleagues found evidence that distractions cause otherwise enjoyable activities such as eating a snack, reading a novel or watching TV, to feel less enjoyable that we expected. Feeling underwhelmed, we are more likely to overconsume to make up for this shortfall in enjoyment, engaging in what researchers call “hedonic (快乐的) compensation.” 1. Which of the following behaviors can be considered as “distracted eating”? A. You eat dinner at a fixed place and time. B. You eat snacks while working on your essay. C. You have breakfast in a relaxing environment. D. You have lunch at school without doing anything else. 2. What can we know about “satiety hormones” from paragraph 5? A. They make distractions. B. They stimulate appetite. C. They add cognitive load. D. They send satiety signals. 3. How did van Dillen and her colleagues carry out their experiments? A. By conducting interviews. B. By testing effectiveness. C. By making comparisons. D. By distributing surveys. 4. What can we learn from the studies? A. Distracted eating prompts us to taste more flavors. B. Fully experiencing the food can help us better enjoy it. C. Distractions fail to change how the brain processes taste. D. The food will be tasteless if we choose to do harder work. 【答案】1. B 2. D 3. C 4. B 【解析】 【导语】这是一篇说明文。主要介绍当下很多人存在分心进食的现象，即边吃东西边工作、玩手机或在途中进食，莱顿大学的社会心理学教授Lotte van Dillen认为这种不同活动随意混合且不固定于特定时间地点的模式并不好。van Dillen及其同事对荷兰大量有代表性的人群研究发现，约 70%到75% 的进食时间里人们会分心做其他事。分心进食会带来不良健康后果，如使人进食增多、更易很快再次进食，进而导致体重增加。 【1题详解】 细节理解题。根据第一段中“Many of us eat while working, fiddling with our smartphones or on the go. Distracted eating, as it is termed in scientific literature, coincides with greater flexibility in where we can eat our food and the accessibility of distractions.( 我们中的许多人在工作、摆弄智能手机或外出时吃东西。在科学文献中，这种现象被称为“分心进食”，它与我们选择进食地点的灵活性和受干扰的可能性相吻合。)”可知，边工作边吃东西属于分心进食。B 选项“写论文时吃零食”，符合一边吃东西一边做其他事的分心进食特征。故选B项。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第五段中“But being distracted makes it harder to release satiety hormones that signal to our brains that we are experience these satiety signals.( 但分心会让我们更难释放饱腹感激素，而饱腹感激素会向大脑发出信号，告诉我们正在经历这些饱腹感信号。)” 可知，饱腹感荷尔蒙（satiety hormones）的作用是向大脑发送饱腹感信号。故选D项。 【3题详解】 推理判断题。根据第六段中“Some were distracted by an easy cognitive task (memorizing a one-digit number), while others had a harder one (memorizing a seven-digit number).( 一些人被一个简单的认知任务（记住一个一位数）分散了注意力，而另一些人则被一个更难的任务（记住一个七位数）分散了注意力。)”以及第七段中“When participants had a more challenging cognitive task, they rated the strong sugar solution as less sweet than when the task was easy.( 当参与者面临更具挑战性的认知任务时，他们认为浓糖溶液的甜度不如简单任务时高。)”可知，van Dillen 和她的同事在实验中通过设置不同难度的认知任务，对不同条件下的参与者进行对比，从而得出实验结果。故选C项。 【4题详解】 细节理解题。根据第四段中“At the same time, distractions prevent us from fully tasting or enjoying what we are eating by disrupting signals in our brain. Despite eating more, “it’s kind of tragic that you’re not enjoying it so much,” van Dillen said.( 与此同时，分心会干扰我们大脑中的信号，使我们无法充分品尝或享受我们正在吃的东西。尽管吃得更多了，“但你并没有那么喜欢它，这有点可悲，”van Dillen说。)”可知，分心进食会干扰大脑信号，使我们无法充分品尝和享受食物。反之，充分体验食物能帮助我们更好地享受它。故选B项。 Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·江西玉山一中·期中） Can you imagine getting a tooth pulled out or other major dental procedures without pain-killer? A scientist colleague of mine used a “focus in” technique instead of requesting pain-killer at the dentist. Each time the dentist touched the tooth, my colleague felt bubbles of joy, and this lasted until the dentist interrupted by asking, “Why are you smiling?” A fair question at this point is why anyone would want to be fully aware of intense or painful procedures. But what may sound like a punishing choice—to directly face hurt or suffering—may in some instances be beneficial. A stream of scientific articles suggests that there are benefits in turning toward discomfort or negative emotions with acceptance. In addition, all of us can gain from finding ways to cope with stress and suffering—particularly when larger circumstances are beyond our control. As a researcher who has studied meditation (冥想) for more than 20 years, I believe that the development of calmness, a central element of certain mindfulness meditation practices, can help. I’m not advocating for people to put themselves in dangerous or painful positions. But when we push ourselves into challenging or confusing situations, much like trainers who push athletes just past their comfort zone to make gains, learning often happens. Indeed, a 2022 study with more than 2,000 people demonstrated that those participants who were publicly encouraged to push themselves into awkward, uncomfortable situations—including taking classes to boost self-confidence and reading about opposing viewpoints—later reported the greatest degree of personal growth. My own research indicates that meditation provides an ideal way to practice turning toward discomfort-particularly when it trains up one’s calm mind. People who reported higher levels of calmness reported less psychological distress (困扰). Right now people are hurting for many reasons and looking for ways to cope. Without question, there are many important steps we need to take collectively to respond to these challenges. But we can each build our ability to recover on a personal level as well by cultivating greater acceptance of our experience—good or bad, painful or pleasant—in the present moment. 1. The author uses the first question in Paragraph 1 to________. A. introduce the topic. B. illustrate an argument. C. highlight an opinion. D. promote a pain-killer. 2. What is the benefit of turning towards discomfort and negative emotions? A. It helps in avoiding suffering fully. B. It increases psychological distress. C. It leads to personal growth. D. It promotes a sense of calmness. 3. What is the author’s view on putting oneself in dangerous or painful positions? A. The author encourages it as a way to improve fitness. B. The author discourages it due to its potential harm. C. The author believes it is necessary for personal growth. D. The author recommends it to those confused trainers. 4. What can be a suitable title for the text? A. Turning Towards Discomfort: My Experience of Staying Stressful and Successful B. Expanding Comfort Zones: The Difference Between Discomfort and Calmness C. Mindfulness and Meditation: The Tools for Dealing with Stress and Suffering D. Cultivating Calmness: The Benefits of Mindfulness in Enjoying Dental Operation 【答案】1. A 2. C 3. B 4. C 【解析】 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了正念冥想可以帮助我们应对压力和痛苦。 【1题详解】 推理判断题。根据第一段中“Can you imagine getting a tooth pulled out or other major dental procedures without pain-killer?(你能想象在没有止痛药的情况下拔牙或进行其他主要牙科手术吗？)”和第二段中“A stream of scientific articles suggests that there are benefits in turning toward discomfort or negative emotions with acceptance. In addition, all of us can gain from finding ways to cope with stress and suffering—particularly when larger circumstances are beyond our control. As a researcher who has studied meditation (冥想) for more than 20 years, I believe that the development of calmness, a central element of certain mindfulness meditation practices, can help.(一系列科学文章表明，接受不适或负面情绪是有好处的。此外，我们所有人都可以从找到应对压力和痛苦的方法中获益——特别是当更大的情况超出我们的控制范围时。作为一名研究冥想20多年的研究人员，我相信，作为某些正念冥想练习的核心元素，冷静的发展会有所帮助)”可推知，作者在第一段提出这一问题是为了引出文章主题——正念冥想有助于应对压力和痛苦。故选A。 【2题详解】 细节理解题。根据第二段中“Indeed, a 2022 study with more than 2,000 people demonstrated that those participants who were publicly encouraged to push themselves into awkward,uncomfortable situations—including taking classes to boost self-confidence and reading about opposing viewpoints—later reported the greatest degree of personal growth.(事实上，2022年一项针对2000多人的研究表明，那些被公开鼓励让自己陷入尴尬、不舒服的境地的参与者——包括参加课程来增强自信和阅读相反的观点——后来报告称个人成长程度最高)”可知，面向不适和负面情绪的好处是它会带来个人成长。故选C。 【3题详解】 细节理解题。根据第二段中“I’m not advocating for people to put themselves in dangerous or painful positions. (我并不是提倡人们将自己置于危险或痛苦的境地)”可知，作者并不提倡将自己置于危险或痛苦的境地，因为这会存在危险。故选B。 【4题详解】 主旨大意题。通读全文，尤其是第二段中“A stream of scientific articles suggests that there are benefits in turning toward discomfort or negative emotions with acceptance. In addition, all of us can gain from finding ways to cope with stress and suffering—particularly when larger circumstances are beyond our control. As a researcher who has studied meditation (冥想) for more than 20 years, I believe that the development of calmness, a central element of certain mindfulness meditation practices, can help.(一系列科学文章表明，接受不适或负面情绪是有好处的。此外，我们所有人都可以从找到应对压力和痛苦的方法中获益——特别是当更大的情况超出我们的控制范围时。作为一名研究冥想 20多年的研究人员，我相信，作为某些正念冥想练习的核心元素，冷静的发展会有所帮助)”可知，文章主要介绍了正念冥想可以帮助我们应对压力和痛苦，C项“正念和冥想：应对压力和痛苦的工具”适合作文章标题。故选C。 主题03 人与自然 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·广东广州天河外国语·期中） In 2015, Doc Brown, a “mad scientist”, takes teenager Marty McFly to the future in a flying car. In that future, cars fly through the sky. But now, 10 years after the future shown in the movie, flying cars are still not real. However, flying cars, a popular idea in sci-fi since the early 1900s, might soon become real. According to Xiaosong Du, an assistant professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, the technology to make flying cars already exists. In fact, some companies have even tested prototypes (样机). A flying car would probably look like a mix of an airplane and a helicopter. Since airplanes need runways, a flying car would take off like a helicopter using rotating blades (叶片). After take-off, wings would extend from the car's body, allowing it to fly like an airplane with less air resistance. Another design option is to add propellers (螺旋桨) to the wings. At first, the wings would face upwards to help the propellers lift the vehicle. Once in the air, the wings would tilt to lie flat, making the car fly like an airplane. These designs don't look like the flying cars from sci-fi. Instead, they look like military helicopters, like those in some movies. One big challenge for people traveling in flying cars is expense. A US company plans to sell flying cars that can also drive on roads, but they will cost about $300, 000 each. Most flying cars will be electric due to sustainability concerns, but batteries are heavy and have limited range. Flying cars require a lot of power, especially during take-off. Current batteries can $ 专题03 阅读理解 说明文 主题01 人与社会 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·安徽淮北十二中·期中） Living near bars and fast-food restaurants could be harmful to heart health, according to a new research. These kinds of ready-to-eat food environments typically provide unhealthy foods and drinks, and have been related to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, said Lu Qi, a head researcher at Tulane University in New Orleans. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t get enough blood to meet the body’s needs. This study is likely the first to evaluate (评估) the connection between food environment and heart failure with long-term observation. “Most previous researches on the relation between nutrition (营养) and human health have been focused on food quality, neglecting the impact of food environment,” Qi said. “Our present study highlights the importance of accounting for food environment in nutrition researches.” Researchers evaluated the connection using data from more than 500,000 adults in the United Kingdom. They measured participants’ exposure (接触) to three types of food environments — bars, restaurants and fast-food restaurants. Exposure was determined ‘by proximity (living within 1 kilometer) and density (the number of ready-to-eat food stores within 1 kilometer). The study documented nearly 13,000 heart failure cases during a 12-year follow-up period and the results showed that participants with 10 or more ready-to-eat stores near their homes had a 16% greater risk of heart failure than those with no ready-to-eat food environments. Those closest to the bars(less than 500 meters) had a 14% higher risk than those who lived the farthest away (more than 3,000 meters). The researchers noted the findings suggested that creating healthier food environments and improving physical fitness facilities, along with helping more people receive higher levels of education, could reduce the increased risk of heart failure linked to quick-meal options. Overall, the study stresses the importance of improving food environments to prevent heart failure, and the researchers note that more studies are needed, particularly evaluating nutrition unsafety, to make sure of the applicability of this study’s results. 1. What does the underlined word “neglecting” in paragraph 2 mean? A. Questioning. B. Identifying. C. Considering. D. Ignoring. 2. How did the researchers get their research findings according to paragraph 4? A. By making a comparison. B. By explaining a theory. C. By showing an argument. D. By describing a process. 3. What is presented in paragraph 5? A. Possible causes. B. Solving strategies. C. Research results. D. People’s reactions. 4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text? A. Ways Food Is Cooked Really Count B. Single Food Choices Lead to Nutritional Imbalance C. Ready-to-eat Food Surroundings Could Harm Heart Health D. Fast Food Is Increasingly Entering the Consumption Market Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·福建南安成功中学·期中） The livestreaming and fast delivery industry have attracted so many young people that the industrial sector is short of manpower. “My advice is to encourage more young people to work in the factories and less in the express delivery sector,” Zhang Xinghai, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, said during the ongoing NPC annual session. Zhang wants more young people to work in the factories so that China’s manufacturing (制造业) sector continues to flourish. Whatever job young people do is a matter of choice, but the manufacturing sector is facing a labor crunch (短缺) for too many people prefer jobs in other sectors. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in the third quarter of 2021 found that of 100 jobs that were facing a manpower crunch, 58 were in the manufacturing sector. By 2025, the shortage in 10 key manufacturing industries could be as high as 30 million. It is time some strong measures were taken to attract people back to the factories. This can be done by raising the salaries of factory workers. According to a survey in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, the annual income of express delivery workers in the city is more than 100,000 yuan ($15,831). In contrast, the average monthly salary of those doing blue-collar jobs in Guangdong in 2020 was just 7,108 yuan, or about 84,000 yuan a year. That gap surely needs to be reduced. Besides, the legal rights and interests of those doing blue-collar jobs need to be better protected. Express delivery workers can decide when they want to work, but factory workers have to work whenever the factory demands. Therefore, the authorities should protect factory workers’ rights to weekends, 8-hour working schedules and paid leave. Also, the promotion and salary growth structure of factory workers must be clearly defined. In a nutshell, to lure young people back to the factories, it is necessary to make blue-collar jobs more attractive. 1. What can we infer from Zhang Xinghai’s words? A. The future of the express delivery sector is hopeless. B. Working in factories in China are attractive to young people. C. Most young people are unwilling to work in the manufacturing sector. D. Working as a delivery man is quite easy for young people. 2. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us? A. A lot of jobs in China are facing a labor crunch. B. Employment rate in China will be dramatically increased by 2025. C. There are 10 manufacturing industries facing manpower shortage in total. D. The industrial sector is facing a severe labor shortage. 3. Which is NOT the reason for manpower shortage in factories? A. Flexible working hours. B. Lower incomes. C. Undefined promotion structure. D. Unprotected legal rights. 4. What is the author’s attitude towards the current situation of manufacturing industry? A. Indifferent. B. Concerned. C. Unclear. D. Neutral. Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·福建南平一中·期中） The technology for speech-recognition systems has advanced greatly since its appearance in the1950s. Many voice systems can understand the language when spoken at a normal conversational rate. But even the advanced human-machine interfaces (人机交互) used today are unable to trick the listeners into thinking a computer is a human. Why is this? Simply put, it’s because human beings rely on more than words to convey ideas or interpret messages, such as tones, facial expressions, body movements, and objects in the world around them. One significant recent achievement in the field of talking computers is virtual personal assistants(VPAs) on mobile phones. If you tell a mobile phone VPA that you want to schedule a lunch with a friend, it can set the appointment in your phone in seconds. The VPA can also hold a basic “conversation” and has earned fame for its elementary sense of humour. Still, the humour is preprogrammed and can be triggered only when human users speak certain key words. While the potential for “real” communication between a human and a machine may seem exciting, this possibility concerns some people. Some experts worry about people’s attachment to these machines and fear that the art of successful human-to-human conversation will be undeveloped in younger generations. They worry that people won’t be able to display the right emotion or tone in conversations because they haven’t been practising those skills. Others fear that machines will take over functions that were traditionally performed by humans, such as customer service. Another concern often associated with the development of new technology is the invasion of privacy (侵犯隐私). When people use certain speech-recognition applications, they leave behind an audio track of their speech. When you ask a VPA for directions, your speech is sent and saved to a remote server for processing. This digital trail may lead to data mining, or the collection of large quantities of personal data. For now, however, the continuing evolution of speech-recognition software is worth expecting. Leading companies in the field hope to make human communication with machines as seamless as possible, just like communicating with another human. 1. According to the text, what can a VPA do? A. Entertain users with its original jokes. B. Enable people to regard it as a human. C. Hold preprogrammed conversations. D. Display the right tones in conversations. 2. Which situation reflects the concerns mentioned in the text? A. One VPA service was priced higher for protecting users’ privacy. B. An airline bore high costs for applying VPAs to its online service. C. An app failed to offer the right direction when given spoken instructions. D. Some teenagers became more socially awkward due to the addiction to VPAs. 3. What is the purpose of the text? A. To inform readers of the double-edged quality of a new technology. B. To inspire readers to explore the future of a new technology. C. To promote the application of a new technology. D. To stress the convenience of a new technology. 4. What might be the best title of the text? A. The worries over VPAs. B. Listening to“a real person”. C. The world of technology. D. Talking to technology. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·福建泉州中远学校·期中） When students got their textbooks at the beginning of the year at San Mateo High School, they also received the Yondr pouch Youdr (口袋), a locking device for their phones. The phone slides into it and gets locked through a magnetic (磁力的) device. It’s not unlocked again until the final bell rings. The procedure will repeat every day for the rest of the school year. Adam Gelb, the vice-president, ran a pilot project last year with 20 students and decided to do a school-wide, bell to bell program for this school year. The Yondr pouch is a start-up in San Francisco with a mission to create phone-free spaces, something that is the very thought with Gelb. “I really think it’s about being present and engaging in the adult that’s trying to teach you, and your peers that might be in your small group. That’s part of the main philosophy that we're trying to spread,” he said. Brad Friedman, another teacher at the school, said he was becoming concerned with overuse of phones at school. He said he often saw students completely lost on their phones, some not socializing at all with other students. This week, he’s already seeing the difference. “Everyone else was socializing and eating lunch together. That’s what I wasn’t seeing enough of when phone usage is at its worst,” he said. A senior at San Mateo High School Djelani Phillips-Diop said he definitely panicked at first when he heard he had to lock his phone. “I panicked, I guess. Last year when we had phones, I was using it every day,” he said. In case of emergency, every classroom has the unlocking device. Teachers still have access to their own cellphones and desk phones. “We’ve gotten all 1,700 students unlocked with a matter of minutes,” said Gelb. We spoke to four students who, despite their initial panic, agreed that a phone-free school experience has its benefits. 1. What can we learn about the Yondr pouch from paragraph 1? A. It is a device to lock phones. B. It is a bell to unlock phones. C. It is a device to be used for a year. D. It is a phone intended for students. 2. The Youdr pouch is used more in Gelb’s school to ______________________. A. create space to use phones freely B. help the students to be more outgoing C. encourage more mutual communication among students D. help the students to realize the harm of overuse of phones 3. What is Friedman’s attitude to the use of the Yondr pouch ? A. Concerned. B. Favorable. C. Disapproving. D. Doubtful. 4. What can be learned from the passage? A. The students were willing to have their phones locked at first. B. The phone will get unlocked automatically when there is an emergency C. Students prefer eating lunch together with their phones in hand. D. Some students came to realize the benefits of the phone-free program. 主题02 人与自我 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·广东化州·期中） Do you ever find yourself randomly thinking back to the times we wandered, collecting wildflowers and smiling beneath the sky? That feeling is often referred to as nostalgia (怀旧). Psychologists have defined nostalgia as a self-conscious, social emotion, bittersweet but dominantly positive. It comes from our happy memories and our desire to go back to the past and reconnect with the people we cared about. Often, nostalgia involves sensory stimuli. On some occasions, the smell of autumn leaves might generate a fierce longing for your childhood home. Almost everyone can experience nostalgia, although its object tends to vary throughout life. One survey conducted by the psychologist Krystine Irene Batcho found that younger people felt more nostalgia for pets, toys, and holidays than did older people, who felt it more strongly for music. In contrast to its links to negative emotions, nostalgia doesn’t make us sadder. Rather, nostalgia is a defensive response to unhappiness, one that brings relief from a negative mood. Research from 2006 shows that nostalgia can actually strengthen social ties, improve self-esteem, and uplift our mood. Other studies suggest that it can also enhance our view of life’s meaning, reduce fear of death, boost spirituality, and increase optimism. Scholars remain uncertain about the precise mechanism behind the effectiveness of nostalgia; however, some suggest that reflecting on joyful memories strengthens our sense of self-worth and belonging, particularly during times of loneliness or self-doubt. Its power lets the happiness of the past overcome the current unpleasantness, offering a bit of escape from tough times. To form stronger connections, we can establish traditions around shared past experiences in families, friend groups, and workplaces. Observing special occasions like childhood sports or post-college meetups can give us something to look forward to. Perhaps because it is so powerful and complex, nostalgia has received magical treatment from poets and writers. “The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm (领域), beyond the reach of intellect,” Marcel Proust wrote. 1. Why does the author mention “autumn leaves” in the second paragraph? A. To illustrate the complexity of nostalgia. B. To emphasize the joyful nature of nostalgia. C. To clarify nostalgia’s connection to our senses. D. To stress individual variety of experiencing nostalgia. 2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about? A. The mismatch between two findings. B. The potential benefits of nostalgia. C. The impact of nostalgia on personal mood. D. The mechanisms behind nostalgia’s effects. 3. What does the author suggest us do in paragraph 4? A. Create shared traditions for bonding and joy. B. Record the social gatherings regularly. C. Recognize the unnecessary social gatherings. D. Say no to the concept of escapism. 4. Which of the following is the best title for the text? A. Nostalgia: Why We Should Avoid Reflecting on the Past B. Nostalgia: A Shelter Against the Unhappiness of Our Life C. A Nostalgia Warning: Our Mental Health Being Attacked D. Power of Nostalgia: Struggling for an Irreplaceable Present Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·陕西永寿县中学·期中） Beauty sleep is a real thing, researches have shown that people who have enough sleep look more attractive (有魅力的) to others. A few bad nights is enough to make a person look“ especially” more ugly, their sleep experiments show. The researchers asked 25 university students to join in their sleep experiment. They were asked to get a good night’s sleep for two nights. A week later, they were asked to sleep for only four hours every night for two nights in a row. The researchers took make-up free (素颜) photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep. Next, they asked 122 strangers to have a look at the photos and judge them on attractiveness, health, and sleepiness, as well as asking them: “How much would you like to make friends with this person in the picture?” The strangers were good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score was low. The strangers also said they wouldn’t want to socialize with the tired students. The researchers say this is natural for people. An unhealthy-looking face makes people run away. In other words people don’t want to hang around with people who might be ill. Dr. Brewer, an expert at the University of Liverpool said “Judgement of attractiveness is often unconscious, but we all do it, and we are able to judge on even something small like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy. This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us.” 1. When did the researchers take make-up free photos? A. After two nights’ good sleep. B. After two nights’ bad sleep. C. Before the experiment. D. After both two nights’ good sleep and two nights’ bad sleep. 2. The researchers asked the strangers to do the following except_______. A. telling who looked healthier B. telling who didn’t have many friends C. telling who missed a lot of sleep D. telling who was attractive 3. What kind of friends did the strangers like to make? A. The people who were tired. B. The people who were sleepy. C. The people who were unhealthy. D. The people who were attractive and energetic. 4. According to the passage, which of the following is the best title? A. Beauty sleep, More attractive. B. More sleep, More Friends. C. Less sleep, Fewer friends. D. No attractiveness, No friends. Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·广东东莞七市·期中） Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track. But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew. According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling. To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade. “The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker. Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website. It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes. 1. What did scientists from German universities recently discover? A. Working out is a highly effective way to treat depression. B. The runner’s high could be caused by endocannabinoids. C. Endorphins may contribute to one’s high spirits after running. D. The level of endorphins and endocannabinoids could affect one’s mood. 2. Why did the scientists give mice drugs in their experiment? A. To find what reduces the runner’s high symptoms. B. To see the specific symptoms of the runner’s high. C. To identify what is responsible for the runner’s high. D. To test what influences the level of endocannabinoids released. 3. What does the underlined word “notion” mean? A. Effect. B. Goal. C. Opinion. D. Question 4. What can we know about regular workouts according to the UK’s National Health Service? A. They can help ease depression symptoms. B. They are the best way to treat depression. C. They only work for those with serious depression. D. They can help people completely recover from depression. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·福建泉州科技中学·期中） Self-confidence is trusting in our abilities or qualities. It’s usually seen as a good thing. But is it possible that we might benefit from a little less confidence in our beliefs? For many years, Dr. Mark Leary, a neuroscientist at Duke University in Durham, N.C. , has studied the role of people’s beliefs in their behavior. He found overconfidence is very common, especially when it comes to what people believe to be true, and can lead us to disastrous decisions. In 1986, NASA believed that the risk of loss for any space flight was roughly 1 in 100,000. It was an overconfident belief and might have led to the explosion of the Challenger. The good news is that there’s a “vaccine (疫苗)” for overconfidence, and that’s what scientists call “intellectual humility”— recognizing that your beliefs could be wrong. A survey of 144 college students to measure their intellectual humility found that students who saw their thinking could be wrong tended to be more curious and more likely to seek out new knowledge. They ended up knowing more at the end of the day. But does it actually help you beyond that? To find out more, Dr. Tenelle Porter at Ball State University conducted a series of studies with high school students. She found that students with intellectual humility were much more likely to test themselves to see whether they really understood the material and seek out potential holes in their understanding. When they got test scores, they’d change their study strategics to improve their performance and master the material for the next test. Students who didn’t see their knowledge could be wrong might instead just sail through their studying and wouldn’t stop to ask themselves if they truly understood what they read, heard, or did. Such students thought they got a subject down pat, but when asked to explain it on a test, they found they didn’t actually understand as much as they had thought. Although it might be good for you, researchers recognize that questioning your beliefs can be truly hard. Still, it’s important to remember that questioning beliefs isn’t always about replacing old ones with new ones. If you find it hard to question a belief, try taking “baby steps.” 1. Why does the author mention the explosion of the Challenger? A. To express his sorrow for the loss. B. To stress the high risk of space flights. C. To show the result of wrong operation. D. To give an example of overconfidence. 2. What do we know about intellectual humility according to Porter’s research? A. It urged students to gain recognition. B. It encouraged students to take exams. C. It helped students to adjust learning methods. D. It motivated students to memorize knowledge. 3. What do the underlined words “got a subject down pat” mean in paragraph 5? A. Fully mastered a subject. B. Put great effort into a subject C. Really enjoyed a subject. D. Benefited a lot from a subject. 4. What will probably be discussed in the following paragraphs? A. Why questioning our belief is hard. B. Why intellectual humility is helpful. C. How to become a confident person. D. How to practice intellectual humility. 主题03 人与自然 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·广东佛山南海区·期中） For the first time in U.S history, scientists launched an emergency effort this week to rescue critically endangered smalltooth sawfish, which are succumbing (屈服) rapidly to the mysterious fish ailment (疾病) ravaging the Florida Keys. As of early April, 30 sawfish (锯鳐) have died, all of them older teenagers or adults, ranging from 7 to 14 feet in length. There are likely only about 650 breeding females living in Florida, one of only two remaining wild populations left due to overfishing and loss of habitat throughout the Atlantic. “This level of mortality on an endangered species is unprecedented. And therefore, to some degree, this is an unprecedented response,” says Adam Brame, sawfish recovery coordinator for NOAA (国家海洋和大气局) Fisheries, one of the government agencies working with a network of private aquariums and nonprofits to capture the fish and bring them into captivity. A type of ray, the smalltooth sawfish has a flattened body with a large tooth-studded saw, or rostrum. They slash their saw side to side to stir up critters in the seafloor and stun fish, and use it to defend themselves against predators such as sharks.  “It looks like a hedge trimmer (树篱修剪器) on the front, a stingray in the middle and a shark on the back end,” says Brame. “If you put those three things together and have a little cauldron, then poof, out pops a sawfish.” The smalltooth sawfish, which can live 30 years, is also notable for being the first marine fish to receive federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, in 2003. Conservation efforts had been slowly building the sawfish population back up — until now. “The entire U.S. population depends on Florida, which is a lifeboat population,” says Yannis Papastamatiou, a marine biologist and shark expert at Florida International University who is not involved in the rescue initiative. That’s why, he says, such an urgent response is so crucial. “To suddenly start losing all of these animals could be potentially catastrophic and could potentially turn back decades of conservation.”  Since November 2023, a total of 57 fish species in Florida have displayed the spinning behavior, caused by an unknown culprit that is under investigation. 1. What feature can allow sawfish to stun fish? A. Their flattened body shape. B. Their tooth-studded saw or rostrum. C. Their ability to slash their saw side to side. D. Their defense mechanisms against predators. 2. What does the underline sentence suggest? A. The sawfish has a special survival technique. B. The sawfish’s saw is primarily used for hunting. C. The high mortality rate requires an extraordinary conservation effort. D. The government is working with other organizations to save the sawfish. 3. The phrase “unknown culprit” is used to refer to . A. A new fish species B. A person causing harm C. The reason for the spinning behavior D. A fishing method 4. Choose the best title for passage: . A. The Unique Habitats of the Elusive Smalltooth Sawfish B. The Plunge & deliver of the Vulnerable Smalltooth Sawfish C. Florida: The Key to Saving the Smalltooth Sawfish D. The Secret Reasons for the Smalltooth Sawfish’s Decline Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·广东广州天河外国语·期中） We all know fresh is best when it comes to food. However, most produce at the store went through weeks of travel and covered hundreds of miles before reaching the table. While farmer’s markets are a solid choice to reduce the journey, Babylon Micro-Farm (BMF) shortens it even more. BMF is an indoor garden system. It can be set up for a family. Additionally, it could serve a larger audience such as a hospital, restaurant or school. The innovative design requires little effort to achieve a reliable weekly supply of fresh greens. Specifically, it’s a farm that relies on new technology. By connecting through the Cloud, BMF is remotely monitored. Also, there is a convenient app that provides growing data in real time. Because the system is automated, it significantly reduces the amount of water needed to grow plants. Rather than watering rows of soil, the system provides just the right amount to each plant. After harvest, users simply replace the plants with a new pre-seeded pod (容器) to get the next growth cycle started. Moreover, having a system in the same building where it’s eaten means zero emissions (排放) from transporting plants from soil to salad. In addition, there’s no need for pesticides and other chemicals that pollute traditional farms and the surrounding environment. BMF employees live out sustainability in their everyday lives. About half of them walk or bike to work. Inside the office, they encourage recycling and waste reduction by limiting garbage cans and avoiding single-use plastic. “We are passionate about reducing waste, carbon and chemicals in our environment,” said a BMF employee. 1. What can be learned about BMF from paragraph 1? A. It guarantees the variety of food. B. It requires day-to-day care. C. It cuts the farm-to-table distance. D. It relies on farmer’s markets. 2. What information does the convenient app offer? A. Real-time weather changes. B. Current condition of the plants. C. Chemical pollutants in the soil. D. Availability of pre-seeded pods. 3. What can be concluded about BMF employees? A. They have a great passion for sports. B. They are devoted to community service. C. They are fond of sharing daily experiences. D. They have a strong environmental awareness. 4. What does the text mainly talk about? A. BMF’s major strengths. B. BMF’s general management. C. BMF’s global influence. D. BMF’s technical standards. Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·浙江杭州西湖区·期中） Astronomers have uncovered the feeding schedule of a supermassive black hole, revealing that it consumes material about every three and a half years. The discovery provides key information about mysterious cosmic (宇宙的) forces, deepening scientists’ understanding of how the universe is formed. Astronomers first noticed the black hole’s activity when the galaxy it resides in experienced a significant increase in brightness in 2018. They identified this as a tidal (潮汐的) disruption (扰乱) event, which occurs when a star is torn apart by the intense gravitational (引力的) forces of a black hole. As the star was pulled apart, its material heated up, producing X-ray and ultraviolet light that was observed by the telescopes. This emission eventually faded, suggesting that the black hole had consumed the matter. However, about two years later, the X-ray and UV light from the galaxy broke up again. This unexpected resurgence (复苏) suggested that the star had only been partially consumed during its first encounter, with more material being taken away as it approached the black hole again. The astronomers learned that the star had moved into a highly extended orbit around the black hole after the first encounter. When it eventually approached again, the galaxy lit up with X-ray and UV light as more of the star’s material was consumed. This discovery allowed the scientists to calculate the star’s orbital period, helping them learn that the black hole consumes material approximately every three and a half years. On these grounds, the team predicts that the black hole’s next encounter with the star will begin between May and August 2025, although it is expected to be smaller, as most of the star has already been destroyed. 1. What is the significance of the discovery of the feeding schedule of a black hole? A. It led to scientists’ discovery of a supermassive black hole. B. It made the formation of the black hole known to scientists. C. It changed scientists’ views about the threat from black holes. D. It broadened scientists’ knowledge of the power of the universe. 2. What made the black hole’s activity discovered? A. The powerful gravitational pull of a black hole. B. The X-ray and UV light released by the star. C. A sudden decrease in the galaxy’s brightness. D. A sharp rise in radio signals from the galaxy. 3. What does the author imply in paragraph 3? A. The star had the ability to recover. B. The black hole had unstable forces. C. The star partly survived the black hole. D. The star shone before being pulled apart. 4. Which of the following statements is true according to the team’s prediction? A. The black hole’s feeding schedule will be changed. B. The next encounter will take place outside the orbit. C. The next encounter will be tinier than the previous one. D. The star will be completely consumed by the black hole. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·四川绵竹中学·期中） Beneath the quiet surface of a forest lies a busy network scientists call the “Wood Wide Web.” Far from being isolated (孤立的) individuals, trees communicate, share resources, and even send warnings through an underground system of fungi (真菌). The key players in this hidden conversation are mycorrhizal fungi (菌根真菌). These thread-like organisms connect tree roots, forming vast networks. Research from the University of British Columbia reveals that up to 90% of land plants depend on these fungi. Through this interdependent relationship, trees exchange nutrients like carbon and nitrogen. Older “mother trees” often act as hubs, sending extra sugars to younger saplings struggling in shaded areas — a phenomenon called “forest family connections.” When under attack, trees release chemical signals. A 2023 study in Nature Ecology & Evolution demonstrate that acacia trees bitten by giraffes produce ethylene (乙烯) gas. Nearby trees pick up these chemical signals from the air within minutes and increase tannin (鞣酸) production, making their leaves bitter and less tasty. Similarly, pine trees attacked by beetles send out warning signals through fungal networks, pushing neighbors to boost defensive resins (树脂). Not all interactions are cooperative. Some plants, like the ghost orchid (兰花), hack the network to steal nutrients om nearby trees without offering anything in return. Other species, such as black walnut trees, release toxins(毒素) to restrain competitors — a strategy called “biological warfare” by ecologists. Understanding this “social network” challenges traditional views of forests. Logging dominant mother trees can collapse entire ecosystems, much like removing servers from the internet. Scientists now advocate for selective cutting practices that preserve fungal networks, ensuring forests’ resilience (适应力) against climate change. As author Peter Wohlleben notes in The Hidden Life of Trees, “Forests are super-organisms with intelligence we’re just beginning to decode.” This silent dialogue beneath our feet reminds us that nature’s deepest conversations often happen without a single word. 1. What method do acacia trees use to warn nearby trees of giraffe feeding? A. Transmitting electrical signals through roots. B. Releasing a warning gas into the air. C. Increasing sugar distribution via fungal networks. D. Producing defensive resins in bark. 2. What does “biological warfare” refer to in paragraph 4? A. Using chemicals to kill insects. B. Fighting for sunlight through height. C. Releasing poisons to contain competitors. D. Stealing nutrients via underground roots. 3. Why should mother trees be preserved according to scientists? A. They maintain ecosystem stability. B. They support younger trees with nutrients. C. They connect the forest’s fungal network. D. They help forests resist climate change. 4. Which title best summarizes the article’s main idea? A. Amazing Tree Growth Speed Records B. New Discoveries About Forest Animals C. Dangerous Chemicals in Forest Plants D. Underground Communication Among Trees 主题01 人与社会 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·江苏南京十二中·期中） In the risky world of nuclear arms control, Princeton student Lepowsky is exploring how robots can make inspections more accurate and acceptable to host nations worried about invasive (侵入的) traditional methods. His latest research has led to a robot performing inspections without saving sensitive information. “The host nation likely won’t want a human inspector poking their nose around,” said Lepowsky. “But even a robot has memory and sensors acquiring data.” The goal is to have high-confidence inspections without the robot saving information. For example, the robot would not save radiation measurements or create floor plans of sensitive areas. The new prototype (样机) is built on an iRobot Create 3 platform, an educational robot. Robots offer advantages over human inspectors:they can tolerate higher radiation levels, are more consistent, and can be cheaper. They also can be programmed to generate trust, such as not using cameras to avoid seeing unwanted details. The idea for the robot started with Lepowsky’s adviser, Glaser, who was curious about creating a “forgetful robot” that could perform highly accurate nuclear arms inspections but forget everything afterward. This led to an even more interesting idea: “Rather than forgetting, we’re not even remembering in the first place,” Lepowsky said. He believes this feature can reassure hosts concerned about privacy. Lepowsky likes the interdisciplinary nature of his work — drawing on both his robotics and policy expertise — and he likes that it requires a breadth of knowledge, not just depth. He values that his research is grounded in real-life applications for global security and nuclear nonproliferation (防扩散). Predicting when the robot might be used in the field is difficult. “It’s easy to say, today, it’s not very realistic, but you have to be ready for if and when it becomes possible,” said Lepowsky. Research into this problem is very active. Because arms control is changing, the specific objectives of future agreements are hard to predict. “But we can hope they will be positive, and we need to be ready, technically. “ 1. In which aspect is Lepowsky’s robot different from human inspectors? A. Data security. B. Memory capacity. C. Social acceptance. D. User friendliness. 2. What is said about the robot in paragraph 3? A. Its accurate system. B. Its privacy risks. C. Its design mechanism. D. Its operational problems. 3. What does Lepowsky like about his work? A. Scientific research data. B. Real-time technical cooperation. C. In-depth theoretical studies. D. Integrated knowledge across fields. 4. Which would be the best title for this passage? A. Princeton’s “Forgetful” Robots in Global Security B. No-Memory Robots:The Future of Nuclear Checks? C. Nuclear Arms Control:Robots or Human Inspectors? D. Lepowsky’s “Curious” Robots for Radiation Detection Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·四川绵阳中学·期中） Today, the widespread ability to use Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services in online retail is transforming how consumers pay for purchases. Rather than relying on traditional payment methods, consumers are increasingly using BNPL services to spread payments across interest-free installments (免息分期付款). In new research, we found that BNPL adoption led to immediate and substantial increases in spending. Consumers who adopted BNPL were more likely to purchase, with purchase probability increasing from 17% to 26%. Furthermore, when adopting consumers made purchases, their basket sizes were 10% larger on average than before the introduction of BNPL. Furthermore, the data also reveals a significant aspect of BNPL’s influence on consumer spending patterns. In subsequent tracking studies, it was observed that these increases in spending were not transitory: They lasted for close to six months, showing that BNPL drives lasting gains rather than short-term rises in consumer spending. To understand how BNPL increases spending, we conducted experiments and found that participants who paid in installments felt less financially constrained (财务受限) than those who paid in full. BNPL’s ability to divide payments into smaller amounts gives consumers a sense of better control over their budget. Smaller payments seemed more manageable, even when larger payments were delayed. Additionally, the smaller amounts made consumers feel the cost was less important, encouraging them to add more items to their purchases. At first glance, BNPL may seem like a win-win for both sellers and consumers. However, our findings suggest that sellers are most likely to see increased spending from financially constrained consumers who rely on credit cards. Given that BNPL can encourage overborrowing and lead to financial pressure, it’s important to be careful about who is offered BNPL and how much they can use. Like a tempting dessert, BNPL can seem appealing short-term but carries risks if overused, leading to a financial “sugar crash”. 1. What do we know about BNPL? A. It boosts consumer spending. B. It involves high-interest fees. C. It raises the price of products. D. It sets up a minimum purchase. 2. What does the underlined word “transitory” in paragraph 3 probably mean? A. Rapid. B. Fixed. C. Temporary. D. Permanent. 3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about? A. Ways of using BNPL services. B. BNPL’s influence on consumers. C. Disadvantages of paying in installments. D. A comparison of different payment methods. 4. Why does the author mention “tempting dessert” in the last paragraph? A. To urge people to stop using BNPL. B. To show the wide application of BNPL. C. To state the benefits of BNPL for sellers. D. To warn people to be cautious about BNPL. Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·江苏南京十二中·期中） Most people see innovation as a flash of brilliance and Eureka, a new world is born. When Alexander Fleming returned to his lab in 1928, he found a bacteria culture he had grown was infected by fungus (霉菌), killing any colonies it touched. Rather than simply starting over, Fleming switched his focus to the fungus. He identified the bacteria-killing substance, which he called “penicillin”, and seemingly in a single stroke, created the new field of antibiotics. The truth, however, is messier. It wasn’t until 1943 that penicillin came into widespread use. To put Fleming’s discovery in context, consider Ignaz Semmelweis, who pioneered hand washing in maternity wards (产房), significantly reducing childbed fever but receiving scorn instead of fame. That was because in the 1850s, his ideas conflicted with the popular miasma theory, which attributed disease to “bad airs”. After his death in 1865, germ theory was accepted, paving the way for Fleming’s later work. Fleming was a gifted biologist but a poor communicator. When he published his results in 1929, few took notice. In 1935, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain discovered Fleming’s paper, understood its importance, and developed methods to produce penicillin in quantity. By 1943, with World War II raging, the War Production Board enlisted 21 companies to mass-produce penicillin, saving countless lives and ushering in the new age of antibiotics. Fleming, Florey and Chain received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1945. Penicillin owes much of its success to government support. For many other groundbreaking innovations like the Internet and GPS, their innovators, while carving their own path, are often uncertain of where the opportunity lies until they team up with other visionaries and corporations, who might have the resources to fast-track their ideas. So, look at any significant innovation and the myth of the lone genius and the “eureka moment” breaks down. 1. What is the first paragraph mainly about? A. An account of a lab story. B. Redefinition of a traditional view. C. Correction of a popular misconception. D. An analysis of a scientific phenomenon. 2. What is the message conveyed about Fleming’s story? A. Great minds think alike. B. The early bird catches the worm. C. Luck’s got your back when it comes to success. D. Early work is a steppingstone to later breakthroughs. 3. What does the underlined part “ushering in” mean in paragraph 3? A. Delaying. B. Introducing. C. Predicting. D. Transforming. 4. Which of the following can be the best title? A. Great Innovations: Individuals Are True Heroes. B. From Failure to Success: The Story of Penicillin. C. The Lone Genius: Fleming’s Discovery of Penicillin. D. The Long Road to Penicillin: How Innovation Happens. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·浙江杭州学军中学·期中） In February, the CEO of Wendy’s, a popular American fast-food chain, said that they would start experimenting with dynamic pricing. For example, the bacon might cost $7.99 at 7 a.m. when everyone eats breakfast, and $6.99 three hours later when it’s not breakfast time, but also not lunch time either. “Load balancing” is a similar concept in energy and transportation. Utilities (公用事业) charge less for power overnight, and transit (运输) agencies charge higher fares during rush hour to encourage users to shift toward off-peak times, when energy and trains are in less demand. And there is “peak-period pricing” on ride-hailing (打车) platforms, which is meant to quickly stimulate more drivers to start picking up passengers. In an era before the Internet, changing prices was costly, requiring updating signs or applying markdown stickers by hand. As restaurants, retailers, parking garages, gyms, hair salons became more automated, price changes became effortless even at physical stores. It’s easy to understand why companies want to change prices more frequently: to make more money. But does that mean that as dynamic pricing spreads, prices will be higher on average. Senator Sherrod Brown，Democrat of Ohio, posed the question to the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, calling the technique “just another way for corporations to make it harder for consumers to seek out lower prices”. Mr. Powell responded that dynamic pricing lowers prices as well as raises them, and the overall impact on price levels isn’t yet known. When one company dominates the market, dynamic pricing is more likely to raise prices overall. But in a competitive environment, dynamic pricing can also lead to price wars that benefit consumers. 1. Which of the following situations belongs to “dynamic pricing”? A. Lower ticket prices on weekdays. B. Lower room prices for advance booking. C. Higher food prices for non-members. D. Higher products prices for large amounts. 2. Why is “load balancing” employed according to paragraph 2? A. To manage resources. B. To maximize profits. C. To stimulate economy. D. To benefit customers. 3. What is the attitude of Senator Sherrod Brown to dynamic pricing? A. Supportive. B. Critical. C. Objective. D. Indifferent. 4. Which is the best title for the text? A. History of Food price Policies. B. Innovations on Fast Food Menus. C. Great Influence of Dynamic Pricing. D. Dynamic Pricing in Modern Economy. 主题02 人与自我 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·陕西西安二十六中·期中） A new study, led by Dr Steven Stagg of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), found the benefits of letter-spacing and coloured overlays (涂层) among a group of dyslexic (诵读困难的) and non-dyslexic children. It discovered that text with increased space between letters provided a benefit for both groups of children. On average, the dyslexia group showed a 13% increase in reading speed, while the comparison group of non-dyslexic children showed a 5% increase in reading speed. The study involved 59 children aged between 11 and 15,32 of whom had dyslexia, with 27 non-dyslexic children forming a control group. The participants were from six UK schools in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and London. Participants read four texts with either standard or extra-large letter-spacing, both with and without a coloured overlay. The children were instructed to read these texts out loud while being recorded. The recordings were used to measure the number of errors they made—specifically missed words, added words, wrong words, and pronunciation—as well as the participants’ reading time. In addition to improving reading speed of children with and without dyslexia, the larger letter-spacing also resulted in a significant reduction in the number of words being missed by the children with dyslexia. Dr Stagg said, “We believe that extra-large letter-spacing reduces what is known as the ‘crowding effect’, which can prevent the recognition of letters and reduce reading speed.” When viewed in the context of previous research, the findings strongly suggest that teaching professionals should be confident that all children will be helped by increased letter-spacing in reading materials. It’s a relatively simple change for teachers to make when they produce handout s and exercises, and children with dyslexia won’t feel singled out by the introduction of specially adapted reading materials, as this change is something that everyone can benefit from. The study showed colored overlays didn’t affect reading speed or error reduction in children. Despite this, Dr. Stagg recommends using them, as they might improve reading stamina (耐力). 1. What does the new study focus on according to Paragraph 1? A. The features of dyslexia. B. The gap in children’s reading ability. C. Ways of examining children’s comprehension. D. Certain factors helping improve children’s reading ability. 2. What did the researchers do during the study? A. They asked children to document the reading material. B. They taught children some reading skills. C. They studied the recordings of children’s reading. D. They observed children’s performances in class. 3. How are children with dyslexic affected by the “crowding effect”? A. They may read materials faster than usual. B. They may make more mistakes when reading. C. They are forced to reflect on themselves more. D. They are willing to spend more time reading. 4. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 5? A. The significance of previous dyslexia children research. B. The necessity of paying attention to children with dyslexia. C. The suggestions and expectations from teaching professionals. D. The practicability and benefits of specially adapted reading materials. Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·江苏南师大附中·期中） The last time my husband and I went out for an elegant restaurant dinner, the server came to our table and began to recite a long list of specials, with detailed descriptions of how the dishes were made and where the ingredients had been sourced. Her recitation went on and on, and as she spoke, I became almost more interested in how she could remember all those descriptions than I was in thinking about the food. Meanwhile, I couldn’t remember where I’d put my keys before we left for the restaurant. The good news is that not remembering where you put your keys is generally not a sign of dementia (老年痴呆). And on the contrary, being able to remember a long list of restaurant specials isn’t necessarily a sign of extraordinary mental ability, either. Memory is far more complicated than the dining out experience could ever show. While most of us are terrified about developing dementia, fewer than 10% of adults aged 65 and older will wind up with dementia such as Alzheimer’s (阿尔茨海默症). “Some memory loss is normal as people age.” says Joel Salinas, a behavioral neurologist. “It’s not the kind of decline that interferes with the ability to live your life.” And, he adds, “There are areas that actually improve with age. Vocabulary is one.” Jessica Zwerling, a director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, compares the effect of aging on memory to kind of like getting traffic on the brain. “It may take longer to find a word; it may come to you later. The speed of processing can go down, but your hippocampus, the part of the brain most associated with memory, should be functioning.” And the memories themselves are stored in various sections of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain. “Memory is all these different brain networks working in concert with each other,” says Dr. Salinas. 1. Why does the author mention the dining out experience in the first paragraph? A. To clarify the distinct differences. B. To introduce her awkward situation. C. To teach readers how to recite menus. D. To highlight the complexity of memory. 2. What does the underlined phrase “interferes with” in Paragraph 3 refer to? A. Promote. B. Limit. C. Mix. D. Acquire. 3. What can we know about aged people with memory loss according to the text? A. They act like an Alzheimer’s patient. B. They can’t live a normal life independently. C. They are sure to suffer dementia some day. D. They may recall some forgotten words after a while. 4. What is the last paragraph mainly about? A. The mechanism of memory loss in brain. B. The brain parts in charge of memorizing. C. The procedures of memory experiments. D. The result of losing memory in brain. Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·山东蒙阴一中·期中） When was the last time you ate and only focused on eating? Many of us eat while working, fiddling with our smartphones or on the go. Distracted eating, as it is termed in scientific literature, coincides with greater flexibility in where we can eat our food and the accessibility of distractions. As a result, “you get this weird blend of different activities. They’re no longer fixed to certain places and times,” said Lotte van Dillen, a professor of social psychology at Leiden University. “You can do everything anywhere at any moment. That’s not good.” When van Dillen and her colleagues conducted studies of large, representative samples of people in the Netherlands, they found a “surprisingly consistent” result: Roughly 70 to 75 percent of the time, people are distracted and doing something else when they eat. Distracted eating could have adverse (不利的) health consequences. Studies show that when we are distracted, we tend to eat more. And when we are done eating, we are more likely to eat again sooner. In turn, regular distracted eating is associated with weight gain. At the same time, distractions prevent us from fully tasting or enjoying what we are eating by disrupting signals in our brain. Despite eating more, “it’s kind of tragic that you’re not enjoying it so much,” van Dillen said. When we eat, our guts (肠道) getting full, a process which takes about 20 minutes. But being distracted makes it harder to release satiety hormones that signal to our brains that we are experience these satiety signals. Distractions add cognitive load to our brains that competes with and reduces our ability to sense not only the amount of food and how full we are getting, but also its taste. In an early experiment from a 2013 study, van Dillen and her colleagues had 42 participants sweeten their own lemonade with sugary syrup to taste. Some were distracted by an easy cognitive task (memorizing a one-digit number), while others had a harder one (memorizing a seven-digit number). Those challenged with the harder mental task added a whopping 50 percent more of the sugary syrup but did not report their drink as sweeter than participants doing the easier mental task. In a follow-up 2023 study published in the journal Appetite, van Dillen and her colleagues put 46 participants in an FMRI brain scanner and fed them sugar water of different sweetness levels through a bundle of tubes. When participants had a more challenging cognitive task, they rated the strong sugar solution as less sweet than when the task was easy. In short, distractions have a “sledgehammer effect” on our senses, van Dillen said. In a 2024 study, van Dillen and her colleagues found evidence that distractions cause otherwise enjoyable activities such as eating a snack, reading a novel or watching TV, to feel less enjoyable that we expected. Feeling underwhelmed, we are more likely to overconsume to make up for this shortfall in enjoyment, engaging in what researchers call “hedonic (快乐的) compensation.” 1. Which of the following behaviors can be considered as “distracted eating”? A. You eat dinner at a fixed place and time. B. You eat snacks while working on your essay. C. You have breakfast in a relaxing environment. D. You have lunch at school without doing anything else. 2. What can we know about “satiety hormones” from paragraph 5? A. They make distractions. B. They stimulate appetite. C. They add cognitive load. D. They send satiety signals. 3. How did van Dillen and her colleagues carry out their experiments? A. By conducting interviews. B. By testing effectiveness. C. By making comparisons. D. By distributing surveys. 4. What can we learn from the studies? A. Distracted eating prompts us to taste more flavors. B. Fully experiencing the food can help us better enjoy it. C. Distractions fail to change how the brain processes taste. D. The food will be tasteless if we choose to do harder work. Passage 4 （24-25学年高二下·江西玉山一中·期中） Can you imagine getting a tooth pulled out or other major dental procedures without pain-killer? A scientist colleague of mine used a “focus in” technique instead of requesting pain-killer at the dentist. Each time the dentist touched the tooth, my colleague felt bubbles of joy, and this lasted until the dentist interrupted by asking, “Why are you smiling?” A fair question at this point is why anyone would want to be fully aware of intense or painful procedures. But what may sound like a punishing choice—to directly face hurt or suffering—may in some instances be beneficial. A stream of scientific articles suggests that there are benefits in turning toward discomfort or negative emotions with acceptance. In addition, all of us can gain from finding ways to cope with stress and suffering—particularly when larger circumstances are beyond our control. As a researcher who has studied meditation (冥想) for more than 20 years, I believe that the development of calmness, a central element of certain mindfulness meditation practices, can help. I’m not advocating for people to put themselves in dangerous or painful positions. But when we push ourselves into challenging or confusing situations, much like trainers who push athletes just past their comfort zone to make gains, learning often happens. Indeed, a 2022 study with more than 2,000 people demonstrated that those participants who were publicly encouraged to push themselves into awkward, uncomfortable situations—including taking classes to boost self-confidence and reading about opposing viewpoints—later reported the greatest degree of personal growth. My own research indicates that meditation provides an ideal way to practice turning toward discomfort-particularly when it trains up one’s calm mind. People who reported higher levels of calmness reported less psychological distress (困扰). Right now people are hurting for many reasons and looking for ways to cope. Without question, there are many important steps we need to take collectively to respond to these challenges. But we can each build our ability to recover on a personal level as well by cultivating greater acceptance of our experience—good or bad, painful or pleasant—in the present moment. 1. The author uses the first question in Paragraph 1 to________. A. introduce the topic. B. illustrate an argument. C. highlight an opinion. D. promote a pain-killer. 2. What is the benefit of turning towards discomfort and negative emotions? A. It helps in avoiding suffering fully. B. It increases psychological distress. C. It leads to personal growth. D. It promotes a sense of calmness. 3. What is the author’s view on putting oneself in dangerous or painful positions? A. The author encourages it as a way to improve fitness. B. The author discourages it due to its potential harm. C. The author believes it is necessary for personal growth. D. The author recommends it to those confused trainers. 4. What can be a suitable title for the text? A. Turning Towards Discomfort: My Experience of Staying Stressful and Successful B. Expanding Comfort Zones: The Difference Between Discomfort and Calmness C. Mindfulness and Meditation: The Tools for Dealing with Stress and Suffering D. Cultivating Calmness: The Benefits of Mindfulness in Enjoying Dental Operation 主题03 人与自然 Passage 1 （24-25学年高二下·广东广州天河外国语·期中） In 2015, Doc Brown, a “mad scientist”, takes teenager Marty McFly to the future in a flying car. In that future, cars fly through the sky. But now, 10 years after the future shown in the movie, flying cars are still not real. However, flying cars, a popular idea in sci-fi since the early 1900s, might soon become real. According to Xiaosong Du, an assistant professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, the technology to make flying cars already exists. In fact, some companies have even tested prototypes (样机). A flying car would probably look like a mix of an airplane and a helicopter. Since airplanes need runways, a flying car would take off like a helicopter using rotating blades (叶片). After take-off, wings would extend from the car's body, allowing it to fly like an airplane with less air resistance. Another design option is to add propellers (螺旋桨) to the wings. At first, the wings would face upwards to help the propellers lift the vehicle. Once in the air, the wings would tilt to lie flat, making the car fly like an airplane. These designs don't look like the flying cars from sci-fi. Instead, they look like military helicopters, like those in some movies. One big challenge for people traveling in flying cars is expense. A US company plans to sell flying cars that can also drive on roads, but they will cost about $300, 000 each. Most flying cars will be electric due to sustainability concerns, but batteries are heavy and have limited range. Flying cars require a lot of power, especially during take-off. Current batteries can only power a flying car for 20 to 30 minutes. Unlike a regular car, a flying car cannot just pull over when out of power — it would fall. So Du and many other researchers are trying to improve battery efficiency before flying taxis take off. 1. Why does the author mention the movie in the first paragraph? A. To introduce the topic about flying cars. B. To remember a scientist inventing flying cars. C. To show people's longing for flying cars. D. To praise a boy for his adventurous spirit in flying cars. 2. Which of the following is a big barrier to people using flying cars? A. The wings' flexibility. B. The road safety. C. The flight rules. D. The high cost. 3. What can we infer about flying cars? A. They have been in service in big cities. B. They can operate like a regular vehicle. C. They consume less fuel during take-off. D. They require light but powerful batteries. 4. Which is the most suitable title for the text? A. Sci-fi films inspire real-life inventions B. The challenges of flying cars are endless C. Flying cars could soon become a reality D. Customers are concerned about flying cars Passage 2 （24-25学年高二下·云南开远一中·期中） When you travel to the Arctic, the Arctic is in charge. Weather and conditions can be unpredictable, so give yourself extra days either side of your booked tour and pack your spirit of luck. On the Arctic ice floe (浮冰) edge in Canada’s furthest and iciest northern reaches, you’ll find the most magical creatures on earth bathing in the 24-hour sun. But to get to Eclipse Sound you’ll need some courage and a guided tour. With Arctic Kingdom, which flies you out from Ottawa, you’ll stay in a tented safari (观兽旅行) camp and ride snowmobiles with Inuit guides to search for tusked narwhales feeding at the floe edge. There’s also a chance you’ll spot polar bears, beluga (白鲸) and bowhead whales while you watch for thousands of migratory (迁徙的) Arctic birds. Ever seen polar bears playing in a field of wildflowers? In Canada, take the most surprising safaris on earth into landscapes that seem out of this world. Churchill in Manitoba is a wildlife supercentre, with most of the activity increasing in the summer months. Pods of beluga whales, famous for their cute faces and friendly nature, swim through the Churchill River in July and August, and you can kayak (划皮船) or paddleboard (划冲浪板) out to them with Sea North Tours (you can go out by boat if it is more in your comfort zone or you’ve got young children with you). On a Churchill Wild summer safari, you’ll stay in remote country houses where you can sometimes see buttery white bears ambling past the windows. But you’ll also go out on walking and ATV adventures to spot them in the wild. If photography and ecology is your thing, Frontiers North runs day trips aboard a Tundra Buggy to explore the diverse lands and plants and kids will love the ride. 1. What do we know about Canada from the first paragraph? A. People can see the sun for 24 hours in Canada’s furthest and iciest north. B. The most magical creatures can be found everywhere in Canada. C. Travellers can always find polar bears there. D. Weather in Canada can be easily predicted. 2. What makes white beluga whales well-known? A. Their skills at swimming fast. B. Their skills at paddleboarding. C. Their pretty faces and friendly nature. D. Their ability to swim through the Churchill River all year round. 3. What does the underlined word “them” refer to? A. Beluga whales. B. Bowhead whales. C. White bears. D. Arctic birds. 4. What is the main purpose of Paragraph 3? A. To introduce popular bears. B. To recommend some activities. C. To show various animals in Churchill. D. To attract more travellers. Passage 3 （24-25学年高二下·山东蒙阴一中·期中） Amid mounting global plastic pollution — a crisis worsened by 400 million tons of annual waste, 46% of which are single-use PET plastics — researchers have engineered PETase Plus, a bioengineered enzyme (酶) capable of degrading PET polymers (聚合物) 90% faster than natural enzymes. Published in Nature Biotechnology, this breakthrough, achieved through multinational cooperation, could redefine waste management by transforming non-recyclable plastics into reusable raw materials. Yet, its significance extends far beyond laboratories, sparking heated debates among scientists, policymakers, and environmentalists. Unlike conventional recycling, which demands energy-intensive processes (exceeding 250℃) to melt plastics and produces useless materials, PETase Plus operates under mild conditions. By degrading PET’s molecular bonds, it breaks down plastics into base components that can be re-integrated into high-quality products or even biofuels. According to Dr. Liam Harper, lead author of the study, “This method cuts energy consumption by 60% and carbon emissions by 80%, offering industries a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods.” However, critics caution against unchecked optimism. While PETase Plus excels in controlled lab environments, applying it for industrial or environmental use risks unintended ecological harm. Dr. Emily Carter, a biochemist, warns, “Engineered enzymes released into landfills or oceans might also degrade natural polymers, destabilizing soil structures or marine ecosystems. Without proper restrictions, the solution to plastic waste could become an ecological disaster.” Ethical conflicts further complicate its adoption. Environmental advocates insist plastic manufacturers — responsible for 70% of global PET production — should fund large-scale application of the technology. However, industry leaders argue that governments must provide financial support to encourage innovation. Meanwhile, developing nations, where waste management system is underdeveloped, view PETase Plus as a potential lifeline, though fears spread that wealthy countries might not share the technology. As research advances, PETase Plus is facing a challenge: a scientific success shadowed by ethical and ecological dilemmas. Its success relies not merely on biochemical efficiency but on multi-party cooperation to balance innovation with caring for our planet. 1. According to paragraph 2, what is one advantage of PETase Plus over traditional recycling methods? A. It produces biofuels straight from plastic waste. B. It functions effectively at relatively low temperatures. C. It removes the need for industrial funding. D. It reduces the cost by 60%. 2. What concern do critics emphasize about PETase Plus? A. Its funding resource is still not clear. B. It may disturb natural ecosystems. C. It requires expensive lab equipment. D. Its mechanism is not yet understood. 3. Why does the author quote Dr. Emily Carter? A. To stress the necessity for ecological regulations. B. To question the enzyme’s degradation efficiency. C. To advocate for industry-led innovation. D. To highlight the technical limitations of PETase Plus. 4. What can be a possible result of the future application of PETase Plus? A. Developing nations will reject the technology due to high costs. B. Ethical conflicts might prevent its widespread application. C. Governments will cease funding traditional recycling. D. Ecological risks will be removed. / 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $